Eighth Grade - ELA
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Abigail Adams
Lesson 1
Getting to Know Abigail Adams
Students read Chapters 1 and 2 of the nonfiction biography Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution and answer targeted comprehension questions about character, events, and implied meanings. Students complete multiple "Exploring the Book" pre-reading activities that ask them to analyze the cover, table of contents, foreword, bibliography, chronology, and other front/back matter to build context and questions before reading. Students study and use domain-specific vocabulary from the text and then apply those words in letter-writing tasks to demonstrate understanding in context.
Lesson 2
John and Abigail Adams
Students are assigned to read Chapters 3 and 4 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, a work of literary nonfiction, and answer targeted comprehension questions about specific paragraphs and endnotes. Students practice locating and interpreting citations by using the book's endnote reference numbers and the Bibliography to produce full bibliographic entries. Students analyze paragraph structure and sentence function through two paragraph-analysis activities and evaluate whether sources cited in the chapters are valid and reliable.
Lesson 3
Unrest and War
Students read Chapters 5 and 6 of the biography Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, a work of literary nonfiction, and answer specific comprehension questions about content (e.g., Fordyce metaphor, the Townshend Acts, British response to the Boston Tea Party). Students analyze and synthesize primary and secondary sources in Activity 2 by examining Paul Revere's engraving and John Adams's diary and then writing evidence-based first-person accounts or analytic paragraphs that require citing 2–3 specific examples. Students also complete tasks that require inference and interpretation (e.g., explaining why Abigail Adams and Mercy Otis Warren were friends) and transform authorial choices into active voice, indicating engagement with the author's language and meaning.
Lesson 4
Continental Congress
Students are instructed to read Chapters 7 and 8 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, a work of literary nonfiction. Students answer specific comprehension questions about why John Adams wanted letters saved, the challenges Abigail faced, the role of faith, and ways Abigail supported the patriot effort. Students also complete vocabulary review tasks tied to the text and analyze sentences from the reading in verb-mood activities, which require them to identify and correct language in context.
Lesson 5
Remember the Ladies
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 of a literary biography (Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution) and answer content questions that check comprehension of events, causes, and character actions. Students read and analyze primary-source letters between Abigail and John Adams (including full-text readings via linked archives) and complete activities that require summarizing, quoting, and comparing how an author used those letters in the biography. Students perform document-analysis tasks (who created the source, content, context, point of view) and complete role-comparison activities that require synthesis of information from the nonfiction text.
Lesson 6
Separation
Students read Chapters 11 and 12 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, a work of literary nonfiction, and answer specific comprehension questions about events, reactions, and motivations. Students respond to questions requiring recall and inference (e.g., reactions to the Declaration, Abigail's argument for educating women, feelings about John being dispatched). Students complete vocabulary and paragraph-editing activities that require attention to word meaning, sentence structure, and mood, supporting comprehension of the content.
Lesson 7
Education
Students are asked to read Chapters 13 and 14 of a literary biography, Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, and answer specific comprehension questions about those chapters (e.g., reasons for travel, Abigail's actions). Students are asked to select a contemporary news article about girls' education, read it, and use a Paragraph Analysis page to determine the role of each sentence and connections between sentences. Students complete short-answer reading questions and a paragraph-analysis activity that require identifying main ideas, background details, and sentence roles within nonfiction texts.
Lesson 8
Genre
Students are asked to read Chapters 15 and 16 of the nonfiction biography Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, which is literary nonfiction. Students answer specific comprehension questions about the chapters and are asked to summarize a scene in their own words based solely on the nonfiction text. Students are directed to read correspondence between Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson and to retell or reinterpret selected nonfiction scenes in new genres (including a nonfiction summary and a graphic-novel retelling).
