Grade 8 English Language Arts

PA Core English Language Arts Standards:

• CC.1.2.8.A:  Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
• CC.1.2.8.B:  Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences, conclusions, and/or generalizations drawn from the text.
• CC.1.2.8.F:  Analyze the influence of the words and phrases in a text including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings, and how they shape meaning and tone.
• CC.1.2.8.J:  Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
• CC.1.2.8.K:  Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.
• CC.1.2.8.L:  Read and comprehend literary nonfiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
• CC.1.4.8.A:  Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information clearly.
• CC.1.4.8.B:  Identify and introduce the topic clearly, including a preview of what is to follow.
• CC.1.4.8.C:  Develop and analyze the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples; include graphics and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
• CC.1.4.8.D Organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts; provide a concluding statement or section; include formatting when useful to aiding comprehension.
• CC.1.4.8.E:  Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.  • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain  the topic.  • Use sentences of varying lengths and complexities. • Create tone and voice through precise language.  • Establish and maintain a formal style.
• CC.1.4.8.F:  Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
• CC.1.4.8.S:  Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade-level reading standards for literature and literary nonfiction.
• CC.1.4.8.X: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
• CC.1.5.8.A:  Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

• Unit vocabulary.
• Figurative Language (metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, imagery, and symbolism).
• CYMS Writing Expectations.
• Literary analysis.
• MLA Formatting.

• Plans and goals will help you succeed. 
• Figurative language enhances meaning, creates tone, and deepens reader understanding.
• In expository nonfiction, figurative language can clarify complex ideas and enhance reader engagement with complex texts.
• Literary analysis involves both what the text says and how the author says it.

• Identify/define/use unit specific and academic vocabulary.
• Write clear, organized responses that utilize all of the CYMS Writing Expectations.
• Review parts of speech.
• Review MLA Formatting of documents.
• Create paragraphs that follow a logical structure (I-C-E): topic sentence, evidence, explanation, and concluding sentence.
• Create essays that follow a logical structure (R-A-C-E): introduction, body paragraph(s), and conclusion.
• Analyze how an author’s use of figurative language contributes to the meaning and tone of a nonfiction passage.
• Read and analyze self-selected fictional novels independently.
• Compose timed writings to demonstrate knowledge of figurative language in expository nonfiction.

• What habits contribute to student success?
• How does motivation inspire people to reach their goals?
• How do authors clearly communicate their ideas through writing?
   

• What are the parts of speech?
• What are the CYMS Writing Expectations?
• How do writers appropriately cite sources of information?
• How does grade-level grammar knowledge improve authors’ writing?
• How do the writing strategies (R-A-C-E, T-A-G, and I-C-E-E) help authors produce coherent writing?
• How do writers effectively interpret and address an analytical writing prompt?
• How do writers craft effective thesis statements in response to an analytical writing prompt?
• How does figurative language impact meaning in nonfiction writing?
• How do authors use imagery or sensory language to enhance nonfiction writing?
   

Required:

• Martin Luther King--“What is Your Life’s Blueprint” (non-fiction)
• CYMS Writing Expectations

Optional:

• Fiction Lit Circle Books - Classroom and Bookroom

• Cite
• Elaboration/Explanation
• Figurative Language:
• Metaphor
• Simile
• Hyperbole
• Personification
• Symbolism
• Inference
• Internal citations/ parenthetical citations/ in-text citations
• Lead/Hook
• Main Idea
• Mood
• Non-fiction
• Narrator/Speaker
• Organizational Structure:  Introduction, Body, Conclusion
• Prose
• Style
• Voice/Tone

• Figurative Language Timed Writing
• Multiple choice comprehension check
   

PA Core English Language Arts Standards:

• CC.1.3.8.A: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
• CC.1.3.8.B:  Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences, conclusions, and/or generalizations drawn from the text.
• CC.1.3.8.C:  Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
• CC.1.3.8.F:  Analyze the influence of the words and phrases in a text including figurative and connotative meanings and how they shape meaning and tone.
• CC.1.3.8.I:  Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.
• CC.1.3.8.J:  Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
• CC.1.3.8.K:  Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
• CC.1.4.8.A:  Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information clearly.
• CC.1.4.8.B:  Identify and introduce the topic clearly, including a preview of what is to follow.
• CC.1.4.8.C:  Develop and analyze the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples; include graphics and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
• CC.1.4.8.D Organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts; provide a concluding statement or section; include formatting when useful to aiding comprehension.
• CC.1.4.8.E:  Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.  • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain  the topic.  • Use sentences of varying lengths and complexities. • Create tone and voice through precise language.  • Establish and maintain a formal style.
• CC.1.4.8.F:  Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
• CC.1.4.8.S:  Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade-level reading standards for literature and literary nonfiction.
• CC.1.4.8.T:  With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
• CC.1.4.8.U:  Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
• CC.1.4.8.X:  Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
• CC.1.5.8.A:  Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

