8th Grade ELA (Maine Learning Results)

Language 1: Grammar and usage

• L1.6-8.1 Put pronouns in the correct case: subject, object or possessive.
• L1.6-8.2 Use intensive pronouns such as myself and ourselves for emphasis.
• L1.6-8.3 Spot and fix unwanted changes in pronoun number and person.
• L1.6-8.4 Spot and fix pronouns whose antecedent is unclear.
• L1.6-8.5 Notice nonstandard English in their own and others' work and use strategies to express ideas conventionally.
• L1.6-8.6 Explain what phrases and clauses do, in general and within given sentences.
• L1.6-8.7 Pick a sentence type (simple to compound-complex) that shows how ideas connect.
• L1.6-8.8 Place phrases and clauses well and fix misplaced or dangling modifiers.
• L1.6-8.9 Explain what gerunds, participles and infinitives do, in general and in given sentences.
• L1.6-8.10 Form and use verbs in active and passive voice.
• L1.6-8.11 Form and use the different verb moods, including conditional and subjunctive.
• L1.6-8.12 Spot and fix unwanted changes of verb voice and mood.

Language 2: Capitalization, punctuation and spelling

• L2.6-8.1 Spell correctly.
• L2.6-8.2 Set off nonrestrictive or parenthetical elements with commas, parentheses or dashes.
• L2.6-8.3 Put commas between coordinate adjectives.
• L2.6-8.4 Show a pause or break with a comma, ellipsis or dash.
• L2.6-8.5 Use an ellipsis to show that words have been left out.

Language 3: Using knowledge of language

• L3.6-8.1 Vary sentence patterns to add meaning, interest and style.
• L3.6-8.2 Keep style and tone consistent.
• L3.6-8.3 Choose precise, concise language and cut wordiness and repetition.
• L3.6-8.4 Use active or passive voice and conditional or subjunctive mood for deliberate effects.

Language 4: Working out word meanings

• L4.6-8.1 Use context, such as overall sentence meaning or a word's role, as a clue to meaning.
• L4.6-8.2 Use grade-level Greek or Latin roots and affixes as clues, with examples set for grades 6, 7 and 8.
• L4.6-8.3 Use general and specialist references to find a word's pronunciation, exact meaning or part of speech.
• L4.6-8.4 Check a guessed meaning against context or a dictionary.

Language 5: Figurative language and word relationships

• L5.6-8.1 Interpret figures of speech in context, such as personification, allusion, verbal irony and puns.
• L5.6-8.2 Use word relationships such as cause/effect, part/whole, synonym/antonym and analogy to understand words.
• L5.6-8.3 Tell apart the connotations of words with similar dictionary meanings, such as thrifty and stingy.

Language 6: Academic and subject vocabulary

• L6.6-8.1 Learn and use grade-level academic and subject words and build vocabulary when a word is key to meaning.

Speaking and Listening 1: Collaborative discussion

• SL1.6-8.1 Join varied discussions of middle school topics, texts and issues, adding to others' ideas and stating their own.
• SL1.6-8.2 Come prepared from reading or research and use evidence to probe and reflect on ideas.
• SL1.6-8.3 Follow rules for collegial discussion, track goals and deadlines and set roles as needed.
• SL1.6-8.4 Ask questions that draw out more detail, link several speakers' ideas and answer with evidence.
• SL1.6-8.5 Paraphrase and reflect on several viewpoints, and adjust or defend their own views based on evidence.

Speaking and Listening 2: Understanding and judging what is presented

• SL2.6-8.1 Interpret media information, analyzing its main ideas, details and purpose.
• SL2.6-8.2 Explain how a presentation adds to a topic and evaluate the social, commercial or political motives behind it.
• SL2.6-8.3 Trace a speaker's argument and claims, judge the reasoning and evidence and spot irrelevant evidence.

Speaking and Listening 3: Presenting information and evidence

• SL3.6-8.1 Present claims and findings in a focused, logical order with relevant evidence, sound reasoning and good details.
• SL3.6-8.2 Make eye contact, speak loudly enough and pronounce words clearly.
• SL3.6-8.3 Add multimedia and visuals where useful to clarify information, support claims and add interest.

Speaking and Listening 4: Adapting speech

• SL4.6-8.1 Adapt speech to different contexts using a suitable register (see grades 6–8 Language 1 and 3).

Reading 4: Close reading and textual evidence

• R4.6-8.1 Cite several strong pieces of evidence for an analysis of what a text states and implies.

Reading 5: Summary, themes and central ideas

• R5.6-8.1 Write or give an accurate summary of a range of texts.
• R5.6-8.2 Identify themes or central ideas and analyze how they develop and connect to supporting details.

Reading 6: How characters, events and ideas develop

• R6.6-8.1 Analyze closely how an author develops characters, events, ideas or techniques that interact across a text or texts.

Reading 7: Word meanings in texts

• R7.6-8.1 Work out figurative, connotative and technical meanings and analyze how word choice shapes meaning and tone.

Reading 8: Text structure and features

• R8.6-8.1 Analyze how a text's features and structure develop ideas and serve the author's purpose.

Reading 9: Perspective and purpose

• R9.6-8.1 Analyze how and why authors from varied backgrounds use perspective for a purpose or audience.

Reading 10: Arguments and claims

• R10.6-8.1 Distinguish facts, opinions, evidence, reasoning and qualifiers within a text.
• R10.6-8.2 Evaluate how effectively an author or character builds an argument.
• R10.6-8.3 Judge whether an argument's reasoning is valid and its evidence relevant and sufficient.

Reading 11: Integrating texts, forms and media

• R11.6-8.1 Analyze how authors present a theme or topic with different emphases and interpretations.
• R11.6-8.2 Evaluate the pros and cons of an author's choice of form or text type.

Reading 12: Fluency

• R12.6-8.1 Read accurately and fluently enough to understand.
• R12.6-8.2 Read a range of grade-level texts with purpose and understanding.
• R12.6-8.3 Use context to check or correct word reading.

Writing 1: Inquiry and research

• W1.6-8.1 Pursue their own questions through inquiry that deepens knowledge, changing focus when needed.
• W1.6-8.2 Judge the credibility and accuracy of sources to gather information that supports conclusions.
• W1.6-8.3 Take organized notes that quote, summarize or paraphrase sources without plagiarizing.
• W1.6-8.4 Use a standard citation format, in text and in a source list, suited to task and audience.

Writing 2: Process, production and technology

• W2.6-8.1 With some help, improve writing through planning, revising, editing and reflection, focusing on purpose and audience.
• W2.6-8.2 Use technology to write and to work with others.
• W2.6-8.3 Keep up keyboarding skills that allow longer pieces of writing.

Writing 3: Composing for audience and purpose

• W3.6-8.1 Write clear, more complex pieces with sections organized for task, audience and purpose.
• W3.6-8.2 Develop and support the topic using relevant techniques and logically ordered details.
• W3.6-8.3 Use varied transitions to link ideas and make relationships clear.
• W3.6-8.4 Use increasingly complex, precise language to set a suitable voice and tone.
• W3.6-8.5 End with a closing that follows from and reflects the purpose of the piece.