8th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics (or, for grades 6-8, topics and/or themes) to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

The instructional materials are organized around themes and build students' reading comprehension of complex texts. The curriculum for Grade 8 explores the trials and tensions, great and small, of the human experience. The themes of the four units are as follows: “In Suspense,” “In Time of War,” “A Moral Compass,” and “The Civil War.”

Each unit provides fiction and nonfiction selections to build student content knowledge. Students are required to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently. At the beginning of each unit, students consider the “Big Idea” or essential question of the unit, and when they read and analyze texts in the unit, they face further questions and discussions about the essential question. The reading, writing, and discussion tasks ultimately lead to a culminating task that requires students to synthesize what they have learned about the texts as they relate to the overarching idea of the unit. Examples of texts centered around topics to build students' ability to read and comprehend complex texts include but are not limited to:

• The theme of Unit 1 is “Suspense.” Students read a variety of texts written by Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King, and Edgar Allan Poe to build student knowledge and narrative writing skills. After reading classic thrillers, such as “The Monkey’s Paw,” Lord of the Flies, and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” students try their own hands at the genre, applying what they have learned about suspense to their own narrative writing projects. Other selections include Sorry, Wrong Number, an excerpt from Cujo, “Annabel Lee,” and “The Bells.”
• Unit 2 combines several selections to build student knowledge around the theme “In Time of War.” Students explore the complexities of wartime morality as it existed during World War II. The unit opens with a powerful speech, “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat,” delivered by Winston Churchill as the United Kingdom entered into the war against German fascism. Other selections explore the hope and despair created by war, as expressed by Anne Frank, John Boyne, Elie Wiesel and other Holocaust survivors, young people in Germany, Japanese Americans, proponents of peace, and prisoners of war. Students explore brave, critical, and illuminating choices that those in immersed in extreme conflict are forced to make, and the implications of their choices.
• The theme of Unit 3 is “A Moral Compass.” This unit encourages students to consider the complexities of morality. The unit opens with “Abuela Invents the Zero,” a short story by Judith Ortiz Cofer. It chronicles a teenage girl’s struggles with her traditional Puerto Rican grandmother and the culture clash it represents. Other selections delve into rich characters and character-building situations as created by Anton Chekhov, Langston Hughes, Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Gary Soto, Rudolfo Anaya, William Blake, and Pablo Neruda. Students explore the complexities of how people become who they are and investigate ways to realize their potential in the world.
• Unit 4 combines several selections to build student knowledge around the theme is “The Civil War.” Students learn about this time period (1861–1865) through fiction, journals, nonfiction narratives, speeches, letters, and poetry. The unit begins with an excerpt from the Newbery-award–winning novel, Across Five Aprils. It lays out the main arguments for and against the war, and moves more deeply into the lives of characters who experience the war. Other selections share the words of President Abraham Lincoln, novelist Stephen Crane, activist Sojourner Truth, poet Walt Whitman, as well as soldiers and other historical figures. Students explore the impact of the Civil War from a variety of perspectives. They also research the effects of civil conflicts around the world that continue to this day.

The materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

The materials contain sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks that provide students with multiple opportunities to analyze language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make and build understanding within each thematically-based unit. The Cold Read activity for each texts encourages students to refer to pre-defined vocabulary and contains higher order thinking questions in the form of both text-dependent and text-specific questions; this type of activity is designed to help students make meaning of what they are reading as they prepare for the Close Read’s Extended Writing Prompt that asks students to more closely analyze the text using evidence. Examples of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, in the Close Reading of “The Monkey’s Paw,” students analyze craft and structure as they answer the prompt: “How do the story elements of character, setting, and plot contribute to the theme of “The Monkey’s Paw”? Use your understanding of story elements to determine the theme of the short story.”
• In Unit 2, in the Close Reading of The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play, students respond to the prompt: “How does political or national conflict influence individual families? How does The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play explore this theme? What elements of the play help you understand this influence? Support your answer with text evidence from the selection.”
• In Unit 3, in the Close Read of “Abuela Invents the Zero,” students analyze keys details as they answer the prompt: “How does the theme of “Abuela Invents the Zero” help you understand a larger lesson about how life experiences can shape our values? Use the details you have compiled from examining the conflict between the characters, as well as the characters’ thoughts, dialogue, feelings, and actions, to identify the theme of the story and analyze how it is developed over the course of the text. Remember to support your writing with evidence and inferences from the text.”
• In Unit 4, in the Close Read of “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave,” students analyze the author’s use of language when they respond to the prompt: “In some informational texts, authors try to persuade readers to accept a specific point of view about a subject. In what way does Frederick Douglass use elements of figurative language to express the anger and torment that he feels, and help readers understand it? How does the use of these figures of speech strengthen his argument against slavery? Use your understanding of figurative language and informational text elements to determine how successfully Douglass uses them in his narrative. Support your writing with evidence from the text.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

The materials provided students multiple opportunities, through questions and tasks, to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. Each unit contains texts that are represented in more than one format, several texts that explore/represent one theme, and several argumentative prompts that give students the opportunity to state and claim and use evidence from the various texts to support their claim.

Throughout the year, students thoroughly read, write about, and discuss numerous reading selections. Each unit includes prompts for informational, argument, and literary analysis writing tasks that require students to cite evidence from multiple texts. Each unit also includes a Research Project.

Instruction begins with a First Read Lesson, designed to emphasize meaning making and content comprehension. First Read lessons include StudySyncTV, which models critical thinking with collaborative passages that students are reading, and end with a series of short answer text-dependent questions. Students are then introduced to Skill Lessons and Close Read Lessons to support knowledge building, and culminate with a short constructed response that synthesizes their work. Each unit also contains a Full Text Study which comes with companion texts. This text set becomes the resource for the final activity for the Full Text Study, where students are asked to complete sustained writing tasks in response to prompts that require them to compare and contrast two or more of the texts in the set. Examples of coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, in the Close Read for Cujo, students read an excerpt of Stephen King’s novel and then watch the same excerpt of the film version. Then students will complete the following task: “Watch the 1983 film version of this scene. Then reread the excerpt. How did director Lewis Teague stay true to the original novel? What liberties did he take with the script? What inferences did you make in the text passage that are retained or abandoned in the film version? In about 300 words, analyze the choices the film director made and the effects these changes have on your perception of the characters as well as the film’s level of suspense.” To further knowledge building, in the Close Read section, students are asked to annotate using the following prompt that deeps their understanding of the text by identifying evidence that helps explain one of the main character’s reactions to the suspenseful setting: "In the twenty-fourth paragraph, after all Donna has been through - hearing the dog growl, catching her first glimpse of Cujo's blood soaked fur, getting into the car and securing the door - Stephen King writes simply that "she screamed." Use text evidence to explain why Donna finally lets loose with this expression of terror, even though she is now in relative safety inside the car."
• In Unit 2, in the Close Read of “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech” students compare the text to watching Elie Wiesel give his speech. Students respond to the following prompt: “How does the experience of reading the text of Elie Wiesel's “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech” differ from the experience of watching the video of the speech? How do the visual and audio components of the video affect the message of the speech? Support your writing with evidence from both the video and the speech.” A Build Background component is included at the beginning of this lesson to supplement to provide context and more support for students to assure comprehension and meaning of the texts.
• In Unit 3, the Full Text Study is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. After reading the novel, students are asked to analyze the text in an essay according to the following prompt: “Most of the action of Tom Sawyer takes place in St. Petersburg, a name with religious connections. Could this town, based on Twain’s boyhood hometown of Hannibal, Missouri, be a kind of heaven to the author? By contrast, other crucial scenes take place in a dark underworld. What do you think Mark Twain is up to? Are there characters who stand for good, evil, or a combination of both? Is there a heaven and hell in the book? What part does religion play? Drawing from characters and events in the novel as well as from pertinent additional readings, write an essay of at least 500 words about morality in Tom Sawyer. What statement is Mark Twain making about good and evil? Is it supported or contradicted by the added readings?” These linked questions encourage re-reading and demand students marshall evidence from the text.
• In Unit 4, in the Close Read of “Sojourner Truth: Speech to the Ohio Women’s Conference,” two accounts of the speech are presented. Students read both accounts and respond to the following prompt: “Consider Sojourner Truth’s statement in the first account: “If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?” What does she mean by “cup, pint, and quart?” How does Robinson present this idea in the second account, and how is the meaning of Sojourner Truth’s statement changed slightly in Robinson’s account? Write an explanation of the analogies that Truth makes and compare and contrast the two accounts of the speech and how they present these analogies. Then write an answer to the second question, comparing the two presentations. Use textual evidence to support your answer.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic (or, for grades 6-8, a theme) through integrated skills (e.g. combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

Most culminating tasks support knowledge building. Examples of tasks that have students demonstrate building knowledge through integrated standards-based skills include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, in the Extended Writing Project, students wrestle with the complexities of wartime morality during World War II and write an argumentative essay where they reflect on two of the reading selections and pull in information from outside sources to address the issue of the best way that people can respond to conflict. Student look closely at the choices people are forced to make during these trying times and how these choices impact others. Each of the reading selections in the unit features individuals who face complex wartime challenges, and students are asked to closely consider the circumstances of these challenges and the decisions that were made, such as in the Close Read of “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat” when students respond to the following prompt: “According to Churchill's speech, what will war mean for the British people, and why should England be involved? How does the main idea of Churchill's speech reveal his response to conflict, and what does this say about him? Support your writing with textual evidence from the speech.”
• In Unit 3, in the Extended Writing Project, students explore the complexities of morality and write a literary analysis in order to examine the values of two of the characters in the unit and how their values are shaped by their experiences.The texts in the unit illustrate the human experience and how it shapes who we are and how we approach the world. Each of the texts in the unit and their associated activities relate to this idea of human experience, action, and morality, such as in the First Read of “Abuela Invents the Zero” when students answer the following question: “How does Constancia respond when Abuela becomes lost in the church? Describe her reaction, and support your answer with textual evidence.”
• In Unit Four, there are a variety of texts and materials that deepen students’ knowledge about the causes of and events surrounding the American Civil War. The research links found in the Blasts provide diverse insights into this historical conflict, providing a framework for students to write an informative text about the effects the Civil War had on Americans and their views of freedom. In Instructional Path, The Big Idea, Blast: The Civil War, Teacher Resource Lesson Plan, students use technology to produce and publish writing. Under Research Links, Core Path, Question three is as follows: “In "Born a Slave, Now a Soldier" it is clear that many white citizens and soldiers did not believe that African Americans would make good soldiers, but they were proved wrong. What were some of the reasons they had for doubting the black forces? Why do you think the black soldiers fought as hard as they did? What was different about their cause for war than their fellow white soldiers?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic and domain-specific vocabulary words in and across texts.

Language instruction in the StudySync core program provides systematic vocabulary instruction as well as repeated opportunities for practice and application in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will encounter vocabulary-building opportunities across all three lesson types: First Reads, Skill lessons, and Close Reads.

Students are exposed to the challenging vocabulary in the text. They are given opportunities to use context clues and analyze word parts in order to understand the meaning of the words, and teachers are encouraged to model these types of strategies. The materials focus on language development by having students use context clues, word placement, and common Greek and Latin affixes and roots to figure out the meaning of words. The lesson plans for each text focus on academic and domain-specific vocabulary, and students are exposed to these vocabulary words through a variety of media. The vocabulary words are explained by other teens through a video, and there is a written explanation and examples for each term below the video.

Students are also provided with a Vocabulary Handbook. In the vocabulary handbooks, in each unit, students have lessons on topics such as synonym, context clues, base words, and prefixes. Instructional presentation, practice activities, and assessments are included for each unit. Examples of opportunities for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, in the First Read of “The Monkey’s Paw,” students make predictions about vocabulary. There are five bold vocabulary words in the text. As students read the text, they make predictions about what they think each bold vocabulary word means based on the context clues in the sentence. Students then use the annotation tool to make their predictions.

• In Unit 2, in the Close Read of Boy in the Striped Pajamas, students complete sentence frames using the vocabulary words. Some of the vocabulary words are included in the questions and some are included in the answers. Two examples of vocabulary used in questions include, “In anatomy class today, we studied how the skeleton supports the human __________.” and “The secret to Dad's Thanksgiving stuffing is the fresh __________ leaves he adds to it.”

• In Unit 3, lesson 28 focuses on building Academic Vocabulary. Students learn words such as access, amend, and consult. The goal of this lesson is to help students incorporate the academic vocabulary words into their vocabulary so that they can better understand academic texts. As the final step in the lesson, students answer questions such as, “Which of these is most likely to be objective—a news report telling exactly what happened or a speech supporting a candidate?”

• In Unit 4, in the First Read of Across Five Aprils, students think about the meaning of each vocabulary word. Students use the meaning of the word to answer questions such as “A __________ was added to the price of steel imported from Asia to protect American steel producers.” and “An abolitionist is someone who wants to __________ a practice or institution, such as the institution of slavery.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials support students’ increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year.