• Unit vocabulary.
• Figurative Language (metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, imagery, and symbolism).
• Literary analysis.
• Narrative structure.
• Theme development and analysis.
• Identify sentence types.
• Run-on sentences.
   

• We are the protagonists in our own stories.
• Individuals can make a difference.
• We are shaped by our life experiences.
• In expository nonfiction, figurative language can clarify complex ideas and enhance reader engagement with complex texts.
• Figurative language (metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, imagery, symbolism) enhances meaning, tone, and theme in all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry).
• Identify themes and supporting evidence in narrative writing (nonfiction/fiction).
• Using a variety of sentence types equals stronger writing.

• Write clear, organized responses that utilize all of the CYMS Writing Expectations.
• Identify/define/use unit specific and academic vocabulary.
• Analyze character, conflict, theme, and voice in narrative writing (nonfiction/fiction/poetry).
• Analyze how an author develops and supports a theme in narrative writing.
• Analyze how character, conflict, and voice contribute to theme and meaning in fiction, nonfiction (memoir), and poetry.
• Analyze how dialogue reveals character traits, advances plot, or builds tension in narrative texts.
• Cooperatively, read and analyze unit genre pieces.
• Independently, read and analyze novel-length memoirs.
• Identify/edit/construct sentence types.
• Identify/edit/revise run-on sentences.
• Compose timed writings analyzing theme in narrative nonfiction (Memoir) and fiction.
• Compose timed writings of five paragraphs to demonstrate knowledge of narrative texts .

• How do personal experiences shape identity?
• How do authors express identity through their writing?
• How do life experiences impact individual growth?
• How do authors develop voice in their writing?
   

• How do authors develop character(s) in nonfiction writing?
• How do authors develop theme in fiction and nonfiction writing?
• How do authors develop voice in nonfiction writing?
• How does figurative language impact meaning in nonfiction writing?
• How do authors develop character(s) in fiction writing?
• How do authors develop voice in fiction writing?
• How does figurative language impact meaning in fiction writing?
• How do authors develop character(s) in poetry?
• How do authors develop voice in poetry?
• How does figurative language impact meaning in poetry?
• How do flashback, flashforward, and foreshadowing help to enhance narrative writing?
• How does an author’s use of dialogue contribute to the development of narrative writing?
• How do authors use imagery or sensory language to enhance narrative writing?
   

Required:

• “The Moustache”
• Langston Hughes Poetry -
• “Theme for English B”
• “Dreams” 
• “Harlem”
• “Dream Variations”
• “My Father’s Desk” (exemplar memoir)
• “Crying Over Spilled Milk” (exemplar memoir)
• “HERS; A Puerto Rican Stew,” by Esmeralda Santiago
• Memoir Lit Circle Books - Classroom and Bookroom

Optional:

• Selections from Starting with I, edited by Andrea Estepa and Philip Kay 
• https://www.teenink.com/
• Fiction Lit Circle Books - Classroom and Bookroom
• “The Scholarship Jacket”
• “Hello, My Name Is_____,” by Jason Kim
   

• Character
• Characterization
• (STEAL: Speech, Thoughts, Effects on Others, Actions, Looks)
• Dialogue
• Figurative Language
• Inference
• Internal citations/ 
• parenthetical citations/ in-text citations
• Lead/Hook
• Line
• Memoir/personal narrative
• Mood
• Narrative fiction
• Narrative non-fiction
• Narrative Perspective
• Narrator/Speaker
• Plot:
• Exposition
• Rising action
• Climax
• Falling Action
• Resolution
• Point of View:
• First person POV
• Third person Limited
• Third Person Omniscient
• Limited Omniscient
• Setting
• Stanza
• Style
• Thesis
• Topic Sentence
• Voice/Tone

• Common multiple choice comprehension quiz focusing on conflict and character.
• Timed Writing:  TDA identifying and supporting a theme.
• Cold Read and Timed Writing: Memoir Analysis 
   

