8th Grade - Gateway 1

The materials for Grade 8 partially meet the expectations of indicator 1f. Over the course of the school year, students are offered opportunities to read a range and volume of texts including long literary essays, brief excerpts, short informational biographies to longer documentaries, drama and poetry. Rich texts are offered in the student edition and the Close Reader that cover and may extend reading experiences beyond the school year. However, the year long instructional materials do not provide explicit and systematic practice in both oral and silent reading across chapters/units and the whole school year. Materials do not include a mechanism for teachers and/or students to monitor progress toward comprehension of grade level texts by the end of the school year. There are limited opportunities for teachers to identify where students struggle and support those who may not comprehend the texts being studied.

There are general opportunities for students to engage in silent reading but it is rarely explicitly stated in the instructional materials. In the Student Edition, students are directed to reread lines from the text, supporting silent reading. Before each piece, the teacher is instructed to “Have the students read the background information.” When looking at the Close Reader, one could choose to have students read the pieces independently. There are directions before each piece that suggest pieces could be read independently; however, there are discussion questions throughout the Teacher Edition for these texts, which makes the reading appear to be led by the teacher and not independent.

There are limited and inconsistent opportunities for oral reading in the materials, often with limited instructional support. Some examples of oral reading opportunities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• From Collection 1: “The Powwow at the End of the World” -- question 6, “Explain your choice. Then read part of the poem aloud to express the tone.”
• Collection 3: “from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” includes direction in the Teacher’s Edition under “When Students Struggle:” “Listening to fluently read text and being able to read fluently themselves will help students comprehend the long and fairly complex sentences in Douglass’s text. Project on a whiteboard lines 93-100, in which Douglass explains the impact Sheridan’s book had on him.... Then have students turn to a partner and reread the same lines aloud as you listen, and monitor. Have students take turns partner-reading lines 100-107. Monitor their pacing, intonation, and expression.”From Collection 5: Speaking and Listening: “With a small group, choose a section from the play in which the dialogue provokes a character to make a decision. Consider how each character would sound. Rehearse the lines. Then stage a dramatic reading of the section that communicates clearly the characters thoughts and feelings” (page 354).

The instructional materials for Grade 8 partially meet the expectations of indicator 1h. The culminating tasks are always performance tasks which incorporate reading, writing, and speaking. Students draw on their reading and analysis of the collection's selections as well as additional research and the close reading skills gathered while working through each collection. The questions also direct students back to elements of the texts and expand upon them. In each collection, the introduction page tells students what their end performance task(s) will be. The disconnect is in the number of these culminating task where students are using the writing process to complete the task. There is no support in the anthology for student writing. To complete a performance task, students draw on their reading and analysis of the collection's selections as well as additional research. However, the skills identified in the "analyzing the text" section after each piece support students in close reading skills, but do not fully support students performance on the culminating performance task which is most often a writing project.

Throughout 8th grade, the students will complete the following performance tasks:

• Deliver a persuasive speech
• Write three literary analysis essays
• Create a visual presentation
• Produce a multimedia campaign
• Write an expository essay
• Write a short story
• Write an argument

To complete a performance task, students draw on their reading and analysis of the Collection's selections as well as additional research. However, the skills identified in the "analyzing the text" section after each piece do not necessarily lead to the culminating performance task of a writing project.

The following is a breakdown of how each collection connects the performance tasks to the texts:

Collection 1

• Performance task A is to write an expository essay in which the students will have to conduct research in order to write an expository essay on the best ways for people from other countries to adjust to living in the United States. The elements discussed during and after each informational piece are determining central idea and details, using a glossary, citing evidence, and analyzing nonfiction elements. These support Performance Task A as they are elements of a research expository essay.
• Performance task B asks students to write a personal narrative, and the prompt specifically mentions the anchor texts from the collection: “Like the characters in ‘My Favorite Chaperone’ and The Latehomecomer, many people struggle to adjust to new situations or to fit in with different groups. Think about a time when you faced that type of challenge. Using the excerpt from The Latehomecomer as a model, write a personal narrative about your own experience.” The elements covered during the reading of the memoir are analyzing the meaning of words and phrases (imagery and figurative language) and understanding what is included in a memoir. This supports Performance Task B, as students are specifically told to “Brainstorm Images” and include imagery.