The materials supports students’ growth in writing skills over the course of the school year..To achieve this goal, instructional materials include well-designed lesson plans, models, and protocols for teachers to implement and monitor students’ writing development. Direct instruction on the writing process builds as the year progresses. Within the unit, students write in response to driving questions in Blasts, comprehension questions in First Reads, and discussion questions in Close Reads. These informal writing opportunities prepare students to write more formally as part of each unit’s Extended Writing Project and Research assignments. For Research, students discuss, plan, research, write, and deliver presentations. In the Extended Writing Project, students complete a writing project in one of the three primary modes of writing with the help of a student model, graphic organizers, rubrics, and extensive scaffolding of writing skills. The students engage in all phases of the writing process. Examples of materials supporting students’ increasing writing skills over the school year include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, the Extended Writing Project focuses on the narrative form. The Student Model is used to help students better understand how narrative elements work together to create a suspenseful story, analyze how the model employs specific skills to keep readers at the edge of their seats, examine the process the writer used to develop the narrative through graphic organizers and story road maps, and identify how the model might, like their own narratives, benefit from revision. Direct instruction is provided on narrative techniques and sequencing, descriptive details, and writing dialogue in preparation for this final writing task.

• In Unit 2, the Extended Writing Project focuses on the argumentative form. The Student Model is used to help students better understand how argumentative elements work together to create a convincing argument, analyze how the model employs specific skills, such as effective organization, strong supporting details obtained from credible sources, and accurate citations of these sources, examine the process the writer used to develop the argumentative essay through graphic organizers and roadmaps, and identify how the model might, like their own essays, benefit from revision. Direct instruction is provided on Research and Note-Taking, Organization of Argumentative Writing (State a claim and provide appropriate convincing evidence), and Sources and Citations (including a Works Cited page) in preparation for this final assignment.

• In Unit 3, in the Close Read Section of “Ode to Thanks,” students complete an extended writing assignment according to the following prompt: “In “Ode to Thanks,” how does poet Pablo Neruda invite readers to appreciate the concept of gratitude? In an essay of at least 300 words, explain how the poetic structure, as well as the poet’s use of connotative word meanings and figurative language, help you understand the poem’s message. If you were to write your own ode in the style of Pablo Neruda, what would you praise, and why?” Once students complete their writing assignment, they submit substantive feedback to two peers and use their peers' feedback to improve their writing.

• In Unit 4, in the Full Text Study of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, students write an analytical essay that synthesizes the study of the main text and the accompanying texts, as seen in the following example: “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass does not read as a manual of how to escape or end slavery. Douglass’s path to freedom is fraught with hardship, suffering, setbacks. By most accounts his well-earned independence is improbable, given the circumstances. How is freedom best obtained? Consider Henry David Thoreau’s essay urging citizens toward civil disobedience, or nonviolent protest. Evaluate Thoreau’s recommendations in the context of Douglass’s presentation of American slavery. Claim a position on whether violence is a useful and/or necessary tool for obtaining freedom. Draw on several sources from the unit as well as your own ideas and cite textual evidence from Douglass’s Narrative and Thoreau’s essay to support your argument.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

Each of the four units in the Grade 8 materials include multiple opportunities for students to engage in research activities and present their findings. Each unit begins with a Big Idea Blast that gives students their first opportunity to draft a response to the driving question of the unit. The Blast includes multi-media research links that are related to the theme, and as students interact with the research links in the Blasts throughout the unit, they formulate a broader understanding of the theme, the texts in the unit, and the issues that surround them. The First Read of each selection in the unit includes a Build Background activity that asks students to work collaboratively on a small scale research inquiry that complements the text they are reading.

Each unit also includes an extensive, multi-step Research Project that is related to the unit’s theme and is a culmination of the skills that the students have practiced over the course of the unit and the knowledge they have gained. After sharing and discussing the results of individual members’ research findings, each group plans and then delivers a formal presentation in either the narrative, argumentative, or informative mode using multimedia elements such as videos, graphics, photos, and recordings to reinforce its main ideas.

If students are working on a topic that is informative, they present evidence to develop the subject matter. If students are working on a topic that involves presenting an argument in support of a claim, they use evidence that both supports their opinion and answers opposing viewpoints, or counter arguments. The Speaking & Listening Handbook is of critical importance during this phase of the Research project both for speakers and for listeners, who are required to respond critically and constructively to the work of their peers. Each unit provides suggested topics for each research project. Examples of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, students research examples and impacts of suspense in mediums such as radio stories, articles, films, and documentaries. One example of suggested topics is as follows: “How do film, text, and radio versions of the same story treat the elements of suspense and horror in different ways? For example, what differences become clear after listening to the radio version of Sorry, Wrong Number and watching the film version? How does the medium affect the content and impact of the story?”

• In Unit 2, students research a particular person or group of people affected by World War II. Students explore various mediums, including diaries, letters, speeches, interviews, informational videos, historic articles, contemporary analyses, reference book entries, and images, in order to gather information about the experience of their chosen person or group. Then, students use the information they have assembled in order to create an original historical fictional narrative to be read aloud and performed as a five- to seven-minute dramatic scene, in the style of Reader’s Theater. One example of a suggested topic is as follows: “Explore the experiences of young Germans during World War II, on which Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow sheds some insight. In what ways were their lives impacted by rise of Hitler and the Nazi party? What pressures did they face? In what different ways did they respond? How did the Holocaust and the loss of the war shape their future lives?”

• In Unit 3, students investigate the different ways we work to be better people, and the way this work is described in literature, film, and other arts, as well as by the sciences. They explore different media, print and online resources. One example of a suggested topic is as follows: “What are some books, films, photographs, TV shows, or other art forms that depict people giving selflessly when they themselves have very little? How do these works continue to affect us?”

• In Unit 4, students research different ways authors have addressed these momentous events of history. They trace the wars’ development and effects through various mediums, including speeches, interviews, informational videos, historic articles, contemporary analyses, reference book entries, images, and propaganda. One example of a suggested topic is as follows: “How do different nonfiction accounts of the American Civil War represent the events leading up to the conflict? Look at several different sources of information, including letters, journals, speeches, and articles, and explain how they differ in their presentation of the run-up to the war. How do these differences affect your interpretation of what actually happened just before the fighting started?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

The Core Program Overview includes a structured guide titled “Building an Independent Reading Program.” This section provides an overview of why independent reading is important, and it gives details on how to set up such a program in the classroom. Teachers are also given a five step plan to implement an independent reading program that provides choice for students to select texts and read independently at home and at school. This includes referring students to the StudySync Library where they can explore other titles in the library that share the same themes as addressed by the units.

Suggestions for accountability include reading logs, notebooks, online reflections, and informal conversations. Accountability suggestions also include having students complete end-of reading activities such as filling out a Google Form, pitching books, producing movie trailers, writing reviews on GoodReads, designing movie posters, and participating in a book club style chat. Examples of opportunities for students to regularly engage in a volume of independent while being held accountable include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, in the First Read of A Night to Remember, the lesson plan states, “Read and Listen Individually or as a class, read and listen to the Introduction for A Night to Remember. The introduction provides context for the excerpted chapter.” Students will use the information to form predictions on the KWL chart on this text. The Core Program Guide states, “In addition to the time you spend reading in class, it’s important to set clear expectations for independent reading outside of the classroom. Students should read outside of class for a set amount of time each day. As students become stronger readers, the time spent reading outside of class should also increase.”

• In Unit 2, students read texts related to the theme In Time of War. Students are given opportunities to read independently inside and outside of class. The Core Program Guide suggests that teachers “Designate a specific time for independent reading in the classroom that is consistent each day.” The StudySync Library provides additional texts related to the unit’s theme including All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn, and The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen.

• In Unit 3, students are encouraged to read texts from the StudySync Library on the theme of A Moral Compass during independent reading. Additional texts include “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, “A Retrieved Reformation” by O. Henry, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Students are encouraged to complete a Google Form shared by the teacher to share the information learned in the text. Students also complete their independent reading logs.

• In Unit 4, students are encouraged to read texts on the theme of The Civil War during independent reading. The Core Program Guide states, “Your independent reading program should be ongoing, so it’s important to set up a system for recording what students are reading. This can be easily done using a Google Form to create an online reading log. As students finish each text, they should complete a form providing basic information about their book, a rating and a written review.” The pacing guide gives suggestions for further and independent reading including texts such as “American Literature and History: “The Civil War Era” by McGraw Hill Education, “Bull Run” by Paul Fleischman, and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.