Quincy Jr.

High School
Grade 8 English Language Arts-Reading
Curriculum Guide
By taking this course, students will read and comprehend a range of grade-appropriate texts
independently. They will summarize and analyze texts through oral, written, and digital
mediums. Additionally, students will engage in collaborative discussions to further their
speaking and listening skills.

Overview
Module 1: Change
How do life events influence a person’s character?
Skills Assessed
 Analyze plot, conflict, characterization, character motivation, and point of view in literature
 Write objective summary and analysis of literature
 Demonstrate knowledge of grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words
 Engage effectively in collaborative discussions

Module 2: Choice
How does society influence a person’s choices?
Skills Assessed
 Analyze author’s use of text structure and features to determine purpose in informational text
 Analyze development of central idea in informational text
 Evaluate argument and specific claims in informational text
 Write objective summary and analysis of informational text
 Demonstrate knowledge of grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words
 Engage effectively in collaborative discussions

Module 3: Challenge
What leads a person to challenge the status quo?
Skills Assessed
 Analyze author’s use of setting and imagery to create mood in literature
 Analyze how an author’s use of setting and symbolism contribute to the theme in literature
 Write an extended analysis of literature
 Demonstrate knowledge of grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words
 Engage effectively in collaborative discussions

Module 4: Perseverance
What qualities help a person persevere in the face of adversity?
Skills Assessed
 Analyze author’s voice, including style, tone and irony, in informational text and literary nonfiction
 Analyze how author’s perspective, including historical and cultural influences, affects informational text and
literary nonfiction
 Evaluate the use of various mediums to present a particular topic or idea
 Write objective summary and analysis of informational text and literary nonfiction
 Demonstrate knowledge of grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words
 Engage effectively in collaborative discussions

1
8th Grade ELA-R General Resources

Independent Reading
To enhance the included curriculum, students will be encouraged to independently read and respond
to texts of their choice. This may be done through monthly or quarterly projects or book club
discussions. Multiple copies of the following texts are available for student use:

Realistic Fiction/Mystery/Suspense
 Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald
 Nothing But the Truth by Avi
 If the Witness Lied by Caroline Cooney
 Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings
 The Ghost of Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
 Twisted Summer by Willo Davis Roberts
 They Never Came Home by Lois Duncan
 Driver’s Ed by Caroline Cooney
 The Hounds of Baskerville by Arthur Conan Doyle
 The Year Without Michael by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Science Fiction/Fantasy/Dystopia
 Unwind by Neal Shusterman
 Everlost by Neal Shusterman
 Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
 Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
 East by Edith Patlow
 Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
 Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
 Dreadful Sorry by Kathryn Reiss
 Witch and Wizard by James Patterson
 Z is for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien

Memoir/Historical Fiction
 The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson
 Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler’s Army by Georg Rauch
 The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender
 I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
 A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
 Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston
 Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene

Common Core Aligned Reading Practice

To enhance the included curriculum, teachers may choose to use supplementary resources for
modeling and students’ independent practice. The following resources are available online:

 www.commonlit.org
 www.newsela.com
 www.tweentribune.com
 www.achievethecore.org
 www.readworks.org
 www.readwritethink.org
 https://vms.vale.k12.or.us/lattin/weekly-articles
 http://www.davestuartjr.com/resources/article-of-the-week-aow/

2
8th Grade ELA-R 1st Quarter

Module 1: Change
Big Idea
 Proficient readers of fiction use their understanding of plot, conflict, characterization, and point of view to help
them analyze the development of a story.

Theme Essential Question

 How do life events influence a person’s character?

Skills Essential Questions

 How does the author use dialogue or incidents in a text to develop characters? (RL.8.3)
 How does the author use dialogue or incidents in a text to propel the action of a story? (RL.8.3)
 How does an author’s choice of text structure contribute to its meaning? (RL.8.5)
 What effect does the author create with the point of view used in a text? (RL.8.6)

Standards Assessed

Reading Literature
● Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text. (RL.8.1)
● Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a
character, or provoke a decision. (RL.8.3)
● Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each texts
contributes to its meaning and style. (RL.8.5)
● Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created
through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor. (RL.8.6)
● By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end
of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. (RL.8.10)

Writing
● Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (W.8.9)

Speaking & Listening

● Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. (SL.8.1)

Language
● Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. (L.8.3)
● Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning of words or phrases based on grade 8
reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. (L.8.4)
● Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. (L.8.5)
● 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.
(L.8.6)

3
 Reading Writing About Reading

Skills/Elements: Task(s):
 Plot  Literary Analysis (Constructed Response)
 Conflict  Objective Summary
 Character
 Point of View Resource(s):
 QJHS Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Short Texts:  QJHS Objective Summary Scoring Guide
 Various articles, essays, and poems related to
themes in chosen mentor text Assessment:
 Units 1 & 2 in anthology  Lit. Analysis assessed with reading objective skills
summative assessment
Mentor Texts:
 Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
 And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
(Honors)

