Grade 8 Curriculum
MA State Standards Overview
These guides to the Massachusetts learning standards help families understand what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of each grade in English Language Arts and literacy, mathematics, science and technology/engineering, and history and social science. Designed by DESE to help families and teachers work together to support learning, the guides are available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese.
Grade 8
English Language Arts & Literacy
- Grade 8 English Language Arts - Curriculum by Unit
- State Education Curriculum Overview & Frameworks
- Dedham Program Development and Implementation Timelines
Grade 8 English Language Arts - Curriculum by Unit
Each grade level is broken up into units. Units define the content and skills that students will focus on during a given period of time during the school year. Each unit overview is articulated in a table as follows:
Unit #
Unit Name
Approximate Timeframe
Essential Questions:
Essential questions are tools that educators use in the development of curriculum. Essential questions are broad questions that get at the fundamental skills and concepts that students should gain and develop during any course or unit of study.
Massachusetts (2017) English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks:
The content standards state specifically what students will learn about in any given course or unit of study. The content standards provide the context for developing and practicing the English and language arts skills that students practice throughout the entirety of the 6-12 ELA program.
- Unit 1: Investigating Characterization
- Unit 2: Writing a Memoir
- Unit 3: The Diary of Anne Frank
- Unit 4: Poetry
- Unit 5: The Outsiders
- Unit 6: Writing Realistic Fiction
- Unit 7: Historical Fiction Book Clubs
- Unit 8: Lore
Unit 1: Investigating Characterization
Essential Questions:
How do authors develop characters?
Demonstration Texts & Read Alouds:
Walter Dean Meyers, “Sometimes a Dream Needs A Push”
Video “A Joy Story: Joy & Heron”
Video, “The Supporting Act”
Independent Reading:
Students choose stories from the following collection: Flying Lessons and Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh
Massachusetts (2017) English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks:
Key ideas and details (RL8.1, RL8.2, RL8.3)
Craft and structure (RL8.4, RL8.5, RL8.6)
Range of reading and level of text complexity (RL8.10)
Comprehension and collaboration (SL8.1, SL8.1.a, SL8.1.b, SL8.1.c, SL8.1.d, SL8.2, SL8.3)
Presentation of knowledge and ideas (SL9.4, SL8.5, SL8.6)
Unit 2: Writing a Memoir
Essential Questions:
How can I share a moment or a lesson in my life through my writing?
Demonstration Texts & Read Alouds:
“Unusual Normality” by Ishmeal Beah
“Black Like Me” by Renee Watson
Trevor Noah, “Born a Crime”
“Comic Relief” by Jerry Craft
“Hands” by Sarah Kay
“Hair” by Elizabeth Acevedo
“The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Massachusetts (2017) English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks:
Key ideas and details (RL8.3)
Range of reading and level of text complexity (RL8.10)
Text types and purposes (W8.3, W8.3.a, W8.3.b, W8.3.c, W8.3.d, W8.3.e)
Production and distribution of writing (W8.4, W8.5.a W8.5.b, W8.6)
Range of writing (W8.10)
Comprehension and collaboration (SL8.1, SL8.1.a, SL.8.1.b, SL8.1.c, SL8.1.d)
Presentation of knowledge and ideas (SL8.5)
Conventions of Standard English (L8.1, L8.1.a, L8.1.b, L8.1.a, L8.2.b, L8.2.c)
Knowledge of language (L8.3, L8.3.a, L8.3.b)
Unit 3: The Diary of Anne Frank
Essential Questions:
What kind of world do we want to live in? How do we get there?
What hope, if any, can be found in a time of hopelessness?
How can working with someone else increase our level of understanding?
What does reading closely mean?
Texts:
“The Diary of Anne Frank”
Massachusetts (2017) English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks:
Key ideas and details (RL8.1, RL8.2, RL8.3)
Craft and Structure (RL8.4, RL8.6)
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (RL8.7)
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity (RL8.10)
Unit 4: Poetry
Unit 5: The Outsiders
Essential Questions:
How do we maintain an individual identity while also being part of a group and society?
