8th Grade ELA (Alaska Standards)

Reading Standards for Literature

• RL.8.1 Cite the text evidence that most strongly supports analysis of explicit meaning and inferences.
• RL.8.2 Find a theme or central idea, analyze how it develops through characters, setting and plot, and summarize events in order.
• RL.8.3 Analyze how specific lines of dialogue or incidents push the plot forward, reveal character or lead to a decision.
• RL.8.4 Work out figurative and connotative meanings and analyze how word choice, including analogies or allusions, affects meaning and tone.
• RL.8.5 Analyze a text's overall structure, comparing how the structures of two or more texts shape meaning and style.
• RL.8.6 Analyze the author's purpose and how differing points of view of characters and reader create effects such as suspense.
• RL.8.7 Judge how closely a film or live production of a story or play follows its text or script, and where it changes it.
• RL.8.9 Analyze how modern fiction reuses themes, event patterns or character types from myths, traditional tales or religious texts.
• RL.8.10 By year's end, read literature from many cultures in the upper grade 7 to grade 9 complexity range, with support as needed.

Reading Standards for Informational Text

• RI.8.1 Cite the text evidence that most strongly supports analysis of explicit meaning and inferences in an informational text.
• RI.8.2 Find the central idea and subtopics, analyze how they relate to supporting ideas and summarize in order.
• RI.8.3 Analyze how a text makes connections and distinctions between individuals, ideas or events.
• RI.8.4 Work out figurative, connotative and technical meanings and analyze word choice, including analogies or allusions.
• RI.8.5 Analyze closely how one paragraph is built, including how specific sentences develop a key idea.
• RI.8.6 Find the author's purpose (inform, persuade, entertain, critique) and point of view, and how the author handles opposing views.
• RI.8.7 Evaluate the pros and cons of using different media (print, digital, video, multimedia) for a topic or idea.
• RI.8.8 Trace and evaluate an argument's claims, e.g. spotting bias and propaganda, and judge whether reasoning and evidence hold up.
• RI.8.9 Analyze cases where two or more texts give conflicting information on the same topic and find where they disagree on facts or interpretation.
• RI.8.10 By year's end, read literary nonfiction in the upper grade 7 to grade 9 complexity range, with support as needed.

Writing Standards

• W.8.1 Write arguments that back claims with clear reasons and fitting evidence.
  • a. Introduce claims, set them apart from opposing claims and organize reasons and evidence logically.
  • b. Support claims with logical reasoning and relevant evidence from accurate, credible sources.
  • c. Use linking words and clauses to tie claims, counterclaims, reasons and evidence together.
  • d. Set up and keep a formal style.
  • e. End with a conclusion that follows from and supports the argument.
• W.8.2 Write informative texts that explore a topic by choosing, organizing and analyzing information.
  • a. Preview the topic clearly and group ideas into broader categories, using formatting and media where useful.
  • b. Build up the topic with carefully chosen facts, definitions, specific details, quotations or examples.
  • c. Use varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify relationships among ideas.
  • d. Use precise language and subject vocabulary.
  • e. Set up and keep a formal style.
  • f. End with a conclusion that follows from and supports the information.
• W.8.3 Write narratives of real or imagined experiences with effective technique, relevant details and clear sequence.
  • a. Engage the reader by setting the context and point of view, introduce narrator and characters and order events logically.
  • b. Build events and characters with dialogue, pacing, description and reflection.
  • c. Use transitions to signal shifts in time or setting and show how experiences and events relate.
  • d. Use precise words, descriptive details and sensory language to advance the action and convey events.
  • e. End with a conclusion that grows out of and reflects on the experiences or events told.
• W.8.4 Produce clear, coherent writing whose development, organization and style suit the task, purpose and audience.
• W.8.5 With help from classmates and adults, improve writing by planning, revising, editing or rewriting, keeping purpose and audience in mind.
• W.8.6 Use technology and the internet to create and share writing, show links between ideas efficiently and collaborate.
• W.8.7 Do short research projects to answer a question, using several sources and generating further focused questions.
• W.8.8 Gather relevant information from several print and digital sources with effective searches, judge credibility, quote or paraphrase without plagiarism and cite.
• W.8.9 Use evidence from literature or informational texts to back up analysis, reflection and research.
  • a. Apply grade 8 reading standards to literature in writing.
  • b. Apply grade 8 reading standards to nonfiction, e.g. evaluating an argument's claims and spotting bias or propaganda.
• W.8.10 Write often, in long projects and short sittings, for many subject-specific tasks, purposes and readers.

Speaking and Listening Standards

• SL.8.1 Take part well in many kinds of discussions with different partners about grade 8 topics and texts.
  • a. Come prepared and refer to evidence to probe and reflect on ideas.
  • b. Follow discussion norms (taking turns, paraphrasing, respecting views), work toward consensus, set goals and define roles.
  • c. Ask questions that connect several speakers' ideas and respond with relevant evidence and observations.
  • d. Acknowledge new information from others and qualify or justify your own views in light of the evidence.
• SL.8.2 Analyze why information is presented in different media and formats and judge the motives behind it.
• SL.8.3 Outline a speaker's argument, judging the reasoning and evidence and spotting irrelevant evidence.
• SL.8.4 Present claims and findings in a focused, coherent way with relevant evidence, eye contact, adequate volume and clear pronunciation.
• SL.8.5 Include multimedia and visual displays to clarify information, strengthen claims and add interest.
• SL.8.6 Adapt speech to different contexts and tasks, using formal English when suitable.

Language Standards

• L.8.1 Use correct standard English grammar when speaking and writing.
  • a. Explain what gerunds, participles and infinitives do in general and in particular sentences.
  • b. Make and use active and passive verb forms.
  • c. Make and use verbs in each mood: indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional and subjunctive.
  • d. Recognize and fix inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
• L.8.2 Show command of capitalization, punctuation and spelling when writing.
  • a. Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to show a pause or break.
  • b. Use an ellipsis to show an omission.
  • c. Spell correctly.
• L.8.3 Apply what is known about language and its rules in writing, speaking, reading and listening.
  • a. Use active and passive voice and conditional and subjunctive mood for effect (e.g. to stress the actor or express uncertainty).
• L.8.4 Work out unknown and multiple-meaning words using a range of strategies.
  • a. Use word parts, context and prior knowledge as clues to what a word or phrase means.
  • b. Use familiar Greek and Latin word parts (roots, prefixes, suffixes) as meaning clues.
  • c. Use print and digital reference materials to find pronunciation, part of speech and precise meaning.
  • d. Check a first guess at a word's meaning.
• L.8.5 Understand figurative language, how words relate and fine shades of meaning.
  • a. Interpret figures of speech such as verbal irony, puns and mixed metaphors in context.
  • b. Use relationships between words, such as synonyms, antonyms and analogies, to understand each word better.
  • c. Tell apart words with similar meanings but different connotations, e.g. bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute.
• L.8.6 Learn and accurately use general academic and subject-specific vocabulary suited to the grade.