Search

STAFF LOGIN   

ARKANSAS WITS

Grade 8

WITS & The Standards   COMMON CORE ALIGNMENT
Select: Language | Reading | Speaking & Listening | Writing

 
Grade 8 Common Core Language Standards Alignment

Conventions of Standard English:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

WITS Alignment:

Students will be able to write poems that incorporate and call attention to these conventions of English grammar and usage.

Conventions of Standard English, continued:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

WITS Alignment:

Students will be able to write poems that incorporate and call attention to these aspects of English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

Knowledge of Language:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.3.a: Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact).
WITS Alignment:

The WITS program is designed so that students will be able to pay close attention to language, use care when making choices for effect, and write with authority. Many WITS prompts are designed so that students will be able to consider, practice, and call attention to the use of active and/or passive voice in their poems.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4.a: Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4.b: Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4.c: Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4.d: Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
WITS Alignment:

Visiting writers will read published poems as models aloud to the students. Through class discussion, students will then be able to collectively decode unknown words by using context clues and/or identifying roots and suffixes. Word banks (and/or other vocabulary tools) will also be presented so that students will be able to practice employing unfamiliar words and phrases within their poems. Visiting writers will also incorporate classroom dictionaries and reference materials into prompts and exercises as well.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use, part 2:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

WITS Alignment:

Our poetry prompts are designed so that students will be able to demonstrate understanding of figurative language and word relationships, and be able to call attention to nuances in word meanings. Some of our prompts are designed so that students will be able to call attention to figures of speech. Students will also be able to distinguish among the connotations of words with similar definitions, better understand relationships between words, and use word relationships in writing for effect and for meaning-making.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use, part 3:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

WITS Alignment:

Many of our prompts require students to focus their attention on the careful selection of words and phrases and to consider the importance of language with regard to comprehension and expression. Visiting writers will read model poems aloud to the students. Through class discussion, students will be able to discuss the meaning, effects, and importance of words and phrases, and then, individually, students will be able to carefully select words and phrases (oftentimes incorporating vocabulary and phrases from these model poems) when making their own poetry.

Select: Language | Reading | Speaking & Listening | Writing

Grade 8 Common Core Reading Standards Alignment – Literature

Key Ideas and Details:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

WITS Alignment:

When presenting prompts, visiting writers will read published poems aloud as models. Through class discussion, students will be able to verbally cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Key Ideas and Details, continued:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2 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.

WITS Alignment:

Visiting writers will present prompts using published poems as models. Through class discussion, students will be able to determine a theme or central idea therein and analyze its development over the course of the text. This will include the theme’s relationship to the characters, setting, and plot. Students will be able to provide an objective summary of the text as well.

Craft and Structure:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 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.

WITS Alignment:

Visiting writers will present prompts that allow students to analyze, through class discussion, the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. This will include analogies or allusions to other texts. Students will then put these technical aspects of poetry into practice with their own individual writing. The WITS program is designed so that students will be able to look closely at language and demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. Some of our prompts are designed so that students will be able to distinguish among the connotations of words with similar definitions, to better understand relationships between words, and to use word relationships in writing for effect and for meaning-making.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

WITS Alignment:

Visiting writers introduce students to poems both at grade-level and above grade-level. This contributes to students reading, comprehending, and seeking out advanced texts by the end of the academic year.

Select: Language | Reading | Speaking & Listening | Writing

Grade 8 Common Core Speaking & Listening Standards Alignment

Comprehension and Collaboration:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1.a: Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1.b: Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1.c: Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1.d: Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.
WITS Alignment:

Visiting writers lead a 2-day discussion and workshop about poetry, poetic terms, and creative writing with the students. Students will be able to listen to the writers and to their peers, participate in guided discussion, acknowledge and build on one another’ ideas, clearly express their own observations, and ask (and answer) questions for clarification. Our workshop takes place over two consecutive days, and students are required to recall the previous day’s lesson, review and explain key ideas, draw upon that information and apply it to their work on the second day. Upon the completion of each prompt, when students take turns sharing their poems by reading aloud to the class, the class will be able to adhere to the “poets’ code” and practice careful and respectful listening.

Comprehension and Collaboration:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.3 Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

WITS Alignment:

Visiting writers will read model poems aloud to the students. Through class discussion, students will call attention to the speaker of the poem’s point of view. (Much like how fiction contains a distinct “narrator” and a separate “author,” in poetry, we refer to the “speaker” of the poem so that we do not falsely attribute the attitudes and beliefs expressed within a poem to its poet.) Students will be able to delineate the speaker’s specific claims and evaluate the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

WITS Alignment:

WITS prompts are designed so that students will be able to draw from their own knowledge, observations, and experiences in order to make poems. Our program emphasizes the value and effects of specific, concrete details and descriptions in order to describe an abstract concept. Many of our prompts contain a revision component that is designed to call attention to organization and structure; through re-ordering information, students will be able to notice a poem’s meaning and focus can be determined by structure. At the conclusion of each prompt, students are given the opportunity to take turns reading their poems aloud to the class.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas, continued:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

WITS Alignment:

Students will be able to adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks and write poems that incorporate formal English and informal discourses. Through this activity, students will be able to call attention to the relationship between discourse and appropriate task and situation.

Select: Language | Reading | Speaking & Listening | Writing

Grade 8 Common Core Writing Standards Alignment

Text Types and Purposes:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3.a: Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3.b: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3.c: Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3.d: Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3.e: Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.
WITS Alignment:

Visiting writers present prompts that ask students to write narrative poems (real or imagined) and students will be able to employ effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. Many prompts are designed so that students will be able to establish a context and point of view. Students will be able to use narrative techniques–such as dialogue, pacing, sequencing, and description–to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. The WITS program emphasizes the value using precise language, and is designed to encourage the employment of concrete details and sensory details in order to convey an abstract concept. Specificity is emphasized and encouraged. Students will be able to incorporate their own reflections into their work. Additionally, students will be able to call attention to the sequencing of elements and their development, and close with a reflective conclusion. Many prompts are designed so that students will employ transition words and phrases, calling attention to the relationships among experiences and events.

Production and Distribution of Writing:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

WITS Alignment:

Students receive clear, specific instructions and prompts for making poems and will be able to produce clear and coherent poems containing proper development, organization, and style. Lessons and prompts are designed in such a way that students will be able to consider their own poem’s organization and structure, style, purpose, and intended audience.

Production and Distribution of Writing, continued:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

WITS Alignment:

Visiting writers will ask students to brainstorm (collectively and/or independently) before writing. Visiting writers walk around the room and spend one-on-one time with students as they work on their poems. Visiting writers also introduce students to revision techniques such as replacing weak, vague verbs with strong, specific verbs; improving descriptions by choosing more specific language; and/or removing ineffective lines from their poems. Students are also encouraged to play with syntax and re-order their lines. Throughout the writing process, students will be able to focus on how well purpose and audience are being addressed. Many WITS prompts are designed with a built-in revision component.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9.a: Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “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”).
WITS Alignment:

Many prompts are designed to function as responses to model published poems. Through class discussion, students will be able to determine themes, patterns, and archetypes within a poem. Students will also be able to describe how traditional material is rendered new (with regard to form, style, imagery, point of view, etc.). When making their own poems, students will synthesize their own experiences, observations, and knowledge with the forms and techniques presented by visiting writers in model poems.

Range of Writing:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

WITS Alignment:

Students will be able to write poems from a variety of prompts over short time frames (each prompt ranges from 2 to 15 minutes). Prompts are presented using published poems as models. Visiting writers guide students in a discussion about the model poem’s purpose and intended audience, and students will be able to write with a specific purpose and with a specific audience in mind.