Grade 08 ELA - Standard: CC.1.4.8.A
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 features of informative/explanatory texts as a writing genre.
- Locate topics, ideas, concepts, and information represented in informative/explanatory texts.
- Construct a topic specific informative/explanatory text to convey ideas, concepts, and information.
- Organize information within an informative/explanatory text to express ideas and concepts related to a topic.
- Construct a multi-paragraph informative/explanatory text that uses evidence to examine a topic and conveys ideas, concepts, and information clearly.
- Evaluate the effective use of language in an informative/explanatory text to examine a topic by clearly conveying ideas, concepts, and information.
Answer Key/Rubric
- Student identifies the features of informative/explanatory texts as a writing genre. Student correctly identifies the use of factual and relevant evidence in informative/explanatory texts to expand knowledge of a subject, to present a procedure or a process, or to provide an understanding of a concept.
- Student locates topics, ideas, concepts and information represented in informative/explanatory texts. The student accurately identifies the factual evidence in an informative/explanatory text. This evidence includes, but is not limited to, facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, and any other relevant information and examples.
- Student constructs a topic specific informative/explanatory text to convey ideas, concepts, and information. The constructed text includes well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, and any other relevant information and examples.
- Student organizes information within an informative/explanatory text to express ideas and concepts related to a topic. The organization is revealed though the use of transitional words and phrases to establish and maintain a clear relationship among the ideas and concepts of the text.
- Student constructs a multi-paragraph informative/explanatory text that uses evidence to examine a topic and conveys ideas, concepts and information clearly. The created piece correctly and accurately includes features of informative/explanatory texts. These features include, but are not limited to:
- An introduction that clearly presents a topic
- Ideas, concepts, and other information organized into broader categories
- Formatting (e.g., title, headings, subheadings)
- Quotations
- Graphics to convey information
- A conclusion that directly relates to the information presented
- Student evaluates the effective use of language in an informative/explanatory text to examine a topic by clearly conveying ideas, concepts and information. The student uses precise language and subject-specific vocabulary to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information. The language used in the informative/explanatory text effectively establishes and maintains a formal style.
