← All Standards

Grade 8

• Language

  • 8.L.1
  • 8.L.1.a
  • 8.L.1.b
  • 8.L.1.c
  • 8.L.1.d
  • 8.L.2
  • 8.L.3
  • 8.L.4
  • 8.L.4.a
  • 8.L.4.b
  • 8.L.5
  • 8.L.5.a
  • 8.L.5.b
  • 8.L.5.c
  • 8.L.6

• Reading: Informational

  • 8.RI.1
  • 8.RI.2
  • 8.RI.3
  • 8.RI.4
  • 8.RI.5
  • 8.RI.6
  • 8.RI.7
  • 8.RI.8
  • 8.RI.9

• Reading: Literature

  • 8.RL.1
  • 8.RL.2
  • 8.RL.3
  • 8.RL.4
  • 8.RL.5
  • 8.RL.6
  • 8.RL.9
  • 8.RL.10

• Speaking & Listening

  • 8.SL.1
  • 8.SL.1.a
  • 8.SL.1.b
  • 8.SL.1.c
  • 8.SL.1.d
  • 8.SL.2
  • 8.SL.3
  • 8.SL.4
  • 8.SL.5
  • 8.SL.6

• Writing

  • 8.W.1
  • 8.W.1.a
  • 8.W.1.b
  • 8.W.1.d
  • 8.W.2
  • 8.W.2.a
  • 8.W.2.b
  • 8.W.2.d
  • 8.W.2.e
  • 8.W.3
  • 8.W.3.a
  • 8.W.3.b
  • 8.W.3.c
  • 8.W.3.d
  • 8.W.3.e
  • 8.W.4
  • 8.W.5
  • 8.W.6
  • 8.W.7
  • 8.W.8
  • 8.W.9
  • 8.W.9.a
  • 8.W.9.b
  • 8.W.10

Arizona ELA Standard: 8.RL.2

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.

Main Idea and Details

Young students can use this big idea organizer to identify the main idea and support it with details.

Gr 1-8

Comparing Characters

Your young students will compare how two characters have changed in a story.

Gr 1-8

Identifying A Story’s Theme

Teach your young students to identify the moral or the theme of a story.

Gr 1-8

A Character’s Playlist

What playlist of songs best goes with a character’s change over time?

Gr 1-8

Introducing Universal Theme of Conflict

So what could you do with a Universal Theme of Conflict? Well, here’s an introduction that will get your students’ brains sweating.

Gr 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Charge of the Light Brigade – Chess Variant

What if one side played with THREE QUEENS and the other had SEVEN KNIGHTS!? What if?

Gr 2-8

Analyze Characters Using Philosophy

What is the Brick Pig’s philosophy? How would he apply it to the characters in Harry Potter?

Gr 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8

Paradox: Rebuilding A Ship

What if we completely rebuild something slowly? What if we completely rebuild it all at once? Is it still the same thing?

Gr 1-8

Writing Sample: A Christmas Carol (Cold)

A passage from White Fang to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Gr 1-8

Not Like The Others: Charlotte’s Web

Four Charlotte’s Web characters. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Gr 1-5

Paradox: The Barber’s Paradox

The barber shaves everybody who doesn’t themselves. So… does the barber shave himself?

Gr 1-8

Content Imperatives: Convergence

Add complexity by considering how multiple factors 🔄 Converge within one topic.

Gr 2, 5, 6, 7, 8

Depth and Complexity: ⚖️ Ethics

Want to add drama to any topic? Use the Ethics prompt!

Gr 2-8

Depth and Complexity: 🏛️ Big Idea

Let’s get students thinking big and focusing on more abstract ideas.

Gr 1-8

Depth and Complexity: 🌻 Details

Get kids focusing on the small, but essential, details of a topic.

Gr 1-8

Analyze Character Change with Depth and Complexity

Your students will use Depth and Complexity to note how a character’s main trait changes across a story.

Gr 1-8

Literary Technique: Juxtaposition

Put a grumpy character next to a joyful one and they make each other stand out even more. Opposites are powerful!

Gr 1-8

Romeo and Juliet Summary

Romeo and Juliet in just about five minutes.

Gr 1-8

“Much Ado About Nothing” Summary

Shakespeare’s Much Ado summarized in just five minutes!

Gr 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Twelfth Night Summary

An animated summary of Shakespeare’s utterly ridiculous “Twelfth Night.”

Gr 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Hamlet Summary

It’s Hamlet in just about five minutes!

Gr 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Nothing could possibly go wrong with a love potion on the loose!

Gr 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Writing Summaries in Haiku

Let’s write a summary. A very short summary. With VERY strict rules.

Gr 1-8

Better Stories Part 3: Literary Themes

A typical student narrative includes plot and characters but lacks a larger idea to hold it all together. This is where a lesson on themes comes in…

Gr 1-8