8th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality, worthy of careful reading, and consider a range of student interests.

Anchor texts are of publishable quality and worthy of careful reading.  They include works from award-winning authors, as well as traditional classics. They consider a range of student interests including but not limited to, how places shape us and risks people will take to be free.  The anchor texts provide the student with a variety of high-quality texts in multiple genres and on multiple topics. They include engaging illustrations and different vocabulary and structural techniques that are appropriately challenging for the grade level. 

• In Unit 2, The Thrill of Horror, students read, “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs. The engaging and classic short story is written by a well-known author. The text includes rich language and is appropriate for the grade level.
• In Unit 3, Places We Call Home, students read “Spirit Walking in the Tundra” by Joy Harjo. This poem is full of ideas about Nome, Alaska and the special connection the speaker has with the place. Many phrases and words may be unfamiliar to the reader and allow students to expand their vocabulary.
• In Unit 4, The Fight for Freedom, students read an excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglas.  This is a classic text about the value of learning to read and having freedom. Complex sentence structure and sophisticated vocabulary help make this text high quality. 
• In Unit 5, Finding Your Path, students read an excerpt from It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens.  Author, Danah Boyd, uses technical wording in this argument piece to discuss how social media impacts teens in today’s society. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for materials reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

Texts include a mix of informational and literary texts integrated throughout every unit. The variety of genres and text types include, but are not limited to the following:  science fiction, poetry, editorials, memoirs, dramas, informational articles, and folktales. For each of the six units, there are also suggested independent reading books that can be used to enhance or extend the provided reading selections.

The following are examples of literature found within the instructional materials:

• Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches- “Interflora”- lyric poem by Susan Hamlyn
• Unit 2, Thrill of Horror- “The Tell-Tale Heart”- short story by Edgar Allan Poe
• Unit 4, Fight for Freedom- “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh”- short story by Ray Bradbury
• Unit 6, Legacy of Anne Frank- “Days”- poem by Billy Collins

The following are examples of informational text found within the instructional materials:

• Unit 2, Thrill of Horror- “What is the Horror Genre?”- informational article by Sharon A. Russell
• Unit 3, Places We Call Home- “New Immigrants Share Their Stories”- documentary film by Lis Gossels
• Unit 5, Finding Your Path- “The Debt We Owe to the Adolescent Brain”- informational article by Jeanne Miller
• Unit 6, Legacy of Anne Frank- “After Auschwitz”- speech b: Elie Wiesel

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for texts having the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task.

Most anchor texts are placed at the appropriate grade level in the Current Lexile Band (860L-1010L) or the Stretch Lexile Band (925L-1185L) for grades 6-8. Texts below the stretch band increase in complexity due to qualitative features and associated tasks. Texts that are above the stretch band quantitatively have supports in place and associated tasks which enable students to access the text and demonstrate understanding. 

Examples of texts that have the appropriate level of complexity for Grade 8 include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches, students read the text, “Heads Up, Humans.” The Lexile level for this text is 1300L, which is above the Stretch Lexile Band for grades 6-8.  Students read and compare two arguments relating to the same essential question: “Does technology improve or control our lives?” The first argument is “The Automation Paradox” which is within the grade level band and accessible to students. Text-dependent questions in “Heads Up, Humans” will assist students to analyze and evaluate the text during reading and then they will have an opportunity to collaborate with a group to complete a final project relating to the texts.
• In Unit 2, The Thrill of Horror, students read the short story, “The Monkey’s Paw.” It has a Lexile level of 920L, which is included in the Current Lexile Band for grades 6-8. The classic short story is only slightly below the stretch band quantitatively for the grade level. The qualitative features increase the level of complexity by including multiple levels of symbolism, irony, and allusion. Students must make inferences and decipher some unconventional language.
• In Unit 5, Finding Your Path, students read an excerpt from Bronx Masquerade. The Lexile level is 710L, which is below the Current Lexile Band for grades 6-8. The quantitative measure is below the appropriate band but the qualitative features promote appropriate complexity for grade 8. This is a complex thematic text with a non-linear structure that students have not studied previously. Multiple levels of implied meaning that utilize figurative and cultural language to discuss the idea of a teen’s concept of identity are present. Strong inferencing skills are required to comprehend this text. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ literacy skills (understanding and comprehension) over the course of the school year through increasingly complex text to develop independence of grade level skills (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels).

