English Language Arts — Grade 8

Mountain dialect: Reading between the spoken lines

This lesson plan uses Chapter 13 of Our Southern Highlanders as a jumping-off point to help students achieve social studies and English language arts objectives while developing an appreciation of the uniqueness of regional speech patterns, the complexities of ethnographic encounter, and the need to interrogate primary sources carefully to identify potential biases and misinformation in them. Historical content includes American slavery, the turn of the century, and the Great Depression.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Kathryn Walbert.

Life history slide show

Students will use photos to create a slide show of their life. They will plan a presentation based on significant episodes of their life and describe their personal experiences in writing.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–9 English Language Arts)

By Mary Lou Faircloth.

Freedom with Harriet: Life on the Underground Railroad

This lesson for grades 6–8 will help students understand the experiences of slaves in the South who sought freedom via the Underground Railroad. Students will analyze a painting and create a living tableau that reflects the issues and emotions the painting evokes.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Dianne Harlow.

Effective communication for successful careers

In CareerStart lessons: Grade eight, page 1.7

In this lesson plan, students consider the elements of effective communication and write an informative or persuasive paper with a particular audience in mind.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Guidance)

By Andrea Fedon, Gail Frank, and Cindy Neininger.

Dialect Awareness in Literature and Life

Dovey Coe, a young adolescent novel by Frances O'Roark Dowell of Boone, North Carolina, takes place in the 1930s in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The use of mountain dialect continues to remind the reader of the importance of setting in this novel. The study of a selection from this novel will help students realize the impact of dialect in literature as well as their own speaking and writing.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

By Barbara Groome and Jo Peterson Gibbs.

Civil War journals

Integrates creative writing with social studies and enhances knowledge of the effects of the Civil War on people.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Gwen A. Jones.

Resources on the web

Writing alternative plots for Robert C. O'Brien's “Z for Zachariah”

In this lesson that concludes a class reading of Robert C. O'Brien's Z for Zachariah, students pick a part of the story where Ann makes a critical decision, and they rewrite the remaining portion of the plot. After reading... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Writing a flashback and flash-forward story using movies and texts as models

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students are introduced to examples of flashbacks and flash-forwards through the film The Sandlot and/or illustrated books. Students learn to incorporate details, description, characterization,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Traveling the road to freedom through research and historical fiction

Students learn about and discuss slavery and the Underground Railroad in this lesson that explores historical fiction and webquests. Once students have brainstormed characteristics of historical fiction, the teacher reviews characterization and explains... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

A picture's worth a thousand words: From image to detailed narrative

The old cliche “A picture is worth a thousand words” is put to the test in this ReadWriteThink lesson. While students may not actually write exactly a thousand words, they will have the chance to think critically about their interpretations... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

My life/your life: A look at your parents' past

The goal of this lesson is to help students make connections between their experiences and those of their parents through reflection and writing. After students become familiar with the format of interviews by evaluating sample questions and answers of... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Memories matter: "The Giver" and descriptive writing memoirs

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students will combine reading with descriptive writing. Students read The Giver by Lois Lowry, as well as short biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs in order to understand the differences between them.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Introducing each other: Interviews, memoirs, photos, and internet research

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students read, write, speak, listen, and research as they interview a partner and write an article, write a personal memoir, take partner photographs, and use the Internet to find pictures and information illustrating... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Graphic life map

This lesson from ReadWriteThink features a prewriting activity for personal memoir or autobiographical writing. Students brainstorm for important memories, create graphics or symbols for their most important memories, and construct a life map on tag board... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Giving voice to history

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students explore a somber period in American history. During World War II the U.S. government ordered more than 120,000 Japanese Americans to detainment camps. Drawing upon research and analyzing a variety of sources, including... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5–8 English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Theater Arts Education)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Fairy tale autobiographies

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students will work in groups to read and analyze fairy tales, brainstorm for events in their lives that could be changed into fairy tales, and develop setting, characters, and plot for their fairy tale. Students will... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Exploring and sharing family stories

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students access their own life experiences and then discuss family stories they have heard. After choosing a family member to interview, students create questions, interview their relative, and write a personal narrative... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

E-pals around the world

This lesson from ReadWriteThink helps teachers select e-pals for their students and develop real-life writing and learning experiences for them. Students learn the format of a friendly letter and the parts of an e-mail message. With careful selection of... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Computer/Technology Skills, English Language Arts, and Information Skills)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Childhood remembrances: Life and art intersect in Nikki Giovanni's "Nikki-Rosa"

Adapted from Carol Jago's Nikki Giovanni in the Classroom, this ReadWriteThink lesson invites students to explore what Jago calls the place "where life and art intersect." Students complete a close reading of Giovanni's poem "Nikki-Rosa" and then... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Beyond the story: A Dickens of a party

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students are invited to attend a 19th Century party as a character from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. To play their roles, students must understand the values and customs that Dickens' characters represented... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink