8th- Fourth 9 weeks 

The last nine weeks of the school year, students will be exhibiting mastery over their writing skills gained throughout the school year in all areas of writing.  Students will also be focusing on nonfiction texts. The novel this nine weeks will be Al Capone Does My Shirts.  Students will also continue independent reading. All books must be approved by their classroom teacher, and participation will be entered as an assessment grade. 

Reading Comprehension

8.RC.1  Analyze what a text says explicitly as well as draw inferences from the text through strong and supportive textual evidence.

8.RC.2  Analyze the development of a theme or central idea over the course of a work of literature, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide a detailed summary that supports the analysis.

8.RC.5  Determine an author’s perspective or purpose in a text, and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.

8.RC.6  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.

8.RC.7  Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.

Communication & Collaboration

8.CC.4  Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.

8.CC.5  Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning

and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

Writing

8.W.1  Write arguments in a variety of forms.

8.W.2  Write informative compositions on a variety of topics.

8.W.3  Write narrative compositions in a variety of forms.

8.W.4  Apply the writing process. 

8.W.5  Conduct research assignments and tasks. 

8.W.6  Demonstrate command of English grammar and usage.

8.W.7  Demonstrate command of standard English.

Reading Comprehension

• Evidence Statements for 8.RC.1

  • Identify an argument, claim, central idea, or theme in a text.

  • Infer an author’s perspective or purpose based on an analysis of a text.

  • Cite textual evidence to support an idea explicitly given in a text.

  • Cite textual evidence to support an idea inferred about a text

• Evidence Statements for 8.RC.2

  • Identify the theme or central idea of a text.

  • Analyze how characters, setting, and plot help develop a theme or central idea over the course of a work of literature.

  • Incorporate the development of the theme or central idea and other story details into a detailed summary that supports the analysis.

• Evidence Statements for 8.RC.5

  • Determine and explain the author’s perspective or purpose in a text.

  • Examine the organization of ideas in the text to determine the ideas that signal and address opposing viewpoints.

  • Analyze how an author acknowledges and responds to conflicting viewpoints.

• Evidence Statements for 8.RC.6

  • Identify a writer’s argument and claim(s).

  • Distinguish between sound and unsound reasoning.

  • Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant evidence.

  • Recognize that the evidence offered may not be sufficient or substantial.

• Evidence Statements for 8.RC.7

  • Explain how two authors present conflicting information on the same topic and provide support from both texts.

  • Identify side-by-side specific places or instances where texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretations.

Communication & Collaboration

• Evidence Statements for 8.CC.4

  • Identify the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats.

  • Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats.

  • Evaluate and explain the speaker’s motives behind the presentation of information.

• Evidence Statements for 8.CC.5

  • Identify a speaker’s claim.

  • Outline an argument made by a speaker, including evidence used to support main points.

  • Distinguish between sound and unsound reasoning.

  • Identify the attitude the speaker has toward a subject by analyzing the content and the delivery.

  • Recognize claims introduced may not be relevant to the topic.

  • Recognize that the evidence offered may not be sufficient or substantial

Writing

• Evidence Statements 8.W.1

  • Identify claims, reasons, and relevant evidence within text.

  • Determine how to structure an argument.

  • Outline an argument, introducing the claim with a thesis statement and organizing the reasons and evidence clearly in order to support the claim.

  • Formulate support for claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

  • Evaluate the credibility of sources used and relevance of the evidence.

  • Identify and make concessions to conflicting or differing claims.

  • Write an argument to introduce and support a claim with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

  • Utilize words, phrases, and clauses that show relationships between the claims, reasons, and evidence.

  • Establish and maintain a formal style and consistent tone appropriate for the purpose and audience.

  • Plan and write an appropriate conclusion that follows the argument presented.

• Evidence Statements 8.W.2

  • Identify components of informative writing.

  • Determine a structure for writing that best organizes ideas, concepts, and information on a topic using categorization.

  • Outline informative writing tasks to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through text selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

  • Determine when to include formatting, graphics, and/or multimedia to aid in comprehension.

  • Introduce and develop a topic in writing using a thesis statement, relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, examples, and other information.

  • Select and use various transitions that clarify relationships among presented ideas and concepts.

  • Use precise language and content-specific vocabulary when writing to inform or explain a topic.

  • Establish and maintain a formal style when writing.

  • Plan and write an appropriate conclusion that follows the information or explanation presented.

  • Edit and revise writing to eliminate wordiness and redundancy.

• Evidence Statements 8.W.3

  • Identify components of narrative text.

  • Convey real or imagined experiences and events through written narratives.

  • Establish a context and point of view within writing by introducing a setting, narrator, and/or character(s).

  • Maintain an appropriate event or plot sequence in writing that unfolds naturally and logically.

  • Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and/or clauses that convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.

  • Analyze and employ narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing, and description to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

  • Intentionally use words and phrases that provide descriptive details.

  • Employ the use of sensory language in order to convey experiences and events.

  • Develop and write an ending that follows and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

• Evidence Statements for 8.W.4

  • Determine the appropriate writing mode necessary to fit the specific task, purpose, and audience.

  • Engage in all steps of the writing process: planning, developing, drafting, revising, and publishing.

  • Draft writing pieces that adhere to a clear topic or purpose.

  • Incorporate revisions in order to make substantive changes to writing.

  • Edit writing to align with grade level appropriate expectations for grammar and mechanics.

  • Actively participate in peer review opportunities, providing and utilizing academic feedback in order to strengthen and enhance the clarity and coherence of writing.

  • Use appropriate technology in order to interact and collaborate with others.

• Evidence Statements for 8.W.5

  • Develop a research question.

  • Conduct an investigation of multiple sources in order to develop an answer or a hypothesis to a research question.

  • Use search terms effectively.

  • Assess the credibility and accuracy of each source.

  • Annotate sources.

  • Construct an answer or hypothesis in the form of a thesis statement.

  • Use correct formatting to quote or paraphrase information found in sources.

  • Construct and correctly format a works cited page to house citations and avoid plagiarism.

  • Present information, choosing from a variety of formats

• Evidence Statements for 8.W.6

  • Identify verbs in text.

  • Identify verbals in text.

  • Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences.

  • Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.

  • Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice

• Evidence Statements for 8.W.7

  • Write using standard English conventions that are appropriate for the grade level.

  • Identify and define pauses, breaks, or omissions in writing.

  • Write, correctly using commas, ellipses, and dashes

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