8th Grade ELA (New York Next Generation)

Reading (Literary and Informational)

• 8R1 (RI&RL) Cite strong evidence to support analysis of what a text says directly and implies, drawing sensible inferences.
• 8R2 (RI&RL) Find one or more themes or central ideas, analyze how they develop and summarize the text.
• 8R3 (RL) Analyze how key lines of dialogue or events push the action, reveal character or lead to a decision.
• 8R3 (RI) Analyze how people, events and ideas are introduced, linked and developed in an informational text.
• 8R4 (RI&RL) Work out figurative, connotative and multiple meanings and analyze how word choice shapes tone and mood.
• 8R5 (RI&RL) Compare the structures of several texts and how each structure shapes meaning, style, theme or central idea.
• 8R6 (RL) Analyze how differences in viewpoint between characters, audience or reader create effects such as mood and tone.
• 8R6 (RI) Analyze how an author deals with conflicting evidence or opposing views.
• 8R7 (RI&RL) Weigh the pros and cons of different media for a subject and judge how faithfully a production follows the text.
• 8R8 (RI&RL) Trace and evaluate an argument, judging how valid the reasoning is and whether evidence is relevant and enough.
• 8R9 (RI&RL) Develop criteria to judge text quality and link texts to other ideas, cultures, eras and their own experience.

Writing

• 8W1 Write arguments that back claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
• 8W1a State precise claims, set them apart from counterclaims and organize reasons and evidence logically.
• 8W1b Back claims with logical reasoning and relevant evidence from credible sources, showing understanding of the topic.
• 8W1c Argue with precise language and subject vocabulary.
• 8W1d Use varied linking words to connect ideas and show how they relate.
• 8W1e End with a conclusion explaining why the argument matters.
• 8W1f Keep a style and tone that suit the task.
• 8W2 Write informative texts that examine a topic through chosen, organized and analyzed content.
• 8W2a Introduce the topic clearly with a preview and organize by definition, classification, comparison or cause and effect.
• 8W2b Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, details, quotations or examples, adding formatting, graphics or media when useful.
• 8W2c Explain the topic with precise language and subject vocabulary.
• 8W2d Use suitable, varied linking words to connect ideas and show how they relate.
• 8W2e End by explaining why the information matters.
• 8W2f Set and keep a style that suits the task.
• 8W3 Write real or imagined narratives with strong technique, relevant detail and clear order.
• 8W3a Draw readers in by setting a point of view and introducing a narrator or characters.
• 8W3b Bring experiences, events or characters to life with dialogue, pacing, description and reflection.
• 8W3c Use varied linking words to show order, changes of time or place and how events relate.
• 8W3d Use exact words, relevant details and sensory language to capture action and convey events.
• 8W3e Finish with an ending that grows out of the experience, or its resolution, and reflects on it.
• 8W4 Respond creatively to a text, author, theme or experience and explain any changes made to the original when suitable.
• 8W5 Use evidence from literature and informational texts as support for analysis, reflection and research, applying the grade 8 Reading standards.
• 8W6 Research questions, including their own, using several sources, refocusing and raising related questions.
• 8W7 Gather information from several sources, judge credibility and accuracy, quote or paraphrase, avoid plagiarism and cite in a standard format.

Speaking and Listening

• 8SL1 Take part well in group discussions with varied partners, stating ideas clearly and persuasively and building on others' ideas.
• 8SL1a Come ready after studying or researching the material, citing evidence to probe and reflect on ideas.
• 8SL1b Follow discussion and decision-making norms, track progress on goals and deadlines and define roles as needed.
• 8SL1c Ask questions that connect several speakers' ideas and reply with relevant evidence, observations and ideas.
• 8SL1d Recognize new information from others and, when justified, qualify or defend their views with evidence.
• 8SL2 Analyze why information is presented in visual, numerical or spoken formats and evaluate the motives behind it.
• 8SL3 Set out a speaker's argument and claims, judge reasoning and evidence and spot irrelevant evidence.
• 8SL4 Present claims and findings in a focused, connected way with relevant evidence, sound reasoning, eye contact, good volume and clear speech.
• 8SL5 Blend digital media or visuals into presentations so information is clearer, claims stronger and the audience engaged.
• 8SL6 Adapt speech to different settings and tasks, using formal English when called for.

Language

• 8L3 Apply what they know about how English works whenever they write, speak, read or listen.
• 8L3a Use active and passive voice and conditional and subjunctive mood for particular effects.
• 8L4 Use a range of strategies flexibly to work out unknown and multiple-meaning words.
• 8L4a Use context, such as the meaning of the sentence or paragraph or a word's position or role, as a clue.
• 8L4b Use Greek or Latin roots and affixes suited to grade 8 to infer meanings.
• 8L4c Use general and specialist references to check pronunciation, exact meaning or part of speech.
• 8L4d Check a first guess at a word's meaning in context or in a dictionary.
• 8L5 Understand figurative language, word relationships and shades of meaning.
• 8L5a Interpret figures of speech, including irony and puns, in context.
• 8L5b Use the relationship between particular words to understand each one better.
• 8L5c Tell apart the associations (connotations) of words with similar dictionary meanings.
• 8L6 Learn and use correctly general academic and subject words, using them when important for understanding or expression.