Michigan State Standards for Language Arts: Grade 8

MI.R. Reading

R.1. Word Recognition and Word Study - Word Recognition

R.WS.08.01. Students will explain and use word structure, sentence structure, and prediction to aid in decoding and understanding the meanings of words encountered in context.

R.WS.08.02. Students will use structural, syntactic, and semantic analysis to recognize unfamiliar words in context including idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes to infer the history of the English language, and common word origins.

R.WS.08.03. Students will automatically recognize frequently encountered words in print with the number of words that can be read fluently increasing steadily across the school year.

R.WS.08.04. Students will know the meanings of words encountered frequently in grade-level reading and oral language contexts.

R.WS.08.05. Students will acquire and apply strategies to identify unknown words and construct meaning.

R.2. Word Recognition and Word Study - Fluency

R.WS.08.06. Students will fluently read beginning grade-level text and increasingly demanding texts as the year proceeds.

R.3. Word Recognition and Word Study - Vocabulary

R.WS.08.07. Students will in context, determine the meaning of words and phrases including content area vocabulary and literary terms using strategies including activating prior knowledge, using text features/structures, and authentic content-related resources.

R.4. Narrative Text

R.NT.08.01. Students will investigate various examples of distortion and stereotypes such as those associated with gender, race, culture, age, class, religion, and other individual differences through classic, multicultural, and contemporary literature recognized for quality and literary merit.

R.NT.08.02. Students will analyze the structure, elements, style, and purpose of narrative genre including historical fiction, science fiction, and realistic fiction.

R.NT.08.03. Students will analyze the role of rising and falling actions, minor characters in relation to conflict, and credibility of the narrator.

R.NT.08.04. Students will analyze author's craft including symbolism, imagery, and consistency to develop credible narrators, rising and falling actions, and minor characters.

R.5. Informational Text

R.IT.08.01. Students will analyze the structure, elements, features, style, and purpose of informational genre including comparative essays, newspaper writings, technical writings, and persuasive essays.

R.IT.08.02. Students will analyze organizational patterns including chronological sequence, compare/contrast, and cause/effect.

R.IT.08.03. Students will explain how authors use text features including graphics, author's pages, prefaces, and marginal notes, to enhance the understanding of central, key, and supporting ideas.

R.6. Comprehension

R.CM.08.01. Students will connect personal knowledge, experiences, and understanding of the world to themes and perspectives in text through oral and written responses.

R.CM.08.02. Students will retell through concise summarization grade-level narrative and informational text.

R.CM.08.03. Students will analyze global themes, universal truths, and principles within and across texts to create a deeper understanding by drawing conclusions, making inferences, and synthesizing.

R.CM.08.04. Students will apply significant knowledge from grade-level science, social studies, and mathematics texts.

R.7. Metacognition

R.MT.08.01. Students will self-monitor comprehension when reading or listening to text by automatically applying and discussing the strategies used by mature readers to increase comprehension including: predicting, constructing mental images, visually representing ideas in text, questioning, rereading or listening again if uncertain about meaning, inferring, summarizing, and engaging in interpretive discussions.

R.MT.08.02. Students will plan, monitor, regulate, and evaluate skills, strategies, and processes for their own reading comprehension by applying appropriate metacognitive skills.

R.8. Critical Standards

R.CS.08.01. Students will evaluate the appropriateness of shared, individual and expert standards based on purpose, context, and audience in order to assess their own writing and the writing of others.

R.9. Reading Attitude

R.AT.08.01. Students will be enthusiastic about reading and do substantial reading and writing on their own.

MI.W. Writing

W.1. Writing Genres

W.GN.08.01. Students will write a cohesive narrative piece such as poetry, historical fiction, science fiction, or realistic fiction that includes appropriate conventions to genre employing literary and plot devices (e.g., narrator credibility, rising and falling actions and/or conflict, imagery and transitional language).

W.GN.08.02. Students will write an historical expository piece such as a journal, biography, or simulated memoir that includes appropriate organization, illustrations, marginal notes and/or annotations.

W.GN.08.03. Students will formulate research questions that demonstrate critical evaluation of multiple resources, perspectives, and arguments/counter-arguments that culminate in a presented final project using the writing process.

W.2. Writing Process

W.PR.08.01. Students will set a purpose, consider audience, and replicate authors' styles and patterns when writing a narrative or informational piece.

W.PR.08.02. Students will apply a variety of pre-writing strategies for both narrative (e.g., graphic organizers designed to depict rising and falling actions, roles of minor characters, credibility of narrator) and informational writing (e.g., compare/contrast, cause/effect, or sequential text patterns).

W.PR.08.03. Students will draft focused ideas experimenting with various ways of sequencing information including ordering arguments, or sequencing ideas chronologically by importance when writing compositions.

W.PR.08.04. Students will revise drafts for coherence and consistency in word choice, structure, and style; and read their own work from another reader's perspective.

W.PR.08.05. Students will proofread and edit writing using grade-level checklists and other appropriate resources both individually and in groups.

W.3. Personal Style

W.PS.08.01. Students will exhibit personal style and voice to enhance the written message in both narrative (e.g., personification, humor, element of surprise) and informational writing (e.g., emotional appeal, strong opinion, credible support).

W.4. Grammar and Usage

W.GR.08.01. Students will in the context of writing, correctly use style conventions (e.g., Modern Language Association Handbook) and a variety of grammatical structures in compositions including infinitives, gerunds, participial phrases, and dashes or ellipses.

W.5. Spelling

W.SP.08.01. Students will in the context of writing use correct spelling conventions.

W.6. Handwriting

W.HW.08.01. Students will write neat and legible compositions.

W.7. Writing Attitude

W.AT.08.01. Students will be enthusiastic about writing and learning to write.

MI.S. Speaking

S.1. Conventions

S.CN.08.01. Students will adjust their use of language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes by using enunciation to emphasize key ideas and concepts when presenting.

S.CN.08.02. Students will speak effectively using body language including gestures, posture, facial expressions, tone of voice, and pace of speaking to enhance meaning and influence interpretation in narrative and informational presentations.

S.CN.08.03. Students will present in standard American English if it is their first language. (Students whose first language is not English will present in their developing version of standard American English.)

S.2. Discourse

S.DS.08.01. Students will engage in interactive, extended discourse to socially construct meaning in book clubs, literature circles, partnerships, or other conversation protocols.

S.DS.08.02. Students will respond to multiple text types in order to explore problems and pose solutions supported with evidence, take a stand on an issue and support it, and identify personally with a universal theme.

S.DS.08.03. Students will discuss written narratives with a variety of literary and plot devices (e.g., description of relevant situations, well-chosen details, relevant dialogue, specific action, and physical description of characters).

S.DS.08.04. Students will plan, outline, and deliver an informational presentation using precise and vivid language in the active voice; organizing logically to convey the message; applying persuasive non-verbal techniques; making use of rhetorical strategies to support the purpose of the presentation and to positively impact the intended audience.

MI.L. Listening and Viewing

L.1. Conventions

L.CN.08.01. Students will analyze main idea, significant details, fact and opinion, bias, propaganda, argumentation, or support when listening to or viewing a variety of speeches and presentations.

L.CN.08.02. Students will listen to or view critically while demonstrating appropriate social skills of audience behaviors (e.g., eye contact, attentive, and supportive); critically examine the verbal and non-verbal strategies during speeches and presentations.

L.2. Response

L.RP.08.01. Students will listen to or view knowledgeably a variety of genre to react to a speaker's intent and apply a speaker's reasoning to other situations.

L.RP.08.02. Students will select, listen to or view knowledgeably, respond thoughtfully to both classic and contemporary texts recognized for quality and literary merit.

L.RP.08.03. Students will paraphrase a speaker's main ideas, purpose, and point of view, and ask relevant questions about the content, delivery, and purpose of the presentation.

L.RP.08.04. Students will analyze oral interpretations of literature (e.g., language choice, delivery) and the effect of the interpretations on the listener.

L.RP.08.05. Students will respond to multiple text types when listened to or viewed knowledgeably, by discussing, illustrating, and/or writing in order to anticipate and answer questions; determine personal and universal themes; and offer opinions or solutions.

L.RP.08.06. Students will evaluate the credibility of a speaker by determining whether the speaker may have hidden agendas or be otherwise biased.

L.RP.08.07. Students will interpret and analyze the various ways in which visual image-makers (e.g., graphic artists, illustrators) communicate information and affect impressions and opinions.