English Language Arts — Grade 8

Resources on the web

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)

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

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

Leading to great places in the middle school classroom

In this lesson that examines leads in literature, students consider how an author's description of setting, action, character, and use of reflection can create strong leads. After the teacher shares examples of great leads, students rate and discuss their... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Inquiry on the internet: Evaluating Web pages for a class collection

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students conduct a class inquiry project, individually or in groups, collecting Web-based resources that can be used for further study during the course of the class or for more in-depth projects. Students use Internet... (Learn more)

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

GIST: A summarizing strategy for use in any content area

This lesson supports comprehension and summarizing skills by engaging students in reading and identifying the “5Ws and the H” in newspaper articles. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: 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)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Expository escapade-Detective's handbook

In this lesson, students combine reading the detective fiction genre with expository writing. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Exploring literacy in cyberspace

This ReadWriteThink lesson invites students to transfer the analytical skills that they commonly use when reading traditional print texts, along with some other strategies, to navigate and read online texts. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Exploring author's voice using Jane Addams Award-winning books

In this lesson, students explore author's voice and style using Jane Addams Award-winning books. After reading and examining The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark by Carmen Agra Deedy, a Jane Addams Honor... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Critical media literacy: Commercial advertising

Conducting an evaluation of television and magazine advertisements, students critique the effect mass media has on American culture. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Comic makeovers: Examining race, class, ethnicity, and gender in the media

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students explore representations of race, class, ethnicity, and gender by analyzing comics over a two-week period and then re-envisioning them with a “comic character makeover.” (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Civil War Music

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from ARTSEDGE, students use the Internet as a resource to compare and contrast Civil War songs of the North and the South. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Children of war

Explores the realities and effects of war on children by examining diaries, journals, and letters written by children during times of war. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Child labor: Giving voice to the industrial revolution through monologues

Students gather information using selected websites and explore issues related to child labor, particularly as it occurred in England and the United States during the Industrial Revolution. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Book report alternative: Creating a childhood for a character

In this lesson, students examine the character traits of an adult character in a book they have read, create a childhood for the character, and describe that childhood in the form of a short story, journal entry, or time capsule letter. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Battling for liberty: Tecumseh's and Patrick Henry's language of resistance

This lesson extends the study of Patrick Henry's “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech to demonstrate the ways Native Americans also resisted oppression through rhetoric and action. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Ad dissection 101

Students learn how to interpret the messages in mainstrean advertising to become more informed consumers. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies)

Provided by: IDEAS and Ryan Anderson