English Language Arts Curriculum

8th Grade

Course Purpose:

Students will debate significant global issues through comparing, contrasting, and presenting solutions via various media sources and fiction/nonfiction text.

Outcomes and Components:

LA.8.8

Students will write an expository essay expressing the main idea and defining key words and phrases found in literary nonfiction.

Pacing  

Instruct/

Assess

Component Code

Component

Standard(s)

 

LA.8.8.1

Read grade level books and articles in order to cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of a text’s central idea, its development over the course of a text, as well as inferences drawn from the text.

8.RI.1

8.RI.2

8.RI.10

   

LA.8.8.2

 

Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept

 

8.RI.5

 

LA.8.8.3

Set goals and engage in collegial discussions, track progress toward goals, define roles and acknowledge new information to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

8.SL.1b

8.SL.1d

8.RI.4

 

LA.8.8.4

Use reference materials to consult and verify the meaning of a word. Delineate an argument and write an expository essay to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

8.W.2

8.L.4c

8.L.4d

 

LA.8.8.5

Utilize reference materials to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

Use appropriate transitions, establish and maintain a formal style and provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented.

8.W.2a

8.W.2b

8.W.2c

8.W.2d

8.W.2e

8.W.2f

8.L.4c

 

LA.8.8.6

Write, read, and speak to exhibit knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

8.L.3

 

LA.8.8.7

Analyze information from diverse media in order to delineate and clarify claims, evaluate reasoning and evidence, then present findings. Integrate media and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

8.SL.2

8.SL.3

8.SL.5

Academic Vocabulary: 

Content Vocabulary: