English Language Arts – 8th Grade
Unit of Study: Preparation for the TAKS test and Revision
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Third Grading Period Weeks 1 – 7 (Week one is three days.)
Big Idea
Unit Rationale
Students will review the TEKS that will be assessed on the TAKS test. The previous
grading periods have not addressed the following two TEKS: using Greek and Latin
roots to determine word meaning and paired passages.
“The English language has its roots in several languages, including Greek, Latin, and
older forms of English, German, and French. Learning to recognize common roots and
affixes (prefixes and suffixes) will help you build your vocabulary and improve your ability
to make educated guesses about unknown words you encounter in reading and testtaking situations. Good dictionaries will give you information about the origins of words.
Whenever you look up a new word, make a point of reading this information. Some of the
roots and affixes appear in a large number of words. Learning these will enhance your
ability to comprehend course readings and learn new terminology.”
https://www.msu.edu/~defores1/gre/roots/gre_rts_afx1.htm
“The purposes for reading are as varied and diverse as the people who read, but the
ability to read effectively is essential for all students in the increasingly complex world in
which we live. Reading is one of the most important foundations for learning, not only
in English Language Arts but also in other content areas, such as science, social
studies, and mathematics. Students who can understand what they read and who can
make connections between what they read and what they already know will more likely
be successful—in the classroom, on the test, and in the real world. Strong reading
skills are necessary for academic achievement, for the fundamental tasks of daily living,
and for personal enjoyment and enrichment.” Grade 8 Reading TAKS Information
Booklet Pg 4
“Tackling Comparison Questions on Paired Passages - Comparison questions require
you to think through the relationship between the information in both passages and to
consider both passages before answering. Read Proactively. Since the majority of
questions you’ll face in a Paired Passage set will be Comparison questions, it makes
sense to begin preparing for them during your analysis of passage B. Things you should
watch out for include:
Central topic of both passages
Points of disagreement
Points of agreement
Details common to both passages
Similarities and differences in style, tone, and structure”
http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/lsat/chapter3section12.rhtml
TEKS
TEKS Specificity - Intended Outcome
TEKS 8 The student is expected to:
 6B use structural analysis to identify words, including knowledge of Greek and Latin roots
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and prefixes/suffixes (7-8)
9B draw on experiences to bring meanings to words in context such as interpreting
[idioms,] multiple-meaning words, and analogies (6-8)
9D determine meanings of derivatives by applying knowledge of the meanings of root
words such as like, pay, or happy and affixes such as dis-, pre-, orun- (4-8); and
9F distinguish denotative and connotative meanings (6-8)
11C support responses by referring to relevant aspects of text [and his/her own
experiences] (4-8)
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
” I CAN” statements highlighted in yellow should be displayed for students.
I can:
 use root words, prefixes, and suffixes to understand unfamiliar vocabulary words
(6B and 9D)
 use context clues and analogies to understand unfamiliar vocabulary words (9B)
 understand the actual meaning of a word and the additional meaning (feeling or
association) a word suggests (9F)
 find support for the answers I have chosen (11C)
 connect, compare, and contrast ideas, themes, and issues across text (11D)
English Language Arts Grade 8
Page 1 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
 11D connect, compare, and contrast ideas, themes, and issues across text (4-8)
 10E use the text’s structure or progression of ideas such as cause and effect or chronology
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Concepts
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to locate and recall information (4-8)
10F determine a text’s main (or major) ideas and how those ideas are supported with
details (4-8)
10G paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas (4-8)
10H draw inferences such as conclusions or generalizations and support them with text
evidence [and experience] (4-8)
10I find similarities and differences across texts such as in treatment, scope, or
organization (4-8)
10J distinguish fact and opinion in various texts (4-8)
10L represent text information in different ways such as in outline, timeline, or graphic
organizer (4-8)
12A identify the purposes of different types of texts such as to inform, influence, express,
or entertain (4-8)
12C compare communication in different forms such as [contrasting a dramatic
performance with a print version of the same story or] comparing story variants (2-8)
12F analyze characters, including their traits, motivations, conflicts, points of view,
relationships, and changes they undergo (4-8)
12G recognize and analyze story plot, setting, and problem resolution (4-8)
12H describe how the author’s perspective or point of view affects the text (4-8)
12I analyze ways authors organize and present ideas such as through cause/effect,
compare/contrast, inductively, deductively, or chronologically (6-8)
12J recognize and interpret literary devices such as flashback, foreshadowing, and
symbolism (6-8)
12K recognize how style, tone, and mood contribute to the effect of the text (6-8)
17C employ standard English usage in writing for audiences, including subject-verb
agreement, pronoun referents, and parts of speech (4-8)
18E edit drafts for specific purposes such as to ensure standard usage, varied sentence
structure, and appropriate word choice (4-8)
18H proofread his/her own writing and that of others (4-8)
17C employ standard English usage in writing for audiences, including subject-verb
agreement, pronoun referents, and parts of speech (4-8)
18E edit drafts for specific purposes such as to ensure standard usage, varied sentence
structure, and appropriate word choice (4-8)
18H proofread his/her own writing and that of others (4-8)
23A interpret and evaluate various ways visual image makers such as illustrators represent
meanings (6-8)
 understand a cause/effect relationship and use it to locate/recall information
(10E)
 understand the sequence of events and use them to locate/recall information
(10E)
 get the gist of what I am reading and provide supporting details for main ideas
(10F)
 paraphrase and summarize for different purposes (10G)
 make inferences (conclusions or generalizations) when I read and support them
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with text evidence [and experience] (10H)
recognize similarities and differences between two stories (10I)
identify fact and opinion (10J)
use a graphic organizer to feature information (10L)
understand different kinds of stories are written with different purposes (12A)
compare to similar stories and see how features of the stories differ (12C)
understand the traits, motives, conflicts, points of view, and relationships or
characters as well as changes they undergo (12F)
analyze story plot, setting, and how problems are solved (12G)
describe how the author’s perspective or point of view affects the text (12H)
analyze ways authors organize and present ideas (12I)
understand the meaning and importance of flashbacks, foreshadowing, and
symbolism (12J)
recognize how style, tone, and mood contribute to the text (12K)
write with subject-verb agreement (17C)
edit drafts and change linking verbs to active verbs when appropriate (18E)
proofread my own writing or the writing of my classmates (18H)
write with subject-verb agreement (17C)
edit drafts and change linking verbs to active verbs when appropriate (18E)
proofread my own writing or the writing of my classmates (18H)
Evidence of Learning
Although the goal is commended performance, 85% students will meet the minimum expectations on the TAKS test.
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
English Language Arts Grade 8
Page 2 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
English Language Arts – 8th Grade
Unit of Study: Preparation for the TAKS test and Revision
Third Grading Period Weeks 1 – 7 (Week one is three days.)
Essential Questions
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What strategies are effective on the TAKS test?
How does knowing the meanings of word parts help
me determine the meaning of unfamiliar words?
How do I read and understand narrative passages?
How do I read and understand expository passages?
How do I read and understand paired passages?
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CURRICULUM GUIDE
Essential Pre-requisite Skills
Use context to determine or clarify the meaning of unfamiliar to multiple meaning words (Grade 5)
Use a dictionary, a glossary, or a thesaurus to determine the meanings, syllabication, pronunciations, alternate
word choices, and parts of speech of words (Grade 6)
Demonstrate understanding of informational text (Grade 3)
Compare communication in different forms such comparing story variants (Grade 3)
Develop vocabulary through reading (Grade 3)
Identify similarities and differences across texts such as topics, characters, and themes (Grade 3)
The Teaching Plan
Instructional Model/Teacher Directions: The teacher will…
Week 1 Follow this plan. Use Elements of Literature book, the Elements of Language book, and the TAKS Countdown to complete the lessons in this unit. If you chose to not
use the TAKS Countdown, please continue in the Literature and Language books or use TAKS reviews that your campus has available.
The Teacher will:
So the student can:
Activity: Three Days
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Diagnostic Preview; Choose from the following lessons: Helping Verbs and Main
Verbs; Action Verbs, Linking Verbs. Pp 370 – 380. Review Portfolio. Revise a paper.
Look for linking verbs and replace them with active verbs.
TEKS: Writing 17C, 18E, 18H
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Review using activities on pages 370 – 380 as determined by teacher.
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Review portfolio.
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Revise a written composition.
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Replace passive verbs with active verbs and revise paper.
Week Two
Elements of Literature pp. T170-T183 – The Landlady and The Listeners
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Vocabulary: facades, emanate, tantalizing (Greek myth of Tantalus) see p. T183,
congenial, rapacious (All 5 words have Greek and Latin roots: see p. T183
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Model/maintain vocabulary in the back of the Reader’s Notebook.
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Foreshadowing, the use of clues to suggest what will happen later in the plot, is a tool
used by writers to build suspense or anxiety in their readers. See p. T170.
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Audio CD Library – Disc 4, Track 2 (optional)
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Fine Art Transparency 5; Fine Art Worksheet p. 20 (23A)
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Compare to Greek Myth of Procrustes on the teacher toolkit
o http://www.authorama.com/old-greek-stories-15.html
o http://www.mythweb.com/teachers/why/basics/procrustes.html
o http://www.mythindex.com/greek-mythology/P/Procrustes.html
o http://www.groseducationalmedia.ca/greekm/mythproc.html
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
TEKS: Reading 6B, 9D,10I, 11C, 12C, 12G, 12J, 23A
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Foreshadowing, Vocabulary, monitoring comprehension, word choice,
cultural connections to England (setting), text to self connection,
Textual Evidence see T177, Greek root words. *Compare and contrast
across texts The Landlady and The Listeners: characters, settings, and
moods. Compare and contrast across texts with Greek Myth of
Procrustes from the teacher toolkit. (This is a 3-page story.)
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Practice with these two TAKS stems. More stems are listed below.
o How is the author’s approach to writing The Landlady different
from the author’s approach in The Adventures of Theseus:
Procrustes the Pitiless?
o An idea common to both selections is ___.
English Language Arts Grade 8
Page 3 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
TAKS Stems from Kilgo Consulting, Inc.
District recommendation – whenever possible, have students answer stems as a short answer response. Do not create multiple choice answers for TAKS stem questions.
Students who can create a written response independently, can select the correct multiple choice item on a standardized test.
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In paragraph ___, what does the word ___ mean? (Could use with swanky [p. 172] and compulsion [p. 173]. There are many context clues.)
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Read the dictionary entry below for the word ___. Which definition represents the meaning of ___ as it is used in paragraph ___?
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Which sentence from the ___ shows the reader ___?
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Which sentence from this article (or this selection) supports the idea that ___?
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One similarity between ___ and ___ is that both –
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What is one difference between the two selections?
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An idea present in both (texts) is ___.
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What is the main idea found in both selections?
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Represent similarities and differences in a Venn Diagram (See released TAKS test from Spring 2004 for an example.)
 An idea common to both selections is ___.
Week Three
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Elements of Literature The Wise Old Woman (folk tale) pp. 152 – 158
Vocabulary: arrogant, kind, cruel, wisdom, bragged, stupid, happy, rewarded, good,
unreasonable, aged, haughty, saved, stupid, brilliant, terrible, force, foolish
Model/maintain vocabulary in the back of the Reader’s Notebook.
ELLs: establish setting -- lord, decree, banished, dark dungeon, and village square
Audio CD Library: Disc 3, Track 4
Graphic Organizer for Active Reading, p. 13 10L
TEKS: Reading 6B, 9D, 10I, 12F, 10H, 12I
The Wise Old Woman
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Comparing Story Variants from Elements of Literature
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Prediction
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Character Traits
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Text to world connection: what real-life individuals can you think or who
disobeyed official laws or decrees in order to do what they thought was
right. T154
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Draw Conclusions
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Time order: predictable structure of folk tale (12I)
TEKS: Reading 10F, 11C, 12F
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Finding Details 10F
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Interpreting 11C – What do the parents learn from their little son?
What sentences from the text supports your answer?
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Character Traits (Not in teacher edition)
o What were ___ feelings toward ___ ?
o ___ is portrayed as ___.
o How did ___ probably feel when ___ ?
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The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson (folk tale) pp. 159
Other folk tales to compare:
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Cinderella and The Rough-Face Girl (by Rafe Martin) or the Egyptian Cinderella (by
Shirley Climo and Ruth Heller)
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Little Red Riding Hood and Lon Po Po (by Ed Young)
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The Princess and the Pea and The Princess and the Pizza (by Mary Jane Auch and
Herm Auch)
Additional Option
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Check the TEA Website http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ for a Released TAKS test that has
a paired passage you have not used.
TEKS 10I and 11D
TAKS Stems from Kilgo Consulting, Inc.
District recommendation – whenever possible, have students answer stems as a short answer response. Do not create multiple choice answers for TAKS stem questions.
Students who can create a written response independently, can select the correct multiple choice item on a standardized test.
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One similarity between (title 1) and (title 2) is that both ___
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What is one difference between the two selections?
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How is the author’s approach to writing (title 1) different from the author’s approach in (title 2)?
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Use a Venn Diagram to compare/contrast characters in both stories 10L
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
English Language Arts Grade 8
Page 4 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Week Four
TAKS Countdown Packet* Week One
*One master copy per campus will be provided by the Reading/ELA Dept.
Please Note: Use of the Countdown is optional.
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Your department may choose to continue with instruction from the Elements of
Literature textbook and review for the test just before March 3 rd. (There is not time to
begin a new unit in SpringBoard before the TAKS test.)
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Your department may choose to use parts of the countdown as needed, chosen by a
close review of your data.
TEKS: Reading 6B, 9B, 9D, 9F, 10F, 10G, 12F
TAKS Objective 1: RCP, * Context Clues, Prefixes/Suffixes, Multiple
Meaning Words, Denotation/Connotation, Main Idea, Supporting Details, and
Summary. Objective 2: Literary Elements: Analyzing Characters
Week Five
TAKS Countdown Packet Week Two
TEKS: Reading 12G, 12J, 10H, 10J, 11C, 11D, 12I, 12K
TAKS Objective 2: Plot, Problem/Resolution, Setting, Literary Devices. TAKS
Objective 4: Inferences, Textual Evidence, Fact/Opinion, Analyze Ways Authors
Present Ideas, Style, Mood, and Tone
Week Six
TAKS Countdown Packet Week Three
TEKS: Reading 10E, 10I, 10L, 12A, 12C, 12H
TAKS Objective 3: Text Structure: Representation, Purpose of Text, Author’s
Purpose, *Comparing Two Selections. Review
Week Seven - TAKS Reading Test on March 3, 2009
See “Independent Reading” section below.
Some options for instruction:
Literature Circles
Independent Novels
Catching Up on Missing Work
Academic Vocabulary
Context clues
Prefix, suffix, root words
Multiple meaning words
Denotation
Connotation
Main idea
Supporting details
Summary
Characterization
Plot
Problem
Resolution
Setting
Literary devices
Inferences
Textual evidence
Fact/opinion
Style
Mood
Tone
Author’s purpose
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
Resources
Elements of Literature
The Landlady and The Listeners p. 170
The Wise Old Woman p. 152
The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson p. 159
TAKS Countdown Packet for 8th Grade
Teacher Toolkit
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Greek Myth of Procrustes (for use with The Landlady
as a Paired Passage)
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RCP for Secondary Students
Paired Passage Process
English Language Arts Grade 8
Independent Reading
For this grading period, independent reading occurred
during the week of the TAKS test.
Students will be responsible for reading one
independent novel outside the classroom every nine
weeks. Suggested novels are selected from available
novels that are on campuses. Your campus may have
purchased other novels than those listed below.
Suggested Novels are:
 The Glory Fields
 Farewell to Manzanar
 Across Five Aprils
 Pigman
 Somewhere in the Darkness
 Dicey’s Song
Page 5 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Story variant
Evidence of Learning
Differentiation
What do you do for students who need more
support?
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Collaborative Strategic Reading: Students of
various reading and achievement levels work in
small groups to assist one another in applying four
reading strategies to facilitate their comprehension
of content-area text.
Interims/TAKS/Benchmarks
College-Readiness i.e.,
Anticipated Skills for SAT/ACT/College Board/Careers/Life
Sample Question
8th Grade TAKS Release Test 2006
23 What is a major idea found in both selections?
A
B
C
D
Ignoring good advice
Showing one’s patriotism
Giving up easily
Coping with hardship
What do you do for students who master the
learning quickly?
Explore common Greek roots from Michigan State
University at the following website.
https://www.msu.edu/~defores1/gre/roots/gre_rts_afx2.
htm
Here are Greek and Latin roots.
http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/ksd/MA/resources/greek_an
d_latin_roots/transition.html
Sample Question
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/
prep_one/passage_based/pracStart.html
The questions below are based on the following passage.
"The rock was still wet. The
animal was glistening, like it was
still swimming," recalls Hou
Xianguang. Hou discovered the
Line 5
unusual fossil while surveying rocks
as a paleontology graduate student
in 1984, near the Chinese town of
Chengjiang. "My teachers always
talked about the Burgess Shale
Line 10
animals. It looked like one of them.
My hands began to shake."
Hou had indeed found a Naraoia
like those from Canada. However,
Hou's animal was 15 million years
Line 15
older than its Canadian relatives.
You may be asked to make an inference or draw a
conclusion about a statement made in the passage.
It can be inferred that Hou Xianguang's "hands began to
shake" (line 11) because he was
(A) afraid that he might lose the fossil
(B)
worried about the implications of his finding
(C)
concerned that he might not get credit for his work
(D)
uncertain about the authenticity of the fossil
(E)
excited about the magnitude of his discovery
Correct answer: (E)
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
English Language Arts Grade 8
Page 6 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
English Language Arts – 8th Grade
Third Grading Period Weeks 8 - 10 (Week Ten is 4 days.)
Big Idea
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Unit Rationale
English Language Arts Grade 8
Page 7 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
In the first two units we encountered heroes, both real and imagined, who have faced
obstacles and challenges, and have found ways of mastering or triumphing over their
limitations. Students, too, have faced challenges: personal, social, and academic. It is
time to pause and reflect on some of students’ earlier works.
TEKS
TEKS Specificity - Intended Outcome
Concepts
Reflect on challenges using student-created texts and revise written work.
“I believe that teaching children to revise their writing is a model for teaching them to live:
it teaches them to take a revisionist stance in everything they do, to expect and embrace
change, and to position themselves to assess and solve problems in their world.” P. 9
Angelillo, J. (2002). Making Revision Matter. New York, NY: Scholastic.
TEKS 8 The student is expected to:
 18E edit drafts for specific purposes such as to ensure standard usage, varied
sentence structure, and appropriate word choice (4-8)
 18H proofread his/her own writing and that of others (4-8)
” I CAN” statements highlighted in yellow should be displayed for students.
I can:
 make changes in my writing
 reread my draft
Evidence of Learning
Students will choose a piece of writing from their portfolio or write a new composition. They will apply knowledge of passive/active verb tenses by revising a written work and
eliminating passive (linking) verbs where appropriate. The teacher should evaluate the revised work. Note: all passive verbs need not be eliminated. The passive tense is
appropriate for dialogue, quotations, etc.
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
English Language Arts Grade 8
Page 8 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
English Language Arts – 8th Grade
Third Grading Period Weeks 8 - 10 (Week Ten is 4 days.)
Essential Questions
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Do I reread my writing before saying, “I’m done?”
Does my writing match my purpose?
How can I figure out what to revise when my
paper already looks good enough to me?
How can I write a better plan (prewriting) so
revising is easier?
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CURRICULUM GUIDE
Essential Pre-requisite Skills
Revise drafts for coherence, progression, and logical support of ideas (Grade 4)
Revise selected drafts by adding, elaborating, deleting, combining, and rearranging text (Grade 4)
Edit drafts for specific purposes (standard usage) (Grade 4)
The Teaching Plan
Week Eight
Instructional Model/Teacher Directions
The Teacher will…
Day One
SpringBoard Unit 3 pp. 253 - 270
Unpack the Embedded Assessment on p. 270. With the students, create an
anchor chart where you backmap what is necessary for success on Embedded
Assessment One (EA1). As you teach during the next three weeks, refer to
this anchor chart daily by asking, “What have we learned today that will
help you revise your essay?”
Challenge Quotes and Survey p. 254
 Elements of Style – Over the next two weeks, continue in Ch. 8 – Writing
Effective Sentences and skip to Ch. 14 – The Phrase. You will not be
able to teach every page. Incorporate the skills with the SpringBoard
revision assignment when possible. You have already assigned 274-279
in a previous grading period. Now, pick up with Combining Sentences
on pp. 279-293. As students revise, they should reread and edit their
draft looking to apply this skill. What sentences should I combine? Do I
have a run-on? Can I add an introductory clause?
Days Two - Five
Introduction to Read Around Groups p. 258
 Step 9 refers to a 3-point rubric. You discussed the rubric on p. 271 when
you backmapped EA1.
 Continue in Elements of Style with pp. 279-293. These skills need to
transfer to the draft in-progress.
Week Nine
Days One - Three
Revising for Cohesion p. 261
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
So the student can…
TEKS: Reading: 10G, 11A; Writing 17D, 17E, 18C, 18G, 19A
Use the following strategies: Close Reading and Visualizing
 Examine the idea of challenge
 Paraphrase metaphorical language
 Make a personal response to a quotation
TEKS: Writing 15A, 15C, 15H
Use the following strategies: Read Aloud, Timed Writing, and Writing
Process
 Revise for coherence, development, insight, and effect
 Develop expository texts
TEKS: Writing 15A, 17E, 18C, 18D, 18E, 19B, 19C
Use the following strategies: Self-Editing/Peer Editing; Writing Process
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Revising for coherence, development, insight, and effect
English Language Arts Grade 8
Page 9 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
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Elements of Style with pp. 416-432. The Phrase: Prepositional, Verbal, and
Appositive Phrases As students revise, they should reread and edit their draft
looking to apply this skill. Can I add a gerund phrase for sentence variety?
Would I use an infinitive phrase, or would it make my writing passive? Again,
these skills need to transfer to the draft in-progress.
Days Four - Five
Challenges in Learning p. 268
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o Introductions
o Conclusions
o Transitions
Develop expository texts
Stylistic conventions
Writing to discover and learn
TEKS: Writing 15A, 18A
Use the following strategies: Revisiting Prior Work and Quickwrite
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Reflect on self as a reader constructing meaning from texts
o Graphic organizers
Week Ten (Four Days)
Unit 3, EA 1 – Revising a Piece of Writing p. 270
Your assignment is to revise an essay you have written thus far. Select any essay you
have written this year (from your portfolio) and carefully revise that text for cohesions.
Please check for transfer of skills from Ch. 8 – Writing Effective Sentences and Ch. 14 –
The Phrase.
Academic Vocabulary
Coherence
Development
Insight
Effect
Introductions
Conclusions
Transitions
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
TEKS: Writing 17D, 17E, 18D, 18B,
Assessment

Revising for coherence, development, insight, and effect

Develop expository texts

Stylistic conventions
Resources
Elements of Language
Ch. 8 – Writing Effective Sentences
Ch. 14 – The Phrase.
Independent Reading
For this grading period, independent reading occurred
during the week of the TAKS test.
SpringBoard
Unit 3: Embedded Assessment 1; pp. 253 – 270
English Language Arts Grade 8
Page 10 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Evidence of Learning
Differentiation
What do you do for students who need more
support?
Have students choose a paper they have already written and
revise it with a different purpose in mind. For example, Kenny
wrote a descriptive piece about what it was like to play water
polo against a cross-town rival. In his revision, he shifted his
purpose to analyzing the reasons why they lost the game in
the last minute. Paraphrased from p. 126
Gallagher, K. 2006. Teaching Adolescent Writers. Portland,
MN: Stenhouse.
What do you do for students who master the
learning quickly?
Interims/TAKS/Benchmarks
College-Readiness i.e.,
Anticipated Skills for SAT/ACT/College Board/Careers/Life
Sample Question
10th Grade TAKS Released Test – April 2006
46 What revision, if any, is needed in sentence 11?
F Harry assigned jobs. Checking off each task
on his clipboard.
G As Harry assigned jobs, he checked off each
task on his clipboard.
H Assigning jobs and checking off each task.
J No revision is needed.
Use their writing as mentor text in a “Targeted Bulletin Board.”
Target specific criterion to determine which papers will be
displayed. Choose papers that demonstrate competency in
the skill taught through the most recent mini-lesson. For
example, after teaching a mini-lesson on hooking the reader,
post essays that have the most introductions. Some other
topics:

Gripping conclusions

Smooth transitions

Strong research citations

Sentence variety

Strong verbs

Show, don’t tell

Mature vocabulary
Sample Question
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/after/essa
y_prompts.html
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following
excerpt and the assignment below.
We cannot appreciate what we have for its own merit. We
see ourselves as fortunate only when we have as much as,
or more than, other people. Thus, our judgment of what
represents an appropriate limit on anything—on wealth or
status or possessions—is never arrived at independently.
Instead, we compare ourselves to other people, always
wondering if what we have is enough. Adapted from Alain
de Botton, Status Anxiety
Assignment:
Do people need to compare themselves
with others in order to appreciate what
they have? Plan and write an essay in
which you develop your point of view on
this issue. Support your position with
reasoning and examples taken from your
reading, studies, experience, or
observations.
Paraphrased p. 134
Gallagher, K. 2006. Teaching Adolescent Writers. Portland,
MN: Stenhouse.
SAISD © 2008-09 Third Grading Period
English Language Arts Grade 8
Page 11 of 11
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.