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Grade 8 Grade 8 OverviewOverview
Eighth-grade students apply and expand the skills they have acquired in the earlier grades as they become increasingly more sophisticated readers and writers. Both on their own and with their peers, they read a variety of informational texts as well as four major types of literary texts: fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and drama. Adolescents continue to develop their own areas of reading interest. Informational text is analyzed for the purpose of discovering how texts reflect the backgrounds, attitudes, and beliefs of the authors. Students compare/contrast different perspectives on similar topics or themes. They evaluate elements of the author’s craft (for example, the use of tone and imagery) to create emotional responses in the reader.
Possessing a rich and authentic vocabulary allows any individual to be a skillful and appreciative reader. In order to read fluently, adolescent students use word analysis and other interpretive strategies. As they learn to master texts that use complex vocabulary, they transfer that knowledge of language into their own writing and speaking.
Writing for a variety of purposes and audiences, eighth graders increase their control over the written language. They blend elements of description into other modes of written works (for example, narrative, expository, and persuasive). They plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish their writings. They learn to pay careful attention to the author’s craft—examining the content and development, the organization, the quality of voice, and the use of language conventions in their own writing and the writings of others. They also learn to use a variety of sentence structures to express their thoughts in both oral and written form.
In the eighth grade, students continue to read and write for pleasure and to expand their knowledge. The research process offers them the opportunity to be actively involved in learning about topics that are relevant to their lives and that appeal to their interests. Eighth graders access information in print and electronic forms and use both primary and secondary sources as reference materials. They distinguish between their own ideas and the ideas of others in their research and in their writing. Using evidence to support the ideas they examine, they properly credit the work of others by documenting the sources they use. They deliver oral presentations about issues and show evidence to support their views and solutions. Through research, students learn how to access, to analyze, and to evaluate information and thus equip themselves for a lifetime of learning.
8 - 1
Grade 8Big Idea: READING
Understanding and Using Literary Texts
Standard 8-1 The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and non-print formats.
Essential Question: How do people make meaning of literary print and non-print text?
Students in grade eight read four major types of literary texts: fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and drama. In the category of fiction, they read the following specific types of texts: chapter books, adventure stories, historical fiction, contemporary realistic fiction, science fiction, folktales, tall tales, and myths. In the category of literary nonfiction, they read personal essays, classical essays, memoirs, autobiographical and biographical sketches, character sketches, and speeches. In the category of poetry, they read narrative poems, lyrical poems, humorous poems, free verse, odes, songs/ballads, and epics.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicators:8-1.1 Compare/contrast ideas within and across literary texts to make inferences. 8-1.2 Explain the effect of point of view on a given literary text.8-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including extended metaphor,
oxymoron, and paradox).8-1.4 Analyze a given literary text to determine its theme.8-1.5 Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the use of imagery,
flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
8-1.6 Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for example, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, media productions, and the visual and performing arts).
8-1.7 Compare/contrast literary texts from various genres (for example, poetry, drama, novels, and short stories).
8-1.8 Read independently for extended periods of time for pleasure.
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Grade 8Big Idea: READING
Understanding and Using Literary Texts
Help Page for Standard 8-1: The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and non-print formats.
See Support Documents attached for indicators 8-1.3 and 8-1.5.Assessments
Retelling GuideExit SlipsQuestioning TechniquesWriting About ReadingRubricsDouble Entry JournalsBlogsWriter’s and Reader’s notebooksObservationProjectsConferencing
Notes
Textbook Correlation
See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC3-SC4.
See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC15-SC16 for Minimum Course of Study.
Notes
Technology
http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm
http://www.allamericareads.org/lessonplan/index.htm
http://www.frankserafini.com
Notes
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SC Streamline Videos for ELAA Literary Tour of South Carolina Baker’s Dozen Series Discovering Language Arts: Grades 06-08:The Harold Syntax Guide to Grammar Basics The Split-Infinitive World of English Grammar The Untamed World of English Punctuation Series How to Write a Report and Personal Letter Great Books SeriesStandard Deviants School Shakespeare Tragedies
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South Carolina Department of Education Support Document
Standard 8-1 The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and nonprint formats.
Students in grade eight read four major types of literary texts: fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and drama. In the category of fiction, they read the following specific types of texts: chapter books, adventure stories, historical fiction, contemporary realistic fiction, science fiction, folktales, tall tales, and myths. In the category of literary nonfiction, they read personal essays, classical essays, memoirs, autobiographical and biographical sketches, character sketches, and speeches. In the category of poetry, they read narrative poems, lyrical poems, humorous poems, free verse odes, songs/ballads, and epics.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicator 8-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including extended metaphor, oxymoron, and paradox).
Definition of Revised Bloom’s VerbInterpret: Change from one form of representation to another (e.g., paraphrase important
speeches and documents). In order to demonstrate their ability to interpret, students might accurately paraphrase a literary text with a focus on the meaning of figurative language used in the text.
Explanation of IndicatorFigurative language refers to language that is enriched by word meanings, figures of speech, and sound devices such as simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, onomatopoeia and alliteration. Simile is a stated comparison between two unlike things using the words “like” or “as” (for example, “My love is like a red, red rose”). Metaphor is a device of figurative language that compares two unlike things (for example, “My love is a red, red rose”). Onomatopoeia is the use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning such as “rattle,” “murmur,” “buzz,” “sizzle.” Alliteration is the repetition of the initial sounds or stressed syllables in neighboring words (for example, “Step forward, Tin Man. You dare to come to me for a heart, do you? You clinking, clattering collection of caliginous junk…And you, Scarecrow have the effrontery to ask for a brain! You billowing bale of bovine fodder!” from the movie, The Wizard of Oz.). Personification occurs when nonhumans (animals, objects, and abstractions) are represented as being human or as having human attributes (for example, “The sea sang a song of peace” or “My car was happy to be washed”). Hyperbole is an overstatement, a conscious exaggeration for the purpose of making a point (for example, “I’d give my right arm for a piece of chocolate”). An extended metaphor is drawn out beyond the usual phrase to extend throughout a stanza or an entire poem. Oxymoron places two contradictory words together for a special effect (for example, jumbo shrimp, old news, deafening silence). Paradox is a statement that is true even though it seems to be saying two opposite things (for example, “The less you have the more free you are”)
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Instructional Progression of IndicatorThe level of difficulty of the text increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for figurative language differ at each grade level.
What do students need to know before they can understand figurative language? Students need to know the difference between literal and figurative language
as well as denotative and connotative meanings of words (8-3.4). This knowledge helps build a background needed for abstract concepts that are the foundation for figurative language.
The teacher can provide a variety of experiences in reading (speeches), writing (poetry), listening (song lyrics), and speaking (oral presentation) that demonstrate to students that they already are familiar with many elements of figurative language.
Begin reviewing the figurative language that students have been taught in previous grades by having students identify and explain examples from literary text. One way to extend this review is to have students analyze commercials for examples of simile, metaphor, hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and personification or to create their own commercials with a focus on figurative language.
Students will need to understand the terms “contradiction” (break it down into its word parts: contra and dict) in order to correctly interpret examples of paradox. There are some websites that provide examples, although many of the examples may be too difficult for 8th graders. http://www.basicincome.com/bp/egsofparadox.htmhttp://www.paradoxes.co.uk/http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112392/paradox.htmlhttp://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/paradoxterm.htm
Within figurative language, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future?
The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
3-1.4 Distinguish among devices of figurative language (including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole) and sound devices (including onomatopoeia and alliteration).
4-1.4 Distinguish among devices of figurative language (including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole) and sound devices (including onomatopoeia and alliteration).
5-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole) and sound devices (including onomatopoeia and alliteration).
6-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole) and sound devices (including onomatopoeia and alliteration).
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7-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including extended metaphor and oxymoron).
8-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including extendedmetaphor, oxymoron, and paradox).
E1-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including extended metaphor, oxymoron, pun, and paradox).
E2-1.3 Analyze devices of figurative language (including extended metaphor, oxymoron, pun, and paradox).
E3-1.3 Evaluate devices of figurative language (including extended metaphor, oxymoron, pun, and paradox).
E4-1.3 Evaluate devices of figurative language (including extended metaphor, oxymoron, pun, and paradox).
When teaching figurative language, what connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators?
Students in grade 8 will use figurative language as they interact with other indicators such as 8-1.6 Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for
example, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, media productions, and the visual and performing arts).
8-2.4 Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods (for example, drawings, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, and media productions).
8-2.7 Identify the use of propaganda techniques (including card stacking, plain folks, and transfer) in informational texts.
8-3.4 Interpret the connotations of words to understand the meaning of a given text.
8-4 All indicators as students respond in writing.8-5 All indicators as students respond in writing.
Classroom AssessmentStudents should be taught and assessed using similar methods. For example, in this indicator, the verb is “interpret.” Students should be challenged to construct meaning from figurative language and to demonstrate how the figurative language contributes to the overall meaning of the text. When it’s time for assessment, students should be asked to show what they have learned in the same way they were taught. For example, in either the learning or the assessing, students should not be given a list of terms to match with definitions because this does not allow them the opportunity to interpret.
Students learn the different types of figurative language when they use them, not when they are asked to memorize definitions out of context. If students have the opportunity to read and write with an expectation of understanding, analyzing, interpreting, and using figurative language, then assessment should also focus on these levels of thinking.
Students in grade 8 might respond well to an argumentative approach to writing. One way to assess their understanding of figurative language would be to assign them the task of writing a persuasive piece on an issue about which they feel strongly. Then they could write a protest song or poem on the same topic. A requirement of both writing assignments would be the inclusion of
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figurative language appropriately used. Finally they could write reflectively on the difference between writing a persuasive essay and a poem guided by some teacher-created questions such as
Which form is easier for me to write? Which form is more effective in getting my point across to my readers? Which form do I enjoy the most? Why?
The second part of this project would involve students trading essays and poems for an interpretation activity again guided by teacher-created questions.
Poetry is meant to be read aloud, so the rhythms and the language can be fully appreciated. Students might participate in oral recitations of poetry, and the rest of the class might have a rubric on which they note and interpret examples of figurative language and sound devices as they listen to the recitation.
In order to be consistent with the indicator, the expectation on any assessment strategy is that students must demonstrate they can interpret the figurative language.
Suggested Instructional ResourcesProfessional TextsAllen, Janet. Yellow Brick Roads. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2000.
Burke, Jim. The English Teacher’s Companion. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999.
---. Reading Reminders. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000.
Monseau, Virginia (ed.) and G. Salvner. Reading Their World: The Young Adult Novel in the
Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000.
Ray, Katie Wood. What You Know by Heart. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2002.
Rief, Linda. Seeking Diversity: Language Arts with Adolescents. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann,
1992.
Robb, Laura. Teaching Reading in Middle School. New York: Scholastic, 2000.
Stockland, Patricia M. (ed.). Poet’s Toolbox. Mankato, MN: Compass Point Books, 2004.
Tsujimoto, Joseph I. Teaching Poetry Writing to Adolescents. Urbana, IL: National Council of
Teachers of English, 1988.
Student Texts
8 - 8
There are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand figurative language. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue to be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts: http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA%20Standards.
Non-print Materialshttp://www.carolhurst.com/titles/8th.htmlhttp://faculty.une.edu/cas/gchstman/seven/#languagehttp://jengoldberg.com/lessons/8Poetry.htmlhttp://www.connected-learning.org/Products/bkonkolu22.htmhttp://www.readwritethink.org
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=271http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1049http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=780http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=963
http://www.learnnc.orghttp://www.learnnc.org/lessons/PeggyStanley6182002516http://www.learnnc.org/lessons/barbaragroome4212004369http://www.learnnc.org/lessons/barbaragroome12212004411
http://www.webenglishteacher.comhttp://www.webenglishteacher.com/ya.html
http://www.englishcompanion.comhttp://www.ciconline.org/englishhttp://www.poets.orghttp://www.scetc.org/education/streamlinesc/index.cfmDiscovering Language Arts: Viewing (Grades 6-8)http://www.field-trips.org/tours/lit/poet/_tourlaunch1.htmhttp://www.scetc.org
http://www.scetv.org/programs_a_to_z/index.cfm#w Writers’ Circle of South Carolina, grades 7-12
Best Practiceshttp://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/cso/standards/ela/index.html
South Carolina Department of Education8 - 9
Support Document
Standard 8.1 The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and non-print formats.
Students in grade eight read four major types of literary texts: fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and drama. In the category of fiction, they read the following specific types of texts: chapter books, adventure stories, historical fiction, contemporary realistic fiction, science fiction, folktales, tall tales, and myths. In the category of literary nonfiction, they read personal essays, classical essays, memoirs, autobiographical and biographical sketches, character sketches, and speeches. In the category of poetry, they read narrative poems, lyrical poems, humorous poems, free verse, odes, songs/ballads, and epics.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicator 8-1.5 Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone, and the use of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
Definition of Revised Bloom’s VerbAnalyze Break into constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one another and to
an overall purpose. In order to demonstrate their ability to analyze author’s craft, students might discuss elements of style in works by a variety of authors.
Explanation of IndicatorAuthor’s craft is the use of specific techniques that an author chooses to relay an intended message. Author’s craft includes tone and the use of, flashback and foreshadowing, imagery, symbolism, irony, and allusion in order to understand the author’s intended message. Tone is the writer’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audience conveyed through the choice of words and details. Flashback is the technique of disrupting the chronological flow of a narrative by interjecting events that have occurred at an earlier time, and foreshadowing is the use of hints or clues to suggest future action.
Instructional Progression of IndicatorThe level of difficulty of the text increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for the author’s craft differ at each grade level.
What do students need to know before they can understand author’s craft? Students must understand and know how to interpret tone, flashback,
foreshadowing. Students must be able to talk and write about these techniques with
scaffolding from the teacher. Students need to isolate the elements of author’s craft and their effects on
meaning.
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Within author’s craft, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future?
The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
3-1.6 Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (for example, word choice and sentence structure) on the meaning of a given literary text.
4-1.6 Interpret the effect of the author’s craft (for example, word choice, sentence structure, the use of figurative language, and the use of dialogue) on the meaning of literary texts.
5-1.5 Interpret the effect of the author’s craft (for example, tone, figurative language, dialogue, and imagery) on the meaning of literary texts.
6-1.5 Interpret the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the use of flashback and foreshadowing) on the meaning of literary texts.
7-1.5 Interpret the effect of an author’s craft (including tone and the use of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, and irony) on the meaning of literary texts.
E1-1.5 Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the use of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
E2-1.5 Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the use of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
E3-1.5 Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the use of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, motif, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
E4-1.5 Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the use of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, motif, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
When teaching author’s craft, what connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators and/or content areas?
Students in grade 8 will use author’s craft as they interact with other indicators such as 8-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including extended metaphor,
oxymoron, and paradox) on the meaning of literary texts.8-1.6 Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for
example, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, media productions, and the visual and performing arts).
8-1.8 Read independently for extended periods of time for pleasure.8-2.4 Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods (for
example, drawings, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, and media productions).
8-2.7 Identify the use of propaganda techniques (including card stacking, plain folks, and transfer) in informational texts.
8-2.8 Read independently for extended periods of time to gain information.8-4 All indicators as students respond in writing.8-5 All indicators as students respond in writing.
8 - 11
Classroom Assessment Students should be taught and assessed using similar methods. For example, in this indicator, the verb is “analyze.” Students should be challenged to construct meaning from author’s craft and to demonstrate how author’s craft contributes to the overall meaning of the text. When it’s time for assessment, students should be asked to show what they have learned in the same way they were taught, using cold text (text the students have not previously experienced). Students should not be given a list of terms to match with definitions because this does not allow them the opportunity to analyze, break it into parts and relate to the whole.
The teacher may provide a passage, moving image, painting, or drawing that is particularly humorous, eerie, depressing, or optimistic for students to understand how the author’s craft created the intended effect. Through reading the works of professional writers, the students can replicate the author’s craft in their own writing. Students can also demonstrate the use of author’s craft in original pieces.
Suggested Instructional ResourcesProfessional TextsDean, Nancy. Discovering Voice. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House, 2006.
---. Voice Lessons. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House, 2000.
King, Stephen. On Writing. New York: Pocket Books, 2000.
Olsen, Carol Booth. The Reading Writing Connection. New York: Pearson, 2007.
Schaffer, Jane. Teaching Style Analysis to Advanced Placement English Students. San Diego:
Jane Schaffer Publications, 2002.
Student TextsThere are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand author’s craft. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts. http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA+Standards.
Non-print Materialshttp://www.AP Central.com
http://www.Web English Teacher.com
http://www.Learnnc.org
8 - 12
http://www.Englishcompanion.com
http://www.Readwritethink.org
http://www.litplans.com
http://www.ciconline.org/english
http://www.itv.myetv.org
http://www.scetv.org/education/streamlines/index.cfm
Best Practiceshttp://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/cso/standards/ela/index.html
Grade 8Big Idea: READING
8 - 13
Understanding and Using Informational Texts
Standard 8-2 The student will read and comprehend a variety of informational texts in print and non-print formats.
Essential Question: How do people make meaning of informational print and non-print text?
Students in grade eight read informational (expository/persuasive/argumentative) texts of the following types: essays, historical documents, research reports, contracts, position papers (for example, persuasive brochures, campaign literature), editorials, letters to the editor, informational trade books, textbooks, news and feature articles, magazine articles, advertisements, encyclopedia entries, reviews (for example, book, movie, product), journals, and speeches. They also read directions, schedules, and recipes embedded in informational texts. In addition, they examine commercials, documentaries, and other forms of nonprint informational texts.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicators:8-2.1 Compare/contrast central ideas within and across informational texts. 8-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions and
make inferences.8-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (for example, word choice and the
exclusion and inclusion of particular information). 8-2.4 Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods (for
example, drawings, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, and media productions).
8-2.5 Analyze the impact that text elements (for example, print styles and chapter headings) have on the meaning of a given informational text.
8-2.6 Analyze information from graphic features (for example, charts and graphs) in informational texts.
8-2.7 Identify the use of propaganda techniques (including card stacking, plain folks, and transfer) in informational texts.
8-2.8 Read independently for extended periods of time to gain information.
Grade 8Big Idea: READING
8 - 14
Understanding and Using Informational Texts
Help Page for Standard 8-2: The student will read and comprehend a variety of informational texts in print and non-print formats.
See Support Documents attached for indicators 8-2.2 and 8-2.3.AssessmentsRetelling GuideExit SlipsQuestioning TechniquesWriting About ReadingRubricsDouble Entry JournalsBlogsWriter’s and Reader’s notebooksObservationProjectsConferencing
Notes
Textbook Correlation
See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC3-SC6.See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC15-SC16 for Minimum Course of Study.
Notes
Technologyhttp://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Tools/Index.htm
http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm
http://www.educationoasis.com/curriculum/graphic_organizers.htm
http://www.scetv.org/education/streamlinesc/
Notes
South Carolina Department of Education Support Document
8 - 15
Standard 8-2 The student will read and comprehend a variety of informational texts in print and non-print formats.
Students in grade eight read informational (expository/persuasive/argumentative) texts of the following types: essays, historical documents, research reports, contracts, position papers (for example, persuasive brochures, campaign literature), editorials, letters to the editor, informational trade books, textbooks, news and feature articles, magazine articles, advertisements, encyclopedia entries, reviews (for example, book, movie, product), journals, and speeches. They also read directions, schedules, and recipes embedded in informational texts. In addition, they examine commercials, documentaries, and other forms of nonprint informational texts.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicator 8-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
Definition of Revised Bloom’s VerbCompare/Contrast: Detecting correspondences between two ideas, objects, and the like
(for example, compare two poems or a poem and a short story to find similar or different inferences or conclusions)
ExplanationMaking inferences is the act or process of drawing a conclusion or making a prediction based on what one already knows either from prior knowledge, observations, or evidence found in the text. When making an inference, ideas and facts are implied or suggested rather than stated outright.
Inferential thinking can be demonstrated by using cloze procedures with portions of informational texts. Begin by creating a simple cloze statement by deleting one word from an informational sentence. Invite students to combine what they know about the syntactic (the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences) and semantic (the study of meaning in language) knowledge of language with their schema (organized knowledge that is accessed during reading) and generate possible words that would make sense in the cloze blank. NOTE: It is important that the readers have background knowledge about a text they are to read if they are expected to read inferentially. If they do not have the experience portion of the equation (word clues + experience = inferences) no matter how many words the author utilizes, readers will not be able to think inferentially about the text. http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/Inferences%20handout%20by%20Deb%20Smith.doc
Instructional Progression of IndicatorsThe level of difficulty of the text increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for drawing conclusions and making inferences differ at each grade level.
8 - 16
What do students need to know before they can understand how to analyze an informational text to draw conclusions and make inferences? Students should understand the meaning of “reading between the lines” and that sometimes readers have to make educated guesses in order to make meaning from the text. Students should know that these educated guesses should be based on evidence that comes from their prior knowledge, observations, and the text itself. Reading informational text requires attention to characteristics that are
different from fiction: the ability to access data, to read critically for information, and to use supporting visual features (such as charts, captions, and scale diagrams). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_mOSTR/is_6_110/ai_84344608
Students need to know how to generate and respond to questions that require them to dig for and think about the information and the evidence necessary to draw conclusions and make inferences. For example, questions such as “Hypothesize what will happen if….,” Predict what would be true if…,” Conclude what the result will be if…,” What if ____ had happened instead of ____?”
Students need to learn how to connect the text with their background knowledge and to see that when they read, they bring what they already know to comprehension of new text. They need to experience understanding beyond the literal by gathering all the clues in order to make an inference or draw a conclusion. For example, when reading, listening, or viewing specific informational texts, one might naturally jump to the conclusion that an umbrella is needed because of rain; however, closer attention to details might provide clues that the umbrella is needed as protection from the sun.
Making inferences and drawing conclusions require that students recognize and identify the clues in the text that will help lead them to conclusions. Students must also read between the lines; go beyond the literal and concrete meaning; and pay attention to details, clues, and evidence when interacting with print and nonprint informational texts.
Students should have experiences with a variety of print and nonprint text that allow them to compare/contrast inferences and conclusions. For example, a thematic approach would encourage students to read a poem, listen to a speech, and view a video of a short story, all of which were connected by a similar theme. Students could then compare/contrast inferences and conclusions among these texts.
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Within analyzing an informational text to draw conclusions and make inferences, what have students previously studied and what they will study in the future?
The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
3-2.2 Analyze informational texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.4-2.2 Analyze informational texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
5-2.2 Analyze informational texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
6-2.2 Analyze informational texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
7-2.2 Analyze information within and across texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
8-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
E1-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
E2-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
E3-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
E4-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
When teaching analyzing an informational text to draw conclusions and make inferences, what connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators?
8-1.1 Compare/contrast ideas within and across literary texts to make inferences.
8-1.6 Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for example, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, media productions, and the visual and performing arts).
8-2.4 Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods (for example, drawings, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, and media productions).
8-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms and euphemisms encountered in texts.8-3.4 Interpret the connotations of words to understand the meaning of a given
text.8-5.2 Create narratives (for example, memoirs) that communicate the
significance particular personal relationships.8-5.3 Create descriptions for use in other modes of written works (for
example, narrative, expository, or persuasive).8-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, editorials, essays, or speeches) that
support a clearly stated position with concrete evidence.Science: Draw conclusions and make inferences and predictions from data,
research, and investigation
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Social studies: Draw conclusions and make inferences and predictions from research, biographies, autobiographies, essays, and speeches
Assessment Strategies Students should be assessed in the same ways they are taught; however, students should be assessed with cold text rather than text they have read and discussed. For example, in this indicator, the verb is “compare/contrast.” Students should be challenged to construct meaning from the inferences and conclusions and how those contribute to the overall meaning of the text. Students should be able to cite instances in the text that caused them to infer and draw conclusions. They should also be able to explain what background information they brought to the text that helped them infer. When it’s time for assessment, students should be asked to show what they have learned in the same way they were taught. For example, in either the learning or the assessing, students should not be given a worksheet to make inferences and draw conclusions from unconnected pieces of text because this does not allow them the opportunity to interpret meaning from a whole piece of text.
Students in grade 8 respond well to having choice. Assessment of comparing/contrasting text to make inferences and draw conclusions can be accomplished by having students select a piece of “cold” text that has not been discussed in class. Students then choose pieces of text and respond through an “It says-I say” activity while comparing/contrasting the texts. The students copy quotes from the texts for “It says” and then add their background knowledge for “I say.” Next, the students defend the “I say” by writing their thinking behind their inference (I say). Students must cite instances from the texts that help them compare or contrast an inference or a conclusion.
Students may also sketch their conclusions or inferences and defend their thinking by citing the text and adding their background knowledge or the understanding that brought them to those inferences or conclusions.
There is no benefit from having students assessed by a piece of text that has already been discussed. That would be assessing their remembering, not their ability to compare/contrast text. Students should be assessed on a piece of text that is on their reading level.
In order to be consistent with the indicator, the expectation on any assessment strategy is that students must demonstrate they can compare/contrast informational texts to make inferences and draw conclusions.
Suggested Instructional ResourcesProfessional TextsAllen, Janet. Yellow Brick Roads. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2000.
Beers, Kylene, When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003.
Feathers, Karen M. Informational Texts: Reading and Learning. Toronto: Pippin, 2004.
Harvey, Stephanie. Nonfiction Matters: Reading Writing and Research in Grades 3-8. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 1998.
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Harvey, Stephanie and Anne Goudis. Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2007.
Keene, Ellin and Susan Zimmerman. Mosaic of Thought, Second Edition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2007.
Keene, Ellin. To Understand: New Horizons in Reading Comprehension. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008.
Lesesne, Teri S. Making the Match, The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Tim, Grades 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2003.
Probst, Robert E. Response and Analysis, Teaching Literature in the Secondary School. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004.
Rief, Linda. Seeking Diversity: Language Arts with Adolescents. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1992.
Robb, Laura. Teaching Reading in Middle School. New York: Scholastic, 2000.
Student TextsThere are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand drawing conclusions and making inferences. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue to be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts: http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA%20Standards.
Nonprint Materialshttp://www.readwritethink.org
http://www.learnnc.org
http://www.lpb.orghttp://www.lpb.org/education/classroom/itv/litlearn/
http://www.readingquest.orghttp://www.readingquest.org/strat/
http://scholastic.comhttp://scholastic.com/newszone/
http://timeforkids.comhttp://timeforkids.com/TFK/
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http://www.scetc.orghttp://www.scetc.org/education/streamlinesc/index.cfm
http://www.ciconline.orghttp://www.ciconline.org/english
http://www.carolhurst.comhttp://www.carolhurst.com/titles/6th.html
http://literacynet.orghttp://literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html
http://www.iclasses.orghttp://www.iclasses.org/assets/literature/index.cfm full text of fiction and nonfiction selections
http://www.unitedstreaming.com
Best Practiceshttp://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/cso/standards/ela/index.html
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South Carolina Department of Education Support Document
Standard 8-2 The student will read and comprehend a variety of informational texts in print and non-print formats.
Students in grade eight read informational (expository/persuasive/argumentative) texts of the following types: essays, historical documents, research reports, contracts, position papers (for example, persuasive brochures, campaign literature), editorials, letters to the editor, informational trade books, textbooks, news and feature articles, magazine articles, advertisements, encyclopedia entries, reviews (for examples, book, movie, product), journals, and speeches. They also read directions, schedules, and recipes embedded in informational texts. In addition, they examine commercials, documentaries, and other forms of nonprint informational texts.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicator 8-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (for example, word choice and the exclusion and inclusion of particular information).
Definition of Revised Bloom’s VerbAnalyze: Break material into its constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one
another and to an overall structure or purpose.
A student might demonstrate analysis of an informational text by listing the elements which indicate bias (for example, all the loaded words with negative connotations), and explain how the words affect the meaning of the text and the impact of the text upon the intended audience.
Explanation of IndicatorAuthor bias is a personal and largely unreasoned judgment either for or against a particular person, position, or thing; a prejudice. Word choice is the effective use of the words to enhance style, tone, or clarity in writing or speaking. For example, an author who is biased in favor of small schools might write a text showing all the benefits of attending a small school and none of the problems of attending a small school.
Instructional Progression of IndicatorThe level of difficulty of the text increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for the author bias differ at each grade level.
What do students need to know before they can understand author bias? Students must be able to differentiate between fact and opinion. Students must be able to identify relevant facts and other types of support
for opinions. Relevant facts are those that are clearly applicable to the
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judgment. Support for opinions includes (but is not limited to) explanations, examples, anecdotes, statistics, and logical reasons.
Students must be able to identify sufficiently supported opinions. Students must be able to understand the effect of word choice on a text.
Within author bias, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future?
The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
3-2.3 Distinguish between facts and opinions in informational texts.4-2.3 Analyze informational texts to locate and identify facts and opinions.5-2.3 Analyze a given text to detect author bias (for example, unsupported
opinions).6-2.3 Summarize author bias based on the omission of relevant facts and
statements of unsupported opinions.7-2.3 Identify author bias (for example, word choice and the exclusion and
inclusion of particular information).E1-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (including word choice, the
exclusion and inclusion of particular information, and unsupported opinions).
E2-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (including, word choice, the exclusion and inclusion of particular information, and unsupported opinions).
E3-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (including word choice, the exclusion and inclusion of particular information, and unsupported opinion).
E4-2.3 Analyze informational texts for (author bias including word choice, the exclusion and inclusion of particular information, and unsupported opinion).
When teaching author bias, what connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators and/or content areas?
8-1.1 Compare/contrast ideas within and across literary texts to make inferences.
8-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including extended metaphor, oxymoron and paradox).
8-1.5 Analyze the effect of author’s craft (including tone and the use of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
8-1.8 Read independently for extended periods of time for pleasure.8-2.1 Compare/contrast ideas within and across informational texts.8-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw
conclusions and make inferences.8-2.7 Identify the use of propaganda techniques (including card stacking, plain
folks, and transfer) in informational texts.8-2.8 Read independently for extended periods of time to gain information.8-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms and euphemisms encountered in texts.
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8-3.4 Interpret the connotations of words to understand the meaning of a given text.
8-4.3 Create multiple-paragraph compositions that include a central idea with supporting details and use appropriate transitions between paragraphs.
8-4.5 Revise writing to improve clarity, tone, voice, content, and the development of ideas. (See Instructional Appendix: Composite Writing Matrix.)
8-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, reports and letters of request, inquiry, or complaint) that use language appropriate for the specific audience.
8-5.2 Create narratives (for example, memoirs) that communicate the significance of particular personal relationships.
8-5.3 Create descriptions for use in other modes of written works (for example, narrative, expository, and persuasive).
8-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, editorials, essays, or speeches) that support a clearly stated position with concrete evidence.
8-6.8 Design and carry out research projects by selecting a topic, constructing inquiry questions, accessing resources, evaluating credibility, and selecting and organizing information.
In social studies students will read historical speeches, documents, and other non-fiction writings and will need to identify author bias in order to understand the works.
Classroom Assessment Students should be taught and assessed using similar methods. For example, in this indicator, the verb is “analyze.” Students should be challenged to analyze author bias in a variety of informational texts and to demonstrate how author bias contributes to the overall meaning and effect of the text. When it’s time for assessment, students should be asked to show what they have learned in the same way they were taught, using cold text (text the students have not previously experienced). Students should not be given a list of terms to match with definitions because this does not allow them the opportunity to analyze.
The teacher may provide examples of print or nonprint informational text that is biased for students to identify the specific elements of bias and explain how those elements of bias impact the intended message of the piece. The teacher may provide a letter to the editor for students to determine the bias of the piece. Students could examine a video for tourists showing a variety of wonderful sites to visit in South Carolina, but ignoring sites of danger or poverty in South Carolina and explain the effect of the omitting South Carolina’s places of poverty.
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Suggested Instructional ResourcesProfessional TextsConsidine, David M. and Gail E. Haley. Visual Messages: Integrating Imagery into Instruction.
Englewood, CO: Teacher Ideas Press, 1999.
Christel, Mary T. and Scott Sullivan, eds. Lesson Plans for Creating Media-Rich Classrooms. Urbana, IL: National council of Teachers of English, 2007.
Olsen, Carol Booth. The Reading/Writing Connection. New York: Pearson, 2007.
Portalupi, Joann and Ralph Fletcher. Nonfiction Craft Lessons. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2001.
Student TextsThere are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand author bias. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read-alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA+Standards.
Non-print Materialshttp:// www.frankmbaker.com
http:// www.sctv. org/education/streamlines/index.cfm
http:// www.American rhetoric.com
http:// www.Readwritethink.org
http://www.WebEnglishTeacher.com
Best Practiceshttp://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/cso/standards/ela/index.html
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Big Idea: READINGBuilding Vocabulary
Standard 8-3 The student will use word analysis and vocabulary strategies to read fluently.
Essential Question: How does vocabulary help people make meaning of print and non-print text?
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Instructional appendixes are provided as the baseline expectations for instruction and are not intended to be all-inclusive documents.
Indicators:8-3.1 Use context clues (for example, those that provide an example, a definition, a
restatement, or a comparison/contrast) to generate the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words.
8-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots and affixes within texts. (See Instructional Appendix: Greek and Latin Roots and Affixes.)
8-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms and euphemisms encountered in texts.8-3.4 Interpret the connotations of words to understand the meaning of a given text.8-3.5 Spell new words using Greek and Latin roots and affixes. (See Instructional
Appendix: Greek and Latin Roots and Affixes.)
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Grade 8Big Idea: READINGBuilding Vocabulary
Help Page for Standard 8-3: The student will use word analysis and vocabulary strategies to read fluently.
See Support Documents attached for indicators 8-3.1, 8-3.2 and 8-3.4.Assessments
Exit SlipsQuestioning TechniquesWriting About ReadingRubricsDouble Entry JournalsWriter’s and Reader’s notebooksProjectsGamesGraphic organizers
Notes
Textbook Correlation
See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC7.See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC15-SC16 for Minimum Course of Study.
