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Grade 8 reading and writing skills

The reading, writing and language skills in our grade 8 courses (English), listed against the Common Core ELA standards. This is a comparison, not a claim of alignment: 22 of 41 standards are covered, 16 partly and 3 not covered.

  • 22covered
  • 16partly covered
  • 3not covered

Why some skills are only partly covered: lessons teach the parts of an essay or a story and check them with questions and short typed answers, but children don't write and hand in whole pieces in the app, and speaking and listening with others happens away from the screen.

Reading: Literature RL · 9 standards · 8 covered, 1 partly covered

Reading: Informational Text RI · 10 standards · 8 covered, 2 partly covered

Writing W · 10 standards · 0 covered, 8 partly covered

  • W.8.1
    Partly covered

    Write arguments that acknowledge alternate claims and use credible evidence

    Each part is taught and practiced with short answers; students don't write and hand in whole essays in the app.

  • W.8.2
    Partly covered

    Write informative and explanatory texts

    Taught step by step and practiced with short answers; no full pieces are written in the app.

  • W.8.3
    Partly covered

    Write narratives with a clear point of view, techniques and reflection

    Taught step by step and practiced with short answers; no full pieces are written in the app.

  • W.8.4
    Partly covered

    Write clearly, with organization and style that fit the task

    Practiced through short answers and examples.

  • W.8.5
    Partly covered

    Plan, revise, edit and rewrite

    Practiced on sample writing, not the student's own.

  • W.8.6
    Not covered

    Use technology to publish and work with others

  • W.8.7
    Partly covered

    Do short research projects

    Lessons explain how; projects happen away from the app.

  • W.8.8
    Partly covered

    Gather sources, judge their credibility, quote or paraphrase and cite

  • W.8.9
    Partly covered

    Use evidence from texts to support analysis and research

    Practiced with short answers.

  • W.8.10
    Not covered

    Write routinely, over short and extended time frames

    The app doesn't include regular free writing.

Speaking and Listening SL · 6 standards · 0 covered, 5 partly covered

  • SL.8.1
    Partly covered

    Take part in collaborative discussions

    Discussion skills are taught; discussions themselves happen away from the app.

  • SL.8.2
    Partly covered

    Analyze the purpose of information presented in different media

    Taught with reading lessons.

  • SL.8.3
    Partly covered

    Evaluate a speaker's argument and reasoning

    Taught from written examples.

  • SL.8.4
    Partly covered

    Present claims and findings with clear delivery

    Presenting is explained; students don't present in the app.

  • SL.8.5
    Not covered

    Add multimedia and visual displays to presentations

  • SL.8.6
    Partly covered

    Adapt speech to the situation, using formal English when it fits

    Explained, not practiced.

Language L · 6 standards · 6 covered

Every Grade 8 unit and lesson

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Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. The standard descriptions on these pages are KidUniversity's own short summaries, not the official text; read the full standards at thecorestandards.org. KidUniversity is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NGA Center or CCSSO.