West Deptford Township School Grade 8 ELA Curriculum Unit 4: Informative & Explanatory Research West Deptford Township Schools 675 Grove Rd, Paulsboro, NJ 08066 wdeptford.k12.nj.us (856) 848-4300 West Deptford Township Schools Course of Study/Curriculum Guide Curricular Area: Literacy Course Title: Informative & Explanatory Research Grade Level: 8 Written by: Fiona Paterna and Carolyne Porter Reviewed by: Laura Sandy Approved by: Shawnequa Carvalho Board of Education Approval: September 2017 * All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s). **Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards. ***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. Unit – informative and Explanatory Research Timeline - April- June Critical Knowledge and Skills: Enduring Understanding Essential Questions ❏ Writers teach lessons through the fiction they write. ❏ How can I infer the lesson in the text I have read when the writer ❏ Understanding when and how a writer writes is just as is not explicit? important as understand what a writer writes. ❏ Why is it important to build context for the text I am in reading ❏ Making text to self and text to world connections is essential in order to fully understand it? in the reading process. ❏ How can I determine how a work of fiction teaches me a lesson ❏ Effectively explaining a subject regardless of the task and about the world I live in? medium requires a thorough understanding of the subject, ❏ What information must I know first in order to explain a subject well-chosen facts and examples related to the subject and to my audience? preparation. ❏ How can I organize this information so that my audience understands me? Career Readiness Practices (CRPs) ❏ CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. ❏ CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. ❏ CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. ❏ CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. ❏ CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. ❏ CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. ❏ CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. ❏ CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. ❏ CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. ❏ CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence. * All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s). **Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards. ***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. Reading Writing Speaking and Listening Language Standards R.L.8.1 RI.8.1 W.8.2A,B,C,D,E,F SL.8.1A,B,C,D L.8.1D R.L.8.2 RI.8.2 W.8.4 SL.8.2 L.8.2C RL.8.3 RI. 8.3 RL.8.4 RI.8.4 W.8.5 SL8.5 L.8.4A,B,C,D RL.8.5 RI.8.5 RL.8.6 RI.8.6 W.8.6 SL8.6 L.8.6 RL.8.10 RI.8.10 W.8.10 Instructional Text type: Writing Genre Primary Focus: Task type: These standards are embedded in the Focus writing process. Ray Bradbury Author Study Informative and Project-based presentations Unit: Explanatory/Research focusing on use of 1-2 Extended Texts multimedia and visual ● Processed piece displays ❖ There Will Come explaining how ● collaborative task in Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury stories serve which students Bradbury as cautionary tales. explain Ray ❖ “A Sound of Bradbury’s writing Thunder” by Ray ● On demand style by identifying Bradbury informational piece and analyzing his 4-8 shorter texts: about Ray Bradbury. technique in an ❖ Paired text: “There assigned short story. Will Come Soft Writing Genre Secondary ● Groups will present the Rains”- poem by Sra Focus: results of this work to * All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s). **Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards. ***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. Teasdale ● Routine Writing- the class. Journal entries to related to Bradbury ❖ “The Veldt” by Ray stories Bradbury ➢ Paired text: ● Non-fiction article “The summaries that include Children’s topic, main idea, and Hour” by supporting details. Henry Wadsworth ● Writer’s notebooks as a Longfellow ❖ “The Flying thinking tool to Machine” by Ray consider multiple sides Bradbury of an issue, respond to ------------------------------------------ arguments, and rethink Non-fiction cautioning responses. the perils of technology: ● Writer’s notebooks as observational tool to ❖ “Ten Ways to Miss a Childhood” identify Bradbury’s ❖ “28 Times” writing style ❖ Look Up- Video ❖ Holderness Family: Texting and I Know It- Video ------------------------------------ Non-fiction to accompany “There Will Come Soft Rains” * All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s). **Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards. ***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. ❖ Chernobyl- destruction/years to recover from nuclear war ❖ Hiroshima- radioactive flash ❖ Smart house article ❖ Smart House DVD ---------------------------------------- Fiction ❖ “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury ❖ “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury ❖ “The Fog Horn” by Ray Bradbury ------------------------------------ Non-fiction to accompany “A Sound of Thunder”: ❖ “The Sixth Extinction” ❖ “Time Travel in Science Fiction” ❖ “Watch Out for that Butterfly” (Butterfly Effect) * All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s). **Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards. ***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. Critical RL.8.1 W.8.2 SL.8.1 L.8.1 Knowledge and ● Identify and analyze ● Write an introduction ● Engage in conversations ● Recognize and correct Skills author’s purposeful that clearly outlines about grade- inappropriate shifts in verb use of language and ideas to follow appropriate topics voice and mood literary devices ● Write a thesis and texts L.8.2 ● Make personal statement ● Craft and respond to ● Apply common rules and connections, make ● Select fact, definitions, specific questions patterns to spell words connections to concrete details, based on topic or correctly other text, and/or quotations, or other text, elaborating L.8.4 global connections information and when necessary when relevant examples ● Reflect on and ● Use a combination of context ● Probe a segment of ● Develop and use a paraphrase what was clues, structural clues, and the text in order to consistent style, discussed word’s position and function study and evaluate approach and form for SL.8.2 in a sentence to determine its multiple, deeper, the task the meaning of unknown ● Evaluate the and varied ● Write a conclusion to words or phrases effectiveness of the meanings close the ideas in the ● Use the definition of known presenter’s media RL.8.2 text prefixes and suffixes to define and format choices ● Create language that is new words ● Analyze the SL.8.5 appropriate to one’s ● Use known root words to aid development of a audience and a formal ● Incorporate multimedia in defining unknown words theme or central tone and visual displays L.8.6 idea over the course W.8.4 into presentations of the fictional or ● Understand and apply and analyze the informational text ● Write for a specific conversational, academic, and impact of them on ● Summarize the text audience and purpose domain specific vocabulary the reader objectively, ● Use language that is SL.8.6 capturing the main precise and powerful to idea create voice ● Orally present RL.8.4 W.8.5 information, using appropriate speech, * All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s). **Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards. ***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. ● Provide an analysis ● Revise and edit in a variety of of the impact of intentionally to situations specific word choice improve writing on meaning and/or ● View writing from the tone vantage point of the RL.8.5 audience in order to determine the ● Provide an analysis effectiveness of their of how the words, organization, structure of a etc. specific paragraph W.8.6 in a text, including the role of ● Use technology to particular sentences broaden research base aids in developing ● Use evidence found and refining a key online to support ideas concept ● Give and receive RI.8.5 feedback using technology ● Compare and ● Seek out authentic contrast the publishing structure of two or opportunities more texts W.8.7 RL.8.6 ● Explore inquiry topics ● Analyze how the through short research author uses literary projects devices to develop ● Research and effects such as synthesize information suspense of sense