Notes
Technology
http://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/VocabularyGraphicOrganizers.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/vocab/
http://www.scetv.org/education/streamlinesc/
http://www.region15.org/curriculum/VOCABULARY_DEVELOPMENT-Portrait.pdf
Notes
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South Carolina Department of EducationSupport Document
Standard 8-3 The student will use word analysis and vocabulary strategies to read fluently.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Instructional appendixes are provided as the baseline expectations for instruction and are not intended to be all-inclusive documents.
Indicator 8-3.1 Use context clues (for example, those that provide an example, a definition, a restatement, or a comparison/contrast) to generate the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words.
Definition of Revised Bloom’s VerbUse Applying a procedure to an unfamiliar task
Explanation of IndicatorContext clues provide students multiple strategies for understanding the meaning of new and unknown words they may encounter in a text. When a good reader finds unknown or multiple meaning words, they use the words or sentences around it – its context - to predict the word’s meaning. At this point, students are NOT identifying context clues; they are using them to determine the meaning of unknown or multiple-meaning words. The words or sentences around an unknown word may give an example, a definition, a restatement, or a comparison/contrast to help the reader generate meaning.
Context clues that provide an example: While floating in the harbor, the buoy lit the water and warned the ship to stay away from the rocks. (The unknown word buoy is something that floats, lights the water, and warns the ship to stay away.)
Context clues that provide a definition: The food was stored in a large larder, or pantry. (The unknown word larder is defined as a pantry.) Context clues that provide a restatement: The food was bland. In fact, everyone called it tasteless. (The unknown word bland is restated in simpler terms in the second sentence as tasteless.)
Context clues that provide a comparison/contrast: Although some men are loquacious, others hardly talk at all. (The unknown word loquacious can be understood from the contrasting example in the phrase – others hardly talk at all. The word loquacious would mean to talk a lot.)
The teacher can provide a variety of experiences in reading, writing, listening, and speaking that demonstrate to students that they are already familiar with using context clues.
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Begin reviewing context clue strategies that students have been taught in previous grades by having students identify and explain examples from literary text. One way to extend this review is to have students analyze a given text with unknown words and discuss how context clues can be used to determine the meaning of unknown or multiple-meaning words.
Instructional Progression of IndicatorThe level of difficulty of the text increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for context clues differ at each grade level.
What do students need to know before they can understand context clues? Students need to understand that it is not unusual to encounter words that we
do not know when reading. Students need to understand that, when good readers get “stuck” on a problem
during reading, they stop and figure out how to fix the problem. Students need to know that, when good readers find unfamiliar words or multiple
meaning words, they use the surrounding words or sentences (the context) to predict the word’s meanings.
Students need to understand that some words have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used.
Within context clues, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future?
The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
3-3.1 Generate the meaning of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words by using context clues.
4-3.1 Generate the meaning of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words by using context clues (for example, those that provide an example or a definition).
5-3.1 Use context clues (for example, those that provide an example, a definition, or a restatement) to generate the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words.
6-3.1 Use context clues (for example, those that provide an example, a definition, or restatement) to generate the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words.
7-3.1 Use context clues (for example, those that provide an example, a definition, a restatement, or a comparison/contrast) to generate the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words.
8-3.1 Use context clues (for example, those that provide an example, a definition, a restatement, or a comparison/contrast) to generate the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words.
E1-3.1 Use context clues to determine the meaning of technical terms and other unfamiliar words.
E2-3.1 Use context clues to determine the meaning of technical terms and other unfamiliar words.
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E3-3.1 Use context clues to determine the meaning of technical terms and other unfamiliar words.
E4-3.1 Use context clues to determine the meaning of technical terms and other unfamiliar words.
When teaching context clues, what connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators?
Students in grade 8 will use context clues as they interact with other indicators such as:
8-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots and affixes within texts. (See Instructional Appendix: Greek and Latin Roots and Affixes.)
8-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms and euphemisms encountered in texts.8-3.4 Interpret the connotations of words to understand the meaning of a
given text.8-3.5 Spell new words using Greek and Latin roots and affixes. (See
Instructional Appendix: Greek and Latin Roots and Affixes.)
Classroom AssessmentStudents should be taught and assessed using similar methods. In this indicator, the verb is “use”; students should be challenged to generate meaning from using context clues and to demonstrate how that process contributes to the understanding of text and to determining meanings of unknown words. When students are assessed, they should be asked to show what they have learned in the same way they were taught. In either the learning or the assessing, students should not be given a list of terms to match with definitions because this does not allow them the opportunity to use context.
Students learn the different types of context clues when they use them, not when they are asked to memorize definitions out of context. If students have the opportunity to read and write with an expectation of understanding, analyzing, interpreting, and using context clues, then assessment should also focus on these levels of thinking.
Students in grade 8 respond well to showing what they know. For context clues, this might mean giving them the opportunity to decorate the room with illustrations or collages depicting the kinds of context clues. Students could complete this “show what you know” activity individually or in groups, on poster paper or butcher paper, or as a mural on a wall or around the classroom.
Another interesting way to assess would be to pair students and give each student in the pair the same text (but each group of pairs would have different texts). Each student in the pair would first write at least four questions about the context clues in the text and the overall meaning of unknown or multiple meaning words. Then the two students would compare their questions. Questions that are similar would be tackled first. Students would come up with a consensus response that reflects both students’ thinking. Questions that are not similar would be dealt with next in the same fashion.
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In order to be consistent with the indicator, the expectation of any assessment strategy is that students must demonstrate they can use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words.
Suggested Instructional ResourcesProfessional TextsAllen, Janet. Tools for Teaching Content Literacy. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2004.
Anderson, Jeff. Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer’s Workshop. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2005. Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003.
Burke, Jim. The English Teacher’s Companion. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999.
---. Reading Reminders. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000.
Ray, Katie Wood. What You Know by Heart. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2002.
Robb, Laura. Teaching Reading in Middle School. New York: Scholastic, 2000.
Student TextsThere are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand the use of context clues. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue to be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA%20Standards.
Non-print Materials
http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/6323.aspxhttp://faculty.une.edu/cas/gchstman/seven/#language http://www.readwritethink.orghttp://www.learnnc.org
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/3971http://www.webenglishteacher.comhttp://www.webenglishteacher.com/ya.htmlhttp://www.englishcompanion.comhttp://www.ciconline.org/englishhttp://lesson-plans-materials.suite101.com/article.cfm/context_clues_lesson_plan
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South Carolina Department of EducationSupport Document
Standard 8-3 The student will use word analysis and vocabulary strategies to read fluently.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Instructional appendixes are provided as the baseline expectations for instruction and are not intended to be all-inclusive documents.
Indicator 8-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots and affixes within texts. (See Instructional Appendix: Greek and Latin Roots and Affixes.).
Definition of Revised Bloom’s VerbAnalyze: Break material into its constituent parts and determine how the
parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose.
In order to analyze, students break information into parts and explore understandings and relationships. In English language arts, students analyze words through examining roots and affixes to determine meanings.
Explanation of IndicatorNearly 75 percent of the English language is derived from Greek and Latin roots. A study of these roots and affixes offers an effective tool for teachers to nurture students’ vocabulary development. A study of Greek and Latin roots and affixes provides students with an understanding of word parts so that they can determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Etymology fosters an interest in how words and their meanings are developed. Instruction should begin fostering an interest in word exploration. The study of words should not be done merely by having students memorize lists of words. Rather, teachers should immerse students in rich oral and written language that promotes effective word study. Students must apply their knowledge of words and see connections to the world. The purpose of vocabulary instruction is to make students stronger readers and writers.
Academic texts have a large number of words that come from Greek and Latin roots. Learning new words in content areas often involves learning new concepts. Understanding key content vocabulary is a building block for understanding more advanced concepts.
Instructional Progression of the IndicatorThe level of difficulty of the text increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for the study of Greek and Latin roots and affixes differ at each grade level.
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What do students need to know before they can understand Greek and Latin roots and affixes? Students must have knowledge of word structure such as base words and
affixes. Students understand that prefixes, bases, and suffixes have meaning. When
joined together, they create new words. Students should understand that prefixes come at the beginning, bases come in
the middle, and suffixes come at the end of words. Students should begin to understand that meanings of words are often
grounded in history.
Within the study of Greek and Latin roots and affixes, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future?
Words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
3-3.2 Use base words and affixes to determine the meanings of words.
4-3.2 Use base words and affixes to determine the meanings of words.5-3.2 Use base words and affixes to determine the meanings of words.6-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots
and affixes within texts.7-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots and
affixes within texts.8-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots and
affixes within texts.E1-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots
and affixes.E2-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots and
affixes.E3-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots and
affixes.E4-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots and
affixes.
When teaching Greek and Latin roots and affixes, what connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators and/or content areas?
English Language Arts8-1.1 Compare/contrast ideas within and across literary texts to make
inferences.8-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including extended
metaphor, oxymoron, and paradox).8-1.5 Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the use
of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
8-1.7 Compare/contrast literary texts from various genres (for example, poetry, drama, novels, and short stories.
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8-1.8 Read independently for extended periods of time for pleasure.8-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (for example, word
choice and the exclusion and inclusion of particular information).8-2.8 Read independently for extended periods of time to gain
information.8-3.1 Use context clues (for example, those that provide an example, a
definition, a restatement, or a comparison/contrast) to generate the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words.
8-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms and euphemisms encountered in texts.
8-3.4 Interpret the connotations of words to understand the meaning of a given text.
8-3.5 Spell new words using Greek and Latin roots and affixes.8-4.2 Use compound sentences in a variety of types (including simple,
compound, complex, and compound-complex.8-4.4 Use grammatical conventions of written Standards American
English including the reinforcement of conventions previously taught.
8-4.5 Revise writing to improve clarity, tone, voice, content, and the development of ideas.
8-6.2 Use direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summaries to incorporate into written, oral, auditory, and visual works the information gathered from a variety of research sources.
8-6.4 Use vocabulary (including Standard American English) that is appropriate for the particular audience or purpose.
8-6.8 Design and carry out research projects by selecting a topic, constructing inquiry questions, accessing resources, evaluating credibility, and organizing information.
Social Studies8-1.3 Summarize the history of European settlement in Carolina from the
first attempts to settle at San Miguel de Gualdape, Charlesfort, San Felipe, and Albemarle Point to the time of South Carolina’s establishment as an economically important British colony, including the diverse origins of the settlers, the early government, the importance of the plantation system and slavery, and the impact of the natural environment on the development of the colony. (H, G, P, E)
8-1.7 Summarize the military and economic involvement of South Carolina in the French-British colonial rivalry. (H, G, P, E)
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8-3.2 Explain the impact of key events leading to South Carolina’s secession from the Union, including the nullification crisis and John C. Calhoun, the Missouri Compromise, the Tariff of 1832, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and subsequent armed conflict, the Dred Scott decision, the growth of the abolitionist movement, and the election of 1860. (H, P, G)
8-3.4 Compare the attitudes of the unionists, cooperationists, and secessionists in South Carolina and summarize the reasons that the members of the South Carolina secession convention in 1860 voted unanimously to secede from the Union, including concerns about states’ rights and fears about abolition. (H, P, G, E)
8-5.4 Compare migration patterns within South Carolina and in the United States as a whole in the late nineteenth century, including the population shift from rural to urban areas, migration between regions of the United States, the westward expansion, and the motivations for migration and settlement. (H, G, E)
8-5.6 Explain the significance that the increased immigration into the United States in the late nineteenth century had for the state of South Carolina, including cultural and economic contributions of immigrants, opportunities and struggles experienced by immigrants, increased racial hostility, and the effect of racial and ethnic diversity on national identity. (H, G, P, E)
8-7.2 Provide examples of the expanding role of tourism in South Carolina’s economy, including the growth of resorts and development along the coast and the expanding transportation systems that allowed greater access to recreational sites. (H, G, E)
Science8-1.3 Construct explanations and conclusions from interpretations of
data obtained during a controlled scientific investigation.8-2.1 Explain how biological adaptations of populations enhance their
survival in a particular environment. 8-2.2 Summarize how scientists study Earth’s past environment and
diverse life-forms by examining different types of fossils (including molds, casts, petrified fossils, preserved and carbonized remains of plants and animals, and trace fossils).
8-2.4 Recognize the relationship among the units—era, epoch, and period—into which the geologic time scale is divided.
8-3.3 Infer an earthquake’s epicenter from seismographic data. 8-3.4 Explain how igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks are
interrelated in the rock cycle.
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8-3.6 Explain how the theory of plate tectonics accounts for the motion of the lithospheric plates, the geologic activities at the plate boundaries, and the changes in landform areas over geologic time.
8-4.1 Summarize the characteristics and movements of objects in the solar system (including planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and meteors).
8-4.2 Summarize the characteristics of the surface features of the Sun: photosphere, corona, sunspots, prominences, and solar flares.
8-4.4 Explain the motions of Earth and the Moon and the effects of these motions as they orbit the Sun (including day, year, phases of the Moon, eclipses, and tides).
8-4.8 Explain the difference between mass and weight by using the concept of gravitational force.
8-4.9 Recall the Sun’s position in the universe, the shapes and composition of galaxies, and the distance measurement unit (light year) needed to identify star and galaxy locations.
8-4.10 Compare the purposes of the tools and the technology that scientists use to study space (including various types of telescopes, satellites, space probes, and spectroscopes).
8-5.1 Use measurement and time-distance graphs to represent the motion of an object in terms of its position, direction, or speed.
8-5.3 Analyze the effects of forces (including gravity and friction) on the speed and direction of an object.
8-5.5 Summarize and illustrate the concept of inertia.8-6.2 Distinguish between mechanical and electromagnetic waves.8-6.4 Summarize the behaviors of waves (including refraction,
reflection, transmission, and absorption).8-6.7 Explain how the absorption and reflection of light waves by
various materials result in the human perception of color.8-6.8 Compare the wavelength and energy of waves in various parts of
the electromagnetic spectrum (including visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet radiation).
Deliberate attempts were made to list roots and affixes at grade levels where connections can be made to other content areas. Some roots and affixes may be revisited over multiple years in content areas.
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Classroom Assessment Students should be taught and assessed using similar methods. Students need multiple opportunities and ways to demonstrate their knowledge of words. If vocabulary instruction is to be rich and authentic then the way in which we assess vocabulary must change. Ideally, teachers will observe students using vocabulary strategies in authentic contexts (i.e. reading conferences related to independent, shared or guided reading) to unlock the meaning of unfamiliar words.
Assigning vocabulary words for students to match or complete the definitions does not provide the level of instruction required by this indicator. Students could be assigned an unfamiliar passage containing words derived from the Greek and/or Latin root s and affixes they have studied. As part of an assessment of the understanding of the passage, students could explain how they derived the meaning of unfamiliar words. There is no benefit from having students assessed using a piece of text that has already been discussed. That would be assessing remembering, rather than their ability to analyze words.
Suggested Instructional ResourcesProfessional TextsAllen, Janet. Words, Words, Words. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 1999.
Allen, Janet. Yellow Brick Roads. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse, 2000.
Bear, Donald, et al. Words Their Way. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill, 2000.
Beck, Isabelle, McKeown, Margaret, Kucan, Linda. Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary
Instruction. New York: Gilford, 2002.
Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann,
2003.
Newton, Rick, Evangeline Newton. A Little Latin and A Lot of English. Adolescent Literacy In
Perspective. The Ohio Resource Center, 2005.
Rasinski, Tim, et al. Building Vocabulary from Word Roots. Huntington Beach, CA: Beach City
Press, 2007.
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Student TextsThere are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand Greek and Latin roots. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts. http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA+Standards
Nonprint Materials
Baize, Sarah R. “Greek & Latin Roots Skills.” Quia Corportation. 10 June 2008.
http://www.quia.com/jg/65969.html
“Common Latin and Greek Roots and Terms.” 10 June 2008
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/7594/roots.html
“Greek and Latin Roots.” Mattson Middle School. 10 June 2008.
http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/ksd/MA/resources/greek_and_latin_roots/transition.html
“Latin and Greek Word Elements.” Pearson Education. 2007. 10 June. 2008
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0907017.html
“Word Roots... your Quick Reference.” eSpindle Learning. 2005. 10 June 2008
http://www.espindle.org/roots.html#up
Words. 2004. United Learning. ETV StreamlineSC. 12 June 2008
http://www.scetv.org/education/streamlinesc/index.cfm
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South Carolina Department of EducationSupport Document
Standard 8-3 The student will use word analysis and vocabulary strategies to read fluently.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Instructional appendices are provided as the baseline expectations for instruction and are not intended to be all inclusive documents.
Indicator 8-3.4 Interpret the connotations of words to understand the meaning of a given text.
Definition of Revised Bloom’s VerbInterpret Change from one form of representation to another (e.g. clarify,
paraphrase, represent, translate).
In order to demonstrate the ability to interpret connotations as a means of approaching a text, students might read two persuasive pieces on the same topic(for example, campaign speeches, advertisements, or essays that present opposing viewpoints), highlighting the words that reveal whether the stance is positive or negative.
Explanation of IndicatorDenotation refers to the literal meaning of a word as it might be recorded in a dictionary or other reference source. Connotation refers to qualities, attributes, and characteristics implied or suggested by the word. The reader’s ability to determine bias and to interpret metaphors, euphemisms, and idioms depends a great deal on his recognition of connotation. Because connotations often create emotional responses in an audience, writers and speakers use connotation to affect the reader’s perception of a given idea. For example, a friend’s clothing might be described as “trendy and free spirited” while an enemy might be described as “sloppy and unkempt.” Both sets of terms carry the literal meaning that the person in question has less than formal attire but the connotations of the words have very different associations.
To meet the requirements of this indicator, students must know what information a word transmits (denotation), must recognize additional meanings the word suggests (connotation), and must be able to use knowledge of those implications to gain perspective about how the word affects the text.
For example, in these lines from “The Highwayman,” Alfred Noyes uses connotation as reflected by the italicized words to create the metaphor that introduces setting and the mood it creates:
“The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.8 - 39
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.”
Other elements of sound, pattern and figurative language are obvious in this passage but the reader may see the impact of connotation by replacing the italicized words with neutral ones (river or flood for torrent, windy for gusty, and swayed by for tossed upon).
A prose example finds O. Henry in “After Twenty Years” describing a policeman’s actions and using the connotations of descriptive words and phrases to support the author’s previous statement that the man “moves impressively.”
“Trying doors as he went, twirling his club with many intricate and artful movements, turning now and then to cast his watchful eye down the pacific thoroughfare, the officer with his stalwart form and slight swagger, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace.”
In both the poetry and prose texts, replacing the italicized words with ones that carry no charged attributes changes the meanings of the passages and proves the importance of connotations.
Instructional Progression of IndicatorThe level of difficulty of the text increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for connotation differ at each grade level.
What do students need to know before they can interpret connotations? Students need to be able to compare (note similarities in) and contrast (note
differences between) words. Students need to know that relationships among word meanings (including
synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms) affect how readers think about an idea. Students need to know the difference between the literal meaning of a word
(denotation) and the implied meaning of a word (connotation). Students need to know that both euphemisms and idioms use word
connotations to create meanings beyond the literal and that such constructions affect the reader’s experience with a text.
The teacher can provide a variety of experiences in reading (advertisements), writing (slogans), listening (speeches), and speaking (oral presentations) that demonstrate to students that they are already familiar with the connotative meanings of words.
Students in later grades will gather information about cultural or historic sources of the implied attributes present in some connotations.
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Within connotation, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future?
The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
1-3.5 Understand the relationship between two or more words (including synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms).
2-3.4 Identify idioms in context.2-3.5 Recognize synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms in context.3-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms encountered in texts.3-3.5 Use context clues to determine the relationship between two or more
words (including synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms).4-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms encountered in texts.5-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms and euphemisms encountered in texts.6-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms and euphemisms encountered in texts.6-3.4 Distinguish between the denotation and the connotation of a given
word.7-3.4 Interpret the connotations of words to understand the meaning of a
given text.8-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms and euphemisms encountered in texts.8-3.4 Interpret the connotations of words to understand the meaning of a given
text.E1-3.3 Interpret euphemisms and connotations of words to
understand the meaning of a given text.E2-3.3 Interpret euphemisms and the connotations of words to understand the
meaning of a given text.E3-3.3 Explain how American history and culture have influenced the use
and development of the English language.E4-3.3 Explain how British history and culture have influenced the use and
development of the English language.
When teaching connotations, what connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators?
Students in grade 8 will use connotations as they interact with other indicators such as: 8-1.1 Compare/contrast ideas within and across literary texts to make inferences.8-1.2 Explain the effect of point of view on a given narrative text.8-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including extended metaphor,
oxymoron, and paradox).8-1.5 Analyze the effect of an author’s craft (including tone, … symbolism,
irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
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8-1.6 Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for example, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, media productions, and the visual and performing arts).
8-1.7 Compare/contrast literary texts from various genres (for example, poetry, drama, novels, and short stories).
8-2.1 Compare/contrast central ideas within and across informational texts.8-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw
conclusions and make inferences.8-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (for example, word choice and
the exclusion and inclusion of particular information).8-2.7 Identify the use of propaganda techniques (including card stacking, plain
folks, and transfer) in informational texts.8-4 All indicators as students respond in writing.8-5 All indicators as students respond in writing.
Classroom AssessmentStudents should be taught and assessed using similar methods. In this indicator, the verb is “interpret;” students should be challenged to construct meaning from word connotations and to demonstrate how the implied meaning contributes to the overall meaning of the text. When it’s time for assessment, students should be asked to show what they have learned in the same way they were taught. In either the learning or the assessing, students should not be given a list of terms to match with definitions because this does not allow them the opportunity to interpret.
Students learn the different types of implied meanings when they use connotative words, not when they are asked to memorize definitions out of context. If students have the opportunity to read and write with an expectation of understanding, analyzing, interpreting, and using connotations, then assessment should also focus on these levels of thinking.
Students in grade 8 respond well to showing what they know. This might mean demonstrating the foundational knowledge of connotation by giving students a bland, neutral term such as “nice” and placing it at the middle point of a timeline. Students should put words with negative connotations to the left of the neutral term and positive connotations to the right of the term. Then ask students to use a word from the left, center, and right in sentences, determining how each word affects the reader’s perception.
Teachers might give student pairs print advertisements and ask that they highlight words that carry either positive or negative connotations as ways of convincing consumers to adopt a behavior (such as buying something) or to avoid a behavior (such as smoking). Students should then paraphrase what the advertisement communicates, drawing attention to how ad designers use connotation to reach a goal.