Collection 2

• Performance task A is to deliver a persuasive speech on whether or not “ . . . a classic of the horror genre, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart,’ is appropriate for your age group to read” (page 133). The elements discussed during and after the informational piece,“Scary Tales,” are determining the author’s viewpoint and analyzing the meanings of words and phrases (more specifically style). Within the teaching of these two elements, counterarguments, opinions, details, reasons, word choice, imagery, syntax and figurative language are discussed. These will assist the students in completing performance task A; however, there is no model persuasive speech in this collection to which the students can refer.
• Performance task B has students write a literary analysis essay that focuses on “ . . .setting, events, and details that make the work both believable and entertaining” (page, 137). Students need to refer to the “ . . .criteria for horror explained in ‘What is the Horror Genre?’ by Sharon A. Russell to support [their] analysis” (page , 137). The elements discussed during and after the reading of the model literary analysis essay in the collection, “What is the Horror Genre,” are analyzing text - literary criticism and summarizing text. These skills support performance task B.

Collection 3:

• Performance task A is to create a visual presentation that “ . . . will highlight the work of four or more abolitionists . . . [by] combining text with a poster or multimedia, [students] will create a visual presentation that gives viewers access to the words and deeds that made these heroes worth celebrating” (page 203). There are no model visual presentations in this collections, and the elements discussed during and after the reading of the informational pieces are analyzing text - autobiography, using context clues, analyzing structure - author’s craft, analyzing text - biography, and analyzing structure - compare and contrast. None of these elements will help students in completing this performance task.
• Performance task B is to write a literary analysis essay in which they “ . . . offer an interpretation of the story’s [The Drummer Boy of Shiloh] symbolism” (page 207). There is not a model literary analysis essay in this collection, but this is the second literary analysis essay students will have completed. The elements discussed during and after the reading of “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” are analyzing stories - historical fiction and determining the meaning of words and phrases. More specifically, students focus on setting, mood, imagery, symbol and allusion. The symbol is addressed in two specific questions in the teacher’s edition on pages 170 and 172. The teacher focusing on the symbol in the story will help the students complete this performance task.

Collection 4

• Performance task B asks students to create a multimedia campaign to present their response to the question, “When do kids become adults?”. The campaign will “ . . . include an editorial along with messages in one or two other mediums” (page 273). The model pieces for this assignment is “When Do Kids Become Adults,” which are arguments from “Room for Debate” in the New York Times, and “Persuading Viewers through Ads,” which looks at public service announcements. Students will also pull content from the articles that discuss teen driving. The elements discussed during and after the reading/viewing of the arguments and public service announcements are tracing and evaluating an argument, and analyzing ideas in media. More specifically, for “When Do Kids Become Adults,” students are asked to identify the claim, evidence, and counterarguments; then they need to evaluate whether the evidence is relevant and if opposing views were addressed. For the public service announcements, students will look at the target audience, purpose, persuasive techniques, visual elements, sound elements and evaluate which techniques are more appealing. Students will use these skills to help them complete performance task B.

Collection 5:

• The one performance task for this collection asks students to write an expository essay “. . . about the living conditions in the Annex, using details from The Diary of Anne Frank, other texts in the collection and additional research” (page 389). There is not a model expository essay in this collection. The elements discussed during and after the reading of The Diary of Anne Frank are analyzing drama, characters and language. When analyzing drama, students are looking at stage directions, dialogue, structure (acts and scenes). For characters, students are inferring character traits and motivations based on actions. For language, students are discussing hyperbole, denotation vs. connotation, idioms,puns, analogies, irony, similes, metaphors, situational irony, and dramatic irony. Setting is discussed briefly while reading the play, but students will have to go back and look for specific examples to complete this task; also, there is no model essay or discussion of the format of an expository essay during this collection, so teachers will have to supplement material.

Collection 6

• Performance task A is for students to write a “ . . . .realistic short story about a character who is working at an enjoyable job, or who has found a way to avoid doing work” (HMH 8th Grade, Collection 6, 437). There is a model short story in the Close Reader, and the selection from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer can also be used as a model. The elements discussed during and after the reading of the model pieces are analyzing point of view and determining the meaning of words and phrases. For point of view, students look at the narrator and whether the story is first or third person; they also discuss how an omniscient narrator can create dramatic irony. For words and phrases, the students look at the style and how word choice, sentence structure, imagery, and tone all contribute to the style. Students have studied the format of the short story in previous collections, so that is familiar to them. The elements specifically discussed with the short stories in Collection 5 will not necessarily help them in writing their own short story, although it is connected through content.
• Performance task B is to write an argument “ . . . that justifies your views about whether it is important for teenagers to gain work experience during their school years. You will use evidence from the texts in the collection to support your position” (page, 441). There are two argument essays modeled in this collection, “Teens Need Jobs, Not Just Cash” and “Teens at Work.” The skill discussed during and after the reading of these texts is delineating and evaluating an argument. Specifically, students need to identify the claim, support, and counterarguments and evaluate the reasons and evidence given. These skills will help them complete the performance task B.

The instructional materials for Grade 8 partially meet the requirements of indicator i. The materials provide some opportunities for evidence-based discussions and some use of modeling and incorporation of academic vocabulary and syntax, although implementation in the classroom is not explicitly supported with guidance for misunderstandings nor with accountability.

The materials support the use and practice with academic vocabulary, providing frequent and repeated exposure to a limited list of 8th grade appropriate words (multiple words per collection); there is encouraged use of these words in each of the Collaborative Discussions and performance tasks (a sidebar next to the “Plan” section) throughout each collection. The teacher is prompted to pronounce each word aloud so students can hear the correct pronunciation. Practice with these words in context is limited. Protocols to engage students in developing their speaking and listening are minimally provided to support this work. There is minimal support for students who misunderstand the use of vocabulary and syntax.

Below are example of evidence-based discussion opportunities in some Collections. They are sample representations of the materials as a whole:

Collection 1: The introduction to each Collection provides a discussion point focused on vocabulary. For example, page 91 of the 8th grade Teachers Edition states, "... as you discuss the story, incorporate academic vocabulary predict and psychology, crevice and stifle." These words will be related to the stories about to be read and studied. Academic vocabulary in the planning phase does emphasize the need for frequent use of these words through discussion, including having the teacher pronounce the words. However, once engaging with the story, there is no further direction nor support for any student misunderstanding.

Collection 2: There are instructions for the class that include speaking and listening about vocabulary and syntax, but there is minimal support to complete the tasks in class. Students and teachers are reminded to incorporate words into their speaking, but what that should look and sound like is not clear, and specific emphasis on understanding how vocabulary words connect and grow knowledge is not articulated.

• With the first story "The Tell-Tale -Heart," students are asked to explain how critical vocabulary incorporates with the context of the story. Critical vocabulary discussion points include: conceive, vex, stifle, crevice, audacity, vehemently, derision, and hypocritical. Suggested responses and guidance is not included.
• Teachers are provided the following guidance to share with students: "As you discuss the story, incorporate the following...academic vocabulary words: predict and psychology." and for a later text, "As you discuss the story, incorporate the following...academic vocabulary words: predict, conventions, technique ." No further support is included. Protocols for speaking and listening are not provided.

Collection 3:

• pg. 149 - Students engage in an informal discussion about Frederick Douglass's word choice with the instructions to "support...with evidence from the text." No protocols for speaking and listening are provided.
• Pg. 200 - Students work with partners to discuss the poem “Oh Captain! My Captain!” considering language and word choice, structure, and content. Little guidance and suggested responses for what this discussion should be is present. No protocols for speaking and listening are provided.

The instructional materials for Grade 8 partially meet the expectations for indicator 1j. Speaking and listening work assigned requires students to marshal evidence from texts and sources, but support is minimal at times and there are few directions for implementation in the classroom.

The sections and lessons supporting speaking and language standards are present, but lacking directions and support for implementation in the classroom. While some speaking opportunities provide guidance and specific guidance, most are bulleted or listed direction with little to no guidance for how to complete the assignment. Listening components within assignments provided in the Student and Teacher Edition are vague and are missing support and instruction. Direct connections that emphasize using evidence from texts to complete the speaking and listening tasks is minimally applied.

Each Collection begins with a "Connecting Word and Image" discussion which helps set the theme of the activities in which students will be involved. Often, in the culminating performance tasks at the end of each collection, students are directed to either “present [their] essay as a speech to the class” or “post [their] essay as a blog.”

Some speaking and listening components within assignments provided in the student and teacher edition include the following representative examples. In some cases, instruction on classroom implementation is minimal or absent, and in others, there is minimal connection to the texts being studied.

In Collection 1, a performance task has students to create videos of their own personal stories. Directions and extra support are not present. Explicit connections between this task and the texts studied in Collection 1 are minimally underscored, and there is little support for the teacher to help students who have misunderstandings.

Collection 4

• The performance task on page 174 has students marshal evidence on the Battle of Shiloh, but does not give guidance on how to deliver a speech. There is minimal evidence or modeling to show what kind of evidence will be most effective, and there is minimal guidance about delivering the speech itself.
• A final speech is presented to students on pg 202 which has students work in small groups to present a choral reading of "O Captain! My Captain!" In addition, the Collaborative Discussion on page 150a of the teacher's guide specifically walks students through what an effective discussion looks like; it goes beyond the turn and talk method. One performance task within the collection is a debate which provides a bulleted list for students to gather evidence and practice.

Collection 5

• Students work in groups to prepare a deliver a skit as a performance. There is no direction for how to speak in a performance, nor is there explicit connection to the texts studied in the Collection.
• A performance task where students give an oral presentation based on a visual for the Holocaust does have support for analyzing elements of a speech and persuasive techniques. There is minimal guidance on how to ensure evidence is used effectively in the speech.

Some speaking and listening opportunities do provide instruction and support (rubrics and extra guidance) for students to practice skills, although the connections to evidence in text is not consistently emphasized. Some examples of this include the following:

Collection 3

• Students participate in a speaking debate accompanied by bulleted directions for viewpoint, evidence, counterarguments and practice. Pg 104a in the Teacher's Guide gives specifics for conducting a debate. There is also and a speaking activity performance task discussion on pg 130 of the teacher's guide. The directions, pages 133-135, provide students with guidance on how to organize ideas, write a draft, revise and practice the speech, and finally present.

Collection 6

• There are two performance tasks within the collection: a presentation on page 416 and an oral report on page 425. The oral report provides additional guidance on page 426a in "maintaining eye contact while speaking clearly with adequate volume." Performance Task B is to write an argument. one of the final options is to choose to present it in an oral report or debate with someone who has taken an apposing position. pg 443.

The instructional materials for Grade 8 partially meet the expectations for indicator 1k. Materials include a mix of both on-demand and process writing; however, there is not enough to cover a year’s worth of instruction. The on-demand is only found in the Performance Assessment booklet. Although the longer writing pieces contain the instruction to have students revise and/or edit, the shorter writing pieces do not. The longer writing pieces contain rubrics, but the shorter pieces do not.

On-Demand

Productive writing is found in the “Performance Assessment” booklet, which is consumable. The tasks in this book are step by step culminating projects where students read multiple sources on the same topics, review models and respond by writing one of each over the span of the year: argumentative, informative or literary analysis essay.

The on-demand portion of the book is found in Unit 4: Mixed Practice. These are research simulations. Students write an argumentative, informative and literary analysis essay in a timed situation. The directions before each say, “There are two parts to most formal writing tests. Both parts of the tests are timed, so it’s important to use your limited time wisely” (HMH Collections Performance Assessment 8th).

Process Writing

Process writing occurs in both the textbook and the Performance Assessment booklet. The shorter writing pieces are found after each text in the main textbook in the “Performance Task” box. The longer writing pieces are found at the end of each collection in the textbook and in the Performance Assessment booklet.

The shorter writing pieces have very little direction for the students and/or teacher. There are few rubrics, graphic organizers or other supplemental material to help the teacher guide the student through the multiple processes of writing.

Below is an example of directions for a small process writing from page 402:

• Write an analysis that explains how the theme - the lesson or message - of this selection is developed through the character of Tom Sawyer.
  • Work with a partner to create a character chart for Tom. In the left column, list his qualities. In the right column, list the passages from the text that demonstrate each quality.
  • Next, determine the theme of the selection, drawing on the narrator’s description of the lesson Tom learns.
  • When you are ready, begin your analysis by stating the theme. Then, describe how the theme is developed in relation to Tom’s thoughts, feelings, speech, and actions.

Extended writing pieces occur at the end of the collection and provide about four pages of directions for the student, one of which is the rubric. The directions for writing are broken down into four steps: plan, produce, revise and present. Each step takes up approximately half of a page of the student edition; the plan step is the exception as those directions usually cover an entire page. The teacher’s edition has a small paragraph for each step that has the teacher remind or explain something to the student about that step in the process. Below is an example from Collection 4, page 269-271.

• Plan:
  • Analyze the Story: Reread “Marigolds” to review the lesson or theme that stands out for you.
  • Take notes about evidence from the text that reveals the story’s theme. List some ways that the story’s theme connects to modern trends or to the experiences of modern teens
  • Consider Your Purpose and Audience - Think about who will read or listen to your analysis and what you want them to understand. Keep this in mind as you prepare to write.
  • Develop and draft your central idea.
  • Decide what theme you will discuss, and identify evidence from the story that reveals the theme and supports your thoughts.
  • Create a graphic organizer like this one to help you plan your writing (there is a visual of a graphic organizer below this).
• Produce:
  
  • Write Your Literary Analysis - Review your notes and the information in your chart as you being your draft. [There are four bullets beneath this give students further instruction on what to include in the draft]
• Revise:
  
  • Review Your Draft - Use the chart on the following page [rubric] to evaluate your draft. Work with a partner to determine if you have explained your ideas clearly. [There are four bullets below this for things to consider as students are editing]
• Present:
  • Create a Finished Copy - Finalize your analysis and choose a way to share it with your audience. [There are three bullets under this for students to consider]

Extended process writing is also found in the Performance Assessment booklet in Units 1, 2, and 3. Directions for the writing in this booklet walks the students through a close reading of two texts. After reading, step one has the students answer multiple choice questions that will help them in writing the essay. In step two, students answer “Prose Constructed-Response” questions to get them thinking about the topic. Step three includes a graphic organizer to help the students finalize their plan for their essay. Step four is a bulleted list for students to think about while they draft their essay. Step five is a revision checklist so students can self-evaluate their writing. Step six is a revision checklist for a peer to edit their paper. The last step is for students to turn in the final draft of their essay.

The instructional materials for Grade 8 partially meet the expectations of indicator 1n. Materials include some explicit instruction of grammar and convention standards, however, this instruction is not provided in a sequence of increasingly sophisticated contexts over the course of the year. There are opportunities for students to demonstrate some application of skills in context, but they are infrequent.

While there are pages dedicated to the grammar standards for this grade level, and definitions/examples are provided along with practice sentences, the Student Edition does not provide explicit instruction on how to execute the skill. After each piece in the Collection, there is a “Critical Vocabulary, Vocabulary Strategy, and Language Conventions” section. The skills practiced go along with the piece that students just read. While these sections use sentences from the selection as examples, this language practice is still done out of context.

The textbook does contain instruction for the language skills identified in the Common Core State Standards for ELA Language Standards Grade 8; however, the guidance for instruction is minimal. There are times when the grammar is taught in context, but the connection is weak. The skills taught out of context are also glossed over in a very general way.

Grammar and convention instruction is not provided in a sequence of increasingly sophisticated contexts over the course of the year.

The following are the list of language and style skills covered in all of the collections:

• Collection 1: Imperative Mood; Participles; Active and Passive Voice
• Collection 2: Using Dashes; Subject-Verb Agreement; Subjunctive Mood; Commas
• Collection 3: Conditional Mood; Indicative Mood; Gerunds
• Collection 4: Infinitives; Words Ending in y; Shifts in Voice and Mood
• Collection 5: Use Ellipses
• Collection 6: Interrogative Mood; Semicolons and Run-ons

These skills match the skills listed in the Common Core State Standards for Language Grade 8 under L1, L2, and L3.

Representative examples of how the materials instruct in grammar and conventions include (but are not limited to) the following:

Collection 1 - pg.40 – “Language Conventions: Participles” paired with “Bonne Annee” -

• A definition of what students are working on is included - “A verb usually shows action. A verbal is a word that is formed from a verb but is used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. A participle is one kind of verbal. A participle is a verb form that is used as an adjective, which modifies a noun. Writers use participles to help create vivid descriptions.”
• Then there are four examples, one each for present participle, past participle, participle before the noun, and participle after the noun
• Then students are given five sentences in the Practice and Apply section: “Read these sentences from ‘Bonne Annee.’ Identify each participle and the noun that it modifies.
  • The view from beneath the bridge is somewhat different: reluctant refugees with an aching love of their forsaken homeland.
  • Despite the searing example of my elders, I am not even sure what it means to love a country.
  • The Haitian sun has made the cross-Atlantic journey to shine on her dispossessed children.
  • It meets a response, “I-TA-LIA,” twice as loud but destined to be replaced by an even louder HA-I-TI, followed by IT-A-LIA and again HA-I-TI in a spiraling crescendo.
  • At the same time, the unheralded Haitian defenders have held.

Collection 2 - pg. 132- “Language Conventions: Using Commas” paired with “What is the Horror Genre?”

• An explanation of what students are working on is included - “A writer’s use of punctuation not only helps readers understand the writer’s message, but also signals how the writer wants the text to be read. In your writing, you can use commas to signal a break or a pause to the reader.” The explanation goes on for three more sentences.
• Then there are two example sentences from the “What is the Horror Genre?”: “Look at these examples from ‘What is the Horror Genre?’ ‘So, she does end up dead in the basement, a victim of the vampire . . . Read the two sentences out loud, noticing where you pause.” The explanation continues for four more sentences.
• After that examples, there is a chart with examples of why a comma is used.
• Then, there are five practice sentences in the Practice and Apply section. These sentences are not from the story - “Rewrite the sentences, inserting the needed punctuation. If you get stuck, try reading the sentence out loud.”
  • Yes I absolutely love horror stories.
  • You know of course that the main purpose of horror stories is to inspire fear and dread.
  • If Frankenstein is frightening he is also sympathetic.
  • The long movie was terrifying so much so that several times I just closed my eyes and blocked my eyes.
  • Writing a horror story a big dream of mine will take a lot of thought and hard work.