The following components will take place in or through the 8th grade English Language Arts class:
Events:
Project Launch
Field Trips (Including Virtual)
Deliverables for English Language Arts:
Expert Research (Newsela Articles on Energy, Land, Water, and Air pollution)
Data Collection & Analysis (Energy, Land, Water, and Air)
Case Studies: Environmental Disasters
Letter to Legislator: Law proposal
Google Slides Presentation
Handout/Pledge: Plan of Action
Mini project
School composting project (Land)
Grant writing for water stations (Water)
Pandemic impact on air pollution (Air)
School solar panel installation project (Energy)
School wide energy reduction plan (Energy)
Other
English Language Arts Standards
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 of the text.
Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts
Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 8 here.)
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.