8th Grade

Concept-Based Unit by Trimester

Click on these links to view each trimester's unit overview and video permission form.

Trimester 1 - Ethical Use of Technology - Shared reading - excerpts from1984, science fiction novel

Trimester 2 - Pursuit of Perfection - Shared reading - The Book Thief

Trimester 3 - Philosophy of Choice and Perspective - Shared reading - student novel choice

Speaking and Listening Power Standards

Defend claims and findings from independent research, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with sound valid reasoning.
Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats and determine the relevance of an author’s/speaker’s argument, and sufficiency of evidence presented, and express the potential impact of this message on society.

Writing Power Standards

Write concise, research-based arguments analyzing and supporting claims about authentic topics recognizing alternate claims about the topics, citing reliable sources and using precise language.
Write cohesive, research-based explanatory texts about authentic topics using demonstrating appropriate use of academic vocabulary and citing reliable primary and secondary resources.
Write narratives to reflect significant authentic experiences or events using purposeful verb-choice and including the analysis of the causal relationship between events.

Reading Power Standards

Cite evidence from fiction and nonfiction text to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as the inferences drawn in order to write an objective summary of the text.
Analyze the perspective of multiple primary sources on related concepts/topics and apply evidence drawn from these sources to support proposed solutions to authentic problems.