How do stereotypes impact behavior?
Texts:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Massachusetts (2017) English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks:
Key Ideas & Details (RL7.1, RL7.2, RL 7.3)
Craft and Structure (RL 7.4)
Text Types and Purposes (W7.1 a, b, c, d W7.2, W7.3)
Production and Distribution of Writing (W7.4, W7.5, a, b)
Range of Writing (W7.10)
Comprehension and Collaboration (SL 7.1, a, b, c, d)
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas (SL 7.4, SL 7.5, SL 7.6)
Conventions of Standard English (L 7.1 a, L 7.2, a, b)
Knowledge of Language (L 7.3, a, b)
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use (L 7.4, a, c, d, L 7.6)
Unit 6: Writing Realistic Fiction
Essential Questions:
How can I write a story that sounds like real life?
Demonstration Texts & Read Alouds:
“Thirteen and a Half” by Rachel Vail
Massachusetts (2017) English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks:
Text types and purposes (W7.3, W7.3.a, W7.3.b, W7.3.c, W7.3.d, W7.3.e)
Production and distribution of writing (W7.4, W7.5, W7.5.a, W7.5.b, W7.6)
Comprehension and collaboration (SL7.1.a, SL7.1.b, SL7.1.c, SL7.1.d, SL7.2)
Presentation of knowledge and ideas (SL7.4, SL7.5, SL7.6)
Unit 7: Historical Fiction Book Clubs
Essential Questions
What kind of world do we want to live in? How do we get there?
What hope, if any, can be found in a time of hopelessness?
How can working with someone else increase our level of understanding?
What does reading closely mean?
Demonstration Texts & Read Alouds:
“Patrol” by Walter Dean Meyers
“Muffin” by Susan Cooper
Independent Reading Texts:
Students choose from the following list of texts for independent reading: The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park, Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani, Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, Ground Zero by Alan Gratz, A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
Massachusetts (2017) English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks:
Key Ideas and Details (RL7.1, RL7.2, RL7.3)
Craft and structure (RL7.4, RL7.5, RL7.6)
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (RL7.7, RL7.9)
Text types and purposes (RL7.10)
Comprehension and collaboration (SL7.1.a-d, SL7.2, SL7.3)
Unit 8: Lore
Essential Questions
Where do stories come from?
Demonstration Texts & Read Alouds:
“How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin” by Rudyard Kipling
“How the Leopard Got His Spots” by Rudyard Kipling
Article: “Of Witches and Dinosaurs”
Paintings: “The Salem Martyr” and “Examination of a Witch”
Video: NBC News Learn: The Salem Witch Trials (supports deeper understanding of the article)
Excerpts from The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Primary Source: A Brief and True Narrative
Podcast: Making A Mark
Podcast: Black Stockings
Stories: New England Witch Folklore
Massachusetts (2017) English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks:
Integration of knowledge and ideas (RL.7, RL.9)
Integration of knowledge and ideas (RI.7, RI.9)
State Education Curriculum Overview & Frameworks
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) updated its standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in 2017. The 2017 ELA & Literacy standards expand upon the 2011 frameworks by adding a set of “Content Literacy” standards that cross over into the History and Social Studies, as well as Science and Career and Technical Subjects.
Guiding Principles for English Language Arts & Literacy
Guiding Principle #1: Students should receive explicit instruction in skills, including phonics and decoding. Explicit skill instruction is especially important in narrowing opportunity gaps.
Guiding Principle #2: To become successful readers, students need to develop a rich academic vocabulary and broad background knowledge.
Guiding Principle #3: Educators should help students develop a love of reading by: Selecting high-quality works of literature and nonfiction; Reading aloud in class; Providing students with ample opportunity and encouragement for sustained independent reading, both for school and on their own.
Guiding Principle #4: Students should be exposed to complex and challenging texts at their grade level and above, with extra support and scaffolding as needed, reflecting high expectations for all students.