Lesson 9
The Vice Presidency
Students are directed to read Chapters 17 and 18 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, a nonfiction biography, and to read at least two original letters between Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson from the National Archives. Students answer specific factual and inferential comprehension questions (four provided) about the readings. Students synthesize what they read by writing a diary entry from Abigail Adams's point of view and by analyzing how genre choices affect presentation in the Choosing Genres activity.
Lesson 10
Presidential Politics
Students read Chapters 19 and 20 of a literary nonfiction biography of Abigail Adams and answer specific comprehension questions about characters, events, and details (e.g., John Adams's views of the French Revolution, appointments, and Abigail's activities). Students complete a compare-and-contrast chart that requires them to analyze differences between the Federalists and Republicans using evidence from the text. Students perform a grammatical scavenger hunt that requires close, text-based identification of verb forms, mood, clauses, and other structures in the provided passages.
Lesson 11
Later Life
Students read Chapters 21 and 22 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, a work of literary nonfiction, and answer text-based comprehension questions (for example, about the Sedition Act and family troubles). Students locate and synthesize descriptions and images from the book index and external websites to compare Peacefield and the President's House, requiring integration of textual and visual information. Students produce written responses and a Venn-diagram or artwork that demonstrate understanding of characters, settings, and shifts in political perspective.
Lesson 12
Remembering Abigail Adams
Students read Chapters 23 and 24 of a literary biography (Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution) and answer four targeted comprehension questions about personal tragedies, correspondence, financial management, and Abigail's late-life views on women's roles. Students create a written memorial (eulogy or obituary) or design a physical memorial, which requires synthesizing biographical information and themes. Students complete identification and analysis tasks (Identifying Mood and Voice pages) that require locating examples of voice and mood in a nonfiction paragraph about Abigail Adams, supporting close reading and interpretation.
Final Project
A One-Person Play
Students read and refer to the book Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution and are asked to cite and quote primary sources for their one-person play. Students complete a unit test that includes paragraph analysis questions about Abigail Adams, vocabulary-in-context items, and grammar/mood/voice exercises that require comprehension of presented nonfiction passages. Students must provide accurate dates and historical information on the rubric and plan three scenes that require summarizing events and explaining their significance.
Unit 2: Animal Farm
Lesson 1
What Is a Theme?
Students are instructed to read the introductory material surrounding Animal Farm (title pages, table of contents, preface/foreword/introduction, author biography, and cover text) and to answer specific pre-reading questions about what they learned from those materials. Activity 1 asks students to describe cover art, summarize what the back cover suggests the book is about, and report what they learned from the preface/introduction. The Parent Plan repeats that students will "pre-read" and discuss introductory essays and biographical information, which are examples of literary nonfiction.
Lesson 6
Comrade Napoleon
Students are directed to do historical research on the Russian Revolution using an encyclopedia, library, or online sources and to complete Student Activity Pages for figures (Czar Nicholas II, Karl Marx, Josef Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Vladimir Lenin). Students must fill in birth/death dates, roles, connections to Animal Farm, and specific evidence, and create a short timeline linking historical events to the novel. The lesson provides web links (BBC) and an answer key with factual content for those nonfiction topics.
Unit 3: Einstein Adds a New Dimension
Lesson 1
Expository Writing
Students are asked to skim a few pages of The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a Dimension and decide whether the book uses narrative or expository writing (Activity 3). Students complete a "Book Organization" page that has them examine front matter (copyright, table of contents) and locate publication information. Students use the index (guided to pages 460–467) to find specific topics and evaluate which search terms work best, and they read an external document about expository writing and sketch a graphic of the five modes (Activity 2).
Lesson 2
Descriptive Writing
Students are assigned substantial excerpts from a literary nonfiction book (The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a Dimension) including multiple chapters and pages to read independently. Students are given explicit strategies for navigating complex page layouts (main narrative, sidebars, and text boxes) so they can follow multi-part pages without losing information. Students answer specific comprehension questions about the reading (e.g., author dedication, Einstein's question, discoveries by Tesla and Thomson) and analyze a descriptive paragraph from the text to identify effective language. The Parent Plan and skills list prompt students to determine meanings of domain-specific words and to organize and develop topics with relevant facts and details.
Lesson 3
The Curies' Discoveries
Students read multiple chapters of a nonfiction book (Chapters 7–8 and 11–12) and answer specific comprehension questions about content (e.g., why Marie went to college, elements discovered, difficulty isolating elements, nature of alpha/beta rays). Students practice vocabulary skills by defining domain-specific terms, providing synonyms/similes, and using words in sentences for words like "radioactivity," "cathode ray," and "crystal." Students practice comprehension strategies by taking notes (traditional note taking or highlighting/annotating), summarizing main ideas, and using sample notes and an answer key to guide what to record (e.g., summaries of chapters and key scientist discoveries).
Lesson 4
Process Writing
Students are assigned to read Chapters 16, 17, 19, and 20 of a nonfiction book and then answer specific content questions about quantum mechanics, Bohr, Einstein, Compton, and Cockcroft and Walton. Students are asked to produce a short written summary or a process description (Option 2) that condenses a sequence of events from the book for a reader who has not read it, using provided planning and organization pages. Students are also asked to let a peer read their writing to check whether the sequence and explanations are clear.
Lesson 5
Envisioning Fission
Students are asked to read Chapters 22–24 of an informational text about Einstein, E=mc², and the discovery of fission and to take notes on key concepts (e.g., what E=mc² means, conservation laws, Rutherford's ideas, and chain reactions). Students synthesize information by completing a year-by-year timeline of scientific and world events from 1932–1939 and answer comprehension questions that require distinguishing facts from speculation. Students also evaluate and judge the credibility, accuracy, currency, and understandability of online informational sources, practicing analytical reading of nonfiction.
Lesson 6
Cause and Effect Writing
Students are asked to read specific pages of Joy Hakim's The Story of Science (pp. 220–226, 233–235, 236–241) and answer comprehension questions that require explanation and inference (e.g., significance of Bohr's report, sequence of events from Szilard to Roosevelt). Students must cite page numbers for specific information and use examples from the book to support cause/effect writing. The planning and organization pages require students to identify key ideas from the reading and use those details in a mini-essay, demonstrating engagement with the nonfiction text.
Lesson 7
Relativity
Students are asked to read Chapters 28, 29, 31, and 32 of a literary nonfiction book about Einstein and then answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling and explaining key ideas (e.g., Galileo's principle of relativity, Einstein's view of a center of the universe, the invariance of the speed of light). Students complete a Domain-Specific Vocabulary activity where they look up terms (uniform motion, frame of reference, relativity, invariant, fissile material), write definitions in their own words, and provide examples or illustrations. Students design a technical-writing poster that requires them to define and use at least three domain-specific terms and to integrate text with graphics to explain a scientific concept.
Lesson 8
Comparison and Contrast Writing
Students are instructed to read Chapters 33–35 of a nonfiction text about Einstein and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., the twins paradox; why Einstein rejected instantaneous gravity; how scientists proved gravitation). The Parent Plan lists skills for students to determine central ideas, provide accurate summaries, and determine meanings of domain-specific words, and the lesson asks students to re-read challenging sections and use bolded text and a supporting video to aid understanding.
Lesson 9
Avoiding Plagiarism
Students are assigned to read Chapters 36, 38–39 of The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a Dimension and answer specific comprehension questions about redshift, Hubble, Cepheid stars, and white dwarfs. Students must determine central ideas and provide an accurate summary (Parent Plan) and complete a written summary of Chapter 36 on the activity page. Students practice paraphrasing and summarizing by selecting best paraphrases, writing their own paraphrases of captions, and explaining whether statements require citation, which requires understanding and restating nonfiction content.
Lesson 10
Problem and Solution Writing
Students are assigned to read specific pages and chapters (p. 346–348, p. 355, Chapter 41, Chapter 46) from Joy Hakim's The Story of Science, a literary nonfiction text. Students answer content questions (e.g., causes of supernovae, event horizons, supermassive black holes, value of Type 1a supernovas) that require comprehension of the assigned nonfiction passages. Students are instructed to use examples from the book (in their own words) when completing the problem/solution writing task, indicating they must extract and apply information from the nonfiction reading.
Lesson 11
Citing Sources
Students are assigned to read Chapters 47 and 49 of The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a Dimension and to answer specific content questions (e.g., identifying what object current scientists use, defining a bit and a qubit, explaining Boolean search operators). Students complete activities that require them to paraphrase and cite online sources (Part I and Part II of the Citing Information activity) and to analyze how a graphic improves understanding by covering the graphic, reading the adjacent text, then evaluating the graphic's contribution. The Parent Plan lists skills students practice, including citing specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts and integrating technical information with visual representations.
Final Project
Research Paper
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes the CCSS goal: "By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently," and lists related subskills (determine central ideas, cite textual evidence, determine domain-specific meanings, distinguish fact/judgment/speculation). Students read The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a Dimension and are directed to locate topics via the index, record page numbers, take organized research notes, and use quotations/paraphrases from the text. The Unit Test and activities require students to identify thesis and topic sentences in a student model, answer comprehension and matching questions about scientists and concepts, and summarize or explain technical ideas using text evidence.
Unit 4: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Lesson 1
Introduction to Mark Twain and the Novel
Students are asked to read a biography of Mark Twain and web articles about the growth of slavery and slave codes and then record information in a journal. Students summarize how the slave trade arrived in America, list rules that slaves had to follow, and answer specific text-based questions about Twain's life and the historical setting. The Parent Plan also lists skills such as determining a central idea, citing textual evidence, and determining word meanings that students are expected to practice with these nonfiction sources.
Lesson 7
Persuasive Writing
The lesson directs students to read a CBS News article titled "Editing the Novel" and asks them to consider whether Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be published with the word "slave" or remain in its original form. Students are asked to gather evidence from sources and to use a combination of types of evidence to support their persuasive paragraph. The Parent Plan also states that students should support claims with logical reasoning and relevant evidence using accurate, credible sources.
Lesson 11
Mark Twain's Influence
Students are asked to listen to two primary-source slave narratives (links to readings from Unchained Memories) and take journal notes comparing the lives described to the character Jim, noting dialect and figurative language. Students answer analytical questions about those narratives (compare/contrast, conclusions about life of the slave, dialect features) and respond in writing. Students also read chapters of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and write short analytical responses interpreting Hemingway's quote about Twain.
Unit 5: Elijah of Buxton
Lesson 2
The Preacher
Students read an excerpt from Frederick Douglass's Narrative alongside an excerpt from George Fitzhugh and answer guided questions that contrast the two perspectives. Students re-read the Douglass passage to circle vivid adjectives, underline the repeated verb ("whip/whipped"), and explain how repetition and strong word choice make the account persuasive. Students write responses about whose voice is more authentic and whether Douglass's account is persuasive, citing textual features as evidence.
Lesson 4
Tone and Mood
Students are asked to read and analyze nonfiction primary sources linked in the lesson ("Excerpts from Slave Narratives") and to examine historical photographs and engravings (Photograph of Slave Family; Engraving of Slaves Picking Cotton) as part of the "Accounts of Slavery" activity. The activity prompts students to write words or brief phrases explaining what they learned from each quote or image and to refer to quoted material from Mr. Leroy and Elijah's father about slavery. The Parent Plan also summarizes the nonfiction content students will read and interpret (branding, sales, conditions, and images of enslaved people).
Lesson 7
The Importance of Education
Students read Chapters 13 and 14 of Elijah of Buxton and answer comprehension questions that require summarizing and interpreting events. In Activity 2 students read an explanatory nonfiction passage about how denying education limited slaves' power and are asked to discuss historical examples such as Frederick Douglass. Option 2 directs students to read a specific historical webpage about Matilda Taylor's secret school, which requires reading an informational source.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: The House of the Scorpion
Lesson 1
Cloning
Students read and take notes on six nonfiction web articles about cloning (Learn.Genetics, Genome.gov, Britannica, BioExplorer, etc.) and create source cards and note cards to record and cite information. Students analyze and compare persuasive nonfiction by reading sample persuasive paragraphs and a model five-paragraph persuasive essay, identifying persuasive strategies (ethos, pathos, kairos), arguments, counterarguments, and rebuttals. Students use their reading of informational sources to form evidence-based arguments and to write a five-paragraph persuasive essay with parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page.
Lesson 4
Rhetorical and Logical Fallacies
Students are instructed to "Read the short essay entitled 'Human Cloning.' As you read, look out for these rhetorical and logical fallacies," and to underline examples of loaded terms, caricatures, leading questions, false assumptions, and incorrect premises using a color key. The student activity page directs students to mark specific fallacies in the essay and the Parent Plan provides a key that identifies particular sentences in the essay as examples of each fallacy. Students also create their own advertisements that intentionally use at least three fallacies, which requires applying their reading-based analysis to produce persuasive nonfiction-like text.
Lesson 5
Arguing the Issue
Students read two nonfiction persuasive essays about human cloning and use the 'Arguing the Issue' activity page to record each author's main arguments and identify logical and rhetorical fallacies. Students summarize arguments, note strengths and weaknesses, and answer guided questions that require comprehension of the authors' claims and supporting evidence. Students also practice applying fallacies in the 'A Game of Fallacies' activity, reinforcing their ability to recognize argumentative techniques in nonfiction texts.
Unit 2: Watership Down
Lesson 2
Foreshadowing
Students are asked in Activity 1 to read a linked nonfiction article about the European Rabbit and to complete a Rabbit Research graphic organizer recording scientific name, physical description, behavior, communication, reproduction, and life span. The Parent Plan repeats that the child will complete research using the provided website and record findings on the organizer, indicating students will read and extract information from an informational source.
Unit 3: The Book Thief
Lesson 1
The Author and Narrator
Students read and extract information from nonfiction sources in Activity 1 by using Britannica and CNN links to complete a "World War II Detective" grid (dates, locations, sides, leaders, causes, outcomes). Students also read biographical webpages and an author interview in Activity 2 and use that factual information to create a poster or a 90-second radio promotion about Markus Zusak. The activities require students to locate, summarize, and apply factual information from informational texts and an interview.
Lesson 3
Burning Books
Students research historical references by using linked museum and encyclopedia pages and complete the "Historical References" activity page answering targeted questions about Communists, the term "Aryan," Mein Kampf, anti-Semitism, and the yellow stars. Students analyze primary-source style materials by choosing three Nazi propaganda posters, identifying target audiences and goals, and describing visual techniques that make the posters effective. Students also record and categorize examples of propaganda from their fiction reading and compare wartime propaganda across media using archival poster examples.
Lesson 5
The Accordion Player
Students read excerpts from the Nuremberg Laws and the Law concerning the Hitler Youth and answer specific questions about eligibility for citizenship, rights denied to non-citizens, and the purpose of the Hitler Youth. Students interpret those primary-source legal texts to decide how the laws would apply to characters (e.g., whether Hans or a person with Jewish grandparents would be citizens) and cite examples from the novel that reflect law-driven behavior. Students are also directed to external nonfiction resources (USHMM, PBS) for optional further reading about Kristallnacht.
Lesson 7
The Seven-Sided Die
Students are directed to read and analyze written Nazi propaganda, including excerpts from The German National Catechism (Option 1) or a linked online excerpt (Option 2), and to identify arguments and logical fallacies. The Parent Plan skills explicitly state that students will "read and comprehend works of exposition, argument, and... historical... accounts" and will "cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis." Activities ask students to identify emotions, effectiveness, and logical fallacies in nonfiction passages and to explain their analyses in writing.