In order to be consistent with the indicator, the expectation of any assessment strategy is that students must demonstrate they can interpret word connotations to gain meaning from a text.
Suggested Instructional ResourcesProfessional TextsAllen, Janet. Yellow Brick Roads. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2000.
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Burke, Jim. The English Teacher’s Companion. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999.
---. Reading Reminders. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000.
---, Illuminating Texts. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2001.
Harmon, William and Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature, Ninth Edition. Upper Saddle
River, NH: Prentice Hall, 2003.
Keene, Ellin Oliver and Susan Zimmerman. Mosaic of Thought. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann, 2007
Monseau, Virginia (ed.) and G. Salvner. Reading Their World: The Young Adult Novel in the
Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000.
Ray, Katie Wood. What You Know by Heart. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2002.
Rief, Linda. Seeking Diversity: Language Arts with Adolescents. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann,
1992.
Robb, Laura. Teaching Reading in Middle School. New York: Scholastic, 2000.
---, Differentiating Reading Instruction. New York: Scholastic, 2008.
Stockland, Patricia M. (ed.). Poet’s Toolbox. Mankato, MN: Compass Point Books, 2004.
Tsujimoto, Joseph I. Teaching Poetry Writing to Adolescents. Urbana, IL: National Council of
Teachers of English, 1988.
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Student TextsThere are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand connotations. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue to be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA%20Standards.
Nonprint Materials
http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/lessonplans/connotation-in-propaganda
http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/13497.aspx
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=389
http://www.readwritethink.orghttp://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=75
http://www.write101.com/lethamcritique.htm
http://www.instructorweb.com/lesson/connotationdenotation.asp
http://www.webenglishteacher.com
http://www.englishcompanion.com
http://www.ciconline.org/english
http://www.scetc.org/education/streamlinesc/index.cfm
http://www.field-trips.org/tours/
http://www.scetc.orghttp://www.scetv.org/programs_a_to_z/index.cfm#w
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Grade 8Big Idea: WRITING
Developing Written Communication
Standard 8-4 The student will create written work that has a clear focus, sufficient detail, coherent organization, effective use of voice, and correct use of the conventions of written Standard American English.
Essential Question: How do people create meaning through written communication?
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Instructional appendices are provided as the baseline expectations for instruction and are not intended to be all-inclusive documents.
By the end of eighth grade, students should have mastered the concepts listed below. Review and/or reteaching may be necessary.
Conventions of Grammar Mechanics of EditingParts of Speechnouns (common and proper nouns, singular and plural nouns, collective nouns, agreement of nouns and their modifiers)
pronouns (personal pronouns, nominative and objective-case pronouns, pronoun-antecedent agreement, indefinite pronouns, pronoun case)
verbs (past, present, and future verb tenses; past participles of commonly misused verbs; subject-verb agreement; consistent verb tenses; verb formation)
adverbs (adverbs of time, place, manner, and degree; irregular adverbs; formation of comparative and superlative adverbs)
adjectives (comparative and superlative adjectives, proper adjectives, irregular comparative and superlative adjectives, formation of comparative and superlative adjectives)
Capitalizationfirst word of a sentence; the names of people; the pronoun I; proper nouns; the initials of a person’s name; courtesy titles (for example, Mr. and Ms.); days of the week; months of the year; titles of books, poems, and songs; geographic names; holidays; historical and special events; titles of works of art; titles of publications; brand names; proper adjectives; names of organizations; names of ethnic and national groups; names of established religions and languages
Punctuationend punctuation (periods,exclamation points, question marks)
commas (to enclose appositives; to separate items in a series; in dates, addresses, and greetings and closings in letters; in compound sentences; between main clauses; to separate introductory clauses and long introductory phrases from the main body of sentences)
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conjunctions (and, but, or, because, since, yet, until, although, while, neither, nor)
prepositions and prepositional phrasesinterjections
Usage subject-verb
agreement subject-verb and
pronoun-antecedent agreement with collective nouns
main and subordinate clauses
idiomatic usage placement of modifiers shifts in construction
periods in abbreviations
apostrophes (contractions, possessive nouns)quotation marks (to show dialogue, in direct quotations, to indicate titles of short pieces within longer pieces, underlining or italics of titles of separately published works)
colons
hyphens
semicolons
ellipses
parentheses
Spellinghigh-frequency words; three- and four-letter short-vowel words; words that do not fit regular spelling patterns; basic short-vowel, long-vowel, r- controlled, and consonant-blend patterns; misused homonyms; commonly confused words; words that have blends; contractions; compound words; words with orthographic patterns; words with suffixes and prefixes; multisyllabic words; commonly confused words; double consonant patterns; irregular vowel patterns in multisyllabic words; and words with Greek and Latin roots and affixes
Indicators8-4.1 Organize written works using prewriting techniques, discussions, graphic
organizers, models, and outlines. 8-4.2 Use complete sentences in a variety of types (including simple, compound,
complex, and compound-complex).
8-4.3 Create multiple-paragraph compositions that include a central idea with supporting details and use appropriate transitions between paragraphs.
8-4.4 Use grammatical conventions of written Standard American English, including the reinforcement of conventions previously taught. (See Instructional Appendix: Composite Writing Matrix.)
8-4.5 Revise writing to improve clarity, tone, voice, content, and the development of ideas. (See Instructional Appendix: Composite Writing Matrix.)
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8-4.6 Edit for the correct use of written Standard American English, includingellipses and parentheses. (See Instructional Appendix: Composite Writing Matrix.)
8-4.7 Spell correctly using Standard American English.
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Grade 8Big Idea: WRITING
Developing Written Communication
Help Page for Standard 8-4: The student will create written work that has a clear focus, sufficient detail, coherent organization, effective use of voice, and correct use of the conventions of written Standard American English.
Assessments
Exit SlipsWriting About ReadingPass RubricJournalsWriter’s NotebooksObservationProjectsConferencingGraphic OrganizersEditing ActivitiesRevision Activities
Notes
Textbook Correlation
See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC8-SC9.
See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC15-SC16 for Minimum Course of Study.
Notes
Technology
http://so024.k12.sd.us/6%20+%201%20Traits.htm
http://www.mukwonago.k12.wi.us/~olejnma/6_+_1_traits.htm
http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/writing/sixtrait/conventions/menu.htm
Notes
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Grade 8Big Idea: WRITING
Producing Written Communications in a Variety of Forms
Standard 8-5 The student will write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Essential Question: How do people create meaning for a variety of purposes and audiences through written communication?
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicators:8-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, reports and letters of request, inquiry,
or complaint) that use language appropriate for the specific audience. 8-5.2 Create narratives (for example, memoirs) that communicate the significance of
particular personal relationships. 8-5.3 Create descriptions for use in other modes of written works (for example,
narrative, expository, and persuasive). 8-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, editorials, essays, or speeches) that support
a clearly stated position with concrete evidence.
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Grade 8Big Idea: WRITING
Producing Written Communications in a Variety of Forms
Help Page for Standard 8-5: The student will write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
See Support Documents attached for indicators 8-5.1 and 8-5.4.Assessments
Exit SlipsQuestioning TechniquesWriting About ReadingRubricsDouble Entry JournalsWriter’s and Reader’s notebooksProjects GamesGraphic organizersReportsLetters
Notes
Textbook CorrelationSee Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC7.
See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC15-SC16 for Minimum Course of Study.
Notes
Technologyhttp://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/VocabularyGraphicOrganizers.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/vocab/
http://www.scetv.org/education/streamlinesc/
http://www.region15.org/curriculum/VOCABULARY_DEVELOPMENT-Portrait.pdf
Notes
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South Carolina Department of Education Support Document
Standard 8-5 The student will write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicator 8-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, reports and letters of request, inquiry, or complaint) that use language appropriate for the specific audience.
Definition of Revised Bloom’s VerbCreate Put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole
Explanation of IndicatorCreating informational pieces of writing requires a different approach to composing. This type of writing is more authentic, is about knowledge that the writer has to share, gives information to explain realities or ideas, has a purpose that is related to a real-life situation, and is written for a specific audience. For example, students might create brochures on topics they are researching or on topics related to a unit of study or a piece of literature. Informational writing often relies on prompts of who, what, when, where, and how, provides facts and details, and develops those details rather than depending on general references. For example, in the eighth grade, an informational writing assignment might ask students to explain a process, create a map related to a text being read, write a profile of a person, or create a timeline.
Instructional Progression of IndicatorThe level of difficulty of the writing increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for informational writing differ at each grade level.
What do students need to know before they can understand informational writing? • Students need to understand the process of writing.• Students need to understand the difference between informational and
creative writing.• Students need to know the characteristics of informational writing.
Regardless of the type of information the writer is sharing, the writing should (a) engage the reader by establishing a context, creating a speaker’s voice, and developing reader interest; (b) provide a central question about an issue or situation which becomes the thesis; (c) create an organizing structure appropriate to the purpose, audience, and context; (d) include appropriate facts and details; (e) exclude unnecessary details and inappropriate information; (f) use a variety of strategies, such as describing or analyzing the subject, narrating a relevant anecdote, providing examples; (g) draw from more than one source of information,
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such as books, newspapers, speakers; and (h) provide a sense of closure to the writing.
• Informational writing has a variety of purposes, audiences, perspectives, and structures (for example, pamphlets, diagrams, biographies).
• Informational writing is explanatory, based on reality, and relies on knowledge, facts, and details.
Within informational writing, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future?
The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
K-5.1 Use symbols (drawings, letters, and words) to create written communications (for example, notes, messages, and lists) to inform a specific audience.
1-5.1 Create written communications (for example, thank you notes) for a specific audience.
2-5.1 Create written communications (for example, directions and instructions) to inform a specific audience.
3-5.1 Create written communications (for example, friendly letters that include a greeting, body, closing, and signature and invitations that include the time, date, and place of the event).
4-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, postcards, flyers, letters, and e-mails) that use language appropriate for the specific audience.
5-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, book reviews and newsletter articles) that use language appropriate for the specific audience.
6-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, brochures, pamphlets, and reports) that use language appropriate for the specific audience.
7-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, book, movie, or product reviews and news reports) that use language appropriate for a specific audience.
8-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, reports and letters of request, inquiry, or complaint) that use language appropriate for the specific audience.
E1-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, letters of request, inquiry, or complaint) that use language appropriate for the specific audience.
E2-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, résumés, memos, letters of request, inquiry, or complaint) that use language appropriate for the specific audience.
E3-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, résumés, memos, letters of request, inquiry, or complaint) that use language appropriate for the specific audience.
E4-5.1 Create clear and concise career-oriented and technical writings (for example, memos, business letters, résumés, technical reports, and information analyses).
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When teaching informational writing, what connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators and/or content areas?
8-2.1 Compare/contrast central ideas within and across informational texts. 8-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions and
make inferences.8-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (for example, word choice and the
exclusion and inclusion of particular information). 8-2.4 Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods (for
example, drawings, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, and media productions).
8-2.5 Analyze the impact that text elements (for example, print styles and chapter headings) have on the meaning of a given informational text.
8-2.6 Analyze information from graphic features (for example, charts and graphs) in informational texts.
8-2.7 Identify the use of propaganda techniques (including card stacking, plain folks, and transfer) in informational texts.
8-2.8 Read independently for extended periods of time to gain information.8-4.1 Organize written works using prewriting techniques, discussions, graphic
organizers, models, and outlines. 8-4.2 Use complete sentences in a variety of types (including simple, compound,
complex, and compound-complex).
8-4.3 Create multiple-paragraph compositions that include a central idea with supporting details and use appropriate transitions between paragraphs.
8-4.4 Use grammatical conventions of written Standard American English, including the reinforcement of conventions previously taught. (See Instructional Appendix: Composite Writing Matrix.)
8-4.5 Revise writing to improve clarity, tone, voice, content, and the development of ideas. (See Instructional Appendix: Composite Writing Matrix.)
8-4.6 Edit for the correct use of written Standard American English, includingellipses and parentheses. (See Instructional Appendix: Composite Writing Matrix.)
8-4.7 Spell correctly using Standard American English.8-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.8-6.2 Use direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summaries to incorporate into written,
oral, auditory, or visual works the information gathered from a variety of research sources.
8-6.3 Use a standardized system of documentation (including a list of sources with full publication information and the use of in-text citations) to properly credit the work of others.
8-6.4 Use vocabulary (including Standard American English) that is appropriate for the particular audience or purpose.
8-6.5 Use appropriate organizational strategies to prepare written works, oral and auditory presentations, and visual presentations.
8-6.6 Select appropriate graphics, in print or electronic form, to support written works, oral presentations, and visual presentations.
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8-6.7 Use a variety of print and electronic reference materials.8-6.8 Design and carry out research projects by selecting a topic, constructing
inquiry questions, accessing resources, evaluating credibility, and selecting and organizing information.
Classroom Assessment Students should be taught and assessed using similar methods. For example, in this indicator, the verb is “create.” Therefore, students should be required to create a variety of informational writing throughout the year. Classroom assessment should be based on the domains and descriptors in the South Carolina Extended Response Scoring Rubric found on the SCDE Web page under the Office of Assessment PASS Writing section.
Suggested Instructional ResourcesProfessional TextsCalkins, Lucy and Pessah, Laurie. (2003). Nonfiction Writing: Procedures and
Reports. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann.
Fletcher, Ralph. (1993). What a Writer Needs. Portsmouth, New Hampshire:
Heinemann.
Gallagher, Kelly. (2006). Teaching Adolescent Writers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
Koehler, Susan. (2007). Crafting Expository Papers. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House
Publishing.
Portalupi, Joann and Fletcher, Ralph. (2001). Nonfiction Craft Lessons: Teaching
Informational Writing K-8. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.
Student TextsThere are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand informational writing. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts. http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA+Standards
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Non-print Materialshttp://www.readwritethink.org
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_viewasp?id=68http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_viewasp?id=17http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_viewasp?id=416
http://www.teachersfirst.com
http://webenglishteacher.com/expwriting.html
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/languagearts/secondary/writingacross
http://www.learnnc.org/topics/writing/exemplars/09/informational/intro.htmlThis is an excellent site with actual student writing rated as low, medium, and high, with comments from the reader of the writing.
http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/Grade%204%20-%20Unit%202%20Informational%20Writing.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F68773D2636631F3434099A192773C357B05E6F1F2C0A2A969&Type=D
http://wgu.educommons.net/liberal-arts/rhetorical-and-critical-writing-after-11-1-2008/a61.html
http://archive.metrostate.edu/writingcenter/clues/inform.html
For additional Internet sources, use the following search terms:• Informational writing• Expository writing
Instructional Matriceshttp://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/matrices
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South Carolina Department of Education Support Document
Standard 8-5 The student will write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicator 8-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, editorials, essays, or speeches) that support a clearly stated position with concrete evidence.
Definition of Revised Bloom’s VerbCreate Put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganize
elements into a new pattern or structure
Explanation of IndicatorPersuasive writing is a form of writing whose purpose is to convince or to prove or refute a point of view or issue.
Reading and writing are intimately related. The material that students read will influence their writing, so they must be immersed in the kinds of texts they are asked to create. As students read persuasive texts and note the techniques used by authors, they can incorporate those same techniques in their own writing.
In preparation for writing their own editorials, essays, and speeches, students in Grade 8 should study numerous examples of these genres. They should study speeches in both written and oral formats. They should analyze how various authors handle the important elements of persuasive writing and compare effective and ineffective examples. Research skills are required as students gather concrete evidence to support their positions in persuasive writing.
Instructional Progression of IndicatorAs students progress through the grade levels, the writing topics and the sophistication of the compositions will become more challenging to the learner. Additionally, areas of focus for creating persuasive writing will differ at some grade levels.
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What do students need to know before they can create persuasive writing?One of the most complex and challenging projects that students will face is that of writing persuasive papers. To be successful, students must draw upon prior learning in the areas of reading, writing, and research. Skills that students will draw upon include:
• reading informational texts• discerning cause and effect• drawing conclusions• making inferences• writing for various purposes and audiences• awareness of author’s craft• central idea, thesis, supporting evidence, and how these
elements work together• importance of adequate supporting evidence• discriminating between fact and opinion• awareness of author’s bias• evaluating resource material for reliability and validity• creating a logical argument• comparing differences among several types of persuasive writings• all aspects of Standard 4: pre-writing, organizing ideas,
using sentence variety, structuring sentences effectively, correctness of grammar and mechanics, revising, and editing
Within persuasive writing, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future? The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
6-5.4 Create persuasive writings (for example, print advertisements and commercial scripts) that develop a central idea with supporting evidence and use language appropriate for the specific audience.
7-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, letters to the editor or essays) that include a stated position with supporting evidence for a specific audience.
8-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, editorials, essays, or speeches) that support a clearly stated position with concrete evidence.
E1-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, editorials, essays, speeches, or reports) that develop a clearly stated thesis and use support (for example, facts, statistics, and first-hand accounts).
E2-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, editorials, essays, speeches, or reports) that develop a clearly stated thesis and use support (for example, facts, statistics, and first-hand accounts).
E3-5.4 Create persuasive pieces (for example, editorials, essays, speeches, or reports) that develop a clearly stated thesis and use support (for example, facts, statistics, and first-hand accounts).
E4-5.4 Create persuasive writings (for example, editorials, essays, speeches, or reports) that address a specific audience and use logical arguments supported by facts or expert opinions.
When teaching persuasive writing, what connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators and/or content areas?
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Students in Grade 8 demonstrate their knowledge of persuasive writing skills through the application of the following indicators:8-2.3 Identify author bias (for example, word choice and the exclusion and
inclusion of particular information).8-2.7 Identify the use of propaganda techniques (including card stacking,
plain folks, and transfer) in informational texts.8-3.4 Interpret the connotations of words to understand the meaning of a given
text.8-4 The student will create written work that has a clear focus, sufficient
detail, coherent organization, effective use of voice, and correct use of the conventions of written Standard American English. (all indicators)
8-6.2 Use direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summaries to incorporate into written, oral, auditory, or visual works the information gathered from a variety of research sources.
8-6.8 Design and carry out research projects by selecting a topic, constructing inquiry questions, accessing resources, and organizing information.
Cross-Curricular ConnectionsSocial Studies
Students draw conclusions, interpret and analyze texts, and create persuasive writing. Students analyze and create propaganda.
Math Students study statistics and probability. Students interpret data and statistics.
Science Students interpret data and statistics.
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Classroom AssessmentStudents should be taught and assessed using similar methods. Therefore, students should be assessed on their ability to apply the persuasive writing skills they have been taught. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including reading and analyzing various types of persuasive writing, propaganda techniques, and advertisements. Students should have direct instruction on persuasive writing skills and be given numerous opportunities to create pieces of persuasive writing.
Strategies to assist students with creating persuasive writing and which can be used as either formative and/or summative assessments include:
Creating a variety of types of persuasive writing Writing editorials, essays, and speeches Determining qualities of excellence in editorials, essays, and speeches Developing charts specifying the traits of a variety of types of persuasive
writing Designing rubrics for evaluating various types of persuasive writing Evaluating pieces of professionally-produced persuasive writing (cold
texts) Showing results of teacher-evaluated pieces of student- produced
persuasive writing using the Extended Response Rubric
Suggested Instructional ResourcesProfessional TextsAllen, Janet. Yellow Brick Roads. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2000.
Atwell, Nancie. In the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning.
Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1998.
Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann,
2003.
Burke, Jim. The English Teacher’s Companion: A Complete Guide to Classroom, Curriculum,
and the Profession. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999.
Culham, Ruth. 6+1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide Grades 3 and Up. NY, NY:
Scholastic, 2003
Daniels, Harvey and Steven Zemelman. Subjects Matter: Every Teacher’s Guide to Content-
Area Reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004.
Feathers, Karen M. Informational Texts: Reading and Learning. Toronto: Pippin, 2004.
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Fletcher, Ralph and Joann Portalupi. Nonfiction Craft Lessons: Teaching Information Writing K-
8. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2001.
Harvey, Stephanie. Nonfiction Matters: Reading,Writing, and Research in Grades 3-8. Portland,
ME: Stenhouse, 1998.
Harvey, Stephanie and Anne Goudvis. Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension to
Enhance Understanding. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2007.
Ray, Katie Wood. What You Know by Heart: How to Develop Curriculum for Your Writing
Workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2002.
Ray, Katie Wood. The Writing Workshop: Working Through the Hard Parts (And They’re All
Hard Parts). Urbana, IL: NCTE Publication, 2001
Student TextsThere are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand persuasive writing. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue to be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read-alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts: http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA%20Standards.Non-print Materialshttp://www.readwritethink.org
http://www.learnnc.org
http://www.lpb.orghttp://www.lpb.org/education/classroom/itv/litlearn/
http://www.readingquest.orghttp://www.readingquest.org/strat/
http://scholastic.comhttp://scholastic.com/newszone/
http://timeforkids.comhttp://timeforkids.com/TFK/
http://www.scetc.org
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http://www.scetc.org/education/streamlinesc/index.cfm
http://www.ciconline.orghttp://www.ciconline.org/english
http://www.carolhurst.comhttp://www.carolhurst.com/titles/6th.html
http://literacynet.orghttp://literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html
http://www.iclasses.orghttp://www.iclasses.org/assets/literature/index.cfm
http://www.unitedstreaming.com
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Grade 8Big Idea: RESEARCHING
Applying the Skills of Inquiry and Oral Communication
Standard 8-6 The student will access and use information from a variety of sources.
Essential Question: How do people discover meaning through inquiry and communication?
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicators:8-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.8-6.2 Use direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summaries to incorporate into written,
oral, auditory, or visual works the information gathered from a variety of research sources.
8-6.3 Use a standardized system of documentation (including a list of sources with full publication information and the use of in-text citations) to properly credit the work of others.
8-6.4 Use vocabulary (including Standard American English) that is appropriate for the particular audience or purpose.
8-6.5 Use appropriate organizational strategies to prepare written works, oral and auditory presentations, and visual presentations.
8-6.6 Select appropriate graphics, in print or electronic form, to support written works, oral presentations, and visual presentations.
8-6.7 Use a variety of print and electronic reference materials.8-6.8 Design and carry out research projects by selecting a topic, constructing inquiry
questions, accessing resources, evaluating credibility, and selecting and organizing information.
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Grade 8Big Idea: RESEARCHING
Applying the Skills of Inquiry and Oral Communication
Help Page for Standard 8-6: The student will access and use information from a variety of sources.
See Support Documents attached for indicators 8-6.1 and 8-6.7.Assessments
Multi Genre ProjectsExit SlipsQuestioning TechniquesWriting About ResearchRubricsJournalsWriter’s and Reader’s notebooksProjectsBibliographyGraphic organizersNote TakingOutliningTable of ContentsWebquests
Notes
Textbook Correlation
See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC13.
See Annotated Teacher’s Edition pp. SC15-SC16 for Minimum Course of Study.
Notes
Technology
http://www.leroycsd.org/instruction.cfm?subpage=479878
http://iris.nyit.edu/~sbegley/Full%20%20Research%20Unit.doc http://www.liverpool.k12.ny.us/academics.cfm?subpage=13343
Notes
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South Carolina Department of Education Support Document
Standard 8-6 The student will access and use information from a variety of sources.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicator 8-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.
Definition of Revised Bloom’s Verb
Clarify Changing from one form of representation to another
For example, students will need to clarify (translate, interpret, paraphrase) a research topic to refine (narrow or widen) the scope of the research. Most problem-solving research models suggest that students restate the research topic as a question that the student requires information to answer.
Explanation of IndicatorA research topic is the subject matter that requires the student to access and use information. Students will need to clarify (translate, interpret, paraphrase) a research topic to refine (narrow or widen) the scope of the research. Most problem-solving research models suggest that students restate the research topic as a question the student requires information to answer.
Instructional Progression of IndicatorThe level of difficulty of the text increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for clarifying and refining a research topic (such as subject matter) differ at each grade level.
What do students need to know before they can understand how to clarify and refine a research topic?
Students need to know how to generate how and why questions to clarify the research topic.
Students need to know how to generate a topic for inquiry. Students should be familiar with clarifying and refining a research topic.
However, some students may need additional instruction and practice with developing questions to narrow and focus a research topic.
Students need to know how to paraphrase (state in their own words) the research topic to demonstrate full understanding of the research problem.
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Students may also need additional assistance with formulating questioning that leads them beyond basic how and why questions to questions that require higher order thinking skills.
Within clarifying and refining a research topic, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future?
The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
3-6.1 Generate a topic for inquiry.4-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.5-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.6-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.7-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.8-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.E1-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.E2-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.E3-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.E4-6.1 Clarify and refine a research topic.
When teaching how to clarify and refine a research topic, what connections,
links, or ties can be made to other indicators and/or content areas?
English Language Arts8-1.1 Compare/contrast ideas within and across literary texts to
make inferences.8-1.5 Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the
use of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
8-1.6 Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for example, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, media productions, and the visual and performing arts).
8-2.1 Compare/contrast central ideas within and across informational texts.
8-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
8-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (for example, word choice and the exclusion and inclusion of particular information).
8-2.5 Analyze the impact that text elements (for example, print styles and chapter headings) have on the meaning of a given informational text.
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8-2.7 Identify the use of propaganda techniques (including card stacking, plain folks, and transfer) in informational texts.
8-2.8 Read independently for extended periods of time to gain information.
8-4.1 Organize written works using prewriting techniques, discussions, graphic organizers, models, and outlines.
8-4.4 Use grammatical conventions of written Standard American English including the reinforcement of conventions previously taught.
8-6.2 Use direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summaries to incorporate into written, oral, auditory, and visual works the information gathered from a variety of research sources.
8-6.4 Use vocabulary (including Standard American English) that is appropriate for the particular audience or purpose.
8-6.7 Use a variety of print and electronic reference materials.8-6.8 Design and carry out research projects by selecting a topic,
constructing inquiry questions, accessing resources, evaluating credibility, and selecting and organizing information.
Mathematics8-1.1 Generate and solve complex abstract problems that involve
modeling physical, social, or mathematical phenomena.Science
8-1.4 Generate questions for further study on the basis of prior investigations.
Classroom AssessmentsStudents should be taught and assessed using similar methods. This indicator addresses one part, and a critical part, of a larger whole in which students will ultimately participate. At this grade level, students should be assessed based upon that what the indicator is asking of them, in this case clarifying and refining a topic for research. The topics students choose to inquire about should become more complex, therefore the need to clarify and refine becomes more important. Students must learn and expand upon the foundational components of the research process before demonstrating their knowledge of the total process in later grades.
Because the research topic is the foundation upon which the student builds the overall research project, the teacher should assess the student’s research topic for clarity and refinement and prompt the student as needed to revise the topic before proceeding with research. Conferencing with the student as well as providing specific written feedback is an excellent way to assess this indicator.
Students might also keep a research journal or log. The student should spend a few minutes each day to reflect on his list of topics and the types of questions and the search strategies needed to gather the most relevant information. The journal or log serves as both a self-assessment mechanism as well as a tool for use for assessing classroom performance.
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Suggested Instructional Resources
Professional Texts
Arnone, Marilyn P. MAC, the Information Detective in the Case of … [3-book series]
Educator’s Guide. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
Berkowitz, Robert E. and Eisenberg, Michael B. The Big6 Research Notebook. Columbus, OH:
Linworth Books, 2006.
Jansen, Barbara A. The Big 6 in Middle School: Teaching Information and Communications
Technology Skills. Columbus, OH: Linworth Books, 2007.
Harrington, LaDawna. Guided Research in Middle School: Mystery in the Media Center.
Columbus, OH: Linworth Books, 2007.
Keane, Nancy J. Middle School Pathfinders: Guiding Student Research. Columbus, OH:
Linworth Books, 2005.
Student TextsThere are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand how to clarify and refine a research topic. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue to be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts. http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA+Standards
Non-print Materials
Alewine, Martha. “The Simple Four: An Information Problem-Solving Model.” School Library
Media Services, South Carolina Department of Education. 9 Sept 2007.
http://martha.alewine.googlepages.com/thesimplefour
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Discovering Language Arts: Research Skills (Grades 6-8). 2006. United Learning. ETV
StreamlineSC. 12 June 2008 http://www.scetv.org/education/streamlinesc/index.cfm
Eisenberg, Mike, and Bob Berkowitz. "The Big6: Information Skills for Student Achievement."
Big6: an Information Problem-Solving Model. 27 Aug. 2007. Big6 Associates. 27 Aug.
2007 http://www.big6.com /
"The Four Phases of Instruction in an I-Search Unit: Phase 1: Becoming Immersed in a Topic
and Generating a Question." Literacy Matters. 23 Aug. 2007. Education Development
Center, Inc.. http://www.literacymatters.org/content/isearch/phase1.htm
Online Research Techniques. 1998. United Learning. ETV StreamlineSC. 12 June 2008
http://www.scetv.org/education/streamlinesc/index.cfm
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South Carolina Department of Education Support Document
Standard 8-6 The student will access and use information from a variety of sources.
The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.
Indicator 8-6.7 Use a variety of print and electronic reference materials.
Definition of Revised Bloom’s VerbUse Apply a procedure to an unfamiliar task.
Explanation of IndicatorStudents will access, evaluate, and extract information from both print and electronic (nonprint) reference materials to use in research projects.
Instructional Progression of IndicatorThe level of difficulty of the text increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for using a variety of print and electronic reference materials differ at each grade level.
What do students need to know before they can understand how to use a variety of print and electronic reference materials?
Students need to be familiar with how to find information in many different types of print reference materials such as books, magazines, charts, maps, diagrams, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, thesauri, newspapers, and almanacs and nonprint reference materials such as streaming videos, the World Wide Web, audio and video productions, blogs, podcasts, CD-Rom and DVD sources.
Students need to know the best research source for the type of information needed.
Students need to know how to evaluate the validity and authority of reference sources and the information they contain.
Students need to know how to take notes, and how to paraphrase and summarize usable information.
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Within using a variety of print and electronic reference materials, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future?
The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.
3-6.2 Use print sources (for example, books, magazines, charts, graphs, diagrams, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, and thesauri) and nonprint sources (for example, pictures, photographs, video, and television) to access information.4-6.2 and 5-6.2:
Use print sources (for example, books, magazines, charts, graphs, diagrams, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, thesauri, newspapers, and almanacs) and nonprint sources to access information.
6-6.7, 7-6.7, 8-6.7, E1-6.7, E2-6.7, E3-6.7, and E4-6.7
Use a variety of print and electronic reference materials.
When teaching using a variety of print and electronic reference materials, what
connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators and/or content areas?
English Language Arts8-2.1 Compare/contrast central ideas within and across informational texts.8-2.2 Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw conclusions
and make inferences.8-2.3 Analyze informational texts for author bias (for example, word choice and
the exclusion and inclusion of particular information).8-2.4 Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods (for
example, drawings, written works, oral and auditory presentations, discussions, and media productions).
8-2.6 Analyze information from graphic features (for example, charts and graphs) in informational texts.
8-2.8 Carry out independent reading for extended periods of time to gain information.
8-6.2 Use direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summaries to incorporate into written, oral, auditory, or visual works the information gathered from a variety of research sources.
8-6.3 Use a standardized system of documentation (including a list of sources with full publication information and the use of in-text citations) to properly credit the work of others.
8-6.6 Select appropriate graphics, in print or electronic form, to support written works, oral presentations, and visual presentations.
8-6.8 Design and carry out research projects by selecting a topic, constructing inquiry questions, accessing resources, evaluating credibility, and selecting and organizing information.
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Math8-6.7 Analyze probability using area models.8-6.8 Interpret graphic and tabular data representations by using range and the
measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode).
Classroom Assessment Students should be taught and assessed using similar methods. For example, in this indicator, the verb is “use.” As this indicator addresses one part of an overall approach to research, the student’s ability to use a variety of print and electronic reference materials should only be assessed as part of the overall research process and not in isolation. For example, one criterion in a scoring rubric for a research assignment might evaluate the variety of print and electronic reference materials cited in the list of sources and the appropriateness of the reference materials cited to the topic or overall project. However, because the reference materials used by the student provide the information needed to address the topic or inquiry, the teacher should offer some ongoing evaluation of the student’s use of reference materials as a part of the research process. For example, the teacher might prompt the student to vary the types of print and electronic sources and to select those materials most likely to provide the information most appropriate for the research project. Conferencing with the student or written feedback from the teacher would be a good means of assessing this indicator during the research.
Suggested Instructional Resources
Professional TextsArnone, Marilyn P. MAC, the Information Detective in the Case of … [3-book series]
Educator’s Guide. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
Jansen, Barbara A. The Big 6 in Middle School: Teaching Information and
Communications Technology Skills. Columbus, OH: Linworth Books, 2007.
Harrington, LaDawna. Guided Research in Middle School: Mystery in the Media Center.
Columbus, OH: Linworth Books, 2007.
Keane, Nancy J. Middle School Pathfinders: Guiding Student Research. Columbus, OH:
Linworth Books, 2005.
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Student TextsThere are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand how to use a variety of print and electronic reference materials. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts. http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA+Standards.
Non-print MaterialsAlewine, Martha. “The Simple Four: An Information Problem-Solving Model.” School Library
Media Services, South Carolina Department of Education. 9 Sept 2007.
http://martha.alewine.googlepages.com/thesimplefour.
Eisenberg, Mike, and Bob Berkowitz. "The Big6: Information Skills for Student Achievement."
Big6: an Information Problem-Solving Model. 27 Aug. 2007. Big6 Associates. 27 Aug.
2007. http://www.big6.com/.
"The Four Phases of Instruction in an I-Search Unit: 3: Gathering and Integrating Information."
Literacy Matters. 23 Aug. 2007. Education Development Center, Inc.
http://www.literacymatters.org/content/isearch/phase3.htm.
A guide to evaluating web sources http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm.
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