English Language Arts — Grade 8

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Using classic poetry to challenge and enrich students' writing

Students learn to read and analyze classic poetry and then write original pieces in this lesson. After looking closely at and discussing each poem collectively, students work together to create an open-ended writing prompt or “link” to stimulate... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Timelines and texts: Motivating students to read nonfiction

Students use a historical timeline and their prior knowledge to predict when specific inventions were produced and explain their reasons for placing an invention in a particular year. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Story character homepage

This lesson from ReadWriteThink presents a project for literature circles or class novels to develop understanding of a character. In groups students will look at examples of homepages on the Internet, note what elements most contain, and use them as models... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

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

Scaffolding comprehension strategies using graphic organizers

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, collaborative strategic reading (CSR) is initially presented to students through modeling and whole-class instruction. To facilitate comprehension during and after reading, students apply four reading strategies: preview,... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Proverbs: Contemporary proverbs

This ReadWriteThink lesson challenges students to craft more apparent meanings for traditional maxims by updating proverbs from around the world and writing proverbs of their own. This lesson incorporates student handouts and links to a variety of web resources. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Proverbs: At home and around the world

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students work with proverbs from home and from around the world, exploring how these maxims are tied to a culture's values and everyday experience. While doing so, students will learn about proverbs: how they work, how... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Proverbs: An introduction

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students will learn about proverbs. They will gain an understanding of how they work, how they differ from clichés, how to interpret them, and how they can be culturally and personally significant. This lesson... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Press Conference for "Bud, Not Buddy"

This ReadWriteThink lesson can be used after the reading of Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis. The lesson encourages students to use higher-level thinking skills, and asks them to examine different character perspectives. Students... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Postmodern picture books in the middle school

Students learn to analyze plot and critique the author's intent in this lesson that focuses on Black and White by David Macaulay, a picture book that presents four story lines. Students will also explore multi-literacies and... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

The poet's voice: Langston Hughes and you

Some poets achieve popular acclaim only when they express clear and widely shared emotions with a forceful, distinctive, and memorable voice. But what is meant by voice in poetry, and what qualities have made the voice of Langston Hughes a favorite for... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Poems that tell a story: Narrative and persona in the poetry of Robert Frost

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students read, discuss, and analyze selected poems by Robert Frost. The activities that make up this lesson encourage students to draw inferences about a poem's speaker based on evidence contained within the poem and to gather... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Plot structure: A literary elements mini-lesson

In this lesson that introduces plot structure, the teacher activates prior knowledge about plot by discussing events in a story students have read recently. In small collaborative groups, students use Freytag's Pyramid, a graphic organizer for plot structure,... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

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

In this lesson, students explore bullying and the concepts of social justice and empathetic responding. In order to plan a “No More Bullying” campaign at school, students examine research findings that describe the characteristics and frequencies... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

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)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Music and me: Visual representations of lyrics to popular music

Students interpret the meaning of selected song lyrics by making personal connections, critically analyzing their interpretations and planning how to represent the lyrics with images in a photomontage. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Mind pictures: Strategies that enhance mental imagery while reading

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students create mental images while reading using a three-pronged approach. The first approach develops schemata and visual awareness. The next approach, called Watch-Read-Watch-Read (W-R-W-R), uses video clips to build background... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Memories Matter: "The Giver" and Descriptive Writing Memoirs

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 7–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Media literacy: Examining the world of Lizzie McGuire

In this lesson that focuses on the popular television series, Lizzie McGuire, students develop media literacy skills. After viewing an episode of this teenage comedy, students take part in Media Response Groups where they... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Lonely as a cloud: Using poetry to understand similes

As the teacher reads the poem, “Willow and Ginkgo,” students illustrate what is being described and compare their drawings in small groups. Students identify similes in the poem and learn to use similes as a poetic device for description in... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink