Grade 08 ELA - EC: E08.A-C.2.1.2
Grade 08 ELA - EC: E08.A-C.2.1.2
Continuum of Activities
The list below represents a continuum of activities: resources categorized by Standard/Eligible Content that teachers may use to move students toward proficiency. Using LEA curriculum and available materials and resources, teachers can customize the activity statements/questions for classroom use.
This continuum of activities offers:
- Instructional activities designed to be integrated into planned lessons
- Questions/activities that grow in complexity
- Opportunities for differentiation for each student’s level of performance
Grade Levels
8th Grade
Course, Subject
English Language Arts
Related Academic Standards / Eligible Content
Activities
- Identify the structure of a literary text, including poetry.
- State the impact structure has on the meaning of a literary text.
- Explain how the structure of a literary text contributes to its meaning and style.
- Identify the different ways sections or parts of literary texts fit together to create larger meanings and themes.
- Analyze similarities and differences in the structure of two or more texts and explain how differing structures contribute to the texts’ meaning and style.
- Evaluate how an author’s structural decisions impact the meaning and style of two or more texts.
Answer Key/Rubric
- Student identifies the structure of literary texts, including poetry. The structure of a literary text may include, but is not limited to, chapters and scenes. Structural elements in a literary text also include parallel plots, flashbacks, or other changes in time, and shifts or changes in the narrative voice. Poets structure words in stanzas, or groups of lines. A poem’s rhythm, or pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, also contributes to its structure.
- Student states the impact structure has on the meaning of a literary text. Structure may impact the theme or tone of text. It may also create tension, suspense, or humor.
- Student explains how the structure of a literary text contributes to its meaning and style. The explanation clearly shows the relationship between the structure of a literary text and its meaning through the use of direct and accurate text evidence. For example, a poet’s use of a singsong rhythm may create a lighthearted tone.
- Student identifies the different ways sections or parts of literary texts fit together to create larger meanings and themes. For example, an author may structure a text in two different chapters and shift the narrator for each chapter. This technique exposes the reader to the development of characterization in different sections or parts of the text.
- Student analyzes similarities and differences in the structure of two or more texts and explains how differing structures contribute to the texts’ meaning and style. The analysis correctly identifies the key similarities and differences in the structure of the texts. For example, a poet may use a consistent rhyme scheme and three uniform stanzas to develop a positive message about a theme. This can be contrasted to a second poet who uses no rhyme scheme and irregular stanzas to communicate a negative message about a similar theme.
- Student evaluates how an author’s structural decisions impact the meaning and style of two or more texts. The evaluation includes relevant text evidence to assess the effectiveness of an author’s structural choices. The student takes a position on whether or not the author(s) of two or more texts effectively develops meaning through their structural decisions.
