8th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for Indicator 1a.

The Grade 8 materials include anchor texts that are of publishable quality, consider a range of student interests, and are engaging to students because they are well-crafted and rich in content. At the heart of the program is the use of the anchor texts to engage and motivate students to increase time in text and enhance literacy skills. Anchor texts contain classic archetypal structures, frame-tale narrative, and argument-based prose. Students are likely to relate to characters and topics in the anchor texts. Anchor texts appeal to a range of student interests, such as Latin American folklore, food and health, surviving the Holocaust, and internment camps.

Examples of anchor texts include:

• In Module 1, students read Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall.  The text contains a quest by five sisters in which they encounter characters from Latin American folklore in a retelling of The Odyssey.  The adventurous and mythical story is complex due to its strong use of symbolism and layered meaning, varied structure, figurative language, and aphorisms in Spanish. 

• In Module 2, students read the Young Reader’s Edition of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.  The text is an exploration of food production, and the impact of food choices on health and society. It is an adaptation for younger readers but examines complex topics and includes domain-specific vocabulary and scientific terms.

• In Module 3, students read Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman. The text is a Pulitizer Prize-winning graphic novel about the author’s father’s experience during the Holocaust.

• In Module 4, students read Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Huston and James D. Houston. The memoir contains the author’s memories of being incarcerated in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during WWII. It is told through young Jeanne Wakatsuki’s eyes and examines the many connections that are reflected in the complex text.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for Indicator 1b.

The Grade 8 materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards. The texts provided reflect a variety of different genres including a folktale, long-form argument, poetry, graphic novel, memoir, and informational article. Memoir was heavily represented in Modules 3 and 4, while historical documents, drama, and speeches were not represented. Over the course of the year, the materials reflect approximately 70/30 balance of informational to literary text with an emphasis on literary nonfiction. There is a consideration for student interest in a range of genres.

Examples of text types and genres include:

• In Module 1, students read the following genres: adventure fiction novel, Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall; legend, “La Llorona” by Joe Hayes; and bibliography of tales, “The Latin American Story Finder” by S.B. Elswit.

• In Module 2, students read the following genres: nonfiction selection, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan; several accompanying informational texts, “Is Eating Healthy Really More Expensive?” by Margaret Marshall, “To GMO or not to GMO?” by George Erdosh, and Marcia Armidon, and “Sticking Up for Coke, Sort Of” by Froma Harrop.

• In Module 3, students read the following genres: graphic novel, Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman; informational texts, “The Holocaust: An Introductory History” from the Jewish Virtual Library; and memoirs, “The Creed of a Holocaust Survivor” by Alexander Kimel, excerpts from Abe’s Story: A Holocaust Memoir by Abram and Joseph Korn, and excerpts from Night by Ellie Wiesel.

• In Module 4, students read the following genres: nonfiction selection, Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston; informational texts, “Japanese Relocation During World War II” by the National Archives, “The Simplest Lesson of Internment” by the Los Angeles Times; and letters and memoirs, “In Response to Executive Order 9066” by Dwight Okita, “Letter from Louise Ogawa” from the Japanese American Museum, and “Life in the Camp” by Norman Mineta. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for Indicator 1c. 

The Grade 8 materials include texts that have the appropriate level of complexity according to documented quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task. Each text is accompanied by thorough documentation and rationale for its inclusion. The analysis and rationale contain accurate information. While some of the anchor texts fall below the recommended range for Grade 8, qualitative measures such as meaning, text structure, language features, knowledge demands, and the associated tasks provide for a purposeful placement in the grade level.

Examples of text complexity and rationale include:

• In Module 1, students read the anchor text, Summer of Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall. The text falls below grade level according to quantitative measures (840L), but the qualitative measures of meaning, structure, language, and knowledge demands increase the complexity. Qualitative measures include complex themes, such as redemption, multiple layers of meaning and symbolism. Knowledge demands are very complex. Spanish words, aphorisms, and allusions to Mexican folklore and mythology can impact understanding of the text. Associated tasks include writing an informational essay comparing the original depiction of a monster from Latin American folklore with a modernized depiction.The text is placed at the beginning of the school year and strong systems of support are in place to encourage student success with reading the text and completing its associated tasks.

• In Module 2, students read the anchor text, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollen. The text falls below grade level according to quantitative measures (930L), but the qualitative measures of meaning, structure, language, and knowledge demands increase the complexity. The format of long-form argument is likely unfamiliar to students, but features like graphics, pictures, tables and charts help students make meaning. Students use the text to analyze and evaluate point of view, text structure, and the author’s arguments. Later in the module, students compare and contrast the anchor text with supplemental texts on the topic, paying special attention to “different mediums in presenting information on this topic.”  The texts are analyzed both for similarities and differences in the information presented and the advantages and disadvantages of different mediums in presenting information. Because of the highly complex nature of the tasks associated with the text, it is well-placed at Grade 8. 

• In Module 3, students read the anchor text, Maus 1: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman.  Although there is not a quantitative measure for this text, the qualitative measures and reader and task considerations contribute to the complexity as well as appropriate placement to support students to increase their literacy skills. The anchor text contains multiple settings and subplots, complex characters, and background knowledge about the Holocaust. Students gain this background knowledge through supplemental texts. Students use the text to analyze characterization and change, theme and text structure. Students analyze how incidents in the text provoke decisions and reveal character, as well as how dialogue and word choice reveal tone and aspects of character. They track emerging themes and write a summary of the text . Students also compare the structures of a poem on the Holocaust to the structure of Maus I and explore how structure contributes to meaning in a text. 

• In Module 4, students read the anchor text, Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatuki Houston and James D. Houston. This text falls within the grade level according to its quantitative measures (1040L), and its qualitative measures of meaning, structure, language, and knowledge demands also contribute to the complexity. “Throughout their work with the text, students identify significant ideas that emerge, including the ways in which Jeanne and her family members are impacted by internment. They use this information to analyze how the text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, and events, tracking these connections and distinctions in a Note-Catcher. They analyze the author’s point of view in the text and participate in several text-based discussions centered on the module’s guiding questions. Students also use the text to learn to write a literary argument essay in which they evaluate the effectiveness of the film version of Farewell to Manzanar in conveying a significant idea from the text.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet  the criteria for Indicator 1d.

The anchor and supplemental texts in the Grade 8 materials are at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band to support students’ literacy growth. Quantitative measures range from 570L to 1390L. While some of the quantitative measures for the anchor texts are low for the grade level, the supplemental texts and qualitative measures make up for the lower level in the way of text complexity, knowledge demands, language features, meaning, and purpose. Many scaffolds and instructional techniques support literacy growth over the course of the school year.

Examples of the variety of text complexity and scaffolds include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, students read Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Gonzales Mccall. Although the anchor text falls below the grade level band with a 840L, the qualitative measures of meaning, purpose, text structure, and knowledge demands make it appropriate for Grade 8 students. Many of the tasks require higher-level thinking. For example, in Unit 2, Lessons 1-2, students determine the theme and analyze a model summary for Chapter 13 of the anchor text. Appropriate scaffolds are provided to support students while reading the complex text, including using Note-Catchers to organize information. Additional readings include “The Peuchen” (840L) and an excerpt from The Latin American Story Finder.

• In Module 2, students read The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Although the anchor text falls below the grade level band of 930L, the qualitative measures offer complexity and rigor in the way of meaning, purpose, language features, text structure, and knowledge demands. The author’s argument is built on abstract concepts such as sustainability, food production, and the economy. Scaffolds help students complete the tasks. For example, in Unit 2, Lessons 6-7, students research climate change and food shortages and write an informative essay. Appropriate scaffolds are provided to support students while reading the complex text, including actively reading by annotating the text.

The following additional articles and informational texts on the topic food choices and issues are included: “Is Eating Healthy Really More Expensive?” (1050L) and “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Pesticides” (1190L).

• In Module 3, students read Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman. Although no quantitative measure is provided for the non-prose text, the qualitative measures of meaning, purpose, text structure, and knowledge demands are complex and rigorous. Supplemental texts help scaffold background knowledge on World War II and the Holocaust. Students complete tasks such as character, dialogue, and word analysis of the text to blend the background knowledge with the complex structure of poetry. For example, in Unit 1, Lessons 5-6, students analyze dialogue, tone, and character of the anchor text. Appropriate scaffolds are provided to support students while reading the complex text, including engaging in time to think and using discussion protocols like Think-Pair-Share. Additional texts, mostly memoirs, are presented on the topic of the Holocaust, including an excerpt from Night (570L) by Elie Wiesel.

• In Module 4, students read Farewell to Manzanar by Jean Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. The anchor text is appropriate for Grade 8 with a Lexile level of 1040. The qualitative measures for this text are complex, particularly in meaning, purpose, text structure, and knowledge demands. Supplemental texts and resources help students gain background knowledge needed to fully comprehend the anchor text. Tasks address point of view and the psychological effects of internment. For example, in Unit 3, Lesson 2, students closely read and determine the central idea of “Psychological Effect of Camp” (1390L). Appropriate scaffolds are provided to support students with complex text including completing short writing tasks that encourage them to revisit the text multiple times. Another supplemental text included is “Japanese Relocation during World War II” (1220L).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for Indicator 1e. 

The Grade 6 materials provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to become independent readers at the grade level, including text complexities that increase over the course of the year. Students engage in a volume of reading through robust anchor text sets and texts on suggested reading lists that are largely read independently. Independent reading is completed both in class and as homework. A variety of instructional techniques are used to move students progressively toward understanding and independence. Most texts are organized with built in supports and/or scaffolds to foster independence. In the Teacher Edition, descriptions and explanations are included for how teachers can provide successive levels of temporary support. In the Student Edition, anchor texts that are read independently have an accompanying list of key points for each chapter. 

Students are provided with two types of reading time to build independence at grade level reading. Work Time is used to read anchor and supplementary texts in class, while Independent Research Reading time is used to read related texts at home. This time allows students to pick from a list of supplemental texts identified for each module that build background knowledge and provide additional information on the topic of the module. The materials include student routines and a tracking system for assigned Independent Research Reading. While the materials provide a variety of texts and complexities to build independence, there is little evidence to support building reading stamina as the amount of time to read anchor and supplementary texts is limiting and does not change for the duration of the school year. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Instructional materials clearly identify opportunities for students to engage in reading a variety of texts to become independent readers at the grade level.

  • Materials include a suggested reading list at a variety of Lexiles beyond the anchor and core texts for students to engage in independent reading.  The list includes both informational and literary topically-relevant books.  For example, in Module 3, which centers on Voices of the Holocaust, suggested independent reading includes The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistence during the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport.

• Instructional materials provide sufficient teacher guidance and support to foster independence.

  • The Independent Reading Plans provide teacher guidance for launching and maintaining independent reading, communicating with parents, goal-setting and accountability, conferring, and publishing authentic reviews.

• Instructional materials provide procedures for teachers, proposed schedule for students, and a tracking system for independent reading.

  • In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, teacher guidance for methods of conducting independent reading are as follows: encouraging teachers to provide the choice for students to read silently, with a partner, or read silently and then confer with a peer.

  • For anchor texts, students engage in the routine of pre-reading a selection of the text as homework to prepare to discuss the next day.  For example, in Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 3, students pre-read “The Holocaust: An Introductory History” as homework and then examine vocabulary and closely read the text during class work time.  

  • In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 3 in the Student Workbook, students can use the Holocaust Glossary to support their comprehension throughout the unit.

  • Materials recommend that “students should complete 20 minutes of Independent Research Reading for homework when they are not reading a chapter from the anchor text.  Students should also continue Independent Research Reading over weekends.”

  • The Independent Reading Journal is used throughout each module as a tracking system. Students keep an Independent Reading Journal in which they record their goals and their thoughts about the book. The Independent Reading Plans encourage teachers to “check in with students about their reading” and a conference protocol.

The Grade 8 materials include questions, tasks, and assignments that are text-specific and text-dependent, requiring students to engage with the text directly.  Explicit and inferential questions are included, with prompting that students should use textual evidence to support their inferences. Materials encourage students to gather insight, knowledge, and evidence from the texts rather than relying on personal experience and prior knowledge. Tasks and questions allow readers to uncover details and meaning that they could miss in cursory reading. Teacher materials, particularly the student workbook and supplemental resources, provide for the planning and implementation of the text-based questions and tasks, and include examples of valid student responses and additional prompts to aid students who may need support. In the student materials, students monitor their independent reading progress with a rubric that includes the expectation to use text evidence.

Examples of text-specific and text-dependent questions include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 7, students read Summer of the Mariposas and answer an open-ended text-dependent question: “On pages 76-77, what happens to the narrator that the reader knows about, but the other sisters don’t?” Then they answer these text-specific questions: “Why might the author have chosen to give the reader this perspective? What effect does it create? Which line from the text best supports your response? Remember to record the page number.” Teachers are provided guidance to support students including prompting students to notice and record specific words and phrases from the texts.

• In Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 1, students read texts about Holocaust upstanders. They complete a chart to track text details, central idea, and evidence that supports the central idea. The Teacher Guide contains sample responses for questions as well as additional prompting questions to aid students who may struggle with giving a text-based response.

• In Module 4, Unit 3, Lesson 2, students read the article, “Psychological Effects of Camp” and write a paragraph arguing that the “internment of people based on the group they belong to has long-lasting harmful effects.” They are instructed to “include evidence from the first section of the article.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for Indicator 1g.

The Grade 8 materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for discussions that are varied throughout the year.  Students participate daily in informal structured discussions, such as small group discussions, Turn and Talk, and Think-Pair-Share. More formal opportunities are also provided, such as Socratic Seminars, Chalk Talks, Fishbowl Discussions, and other collaborative discussions. The Teacher Guide and Your Curriculum Companion provide protocols for speaking and listening and to encourage full engagement including “drama or role play,” “sketching,” and “Equity Sticks,” which includes communicating ideas. 

Examples of opportunities and protocols for discussions include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 15, students review the Discussion Norms Anchor Chart and participate in a text-based Socratic Seminar to discuss the question, “What does the encounter with the nagual reveal about Velia, Delia and Pita?” 

• In Module 2, Unit 2, Lessons 12-14, students present research findings through a Desktop Teaching Activity. A protocol for presentations is provided. To prepare for the presentation, students research a food-related case study and develop a “Teaching Activity Lesson Plan” to teach their classmates using visual aids. While students practice their presentation, the teacher reminds students to “make eye contact...refrain from reading aloud directly from their lesson plan, project their voice...and clearly pronounce their words.” Sentence starters are provided for students to use during peer feedback, and the lesson begins with students practicing academic vocabulary pertinent to their case study.  

• In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 5, in partner groups, students discuss the term relevant from their learning target: “I can distinguish between relevant and irrelevant evidence.” At the start of the lesson, students complete an Entrance Ticket to answer questions about relevant evidence supporting the claim that “eighth graders should start school at 9:00 AM.” After individual work time, they Turn and Talk about their answers to clarify any misconceptions about the relevant evidence they identified. Later in Lesson 5, students participate in a series of Think-Pair-Share protocols to delineate an argument. Students complete a graphic organizer to help them organize their thinking about the text. Questions are provided for the teacher to help students discuss in a Turn-and-Talk, such as “Why is it important to identify irrelevant information when you are delineating an argument?” After students Turn-and-Talk, the teacher uses Equity Sticks to call on students to share with the class. As the lesson concludes, the teacher uses a Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol to help students identify varying viewpoints in real-world scenarios.

• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 14, students present a commemorative poster of a “Voice of the Holocaust” that they have researched throughout the unit. Initially, students share the posters silently, using a protocol and Note-Catcher to collect their thoughts. Then, they discuss their observations and reflections with the class. The teacher reminds students to build on their classmates’ responses, using their Note-Catcher to “strengthen and clarify'' their comments. The following questions to facilitate are provided for the teacher: “What new or important notices did you have about the themes presented in the Commemorative Posters? Are there trends in the themes that stand out?”  

• In Module 4, Unit 3, Lessons 10-11, students participate in an Activist Organization Presentation. Students research an activist organization in triads, synthesize research, create a visual display, and present the organization to another group. Student roles are provided, such as greeters, emcees, facilitators, and recorders to organize student participation during presentations. Students share their activist organization while peers take notes on an anchor chart to facilitate active listening and participation in the question and answer segment. After presentations, students answer questions from their peers and community members. 

The Grade 8 materials provide opportunities for students to regularly speak and listen about what they are reading for a variety of different purposes. End-of-Unit Assessments often include a presentation that requires students to use evidence from texts. Throughout the year, students share what they are learning through their Independent Research Reading.  Teachers remind students that “the purpose of research reading is to build their content knowledge and domain-specific vocabulary on the topic.”

