English Language Arts — Grade 8

Antebellum North Carolina

In this lesson students will examine pictures & documents relating to the Hayes Plantation (Edenton, NC). Students will also use various maps of North Carolina to help them analyze how James Cathcart Johnston (owner of Hayes Plantation) used, modified and adapted to the physical environment of Edenton.

Students will decipher original manuscripts from the Southern Historical Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill Campus and draw conclusions about antebellum society in North Carolina with regard to reform movements and the history and status of blacks.

From a list of volumes found in the Hayes Plantation Library exhibit at the North Carolina Collection Gallery, students will determine what catagories of books were most prevalent in the library and hypothesize as to why those types of books would be so important to an antebellum plantation owner.

Click Here to access Photographs & documents relating to this lesson plan.

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

By cissy o'neal.

The case of the disappearing pitcher plants

This lesson addresses the cause and effect relationship between human interaction and a North Carolina endangered plant species. A role-playing scenario allows students to view the situation from a variety of positions and to collectively arrive at a solution to the problem.

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

By Eddie Hamblin.

Change in a Democratic Society, Lesson 1 of 3

This lesson will demonstrate how art can imitate society. Students will learn about democracy in America through an examination of and a Paideia seminar on "The Sword of Damocles," an oil painting by British painter Richard Westall. This lesson should be used after a study of colonial times in America and through the American Revolution.

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

By Sharyn West.

Changes in a Democratic Society, Lesson 2 of 3

This lesson is the post seminar activity to the Changes in a Democratic Society, Lesson 1 of 3. Students will participate in tiered assignments reflecting on the Westall painting, "The Sword of Damocles," and the prior day's Paideia seminar on that painting.

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

By Sharyn West.

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.

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, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science)

By Leslie Ramsey.

Is No Man An Island?

This unit is designed to encourage thinking about our connectedness to and responsibilities toward others. Materials in this unit are used to demonstrate humankind's need to refute an impersonal natural order.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

By Jewell Kendrick.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s “I Have A Dream” speech

Students will display their understanding of the symbolism and references that Dr. King used to enrich his famous speech on August 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by constructing a “jackdaw,” a collection of documents and objects.

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

By Charlotte Lammers.

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.

Plan for a panel discussion regarding the validity of the Lincoln Administration

Many of the events surrounding the American Civil War era have become national myths rather than accurate historical facts. This paradigm can be rationalized as a need for national healing. This lesson encourages students to investigate all sides of the issues within the context of the Civil War era. This will contribute to an understanding of the actual events that were catalysts for Lincoln's executive decisions. Students will become “experts” on the Lincoln administration and accept the responsibility of sharing their expertise with their classmates through oral communication in a panel discussion. They will also be responsible for turning in the written work produced as a result of their research, as well as developing a handout and perhaps a visual aid, as they see fit.

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

By Jamie Hulse.

Take action, save the past

In their study of archaeological resource conservation, students will use a problem-solving model to identify a problem and solve it creatively.

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

Zoo integrated unit

The unit uses the North Carolina Zoological Park as a teaching tool rather than as a nice place to visit. It can be used by a single teacher or multiple teachers of different subjects, and it is aimed at 7th and 8th graders.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Information Skills, English Language Arts, Social Studies, Computer Technology Skills, Mathematics, and Science)

By Craig Smith.

Lesson plans on the web

Authentic persuasive writing to promote summer reading

Invites students to create brochures and flyers that suggest books and genres to explore during the summer months. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Campaigning for fair use: Public service announcements on copyright awareness

In this lesson that introduces issues of fair usage and copyright laws, students create audio public service announcements that can be broadcast over the school's public address system or published as podcasts on the Internet. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Freedom of speech and automatic language: Examining the Pledge of Allegiance

Students explore rote learning and their own right to freedom of speech by examining the Pledge of Allegiance from a historical and personal perspective (Learn more)

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

Provider: 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)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

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 other groups. Students then research their case and write a persuasive piece to complement their trial work. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Power of Nonviolence

This lesson introduces students to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolence and the teachings of Mohandas K. Gandhi that influenced King's views. (Learn more)

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

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

Myth and Truth: "The First Thanksgiving"

By exploring myths surrounding the Wampanoag, the pilgrims, and the first Thanksgiving, this lesson asks students to think critically about commonly believed myths regarding the Wampanoag Indians in colonial America. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

No more bullying: Understanding the problem, building bully-free environments

Students investigate the phenomena of bullying by considering its juxtaposition with the concepts of social justice and empathetic responding. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE