Sound Effects, Poetic Elements, and Analysis, Oh My! Visualizing the Text to Gain Meaning Out of Poetry
Students will be asked to use metacognition as they analyze a poem, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the overall meaning of a text.
Did You Get the "Text" Message?
Students will work independently and collaboratively to recognize the theme within a variety of texts. Students will create theme topics and theme statements from texts read.
Poetry With Purpose
Students collaborate in small groups to discuss their peers’ poetry and assess the poetry according to the student-created rubric. The rubric assesses students’ ability to make meaningful connections to the poetic devices in their poetry. Through collaboration, they are building a culture of receptiveness among their peers.
Inferring with Dr. Seuss
Students will work collaboratively in groups as they practice their inferring skills using children’s literature books.
Click below to learn about the TEKS related to the unit and Research Lesson. The highlighted student expectation(s) is the chosen focus for the Research Lesson.
It’s All in the Details
This lesson demonstrates a small group intervention that scaffolds instruction of main idea for native English or Spanish speaking students. This lesson is scripted in both languages.
Inferring Through Imagery and Figurative Language
Students rotate to four posters which contain a single stanza from a common poem (“Digging” by Seamus Heaney), marking key literary elements (imagery, diction, figurative language) before rotating to explain the connotation of the words and phrases selected by the previous group. After text marking, students regroup to discuss the inferential connections between literary terms and their connotative meaning to theorize thematic meaning within the poem.
Making an Inference
The class will review previous learning about how authors describe characters using speech, thoughts, effects on others, actions, and looks (STEAL). Students will make annotations on an excerpt using the STEAL strategy. We will talk them through making a guided inference. Students will complete a short-answer response on chart paper with evidence and inference for the focus question
Analyzing Online Sources for Credibility
The students will analyze online sources for credibility and reliability while respecting others opinions through collaboration.
Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions in an Anne Frank Digital Challenge
Students will work collaboratively on a digital challenge activity by reading short excerpts of nonfiction text and explore an online webpage where they will learn more about the life of Anne Frank and the World War II era. By answering inferential and organizational structure questions, regarding those topics, students will be in a race against each other to crack the code to a lockbox.
Building Vocabulary with a Morphing Mindset
Students will explore vocabulary words from other content areas and apply their learning of word parts to find meaning.
Teacher working with students
Stop, Collaborate, and Listen. Poetry is Our Mission! Thinking Deeply About Poetry
Students will actively engage with poetry in a blend of collaborative and independent analysis of poetic devices and an author’s use of devices to communicate a deeper meaning. Students will use their analysis to infer the meaning of a variety of poems.
Thesis Throwdown
After students watch a brief video introducing thesis statements, they will create a class thesis statement checklist, use a prompt to write a personal thesis, compare theirs to others in their group while working to craft and revise a group thesis to present to the class after participating in a Gallery Walk where they provide and incorporate revision suggestions.
Teacher Introducing Lesson
2 OnTRACK Grade 8 English: Vocabulary Development
OnTRACK Grade 8 English Reading, Module 1, Lessons 1 and 2. Students will learn how to understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing.
11 OnTRACK Grade 8 English: Comprehension of Literary Texts
OnTRACK Grade 8 English Reading Module 2, Lessons 1–11. Students will learn how to analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about literary texts.
5 OnTRACK Grade 8 English: Comprehension of Informational Text
OnTRACK Grade 8 English Reading Module 3, Lessons 1–5. Students will learn how to analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about informational text.
9 OnTRACK Grade 8 English: Writing
OnTRACK Grade 8 English Writing, Module 1 Lessons 1–9. Students will learn how to write literary texts, personal narratives, expository/procedural texts, and persuasive tests.
8 OnTRACK Grade 8 English: Editing
OnTRACK Grade 8 English Writing, Module 2, Lesson 1. Students will learn to revise drafts for word choice, consistenc, transitions, and effective sentence strategies. OnTRACK Grade 8 English Writing, Module 3, Lessons 1-7. Students will learn how to edit a draft for grammar, mechanics, and spelling. Students will learn the function of the conventions of academic language and will learn how to use these conventions when speaking and writing.
Sound Detectives
Through the application of mentor text, various poetry, cooperative learning, self and peer-evaluation, and sound devices, students will build self-motivation to better appreciate and understand the author’s usage of sound devices in poetry.
Example of What Students Hear
4 Using Reading and Writing to Support Learning Across the Content Areas
This resource presents instructional writing and reading practices that support the content area learning of adolescent learners.
The Write for Texas guiding principles of effective writing instruction, developed for all teachers across disciplines, focus on building every student's understanding and ability to read, write, and think like experts—historians, mathematicians, scientists, and literary critics.
7 OnTRACK English II Reading: Reading and Vocabulary Development Across Genres
OnTRACK English II Reading, Module 1 Lessons 1–6 and practice lesson. Students will understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing.