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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.
Standard #: LAFS.8.RI.1.2Archived Standard
Standard Information
General Information
Subject Area: English Language Arts
Grade: 8
Strand: Reading Standards for Informational Text
Idea: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts
Cluster: Key Ideas and Details
Date Adopted or Revised: 12/10
Content Complexity Rating: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts - More Information
Date of Last Rating: 02/14
Status: State Board Approved - Archived
Assessed: Yes
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Lesson Plans
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  • It's a Lovely Home, But...Using Multiple Texts to Aid in Decision Making # In this lesson, students will learn about a subject as they read and analyze multiple text types before writing a business letter explaining a decision they will be asked to make. This lesson incorporates poetry, authentic non-fiction, photography, and writing.
  • One for All? Or Not. Letter XII: Distresses of a Frontier Man # This lesson is based on Letter XII: Distresses of a Frontier Man by J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur. This "letter" is one of a collection of essays in an epistolary format from the collection, Letters from an American Farmer (1782). In this lesson, students will read and analyze the two central ideas in the text. Students will fill out a graphic organizer on the central ideas and participate in a class debate.
  • Forever Alive # In this close reading lesson, students will be asked to use multiple strategies to respond to informational text in way that is aligned to the state standards, requiring that they respond with explicit details drawn from the passage. With this short, free-standing article, teachers can incorporate this mini-lesson into their already set curriculum to reinforce the standards and skills being taught. This lesson would also make an excellent small group resource. Attachments needed for this lesson are all provided and include text-dependent questions, graphic organizers, and an objective summary writing prompt with rubric.
  • Remembering D-Day # This is a lesson based on President Obama’s remarks on the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Normandy. His speech focuses on the anniversary of D-Day and the effect it had on soldiers and civilians who experienced the attack. This lesson provides an opportunity for vocabulary acquisition and an analysis of the meaning of President Obama’s speech.
  • Close Reading Exemplar: Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution # The goal of this one to two day exemplar from Student Achievement Partner web resources is to give students the opportunity to observe the dynamic nature of the Constitution through the practice of close reading and writing habits. By reading and re-reading the passage closely, and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussion about the text, students will explore the questions Monk raises and perhaps even pursue additional avenues of inquiry. When combined with writing about the passage, not only will students form a deeper appreciation of Monk’s argument and the value of struggling with complex text, but of the Preamble of the Constitution itself.
  • Run For Your Life! # Based on a student-focused scenario encouraging healthier lifestyles, students will perform a close and careful reading of an article encouraging active and healthy lifestyles. During the lesson, students will analyze data from Consumer Reports comparing and contrasting treadmills and elliptical exercisers. Using information gathered, students will compile data and persuade administrators to buy equipment that will align with the provided budget and fit in the given space.Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.
  • Teaching Tolerance: Mary Church Terrell # This is a Teaching Tolerance lesson centering on Mary Church Terrell. The text shows the role of Mary Church Terrell and the NACW in working for civil rights in the decades before the modern civil rights movement. This lesson is very strong in vocabulary development (including using both context clues and word parts to determine meaning), summarizing, and author's purpose and perspective. The lesson could be used in either Language Arts or Social Studies classrooms and lends itself well to further research.
  • A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier-An Intro to Analysis & Argumentation Part I of III # This is part one in a three part series that covers Ismael Beah's memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. In this lesson, students will review chapters 1-7 of by discussing notable quotes, analyzing the development of the central idea, and determining the argument Beah introduces and supports through the telling of his memoir.
  • A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - An Intro to Analysis & Argumentation Part II of III # This is part two in a three part series that covers Ismael Beah's memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. In this lesson students will have independently read, outside of class, chapters 8-14. In class, students will create position statements as they read several informational articles and speeches about a variety of topics. Students will participate in a whole class discussion to assist them with their creation of position statements.
  • Graphic Organizers For Science Reading/Writing # This activity emphasizes the importance of teaching reading and writing strategies for students to use with informational text.
  • Setting A Purpose For Reading Using Informational Text # Students learn to set a purpose for reading informational text before reading by turning the title and subtitles into questions.
  • Using a Before-Reading Organizer with Informational Text # Before reading, create a graphic organizer that uses the titles and subtitles of an informational text.
Original Student Tutorials
  • Developing a Central Idea: Spies and the Revolutionary War — Part Four # Explore excerpts from the nonfiction book George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spies Who Saved America in this interactive tutorial. This tutorial is the final part of a four-part series. In this tutorial, you’ll read two more passages from the book about Washington’s spies. You’ll also determine the central ideas of the passages, identify key details, and practice writing a summary of a text.  You should complete the previous tutorials in this series before beginning Part Four. 

    Click HERE to launch Part One. 

    Click HERE to launch Part Two.  Click HERE to launch Part Three. 

  • Developing a Central Idea: Spies and the Revolutionary War — Part Three # Explore excerpts from the nonfiction book George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spies Who Saved America in this interactive tutorial. This tutorial is Part Three of a four-part series. In this tutorial, you'll read another passage from the book, identify the topic, and determine the central idea. Then, you'll review the central ideas from all the passages you've read throughout this series and examine how each central idea helps develop an overarching central idea of all the passages.  Be sure to complete the first two parts before beginning Part Three. Click HERE to launch Part One.  Click HERE to launch Part Two.  Make sure to do Part Four to complete the series! Click HERE to launch Part Four.
  • Developing a Central Idea: Spies and the Revolutionary War — Part Two # Explore excerpts from the nonfiction book George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spies Who Saved America with this interactive tutorial. In this four-part series, you'll analyze several passages from the book and learn how to extract key information along the way. In Part Two, you'll read another passage from the book, identify the topic, determine the central idea, and examine how key details help develop the central idea. Be sure to complete Part One before beginning Part Two.  Click HERE to launch Part One.  Make sure to complete the rest of the series:  Click HERE to launch Part Three.  Click HERE to launch Part Four.
  • Developing a Central Idea: Spies and the Revolutionary War – Part One # Explore excerpts from the nonfiction book George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spies Who Saved America with this interactive tutorial. In this four-part series, you'll analyze several passages from the book and learn how to extract key information along the way. By the end of Part One, you should be able to distinguish topics from central ideas and identify central ideas and key details in the text.  Make sure to complete all four parts! Click HERE to launch Part Two.  Click HERE to launch Part Three.  Click HERE to launch Part Four.
  • The Truth About Sugar? # Analyze the central idea in multiple texts in this interactive tutorial. You'll read several short texts in which authors disagree about the effects of sugar consumption. You'll practice identifying their different central ideas and the various types of evidence used to support them.
  • All Aboard! The Central Idea Express # Learn how to find the central idea of an informational text in this interactive tutorial! In this train-themed tutorial, you'll learn how to identify the central idea and identify its supporting details. You'll also practice summarizing the text to highlight its most important points.
STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity
  • Run For Your Life! # Based on a student-focused scenario encouraging healthier lifestyles, students will perform a close and careful reading of an article encouraging active and healthy lifestyles. During the lesson, students will analyze data from Consumer Reports comparing and contrasting treadmills and elliptical exercisers. Using information gathered, students will compile data and persuade administrators to buy equipment that will align with the provided budget and fit in the given space.Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.
Original Student Tutorials for Language Arts - Grades 6-12
  • All Aboard! The Central Idea Express # Learn how to find the central idea of an informational text in this interactive tutorial! In this train-themed tutorial, you'll learn how to identify the central idea and identify its supporting details. You'll also practice summarizing the text to highlight its most important points.
  • Developing a Central Idea: Spies and the Revolutionary War — Part Four # Explore excerpts from the nonfiction book George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spies Who Saved America in this interactive tutorial. This tutorial is the final part of a four-part series. In this tutorial, you’ll read two more passages from the book about Washington’s spies. You’ll also determine the central ideas of the passages, identify key details, and practice writing a summary of a text.  You should complete the previous tutorials in this series before beginning Part Four. 

    Click HERE to launch Part One. 

    Click HERE to launch Part Two.  Click HERE to launch Part Three. 

  • Developing a Central Idea: Spies and the Revolutionary War – Part One # Explore excerpts from the nonfiction book George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spies Who Saved America with this interactive tutorial. In this four-part series, you'll analyze several passages from the book and learn how to extract key information along the way. By the end of Part One, you should be able to distinguish topics from central ideas and identify central ideas and key details in the text.  Make sure to complete all four parts! Click HERE to launch Part Two.  Click HERE to launch Part Three.  Click HERE to launch Part Four.
  • Developing a Central Idea: Spies and the Revolutionary War — Part Three # Explore excerpts from the nonfiction book George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spies Who Saved America in this interactive tutorial. This tutorial is Part Three of a four-part series. In this tutorial, you'll read another passage from the book, identify the topic, and determine the central idea. Then, you'll review the central ideas from all the passages you've read throughout this series and examine how each central idea helps develop an overarching central idea of all the passages.  Be sure to complete the first two parts before beginning Part Three. Click HERE to launch Part One.  Click HERE to launch Part Two.  Make sure to do Part Four to complete the series! Click HERE to launch Part Four.
  • Developing a Central Idea: Spies and the Revolutionary War — Part Two # Explore excerpts from the nonfiction book George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spies Who Saved America with this interactive tutorial. In this four-part series, you'll analyze several passages from the book and learn how to extract key information along the way. In Part Two, you'll read another passage from the book, identify the topic, determine the central idea, and examine how key details help develop the central idea. Be sure to complete Part One before beginning Part Two.  Click HERE to launch Part One.  Make sure to complete the rest of the series:  Click HERE to launch Part Three.  Click HERE to launch Part Four.
  • The Truth About Sugar? # Analyze the central idea in multiple texts in this interactive tutorial. You'll read several short texts in which authors disagree about the effects of sugar consumption. You'll practice identifying their different central ideas and the various types of evidence used to support them.
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