8th Grade ELA CCSS Summary
8th Grade Reading Standards
Literature
Key Ideas and Details
Informational Text (nonfiction)
1. Use evidence from the text to support
your points and inferences.
2. Determine the theme of a text and its
relationship with the characters, setting,
and plot. Be able to summarize the text.
3. Analyze how dialogue and events in a
story move the action, show what the
characters are like or influence their
decisions.
1. Use evidence from the text to support
your points and inferences.
2. Determine the central idea of a text
and it relationship to supporting ideas.
Be able to summarize the text.
3. Analyze how a text makes
connections between individuals, ideas
and events. (e.g. through comparisons,
analogies, categories)
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and
phrases in a text, including figurative
language. Analyze the impact of word
choice on tone, meaning, analogies and
references to other texts.
4. Determine the meaning of words and
phrases in a text, including figurative,
technical meanings. Analyze the impact
of word choice on tone, meaning,
analogies and references to other texts.
5. Compare and contrast the structure of
two or more texts and how their
differences affect their meaning and
style.
6. Analyze how different points of view
(characters, the reader) create effects
like suspense or humor.
5. Analyze the structure of a specific
paragraph in a text, including how
sentences develop and refine a key
concept.
6. Determine an author’s point of view
or purpose. Analyze how the author
responds to other points of view or
conflicting evidence.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Compare a text and film version of a
story.
8. Not applicable to literature
9. Analyze how modern fiction draws on
themes, patterns or character types from
myths, traditional and religious stories.
7. Compare different ways of presenting
topics or ideas (print, digital text, video,
multimedia).
8. Evaluate arguments and claims in a
text and assess whether the reasoning
and evidence is relevant and sound.
Recognize irrelevant evidence.
9. Analyze two texts that provide
conflicting information on the same
topic.
Range of Reading and Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend grade level
10. Read and comprehend grade level
literature independently and proficiently. nonfiction independently and
proficiently.
8th Grade ELA CCSS Summary
8th Grade Writing Standards
Writing
Text Type and Purposes
1. Write arguments to support claims using relevant evidence.
a. Begin with an introduction
b. Support arguments with relevant evidence from the text or accurate sources.
c. Clarify the relationships between arguments and evidence. Linking statement
d. Use a formal writing style.
e. Provide a conclusion
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, summarize arguments and organize ideas.
b. Develop the topic with relevant, facts, definitions, details, quotes and examples.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to connect paragraphs and ideas
d. Use precise vocabulary
e. Establish and maintain a formal style.
f. Provide a conclusion that follow from and supports main ideas.
3Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.
a. Engage reader by establishing a context and point of view, introducing a
narrator/characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and
logically.
b. Use different narrative techniques, ((dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection)
c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses.
d. Use precise words and phrases, descriptive details, and sensory language.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences.
Production & Distribution of Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach independently and/or with help from peers and
adults.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and
present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well
as to interact and collaborate with others.
7. Conduct short research projects to answer focus questions drawing on several
sources.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources. Use search
terms effectively, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and quote or
paraphrase the data following a standard format for citation. MLA Format
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection,
and research.
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (research, reflection, and revision)
and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two)
8th Grade ELA CCSS Summary
8th Grade Language Standards
Language
1. Demonstrate a command of standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
a. Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and
their function in particular sentences.
b. Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
c. Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and
subjunctive mood.
d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break.
b. Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
c. Spell correctly.
3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading,
or listening.
a. Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive
mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action;
expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact).
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or
phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a
range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s
position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the
meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries,
thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation or meaning of a word
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by
checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary)
5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.
b. Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the
words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar
denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute).
6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domainspecific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word
or phrase important to comprehension or expression.