PA Core English Language Arts Standards:

• CC.1.3.8.A: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
• CC.1.3.8.B:  Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences, conclusions, and/or generalizations drawn from the text.
• CC.1.3.8.C: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
• CC.1.3.8.E: Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
• CC.1.3.8.F:  Analyze the influence of the words and phrases in a text including figurative and connotative meanings and how they shape meaning and tone.
• CC.1.3.8.G: Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by directors or actors.
• CC.1.3.8.H: Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from traditional works, including describing how the material is rendered new.
• CC.1.3.8.I:  Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.
• CC.1.3.8.J:  Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
• CC.1.3.8.K:  Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
• CC.1.4.8.A:  Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information clearly.
• CC.1.4.8.B:  Identify and introduce the topic clearly, including a preview of what is to follow.
• CC.1.4.8.C:  Develop and analyze the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples; include graphics and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
• CC.1.4.8.D Organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts; provide a concluding statement or section; include formatting when useful to aiding comprehension.
• CC.1.4.8.E:  Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.  • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain  the topic.  • Use sentences of varying lengths and complexities. • Create tone and voice through precise language.  • Establish and maintain a formal style.
• CC.1.4.8.F:  Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
• CC.1.4.8.S:  Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade-level reading standards for literature and literary nonfiction.
• CC.1.4.8.T:  With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
• CC.1.4.8.U: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
• CC.1.4.8.X:  Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
• CC.1.5.8.A:  Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

• Unit vocabulary.
• Comparative literary analysis of complex texts including:  novel, radio script, and movie.
• Theme development and analysis.
• Dangling and misplaced modifiers.
• Pronoun/antecedent agreement.
• Indefinite pronouns.

• Conflict deeply impacts both society and individuals.
• Conflict influences the narrative’s characters, theme, and setting.
• Literary elements shape and develop the themes.
• Literature presented in multiple formats can look very different.
• Content can determine the strongest medium for presentation.
   

• Identify/define/use unit specific and academic vocabulary.
• Analyze and evaluate literary elements within a narrative.
• Write clear, organized responses that utilize all of the CYMS Writing Expectations.
• Analyze how an author’s use of conflict contributes to the literary elements of character, theme, and setting.
• Cooperatively, read and analyze unit genre pieces.
• Compose timed writings to demonstrate knowledge of how literary elements develop a theme.
• Compare and contrast a narrative in three different formats:  novel, script, radio broadcast.
• Identify/edit/revise misplaced modifiers.
• Identify/edit/revise pronoun/antecedent agreement.
• Identify/edit/revise indefinite pronouns.

• How does conflict impact society?
• How do characters respond to conflict in unfamiliar or extreme situations?
• In what ways does conflict lead to personal growth or change in characters?
• What can literature teach readers about themselves and the world they live in?
   

• What is science fiction?
• What is drama?
• How do authors use foreshadowing?
• How does conflict impact literary elements?
• How does conflict work with the literary elements to develop a theme?
• How do themes reflect the author’s purpose?
• How does the format of a story (novel, radio broadcast,ect) affect the way it is told?
• How does the format of a story affect how it is experienced by its audience?
• How do writers use different techniques in novels, scripts, and radio broadcasts to develop characters?
• How do writers use different techniques in novels, scripts, and radio broadcasts to develop characters and themes?
   

Required:

• “Are Humans Really Headed to Mars Anytime Soon?”
• Dover Thrift Edition The War of the Worlds or adapted The War of the Worlds
• The War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast
• The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells script
• Lit Circle Books/Titles - Classroom and Bookroom

Optional:

• “Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds” Radio Play is Broadcast” https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-30/welles-scares-nation - Background Information
• “Author’s Note from Aliens are Coming!” By Meghan McCarthy - Background and results of the broadcast
• War of the Worlds Radiolab Podcast - Results of the broadcast
• War of the Worlds film (2005)
   

• Affixes
• Act
• Antagonist
• Audience
• Author’s Purpose
• Conflict
• Dialogue
• Drama
• Foreshadowing
• Inference
• Literary Elements
• Motivation
• Narrator
• Point of View
• Protagonist
• Radio Broadcast
• Relevance
• Root Words
• Scene
• Script
• Science Fiction
• Stage Directions
• Theme
• Tone
• Transitions

• Common Assessment:  multiple-choice comprehension questions
• Timed Writing:  text dependent analysis focusing on conflict, plot, and/or theme
   

PA Core English Language Arts Standards:

• CC.1.2.8.A:  Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
• CC.1.2.8.B:  Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences, conclusions, and/or generalizations drawn from the text.
• CC.1.2.8.E: Analyze the structure of the text through evaluation of the author's use of specific sentences and paragraphs to develop and refine a concept.
• CC.1.2.8.J:  Acquire and accurately use grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
• CC.1.2.8.K:  Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.
• CC.1.2.8.L:  Read and comprehend literary nonfiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
• CC.1.4.8.A:  Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information clearly.
• CC.1.4.8.B:  Identify and introduce the topic clearly, including a preview of what is to follow.
• CC.1.4.8.C:  Develop and analyze the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples; include graphics and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
• CC.1.4.8.D: Organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts; provide a concluding statement or section; include formatting when useful to aiding comprehension.
• CC.1.4.8.E:  Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.  • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain  the topic.  • Use sentences of varying lengths and complexities. • Create tone and voice through precise language.  • Establish and maintain a formal style.
• CC.1.4.8.F:  Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
• CC.1.4.8.T:  With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
• CC.1.4.8.V: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
• CC.1.4.8.W: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• CC.1.4.8.X:  Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
• CC.1.5.8.A: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

• Unit vocabulary.
• Skills for conducting effective research.
• Paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting.
• Informative essay structure.
• Cause and effect.
• Narrative nonfiction.
• Subject verb agreement.
• Active v. passive voices.
• Verbals.
• Parallel structure.

• Calamities teach us about human resilience and responsibility.
• The only good source is a valid source.
• Synthesis of multiple sources of information is the basis of solid research.
• It is important to give credit to the original source when using someone else’s words or ideas.

• Identify/define/use unit specific and academic vocabulary.
• Write clear, organized responses that utilize all of the CYMS Writing Expectations.
• Cooperatively, read and analyze unit informative pieces.
• Independently, read and analyze non-fiction disaster novels.
• Gather, evaluate, and synthesize reliable information to explain a real-world calamity.
• Understand the difference between paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting.
• Utilize paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting in writing.
• Utilize note-taking strategies to document the causes and effects of a calamity. 
• Gather relevant information from multiple sources. 
• Document sources with MLA citations.
• Compose timed writing based on researched cause and effect of a disaster.
• Identify/edit/revise subject/verb agreement.
• Identify/edit/revise active and passive voice.
• Identify/edit/revise verbals.
• Identify/edit/revise parallel structure.

• How do calamities impact society?
• How do researchers determine what information is credible, relevant, and accurate when studying a calamity?
• What questions should be asked to fully understand the causes, impact, and response to a disaster?
• How can research about past calamities help communities better prepare for the future?

• How do writers determine the validity of sources of information?
• How do different types of sources (articles, firsthand accounts, data) contribute to a deeper understanding of a research subject?
• How do writers prioritize information for note-taking?
• How do writers paraphrase, summarize, or quote information without plagiarizing?
• How do writers appropriately cite sources of information?
• How do writers synthesize information to use in their own research-based writing?
• How do writers use research to support the paper’s thesis?
• How do writers use MLA format in their final draft?
• How do writers collaborate to improve drafts of written analyses?
   

Required: 

• Donner Party Article by Justin Ewers
• Jamestown Series - Calamities, Disasters
• Lit Circle Books/Titles - Classroom and Bookroom

Optional:

• For cold read/timed writing:  “The Dancing Plague of 1519”
• For cold read/timed writing: “Shoe Factory Horror”
   

• Archetypes
• Conflict
• Content
• Copyright
• Evidence
• Fact
• Fair Use
• Focus
• Headings, Graphics, and Charts
• Informational Text
• Nonfiction
• Opinion
• Paraphrasing
• Parallel Structure
• Plagiarism
• Purpose
• Quotations
• Relevance
• Research
• Search Terms
• Summarizing
• Text Structures:
• (Cause/Effect, Compare/Contrast, Sequence, Problem and Solution, and Description)
• Thesis
• Topic/Subtopic
• Transitional Words/Expressions
• Validity

• Research-Based Timed Writing:  Cause and effect, calamity-based research paper as a Collins Type 4 / 5 writing.
   

