8th Grade Historical Literacy consists of two 43 minute class periods. Writing is one 43 minute block and reading is another. The teacher has picked themes based on social studies standards, and a read-aloud novel based on social studies serves as the mentor text for writing and reading skills. More social studies content is addressed in reading through teaching nonfiction reading skills and discussion.
Standards reflect CCSS ELA, Reading, and Social Studies Standards.

Students form literature circles, read "Esperanza Rising" or "Becoming Naomi Leon" by Pam MuĐoz Ryan, use a Critical Thinking Map to discuss social issues, and use a class wiki.

Developed for students in advanced ESL/ELL classes as well as for native English speakers with low reading skills, this group lesson focuses on the formulation of inferences, and the relevant explicit details which support each inference. The initial presentation highlights the skill of making inferences in a real-world context, then transitions to the literary context. Students read selected chapters of The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, a core text in many junior high and high school curricula across the United States. The students read out loud. Then, in groups they formulate inferences based on what they have read. Using sentence strips, they summarize the inference as well as cite the textual details which support each inference.

In this video interview with Francine Christophe, a Holocaust survivor, you will learn about her experience as an eight-year-old Jewish girl at Bergen-Belsen camp. You'll be amazed to learn about her selfless act, and the great reward that she experiences years after being liberated.

In ths lesson seed, students will compare a poem and a text about Booker T. Washington.  Students will identify the central idea and supporting evidence in each text. 

In this module, students will develop their ability to read and understand complex text as they consider the challenges of fictional and real refugees. In the first unit, students will begin Inside Out & Back Again, by Thanhha Lai, analyzing how critical incidents reveal the dynamic nature of the main character, Ha, a 10-year-old Vietnamese girl whose family is deciding whether to flee during the fall of Saigon. The novel, poignantly told in free verse, will challenge students to consider the impact of specific word choice on tone and meaning. Students will build their ability to infer and analyze text, both in discussion and through writing. They then will read informational text to learn more about the history of war in Vietnam, and the specific historical context of Ha’s family’s struggle during the fall of Saigon. In Unit 2, students will build knowledge about refugees’ search for a place to call home. They will read informational texts that convey universal themes of refugees’

Find the rest of the EngageNY ELA resources at https://archive.org/details/engageny-ela-archive .

This is a general template to pair with any piece of fiction you have your students read. The year I created this I saw that my 8th grade studetns at the time were struggling with engaging with any text, most were reading below grade level. They beleived reading to be boring and were missing a lot of background knowledge concerning literary elements. I created this template and paired it with their favorite novel (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) I found that they were engaged when filling out these "Guided notes". It helped bridge some gaps and gave them a renewed confidence in the classroom. 

This lesson focuses on the twelve-year period from 1933-1945 in which Jews faced restrictions, were imprisoned, worked as slaves, and were starved, tortured, and murdered.  Six million Jews died during the Holocaust.  They will also read the play The Diary of Anne Frank which protrays a thirteen year old gilr's view of her daily life when she and her family went into hiding before being deported to a Nazi concentration camp.  Anne Frank was born to a Jewish family in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1929.  Her family immigrated to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, when she was four.  Anne had a happy childhood until 1940 when German forces invaded and occupied the Netherlands.  Anne and her family went into hiding in the attic above her father's business, where they lived for two years.  Students will review the elements of drama incuding dramatic structure such as characters, conflict, climax, and resoultion. They will also learn about dialogue and stage directions.  

In this resource, students will be asked to use a graphic organizer in order to identify and track the development of theme and character in a literary text. Students will use evidence from the text to construct an evidence based response.

In this literary unit, students explore rural life during the Great Depression by analyzing Richard Peck's A Year Down Yonder.

Since 1885 the Shoshone people have been without buffalo on their land. After decades of effort beginning in the 1990’s a coalition of individuals and organizations have taken the first step in returning the North American Bison to their native lands. In the accompanying lesson plan (found in the Support Materials) students will understand that nowhere is this action more culturally and ecologically significant than on the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will explore the significance of the buffalo to the Shoshone people living on the Wind River Reservation.
Students will learn that through traditional concepts of understanding, the Shoshone people, as well as many other Plains tribes, were able to survive using the buffalo.
Students will research the controversial issue surrounding the return of the buffalo to the Wind River Reservation and understand how arguments against returning them almost derailed efforts by the Shoshone tribe.

This handout is a short set of questions for students to use to explore the elements of the mystery genre. When they use thisy, students will be able toList core elements of mystery storiesIdentify how the core elements of a mystery story are manifested in a story they are currently reading.  

The resources included are designed to help both students and teacher work through the ELA Standard on summarizing..  

“The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean MyersSee Overview attachment for lesson details.

This lesson focuses on a close reading of "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. Advanced learners (who are skilled with theme) will also be reading "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury.

 "Homeless," by Anna Quindlen, allows the student to understand homelessness as it affects many people on a broader scale. She emphasizes the individuality of homelessness, the fact that they not only lack possessions but have no place to keep them."The First" (also titled "Eviction") is a short poem by Lucille Clifton that provides the opportunity to compare and contrast the approach to the same issue through another genre.Final Assessment: How do Anna Quindlen and Lucille Clifton use language to convince the reader that their arguments have value? (focus on use of specific language, word choice, mood, tone, etc.)

The Wind River Reservation contains some of the most unique features in Wyoming. Visitors to the reservation usually tour burial sights of Chief Washakie and Sacagawea. However, the significant contributions of these historical figures are sometimes overlooked.

In the accompanying lessons plans (found in the Support Materials), contributions of Washakie and Sacajawea will be highlighted, and stress the importance of teaching and learning about the unique history, culture, and contemporary contributions of Wyoming’s tribes on the Wind River Reservation in a culturally responsive manner.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will identify leadership traits.
Students will obtain an understanding of the purpose behind learning about the Arpahoho and Shoshone people.
Students will analyze how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance to understand the continuing evolution of governments and to demonstatre civic responsibility.