Examples of opportunities for students to speak and listen about what they are reading and researching include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 14-16, students prepare for and participate in a text-based Socratic Seminar about characterization in Summer of the Mariposas.  In Lesson 14, the teacher leads students through Discussion Norms, reminding them that “effective participation is about listening to others and asking and answering questions to be completely clear about what others are saying and to clarify their own points.”  Students participate in a practice Socratic Seminar, providing peer feedback via Think-Pair-Share.  In Lesson 16, students participate in the full-length Socratic Seminar. The following prompt is provided for the teacher to start the seminar: “What does the encounter with the nagual reveal about Odilia and Juanita?” Follow-up questions include: “Can you say more about that? Can you give an example?” 

• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 7, students participate in a collaborative discussion.  A Collaborative Discussion Sentence Starters Anchor Chart is provided to encourage students to use academic vocabulary and syntax. Questions are provided for the teacher to help start the discussion, such as “What are the similarities or differences between the themes and structures we have encountered in Maus I, ‘Often a Minute,’ and ‘The Action in the Ghetto of Rohatyn, March 1942?’” 

• In Module 4, Unit 3, Lesson 5, students participate in a collaborative discussion about Farewell to Manzanar. Students use a Discussion Norms Anchor Chart to guide their participation. Students discuss the prompt, “What overarching lessons can be learned from Japanese American internment? and How have these lessons been embodied in the redress movement?” Prior to discussion, students use their Lessons from Internment Note-Catchers and their copies of Farewell to Manzanar to complete a Quick Write that includes evidence so they can stay anchored in the text as they discuss.

The Grade 8 materials include a mix of on-demand and process writing that covers a year’s worth of instruction. The materials include QuickWrites and Entrance Tickets for informal, on-demand writing that provide opportunities for students to express thoughts and ideas in response to texts on a daily basis. Each module contains one or two process writing tasks in which students plan, draft, and revise their work. After some process writing tasks, students complete an on-demand version of a similar task to demonstrate understanding. Process writing using digital resources and multiple opportunities to revise and edit are offered in each of the four module units across the grade levels. The tasks at the end of the year are multi-faceted writing and presenting opportunities.

Examples of  on-demand writing opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 4-5, students write a literary summary of Summer of the Mariposas after analyzing and composing summaries earlier in the unit.

• In Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 11-12, students write an on-demand argument essay that defends a healthy food choice.  

• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 4, after completing a close read of an excerpt from the anchor text, Maus I, students complete this task: “Describe the tone the author’s words create on page 23, panels 5 and 6.” Students provide text evidence and an explanation of the statement. 

• In Module 4, Unit 3, Lesson 2, students read “Psychological Effects of Camp” and complete a Note-Catcher activity which asks a series of questions requiring text evidence and analysis. In the culminating activity, students write a paragraph that develops the central idea that internment of people based on the group they belong to has long-lasting harmful effects. 

Examples of process writing opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 3, Lessons 6-11, students write a compare and contrast essay comparing the portrayal of La Llorona in Summer of the Mariposas to a more traditional telling of the myth. Students analyze a model using a writing checklist and draft introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs. Students provide peer feedback then revise. After completing the heavily-scaffolded essay, in Lessons 11-12, students write an on-demand compare and contrast essay in which they explain what they have kept the same and what they have modernized in the new scene they wrote for Summer of the Mariposas.

• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1-6, students write an informative essay comparing and contrasting the structure and meaning in two texts, “Often a Minute” and Maus I. Students read a model, analyze criteria for success, plan their essay, write a draft, participate in a peer critique, and revise. After composing this process essay, students write an on-demand compare and contrast essay about structure and meaning in two texts, a new poem and Maus I.  

• In Module 3, Unit 3, Lessons 7-12, students write a fictional “narrative in interview form” inspired by a Holocaust upstander they have read about in the module. In Lessons 7-10, students analyze a model; write a profile of their upstander; create a plan considering pacing, dialogue, and sensory details; and draft an “exploded moment.” Throughout this process, there are opportunities for feedback and revision. In Lesson 11, students write the narrative. In Lesson 12, students participate in a Praise, Question, Suggestion protocol and revise their narrative interview.  

• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lessons 10-16, students write a literary argument essay on Farewell to Manzanar.  Students analyze a model argument essay based on success criteria, create a plan, draft proof paragraphs, develop a counterclaim, and write a conclusion.  Materials provide frequent opportunities for students to give and receive feedback, prompting students to use feedback to revise their writing. After completing their heavily-scaffolded “practice essay,” students plan and write an on-demand independent argument essay in Module 4, Unit 2, Lessons 17-19.

The Grade 8 materials provide different modes of writing that are distributed across the school year and are always connected to the anchor and/or supplemental texts. Lessons are sequenced so students understand the reading content before they begin to formally write. In each module, Unit 3 offers a scaffolded writing task and a critique process to strengthen writing. Writing tasks guide students through a formal process that results in a culminating presentation. Argument and informative writing are areas of focus and the materials focus on developing counterclaims within argument writing.

Examples of argumentative writing include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 2, Unit 3, based on the text, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and additional research, students write an argument essay to defend a claim about how communities can make healthy food choices.

• In Module 4, Unit 2, students write a literary argument essay to evaluate the effectiveness of the choices made in the film, Farewell to Manzanar, in conveying the text using points, evidence, and reasoning to support a claim and to address a counterclaim.

Examples of informative/explanatory writing include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 3, students write an essay comparing the original depiction of another “monster” from Latin American folklore with their own modernized depiction from the Unit 2 narrative essay.

Examples of narrative writing include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 2, students research a “monster” from Latin American folklore and write an additional chapter for Summer of the Mariposas in which the characters encounter a modernized version of this “monster.”

• In Module 3, Unit 3, after reading informational accounts of upstanders during the Holocaust to learn more about how and why many people took action against the Nazis, students write a narrative depiction a fictional interview with an imaginary upstander during the Holocaust. They also create and present a graphic panel representing a scene from their narrative.

The Grade 8 materials provide opportunities for evidence-based writing. Students frequently work closely with the anchor and supporting texts to make claims and support them with specific evidence from the texts. Materials require students to develop text-based claims, using evidence to support them. Frequent opportunities are available across the school year for students to acquire and practice skills in daily assignments, performance tasks, and assessments. Over the course of the units, students complete informal and formal writing tasks that require evidence to support claims, such as Using QuickWrites, Entrance Tickets, Close Read exercises, argumentative essays, and informational essays.

Examples of evidence-based writing include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 3, students complete a quick write based on the excerpt in Chapter 2 of the anchor text, Summer of the Mariposas, by answering the following prompt: “From reading this excerpt, what do you, the reader, know that mama doesn't know? What effect does this create?” 

• In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 2, students are provided with the Author's Purpose and Point of View: The Omnivore’s Dilemma Note-Catcher. As students read the anchor text, they complete sections concerning the author's point of view and evidence from the text that supports that claim. In addition, students determine the author's purpose and how this adds to understanding the text. Finally, students begin recording conflicting viewpoints and how the author handles these viewpoints. 

• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 4, students respond to a close reading lesson on tone by writing about their learning. They read an excerpt from Maus I and answer the following questions: “What does this reveal about Vladek’s character? What evidence makes you think so?  In your response be sure to include a description of the tone that Vladek’s statement creates, evidence from the text that supports your description of Vladek’s tone, and an explanation of what the statement reveals about Vladek’s character.”

• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 11, in preparation for an argument essay, students complete a Writing Plan Graphic Organizer to help them produce a claim and provide adequate evidence to support that claim. Questions on the graphic organizer include: “What context about the text or topic does your reader need in order to make sense of the rest of your essay? Main Claim: What are the two main points you will be offering to support this focus? What evidence from the text supports this point? What reasoning develops your point and ties it back to the claim? What counterclaim might others raise to refute your claims? How do you respond to this counterclaim?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1l.

The Grade 8 materials include instruction of the grade-level grammar and usage standards; however, explicit instruction is rare. Instruction for usage is regular and seen throughout all modules. Most explicit instruction for grammar and conventions occurs in mini lessons, but only for some standards. While explicit spelling instruction does not occur, students evaluate their own writing on checklists that prompt them to check for spelling, formal style, and usage. Opportunities for application in context are available; however, some application is out of context. Language Dives provide a routine for students to analyze grammar in focus sentences from the anchor texts and then mirror the structure in their own writing. While increased emphasis and more direct instruction of grammar and conventions standards is found primarily in Modules 2 and 3, practice writing opportunities for grammar and conventions standards are found throughout the four modules. Practice writing opportunities use the anchor text as either a model or the content for the sentences.

Examples of explicit instruction of some grammar and usage standards include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 12, students have opportunities to use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break. They use punctuation to correct a run-on sentence.