Assessment:
 Formative assessments (TBD by teacher)
 Objective skills summative (performance points)
 Project-based (practice points/TBD)

Vocabulary Speaking & Listening

Skills: Collaborative Discussion (TBD by teacher):

 Reference materials  Think, Pair, Share
 Context Clues (Multiple-meaning words)  Book Club Discussion Groups
 Prefixes  Collaborative Reasoning
 Socratic Seminar
Greek/Latin Elements:  Philosophical Chairs
 Get to the Root of It! Book 2 (Units 7, 8, 9)  Flipgrid
 Padlet
Domain Specific Words:
 Plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action Assessment:
resolution)  QJHS Collaborative Discussion Rubric (TBD)
 conflict (internal/external)
 sequence
 chronological
 flashback
 foreshadowing
 suspense
 point of view (first-person, third-person limited,
third-person omniscient)
 characterization
 motives
 inference
 objective summary

Academic Words: TBD by teacher and students

Assessment:
 Get to the Root of It! Book 2 (Units 7, 8, 9)
 Embedded on summative
4
8th Grade ELA-R 2nd Quarter

Module 2: Choice
Big Idea
 Proficient readers of informational texts use their understanding of text structure to help them determine and
evaluate an author’s purpose and claim.

Theme Essential Question

 How does society influence a person’s choices?

Skills Essential Questions

 How does the author develop the central idea of a text? (RI.8.2)
 What connections used by an author are most effective in helping a reader understand the text? (RI.8.3)
 How does an author’s use of text structure and features help develop his/her ideas? (RI.8.5)
 What is an author’s purpose in writing a specific text, and how does he/she respond to conflicting viewpoints?
(RI.8.6)
 Is the author’s reasoning and evidence to support his/her claim logical and sufficient? (RI.8.8)
 How do authors with differing viewpoints address the same topic? (RI.8.9)

Standards Assessed

Reading Informational Text

● Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text. (RI.8.1)
● 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. (RI.8.2)
● Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g.,
through comparisons, analogies, or categories). (RI.8.3)
● 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. (RI.8.5)
● Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and
responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. (RI.8.6)
● Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound
and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced. (RI.8.8)
● Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where
the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation. (RI.8.9)
● By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end
of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. (RI.8.10)

Writing
● Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (W.8.9)

Speaking & Listening

● Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. (SL.8.1)

Language
● Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. (L.8.3)
● Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning of words or phrases based on grade 8
reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. (L.8.4)
● Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. (L.8.5)
● 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.
(L.8.6)

5
 Reading Writing About Reading

Skills/Elements: Task(s):
 Reading informational texts  Literary Analysis (Constructed Response)
 Identify central ideas and supporting details  Objective Summary
 Analyze text structure
 Determine author’s purpose/point of view Resource(s):
 Evaluate argument and specific claims  QJHS Constructed Response Scoring Guide
 Compare/contrast texts  QJHS Objective Summary Scoring Guide

Short Texts: Assessment:

 Various articles, essays, and videos related to  Lit. Analysis assessed with reading objective skills
health and nutrition summative assessment
 Units 8 & 9 in anthology

Mentor Text:
 Chew on This by Charles Wilson and Eric
Schlosser

Assessment:
 Formative assessments (TBD by teacher)
 Objective skills summative (performance points)
 Project-based (practice points/TBD)

Vocabulary Speaking & Listening

Skills: Collaborative Discussion (TBD by teacher):

 Context Clues (Related words)  Think, Pair, Share
 Suffixes  Book Club Discussion Groups
 Collaborative Reasoning
Greek/Latin Elements:  Socratic Seminar
 Get to the Root of It! Book 2 (Units 10, 11, 12, 13)  Philosophical Chairs
 Flipgrid
Domain Specific Words:  Padlet
 central idea/main idea
 supporting details Assessment:
 text feature  QJHS Collaborative Discussion Rubric (TBD)
 subheading
 graphic
 argument
 claim
 statistics
 fact/opinion
 tone (informational text)
 bias
 author’s purpose
 persuasive techniques
 analogy

Academic Words: TBD by teacher and students

Assessment:
 Get to the Root of It! Book 2 (10, 11, 12, 13)
 Embedded on summative

6
8th Grade ELA-R 3rd Quarter

Module 3: Challenge
Big Idea
 Proficient readers of fiction use their understanding of imagery, setting, word choice, and symbolism to analyze
the development of theme in a text.
Theme Essential Question
 What leads a person to challenge the status quo?

