English Language Arts — Grade 8

Where do the Lumbee live?

In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 2.8

Introduction Knowing the location of a community, city, state or nation is important. More important, however, is understanding of the personality of the location. Robeson County, home of the Lumbee Tribe, is more than a North Carolina county that...

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 and 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Gazelia Carter.

What does it mean?

In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 2.7

Introduction Visual symbols can be important ways of communicating ideas. Individuals, corporations, communities, and organizations use logos, seals, flags, icons, and other visual symbols to represent their values, share their histories, and send...

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Gazelia Carter.

Teen job search

In CareerStart lessons: Grade eight, page 1.3

In this lesson plan, students research three jobs and draft a written response explaining how their skills and experiences have prepared them for those jobs.

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

By Andrea Fedon, Gail Frank, and Cindy Neininger.

Stories from the Holocaust

This lesson is designed to supplement a study of World War II. Students will read first hand accounts of individuals who escaped Nazi persecution and eventually settled in Asheville, North Carolina. This lesson may be used as an 8th grade Social Studies or English project(It could also be used as an integrated project), 10th grade English, or 11th grade US History. This lesson uses the NCEcho portal to access the material.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–10 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Billie Clemens.

Seven directions: Making connections between literature and American Indian history

This middle school lesson uses picture books to integrate American Indian culture and belief systems with language and visual arts.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts, Guidance, and Social Studies)

By Edie McDowell.

Feel in the blanks

The following lesson is designed to function as a review of beginning, middle, and end and an introduction to individualized imagination, creativity, and perspective as it relates to the development of dialogue (i.e. improvisation).

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 English Language Arts)

By Lei Knight.

Differences across the curriculum: Part 2

This set of lessons can be used with "Differences across the curriculum: Part 1" 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 2, is meant to augment the pre-reading activities completed in Part 1 in a Social Studies class.

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

By Lynn Carter.

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.

Resources on the web

You know the movie is coming—Now what?

In this lesson, students study cinematic terms and determine how the film version of the book would be created. This lesson uses Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl as an example; however, the activities can be... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

You know the movie is coming—Now what?

In this lesson, students study cinematic terms and determine how the film version of the book would be created. This lesson uses Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl as an example; however, the activities can be... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Writing free verse in the "voice" of Cesar Chavez

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students familiarize themselves with the characteristics of free verse and write a free verse poem using written material about labor activist Cesar Chavez. Students take notes about experiences that helped shape the life... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

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

A world of myths

In this lesson from ARTSEDGE, students explore how myths help to explain nature and science. Students read, discuss, and respond in writing to a variety of myths. They then create a graphic representation of one of those myths. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

The world of Haiku

In this lesson, students explore the traditions and conventions of haiku, comparing this classic form of Japanese poetry to a related genre of Japanese visual art and composing haiku of their own. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Why do we remember Revere? Paul Revere's ride in history and literature

This EDSITEment lesson contains four activities for students to examine how the historical Paul Revere's ride differs from the account in Longfellow's poem, then reflect on why this event is so significant in American cultural history. The activities involve... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

What am I? Teaching poetry through riddles

Riddles are an excellent vehicle for introducing students to poetry and poetry writing. In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students explore, analyze, and discuss how metaphor, simile, and metonymy are used in riddle poems. They will use metaphor, simile, and... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Weaving the threads: Integrating poetry annotation and web technology

This lesson from ReadWriteThink engages students in meaningful research using poetry as a focal point. Students identify words and phrases in a poem by a Native American and in the process, learn about Native American culture and history. Students create... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Wartime poetry: Working with similes

Students view photographs of children evacuated from Britain during World War II in this lesson that introduces similes. Students choose one character from the photo and describe how that child might have felt. Maintaining the character persona, students... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using the four-square strategy to define and identify poetic terms

This lesson from ReadWriteThink helps young students understand poetry. Use of the four-square strategy offers the student a systematic structure for defining poetic terms. Through the exploration of various poetry websites, students define alliteration,... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink