Grade 8 Literacy - Essential Elements

Note: The Iowa Core Essential Elements are intended only for students with significant cognitive disabilities and who participate in alternate assessments.

Reading Standards for Literature

Key Ideas and Details

1. Cite text to support inferences from stories and poems. (EE.RL.8.1)
2. Recount an event related to the theme or central idea, including details about character and setting. (EE.RL.8.2)
3. Identify which incidents in a story or drama lead to subsequent action. (EE.RL.8.3)

Craft and Structure

4. Determine connotative meanings of words and phrases in a text. (EE.RL.8.4)
5. Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts. (EE.RL.8.5)
6. Determine the difference in the points of view of a character and the audience or reader in a text with suspense or humor. (EE.RL.8.6)

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

7. Compare and contrast a text version of a story, drama, or poem with an audio, video, or live version of the same text. (EE.RL.8.7)
8. (Not applicable to literature) (EE.RL.8.8)
9. Compare and contrast themes, patterns of events, or characters across two or more stories or dramas. (EE.RL.8.9)

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

10. Demonstrate understanding of text while actively engaged in reading or listening to stories, dramas, and poetry. (EE.RL.8.10)

Reading Standards for Informational Text

Key Ideas and Details

1. Cite text to support inferences from informational text. (EE.RI.8.1)
2. Provide a summary of a familiar informational text. (EE.RI.8.2)
3. Recount events in the order they were presented in the text. (EE.RI.8.3)

Craft and Structure

4. Determine connotative meanings of words and phrases in a text. (EE.RI.8.4)
5. Locate the topic sentence and supporting details in a paragraph. (EE.RI.8.5)
6. Determine an author’s purpose or point of view and identify examples from text to that describe or support it. (EE.RI.8.6)

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

7. Determine whether a topic is best presented as audio, video, multimedia, or text. (EE.RI.8.7)
8. Determine the argument made by an author in an informational text. (EE.RI.8.8)
9. Identify where two different texts on the same topic differ in their interpretation of the details. (EE.RI.8.9)

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

10. Demonstrate understanding while actively reading or listening to literary nonfiction. (EE.RI.8.10)

Writing Standards

Text Types and Purposes

1. Write claims about topics or texts.
   1. Introduce the claim and provide reasons or pieces of evidence to support it.
   2. Write reasons to support a claim about a topic or text.
   3. Not applicable.
   4. Not applicable.
   5. Not applicable. (EE.W.8.1)
2. Write to share information supported by details.
   1. Introduce a topic clearly and write to convey ideas and information about it including visual, tactual, or multimedia information as appropriate.
   2. Write one or more facts or details related to the topic.
   3. Write complete thoughts as appropriate.
   4. Use domain specific vocabulary related to the topic.
   5. Not applicable.
   6. Provide a closing. (EE.W.8.2)
3. Write about events or personal experiences.
   1. Write a narrative about a real or imagined experience introducing the experience, at least one character, and two or more events.
   2. Not applicable.
   3. Use temporal words (e.g., first, then, next) to signal order.
   4. Use words that describe the feelings of characters or provide other sensory information about the setting, experiences, or events.
   5. Provide a closing. (EE.W.8.3)

Production and Distribution of Writing

4. Produce writing that is appropriate for the task, purpose, or audience. (EE.W.8.4)
5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, plan before writing and revise own writing. (EE.W.8.5)
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce writing to interact and collaborate with others. (EE.W.8.6)

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

7. Conduct short research projects to answer and pose questions based on one source of information. (EE.W.8.7)
8. Select quotes providing relevant information about a topic from multiple print or digital sources. (EE.W.8.8)
9. Use information from literary and informational text to support writing.
   1. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 8 Reading Standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast themes, patterns of events, or characters across two or more stories or dramas.”).
   2. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 8 Reading Standards to informational texts (e.g., “Use relevant and sufficient evidence for supporting the claims and argument.”). (EE.W.8.9)

Range of Writing

10. Write routinely for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences. (EE.W.8.10)

Speaking and Listening Standards

Comprehension and Collaboration

1. Engage in collaborative discussions.
   1. Come to discussions prepared to share information previously studied.
   2. Follow simple rules and carry out assigned roles during discussions.
   3. Remain on the topic of the discussion when asking or answering questions or making other contributions to a discussion.
   4. Acknowledge new information expressed by others in a discussion and relate it to own ideas. (EE.SL.8.1)
2. Determine the purpose of information presented in graphic, oral, visual, or multimodal formats. (EE.SL.8.2)
3. Determine the argument made by a speaker on a topic. (EE.SL.8.3).

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

4. Present descriptions, facts, or details supporting specific points made on a topic. (EE.SL.8.4)
5. Include multimedia and visual information into presentations. (EE.SL.8.5)
6. Adapt communication to a variety of contexts and tasks. (EE.SL.8.6)

Language Standards

Conventions of Standard English

1. Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage when communicating.
   1. Not applicable.
   2. Form and use the simple verb tenses (e.g., I walked, I walk, I will walk).
   3. Use appropriate verbs to match nouns.
   4. Not applicable. (EE.L.8.1)
2. Demonstrate understanding of conventions of standard English.
   1. Use end punctuation and capitalization when writing a sentence or question.
   2. Not applicable.
   3. Spell words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of letter-sound relationships and/or common spelling patterns. (EE.L.8.2)

Knowledge of Language

3. Use language to achieve desired outcomes when communicating.
   1. Use to-be verbs (am, are, is, was, were, be, become, became) accurately when writing and communicating. (EE.L.8.3)

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

4. Demonstrate knowledge of word meanings.
   1. Use context to determine which word is missing from a content area text.
   2. Use frequently occurring root words (e.g., like) and the words that result when affixes are added (e.g., liked, disliked, liking).
   3. Seek clarification and meaning support when unfamiliar words are encountered while reading or communicating.
   4. Not applicable. (EE.L.8.4)
5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and use.
   1. Demonstrate understanding of the use of multiple meaning words.
   2. Use knowledge of common words to understand the meaning of compound and complex words in which they appear (e.g., birdhouse, household).
   3. Use descriptive words to add meaning when writing and communicating. (EE.L.8.5)
6. Use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases across contexts. (EE.L.8.6)