8th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests. The core materials include texts in the majority of the units across the yearlong curriculum that are of publishable quality. Texts are well-crafted and content-rich, engaging students at the grade level for which they are placed. The texts include published texts, excerpts from published texts, and published authors. Texts can be examined multiple times for multiple purposes, such as building academic vocabulary and facilitating access to future texts. They offer personal perspectives on a variety of topics.

Examples of texts that demonstrate high quality include:

Unit 1

• Excerpt from the Odyssey by Homer
• "A Man" by Nina Cassian
• "Where I Find My Heroes" by Oliver Stone from McCall's Magazine
• "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

Unit 2

• "Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts" by Bruce Catton
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• "Private Eyes" by Brooke Charlton
• "Parents Share Son's Fatal Text Message to Warn Against Texting & Driving" from the Associated Press; "The Science Behind Distracted Driving" from KUTV, Austin

Unit 3

• Excerpt from Night by Elie Wiesel
• Life is Beautiful, film directed by Roberto Benigni
• Excerpt from Elie Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech
• Excerpt from Do Something! A Handbook for Young Activists by Vanessa Martir, Nancy Lublin, and Julia Steers

Unit 4

• "Made You Laugh" by Marc Tyler Nobleman
• Excerpt from Brothers by Jon Scieszka
• "I've got a few pet peeves about sea creatures" by Dave Barry
• "The Open Window" by Saki
• "A Day's Work" from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• "Is Traffic Jam Delectable?" by Jack Prelutsky

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards. Grade 8 materials include texts that represent a balance of literary and informational readings and span multiple types of text, including poems, essays, articles, films, editorials, myths, novel excerpts, short stories, memoirs, novels, biographies, and autobiographies. Examples from each unit include:

• In Unit 1, text types include novels, short stories, poetry, news articles, autobiography, and an essay. Examples include, but are not limited to:
  
  • Excerpt from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L-Engle
  • "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury
  • "A Man" by Nina Cassian
  • "Soldier home after losing his leg in Afghanistan" by Gale Fiege
  • Excerpt from The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass
  • "A Definition of a Gentleman" by John Henry Newman.
• In Unit 2, text types include essays, short story, novel, and articles. Examples include, but are not limited to:
  
  • "Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts" by Bruce Catton
  • "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  • "Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read"
  • "Private Eyes" by Brooke Charlton
  • "How the Brain Reacts" by Marcel Just and Tim Keller
• In Unit 3, text types include memoir, poem, children's book, film, excerpted play script, novel excerpt, primary sources, and news articles. Examples include, but are not limited to:
  
  • Excerpt from Night by Elie Wiesel
  • "First They Came for the Communists" by Martin Niemoller
  • Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Eve Bunting
  • Life is Beautiful directed by Roberto Benigni
  • Excerpt from The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett
  • Excerpt from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
  • Excerpt from Elie Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech
  • Excerpt from: Do Something! A Handbook for Young Activists by Vanessa Martir, Nancy Lublin, and Julia Steers
  • "Wangari Maathai" from BBC News
• In Unit 4, text types include essays, satire, short story, novel, poetry, comedic skit, drama, informational text, and film. Examples include, but are not limited to:
  
  • "Made You Laugh" by Marc Tyler Nobleman
  • "Underfunded Schools Forced to Cut Past Tense From Language Programs" from The Onion
  • "The Open Window" by Saki
  • "A Day's Work" from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
  • "They Have Yarns" by Carl Sandburg
  • "Who's on First?" by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
  • Excerpt from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
  • "Fear Busters - 10 Tips to Overcome Stage Fright" by Gary Guwe
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream, film

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.

Grade 8 materials typically fall within the 6-8 grade level band (925L to 1185L) in terms of quantitative measures and are within the appropriate rigor range in terms of qualitative measures, which measure elements of language, concepts and themes, and take into consideration the depth of the text itself. When texts fall above or below these bands, there are appropriate accompanying reader and task elements that substantiate the rationale for the text's presence in the yearlong materials.

In Unit 1, the overall quantitative levels are 770-1230. Novel excerpts, poetry, and historical essays are qualitatively complex to very complex. Students work within single texts and compare/contrast components of the materials.

• Activity 1.6: Text: The Odyssey by Homer. Lexile-1130. Qualitative: Moderate. Task Demand: Moderate-Analyze.
• Activity 1.13: Text: The Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Fredrick Douglass. Lexile-1180. Qualitative: Moderate. Task Demand: Moderate-Analyze.

In Unit 2, the overall quantitative levels are 820-1590. Novels, poetry, and media articles are qualitatively complex and are coupled with activities that call for synthesizing evidence across texts.

• Activity 2.16: Text:“Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read,” from the American Library Association. Lexile-1230. Complex. Qualitative: Low Difficuly. Task Demand: Accessible.
• Activity 2.13: Text: "The Science Behind Distracted Driving" from KUTV Austin. Lexile-1040. Qualitative: Low Difficuly. Task Demand: Moderate-Analyze

In Unit 3, the overall quantitative levels are 610-1350. Thematically- and topically-organized film, poetry, novels, and articles fall into a broad range of qualitative complexity. Students engage in working across texts.

• Activity 3.16: Text:from Do Something: A Handbook for Young Activists by Nancy Lublin with Vanessa Martir and Julia Steers. Lexile-950. Qualitative: Low. Task Demand: Accessible.
• Activity 3.17: Text: “Wangari Maathai - Wangari Maathai rose to prominence fighting for those most easily marginalized in Africa- poor women.” Lexile-1200. Qualitative: Moderate Task Demand: Moderate.

In Unit 4, the overall quantitative levels are 900-1500. Satirical essays, exposition and explanatory pieces combine with poetry and are qualitatively accessible for students to negotiate working across texts. Tasks are integrated reading-writing-speaking-listening and synthesize skills and knowledge learned over the course of the school year.

• Activity 4.4: Text:f“Underfunded Schools Forced to Cut Past Tense From Language Programs,” from The Onion. Lexile-1500. Qualitative: Moderate. Task Demand: Moderate-Analyze.
• Activity 4.6: Text:from “Brothers,” by Jon Scieszka. Lexile-1110. Qualitative: Low. Task Demand: Moderate-Analyze.

he instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for supporting students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.) Series of texts are at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.

Texts support students' increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. The overall reading and writing demands gradually increase in complexity and challenges over the course of the school year as they incorporate previously-taught components and move students to synthesize literacy skills.

Students progressively build literacy skills through work with a variety of texts over the course of the school year. Texts sets are at various complexity levels, quantitatively and qualitatively, and therefore support learners as they develop literacy skills and background knowledge to support independent and proficient reading practices.

The overall reading and writing demands start at an accessible range in Unit 1 and gradually increase in complexity and challenges over the course of the school year. This range includes measures of quantitative and qualitative demand. Students encounter texts with lower quantitative demands at the beginnings of each unit as skills are introduced, and then they practice with increasingly complex texts as the units continue. For example, in Unit 1, early texts measure quantitatively at 770 and 960 Lexile, but at the end of the unit texts have a measure of 1130 and 1230. Coupled with the qualitative richness, these text sets provide a strong background for students to grow skills as they have access to grade-level texts. Online supports include Close Reading and Writer's Workshops which give students scaffolded instruction and multiple opportunities to access texts and gain experience in writing for different purposes and audiences.

Further student supports online allow students to access texts audibly. Print and online student editions provide grammar handbooks, explaining language standards, as well as a variety of reading and writing strategy explanations. The print and online teacher edition contains these resources as well, along with teaching tips, resources, and suggestions, such as extra grammar lessons, Teacher to Teacher tips, and adapt and extend opportunities for ELL, struggling, and advanced students. There are multiple opportunities during collaborative discussions, Literature Circles, and class presentations to practice speaking and listening skills.

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.

The materials contain core texts and supporting texts that are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for educational purpose and placement at grade level. The publisher includes a complete Text Complexity Analysis for each text used. This document includes a text description, a locator for where it is used, a section on context, a chart of the quantitative and qualitative measures, the qualitative considerations, the task and reader considerations, and the placement considerations.