Skills Essential Questions

 How does the development of setting contribute to the theme of the text? (RL.8.2)
 How does the author use the setting and imagery to create a certain mood in the text? (RL.8.4)
 How does the author’s use of symbolism impact the text? (RL.8.4)
 How does reading a story compare to the video version? (RL. 8.7)
 How doe elements in modern texts compare with traditional works? (RL.8.9)

Standards Assessed

Reading Literature
● Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text. (RL.8.1)
● Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including
its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text. (RL.8.2)
● Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to
other texts. (RL.8.4)
● Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the
text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors. (RL. 8.7)
● Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths,
traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new.
(RL.8.9)
● By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end
of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. (RL.8.10)

Writing
● Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (W.8.9)

Speaking & Listening

● Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. (SL.8.1)

Language
● Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. (L.8.3)
● Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning of words or phrases based on grade 8
reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. (L.8.4)
● Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. (L.8.5)
● 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.
(L.8.6)

7
 Reading Writing About Reading

Skills/Elements: Task(s):
 Setting  Literary Analysis (Literary Essay)
 Mood
 Imagery Resource(s):
 Symbolism  Lucy Calkins Units of Study
 Theme  Other teacher created/curated lessons

Short Texts: Assessment:

 Various articles, essays, and poems related to  Literary essay analyzing theme of short text (TBD)
society and individualism
 “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
 “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
 Units 3 & 4 in anthology

Mentor Text:
 The Giver by Lois Lowry

Assessment:
 Formative assessments (TBD by teacher)
 Objective skills summative (performance points)
 Comparison of text vs. film (practice points/TBD)

Vocabulary Speaking & Listening

Skills: Collaborative Discussion (TBD by teacher):

 Reference Materials (thesaurus)  Think, Pair, Share
 Figurative Language (idioms, metaphor)  Book Club Discussion Groups
 Homographs  Collaborative Reasoning
 Denotation/Connotation  Socratic Seminar
 Suffixes  Philosophical Chairs
 Flipgrid
Greek/Latin Elements:  Padlet
 Get to the Root of It! Book 2 (Units 14, 15, 16)
Assessment:
Domain Specific Words:  QJHS Collaborative Discussion Rubric (TBD)
 setting
 imagery
 sensory details
 visualize
 scope
 mood
 symbol
 theme
 allusion
 dystopia
 utopia

Academic Words: TBD by teacher and students

Assessment:
 Get to the Root of It! Book 2 (Units 14, 15, 16)
 Embedded on summative

8
8th Grade ELA-R 4 Quarter
th

Module 4: Perseverance
Big Idea
 Proficient readers of informational and historical texts use their understanding of word choice, author’s style
and perspective to help them comprehend ideas when presented through various mediums.

Theme Essential Question

 What qualities help a person persevere in the face of adversity?

Skills Essential Questions

 How does the author introduce, develop, and draw connections between ideas and events in a text? (RI.8.3)
 How does the author’s style create a certain tone in a text? (RI.8.4)
 What is the author’s purpose for using irony in the text? (RL.8.6)
 How does an author’s perspective, including historical and cultural influences, affect the text? (RI.8.6)
 What are the advantages and disadvantages of using various mediums when portraying a work? (RI.8.7)

Standards Assessed

Reading Literature
● Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text. (RL.8.1)
● Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created
through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor. (RL. 8.6)

Reading Informational Text

● Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text. (RI.8.1)
● Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g.,
through comparisons, analogies, or categories). (RI.8.3)
● Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and
technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or
allusions to other texts. (RI.8.4)
● Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and
responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. (RI.8.6)
● Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video,
multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea. (RI.8.7)
● By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end
of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. (RI.8.10)

Writing
● Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (W.8.9)

Speaking & Listening

● Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. (SL.8.1)

Language
● Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. (L.8.3)
● Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning of words or phrases based on grade 8
reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. (L.8.4)
● Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. (L.8.5)
● 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.
(L.8.6)

9
 Reading Writing About Reading

Skills/Elements: Task(s):
 Tone  Literary Analysis (Constructed Response)
 Irony  Objective Summary
 Author’s Style & Perspective
 Evaluate various mediums Resource(s):
 QJHS Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Short Texts:  QJHS Objective Summary Scoring Guide
 Various articles, essays, and fiction related to
WWII and the Holocaust Assessment:
 Units 6 & 7 in anthology  Lit. Analysis assessed with reading objective skills
summative assessment
Mentor Texts:
 The Diary of Anne Frank Goodrich & Hackett (in
anthology)
 Excerpts from Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young
Girl

Assessment:
 Formative assessments (TBD by teacher)
 Objective skills summative (performance)
 Evaluation of various mediums (TBD)

Vocabulary Speaking & Listening

Skills: Collaborative Discussion (TBD by teacher):

 Reference Materials (thesaurus)  Think, Pair, Share
 Figurative Language (idioms, metaphor)  Book Club Discussion Groups
 Homographs  Collaborative Reasoning
 Suffixes  Socratic Seminar
 Philosophical Chairs
Greek/Latin Elements:  Flipgrid
 Get to the Root of It! Book 2 (Units 17, 18, 19, 20)  Padlet

Domain Specific Words: Assessment:

 style  QJHS Collaborative Discussion Rubric (TBD)
 tone (literary text)
 voice
 irony
 perspective
 historical context
 cause-and-effect
 treatment
 autobiography
 memoir

Academic Words: TBD by teacher and students

Assessment:
 Get to the Root of It! Book 2 (Units 17, 18, 19, 20)
 Embedded on summative

10