Assessments provide teachers a good “picture” of reading ability increasing over the course of the school year.  The materials are designed with texts that increase in rigor and complexity, in turn increasing students’ literacy skills as they advance month-to-month and year-to-year. Careful attention is paid to the collection of anchor texts and the design of instruction with those texts and text sets. Students practice a variety of literacy skills including but not limited to: analyzing setting and character, analyzing how a character develops plot, analyzing structure, determining key ideas and details, identifying and analyzing point of view, making inferences, making predictions, citing evidence, analyzing structure, analyzing language, and publishing.

• In the beginning of the year, the students are asked to identify structure in a poem titled “Interflora.” Students are instructed on the poetry form of a sonnet. “...a sonnet, a 14-line poem with a strictly defined structure and pattern of rhyme” (29). Then after reading the sonnet students are asked in the Notice & Note section to “Use the symbols" and “to mark the meter of the sonnet. Use the letters of the alphabet to identify and mark the rhyme scheme” (32).
• In the middle of the year, students are asked to “review the elements of an elegy and discuss how the poet uses words and phrases to stimulate the emotions of sorrow and joy, as well as strong feelings,” after reading “O Captain! My Captain” (294). Then students have a writing task where they write “...a poem in which you pay tribute to someone you respect or admire…” “Decide if you want your poem to be an elegy, a limerick, a sonnet, or some other form” (295).
• By the end of the year, students are able to compare and contrast two poems analyzing how the structure impacts the message conveyed by the authors. “Both ‘Hanging Fire’ and ‘Summer of his Fourteenth Year’ are free verse poems about the problems and changes teenagers are going through. Although the poems are about the same topic, they differ in a number of ways. Ask yourself the following questions to compare the poems. What effect does the form of the poem, or the arrangement of the lines on the page, create for the reader?” (362).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level. 

Grade 8 instructional materials include a text complexity analysis for anchor texts and series of texts connected to them. There is an accurate rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level. The materials offer a range of texts appropriate for the grade level and qualitative features increase the level of thinking required of students with texts that fall below the stretch band quantitatively for students. The text complexity information is available consistently in the Teacher's Edition in the Plan and Text X-ray sections.

• In Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches, students read a science fiction short story “The Brave Little Toaster” by Cory Doctorow. Quantitatively the text complexity places at 990L within the stretch band appropriate for Grade 8. Qualitative measures indicate that students will be required to make inferences and there is some unconventional language that increases the complexity of the short story. The structure and knowledge required is accessible to students at this level.
• In Unit 2, The Thrill of Horror, students compare versions of the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and a film clip from the movie adaption of The Monkey’s Paw by Ricky Lewis Jr. The short story is placed at 920L quantitatively with is slightly below the stretch band for Grade 8. Qualitative measures indicate that text complexity increases due to “Multiple levels of symbolism, irony, and allusion. Greater demand for inference.” There is no Lexile available for the film clip used for comparison. The qualitative measures indicate that the film is accessible for students at this level.
• In Unit 3, Places We Call Home, students read an excerpt from the novel The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez with a quantitative measure of 870L.  Qualitative analysis reveals that ideas presented are mostly direct and explicit, with some implied meaning that requires making inferences. Structure is primarily chronological and conventional, with a single first-person narrator. The text includes many complex sentences, with support for the Spanish words used. Some historical references may rely on outside knowledges. 
• In Unit 4, The Fight for Freedom, students read an autobiography from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass with a quantitative Lexile measure of 1010L. Qualitative analysis indicates there is more than one purpose for the ideas presented and implied meanings that can be easily identified from context. The autobiography used more than one text structure, some unfamiliar language, some complex sentence structure, and some references to difficult historical concepts. 
• In Unit 5, Finding Your Path, students read a mentor text, an argument excerpt from It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens by Danah Boyd. Students draw on this piece for examples of opinion writing with support as they write their final argumentative paper. The selection includes technical vocabulary which requires use of context clues and deduction reflective of the 1080L measurement.
• In Unit 6, The Legacy of Anne Frank, students read two poems at the end of the unit. “There But for the Grace” by Wisława Szymborska and “Days” by Billy Collins are read to compare themes in poetry. Then, they apply the themes to 0................The Diary of Anne Frank. Both poems have complexity around complex ideas, implied meaning, and figurative language.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to achieve grade level reading proficiency.

The instructional materials for Grade 8 meet the expectations for anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of texts to achieve grade level reading. Students have the opportunity to read a diverse range of texts and genres throughout the school year.

• In Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches, students analyze three texts using the Notice & Note reading model. The first science fiction text is “The Brave Little Toaster” by Cory Doctorow, the second is an informational text “Are Bionic Superhumans on the Horizon?” by Ramez Naam, and the third is a poem “Interflora” by Susan Hamlyn. There are selection tests available following each reading and a Reading Studio is available online for additional support and instruction. Students then collaborate and compare two arguments “The Automation Paradox” by James Bessen and “Heads Up, Humans” by Claudia Alarcón. The texts connect to a topic linking the selections to the essential question: “Does technology improve or control our lives?” Independent reading selections are available for students as a Reader’s Choice. Selections for independent reading options in Unit 1 range in complexity from 790L-920L and are accessible to students. These include poetry, science fiction, and a novel excerpt. The suggested pacing is 30 days to complete Unit 1 (1A-1D).
• In Unit 2, The Thrill of Horror, students analyze three texts using the Notice & Note reading model. The first is a literary criticism “What is the Horror Genre?” by Sharon A. Russell, the second is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe entitled “Tell-Tale Heart,” and the third is a poem entitled “The Hollow” by Kelly Deschler. There are selection tests available following each reading and a Reading Studio is available online for additional support and instruction. Students then collaborate and compare a short story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and a film clip from The Monkey’s Paw by Ricky Lewis Jr. The texts connect to a topic linking the selections and to the essential question: “Why do we sometimes like to feel frightened?” Independent reading selections are available for students as a Reader’s Choice. Selections for independent reading options in Unit 2 range in complexity from 660L-1270L and are accessible to students. These include poems, short stories, and an argument essay. The suggested pacing for Unit 2 is 30 days (74A-74D).
• Unit 3, Places We Call Home, students read a short story, an excerpt from a novel, a poem, and an informational text, and view a documentary. The Teacher’s Edition provides instructions for teachers to determine whether students read as a whole group, independently, or in various small group configurations that vary by text. Regardless of grouping, students utilize various cloze read strategies as they Notice & Note throughout the texts and Analyze and Apply strategies learned. A novel excerpt serves as a mentor text as students write a short story at the end of the unit. Students read a text set comprised of an informational text and a documentary in order to collaborate with a small group and compare the purposes of each text. Independent research at various points throughout the unit expose students to a multitude of informational texts. Independent reading selections are included at a variety of proficiency levels. The titles are: “My Father and the Figtree” by Naomi Shihab, “Golden Glass” by Alma Luiz Villanueva, an excerpt from The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang, “A Place to Call Home” by Scott Bittle and Jonathan Rochkind, and “Salmon Boy” by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac. The suggested novel pairing is Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman. The suggested pacing for this unit is 30 days (T25, 150A-150D).