Lesson 8
The Thief Strikes Again
The Parent Plan explicitly lists skills to "Read and comprehend works of exposition, argument, and functional text" and to "delineate a speaker's argument" and "evaluate the credibility of a speaker," which directly relate to nonfiction comprehension and analysis. Activity 1 has students watch two historical speech/rally clips and take notes on what made Hitler's speaking and the rallies compelling, prompting analysis of rhetorical strategies. Discussion questions ask students to analyze speech pacing, repetition, gestures, and rally elements, requiring students to evaluate persuasive techniques and evidence.
Lesson 10
The Trilogy of Happiness
Students are directed to read portions of nonfiction sources: the first paragraphs of a PBS piece on news and censorship and an Ernie Pyle wartime column, and to view 1943 newsreel footage. Students answer specific comprehension and analysis questions on the War Journalism page (e.g., how correspondents produced vivid descriptions, three main ways Americans got news, informational vs. propaganda aspects, and how Pyle's column differs from regular news articles). The Parent Plan and activity pages prompt students to cite examples from the readings and to analyze the purpose and effects of wartime media.
Lesson 11
The Word Shaker
Students read literary nonfiction excerpts (an Anne Frank diary entry and firsthand accounts from the Warsaw Ghetto) and are instructed to read specified excerpts via provided links. Students answer comprehension questions about Part Eight and related historical details (e.g., why Gestapo were interested in Rudy, what jobs characters held), demonstrating literal understanding. Students analyze and compare primary source documents with historical fiction by listing advantages/disadvantages and providing three specific textual examples that support their comparisons.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to read an essay by Walter Cronkite about censorship in wartime (Activity 2, bottom middle) and to analyze its arguments, take a side, supply supporting reasons and rebut an opposing argument. Students are directed to choose and analyze three U.S. World War II propaganda posters using guided prompts that ask about persuasive methods, emotions, logical fallacies, and design choices (bottom-right mini-project and 'Propaganda Posters' activity page). The Skills section explicitly lists reading and comprehending works of exposition, argument, and journalism (personal essays, speeches, opinion pieces, journalism) as a targeted skill.
Unit 4: To Kill a Mockingbird
Lesson 2
Home and School
Students are directed to Activity 2 to "Read the following article to learn more about Harper Lee's life" via the provided "About the Author" web link, which is a nonfiction biographical piece. Students are asked to "explore the background of the author and how her personal experiences connect with the story she wrote" and to record three life events in a journal that could inspire a novel, linking personal experience to author background.
Unit 5: Great American Poets
Lesson 2
Early American Poetry
Students read a first-person historical account titled "Paul Revere's Ride in His Own Words," mark sections they find significant, and complete a Venn-diagram comparing Revere's account to Longfellow's poem. Students are asked to note differences in content, use of literary language, and purpose (e.g., factual reporting vs. dramatized narrative). An optional extension directs students to read an article about the poem's factual inaccuracies and consider how that affects interpretation.
Lesson 5
Edgar Allan Poe
Students are directed to read informational material about Poe via the Poetry Foundation link and to read an excerpt from Poe's essay "The Poetic Principle" on the Student Activity Page. Students answer specific comprehension questions about Poe's views (e.g., "According to Poe, what should poetry focus on?") and record lines from poems that demonstrate those views. The activity asks students to read biographical and essay material and to summarize and cite textual evidence from those nonfiction sources.
Lesson 12
Reciting Poetry
Students are asked to do online research about a poet's life and work (Activity 2, Option 1) and to fill in a Poet Research sheet with factual information such as birthplace, influences, and awards. The lesson provides links to informational sites (Poetry Foundation, Academy of American Poets, poets.org) that students are directed to consult while completing the research activity.