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Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
  1. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
  2. Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
  3. Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
  4. Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.
Standard #: LAFS.8.SL.1.1Archived Standard
Standard Information
General Information
Subject Area: English Language Arts
Grade: 8
Strand: Standards for Speaking and Listening
Idea: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning
Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration
Date Adopted or Revised: 12/10
Content Complexity Rating: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning - More Information
Date of Last Rating: 02/14
Status: State Board Approved - Archived
Related Courses
Related Resources
Lesson Plans
  • Gr. 8 Lesson 1-Sponging Off the Everglades # Students will be able to: 
    • Describe how social and economic needs for water affects the water in the Everglades ecosystem
    • Explain 3 ways that the Everglades are necessary for our daily lives
    • List 3 ways to conserve water
    • Quantify the percentages of water usage by different South Florida user groups
    • Create a mathematical model using a pie chart to illustrate water usage by user group in South Florida
    • Create an informational brochure about the importance of water to the Everglades and the need for water conservation
  • Gr. 8 Lesson 2-Threats to the Everglades # Students will be able to:
    • Describe three ecosystem services provided by the Everglades
    • Explain how these three ecosystem services contribute to the social and economic quality of life for people living in South Florida 
    • Describe five specific threats to the ecological health of the Everglades incorporating relevant evidence of the impacts of each of these threats 
    • Present findings on threats to the Everglades based on information derived from various texts/websites
  • Gr. 8 Lesson 3-Everglades Dilemmas # Students will be able to:
    • Describe how different social and economic decisions impact the Everglades
    • Analyze and select actions related to water dilemmas associated with the Everglades
    • Write an explanatory essay about how decisions made on a daily basis have the potential to impact the Everglades
  • Rain in Summer: What a Bummer, Or Is It? # In this lesson, students will analyze the symbols and imagery present in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Rain in Summer" to determine its meaning. Formative assessment checks are included as student handouts with text-based questions and charts. Students will also write a short essay as a summative assessment in which they will develop a claim about the poem's meaning, providing text-based examples as support.
  • A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words: From Image to Detailed Narrative # This two-day lesson, "A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words: From Image to Detailed Narrative," by Traci Gardner, is provided by ReadWriteThink.org, a website developed by the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, with support from the Verizon Foundation. In the lesson, students view an image that tells a story and brainstorm the possible event or situation the image illustrates. Each student then writes a narrative from the point of view of one of the characters, revealing the character's thoughts/feelings and the events that led up to the image or the events that will follow.
  • Reading of a Greek Myth: Apollo and Daphne # Students will read the myth "Apollo and Daphne" as told by Thomas Bulfinch and analyze lines in the story that propel the action, reveal details about a character, or provoke a decision. Students will work in groups to paraphrase text to create a short dramatization of an assigned section of the myth.
  • Figurative Language in Macavity # In this lesson students will use T.S. Eliot's poem, “Macavity," to analyze the power of word choice and figurative language devices in creating coherent and purposefully written descriptions. They will cite text evidence to show how specific lines of the poem impact and drive the description of the subject of the poem, who happens to be a cat. They will write their own narrative using figurative language to describe an animal.
  • Charge of the Light Brigade: Can a Poem Tell a Story? # Students will be studying the narrative poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and discussing how a "poem can tell a story." Students will focus upon citing evidence to support meaning found in the poem and then using those inferences to complete a comparison/contrast essay. Part of this study will include watching a 4 minute clip from the movie The Blind Side in which Tim McGraw's character explains the meaning of the poem in terms of a football game between rivals LSU and Ole Miss. Students will be asked to compare and contrast the poem's meaning in terms of battle in war and battle on the football field, determine how these two situations are similar and different, and finally be asked to explain if the football analogy was helpful in aiding the understanding of the story the poem tells.
  • To the Heart of Human Expression: Tools of the Poet's Trade (Part 1) # This is part one in a two-part series using Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 71." In this lesson, students will examine poetic and sound devices, and write a short response analysis of how these devices are at work in Shakespeare's "Sonnet 71."
  • From Text to Film: Exploring Classic Literature Adaptations # Students learn about movie adaptations of books through a series of activities exploring the relationship between literature and film.
  • Picture This: Visualization # Students will practice visualizing and understanding that visualization is an important comprehension strategy. Students will share their visualization of the story through original artwork.
Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast
Teaching Ideas
  • Using Creative Movement in a Classroom Environment # This twelve-minute video from Teaching Channel features dance teacher Brooke Charlebois demonstrating how to use cooperative groups to structure the expression of creative movement and choreographic forms to convey global issues. The video briefly focuses on how embedded dance allows students to demonstrate their understanding of concepts in math, science, history, geography and language.
  • Teaching Tolerance: Maya Angelou # This resource from Teaching Tolerance focuses on Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise." It begins with a discussion of figurative language and the power of words and moves into a discussion of overcoming hardships.
Tutorial
  • Using Literature Circles # This web resource is a step-by-step guide to using Literature Circles in the classroom. While a specific lesson plan is not included, it is a clear guide for anyone wishing to incorporate this discussion strategy in the classroom.
Unit/Lesson Sequences
  • Freak the Mighty: Heroes Come in All Sizes # Freak the Mighty is the story of a friendship between Max, who is big for his age and has learning disabilities, and Kevin, who is a genius, but is short and unable to walk on his own. In this unit, students explore how expectations for students with disabilities are influenced by appearances, behaviors, and stereotypes as they cite textual evidence that supports an analysis of what the text says, determine/analyze the text's theme, and engage effectively in collaborative small-group discussions.
  • Modeling Reading and Analysis Processes with the Works of Edgar Allan Poe # "Explore reading strategies using the think-aloud process as students investigate connections between the life and writings of Edgar Allan Poe. The unit, which begins with an in-depth exploration of "The Raven," then moves students from a full-class reading of the poem to small-group readings of Poe's short stories ("The Black Cat," "Hop-Frog," "Masque of the Red Death," and "The Fall of the House of Usher"). The unit concludes with individual projects that explore the readings in more detail. Students have the opportunity to choose among the following [three] activities: write a narrative in Poe's style; design a sales brochure for the House of Usher; ...or investigate the author further by exploring biographical and background information in more detail. The lesson includes options for both students who need direct instruction and those who can explore with less structure."
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