Computer Technology Skills — Grade 8

Connecting Folktales and Culture in North Carolina and Beyond

Students will explore connections to North Carolina culture as they engage in reading and analyzing three folktales of North Carolina Literary Festival author, William Hooks. After comparing these stories to other versions of the traditional tales, students will become authors and storytellers themselves as they rewrite a tale from a new cultural point of view. Opportunities are also included to extend this study to world cultures and folktales.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Jeanne Munoz.

Differences Across the Curriculum: Part 1

This set of lessons can be used with "Differences Across the Curriculum: Parts 2, 3, and 4" as an integrated approach to exploring diversity with eighth graders. The unit will revolve around the use of the drama version of "The Diary of Anne Frank." Students will learn how diversity creates bias which leads to conflict, where students confront their bias and practice tolerance. These parts reflect the four core curricula in an interwoven approach to teaching students to confront their biases, learn tolerance, and infer the impact of these on today's society. This activity, Part 1, is meant to serve as a pre-reading activity to the reading of the play form of "The Diary of Anne Frank." See attachment created on Inspiration software to gain insight to the organization of the entire unit.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Lynn Carter.

The drought causes conservation

The students will use their knowledge of the importance of water to learn about the hydrosphere. The drought being experienced will be explored through graphs and a personal plan for water conservation.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts, Computer Technology Skills, Mathematics, and Science)

By Linda Cummer.

E-pal Adventure

Students will be paired with an e-pal they will hopefully meet during their 8th grade trip to the coast.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Information Skills, English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Hilda Hamilton.

Master Artist Internet Research Project: Timeline

Students apply their knowledge of how to find specific information about a topic on the Internet using an outline created by the class prior to the lesson. Using this outline, the students will create a chronological timeline of the artist's life on MSPublisher.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 English Language Arts, Visual Arts Education, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Gail Dreis.

Paving the Road to the Constitution

Students will be able to assess the strengths and weaknessess of the Articles of Confederation as related to the United States and North Carolina. Students will be able to demonstrate an argument for or against ratification of the United States Constitution.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Kim Bennett.

Periodic Table database

These lessons are designed to help students use their computer skills to create their own database using teacher directions, and they also learn how to read the Periodic Table and understand what it means.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Computer Technology Skills and Science)

By Florence B. Winslow.

Using Percent of Change to Measure NC Growth

Students will work in small groups to use the Internet to gather data on the population growth for each of the 100 counties in NC from 1992 to 1995. From this data students will find the percent of increase/decrease for the counties they have been assigned. As a follow-up, the students will enter their data into a computer spreadsheet and from that spreadsheet, produce graphs of the information.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies, Computer Technology Skills, and Mathematics)

By Wanda Washburn.

Lesson plans on the web

Compare and contrast electronic text with traditionally printed text

This lesson supports sixth- through eighth-grade students' exploration of an online educational website that incorporates a variety of electronic features including graphics, digitized speech, and video. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Computer Technology Skills)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Sleuthing for a lost ship

In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students consider the ways in which geography is not merely an academic discipline, but also a field of study with interesting and practical applications. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Science and Computer Technology Skills)

Provider: National Geographic

Weaving the Threads: Integrating Poetry Annotation and Web Technology

This lesson from ReadWriteThink engages students in meaningful research using poetry as a focal point. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Computer Technology Skills and English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE