8th Grade - Gateway 1

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

Texts include a balance of 56% literary (35 literary texts) and 44% informational texts (27 informational texts). There is a wide array of literary and informational anchor texts for every unit. Additional supplementary texts are included, resulting in a wide distribution of genres and text types as required by the standards. Literary texts include, but are not limited to short stories, folktales, dramas, and poetry. Informational texts include, but are not limited to diary entries, speeches, and articles.

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

• In Unit 1, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson (short story)
• In Unit 2, “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” by Emily Dickinson (poetry)
• In Unit 3, The Call of the Wild by Jack London (novel)
• In Unit 4, “/Hug” by Ehud Lavski & Yael Nathan (graphic short story)
• In Unit 5, Teen Mogul by Lucy Wang (drama)
• In Unit 6, “Manuel and the Magic Fox” by Ekaterina Sedia (folktale)

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

• In Unit 1, “Let ‘Em Play God” by Alfred Hitchcock (article)
• In Unit 2, Commencement Address to the Sante Fe Indian School by Michelle Obama (speech)
• In Unit 3, “A Night to Remember” by Walter Lord (article)
• In Unit 4, “The Gettysburg Address” by President Abraham Lincoln (speech)
• In Unit 5, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (diary)
• In Unit 6, Universal Declaration of Human Rights by The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (primary source document)

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 texts in the StudySync materials fall within either the Current Lexile Band or the Stretch Lexile Band for Grades 6–8. Texts range from 590L to 1360L; most texts are appropriate for Grade 8 according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to the reader and task. A number of texts fall below the Grades 6–8 Lexile band, but are sufficiently challenging for students based on background knowledge needed, unfamiliar vocabulary, and connections to the unit themes and tasks. Some of the quantitative information indicated in the StudySync materials is different from other sources, such as The Lexile Framework for Reading website. In some cases the materials provide Lexile levels for the excerpt, rather than the Lexile levels of the full texts.

Most texts have the appropriate level of complexity for Grade 6 students. Examples of texts with appropriate text complexity include:

• Unit 2 students read “Abuela Invents the Zero” by Judith Ortiz Cofer
• Quantitative: 970L
• Qualitative: The text is a fictional piece that appears to be humorous and entertaining, but is actually meant to teach a moral or lesson. The story is not linear; it starts with the ending, and jumps back to the past. This may be confusing to the reader. Spanish words are used and some readers may not be familiar with these words.
• Reader and Task: Students write a narrative letter that continues the story and apologizes to Abuela to resolve the conflict between her and Constancia.
• Unit 4 students read “Gaming Communities” by Joshua Vink and Caroline Rodgers
• Quantitative: 1120L
• Qualitative: This is an informational piece in which one author argues for a position on an issue, and another author argues against it. The text is organized in two sections with the title posing a question that the author will answer. The vocabulary is domain–specific to this subject and may present some challenges to the reader.
• Reader and Task: Students write an argumentative letter in which they express their opinions of both pieces by analyzing the argument of each text.
• Unit 6 students read “The Dark is Rising” by Susan Cooper
• Quantitative: Excerpt 1000L, Full Text 920L
• Qualitative: This fictional piece set in England includes many references to the British landscape and the Thames which may need to be explained to the reader. Students will benefit from an overview of the role of magical music and ancient forests in folklore and mythology. Students will need help following the action as the author uses mythology and time travel to move the character to a different time period using magic in this fantasy novel.
• Reader and Task: Students write a narrative piece in which the character wakes up one morning and finds his or her world transformed as abruptly as Will’s. Students must include how the character’s motivation and behaviors influence events in this new world.

A few anchor texts have quantitative measures that are not within the Grade 8 Current or Stretch Lexile Bands but are appropriate to Grade 8 by other measures. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, students read Ten Days in a Mad-House (Chapter 4), by Nellie Bly is above the recommended Lexile band for Grades 6–8; however, the text is appropriate to use in Grade 8 because the support provided with vocabulary and organization aids students in comprehension.
• Quantitative: 1170L
• Qualitative: Students may struggle with the first-person narrative switching between Bly’s fake insanity and her thoughts on how successful she is in faking her insanity. Students may also be unfamiliar with investigative journalism and insane asylums.
• Reader and Task: Students write a compare and contrast response in which they pretend to interview the speaker from another text for Bly’s newspaper account.
• In Unit 1, students read Monster by Walter Dean Myers. Though this text is quantitatively below the recommended Lexile band, its qualitative features make it appropriate for use at this grade.
• Quantitative: 590L
• Qualitative: Students will be challenged by the structure of the novel being a screenplay imagined by the main character and the high number of short sentences used to mimic the harsh and curt nature of the criminal justice system.
• Reader and Task: Students choose a section of the screenplay and rewrite it as a narrative using both dialogue and descriptions.
• In Unit 3, students read “Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger” by Ronald Reagan is below the recommended Lexile band for Grades 6–8; however, the text is appropriate to use in Grade 8 because the speech presents challenging rhetorical devices not found in other types of texts.
• Quantitative: 780L
• Qualitative: Students may not know the context in which Reagan delivered this speech or be familiar with the rhetorical devices used in speeches to evoke certain emotions in the audience.
• Reader and Task: Students write a compare and contrast response about how different structures of texts communicate information about the topics differently, explaining which type they prefer, using evidence from the text.
• In Unit 5, students read Teen Mogul by Lucy Wang is above the recommended Lexile band for Grades 6–8; however, the text is appropriate to use in Grade 8 because the vocabulary demands and supports to build knowledge make this text accessible to students.
• Quantitative: 1192L
• Qualitative: Suggestions include explaining that a mogul is an important or powerful business person. It is also suggested that the teacher point out that DNA is a nucleic acid found in all living cells and carries hereditary information from parent to child.
• Reader and Task: Students write part of Scene 8 that continues the story of Tracy and Christopher Brennan. They consider how Tracy’s attitude might change when she reports for her first day of work. Specifically they consider if Christopher will prove to be that “mercurial” boss that Tracy talked about during her interview. Students think about dialogue or specific incidents they might include that continue and propel the action and keep the light, humorous tone of the play.

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 text complexity analysis and rationale are included in the Grade 8 ELA Overview. It provides a qualitative analysis that includes information about background knowledge needed, vocabulary needs, and other potential challenges related to context as well as tasks students might complete related to the texts. It provides quantitative information measured in Lexiles. Because many of the unit texts are excerpts, the StudySync Library notes the Lexile level for the excerpt used as well as the Lexile level for the full text; however, this distinction is not included in the provided text complexity document.

Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Grade 8 ELA Overview, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, the following information is provided: The text is complex based on the author’s choice of writing the piece as a screenplay versus a traditional novel. The opening of the text is a prologue in the form of a journal entry by the main character. Students may not be used to the high proportion of short sentences, which mirrors the nature of the criminal justice system. Lexile is noted at 590L due to the use of an excerpt, although other sources note the full text Lexile is 670L.
• In Unit 2, Grade 8 ELA Overview, “So where are you from?” by Naomi Sepiso, the following information is provided: This text is an informational essay with a Lexile level of 800L. This text supports readers in answering the Unit 2 Essential Question, “What makes you, you?” Text Complexity notes suggest helping students make the following connections: “While the author focuses on her specific experiences as an immigrant in Australia, the text has universal implications. The author’s personal experiences help to illuminate what many immigrants to other countries around the world experience.”
• In Unit 4, Grade 8 ELA Overview, “Speech to the Ohio Women’s Conference: Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth, the following information is provided: This text has a Lexile level of 780L. Text Complexity notes suggest students need prior knowledge about how the abolitionist and early feminist causes were intertwined. The task for students is comparing the two versions of Sojourner Truth’s speech. Students identify and analyze the main point of her argument, along with the reasons and evidence that she uses to support her claims. Students analyze how the analogies help her argument, and if they change between the two different versions of the speech. Finally, students evaluate which version seems more effective and why.
• In Unit 5, Grade 8 ELA Overview, Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston, the following information is provided: The purpose of this text is to inform readers of the federal government's persecution of Asian Americans during World War II, which culminated in Executive Order 9066 and internment camps. Students may have challenges as they may be unfamiliar with these issues and not be aware of California’s large populations of Japanese Americans during this time period. The organization of this text and shifts between first-person narrative and dialogue may provide challenges for the reader. The Lexile for this excerpt is 990L; other sources state the Lexile for the full text is 1040L.

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 StudySync instructional materials consist of a variety of complex texts and scaffolded instruction to help students develop the skills and strategies necessary to achieve grade-level proficiency in reading. Students read complex texts aloud as a class, independently, in pairs, and in small groups. Texts are organized in units with selections that support the unit’s theme and Essential Question. Genres include, but are not limited to: novels, poetry, drama, essays, articles, and speeches. Each unit contains a variety of texts and activities that require students to think deeply, monitor their understanding, and apply the knowledge they learn through meaningful tasks and assessments, such as Collaborative Conversations, Short-Constructed Responses and Comprehension Quizzes (online quizzes). The Program Guide states that students learn strategies to monitor and improve their own comprehension, and “students use an annotation tool to engage in metacognitive practices as they monitor their own reading comprehension in First Read, Close Read, and Independent Read lessons.” The materials provide teacher guidance for prompts throughout the activities and after assessments, allowing students to reflect on their own learning.

Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, “Everyone Loves a Mystery,” the focus is on fiction and the texts are organized around the Essential Question “What attracts us to the mysterious?” Students read a variety of fiction texts like “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackon, in addition to informational texts and poems that relate to the theme. One text included in the unit is “Let ‘Em Play God” by Alfred Hitchcock. Under the Integrated Reading and Writing tab, the Lesson Plan offers grouping options such as whole group, small group, or independent, for all parts of the First Read task. The Lesson Plan also suggests that the students read and annotate the text independently for focus skills, such as using context clues to make predictions about meanings of words, and generating questions. As the students read independently, the “Check for Success” section of the Lesson Plan suggests that the teacher circulates the room to provide support and to check student progress. Students complete an online quiz to check their comprehension of the text. Students then engage in Skill Lessons on generating questions and the author's purpose and point of view, and a Close Read. In the Close Read, students engage in Collaborative Conversations in the Write section of the lesson before responding to the prompt in a Short Constructed Response on Hitchcock’s purpose and point of view in the text.
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” the genre focus is poetry. Poems include Emily Dickinson’s “I’m Nobody! Who are you?,” Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” and Natasha Trethewey’s “Theories of Time and Space.” Students also read a speech, “Commencement Address to the Santa Fe Indian School” by former First Lady Michelle Obama. As they read, students work to answer the Essential Question “What makes you, you?” One text included in the unit is a personal essay entitled “Curtain Call” by WNBA star Swin Cash. Under the Integrated Reading and Writing tab, the Lesson Plan offers grouping options such as whole group, small group, or independent, for all parts of the Independent Read task. The Lesson Plan also suggests that the students read and annotate the text independently for focus skills, such as recording personal reactions to individuals, events, and other elements in the text. As the students read independently, the “Check for Success” section of the Lesson Plan suggests that the teacher circulates the room to provide support and to check student progress. Students complete an online quiz to check their comprehension of the text. Then students engage in Collaborative Conversations before completing the prompt in the Write section of the lesson in which the students respond to the prompt on “a passion that allows you to inspire others or empower those who feel powerless.”
• In Unit 5, “Trying Times,” the focus is drama and the texts and activities are organized around the Essential Question “Who are you in a crisis?” Students read multiple dramas, including Teen Mogul by Lucy Wang and The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, in addition to fiction, nonfiction, and poetry related to the topic and Essential Question. One text included in the unit is the poem “America” by Claude McKay. Under the Integrated Reading and Writing tab, the Lesson Plan offers grouping options such as whole group, small group, or independent, for all parts of the Independent Read task. The plan also suggests that the students read and annotate the text independently for focus skills, such as recording personal reactions to individuals, events, and other elements in the text. As the students read independently, the “Check for Success” section of the Lesson Plan suggests that the teacher circulates the room to provide support and to check student progress. Students complete an online quiz to check their comprehension of the text. Then students engage in Discussion before completing the prompt in the Write section of the lesson in which the students respond to the following prompt: “Why do you think McKay refers to America as ‘she’ in his poem? Do you think there is symbolism behind this choice?”

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).

Text-dependent/specific questions, tasks, and assignments support students’ literacy growth over the course of the school year. Grade 8 consists of six units of study that contain a variety of texts and activities. The majority of the questions and associated tasks require students to engage with the text directly. The Think tab of each First Read section contains a series of constructed response questions that require textual evidence. The Your Turn portion of the Skill sections contain multiple choice questions that refer specifically to the text. The Close Read sections include a Write task that asks students to synthesize text details and to cite textual evidence. Students answer text-dependent/specific discussion questions tied to different types of media that can be accessed via StudySyncTV. Teacher materials provide support for planning and implementation of text-dependent/specific writing and speaking activities. The Teacher Edition provides specific and explicit instruction for teachers to implement materials including, but not limited to, guiding questions, tasks to activate knowledge, and scaffolding for all learners in assisting students in completing activities such as writing a literary analysis and answering multiple-choice questions. When answering text-dependent/specific questions, students receive directions on where to look for details and what information should be included. Sample exemplar answers are provided for all questions.

Instructional materials include questions, tasks, and assignments that are text-dependent/specific over the course of a school year. Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Integrated Reading and Writing, Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by W.W. Jacobs, First Read, Think tab, students answer questions such as “How is Phineas Gage described by the author in the beginning of the excerpt? How might the accident affect or change his behavior? Explain, citing specific textual evidence.” or “Using textual evidence, summarize in three sentences what happens to Phineas Gage on this fateful day and why it is remembered centuries later.”
• In Unit 2, Integrated Reading and Writing, The Outsiders S.E. Hinton, Close Read, Write tab, after reading the text and watching a StudySync episode of the text, the students complete the following task: “LITERARY ANALYSIS: One theme of the novel The Outsiders has to do with the pressure to remain loyal to a group. Explain how interacting with Cherry has changed Ponyboy’s understanding of similarities and differences between the Greasers and the Socs. How does his conversation with Cherry begin to change his overall character? Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text.”
• In Unit 3, Integrated Reading and Writing, “The Day I Saved a Life” by Thomas Ponce, Skill: Context Clues, Your Turn tab, students answer multiple-choice questions such as: “Which quote from the text best supports the reasoning you used in question 1? What is the meaning of conceded as used in the paragraph? Use context clues to figure out what the word means.”
• In Unit 5, Integrated Reading and Writing, “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat” by Winston Churchill, Skill: Informational Text Structure, Your Turn tab, students answer multiple choice questions such as “Based on Churchill’s words in paragraph 7, you can conclude that the text structure is meant to—” and “Which sentence best represents the key concept of Churchill's speech?” In the Teacher Edition, teachers receive the following guidance: “Complete Your Turn Activity: Have students complete the multiple-choice questions to demonstrate their understanding of informational text structure. (See answers in the answer key.)”

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).

Culminating tasks are rich and of quality, provide opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and are able to do in speaking and writing, and are evident across a year’s worth of material. Materials include both text-specific and text-dependent questions and tasks that help prepare students for each unit’s Extended Writing Project. The culminating tasks integrate writing, speaking, or both. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are taught as integrated skills throughout the unit in lessons such as SyncStart, First Read, Close Read, Independent Read, and Skill lessons. The Extended Writing Projects and Extended Oral Projects ask students to explore the theme and Essential Question of the unit in depth. During culminating tasks, students engage in a range of writing and demonstrate proficiency when writing oral research presentations, argumentative essays, literary analysis, informative essays , and narrative pieces.

Tasks are supported with coherent sequences of text-dependent questions and tasks. Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, “Everyone Loves a Mystery,” students read the text “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. During the Close Read, students write a short literary analysis in response to this prompt: “In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," things aren't exactly as they appear. What is one theme or message that you think the author develops in the story? How does she use the setting to surprise readers and build on the theme? How do allusions deepen your understanding of the text and its theme? Monitor details from the story to show how Shirley Jackson develops the theme through the setting and allusions.” Later in the unit for the culminating task, students write a narrative in response to the following prompt: “What happens when fear comes from an unlikely source? Use the techniques you’ve learned in this unit to write your own suspenseful short story. Your characters may experience suspense in a familiar place, or while they’re with people they know and trust. Perhaps the fear comes from an everyday object or situation.”
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” during the Extended Writing Project, students use metaphors from the unit texts that express identity to write an argumentative literary analysis in response to the Essential Question “ What makes you, you?” In the Close Read of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, students prepare for the upcoming culminating task as they freewrite in their Writer’s Notebook in response to the following questions: “How are the characters in The Outsiders influenced by their group of friends?” and “Does that group fully define them, or is each character unique in some way?”
• In Unit 3, “No Risk, No Reward,” students read the text “The Vanishing Island” by Anya Groner. During the Close Read, students annotate texts, answer text-specific questions independently, and share and discuss their responses in groups. Questions included in this activity are as follows: “Based on the information in the article, what makes people care so deeply about this “vanishing island” that nothing can induce them to leave? Why do people still continue to inhabit it and work so hard for its cultural survival? Use evidence from the text, including different media, to support your understanding of the reading.” This activity helps students prepare for the Extended Writing Project, during which students write an informative essay on the unit’s Essential Question “Why do we take chances?” The prompt for the culminating task is as follows: “Choose three informational texts from this unit, including research links in the Blasts, and explain how the authors inform readers about their risk-taking subjects. Identify the risks individuals take and the outcomes of those risks. Include a clear main idea or thesis statement, and cite evidence from each text to explain your conclusions.”
• In Unit 5, “Trying Times,” students read the text “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech” by Elie Wiesel. During the Close Read, students annotate texts, answer text-specific questions independently, and share and discuss their responses in groups. One writing prompt for this activity is “How does Wiesel connect his personal story to the key concept of this speech? Are his reasons and evidence relevant and effective in developing the speech’s message? Support your writing with evidence from the text.” This activity helps students prepare for the Extended Writing Project, during which they write an argumentative oral presentation in response to the unit’s Essential Question “Who are you in a crisis?” The prompt for the culminating task is as follows: “Think about issues that are important to you, and consider what the people and characters you have read about in this unit can teach you about those issues. Taking inspiration from three of those individuals, prepare and deliver a speech in which you advocate a position on a topic you care about. Include claims, reasons, and relevant evidence from your personal experience and the selections to support your position.”

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.

Teacher materials support implementation of speaking and listening, as well as vocabulary standards, to grow students’ skills. Students have multiple opportunities to engage in discussions, debates, and conversations using an array of speaking and listening protocols over the course of each unit and across the year. In the First Read, students discuss the video preview and participate in Text Talk after the initial reading. Students support their responses with evidence from the text as well as their own experiences. In each of the Skill lessons, the Turn and Talk and Discuss the Model activities also allow students to share ideas and review parts of the lessons. In each Close Read, students engage in a Collaborative Conversation to discuss the text in preparation for addressing a writing prompt. The protocols for these discussions are found in the Lesson Plan, Speaking and Listening Handbook, and the Strategies Glossary. The Lesson Plan includes a Check for Success section which supports teachers in responding to struggling students. The Lesson Plan and Teacher Edition tab also include a Scaffolding & Differentiation section that includes guiding questions to support students in their study of the words and scaffolding for ELLs and approaching readers. The supports include, but are not limited to, discussion guides and speaking frames. There is consistency for the teachers to use the same strategies for supporting students to understand academic vocabulary and syntax across the units.

Materials provide multiple opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions across the whole year’s scope of instructional materials, including support for teachers to identify students struggling with these skills. Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, “Everyone Loves a Mystery,” students have the opportunity to engage in evidence-based discussions in the Text Talk section of the lesson plan in the First Read of the text “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. The Lesson Plan for the First Read of the unit includes these directions: “Sometimes the best way to understand a text is to talk about it with others. In small groups, each person has a chance to make comments, ask questions, or voice an opinion. Use the following questions on the board to talk about the text. Note: the last question will relate to a cultural awareness or social-emotional learning topic based on the text.” The following information is also provided in the Routines section: “Text Talk: Choose from a variety of engaging, whole-class or small-group discussion strategies to close this portion of the instructional routine, monitor student understanding, and clarify any lingering questions.”
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” students read “Abuela Invents the Zero” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. In the Close Read, the Lesson Plan instructs teachers to guide students in having a Collaborative Conversation. “Break students into Collaborative Conversation groups. Using StudySyncTV as a model, have students begin by reading the Close Read prompt. They should then use their Skills Focus annotations, their own ideas and reactions to the text, and any other notes and annotations they have to collaboratively explore the text. The Check for Success feature in the Lesson Plan supports teachers in identifying students who are struggling and suggests how to respond. Guidance provided includes the following: “If students are confused by the prompt, remind them: If students are struggling with beginning their letter, help jumpstart their discussion by asking scaffolded questions, such as: Where in the story does Connie hurt Abuela’s feelings? How does Abuela respond? What do you think Connie can learn from this? Why?”
• In Unit 4, “Hear Me Out,” students read Irene Hunt’s novel Across Five Aprils and have an evidence-based discussion during the activity, Discuss StudySyncTV. The Lesson Plan instructs teachers to “Project the StudySyncTV episode and pause at certain times to prompt discussion.” One example of a pause and discussion is as follows: Stop the video at 2:15 - “Do you agree with Samrah’s inference that the Creightons might feel pressure to fight for the South? What textual evidence supports this idea?”

Support for evidence-based discussions encourages modeling and a focus on using academic vocabulary and syntax. Some examples include:

• In Unit 3, “No Risk, No Reward,” during the First Read of the memoir Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass, students participate in a Text Talk. The Lesson Plan provides the teacher with the questions and suggested answers such as the following: “How did Douglass’s mistress treat him? (See paragraphs 1–2: At first, she treated him well and began to teach him to read, but later, she was unkind and prevented him from learning.) How did Douglass learn to write his first letters? (See paragraph 9: Douglass copied letters he saw on timber that was labeled to show what part of a ship it would form.)” The scaffolds recommended for ELLs and approaching learners include speaking frames and paragraph guides.
• In Unit 5, “Trying Times,” Vocabulary Review, students complete vocabulary activities, then participate in a Collaborative Conversation based on the prompt “ Imagine that your group is in a large library with people of all ages, and the building suddenly loses power during a storm. What could you and your group do to figure out how to find people in need? What conflicts might you face as you try to help them? How would you respond to those conflicts? Use as many Big Idea and Academic Vocabulary words in your discussion as you can.” In the Check for Success section, teachers receive this information: “If students are struggling with beginning their conversation, help jumpstart their discussion by asking scaffolded questions such as ‘What could you and your group do to figure out how to find people in need? What conflicts might you face as you try to help them?’”
• In Unit 6, “Beyond Reality,” students read an excerpt from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. In the Close Read, Academic Vocabulary Focus, Lesson Plan, the teacher instructions state, “Draw attention to the academic vocabulary word undertake. Call on students to share the definition of the word in their own words. Remind students that as a verb, the word undertake can mean “to accept as a challenge.” Undertake can be used in everyday, academic, and workplace contexts. For example: The scientist decided to undertake research in the hope of finding a cure for the disease. Many students in the eighth grade class have volunteered to undertake the task of restoring the old playground. Encourage students to use this vocabulary word in their written responses.”

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.

Speaking and listening instruction is applied frequently over the course of the school year and includes facilitation, monitoring, and instructional supports for teachers. Students have many opportunities to engage in speaking and listening throughout the units and across the year. They have many informal opportunities embedded within each lesson, such as Collaborative Discussions and Text Talks, but also more formal speaking and listening opportunities, such as Extended Oral Projects or Extended Writing Projects. Materials include practice of speaking and listening skills that support students’ increase in ability over the course of the school year, including teacher guidance to support students who may struggle. Each grade level has a Speaking and Listening Handbook that outlines strategies and provides graphic organizers, checklists, and rubrics to support the lesson. The Lesson Plans provide Checks for Success as support to teachers in how to scaffold these opportunities for all students. Other supports, such as Sentence Starters and Discussion Guides, may be offered more specifically for students who may struggle (such as ELLs or approaching readers). Speaking and listening work requires students to marshall evidence from texts and sources. Students’ speaking and listening work is rooted in the texts they read and they are often reminded to use evidence from the text to support their conversations. Students work in groups to research topics related to the texts and topics in which they are building knowledge. Students design visual aids and present their findings informally to the class.

Students have multiple opportunities over the school year to demonstrate what they are reading and researching through varied speaking and listening opportunities. Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1 “Everyone Loves a Mystery,” students engage in a discussion about the poem “Ten Days in a Mad-House” Chapter IV by Nellie Bly. In the Close Read, students participate in Collaborative Conversations. The students discuss the following questions: “What questions might Nellie Bly ask in an interview with the speaker of the poem? What would the speaker say in response? How might the speaker’s answers reveal the differences in their situations?” In the Lesson Plan, teachers are provided a Check for Success to gauge students’ understanding of the activity and text. The following instructions are provided: “If students are struggling with beginning their conversation, help jumpstart their discussion by asking a scaffolded question, such as: Think of questions a reporter asks in an interview and their purpose. How might Bly start off her interview? What might the speaker of the poem say in response? What might Bly ask the speaker of the poem about being locked up without a way to escape? How would the speaker answer that question?”
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” students read the text, “Inside Out and Back Again” by Thanhhà Lai. In the Independent Read, students have the opportunity to participate in a Text Talk. As a class,, students discuss questions such as the following: “In the section “Outside,” what is happening with the family? What does the text in italics represent? What is the narrator told by her mother in the first text with italics? What images does the narrator use to describe going to school?” In the Lesson Plan, Speaking Frames and Discussion Guides are provided for scaffolding and/or differentiation strategies.
• In Unit 3, “No Risk, No Reward,” students read the text, “The Day I Saved a Life” by Thomas Ponce. In the Close Read, students participate in pairs or small groups in Collaborative Conservations to explore the text before writing a persuasive narrative essay. Using StudySyncTV as a model, the Close Read prompt, their Skills Focus annotations, their own ideas and reactions to the text, and any other notes and annotations they have to collaboratively explore the text, students discuss the following: “Using Ponce's essay as a point of reference, write a persuasive narrative essay where you defend a subject about which you are passionate. Be sure to include technical language where applicable, as this can lend authority to your opinions and ideas.” In the Lesson Plan, teachers are provided with Check for Success to gauge the task with the following instructions: “If students are struggling with beginning their conversation, help jumpstart their discussion by asking scaffolded questions, such as: What subject area does Ponce talk about? What happened to him that led him to acquire knowledge about this subject?”
• In Unit 4, “Hear Me Out,” students read the text, “Letters of a Civil War Nurse” by Cornelia Hancock. In the Independent Read, students have the opportunity to participate in a Text Talk. Some of the questions that students answer in their whole group discussion: To whom is Cornelia Hancock writing? Where is Cornelia Hancock, and what is she doing there? What have the soldiers given her, or plan to give her? What has Nurse Hancock had to get used to as part of her job? In the Lesson Plan, Speaking Frames and Discussion Guides are provided as scaffolding/differentiation strategies.
• In Unit 5, “Trying Times,” students read about crises within and across genres. Throughout unit 5, students have a number of opportunities to practice presentation skills during a variety of lessons and activities as they answer the unit’s Essential Question, “Who are you in a crisis?” The prompt for the Extended Oral Project is as follows: “How do you advocate a position?” Student guidance reminds them to “Think about issues that are important to you, and consider what the people and characters you have read about in this unit can teach you about those issues. Taking inspiration from three of those individuals, prepare and deliver a speech in which you advocate a position on a topic you care about. Include claims, reasons, and relevant evidence from your personal experience and the selections to support your position.”
• In Unit 6, “Beyond Reality,” Extended Writing Project, in the Revise section, in the Skill lesson: Print and Graphic Features, in the Discuss the Model activity, students engage in a whole-class discussion. After students read the Skill Model text, students answer these questions in the discussion which helps students understand how to develop their research papers by adding print and graphic features: “How does Mason use formatting to better organize information? How does Mason use graphics to improve how he conveys information? How does Mason include relevant multimedia to add interest and variety?”

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.

Writing tasks and projects are aligned to the grade-level standards being reviewed. Each unit provides students with on-demand writing and process writing opportunities. During the Close Read, students engage in on-demand writing via Blasts, Think, and Write questions. In addition to shorter, on-demand writing tasks, the students complete an Extended Writing Project at the end of five of the six units. Each project covers one of these essential writing forms: narrative, informative/explanatory, literary analysis, and argumentative writing. These Extended Writing Projects take students through the writing process including the following: prewriting, planning, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, and publishing. Materials provide lists to remind students of what to include in their writing, suggestions for peer review, and a revision guide with examples. Each unit contains multiple opportunities for students to use digital tools to accomplish the lesson’s goal.

Materials include a mix of BOTH on-demand and process writing that covers a year’s worth of instruction. Some examples include:

• Students participate in on-demand writing.
• In Unit 1, “Everyone Loves a Mystery,” students read the short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. In the Close Read, students complete an on-demand writing task. They respond to the following prompt: “Can the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” be trusted? Consider the author’s word choice, tone, and description of events as you draw conclusions about the narrator’s state of mind. Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text.”
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” students engage in an on-demand writing prompt after a Close Read of an excerpt from the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The writing prompt is as follows: “One theme of the novel The Outsiders has to do with the pressure to remain loyal to a group. Explain how interacting with Cherry has changed Ponyboy’s understanding of similarities and differences between the Greasers and the Socs. How does his conversation with Cherry begin to change his overall character? Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text..” After completing their writing, students participate in a peer review providing feedback to two of their peers using guiding questions from the teacher.
• In Unit 3, “No Risk, No Reward,” students read the text “The Day I Saved a Life’” by Thomas Ponce. In the Close Read, students complete an argumentative writing prompt: “Using Ponce's essay as a point of reference, write a persuasive essay where you defend a subject about which you are passionate. Be sure to include technical language where applicable, as this can lend authority to your opinions and ideas.” The teacher manual provides questioning techniques for struggling students, rubrics for the class, suggestions for prewrite, write, and peer review and reflection.
• Students participate in process writing.
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” Extended Writing Project, students plan, draft, revise, and edit a literary analysis essay in response to the prompt, “What is the power of a metaphor? Examine the texts from this unit and select three powerful metaphors that deepen our understanding of identity and belonging. Your analysis should explain each metaphor and make an argument about how the metaphor reveals something about each speaker, narrator, character, or author.” The guidance reminds students to include an introduction, claim, body paragraphs, evidence, and a formal style.
• In Unit 3, “No Risk, No Reward,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, students engage in informative writing. Students respond to the following prompt: “Choose three informational texts from this unit, including research links in the Blasts, and explain how the authors inform readers about their risk-taking subjects. Identify the risks individuals take and the outcomes of those risks. Include a clear main idea or thesis statement, and cite evidence from each text to explain your conclusions. Regardless of which sources you choose, be sure your essay includes the following: an introduction; a main idea or thesis statement; a clear text structure; supporting details; a conclusion.” Students engage in the writing process—plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish—throughout multiple lessons. The teacher manual provides questioning techniques for struggling students, rubrics for the class, suggestions for prewrite, write, and peer review and reflection.
• In Unit 6, “Beyond Reality,” students engage in research writing during the Extended Writing Project. Students respond to the following prompt: “How do works of science fiction and fantasy relate to the real world? Select an author from the unit, one of the texts, or the subject of one of the texts that you would like to know more about. Then write a research report about that topic. In the process, you will learn how to select a research question, develop a research plan, gather and evaluate source materials, and synthesize and present your research findings.” Students then compose their writing as they transition through the planning, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing phases of the writing process. Within the steps of the process, Skill lessons focus on evaluating sources and research note-taking, as well as, grammatical skills including infinitives, misspelled words, sentence fragments, and ellipses.

Opportunities for students to revise and/or edit are provided. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 4, “Hear Me Out,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, students use a revision guide to revise the draft of their argumentative essays for clarity, development, organization, style, diction, and sentence effectiveness.
• In Unit 6, “Beyond Reality,” the Extended Writing Process takes students through the revision and editing process focusing on skills such as critiquing research, paraphrasing, citing sources, print and graphic features.

Materials include digital resources where appropriate. Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 4, “Hear Me Out,” Integrated Reading and Writing, The Big Idea, students read a Blast that gives them background on the unit’s topic and theme of how to choose the right words. Students compose their own Blast in 140 characters or less, answer a poll, and learn about a statistic related to the topic.
• In Unit 5, “Trying Times,” students read the text Refugee by Alan Gratz. During Skill Lesson: Language, Style, and Audience, students watch a StudySync skills video that provides concept definitions to teach students about perception, audience, style, word choice, tone, and attitude.

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.

Materials provide opportunities for students/teachers to monitor progress in writing skills. The materials provide a variety of writing tasks across the school year. Unit themes and Essential Questions connect writing tasks to the texts students read. Text types of writing include narrative, informative/explanatory, literary analysis, and argumentative writing. Students engage in writing activities multiple times within each unit, including short constructed responses in the Close Read lesson. This informal writing allows students to demonstrate understanding of the specific text while practicing the featured type of writing. A formal type of writing, the Extended Writing Project, concludes five of the six units. Students respond to writing prompts connected to the unit texts. StudySync provides guidance and support for students to develop and strengthen writing as needed, through planning, revising, editing, and specific writing craft lessons. Students and teachers may monitor progress with Checks for Success, Peer Reviews, and Rubrics. Students also have opportunities to use digital sources for research and presentation.

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. Some examples are as follows:

• Students have opportunities to engage in argumentative writing.
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” Extended Writing Project, students write a literary analysis in response to the following prompt: “What is the power of a metaphor? Examine the texts from this unit and select three powerful metaphors that deepen our understanding of identity and belonging. Your analysis should explain each metaphor and make an argument about how the metaphor reveals something about each speaker, character, or author.” Materials provide rubrics for each step of the process.
• In Unit 4, “Hear Me Out,” students read the text “Gaming Communities” by Joshua Vink and Caroline Rodger. In the Close Read, students write an argumentative piece in response to the following prompt: “Suppose these two essays appeared in a published journal or magazine. Write a letter to the publisher in which you express your opinions of both pieces by analyzing the argument of each text. In your letter, be sure to use evidence from each text that demonstrates your command of the information and the reasons for your opinion. You may also offer a recommendation of your own.” Students participate in a Peer Review and Reflect. Materials provide the following guidance: “Students should submit substantive feedback to two peers using the review instructions below. After they complete their peer reviews, have them reflect on the feedback they received.”
• Students have opportunities to engage in informative/explanatory writing.
• In Unit 3, “No Risk, No Reward,” students read the text “The Vanishing Island” by Anya Groner. In the Close Read, students write a short informative piece in response to the following prompt: “Based on the information in the article, what makes people care so deeply about this ‘vanishing island’ that nothing can induce them to leave? Why do people still continue to inhabit it and work so hard for its cultural survival? Use evidence from the text, including different media, to support your understanding of the reading.” Materials include a Check for Success for this task. The teacher directions are as follows: “If students are confused by the prompt, remind them: Media includes printed text as well as visuals, such as photographs, charts, and maps. In your discussion, focus on key details found in both the text and visuals in the article that help explain why people still live and work on the island.”
• In Unit 4, “No Risk, No Reward,” Extended Writing Project, students write in response to the following prompt: “What happens when we take risks? Choose three informational texts from this unit, including research links in the Blasts, and explain how the authors inform readers about their risk-taking subjects. Identify the risks individuals take and the outcomes of those risks. Include a clear main idea or thesis statement, and cite evidence from each text to explain your conclusions. Materials include rubrics for each step of the writing process.
• In Unit 6, “Beyond Reality,” Extended Writing Project, students write a meaningful research paper in response to the following prompt: “Select an author from the unit, one of the texts, or the subject of one of the texts that you would like to know more about. Then write a research report about that topic. In the process, you will learn how to select a research question, develop a research plan, gather and evaluate source materials, and synthesize and present your research findings. Regardless of which topic you choose, be sure your research paper includes the following: an introduction; supporting details from at least three credible sources; a clear text structure; a conclusion; a works cited page; print and graphic features (a chart/map/image/video clip).”
• Students have opportunities to engage in narrative writing.
• In Unit 1, “Everyone Loves a Good Mystery,” Extended Writing Project, students write a narrative in response to the following prompt: “What happens when fear comes from an unlikely source? Use the techniques you’ve learned in this unit to write your own suspenseful short story. Your characters may experience suspense in a familiar place, or while they’re with people they know and trust. Perhaps the fear comes from an everyday object or situation.” Materials provide rubrics for each step of the writing process.
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” students read the text “Abuela Invents the Zero’”by Judith Ortiz Cofer. In the Close Read, students write a narrative piece in response to the following prompt: “Write a letter that continues the story in which Constancia apologizes to Abuela and resolves the conflict between them. In your letter include an example of Connie’s responses to a decision or incident. In connection to the story’s central idea or theme, explain what Connie has learned and how she has changed.”
• In Unit 6, “Beyond Reality,” students read The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. During the Close Read, students write a narrative scene in response to the following prompt: “Create a scene in which a character wakes up one morning and finds his or her world transformed as abruptly as Will’s. How do the character’s motivations and behaviors influence events in this new world?”

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.

Materials provide frequent opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply writing using evidence. In the First Read, Think tab, students write in response to text-specific questions and cite evidence to support their response. In the Close Read at the end of the series of lessons for each text, students analyze and write an evidence–based response reflecting their deeper understanding of the text. Materials provide opportunities that build students’ writing skills over the course of the school year. Students progress in writing in Grade 8 from analyzing the interaction of characters, to analyzing dialogue and its contribution to the theme, then to analyzing how figurative language diction contributes to the tone of the text.

In the Extended Writing Project students write across multiple texts to craft an evidence–based response.

Writing opportunities are focused around students’ analyses and claims developed from reading closely and working with sources. Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, “Everyone Loves a Mystery,” students read an excerpt from Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by W.W. Jacobs. In the Close Read, students write in response to the following prompt: “Explain how Phineas’s reaction to his serious injury impacts Dr. Williams. How do the details about the interaction between Phineas Gage and Dr. Williams connect to the central or main idea of the overall text? Be sure to cite specific textual evidence to support your claim.”
• In Unit 4, “Hear Me Out,” students read an excerpt from the graphic novel /HUG by Ehud Lavski & Yael Nathan. In the First Read, Think tab, students write evidence–based responses to the following prompts: “Why does Alena think that Lord Walker betrayed her? Cite specific evidence from the text to support your answer.” and “When Alena asks Lord Walker why he visited her world, he offers a response that upsets her. What does Lord Walker say, and why does Alena find his response upsetting? Cite specific evidence from the text to support your answer.”
• In Unit 6, “Beyond Reality,” students read an excerpt of the science fiction novel The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. In the Close Read, students write a literary analysis using the following prompt: “When authors undertake the task of writing a story in the science fiction genre, they can use their imaginations to create almost anything. Think about some specific words and phrases used by the first-person narrator of The War of the Worlds. How do the figurative and connotative meanings of some of these words help to produce a certain tone of both fear and suspense? Use evidence from the text to support your ideas.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria for 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.

Over the course of the year’s worth of materials, grammar and conventions instruction is provided in increasingly sophisticated contexts. In the Extended Writing Project and Grammar section and in the Extended Oral Project and Grammar section, there are Grammar Skill lessons in which students practice grade-level specific grammar skills. Materials include opportunities for students to demonstrate application of skills both in and out of context. In the Your Turn portion of the lesson students practice and demonstrate mastery of the grammar skill and students apply their knowledge during the writing or oral projects.

Materials include explicit instruction of grammar and conventions standards for the grade level. Some examples are as follows:

• Students have opportunities to explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences.
• In Unit 3, “No Risk, No Reward,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, Edit and Publish, Grammar Skill: Participles, Grammar Skill: Gerunds, and Grammar Skill: Infinitives, students complete lessons that explain the function of verbals. In these three lessons, students review the definition and image of each type of verbal, read and annotate the model, discuss the model, and complete the Your Turn activities. The practice items require students to identify gerunds, participles and infinitives and to explain their function in particular sentences. In Your Turn, Question 3, students apply their learning as they read the sample sentence in the first column and note how the gerund is used in the second column. Then students write their own sentence in the third column, using the gerund the same way. In Your Turn, Question 3, students apply their knowledge of infinitives by reading each function in the first column and each sample sentence in the second column. Then students write their own sentence in the third column.
• Students have opportunities to form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, Edit and Publish, Grammar Skill: Active and Passive Voice, students learn about active and passive voice and how they are used within text. In the Your Turn section, students practice using active and passive voice by sorting sentences into active voice and passive voice categories. The writing checklist requires students to determine, “Have I used active and passive voice effectively throughout the literary analysis?” If the answer is no, then students must revise their writing to reflect correct usage of active and passive voice.
• Students have opportunities to form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood.
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, Edit and Publish, Grammar Skill: Verb Moods, students learn about the rules related to the imperative, indicative, interrogative, and subjunctive moods, as they read example sentences from authentic texts showing each mood. In the Your Turn section, students drag and drop sentences into either the imperative or subjunctive column. Students apply their learning of verb moods by rewriting the sample sentence using the given verb mood.
• Students have opportunities to recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
• In Unit 2, “Past and Present,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, Edit and Publish, Grammar Skill: Consistent Verb and Mood, students study a model of consistency with voice and mood and rules applied in text before practicing in the Your Turn section. To practice the learned grammar skill, students complete sentences using voice and mood, revise sentences using voice and mood, and rewrite sentences making voice and mood consistent. Students apply their learning to their own writing as they respond to a literary analysis prompt. They use a writing checklist and ask themselves, “Does each sentence have a consistent verb voice? Is the mood of each verb correct? Does each sentence have a consistent verb mood?” If the answer is no, then students must revise their writing to reflect correct usage of verb voice and mood.
• In Unit 5, “Trying Times,” Extended Oral Project and Grammar, Grammar Skill: Writing for Effect, students study a model using verb voice and verb mood before practicing in the Your Turn section. During the practice activities, students determine whether a sentence uses active or passive voice and they write their own sentences to achieve effect in writing. In Your Turn, Questions 3, students apply their learning as they read the sample sentence in the first column and the effect that the writer wanted to achieve. Then students revise the sentence to achieve that effect.
• Students have opportunities to use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break.
• In Unit 1, “Everyone Loves a Mystery,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, Edit and Publish, Grammar Skill: Dashes, students review the definition and image, read and annotate the model, discuss the model, and complete the Your Turn activities to practice using dashes correctly. The writing checklist requires students to determine, “Have I followed the guidelines for using dashes?” If the answer is no, then students must revise their writing to reflect correct usage of dashes.
• In Unit 4, “Hear Me Out,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, Edit and Publish, Grammar Skill: Ellipses for Omission and Grammar Skill: Commas for Pause or Separation, students review the definition and image for ellipses and commas, read, annotate, and discuss the model, and complete the Your Turn activities to practice using ellipses and commas correctly. Students apply their knowledge of the rules for using ellipses when they write their evidence in their argument essay.
• In Unit 6, “Beyond Reality,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, Edit and Publish, Grammar Skill: Ellipses for Pause and Separation, students learn about the use of ellipses for pause or separation and how they are used in texts. In the Your Turn section, students practice using ellipses for pause or separation correctly by determining whether the ellipses are used to indicate a pause, an unfinished thought, or to separate items in provided sentences. Students apply this knowledge to their own research paper writing. They use a writing checklist and ask themselves, “Have I used ellipses for pause or separation correctly?” If the answer is no, then students must revise their writing to reflect correct usage of ellipses for pause and separation.
• Students have opportunities to use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
• In Unit 4, “Hear Me Out,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, Edit and Publish, Grammar Skill: Ellipses for Omission, students learn about ellipses for omission and how they are used within texts. In the Your Turn section, students practice using ellipses for omission correctly by determining whether each quotation uses ellipses correctly. In Your Turn, Question 3, students apply the knowledge by reading each passage. Then students create a quotation from the passage that uses ellipses correctly.
• Students have opportunities to spell correctly.
• In Unit 1, ”Everyone Loves a Mystery,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, Edit and Publish, Grammar Skill: Basic Spelling Rules I, students learn about the spelling patterns of ie and ei words, prefixes and double letters, suffixes and silent e, suffixes and final y, and unstressed vowels. In the Your Turn section, students respond to multiple choice questions that ask them to select the correctly spelled word to go in the blanks for the given sentences. The writing checklist requires students to determine, “Have I followed spelling rules?” If the answer is no, then students must revise their writing to reflect correct spelling rules.
• In Unit 6, “Beyond Reality,” Extended Writing Project and Grammar, Edit and Publish, Grammar Skill: Commonly Misspelled Words, students learn strategies for spelling words that are unfamiliar or difficult. In the Your Turn section, students respond to multiple choice questions that ask them to determine the correct spelling of a word. Students apply their learning by correcting a commonly misspelled word and using the word correctly when writing an original sentence.