PA Core English Language Arts Standards:

• CC.1.3.8.A: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
• CC.1.3.8.B:  Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences, conclusions, and/or generalizations drawn from the text.
• CC.1.3.8.C: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
• CC.1.3.8.D: Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
• CC.1.3.8.E: Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
• CC.1.3.8.F: Analyze the influence of the words and phrases in a text including figurative and connotative meanings and how they shape meaning and tone.
• CC.1.3.8.G Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by directors or actors.
• CC.1.3.8.I: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.
• CC.1.3.8.J: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
• CC.1.3.8.K: Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
• CC.1.4.8.A:  Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information clearly.
• CC.1.4.8.B:  Identify and introduce the topic clearly, including a preview of what is to follow.
• CC.1.4.8.C:  Develop and analyze the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples; include graphics and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
• CC.1.4.8.D: Organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts; provide a concluding statement or section; include formatting when useful to aiding comprehension.
• CC.1.4.8.E:  Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.  • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain  the topic.  • Use sentences of varying lengths and complexities. • Create tone and voice through precise language.  • Establish and maintain a formal style.
• CC.1.4.8.F:  Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
• CC.1.4.8.S: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade-level reading standards for literature and literary nonfiction.
• CC.1.4.8.T:  With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
• CC.1.4.8.U: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
• CC.1.4.8.X:  Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
• CC.1.5.8.A:  Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

• Unit vocabulary.
• Literary Irony, symbolism, and satire.
• Literary analysis.
• Literary archetypes.
• Comparison and contrast writing from two or more different genres.
• Hyphens, dashes, and ellipses.

• The individual can challenge society’s definition of justice and equality.
• Multiple authors use language, structure, and tone to express a common theme.
• Comparing and contrasting stories from two different genres with similar themes can expand a reader’s thinking.
• Genre and form shape the way a text delivers its message.

• Identify/define/use unit specific and academic vocabulary.
• Write clear, organized responses that utilize all of the CYMS Writing Expectations.
• Independently, read and analyze dystopian novels.
• Analyze historical context and its influence on writing.
• Examine how author biographical history influences writing style and message.
• Cooperatively read and analyze a dystopian short story.
• Cooperatively, read and analyze poetry.
• Examine archetypes in literature.
• Compare and contrast poetry and short stories with similar themes.
• Compose timed writing identifying and supporting a common theme between the texts.
• Correctly use hyphens, dashes, and ellipses.
   

• How do individuals and society influence one another?
• What does it mean to truly be free?
• How do individuals resist or respond to systems of oppression?
• What ways do characters or speakers use or lose their voices?
   

• What world events influenced the authors of “Harrison Bergeron” and “Caged Bird”?
• What life events influenced the authors of “Harrison Bergeron” and “Caged Bird”?
• How is that influence demonstrated in their writing?
• How do authors use irony and satire to reveal deeper truths about society or human behavior?
• How do genre and form (fiction vs. poetry) shape the way each text delivers its message?
• How do authors use literary elements (symbolism and irony) to convey mood and tone?
• How do authors use literary elements (symbolism and irony) to develop themes?
• How do authors use literature to comment on society?
• What do these texts suggest about the cost of forcing equality or equity?

Required:

• “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
• 2081
• “Caged Bird,” by Maya Angelou
• Lit Circle Books/Titles - Classroom and Bookroom

Optional:
 

• Allusion
• Analysis
• Compare
• Contrast
• Historical Context
• Imagery
• Inference
• Irony:
• Dramatic Irony
• Verbal Irony
• Situational Irony
• Mood
• Perspective
• Satire
• Symbolism
• Synthesis
• Tone
• Voice

• Timed Writing:  Text dependent analysis comparing the texts
• Common multiple choice comprehension quizzes focusing on characterization, setting, and theme
   

PA Core English Language Arts Standards:

