LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

English Language Arts — Grade 8

Goal 6: The learner will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.

Objective 6.02. Continue to identify and edit errors in spoken and written English by:

  • using correct spelling of words appropriate in difficulty for eighth graders and refining mastery of an individualized list of commonly misspelled words.
  • producing final drafts/presentations that demonstrate accurate spelling and the correct use of punctuation, capitalization, and format.
  • self correcting errors in everyday speech.
  • independently practicing formal oral presentations.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

Writing a resumé
In CareerStart lessons: Grade eight, page 1.2
In this lesson plan, students practice writing resumés and editing them with peers.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Guidance)
By Andrea Fedon, Gail Frank, and Cindy Neininger.
The Lumbee: Who are they?
In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 2.4
Introduction This activity for middle school grades allows students to survey the various theories concerning the ancestry of the Lumbee. Students will read and analyze four threads that seek to chronicle the ancestry of North Carolina’s largest...
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By Gazelia Carter.

Resources on the web

You can't spell the word "prefix" without a prefix
In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students learn in a cooperative setting to identify, define, and construct words with prefixes. First, students guess at initial meanings and spellings of words. They then correct misspellings using spelling strategies developed... (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
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)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Shared spelling strategies
In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students increase their spelling accuracy and their retention by “constructing” spelling using sound, sight recall, and analyzing strategies, among others, instead of memorizing lists of words. The aim is... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Reciprocal revision: Making peer feedback meaningful
This lesson from ReadWriteThink is designed to help middle school students develop more constructive peer feedback on writing through the use of reciprocal teaching strategies. Students observe online examples of artwork, and use the strategies of predicting,... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Inside or Outside? A Mini-Lesson on Quotation Marks and More
This ReadWriteThink mini-lesson asks students to look closely at their writing, marking quotation marks and considering how the conventions of punctuation apply. By teaching students how to identify the conventions used in their own writing, self-editing... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Exploring and sharing family stories
In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students access their own life experiences and then discuss family stories they have heard. After choosing a family member to interview, students create questions, interview their relative, and write a personal narrative... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Character clash: A mini-lesson on paragraphing and dialogue
When writing dialogue in their stories, student writers often forget to indent paragraphs to indicate a change of speaker, which can create problems in understanding. This ReadWriteThink mini-lesson asks students to look closely at their writing, marking... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Biography project: Research and class presentation
In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students brainstorm about famous people and each selects one to research by reading a biography and doing Internet research. Students then create a graphic organizer (a web) to teach the class about the person's life.... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink