8th Grade
English/Language Arts

Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot

Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision

Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific words/phrases on meaning/tone, including analogies and illusions to other texts

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research

Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas

Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text

Determine the meaning of words/phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts

Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style

Analyze how differences in the points of the characters and the audience or reader create such effects as suspense or humor Interpret figures of speech (e.g., verbal irony, puns) in context

Write arguments (literary analysis) and support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research

Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text

Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary

Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas or events

Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research

Short stories (The Interlopers; On the Bridge; Teenage Wasteland)

Twelfth Night

Night; various nonfiction texts

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text

Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision

Analyze impact of word choice, including analogies/allusions, on meaning and tone in text

Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works, including describing how the material is rendered new

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research

Determine the meaning of words/phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts

Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style

Analyze how differences in the points of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor

Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events

Draw evidence from literary (or informational) texts to support analysis, reflection and research

Multiple short stories and novels exploring theme, symbolism and multiple perspectives

Out of the Dust