Guiding Principle #5: Students should read a diverse set of authentic texts balanced across genres, cultures, and time periods. Authentic texts are intact and unadapted texts in their original complexity; they are texts composed for purposes other than being studied in school.
Guiding Principle #6: Students should have frequent opportunities for discussing and writing about their readings in order to develop critical thinking skills and to demonstrate understanding.
Guiding Principle #7: Reading well-crafted texts is an essential foundation for developing effective writing skills.
Guiding Principle #8: Developing the ability to write well demands regular practice across multiple forms and genres of writing and opportunities to write for a variety of audiences, including expository, analytical, persuasive, narrative, and creative writing, as well as explicit instruction in vocabulary and standard English conventions.
Guiding Principle #9: Educators and families should view each other as resources who are both invested in supporting students’ skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Guiding Principle #10: Social and emotional learning can increase academic achievement, improve attitudes and behaviors, and reduce emotional distress. Students should practice recognizing aspects of themselves in texts (self-awareness), struggling productively with challenging texts (self-management), tailoring language to audience and purpose (social awareness), grappling vicariously with choices faced by others (responsible decision making), and collaborating respectfully with diverse peers (relationship skills).
Guiding Principle #11: Educators should select works of fiction and nonfiction that instill in students a deep appreciation for art, beauty, and truth, while broadening their understanding of the human condition from differing points of view. Reading, discussing, and writing about high-quality prose and poetry should also help students develop empathy for one another and a sense of their shared values and literary heritage, while learning about who they are as individuals and developing the capacity for independent, rigorous thinking.
Skills For College, Career, and Civic Participation
Students who meet the standards set out by the 2017 ELA & Literacy Frameworks can be described as follows:
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They demonstrate independence.
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They build strong content knowledge.
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They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.
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They comprehend as well as critique.
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They value evidence.
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They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
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They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.
Dedham Program Development and Implementation Timelines
DESE’s 2017 ELA & Literacy standards provide a framework for programming and course design at the local level. While there is a clear progression of skills that spiral through the grades, districts have the autonomy to choose and design curriculum that both addresses the standards and meets the needs of their student population. During the 2017-2018 school year, the district’s curriculum leadership team conducted an in depth review of the revised standards. The primary goals of this review included (a) gaining insight into and understanding of the scope and magnitude of the differences between the 2011 and 2017 standards, (b) evaluating the degree to which the district’s current K-12 curriculum was aligned to the revised standards and (c) structuring a plan to re-align all necessary district curriculum to the revised standards, purchase necessary materials and provide robust teacher training in the 3-5 years to follow.
One of the major findings of this review was that the English Language Arts curriculum for Grades 6-8 required realignment to incorporate more opportunities for informational, opinion, and narrative writing as well as more opportunities for students to engage with a broader range of texts.
During the 2018-2019 school year, teachers in Grades 6-8 each piloted one new unit of study, designed by the Teachers College Reading & Writing Project (TCRWP). This curriculum aligns with the K-5 program of study for reading and writing, offering students access to the same language to describe reading and writing. By 2019-2020, the curriculum was further aligned with the K-5 program of study and Grades 6-8 teachers committed to teaching three new writing units (opinion, informational, narrative), as well as new reading units of study. Each of these units were developed by TCRWP and are outlined below. In spite of the onset of COVID-19, middle school English Language Arts & Literacy teachers are continuing to implement new curriculum, abbreviating units when needed and adapting them for hybrid learning. The curriculum leadership team continues to monitor implementation and efficacy carefully and is already working on adjusted plans for implementation and training in the 2021 - 2022 school year.
During the 2018-2019 school year, teachers in grades 9-12 critically examined curriculum units and core text offerings for a balance of genre, cultures, and time periods. Each grade level developed course themes and essential questions for each unit and conducted research to select new texts that reflect the course themes and align with the guiding principles of the state standards. During the summer of that year, teachers met to revise existing argument, synthesis, and narrative writing rubrics to align with the 2017 MA Frameworks. During the 2019-2020 school year, each grade level developed one new unit with a new core text with full implementation following in 2020-2021.