English Language Arts 8
Grade 8 English Language Arts Course Description
In eighth grade, students grapple with high‐quality, complex, nonfiction texts and great works of literature. Students know how to cite textual evidence supporting an analysis or critique. Students know how to question an author’s assumptions and assess the accuracy of the claims. Eighth grade students read closely and find evidence to use in their own writing; they analyze two or more texts that provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify whether the disagreement is over facts or interpretation. They analyze how point of view can be manipulated to create specific effects such as dramatic irony and investigate how particular passages within a text connect to one another to advance the plot, reveal a character, or highlight an idea. Students have developed a strong vocabulary of academic words which they use to speak and write with more precision. Their writing continues to grow focusing on organizing ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; choosing relevant facts well; and using varied transitions to clarify or show the relationships among elements.
Grade 8 Intensive Learning Support English Language Arts Course Description
Academic Transition is a smaller ELA setting with two dual certified teachers. This allows students to learn the eighth grade curriculum with the appropriate amount of supports needed for them to succeed. We also do quarterly diagnostic testing to track student progress and success. In eighth grade, students grapple with high‐quality, complex, nonfiction texts and great works of literature. Students know how to cite textual evidence supporting an analysis or critique. Students know how to question an author’s assumptions and assess the accuracy of the claims. Eighth grade students read closely and find evidence to use in their own writing; they analyze two or more texts that provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify whether the disagreement is over facts or interpretation. They analyze how point of view can be manipulated to create specific effects such as dramatic irony and investigate how particular passages within a text connect to one another to advance the plot, reveal a character, or highlight an idea. Students have developed a strong vocabulary of academic words which they use to speak and write with more precision. Their writing continues to grow focusing on organizing ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; choosing relevant facts well; and using varied transitions to clarify or show the relationships among elements.
Key Ideas and Details—Literature Text
Cite evidence to support inferences, generalizations, or analyses.
Analyze theme.
Provide a summary.
Analyze how elements of a story affect characters.
Key Ideas and Details—Informational Text
Cite evidence to support inferences or generalizations.
Analyze how a central story is developed
Provide a summary.
Analyze how ideas interact.
Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas—Literature Text
Analyze how authors use of the differences between the points of view of characters and the reader creates an effect.
Analyze author’s use of forms or structures of two or more texts.
Determine author’s use of word meanings.
Determine author’s use of figurative language.
Analyze how modern fiction draws on myths and traditional stories.
Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas—Informational Text
Analyze author’s point of view or purpose.
Analyze author’s use of text structure.
Determine author’s use of word meanings.
Determine author’s use of figurative language.
Evaluate arguments or claims.
Analyze how two or more texts provide conflicting information.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Determine meaning of words or
Phrases.
Interpret figurative language.
Text Dependent Analysis
Requires students to read a literary or informational text and then use effective communication skills to write an essay in response to a complex prompt, response making inferences about the author’s meaning by drawing evidence from the text, both explicit and implicit, to support an overall analysis of the reading elements.