English Language Arts — Grade 8

Understanding the complexities of setting

In order to address a variety of learning styles with emphasis upon the tactile learner, students will participate in a class project to construct a wall-sized, three dimensional mural of the setting of the novel, Where the Lilies Bloom. This project cannot be too large (an outside corridor wall is suggested.) The massive size of the mural makes the project distinctly different from similar art projects attempted in the past, it allows students enough space for all of the details desired in the end result of the mural, and it affords enough space for all students in the class to display their work.

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

By Pam Altom.

Scientific inquiry

In Intrigue of the Past, page 1.8

In their study of scientific inquiry, students will use an activity sheet to make inferences about what activities go on at different places in school (desk, locker, etc.) and form an hypothesis about how space is used. They will also simulate how archaeologists learn about past people by designing and conducting a research project.

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

Persuasive writing: The importance of work permits

In CareerStart lessons: Grade eight, page 1.5

In this lesson, students will read about child labor laws and work permits, and will write a persuasive paper based on what they've learned.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

By Andrea Fedon, Gail Frank, and Cindy Neininger.

Lumbee learning

In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 3.2

Introduction Education for the Lumbee tribe has always been important. After Reconstruction ended and the state of North Carolina began its journey to educate its people, no provisions were made for American Indians. Segregated schools provided education...

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 English Language Arts and Second Languages)

By Gazelia Carter.

Literature lamps: The Weirdo

Literature is tied to an integrated curriculum for student success. Emphasis is on reading and communication.

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

By Wendy Sirias.

Literature biography project

For this project, students will learn to develop the various processes used in researching and writing a biographical research paper, including brainstorming, note taking, outlining, creating a bibliography, and writing the final draft. This project is designed to act as an independent study geared toward AG or Level 3 and Level 4 students, but each step in the research process can also be taught directly to students in the classroom.

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

By Sandra Dail.

Good medicine

Students will examine changes in technology, medicine, and health that took place in North Carolina between 1870 and 1930 and construct products and ideas which demonstrate understanding of how these changes impacted people living in North Carolina at that time. To achieve these goals, students will employ the eight intelligences of Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory.

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

By Leslie Ramsey.

Children at Work: Exposing child labor in the cotton mills of the Carolinas

In this lesson, students will learn about the use of child labor in the cotton mills of the Carolinas during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They will learn what life was like for a child worker and then write an investigative news report exposing the practice of child labor in the mills, using quotations from oral histories with former child mill workers and photographs of child laborers taken by social reform photographer Lewis Hine.

Format: lesson plan

By Dayna Durbin Gleaves.

Cherokee lore and traditions

In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 4.3

Length 9 Weeks Class Length: 45 minutes - Meets daily Learning outcomes Promotes life-long learning: appreciation of different cultures. Provides hands-on activities: making masks. Integrates with EOG testing: reading....

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

By Patricia Lancaster.

Resources on the web

You know the movie is coming—Now what?

After exploring cinematic terms, students read a literary work with director's eyes and then try to predict what elements would be present in the film version of the book. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Scaling back to essentials: Scaffolding summarization with fishbone mapping

In this lesson, students work in pairs and cooperative groups as they complete fishbone maps that highlight the main ideas and relevant details from a cause-effect text. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Play ball! Encouraging critical thinking through baseball questions

Students create a baseball-themed Jeopardy game after a read–aloud of Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man by David A. Adler. After the teacher explains the purpose of asking good questions, students... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Persuading an audience: Writing effective letters to the editor

Students write a persuasive letter to the editor of a newspaper, focusing on a current local or national issue. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 and 10 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Orphan trains

In this lesson students will develop their ideas about social trade-offs by examining the history of the Orphan Trains and the New York Children's Aid Society, created in 1853. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Live from ancient Olympia!

This page contains an EDSITEment lesson in which students have an opportunity to develop “live interviews” with ancient athletes that reflect an understanding of the beliefs that underlay the ancient Olympic Games. In addition, students will... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Literary characters on trial: Combining persuasion and literary analysis

Students read a work of literature as a class then brainstorm “crimes” committed by characters from that text. Groups of students work together to act as the prosecution or defense for the selected characters, while also acting as the jury for... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Investigating the Holocaust: A collaborative inquiry project

Students explore a variety of resources—texts, images, movies, artwork“to learn more about the Holocaust. Beginning with journal writings and a picture book to introduce the issues, the lesson plan focuses on student-centered inquiry. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

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

The history behind song lyrics

Students research and categorize the people, places, and events referenced in the lyrics of Billy Joel's “We Didn't Start the Fire.” They then illustrate the historical relevance of each and use an online chart to display their research. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Heroes around us

Students will select, read about, and report on a hero then identify how their hero matches the criteria and characteristics they have already decided upon. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE