Oregon State Standards for Language Arts: Grade 8

OR.1. Reading: Analyze words, recognize words, and learn to read grade-level text fluently across the subject areas.

1.1. Decoding and Word Recognition: Read or demonstrate progress toward reading at an independent and instructional reading level appropriate to grade level.

OR.2. Reading: Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of informational and narrative text across the subject areas at school and on own, applying comprehension strategies as needed.

2.1. Listen to and Read Informational and Narrative Text: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of informational and narrative text, including classic and contemporary literature, poetry, magazines, newspapers, reference materials, and online information.

2.2. Listen to and Read Informational and Narrative Text: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Make connections to text, within text, and among texts across the subject areas.

2.3. Listen to and Read Informational and Narrative Text: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Demonstrate listening comprehension of more complex text through class and/or small group interpretive discussions across the subject areas.

2.4. Listen to and Read Informational and Narrative Text: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Match reading to purpose--location of information, full comprehension, and personal enjoyment.

2.5. Listen to and Read Informational and Narrative Text: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Understand and draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies as needed--re-reading, self-correcting, summarizing, class and group discussions, generating and responding to essential questions, making predictions, and comparing information from several sources.

2.6. Listen to and Read Informational and Narrative Text: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Clearly identify specific words or wordings that are causing comprehension difficulties and use strategies to correct.

OR.3. Reading: Increase word knowledge through systematic vocabulary development; determine the meaning of new words by applying knowledge of word origins, word relationships, and context clues; verify the meaning of new words; and use those new words accurately across the subject areas.

3.1. Vocabulary: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Understand, learn, and use new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly through informational text, literary text, and instruction across the subject areas.

3.2. Vocabulary: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Develop vocabulary by listening to and discussing both familiar and conceptually challenging selections read aloud across the subject areas.

3.3. Vocabulary: Determine meanings of words using contextual and structural clues.

3.4. Vocabulary: Analyze idioms and comparisons, such as analogies, metaphors, and similes, to infer the literal and figurative meanings of phrases.

3.5. Vocabulary: Verify the meaning of a word in its context, even when its meaning is not directly stated, through the use of definition, restatement, example, comparison, or contrast.

3.6. Vocabulary: Determine pronunciations, meanings, alternate word choices, parts of speech, or etymologies of words, using dictionaries and thesauruses.

OR.4. Reading: Find, understand, and use specific information in a variety of texts across the subject areas to perform a task.

4.1. Read to Perform a Task: Read textbooks; biographical sketches; letters; diaries; directions; procedures; magazines; essays; primary source historical documents; editorials; news stories; periodicals; bus routes; catalogs; technical directions; consumer, workplace, and public documents.

4.2. Read to Perform a Task: Synthesize information found in various parts of charts, tables, diagrams, glossaries, or related grade-level text to reach supported conclusions.

4.3. Read to Perform a Task: Understand and explain the use of a complex mechanical device by following technical directions.

OR.5. Reading: Demonstrate general understanding of grade-level informational text across the subject areas.

5.1. Informational Text: Demonstrate General Understanding: Clarify understanding of informational texts by creating detailed outlines, graphic organizers, diagrams, logical notes, or summaries.

5.2. Informational Text: Demonstrate General Understanding: Identify and/or summarize sequence of events, main ideas, facts, supporting details, and opinions in informational and practical selections.

OR.6. Reading: Develop an interpretation of grade-level informational text across the subject areas.

6.1. Informational Text: Develop an Interpretation: Predict probable future outcomes supported by the text, including foreshadowing clues.

6.2. Informational Text: Develop an Interpretation: Determine an author's implicit and explicit assumptions and beliefs about a subject based on evidence in the selection.

6.3. Informational Text: Develop an Interpretation: Infer the main idea when it is not explicitly stated, and support with evidence from the text.

OR.7. Reading: Examine content and structure of grade-level informational text across the subject areas.

7.1. Informational Text: Examine Content and Structure: Determine the author's purpose and perspective and relate them to specific details in the text.

7.2. Informational Text: Examine Content and Structure: Note and analyze instances of unsupported inferences, deceptive reasoning, persuasion, and propaganda in text.

7.3. Informational Text: Examine Content and Structure: Compare and contrast information on the same topic after reading several passages or articles.

7.4. Informational Text: Examine Content and Structure: Identify and analyze text that uses proposition (statement of argument) and support patterns (e.g., editorials).

7.5. Informational Text: Examine Content and Structure: Find similarities and differences between texts in the treatment, amount and depth of coverage, or organization of ideas on a particular subject.

7.6. Informational Text: Examine Content and Structure: Synthesize and use information from a variety of consumer and public documents to explain a situation or decision and to solve a problem.

1.2. Listen to and Read Literary Text: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Demonstrate listening comprehension of more complex literary text through class and/or small group interpretive discussions.

4.4. Literary Text: Examine Content and Structure: Analyze the importance of the setting (place, time, customs) to the mood, tone, and meaning of the text.

4.5. Literary Text: Examine Content and Structure: Analyze how dialogue is used to develop characters and mood in a selection.

4.6. Literary Text: Examine Content and Structure: Evaluate the structural elements of the plot, such as subplots, parallel episodes, and climax, including the way in which conflicts are (or are not) addressed and resolved.

4.7. Literary Text: Examine Content and Structure: Identify and analyze recurring themes (e.g., good versus evil) across traditional and contemporary works.

1.3. Planning, Evaluation, and Revision: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Identify audience and purpose.

1.4. Planning, Evaluation, and Revision: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Choose the form of writing that best suits the intended purpose--personal letter, letter to the editor, review, poem, report, or narrative.

1.5. Planning, Evaluation, and Revision: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Use the writing process--prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing successive versions.

1.6. Planning, Evaluation, and Revision: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Focus on a central idea, excluding loosely related, extraneous, and repetitious information.

1.7. Planning, Evaluation, and Revision: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Use a scoring guide to review, evaluate, and revise writing for meaning and clarity.

1.8. Planning, Evaluation, and Revision: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Revise drafts for word choice, appropriate organization, consistent point of view--and transitions between paragraphs, passages, and ideas.

1.9. Planning, Evaluation, and Revision: Skill To Support the Standard: (For the purpose of noting key skills that support classroom instruction of the standards) Edit and proofread one's own writing, as well as that of others, using the writing conventions, and, for example, an editing checklist or list of rules with specific examples of corrections of specific errors.

2.7. Writing: To indicate clearly the relationship between ideas, use subordination, coordination, appositives, and other devices.

3.7. Conventions: Handwriting: Write legibly.

4.8. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write research reports: Specify a thesis.

4.9. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write research reports: Use a variety of primary and secondary sources, and distinguish the nature and value of each.

4.10. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write research reports: Include important ideas, concepts, and direct quotations from significant information sources, and paraphrase and summarize different perspectives on the topic, as appropriate.

4.11. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write research reports: Organize and display information on charts, tables, maps, and graphs.

4.12. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write research reports: Document sources.

4.13. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write persuasive compositions: Include a well-defined thesis that makes a clear and knowledgeable judgment or appeal.

4.14. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write persuasive compositions: Present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between facts and opinions.

4.15. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write persuasive compositions: Provide details, reasons, and examples, arranging them effectively by anticipating and answering reader concerns and counter-arguments.

4.16. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write documents related to career development, including simple business letters, job applications and resumes that: Present information purposefully and succinctly, meeting the needs of the intended audience.

4.17. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write documents related to career development, including simple business letters, job applications and resumes that: Follow the conventional format for the type of document (e.g., letter of inquiry, memorandum).

4.18. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write technical documents: Identify the sequence of activities needed to design a system, operate a tool, or explain the bylaws of an organization's constitution or guidelines.

4.19. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write technical documents: Include all the factors and variables that need to be considered.

4.20. Writing Applications: Narrative Writing: Write technical documents: Use formatting techniques, including headings, and changing the fonts to aid comprehension.

5.3. Research Report Writing: Plan and conduct multiple-step information searches by using computer networks.

5.4. Research Report Writing: Analyze the validity and reliability of primary and secondary sources, and use the information appropriately.

5.5. Research Report Writing: Achieve an effective balance between documented researched information and original ideas.

5.6. Research Report Writing: Use appropriate methods of citation for quoted as well as paraphrased material (e.g., Works Cited Entries - MLA, Reference Entries - APA).