Understanding New Vocabulary within Context
You will learn how to find the meanings of words through analogy and other word relationships.
Understand New Vocabulary Using Roots and Affixes
You will learn how to determine the meaning of grade-level academic English words derived from Latin, Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes.
Outlining Our Memory
Students will compare a silly short story to a detailed story from a previous lesson. Then, they will write a rough draft/outline about a memory using details and transition words.
Planning a Draft
Students will employ critical thinking skills to order details logically and become more effective at communicating their ideas to readers. The lesson will guide students toward using critical thinking in the planning phase of drafting to purposefully include details that interest readers.
Pack Your Bags!
Students learn to determine the difference between topic, central idea, and details using mystery bags, graphic organizers, and short passages.
A Lesson in Kindness and Thematic Complexity
Students explore their internal definition of kindness, using visual and textual evidence to collaboratively expand that definition and perform a close reading of a poem. Students then use internal text to express the author’s complex and subtle thematic message.
Text Feature Fun!
Students will locate and identify text features in non-fiction books while matching the purpose to the appropriate text feature.
Compare/Contrast Themes and Genres in Literary Texts
You will learn how to analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support your understanding.
Edit Drafts for Grammar, Mechanics, and Spelling
You will learn how to edit a draft for grammar, mechanics, and spelling using editing strategies.
Writing Literary Text with an Engaging Story Line
You will learn how to write an imaginative story that sustains reader interest and includes well-paced action, an engaging story line, and a believable setting.
Write Literary Text That Develops Interesting Characters
You will learn how to write an imaginative story that develops interesting characters and believable dialogue.
Write Literary Text That Uses Literary Strategies/Devices to Enhance the Style and Tone
You will learn how to write an imaginative story that uses literary strategies/devices to enhance style and tone.
Write a Personal Narrative
You will learn how to write a personal narrative that has a defined focus and includes reflections about decisions, actions, and/or consequences.
Understanding Poetry
You will learn how to find the meanings of words through analogy and other word relationships.
Analyze the Central Characters in Literary Text/Fiction
You will learn how the central characters’ qualities influence them and resolution of the central conflict.
Spelling
You will learn strategies to help you edit your writing for correct spelling.
Understanding Drama
You will learn how to make complex inferences in a play and use textual evidence to support your understanding.
Simile and Metaphor
You will learn how to explain the effect of similes and extended metaphors in literary text.
Imagery and Figurative Language (Grade 8)
You will learn how to make complex inferences and use textual evidence such as imagery and figurative language to support understanding.
Find Connections Across Texts Including Other Media
You will learn how to evaluate the role of media in focusing attention on events and informing opinions on issues as well as techniques used to create point of view, and how this impacts the audience.