Eighth Grade - ELA
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Abigail Adams
Lesson 1
Getting to Know Abigail Adams
Students are instructed to use an online link to view the book's front cover and awards. The materials tell students that if they use an electronic version of the book they can use the e-book "Search" function to find words quickly. Students are given an option to type their letter and to use word-processing editing tools (for example, setting vocabulary terms in bold).
Lesson 3
Unrest and War
Students are directed to use the Internet to view primary sources via explicit web links (Library of Congress engraving and the Diary of John Adams) and to read assigned online materials. Students are asked to write well-formed paragraphs (first-person accounts or analyses) that use 2–3 specific examples from those online sources to support an argument, and to save their work on the page. The activities instruct students to analyze sources and rewrite passive constructions, which requires organizing information and ideas into coherent written responses.
Lesson 7
Education
Students are instructed to use the Internet to find a news article about girls' education (explicitly told to go to Google and select NEWS) and are given specific web links (UNGEI, World Bank, UNICEF) to use. Students must select a paragraph from that online article and use a provided Paragraph Analysis page to determine each sentence's role and the connections between sentences. The lesson tells students to save the activity page after their answers have been checked, indicating use of the course's digital activity pages.
Lesson 8
Genre
The lesson tells students to "write a paragraph... on your own paper or using a computer," which explicitly allows students to use technology to produce written work. Option 2 asks students to create a graphic novel using provided templates and artwork, which could be produced digitally and involves composing a multimodal artifact. The activities ask students to summarize and then rewrite or retell scenes, which requires organizing information and ideas in a new form.
Lesson 9
The Vice Presidency
Students are directed to a specific web link (National Archives: Founders Online) and instructed to read at least two original letters between Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson online, showing use of the Internet for research. Students are asked to complete a "Corresponding with Thomas Jefferson" diary activity and a "Choosing Genre" activity page that require them to write entries and book descriptions based on what they read.
Lesson 11
Later Life
Students are directed to use internet resources (Adams National Historical Park, White House History, and Google Arts & Culture links) and to take virtual tours, which requires using technology to gather information. Students complete an online "Verb Forms" activity page and are instructed to save that page after answers are checked, indicating they produce and store work electronically. Students also complete a Venn-diagram "Farm vs. National Capital" graphic organizer to present relationships between information and ideas.
Final Project
A One-Person Play
The lesson provides a direct web link to a digital archive of primary sources (https://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/) and instructs students to quote directly from at least one primary source for a scene. Students plan, write, and present a one-person play that requires them to organize and present relationships among historical events, people, and Abigail Adams (including stating dates and explaining impacts). The rubric explicitly requires inclusion of reading from at least one primary source and accurate historical information.
Unit 2: Animal Farm
Lesson 1
What Is a Theme?
The Parent Plan instructs that if a student's copy lacks introductory material, "you can use online research to learn a bit about Orwell and answer some of the questions..." which directs students to use the Internet to gather background information. Students are asked to read surrounding materials (title pages, table of contents, preface/introduction) and may use online sources to supplement missing edition material. There are no other explicit references to digital tools for writing, publishing, presenting, or collaborating.
Lesson 6
Comrade Napoleon
Students are asked to conduct historical research "in an encyclopedia, at your local library, or (with a parent's permission) online," and two BBC web links are provided for that research. Students are instructed to create a short timeline and complete activity pages linking historical figures to Animal Farm, which requires them to collect and record information drawn from sources (including the provided web links).
Lesson 7
Changes on the Farm
Activity 2 provides three web links and instructs students to use those online pronoun quizzes, so students are explicitly directed to use the Internet to complete practice activities. The quiz descriptions note that students can check answers and view explanations online, indicating students will interact with web-based feedback while practicing grammar.
Final Project
Animal Farm Letter
Students are instructed to use a word-processing program to set up a template for their letter, create letterhead, and save their file regularly. The lesson gives specific guidance for using outline and numbering tools in word processors (including a note about outlines in Google Docs) and includes a web link to instructions for creating outlines in OpenOffice Writer. Students are told to print their final letter and share it with a parent.
Unit 3: Einstein Adds a New Dimension
Lesson 2
Descriptive Writing
The Parent Plan skills list explicitly tells students to include formatting (headings), graphics (charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aid comprehension, which references using technology-related elements. The lesson tells students to re-watch the PowerPoint presentation from Lesson 1 and provides a web link to The New York Times art reviews, indicating technology and Internet resources are available for students to consult and model descriptive writing. The activities ask students to describe a picture or complete a student activity page, which could be paired with the referenced multimedia and web resources.
Lesson 5
Envisioning Fission
Students are directed to use the Internet for research in Activity 2, including specific web links to visit and evaluate. They practice search strategies (using specific search terms, reading search-result meaning, avoiding sponsored links) and use an "Internet Research" page to judge sites for currency, credibility, understandability, and accuracy. The lesson also directs students to consider online research databases and to answer guided questions about whether particular .gov, user-submitted, or commercial sites would be appropriate research sources.
Lesson 7
Relativity
Students are directed to Internet video links (YouTube) to view explanations of relativity. Students are told they may use "graphics printed from the Internet" or images from the Internet when designing a poster and are instructed to include a combination of text and graphics. Students are taught principles of technical writing (concise, clear communication) and asked to design a poster that uses domain-specific terms and presents a scientific concept.
Lesson 9
Avoiding Plagiarism
Students are told to record the source of specific pieces of information, including the URL of web pages, when doing research. The lesson provides explicit web-based resources (a YouTube video link and two website links) that students can access. Students practice paraphrasing and summarizing, including rewriting captions and chapter summaries, which trains them to present relationships between information and ideas in their writing.
Lesson 11
Citing Sources
Students are directed to use Internet links (e.g., the Citation Builder and content pages) and to copy/paste generated citations into a text or word-processing document. Students are instructed to create graphics using computer programs (Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, or other software) and to integrate those graphics with their existing writing. The activity asks students to use online sources for research and to follow MLA formatting for parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page.
Final Project
Research Paper
Students access a student-model research paper via a provided web link and are instructed to print or read it online. Students are told they may type drafts on a computer, save files, use online citation builders, record URLs, and consult online databases as research sources. Students are directed to review a PowerPoint and to create a graphic to accompany their paper and produce a typed final draft with a Works Cited page.
Unit 4: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Lesson 1
Introduction to Mark Twain and the Novel
Students are directed to use specific websites and online media (a Mark Twain biography site, a YouTube video on linguistic profiling, a PBS page on southern dialects, and USHistory.org articles) to gather information and answer guided questions in a journal. Students are asked to use an online map link to identify free and slave states and to refer to that map as they trace Huck and Jim's journey. Students view multimedia (video) and read web articles to summarize historical information and respond to prompts.
Lesson 4
What is Narrative Writing II
Students are asked to read a linked web article ("Propelling Action through Dialogue" at succeedatwriting.com), so they use the Internet to access instructional material. Students complete online-linked reading passages and answer analytic questions about dialogue, demonstrating use of a web resource as part of their work. The lesson also directs students to consult p. 48 in the Handy Guide to Writing for more information, indicating reference to external resources.
Lesson 5
Expository Writing
Students are directed to view a "Types of Writing" slide show and a provided YouTube link (https://youtu.be/21PBAZb1wz0), showing use of the Internet to access instructional content. Students are asked to take notes while viewing the slideshow and later to present the "Types of Writing" slideshow as part of a review, which involves using presentation technology. Students also share their expository writing with a parent and discuss its organization, indicating some interpersonal interaction tied to the activity.
Lesson 6
The Power of Persuasion
Students are directed to review a "Types of Writing" slideshow via a YouTube link and to read a student persuasive essay at a provided web link. Students analyze the online essay by identifying the thesis, the reasons offered, and the types of evidence and answer related journal questions. Students also write persuasive sentences and organize thesis-reason-evidence structures on the provided Student Activity Page.
Lesson 7
Persuasive Writing
Students are directed to read a specific article via the provided CBS News web link, requiring them to use the Internet to gather information for their persuasive paragraph. Students are instructed to use an online Persuasion Map (with a URL provided) to plan their thesis, reasons, and evidence, and they are given the option to print the planner. Students are asked to use a combination of types of evidence from the sources they read to support their reasons in the written paragraph.
Lesson 11
Mark Twain's Influence
Students are directed to visit two specific website links (YouTube URLs) to listen to slave narratives and to take notes in their journals, showing use of the Internet to access source material. An optional web link to the full HBO documentary is also provided for further online listening. Students are asked to compare and contrast the narratives with Jim from the novel, using the material they accessed online.
Final Project
Cultural Biography
Students are given an option to type the poster title in a large decorative font, print it out, and paste it to the poster, which requires using a computer and printer. Students are directed to review a PowerPoint on types of writing as part of test preparation, indicating they will view digital materials. The parent plan mentions integrating multimedia and visual displays into presentations, and students use printable templates (cube nets, block templates) that they cut out and assemble.
Unit 5: Elijah of Buxton
Lesson 1
Introduction to the Novel
Students are directed to use multiple web links (PBS, Pathways to Freedom, Pennington excerpt, author biography page, YouTube videos, Google Maps/MapQuest) to research the Underground Railroad, the author, and the setting. Students complete an online interactive simulation about escaping via the Underground Railroad and view video tours and interviews to gather information. Students then write a short poem/song, a 6-8 sentence journal entry, or a 6-8 sentence persuasive speech based on that research and perform or read it to a family member.
Lesson 3
Creating a Character
Students are asked to "cut a picture of a character from a magazine or print a picture from the Internet (a 1/4 of a page in size or smaller)," showing an explicit opportunity to use the Internet for sourcing an image. Students are invited to "film" their character monologue "if possible" and then "share it with a parent," indicating an option to use digital recording technology to create and share their work.
Lesson 7
The Importance of Education
Students are directed in Option 2 to read a web page about Matilda Taylor, so they use the Internet to gather historical information. Students are asked in Option 1 to film their interview or share it with friends and family, which involves using a recording device or other technology to produce and share a performance. Students also produce writing by composing the remainder of a play scene in Option 2 and by answering written comprehension and reflection questions throughout the lesson.
Lesson 10
Allusions and Authors
The lesson explicitly tells students that "it is easy to look these things up, so when someone references something you do not understand, you can easily turn to the Internet to learn enough to grasp the allusion for yourself," directing students to use the Internet for research. The lesson also instructs students to "Ask an adult to help you research any of the allusions with which you are not familiar," which guides students to use online or other research resources. The Student Activity Pages and tasks ask students to examine allusions and explain their origins and connections, implying research-informed responses.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: The House of the Scorpion
Lesson 1
Cloning
Students use the Internet to research cloning by visiting multiple specified web sources and are instructed to bookmark pages and record URLs for MLA source cards. Students are directed to watch an online PowerPoint presentation on persuasive techniques and to use an online Persuasion Map to plan and outline their essays (with an option to print the outline). The lesson requires students to create electronic-source formatted bibliographic entries and use parenthetical citations for Internet material.
Lesson 3
Cast of Characters
Students are asked to create a family tree using either art materials or technology (e.g., a computer drawing program), which requires them to present relationships among characters visually. Students are instructed to type their final persuasive essay on a computer, apply formatting (font, spacing, indentation), run spell-check, and print the final draft. Students are given a web link (Purdue OWL) and told to create a Works Cited page, indicating use of the Internet to locate citation guidance. The Parent Plan Skills list explicitly includes using technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing.
Lesson 4
Rhetorical and Logical Fallacies
The lesson includes multiple Web Link references (e.g., Loaded Language Examples, NPR, Portma, HowStuffWorks) that require students to access Internet resources to view examples of fallacies. In Activity 2 students are asked to create either a print ad or a 30-second film commercial and are instructed, "If possible, film your commercial," which allows students to use technology to produce a presentation. Students are also asked to share and discuss their advertisement with a parent, providing an opportunity to present their work to an audience.
Lesson 10
Opium and Aztlán
Students are given a web link to the Purdue OWL Pronoun Review, which they can use online to review pronoun information. Students are instructed to use the "Opium and Aztlán" activity page and complete a Venn diagram to present the relationships between Matt's life in Opium and Aztlán. Student Activity Pages are provided for writing responses and for completing the pronoun identification and labeling tasks.
Unit 2: Watership Down
Lesson 2
Foreshadowing
Students are directed to an external web link (the University of Michigan Animal Diversity account) and told to "complete some research about the European Rabbit," then fill out the Rabbit Research graphic organizer. The lesson also provides a YouTube clip link in Option 1 and instructs students to view the clip and identify 2–3 instances of foreshadowing. Students are asked to record findings (on the Rabbit Research page, foreshadowing pages, or in a journal) after using those online sources.
Lesson 5
Quotes and Creatures
Students are asked to do brief research on works cited and on organisms, with a provided web link (Food Web: Facts) for background information, indicating use of the Internet for research. In Activity 2 Option 2, students are instructed to use a computer graphics or presentation program to create a food web diagram, requiring them to use technology to present relationships among information and ideas. Activity prompts direct students to record sentences about quotes and to create visual displays (poster or digital) that organize connections among organisms.
Lesson 13
A Fantasy Story
Students are instructed that their finished short story should be 2–3 typed double-spaced pages (500–750 words), indicating they must produce a typed document. The rubric and directions ask students to read a sample story and consult planning sheets before composing, which supports producing a polished written product.
Unit 3: The Book Thief
Lesson 1
The Author and Narrator
Students are directed to use specified web links (Encyclopaedia Britannica, CNN, author biography pages, and an author interview video) to research World War II and Markus Zusak and then record findings on the "World War II Detective" page. Students are asked to create a poster or a 90-second radio promotional spot using factual information gathered from online sources. Students may use images from the Internet (or magazines) to create a color-collage that represents emotions, showing that the curriculum allows use of online resources and digital media as part of production.
Lesson 3
Burning Books
Students are directed to use multiple web links (Link A, Link B, Link D, and a propaganda posters archive) to research historical references and Nazi propaganda. Students choose three online propaganda posters and analyze each one by identifying target group, goal, and effective design elements on the Propaganda activity page. Students record examples of propaganda from the book and are asked to show the posters they used to a parent, indicating some use of Internet sources in their work.
Lesson 6
The Standover Man
Students are given an Internet video link ("Charcoal 101" on YouTube) to learn charcoal techniques and are instructed they may consult short online videos for tips about using charcoal pencils/crayons. Students are given a web link to download additional storyboard pages (a PDF) if they need more pages, which requires using the Internet to obtain materials. These items require students to use technology to access instructional resources and printable materials that support their writing and illustrating task.
Lesson 10
The Trilogy of Happiness
Students are directed to click and read three web links (a PBS article, a YouTube newsreel, and an online Ernie Pyle column) and to view newsreel footage, showing use of the Internet for research. Students are told to record examples of propaganda on the "Propaganda" page from Lesson 3 (Part Seven), and to answer questions on the War Journalism student page, which requires composing written responses. Students complete a Relationship Web graphic organizer that asks them to present how Liesel relates to other characters and describe the significance of those relationships.
Lesson 11
The Word Shaker
Students are directed to use a web link to read an excerpt of Anne Frank's diary, which shows explicit use of the Internet to access source material. Students are asked to record examples on named activity pages (e.g., the "Descriptive Examples" and "Primary Sources vs. Historical Fiction" pages), where they organize advantages/disadvantages and provide specific examples, indicating they will present relationships between types of information and ideas.
Lesson 12
The Teddy Bear
The lesson instructs students to conduct an interview "via phone or email" and explicitly notes that "email interviews are easy to refer to," showing use of Internet/technology to interact with others. The options ask students to "use images from the Internet, or even computer design software to create your diagram," indicating they may use online resources and digital tools to produce their project. The core task asks students to create a map or diagram that explains a person's physical and emotional journey, which has them present relationships between events and ideas visually.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are instructed to "type your paragraph" and to "copy and paste" chosen propaganda posters into a document, and web links are provided for researching war reporting and censorship. The 'Teaching Figuratively' task tells students they may present definitions and examples via a handout, poster, or slideshow, indicating creation of digital presentations and use of the Internet for source gathering.
Unit 4: To Kill a Mockingbird
Lesson 1
Historical Context
Students are directed to watch an online video ("Alabama in the 1930s" on YouTube) and to create a mind map based on information presented in that video. The lesson suggests that students may use an online mind-mapping program (Coggle) as an option for creating their map, and students write a journal response to a prompt after viewing the video.
Lesson 12
Wise Words
Students are instructed to choose five quotes and "explain each quote in your own words," which requires producing written explanations. The activity explicitly tells students they may "use the computer or art materials to create the display," indicating an option to use technology to produce and present their chosen quote. The directions also ask students to "Hang up your quote to share wisdom from the novel with others," which involves publishing or sharing their work for an audience.
Final Project
Oral Book Presentation
Students plan and produce a computer slide show using PowerPoint or a similar program that includes text, graphics, and (optionally) sound, and they design slides for historical context, characters, plot, themes, and personal reactions. Students are instructed to use slides as visual aids that highlight key terms and quotations rather than full text, to record key points and transfer keywords to index cards, and to present the slideshow aloud to an audience of family and friends. The materials explicitly state students will "produce a multimedia presentation involving text, graphics, images, and sound using available technology" and to "integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest."
Unit 5: Great American Poets
Lesson 1
Poetry Basics
Students are instructed to "look it up online and view pictures of it" when they encounter unfamiliar words or references (Activity 2). An optional web link to the U.S. Poet Laureate site is provided for further exploration. Students are also told to save activity pages for use in a final scrapbook-type project, which could be collected for later presentation.
Lesson 3
Figurative Language
Students are told to use information available online to fill in Poet Cards and to look up poets' pictures online (Activity 2). Activity 3 provides two web links and asks students to read concrete-poem examples online. The materials repeatedly instruct students to look up poems and facts using the Internet for research and examples.
Lesson 4
Poetic Forms
Students are directed to multiple web links (Longfellow's sonnet, "John Henry," haiku samples, Richard Wright's haiku, and RhymeZone) and are asked to read online examples and bookmark pages for reference. Students are instructed to use the online rhyming dictionary and read at least several online haiku and limerick examples to inform their writing. The activity tells students to save their haiku and to set aside a neatly copied limerick for a final project, implying use of internet sources while composing.
Lesson 5
Edgar Allan Poe
Students are directed to a Poetry Foundation web link to read about Edgar Allan Poe, demonstrating use of the Internet to gather information. Students are given YouTube links and instructed to listen online to readings of "The Bells" and to sketch a response while listening, showing use of digital audio resources.
Lesson 7
Poetry Analysis
Students are given an Internet link (a YouTube recording of "The Yellow Rose of Texas") to listen to as they read Dickinson's poems. Students are explicitly told that "an online rhyming dictionary and thesaurus will be helpful" as they write their narrative poem, directing them to use web-based tools to produce writing. Students are also encouraged to play the vocabulary game with a parent or sibling, which involves interaction though not explicitly via technology.
Lesson 8
Robert Frost
Students are asked to visit provided web links (the Guggenheim Cubism page and two paintings-and-poems pages) to view artwork online. Students are instructed to take digital photos or scan artwork, shrink or print images, and paste those images into the activity pages. The activities require students to copy their poems into the provided digital/print activity frames and to use a computer or scanner/printer to incorporate artwork.
Lesson 9
Memorizing Poetry
Students are asked to look up unfamiliar references online (e.g., "Euclid") and are given web links to poems and a memorization guide. Students are instructed they may print enlarged copies of poems or print/copy headlines from online newspapers if magazines are unavailable. The lesson provides URLs for resources and directs students to use online material when collecting words for the headline poem.
Lesson 10
Poems about Poetry
The lesson includes explicit web links (URLs) to poems on poets.org and allpoetry.com and directs students to read those online poems, so students use the Internet to access source texts. Students are instructed to write their own poem about poetry and to "be sure to save your poem for the final project," indicating students produce and retain a written product. Activity 3 also directs students to an online poem and to consult the Handy Guide to Writing (p. 35), reinforcing use of digital resources for research and reference.
Lesson 11
Editing Your Work
Activity 1 (Tech Poem) instructs students to use a word-processing, desktop-publishing, or presentation program (e.g., PowerPoint) to present a poem with fonts, spacing, colors, and graphics, and to save and print the result. The activity explicitly allows finding the poem online and copying/pasting it, and the Parent Plan lists the skill: "Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently."
Lesson 12
Reciting Poetry
Students are directed to read multiple poems via the provided web links and to answer questions based on those online texts. Students are asked in Activity 2 (Option 1) to "Do research online about the poet's life and work" and are given Poetry Foundation and Poets.org as research starting points. Students are told in Activity 1 to "use the web and your drawing as inspiration for lines of your poem," indicating use of the Internet as a source for writing.
Final Project
Poetry Journal
Students are asked to type and print poems that need to be recopied and to 'type and print out' material as part of assembling the journal. Students are instructed they may use images found on the Internet (for example, free decorative border images) to enhance the look of their journal. Students must organize the journal contents and put a small heading at the top of each page describing each page's contents.
