Grade 8
Unit 1:Overcoming Obstacles - Seeing and Being Seen
August 4th – October 3rd
Overarching Questions:
How do the choices we make today affect who we become in the future or affects others?
What are the characteristics of John Green’s and Tomas Rivera’s Writing styles in these two texts?
What are the features of literary interpretations?
Pre- Assessment
QRA – Writing Assessment – Cold Write
-Food Additives
Prior Knowledge Text:
Blake Leeper – Article
The Contender
Latvia / Text 1 -- IFL – Seeing and Being Seen
– Literary Text: “Freak the Geek” – John Green / Text 2 --- IFL – Seeing and Being Seen
Literary Text– “It’s that It Hurts” – Thomas Rivera / Text 4 – Common Assessment
Write an essay in which you compare how Lauren in “Freak the Geek “ and the narrator in “it’s That Hurts” would respond to the quotation from Michel Foucault”
Goal : Effective Reading of an Informational Text
Informational Text Standards Sheet
Personal Narrative / Goal:
Students will learn about:
  • Point of view and how it affects the readers relationships to characters and events.
  • The characteristics of both author’s styles.
  • The characteristics of literary interpretations.
/ Goal:
Students will learn about:
  • Point of view and how it affects the readers relationships to characters and events.
  • The characteristics of both author’s styles.
  • The characteristics of literary interpretations.
/ Goal:
Students will be assessed on
RI Standards via Edulastic with “What do Flies Think About it”
RL Standards will be assessed in combination with our next unit ‘Short Stories / Poetry’
0.1
How do the choices we make today affect who we become in the future? / 1.1Comprehension
1.2Analysis
1.3Interpretation
1.4Language Analysis / 2.1 Comprehension
2.2 Analysis
2.3 Interpretation
2.4 Language Analysis / Common Assessment:
RI.8.1,RI.8.2, RI.8.3, R8.I.5., RI.8.6, RI8.8, RI.8.9
Standards: RI.8.1,RI.8.2, RI.8.3, R8.I.5., RI.8.6, RI8.8, RI.8.9
Cite Evidence
Draw Inference
Central Idea
Make Distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories) –Literary Interpretations
Text Structures
Author’s Point of View and Purpose and Style / Vocabulary: RI8.4,
Comparing Text / Language: L.84,Ll8.5
Grade 8
Unit 2:Short Stories / Poetry
Mid September to Mid October
Overarching Questions:
How does an author build suspense?
How does an author convey their point of view in a text?
Pre- Assessment/ Text
Poetry
The Raven
“O’Captain My Captain !”
Paul Revere’s Ride / Reading Literature
Short Stories
Tell-Tale Heart
The Lottery
Black Cat / Information Texts
Insanity Article
Shock Machine – ThinkCerca
Monkey Experiment – ThinkCerca
Vietnam / Lottery Draft / Text 4 – Common Assessment / Unit Test
Goals:
Review Poetic Devices / Goals:
Review Literary Devices
Dramatic Irony
Point of View
Plot Development / Goals:
Compare and Contrast Literature and Informational Text
Look for similar themes and ideas / Goals
RL Standards Edulastic Unit Test
Standards
RI.8.1,RI.8.2, RI.8.3, R8.I.5., RI.8.6, RI8.8, RI.8.9 / Vocabulary
RL8.4, RI8.4
Comparing Text: / Language: L8.4, L*.5
Grade 8
Unit 3:Novel Study – Knowledge is Power
October 6th – December 18th
Overarching Questions:
How does one acquire and use knowledge?
How does an author use characterization and character interaction to convey specific themes
 Do all people share responsibility to protect the powerless?  What is intelligence?
Pre- Assessment
IFL – Forensics:”What is Forensic Anthroplogy?”
Forensics –“ Dead Men Talking: Solving Crime Through Science” / Text 1 – Extended Text
And Then There Were None
Or
Flowers for Algernon / Text 2 –
IFL – Forensics:”What is Forensic Anthroplogy?”
Forensics –“ Dead Men Talking: Solving Crime Through Science” / Text 4 – Common Assessment / Unit Test
Students will expand their knowledge base about:
  • The role of forensic anthropologist
  • Distinguishing central idea from supporting ideas
  • Writing methods that offer explanations to readers
  • Uses of literal and figurative meanings
  • What it means for evidence to be relevant, credible, and sufficient
  • Characteristics of effective explanatory
/ From this content students will learn:
  • Theme – Justice;
  • Allusions
  • Figurative Language
  • Characterization
  • Mood and Tone
  • Vocabulary
/ Students will expand their knowledge base about:
  • The role of forensic anthropologist
  • Distinguishing central idea from supporting ideas
  • Writing methods that offer explanations to readers
  • Uses of literal and figurative meanings
  • What it means for evidence to be relevant, credible, and sufficient
  • Characteristics of effective explanatory

1.1Comprehension: What are the central ideas of this text? How do you know?
1.2 Analysis
1.3 Vocabulary:
1.4 WirteLike / 2.1 Comprehension: What is a central idea and related supporting details of this text?
2.2 Analysis
2.3 Analysis
2.4 Retrospective
Standards
RI.8.1,RI.8.2, RI.8.3, R8.I.5., RI.8.6, RI8.8, RI.8.9
RL.8.1, RL8.2, RI 8.3, RL.8.5, RL.8.6, RL8.7, RL8.8, RL8.9 / Vocabulary
Comparing Text
Students will compare and contrast the setting, mood /tone, and what conclusions can be drawn from the ending of each story. Students will have to provide evidence from the texts to support their compare and contrast claims. / Language
Grade 8
Unit 4: What Exactly is a game?
January 6, 2015 –March 3
Overarching Theme:
Pre-Text
Text1
“What Exactly is a Game?” / Text 2 – Extended Text (Pair
“What Kids Learn That’s Positive From Video Games” by Marc Prensky and Transcript Excerpts from “In-Game, In-Room, In-World: Reconnecting Video Game Play to the Rest of Kids’ Lives” by Reed Stevens, Tom Satwicz and Laurie McCarthy / Text 3 – “Gamers Have Skills. Let’s Tap’em.” Jane McGonigial / Text 4 – Common Assessment / Unit Test
Standards / Vocabulary
Comparing Text / Language
Grade 8
Unit 5: Depression – WWII
March 6-May 12
Overarching Questions:
What impact will you have on the world?
Pre- Assessment/Text / Text 1 – Extended Text / Text 2 – Companion Pieces / Text 4 – Common Assessment / Unit Test
Treaty of Versailles
Boys Who Fought the Nazis
(Informational Text Analysis) / The Diary of Anne Frank Drama by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett / Documentary - (Gerda Weissman Klein) One Survivor Remembers
All But My Life – Gerda Weissman Klein / IFL Text
Argumentative Essay - citing sources based on the following quote from Anne Frank:
“Despite everything I still believe that people are good at heart.” / Theme, symbol, draw conclusions, suffixes, participles, capitalization
Standards: RL1, RL2, RL4, RL5, RL9-10
RI1, RI3, RI7, RI9-10,
W9a, W2, W2a, W2f, W3a-e, W4-6, W9a, W10
L1, L1a-b, L2, L2c, L3a, L4, L6 / Vocabulary
Suffixes
Comparing Text / Language
Participles
Capitalization