In the online teacher edition, a complete text complexity analysis and rationale for that text's inclusion in the program is available. Included in the text analysis is a paragraph setting the context of the reading within the rest of the unit; a quantitative/complexity measure; qualitative considerations including purpose/levels of meaning, structure, language and knowledge demands; as well as task, reader, and grade level placement considerations.

In the forward of the print teacher edition, an explanation of the metrics used for text complexity measures is provided. Quantitative measures are indicated with Lexile scores. Qualitative measures are indicated as "high," "moderate," and "low" difficulty and were determined by teachers considering meaning, purpose, structure, language, and knowledge demands of each text. Task difficulty was measured using Anderson's and Krathwohl's taxonomy based on the cognitive demands of tasks associated with the text.

At the beginning of each unit, the teacher edition lists rationale for materials included in the Planning the Unit section through Context, College Readiness Standards, and Instructional Practices and Pacing. When texts appear to fall below the Grade 6-8 level band, a rationale is provided for justification. In the print teacher edition, Text Complexity Icons and information appear as sidebars alongside the beginning of all prose text in Grade 6 student and teacher editions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that support materials for the core text(s) provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to support their reading at grade level by the end of the school year.

There are numerous opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of texts throughout the year. Furthermore, students are given many opportunities over the course of school year to practice oral and silent reading fluency, and self-monitor their progress. Materials include a breadth and depth of text types. Student and Teacher Editions contain an extensive list of suggested fiction and nonfiction texts, correlated to each unit’s theme, along with Lexile level, in the front of each unit. Students are instructed at beginning and midpoint of each of four units to select a text from the list, or a similar one of their own, corresponding to unit’s theme. Students keep a Reader’s/Writer’s Notebook through the course of the year’s study. There, they record connections between anchor text and text selected for independent reading. The journal also serves as a repository for self-reflection on the success of reading strategies employed; multiple reading for multiple purposes, rereading, visualizing, and summarizing. Students also use journal to monitor growth in reading fluency, but there isn't a consistent way for the teacher to track a students' growth. The texts provide ample opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to achieve grade level reading mastery. Additional support is given to struggling readers and English Language Learners, as well as extension opportunities for those reading above grade level. Online programs include Desmos and Linc, and all selections are available as audio versions for practice of oral fluency.

There are numerous opportunities for students to engage with a range and volume of texts throughout the year both in print and in mixed media. Suggested independent reading texts and support texts, when combined with anchor texts, provide a robust collection of opportunities for students to read broadly and deeply. Texts range in length and form from online articles to plays and novels.

As teachers monitor the progress of their students through the First Read portion of the lesson, they are guided to evaluate if the mode is effective for the students’ skills and for the complexity of the piece. The Teacher Wrap offers suggestions for how to make adjustments, such as Step 5 in Unit 1, Activity 1.13: “Based on the observations you made during the first reading, you may want to adjust your reading mode. For example, for the sermon, you may decide for the second reading to read aloud certain complex passages, or you may group students differently. For the poem, you might switch from choral reading to independent reading.”Through this monitoring and through the targeted intervention provided through the Foundational Skills Workshop, teachers are supported in “equipping students with the literacy foundations that will enable them to make progress in their challenging ELA coursework.”

The Teacher Edition Front Matter provides different ways to obtain knowledge and awareness of students’ strengths and weaknesses in reading through the Foundational Skills Workshop which offers Observational Look-Fors "to identify possible gaps in foundational reading skills when you observe students struggling with reading or writing task; Foundational Reading Skills Screening Assessment to get more detailed information about an individual student’s foundational reading skills; a Diagnostic Checklist and Individual Progress Monitoring Chart to make an individualized plan for foundational reading skills intervention; and a Group Planning Chart to plan small-group instruction for students who will benefit from the same intervention plan.” While the Foundational Skills Workshop includes teacher supports for understanding students' literacy gaps, the workshop does not provide ample supports for teachers to identify and assess the literacy gaps.

Students practice independent reading throughout the school year through the inclusion of two independent reading assignments with each Unit. Students establish their independent reading schedules as can be seen in Activity 1.3 and have the opportunity to relate their independent reading selections to the study occurring in class through Independent Reading Links such as the one in Activity 1.4: “Examine the opening chapter of your independent reading book and write about how it sets the context for the hero’s challenges. What mood does the author set in the opening of your book? How is it similar to or different from the mood that is set in the poem in this activity?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-dependent, 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).

Teacher materials provide support for planning and implementation of text-dependent writing, speaking, and other activities. Every anchor and supporting text has a Second Read component that asks students to look at a particular section of the text, and complete a text-dependent activity. Questions students have about the text are recorded daily in students-required Reader’s/Writer’s notebook. The Teacher Wrap in both online and print teacher’s editions provides extensive guidance to teachers, as well as suggested answers to text-specific activities. Students record, revise, and edit their responses digitally with online text, and are encouraged to use digital tools such as Highlight, Note, Mark, Annotate, and Question to help with understanding. Further support is provided to students digitally through Zinc and Desmos.

Examples of text-dependent activities include:

In Unit 1, Activity 1.5, students read "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" and use the annotation component to answer text-dependent questions:

• "What textual evidence in the beginning of the story shows that the boy is afraid? The word ‘harvested’ is used figuratively in paragraph 10. How do you know it is used figuratively, and why did the author choose this word? Consult reference materials to find the meanings of 'ramrod' and 'flint.' Relate these words to the meaning of the sentence in paragraph 12. How does the sentence convey the boy’s mood? How did Joby join the army? What is significant about that? Consult reference material to find the meaning of the word 'drowse.' How does that word create a contrast in paragraph 44? What shift happens in paragraphs 44, 45, and 46? Use textual evidence in your answer. How does the general’s comment, ‘Do you know now you’re general of the army when the general’s left behind?’ prove to be a decisive moment in the conversation between him and Joby?" These questions are comprehensive, but they are surface-level and do not dive deeply into textual analysis or synthesis."
• "Summarize the Departure Stage of the Hero’s Journey as it relates to Joby in 'The Drummer Boy.' Embed at least one direct quotation in your summary to strengthen your response." This does not require an in-depth analysis for the text as multiple direct quotations can be chosen.
• Students complete a graphic organizer after being instructed to "Reread a chunk of the text to identify and evaluate the narrative elements listed. Now that you have identified and evaluated the narrative elements of the story, determine its central idea. Write a summary of the central idea, supporting your interpretation using evidence from the text. Explain how the author communicates the idea that Joby is now ready to start his journey.” The graphic organizer asks students to provide evidence to support their analysis of the text; however, clear guidance is not provided for students to note if they have strong evidence to support their claim.

In Unit 2, Activity 2.3, students read "Harrison Bergeron" and follow the same type of annotation to complete a close read using Key Ideas and Details and Craft and Structure questions. Following the Second Read questions, students complete a chart in which they provide an interpretation of the questions “What ‘ideal’ is the society based upon? What did the society sacrifice in order to create this ‘ideal’ life? How was this utopian ideal transformed into a dystopian reality? What new problems were created?” and must support their interpretation with evidence. At the end of the Activity, students are given a comprehension question: "How does “Harrison Bergeron” convey the conflict between the needs or ideals of society and the realities of individuals? Be sure to provide examples from the text and use at least one direct quotation to support your ideas, include a reference to utopia and dystopia, [and] use active voice unless you choose passive voice for a certain effect."

In Unit 3, students read multiple texts that explore the history of the Holocaust and select people who have worked to make a difference. When reading an excerpt from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in Activity 3.11, students use the annotation prompts as they read. Many of the questions ask students to refer back to the text: "Analyze the description and dialogue. Why is the watch so important to Shmuel? What does it symbolize for him? What inferences can you make about the setting? Provide details that help form your inferences.”Additionally as seen in the Teacher Wrap for this activity, teachers are provided with the means for supporting student comprehension in the Leveled Differentiated Instruction Box: “Support students’ comprehension by asking them to make predictions. Have them read through paragraph 15 and then stop to fill the left side of a Venn diagram with their predictions. After they finish reading, have them fill out what actually happened in the right side of the Venn diagram. Matches can be moved to the overlapping section.”

In Activity 4.2 students read the text, "Made You Laugh" by Marc Tyler Nobleman and respond to questions such as, "What is the author’s argument in this essay? Cite specific evidence from the text in your response."

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

Grade 8 materials provide opportunities for students to complete different modes of writing. On-demand writing occurs throughout the year in almost every Activity and is bolstered by almost-daily practice with annotation work. Process writing is scaffolded over the course of the school year and is a core component of the program. Materials include writing instruction aligned to the standards for the grade level, and writing instruction spans the school year.

The student edition includes writing instruction on skills such as brainstorming, controlling ideas, details, dialogue, drafting, editing, evaluating, providing feedback, outlining, planning, prewriting, quick writes, research, revision strategies, multimedia components, writing process, writing prompts. The Planning Unit section of the teacher’s edition provides an explanation of expectations of Embedded Assessments, as well as a comprehensive Instruction and Pacing Guide. A Writers Workshop is available online for extra support.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Activities 1.2-4, students engage in on-demand writing by practicing transforming written imagery and detail into illustrations. Students complete this type of writing repeatedly throughout the unit.
• In Unit 1, Activities 1.5-8, students use process writing over ten class periods, as they draft the beginning and middle of a narrative, work in writing groups to create a writer's checklist, provide specific feedback for revision and editing, and continue to revise as they draft the end of the narrative.
• In Unit 1, Embedded Assessment 1, students again engage in process writing by, following collaboration with writing groups to strengthen writing through revision and editing, students write a narrative, publish, and reflect on writing.
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.2, students write on-demand by writing a compare/contrast response to informational text.
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.3, students practice embedding direct quotations and apply learning by writing a response to literature in an on-demand prompt.
• In Unit 2, Embedded Assessment 1, after working through stages of writing process and collaborative writing groups, students write an expository essay, publish, and reflect.
• In Unit 2, Activities 2.12-16, students write debatable claims, conduct and cite research, create annotated bibliography, and form and support claims, using research.
• In Unit 3, Activities 3.4-5, students write on-demand by responding to an expository writing prompt to analyze how themes in multiple genres connect.
• In Unit 3, Activities 3.6-8, students use process writing to conduct research from websites, researching a specific Holocaust victim. Work in collaborative groups to transform research into talking points for panel discussion.
• In Unit 4, Activities 4.2-3, students write on-demand a summary of informational text and again in Activities 4.8-10 in response to expository writing prompts.
• In Unit 4, Embedded Assessment 1, students use process writing to write an analysis of a humorous text by writing a multi-paragraph essay, working through all stages of writing process, publishing, and reflecting.

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

Grade 8 materials have students work with different types of writing tasks, learning and practicing in different genres/modes as outlined by the standards for Grade 8.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, writing opportunities include writing a narrative (a "hero's journey") in Embedded Assessment 1.1 and a definition essay in Embedded Assessment 1.2.
• In Unit 2, writing instruction includes writing an expository essay in Embedded Assessment 2.1 and argumentative essay in Embedded Assessment 2.2.
• In Unit 3, writing instruction includes an analysis of a narrative text in Activity 3.5 and an argumentative essay in Activity 3.15.
• In Unit 4, writing instruction includes an analysis of humorous text via expository/explanatory essay in Embedded Assessment 4.1.

Component parts of different modes and genres are taught in mini-lessons and tasks, such as analytical paragraph writing, conducting research, literary and expository text and script writing, and literary analysis. Multimedia integration is encouraged in many of the culminating tasks, and there are samples and links encouraging students to practice different forms of presentation to share their writing.

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

Grade 8 materials include frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information. In addition to requiring text-based evidence in responding to questions for each selection, there are many opportunities for evidence-based writing.

Students use writing practice as a way to build meaning via annotation and are engaged with text-specific writing prompts along the way (answered via typing online or writing in the consumable textbook). Writing tasks often reference the reading content and mode in which the reading was presented. As students study a text for form and content, students are provided prompts and guidance to identify the components and then practice replicating or analyzing those components. Writing tasks sometimes attend to the "bigger picture" of the learning objective or require students to go outside a text (questions such as "What is a pun? What are some examples?" are found in Unit 4 as students study comedy and satire).

Across the consumable student edition, there are graphic organizers and note-taking prompts to assist students in producing writing associated with the texts being read. Prompts include questions that are dependent on the text, but used with multiple texts, as well as text-specific writing demands. In the sidebars of the student consumable, students are provided organized space and guidance to annotate and collect evidence to use in the writing tasks at the ends of each text and/or section.

Most writing tasks explicitly require students to cite components of text in the writing. In short questions and tasks, students are reminded to "provide textual evidence to support interpretation." In graphic organizers students are provided frames to select and organize evidence and practice citation rules.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.7, students “Identify steps in the Hero’s Return. Mark the text to indicate evidence of each step."
• In Unit 1, Activity 1.12, students are asked "How does Stone use the example strategy to support definition? Cite textual evidence to support your analysis."
• In Unit 1, Activity 1.13, students “Explain how Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were heroic... Provide [specific and relevant facts, details, examples and quotations from anthology to support topic sentence and thesis and] to develop ideas."
• In Unit 3, while students read the "Address by Cesar Chavez, President United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO" in Activity 3.19, they are prompted to answer these questions using evidence: "What is the claim Cesar Chavez is making? Summarize the logic of Chavez's argument about the relationship between human health and pesticides. How has the author depended on logical reasoning and relevant evidence? How does Cesar Chavez satisfy the call to action part of the argument he is making?"
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.4, a graphic organizer is included that supports students' eliciting evidence from the story "Brothers" by Jon Sziescka. After completing the organizer, students practice writing analytical topic sentences using specifics from the organizer. This progression of working from reading to note-taking to organizer to frame to writing is common throughout the program.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials include 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 language skills that are taught explicitly and then applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts. Grammar and conventions are taught in a sequence consistent with the demands of Grade 8 standards and are integrated with reading and writing instruction.

Language standards for the grade level are found in forward of student edition. The student edition has a comprehensive grammar handbook in the back of the book for continual reference, as well as an Index of Language Skills identifying where instruction can be found in text. This handbook can also be found in both the student and teacher online editions. The Teacher Resources Online also have additional grammar lessons. In addition, there are ten separate Writer's Workshops online that incorporate grammar and language instruction. The Planning the Unit section at the beginning of each unit, in the teacher's print edition, lists expectations for Embedded Assessments as well as a comprehensive Instructional Activity and Pacing Guide that provides grammar support and instruction in the context of actual reading and writing.

Each unit of instruction contains specific Language and Writer's Craft features. Students are encouraged to devote a section of their Reader/Writer Notebook to study of language and grammar. Writing Workshop Scoring Guides and additional writing prompts provide additional opportunities for students to demonstrate command of conventions.

Some language work is embedded, so students encounter it in context, with guidance such as the note in Activity 2.2 that engages students as they read “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts” to "Note the usage of the conditional mood in paragraph 9: 'If the land was settled … he could better himself.' How does the use of the conditional support the main idea of this paragraph?" These Grammar and Usage prompts connect with lessons throughout the units.

Embedded in the workshops and tasks are specific lessons focusing on language. Lessons include definitions and practice, usually intended for students to apply new learning to their writing. All lessons are woven into culminating writing tasks for application.

Examples include:

Unit 1

• Activity 1.7: Prepositional phrases
• Activity 1.11: Appositives

Unit 2

• Activity 2.2: Conditional tense
• Activity 2.3: Conventions-ellipses and brackets usage, active and passive voice, embedding direct quotes
• Activity 2.6: Imperative and interrogative

Unit 3

• Activity 3.2: Analyzing roots and affixes
• Activity 3.4: Participle verb forms
• Activity 3.10: Pronoun antecedents, punctuation using ellipses, colons, exclamation points, dashes, and parentheses
• Activity 3.19: Verb tenses-present progressive, using fragments for effect

Unit 4

• Activity 4.4 Verbals-participles, infinitives, and gerunds
• Activity 4.6: Active voice and passive voice
• Activity 4.8: Word connections: multiple meanings, word relationships; Grammar and Usage: connotation and denotation
• Activity 4.15: Performance using punctuation cues consistently and naturally to inform vocal delivery