• CC.1.2.8.A:  Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text. 
• CC.1.2.8.B Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences, conclusions, and/or generalizations drawn from the text.
• CC.1.2.8.C: Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events.
• CC.1.2.8.D: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
• CC.1.2.8.F:  Analyze the influence of the words or phrases in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings, and how they shape meaning and tone.
• CC.1.2.8.H Evaluate an author’s argument, reasoning, and specific claims for the soundness of the arguments and the relevance of the evidence.
• CC.1.2.8.I Analyze two or more texts that provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
• CC.1.2.8.J:  Acquire and accurately use grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
• CC.1.2.8.L:  Read and comprehend literary nonfiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
• CC.1.3.8.A: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
• CC.1.3.8.B:  Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences, conclusions, and/or generalizations drawn from the text.
• CC.1.3.8.C Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
• CC.1.3.8.F: Analyze the influence of the words and phrases in a text including figurative and connotative meanings and how they shape meaning and tone.
• CC.1.3.8.I: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.
• CC.1.3.8.J: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
• CC.1.3.8.K: Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
• CC.1.4.8.G: Write arguments to support claims.
• CC.1.4.8.H: Introduce and state an opinion on a topic.
• CC.1.4.8.I: Acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims and support claim with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic.
• CC.1.4.8.J: Organize the claim(s) with clear reasons and evidence clearly; clarify relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence by using words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion; provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
• CC.1.4.8.K: Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of Composition. • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. • Use sentences of varying lengths and complexities. • Create tone and voice through precise language. • Establish and maintain a formal style.
• CC.1.4.8.L: Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
• CC.1.4.8.S Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade-level reading standards for literature and literary nonfiction.
• CC.1.4.8.T:  With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
• CC.1.4.8.U Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
• CC.1.4.8.V Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
• CC.1.4.8.W Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• CC.1.4.8.X:  Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
• CC.1.5.8.A:  Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• CC.1.5.8.B Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
• CC.1.5.8.D Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound, valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume and clear pronunciation.
• CC.1.5.8.E Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks.
• CC.1.5.8.G Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English when speaking based on Grade 8 level and content.

• Unit vocabulary.
• Literary Analysis.
• Elements of Argument.
• Logical Fallacies.
• Debate.
   

• What does it mean to be truly human: intelligence, emotion, kindness, or something else?
• There are multiple sides to every issue;  strong arguments reference each.
• Strong themes lead to solid claims.

• Identify/define/use unit specific and academic vocabulary.
• Write clear, organized responses that utilize all of the CYMS Writing Expectations.
• Cooperatively read and analyze“Flowers for Algernon” short story version.
• Review elements of argument.
• Use the novel as a lens to form arguments on society today.
• Gather, evaluate, and synthesize reliable information (from multiple sources).
• Utilize note-taking strategies to document both pros and cons of an argument topic. 
• Paraphrase all applicable notes.
• Document sources with MLA citations.
• Utilize paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting in writing.
• Compose timed writing based on researched pros and cons of an argument topic.
• Participate in an organized debate on an argument topic.
• Independently, read and analyze a self-selected popular fiction novel.

• How do individuals and society influence one another?
• How does society define what it means to be “normal”?
• Just because science can do something, does that mean it should?
• Who is responsible for the consequences of scientific experimentation—the creators, the subjects, or society?
   

• How does the story of “Flowers for Algernon” reveal insights into the human experience, intelligence, and ethical issues?
• What makes an argument effective, logical, and persuasive?
• How can we use literature to form and support an argument about issues in today’s world?
• How do writers determine the validity of sources of information?
• How do different types of sources (articles, firsthand accounts, data) contribute to a deeper understanding of both sides of an argument topic?
• How do writers prioritize information that fairly represents both sides of an argument for note-taking?
• How do writers paraphrase, summarize, or quote information without plagiarizing?
• How do writers appropriately cite sources of information?
• What are the most effective strategies for organizing research to support both sides of an argument?
• How do writers use research to support the paper’s thesis?
• How do writers use MLA format in their final draft?
• How do writers collaborate to improve drafts of written analyses?
• How can I clearly and respectfully present and defend a position in an academic debate?
• What listening and speaking skills are essential for productive argument and counterargument?
• What can popular fiction teach us about ourselves and the world around us?
   

Required:

• “Flowers for Algernon,” short story by Daniel Keyes
• Lit Circle Books/Titles - Classroom and Bookroom

Optional:

• Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly
• “The Disturbing History of Human Experimentation” by Erin Cobb
• “Issue Overview - Animal Testing” -by ProCon.org; adapted by NEWSELA Staff
   

• Argument
• Audience
• Bias
• Claim/Position
• Conflict/Problem
• Conflicting Evidence/Information
• Connotation and Denotation
• Counterclaim
• Evidence
• Explanation/warrant
• Fact and Opinion
• Irony:  
• Dramatic
• Verbal
• Situational
• Mood
• Organizational Structure:  Introduction, Body, Conclusion
• Pros and Cons
• Point of View
• Logical fallacies/ propaganda (strawman, slippery slope, card stacking, emotional appeal, generalizations, etc)
• Reason
• Rebuttal

• Argument Essay
• Comprehension check