Standards Alignment Guide: Grade8 Reading Literature and Informational Text

Reading Literature:

Key Ideas and Details
RL 1:Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Does the author include key details which can help a reader ask and answer questions?
Does the story have enough substance for students to draw inferences? For example, is a character developed enough? Also, a poem that is purely descriptive may not be appropriate for comprehension questions. / Questions to ask students:
  • What textual evidence supports your inference that______?
  • What can you infer from ______(#) paragraph? Explain your thinking.
  • What can you infer about _____? Cite evidence from the text to support your inference(s).
  • Which evidence shows ______? Explain.
*Please note that any reading comprehension question, either literal or inferential, falls under this “umbrella standard.” The key is students must cite textual evidence to support answer. / Students will be able to:
  • Make, test, and revise predictions as they read
  • Make inferences about author’s decisions and literary elements in a text
  • Identify/cite appropriate text support for inferences about author’s decisions and literary elements in a text
  • Differentiate between strong and weak textual evidence
  • Use the combination of explicitly stated information, background knowledge, and connections to the text to answer questions they may have while reading
  • Make critical or analytical judgments to make generalizations
  • Create self-motivated interpretations of text that are adapted during and after reading and events in a text
  • Identify how author’s choices affect central ideas
  • Analyze what text says explicitly as well as inferentially and identify the strongest textual evidence to support that analysis
  • Draw conclusions about characters

RL 2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Is there a lesson or a central message worth identifying?
Does the character change which might lead a reader to identifying a theme?
Is the main conflict resolved?
Can a relationship between the theme and a character(s), the setting, and/or plot be identified? / Questions to ask students:
  • What is the theme of ______? Cite evidence from the text to support your identification of the theme. Explain how events develop the theme over the course of the text.
  • Give an example of how the theme is developed in the text. Which events support the development of that theme? Cite specific textual evidence.
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  • How does the development of ______(character/setting/plot) contribute to the theme or central idea? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • How does the author use the main character to develop the theme of the drama? Use information from the drama to support your analysis.
  • How does the author use the plot to develop the theme of the story? Use information from the story to support your analysis.
  • How does the author use the setting to develop the theme of the poem? Use information from the poem to support your analysis.
  • Write an objective summary of the poem/drama/scene/story/novel/etc.
/ Students will be able to:
  • Describe or graphically represent the relationship between central ideas and character, setting, and plot
  • Determine a theme or central idea of a text
  • Analyze how character, setting, and plot develop to reveal a theme or convey the central idea
  • Summarizea text capturing the most important parts of the original piece
  • Create an objective summary (excluding personal opinions)
  • Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text

RL 3:Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Does the text have clear dialogue or events that propel the action?
Does the text have clear dialogue or events that reveal aspects of a character?
Does the text have clear dialogue or events that provoke a decision? / Questions to ask students:
  • What statement(s) or action(s) advance the events of the story? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • What statement(s) or action(s) help the reader better understand a character? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • What is revealed about the character through______(events/dialogue)? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • How did ______incident provoke ______(character’s) decision? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • How do lines ___ - ____reveal ______. Cite specific textual evidence.
/ Students will be able to:
  • Explain the story elements in a literary work
  • Explain elements of drama in a literary work
  • Identify various types of conflict (man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. self, man vs. society)
  • Differentiate among character types and roles within a story or drama
  • Identify kinds of dialogue
  • Explain what specific lines of dialogue reveal about characters
  • Explain (tell, write, or graphically represent) how characters, events, setting, and plot elements interact to create/ show mood and tone
  • Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision

Craft and Structure
RL 4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. (See grade 8 Language standards 4-6 for additional expectations.)
Should I use this text for this standard?
Are there words-worth-knowing where meanings can be determined from…
  • Context clues?
  • Greek/Latin roots and affixes?
  • Word relationships with antonyms and/or synonyms?
Does the author use of diction (figurative language and/or connotation) serve to help determine meaning and/or tone?
Are there analogies or allusions present in the text? / Questions to ask students:
  • What does the word/phrase ______mean in this selection? What clues did you use to determine the meaning? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • Without changing the meaning of the sentence, what word can best be used to replace the underlined part?
  • When the author uses _____, what connotation is s/he intending? Explain how you know. Cite specific textual evidence.
  • What is the meaning of the analogy ______? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • To what does ______(word/phrase) allude? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • Which words help the reader understand the meaning of ______in paragraph ______?
  • Find an example of figurative language and explain its meaning. Discuss its impact on the tone of the poem/story citing specific textual evidence.
  • What tone does the author evoke when s/he uses ______? Cite specific textual evidence.
/ Students will be able to:
  • Read and reread other sentences, paragraphs, and non-linguistic images in the text to identify context clues
  • Use context clues to help unlock the meaning of unknown words/phrases
  • Determine the appropriate definition of words that have more than one meaning
  • Differentiate between literal and non-literal meaning
  • Identify and use genre-specific terms to explain author’s language choices
  • Identify and interpret figurative language and literary devices
  • Explain how figurative language and literary devices enhance and extend meaning
  • Explain the impact of specific language choices by the author
  • Explain how authors use language choices to create an effect (e.g., mood and tone)
  • Analyze the impact of specific word choice on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts
  • Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts

RL 5:Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Are there standout features in the structure of the texts (alternating approach, clustering approach, transition words)?
Does the structure of each text contribute to its overall meaning and/or style?
Are there similarities and differences between the texts’ structures? / Questions to ask students:
  • How does the structure of ______text contribute to its meaning? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • After reading two or more texts, compare and contrast their structure. What is the most likely reason each author selected the text structure he/she did? Use examples from the texts in your analysis.
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  • After reading two or more texts, compare and contrast their structure. Which structure is more effective? Why? Use examples from the texts in your analysis.
  • After reading two or more texts, how does the structure of each contribute to its style? Use examples from the texts in your analysis.
  • After reading two or more texts, how does the structure of each contribute to its meaning? Use examples from the texts in your analysis.
/ Students will be able to:
  • Compare the structures of two or more genres
  • Analyze connections between text structure and the text’s purpose/theme
  • Analyze connections between author’s choice of text structure and the text’s purpose/theme
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  • Analyze how text structure enhances text’s purpose/theme/style
  • Explain how the purpose/theme can vary when the author chooses different text structures
  • Analyze the relationship between text structure and development of ideas
  • Compare the relationship between form/structure and meaning in two or more texts
  • Analyze how the differing structure of texts contribute to their meaning and style

RL 6: Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Are there multiple perspectives evident in the text?
Is there suspense or humor in the text?
Does the reader have an opportunity to feel suspense or humor through the point of view of a character? / Questions to ask students:
  • What point of view does the author use? What effect does the author create with this point of view? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • How does the author use point of view to create suspense? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • How does the author use point of view to create humor? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • How does telling the story from ______(character’s) point of view create humorous situations? Use examples from the play in your analysis.
  • How would the story be different if it were told from ______(character’s) point of view? What information from the story supports your analysis?
  • What is the most likely reason the author told the story from ______(character’s) point of view? What information from the story supports your analysis?
  • How does the author use dramatic irony to keep the reader engaged? Use examples from the story to support your analysis.
/ Students will be able to:
  • Identify the author’s overall purpose for writing a text
  • Describe how the author’s purposes shape the content
  • Determine points of view of characters
  • Describe how point of view affects a literary text
  • Describe how point of view impacts the reader
  • Identify differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader
  • Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader create such effects as suspense or humor

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL 7: Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Does the text have a drama, visual, or oral version of itself?
NOTE: This standard refers to a presentation of text—not the audio CD.
Does the other medium depict similarities and/or differences from the original text? / Questions to ask students:
  • How does the production differ from the text? Cite specific textual evidence from both mediums.
  • Why would the director choose to depart from the text? Cite specific textual evidence from both mediums.
  • Compare and contrast _____ (text title) with the filmed version of the story. Use specific examples in your comparison.
  • Is the filmed version of ______(text title) effective? Why or why not? Use specific examples in your analysis.
  • To what extent does _____ (filmed production) stay faithful to the text/script? Were the choices the director made effective? Why or why not? Use examples in your analysis.
  • To what extent does _____ (live production) depart from the text/script? Were the choices the actors made effective? Why or why not? Use examples in you analysis.
/ Students will be able to:
  • Identify the director’s /actor’s choices that stay faithful to or depart from the text or script
  • Compare and contrast a filmed or live production with its text or script
  • Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script
  • Evaluate the choices made by the director or actors
  • Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors

RL 8: (Not applicable to literature)
RL 9: Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Is the text a modern work of fiction?
Are there allusions to previous significant texts (myths, religious works,etc.)? / Questions to ask students:
  • How is the theme of ______(modern text) similar to the theme of ______(traditional work/myth/story/religious or Biblical)? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • How is the pattern of events of ______(modern text) similar to the pattern of events of ______(traditional work/myth/story/religious or Biblical)? Cite specific textual evidence.
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  • How are the characters of ______(modern text) similar to the characters of ______(traditional work/myth/story/religious or Biblical)? Cite specific textual evidence.
  • What changes are made to ______to modernize the theme/plot/characters? Cite specific textual evidence.
/ Students will be able to:
  • Describe how the modern text has been influenced by the myth, story, etc.
  • Explain the purpose or impact of using the allusion
  • Determine the difference between the original depiction and the modern version

Reading Informational Texts:

Key Ideas and Details
RI 1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Does the author include key details which can help a reader ask and answer questions?
Does the text have enough substance for students to draw inferences? (For example, students reading about geographical features need to infer how they affected the civilization.) / Questions to ask students:
  • What textual evidence supports your inference that______?
  • What can you infer from ______(#) paragraph? Explain your thinking.
  • What can you infer about _____? Cite evidence from the text to support your inference(s).
  • Which step is most important in _____? How do you know? What is the textual evidence that most strongly supports your answer?
  • *Please note that any reading comprehension question, either literal or inferential, falls under this “umbrella standard.” The key is students must cite textual evidence to support answer.
/ Students will be able to:
  • Make, test, and revise predictions as they read
  • Make inferences about content, concrete ideas, and author’s decisions in a text
  • Identify/cite appropriate text support for inferences about content, concrete ideas and author’s decisions in a text
  • Differentiate between strong and weak textual support
  • Use the combination of explicitly stated information, background knowledge, and connections to the text to answer questions they may have while reading
  • Make critical or analytical judgments to make generalizations
  • Create self-motivated interpretations of text that are adapted during and after reading
  • Draw conclusions about details and events in a text
  • Analyze what text says explicitly as well as inferentially and cite several pieces of evidence to support the analysis