• Unit 4, The Fight For Freedom, students read an excerpt from an autobiography, an excerpt from a biography, a historical fiction piece, two poems, and an excerpt from a history article. Opportunities and directions are provided in the Teacher’s Edition for whole group reading, independent reading, and small group readings in various configurations, and all choices include cloze reading strategies for teachers to implement and monitor. The excerpt from a history article serves as a mentor text for students as they closely analyze structure and purpose when they create a research report at the end of the unit. Students Collaborate & Compare with others as they analyze main ideas, figurative language, and imagery in a text set that includes a poem and the previously mentioned mentor text. Independent research is required at various points throughout the unit, engaging students in the independent reading of various informational sources. Independent reading selections for students at varying proficiency levels are included such as: “I Saw Old General at Bay” by Walt Whitman, “A Mystery of Heroism” by Stephen Crane, an excerpt from “Blood Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis” by James L. Swanson, “My Friend Douglass” by Russell Freedman, and “Civil War Journal” by Lousia May Alcott. The suggested novel pairing for the unit is The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers. The suggested pacing for the unit is 30 days (T27, 238A-238D).
• In Unit 5, Finding Your Path, students read varied genres related to the essential question, “How do your teenage years prepare you for adulthood?” This unit encompasses six texts and five independent texts. The students analyze two texts at the beginning of the Unit. The first text is “The Debt We Owe to the Adolescent Brain” an informational text by Jeanne Miller. Then, students read an excerpt from the novel The Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes. Students keep a Response Log throughout the unit where they collect evidence as they read. There are additional supports for students who need extra support. In the Collaborate and Compare section of the unit, the students read and compare two poems and two arguments. The poems are “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde, and “Summer of his Fourteenth Year” by Gloria Amescua. The two arguments are “Outsmart Your Phone” by Catherine Steiner-Adair and an excerpt from It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens by Danah Boyd . Students with the digital feature have access to five independent texts: “Teenagers” by Pat Mora (Poem), “Identity” by Julio Noboa Polanco (Poem), “Hard on the Gas” by Janet S. Wong (Poem), “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier (Short Story) and “ My Summer of Scooping Ice Cream) by Shonda Rhimes (Essay). The suggested pacing for this unit is 30 days (322A-322D).
• In Unit 6, The Legacy of Anne Frank, students read varied genres related to the essential question: “What can we learn from Anne Frank?” This 30-day unit encompasses five texts and five independent texts. The students analyze three texts at the beginning of the Unit. The first text is a drama of The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Then, they read excerpts from The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank. Next, they read a speech by Elie Wiesel titled “After Auschwitz.”  Students keep a Response Log throughout the unit where they collect evidence as they read. In the Collaborate and Compare section of the unit, the students read and compare two poems: “There but for the Grace” by Wislawa Szymborska and “Days” by Billy Collins. Students with the digital feature have access to six independent texts: “Peace Can Happen” by Christine Kingery (Essay), “The Butterfly” by Pavel Friedman (Poem), “On a Sunny Evening” by Anonymous (Poem), “The Singing Woman” by Rebecca Makkai (Short Story), “A Tragedy revealed: A Heroine’s Last Days” by Ernst Schnabel (Article), and “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech” by Elie Wiesel (Essay). The suggested pacing for this unit is 30 days (404A-404D). 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text). 

The instructional materials for Grade 8 include questions, tasks, and assignments that are text-dependent over the course of the school year. Notice & Note Signposts are activities that guide students and assist them to analyze works of fiction or nonfiction. Notice & Note Signposts activities include Contrasts and Contradictions activities. Also culminating projects, both oral and written, require students to draw from readings and notations to support their final assessments with evidence.  Text-dependent questions, tasks, and assignments support students’ literacy growth over the course of the school year. Students practice the following skills, including but not limited to: summarize, critique, interpret, and connect to their reading. Teacher materials provide support for planning and implementation of text-dependent writing, speaking, and listening standards. In the Teacher’s Edition, there are additional suggestions to prompt writing and discussion around the text with possible answers provided.

• In Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches, after the students read “Head’s Up, Humans” by Claudia Alarcon, students respond to the essential question, “Does technology improve or control our lives?”  Students are instructed to review their annotations and notes, and locate “evidence that supports the writer’s claim.” 
• In Unit 2, The Thrill of Horror, at the end of the unit in a culminating writing task, the students write a literary analysis to answer this prompt: “As Sharon A. Russell points out in 'What Is the Horror Genre?,' various elements may be used to define and categorize horror stories, including suspense, plot, setting, theme, and the source of threats to the characters. Why do we sometimes feel frightened?” In the instructions students are told to “develop support for your controlling idea by including examples and quotations from the story.” 
• In Unit 3, Place We Call Home, students analyze character during the reading of “My Favorite Chaperone.” Students answer questions to analyze character, requiring support with evidence from the text: “Mark the reasons Maya gives in paragraph 8 for loving the gymnastics team. What does her description of swinging on the uneven bars reveal about her?”.
• In Unit 4, The Fight for Freedom, students analyze an excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave and support their responses with evidence: “Reread paragraph 6. What words reveal Douglass’ perspective on, or view of, slaveholders?”. 
• In Unit 5, Finding Your Path, teachers introduce students to Notice & Note Signposts during their reading of the text “The Debt We Owe to the Adolescent Brain.” Students learn the signposts Contrasts and Contradictions, Big Questions, and Numbers and Stats: “What prior knowledge or experience does the author’s rhetorical question assume?”.
• In Unit 6, The Legacy of Anne Frank, students work in the Collaborate and Compare section to tie together numerous readings from the unit. Students read the play The Diary of Anne Frank, excerpts from The Diary of a Young Girl, a speech given by Elie Wiesel titled “After Auschwitz,” and two poems, “There But For The Grace” and “Days.” Students work with a group to answer how the poems connect to the prior readings. They must pull themes from the readings and then use their evidence to determine, as a group, which poem is the best fit for the unit. Students finally “Write an analysis that explains which poem best captures the spirit of the unit and why. Cite text evidence to support your ideas” and then share with a partner, using their feedback to revise the analysis.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for having sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

Materials contain sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent questions and activities that build to a culminating task. Each unit has several tasks which include text-dependent questions and activities (speaking and writing) such as, but not limited to, the following:  Check Your Understanding, Analyze the Text, Collaborate and Compare, and Notice & Note. The culminating tasks are designed to help students synthesize and apply their learning from the unit in an engaging and authentic way through writing and speaking. 

• In Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches, students Analyze the Text and answer text dependent/specific questions such as, “Find the statement that Mister Toussaint repeats in paragraphs 8 and 14. What is he responding to each time? What theme about people and technology does the repetition suggest?” This builds toward a culminating task in which students write an informational essay explaining how a new technology helped them. They explain its use to a person unfamiliar with it. Then, they adapt it into an instructional speech. 
• In Unit 3, Places We Call Home, students read a poem titled “Spirit Walking in the Tundra.” While reading, students use Notice & Note to comment on elements such as imagery in specific lines of the poem through prompts embedded in the student workbook. After reading, students immediately answer multiple choice Check Your Understanding questions that point them back to specific textual details . Then they answer more challenging text-dependent questions in the Analyze the Text section that point back to key features of the text. The culminating task has students write a poem about a time they took a walk with a friend using imagery. The task refers students back to the key ideas presented and questioned about while reading their text.
• In Unit 6, The Legacy of Anne Frank, students consider Memory Moments, as one example of a Notice & Note signpost. Students think about why a memory might be important and what it can reveal about the theme, conflict, or how it might foreshadow what will happen. While reading Act Two of The Diary of Anne Frank students Notice & Note with annotations: “Mark the memories that Anne has as she looks at the photos that Miep brought her.” Then, students interpret: “How does Anne feel that she’s changed since the days when she played ping-pong with her friends?” At the end of Unit 6, students write, peer review, and publish a personal narrative as the culminating task. During the planning session the Student Edition reminds them: “Think about how you can incorporate a Memory Moment into your narrative.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for materials providing frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

The materials offer numerous opportunities for students to have evidence-based discussions across many texts in each unit. The groupings during the evidence-based discussions vary greatly, offering students the opportunity to engage in whole group discussions, peer-to-peer discussions, and various configurations of small group discussions. Evidence-based discussions are supported by explicit grouping directions and supports for struggling students within the Teacher’s Edition. Specifically in the Plan section of each text in the unit there are specific protocols, sentence frames, and differentiated supports for different types of groupings.The Teacher's Edition also includes supports embedded throughout the student’s text encouraging the incorporation of academic vocabulary. Word Networks provide a means to introduce and discuss academic vocabulary with a partner to begin each unit. Speaking and Listening Studio is included following the reading of each text to prepare the students for collaborative discussions explaining and modeling roles of the members of the group. Then students participate in collaborative discussions and analyze and evaluate presentations.  

• In Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches, after reading two articles on the subject, students engage in a debate on the impact of automation on employment. They work in a small group setting to choose a side, collect evidence for their viewpoint, and then conduct an actual debate with another team. Directions instruct students to “use appropriate eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, and gestures to communicate ideas effectively.” 
• In Unit 2, The Thrill of Horror, students complete and discuss a Word Network with a partner about the academic word convention. Support is in place for modeling and the materials ask teachers to “...encourage them to include all the categories shown in the completed network, if possible, but point out that some words do not have clear synonyms or antonyms. Some words may also function as different parts of speech–for example, predict can become the noun prediction with an added suffix.” The materials include four other academic vocabulary words: predict, psychology, summary, and technique. After completing and discussing a Word Network for each academic vocabulary word, students will learn and practice the academic vocabulary throughout the remainder of the unit.
• In Unit 3, Places We Call Home, the Teacher's Edition offers instructions for multiple groupings as teachers prepare for students to read from The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez and discuss with their peers. Grouping instructions are given for either Numbered Heads Together or Solving a Problem techniques. Both options are two ways of utilizing small groups to discuss the story with evidence. 
• In Unit 4, The Fight for Freedom, students respond to the essential question “What will people risk to be free?” following the reading of an excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Students discuss what they have learned from the text using their previous annotations and relevant details from the text. A reminder to students includes, “As you write and discuss what you learned from the autobiography, be sure to use the Academic Vocabulary words. Check off each of the words that you use.” 
• In Unit 5, Finding Your Path, students Think-Pair-Share as they work in small groups. Students reread paragraphs 1-7. Then they respond to the question: “Why does the author begin her argument this way?” First, student pairs think about the question individually, find evidence to support their response, and take notes. Then, pairs discuss their responses. 
• In Unit 6, The Legacy of Anne Frank, after reading and annotating a longer work, the drama The Diary of Anne Frank, students make a poster and dramatize a relationship. Teacher guidance is in place to assist students during the creation process, including “...writing support for students at varying proficiency levels, see the Test X-Ray on page 406D.” Once the poster is created, students present to the class. “Then, students “Act out (or do a dramatic reading of) two sections of the drama to demonstrate how the relationship between two characters changes over time.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports. 

Students are engaged in speaking and listening tasks throughout each unit. Specifically, the Collaborate & Compare section of every unit has extensive opportunities for students to discuss with peers around the topic of the unit. These tasks are often accompanied by a checklist that guides and provides feedback to students on the speaking and listening standards. Additionally, at the conclusion of each unit, a culminating writing assignment (Writing Task) is accompanied by speaking and listening opportunities (Speaking and Listening Task). Supplemental speaking and listening resources are provided for teachers and students. In the teacher guide, teachers are provided with prompts and guidance for supporting students’ discussion. For students, the online resource (ED) provides interactive videos on speaking and listening skills.   

• In Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches, in the Collaborate & Compare section, after reading “The Automation Paradox” by James Beesen and “Heads Up, Humans” by Claudia Alarcon, students engage in a debate on the impact of automation on employment. They work in a small group setting to choose a side, collect evidence for their viewpoint, and then conduct an actual debate with another team. Directions instruct students to “use appropriate eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, and gestures to communicate ideas effectively.”
• In Unit 2, The Thrill of Horror, after reading “What is the Horror Genre?” by Sharon Russell, students research plot descriptions and synopses of well-known horror stories. Students complete a chart of famous Masters of Horror and two works for each. Then, with a small group, students share what they found. As a small group, students decide if they want to show images or a movie trailer. Then students refer back to the categories Russell details in her essay, and identify what makes each of the works a good example of the horror genre. 
• In Unit 3, Places We Call Home, students research “high schools that specifically serve recent immigrants” and chart their answers on a graphic organizer. Then, students share their findings with a small group, comparing and contrasting answers that vary between students. The Teacher's Edition encourages teachers to remind students that they should discuss the similarities and differences in regards to the viewpoints presented in the documentary and text that they have viewed for the unit. 
• In Unit 4, The Fight for Freedom, students participate in a collaborative discussion with group members as part of the culminating task. The materials provide additional guidance to teachers: “Introduce students to the Speaking and Listening Task by reading the introductory paragraph with them. Remind students that participants in an effective panel discussion use text evidence to support their ideas and to respond to the ideas of others.” In addition, English Learner Support is available to teachers when working with students from varying proficiency levels, including Moderate/Light Support: “Ask pairs to say aloud or write summaries of the texts they review, using the following sentence frames to share information: [Text title] is about _____. In this text, abolitionists respond to slavery by _____. I think we [should, should not] discuss this text because _____. Groups can use ideas from these conversations together information.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g. multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate. 

The materials for Grade 8 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing. There are multiple opportunities throughout each unit for students to write about texts on-demand in shorter responses. At the end of each unit, there is a process writing piece called the Writing Task. There are multiple times where students spend time researching their ideas and tying them back to written text. Opportunities for students to revise and/or edit are provided. Materials include digital resources where appropriate. Writing tasks and projects are aligned to the grade level standards being reviewed.

• In Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches, students use ideas from “Heads Up, Humans” to create a public service announcement to build awareness about the potential impact of automation on jobs in the future. In this on-demand writing task, students decide on a slogan or a call to action to focus on in the message. They identify facts from the text or from additional research to support their message. Students choose a format for their message, such as a poster or video.
• In Unit 3, Places We Call Home, students view a documentary titled New Immigrants Share Their Stories. While watching, students write down any questions they have about the film and are instructed to pay attention to visual and sound techniques such as animation and voice-over. Later, students complete a graphic organizer that asks them to tie each technique back to a scene from the film and discuss what that scene and technique helps emphasize. 
• In Unit 4, The Terror and Wonder of Space, following the reading of an excerpt from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad, students write a persuasive speech “to convince the board of a museum that Harriet Tubman should be included in a ‘Heroes Hall of Fame’ exhibit.” The materials include additional online resources in the Writing Studio with guidance for a strong written argument, including but not limited to the following suggestions: shows an understanding of the issue, includes a precise claim that states the writer’s position, provides logical reasons to support the writer’s claim, and supports reasons with sufficient and relevant evidence.
• In Unit 5, Finding Your Path, students write a poem about identity or the search for identity that they will recite aloud for the class. In this on-demand writing task, students review the poems in the excerpt from Bronx Masquerade for inspiration and decide on a message they want to convey in their own poem.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. 

Grade 8 materials provide multiple opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply different genres/modes of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. Students write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. In addition, students write informative/explanatory and narrative responses. These opportunities are often connected to text types and/or topics students have explored throughout the unit. Teachers and students can monitor their writing skills through writing tasks following the readings and the use of rubrics and checklists. 

• In Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches, students write an informational essay as an end of unit task to “tell someone unfamiliar with a new technology how it helped you and how to use it.” A scoring guide is available for students to evaluate their work and to “write a paragraph explaining the reasons for the score he or she awarded in each category.”
• In Unit 4, The Fight for Freedom, students write a persuasive speech to convince the board of a museum that Harriet Tubman should be included in a “Heroes Hall of Fame” exhibit. This meets the demand of Grade 8 writing standards W.8.1a-c and W.8.1e. 
• In Unit 5, Finding Your Path, students write an argument as an end of unit task following the reading of a selection from It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Students “write an argument on a topic related to teenagers.” (394) The task requires students “support the claim with valid reasons and evidence, including facts, details, and examples from credible sources.”
• In Unit 6, The Legacy of Anne Frank, students write a personal narrative about an experience involving an object that they value. This meets the demand of Grade 8 writing standards W.8.3a-e.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for materials including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information appropriate for the grade level.

Grade 8 materials provide frequent opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply writing using evidence. Writing opportunities are focused around students’ analyses and claims developed from reading closely and working with sources. Annotations and shorter writing tasks take place consistently throughout the unit. At the end of every text, there is a section called Analyze the Text that proposes five short response questions and all require text support. The students use notes, answers, and annotation to add to an on-going Response Log. Students keep this Response Log throughout each unit to gather text evidence to support the culminating writing task . A culminating writing task (Writing Task) follows each unit, connecting to the essential question and topic. Materials provide opportunities that build students' writing skills over the course of the school year. Also, online resources are available which include interactive peer and teacher feedback with writing lessons and Level Up tutorials are available to focus on specific writing skills.

• In Unit 1, Gadgets and Glitches, students read closely the informational text “Are Bionic Superhumans on the Horizon?” by Ramez Naam and then respond to the essential question: “Does technology improve or control our lives?” Students gather information using the annotations and notes created during their reading. The Writing Task involves completing a response log to think about: the kinds of bionic advances people want or need, ways in which advances in bionics may affect individuals and society, and the ethical questions bionic devices may raise.
• In Unit 2, The Thrill of Horror, students read “The Hollow,” a poem by Kelly Deschler. Students work with a partner to research illustrations of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. Partners determine which illustrations would best fit the poem “The Hollow” and must support their ideas with details from the poem.
• In Unit 4, The Fight For Freedom, students read the poem “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman. While reading, students analyze figurative language by completing a table identifying comparisons such as metaphor and extended metaphor and what the poet’s purpose behind utilizing the figurative language might be. Students must include evidence from the text to support their answers.
• In Unit 6, The Legacy of Anne Frank, students read The Diary of Anne Frank: Act Two by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. After reading the second act of the drama, students “support their responses with evidence from the text.” Students Analyze the Text by writing in their notebook and respond to the following:  "Evaluate: How do the playwrights use a flashback to tell the story of life in the Annex? Does the use of nonlinear plot add to or detract from the impact of this play? Note how the play would be different if it had a linear plot as you explain your opinion.  Notice & Note: How do Anne’s wise words in paragraph 437 relate to what her father told her in Act One, Scene 2? Why might the playwrights have had Anne speak these words to Peter in Act Two?"

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for materials including explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context. 

Grade 8 materials include explicit instruction of grammar and conventions standards for the grade level, including all skills connecting to the anchor standards to ensure college and career readiness. In the materials, Notice & Note direct students to the Language/Grammar within the text. Explicit instruction is provided in the Teacher’s Edition. Students improve their fluency with these language standards through practice and application in and out of context. Within all tasks, including culminating tasks, directions and rubrics for grammar and conventions are considered.  In the Teacher's Edition, there are lesson ideas for students who are struggling, as well as reminders for use of the Grammar Studio for interactive lessons on the language standards.  

• In Unit 2, The Thrill of Horror, after reading "The Monkey’s Paw,” students learn about verb tenses. Explicit instruction is included in the Teacher’s Notes. Students practice by identifying verbs with correct tense in a teacher-issued paragraph from the text. Then students write a one-paragraph review of “The Monkey’s Paw.”  They “tell how the story begins, whether you recommend it, and how you think others will react to it. Then edit your paragraph for appropriate use of verb tenses.” 
• In Unit 4, The Fight for Freedom, after reading Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad, students learn about run-on sentences and how to correctly construct and punctuate compound, complex and compound-complex sentences. Explicit instruction is included in the Teacher’s Notes. Students practice by writing three sentences about a journey. They make one complex sentence, one compound sentence, and one compound-complex. They show they can correctly use commas and conjunctions to avoid creating run-on sentences. 
• In Unit 5, Finding Your Path, students end the unit by writing an argument piece. In the editing section of the writing process, students are instructed to review for grammar, usage, and mechanics, paying special attention to the skills learned throughout this unit: namely comparative and superlative modifiers. Students can refer to the Using Modifiers Correctly lesson in the Grammar Studio if they need assistance. 
• In Unit 6, The Legacy of Anne Frank, students focus on Vocabulary Acquisition and Use with a Practice and Apply activity relating to the reading of an excerpt from The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank: “Tell how the meaning of each sentence would change if the underlined word were replaced by the word in parentheses. 2. The view from a certain window in the annex was splendid. (fine)”.