| Language Arts
The Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework is designed to guide local school district personnel in the development of effective English language arts curricula. Learning in English language arts is recursive. That is, students at every grade level apply similar language skills and concepts as they use increasingly more complex materials. In this way, students build upon and refine their knowledge, gaining sophistication and independence as they grow. Language, Reading and Literature, Composition, and Media are interdependent. Each strand intertwines with and supports the others. Students might at any time read and write, view and discuss, or interpret and perform in order to understand and communicate meaning. Thus, at all grade levels, effective English language arts curriculum units weave together skills and concepts from several strands to support student learning.
Grade 8 English
The Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework provides learning standards for students in grade 8.
Genres
This unit includes identifying and comparing key characteristics of literary genres, as designated by a work's subject, theme, style, and time period. Some examples of genres are: science fiction, poetry, drama, British literature, and multicultural literature.
Language Arts Processes
Language Arts Processes is an integrated Language Arts unit. It addresses multiple processes: reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and representing. This unit includes language processes used in real-world, career, and other settings as well as traditional school settings. Language Arts Processes also deals with multiple forms of text: written, oral, and visual.
Language Expressions
This unit focuses on language conventions, structure, usage, and language study. It also addresses parts of speech, figures of speech, syntax, paragraph and sentence structure, word agreement, modifiers, and grammar.
Language Mechanics
This unit includes comprehending and applying the rules which govern punctuation and capitalization when writing and editing written works.
Speaking
This unit focuses on techniques and strategies (voice modulation, body language, ordering of ideas, visual aids, etc.) to convey meaning and to present information and opinions to groups. This unit includes: formal and informal communication, debate skills, and verbal/nonverbal communication.
Spelling
This unit includes studying language and word structure knowledge to discern the correct spelling of words. It includes skills related to editing passages for correct spelling by making connections between spelling, meaning, and structure.
Study and Research Skills
This unit includes developing organization and research skills needed to find appropriate resources, to judge resources as relevant or not relevant to a given topic, to categorize and synthesize information, to take notes in class, and to study for exams.
Vocabulary
This unit includes studying and applying knowledge of word structure (bases and affixes), concrete analogies, synonyms, antonyms, and syllables. It also includes applying knowledge of connotation, denotation and words with multiple levels of meaning.
Writing
This unit focuses on each stage of the writing process: prewriting, writing, revising, and publishing. It includes skills covering a variety of organizational formats and purposes for writing (communicating ideas, opinions, and feelings, clarifying thoughts, and solving problems). Some example writing formats are: expository, narrative, poetry, and drama.
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