• In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 2, students have opportunities to explain the function of verbals in general and their function in particular sentences. They analyze a sentence from The Omnivore’s Dilemma containing an infinitive phrase.  Then, they use the sentence as a mentor to write two sentences of their own containing infinitive phrases.

• In Module 3 Unit 2 Lesson 8, students have opportunities to form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood. They complete a grammar mini lesson to determine verb moods in sentences. Using a graphic organizer, students sort the verbs by indicative mood, imperative mood, interrogative mood, and conditional mood. 

• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 5, students have opportunities to use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects. They complete a Language Dive in which they analyze active and passive voice in a sentence from Maus I.  Then, they write practice sentences blending active and passive voice to “deliver...shocking information” and “talk about students and a rule.”

• In Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 3, students have opportunities to use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break. They complete a Language Dive to analyze a sentence using a coordinating conjunction and a comma.  Then, they use a comma and coordinating conjunction to combine sentences with related ideas.

• In Module 3, Unit 3, Students have opportunities to recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood. In the Mid-Unit Assessment, students “read a paragraph and will answer selected and constructed response questions about punctuation and verb voice and mood.”

Examples of opportunities for students to demonstrate application of skills in context including applying grammar and convention skills to writing include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 9, students have opportunities to use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects. They use the linking verb “seem” to write a topic sentence for a paragraph of their essay.

• In Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 7, students use a checklist to evaluate their narratives.  The checklist includes the criterion, “the spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are correct.”

Examples of opportunities to spell correctly and maintain consistency in style and tone include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 11, students learn to change y to an i when adding a suffix to the end of a word ending in y.  Student materials provide instruction and practice.

• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 15, students learn about homonyms such as there, their, they’re and effect and affect. Students read a draft of a literary essay and correct improper homonym usage.

The Grade 8 materials include a cohesive year-long plan for vocabulary development. Teacher materials, including Your Curriculum Companion, outline the importance of teaching academic vocabulary and provide guidance on protocols for building vocabulary through domain-specific and academic vocabulary. Key topic-based words are introduced at the beginning of each module through the “Infer The Topic” routine, and students encounter these ideas frequently throughout the module. Vocabulary instruction is provided through meaningful context within the anchor and supplemental texts. Students connect new words to previous schema and practice these words by repeated shared use of the words throughout the year. Vocabulary is taught either indirectly or directly on a daily basis by using Vocabulary Logs, academic word walls, Entrance Tickets, Language Dives, Note-Catchers, and text-dependent questions. Language Dives are teacher-guided conversations with questions about specific meaning and language structures that provide a routine where students analyze vocabulary in context. Students frequently use different types of vocabulary in multiple ways, including to determine the meaning of new words with affix lists; practice inferring the meaning of new vocabulary; and incorporate domain-specific and academic vocabulary in their speaking, reading, and writing in the culminating tasks.

Examples of vocabulary instruction and activities include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 4, students break down unfamiliar from the following learning target, “I can identify strategies to determine the meaning of unfamiliar text.”  While reading, they use context clues to determine the meaning of key vocabulary words, such as exasperated and queasy. 

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 7, students complete an Entrance Ticket to analyze the meaning of disappeared by breaking it down into prefix, root, and suffix. 

• In Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 1, students complete an Entrance Ticket to define the food chain from the anchor text, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and write a statement that relates it back to ideas in the book. Students also complete the activity, Analyze Language: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Section 8, to analyze language the author used and answer why the author chose to use this language. In Lesson 3, students use three definitions of sustainable to determine whether food practices detailed in the anchor texts are healthy and sustainable.

• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 3, student use the “Holocaust Glossary” to learn words that will be in texts in the unit, “The Holocaust: An Introductory History” and Maus I. Words include pogrom, reich, occupation. In Lesson 5, students define agency. The concept of agency is brought up through discussion and reading of Maus I.

• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 2, students complete a Language Dive to find the meaning of contempt in a dictionary. They compare the meaning to the figurative language found in the phrase from the text, “to bear the filth of hate.”

• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 1, students complete an Entrance Ticket to break apart the domain-specific vocabulary word, internment,  into prefix, root, and suffix and provide a definition of each of the three parts. Then students consult a dictionary to determine similarities and differences from the parts to the whole. In Lesson 2, students complete a Note-Catcher to match a scene from the book to the appropriate form of academic language.