Baltimore County Public Schools
Grade 8: RL Standards
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Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
RL2 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.
RL3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a
character of provoke a decision.
RL4 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.
RL5 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text
contributes to its meaning and style.
RL6 Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created
through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
RL7 Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the
text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
RL9 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.
Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
EIGTH GRADE SUMMER READING
PACKET
Over the summer, you will want to continue to read literature to maintain and strengthen
literacy skills. Attached are some activities you can complete to help you capture your
understandings. Bring any completed activities to your new teacher in the fall.
APRIL 3, 2017
BCPS
Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
Title:
Author:
Using the internet or print materials, conduct research on the author of the novel you
have read. Look for important details relating to the author’s life such as hobbies,
beliefs, and experiences in childhood and adulthood. In the box, below list 5 facts
about your author that you think help shape him/her as an author.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Make the connections:
Answer one of the following questions. Circle the question you are responding to. If you
need more space, use a sheet of lined paper to finish your response.
1. What aspects of the author’s personal life are shown in the book? Explain.
2. Are the author’s beliefs reflected in the story? Explain.
3. What are the author’s major concerns about life? Are they shown in the story? Explain.
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Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL2 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.
Title:
Author:
Think about the novel you have just read. Identify the theme or central message of the
novel. Record the theme in the space provided below.
Theme:
The theme is developed over the course of a novel. Identify 3 points in the novel where the
theme was developed. Create a storyboard that reflects these three points in the novel. Your
storyboard should include pictures and captions explaining each picture.
Theme Storyboard
Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an
objective summary of the text.
Title:
Author:
Explain how each point illustrated in your storyboard helped to develop the novel’s
theme.
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Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a
character or provoke a decision.
Read a novel or play of your choice. Pay close attention
to the dialogue in the novel or play. After reading,
Author:
identify one event or scene in which the dialogue helped
propel the action, provoke a decision or reveal
Author:
something about a character. Then, answer the following
question.
Selected Event/Scene: ________________________________________
Title of book/play:
Page numbers: __________________
Explain how the dialogue in the selected scene helped propel the action of
story, provoked a decision or revealed something about a character. Use
specific details from the dialogue to support your explanation. Record your
answer in the speech bubble below. If needed, use an additional sheet of
paper to finish your response.
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Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL4 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.
In the novel you have read, identify 3 examples
where the author uses figurative language. For
each example, provide the information required
in the chart below.
Figurative
Chapter
Language Example & Page
from Novel
Number
Type of
Figurative
Language
Title of book:
Author:
Author:
Meaning
(e.g. simile, metaphor,
hyperbole,
personification, etc.)
1.
2.
3.
Choose one of the examples above. Explain how the author’s use of figurative language
impacted the text’s meaning or tone. If needed, use an additional sheet to complete your
response.
Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL5 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text
contributes to its meaning and style.
Title of book:
Author:
Author:
Select a novel that has also been adapted as a graphic novel. Read the novel. Then, identify one key
scene/event from the novel that is also represented in the graphic novel version. Closely analyze the
selected scene/event in both the traditional novel and the graphic novel. Consider how the differing
structure of the traditional narrative and the graphic novel adaptation contributes to the scene/event’s
overall meaning. Record your observations in the chart below.
Scene/Event Selected: _____________________________________
Structure of Traditional
Narrative
Similarities between the
Structure of Traditional
Narrative and Graphic
Novel Adaptation
Structure of Graphic
Novel Adaptation
Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL5 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text
contributes to its meaning and style.
Title of book:
Author:
Author:
Explain how the differing structure of the traditional narrative and the graphic
novel adaptation contributes to the selected scene/event’s overall meaning or
impact on the story. Answer this question using the graphic novel structure.
Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL6 Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the
use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
Title of book:
Author:
Dramatic irony is when the reader or audience understands more about the events of a
Author:
story than a character. The author often uses dramatic irony to create suspense or humor
in the story.
Directions: In the novel you have read, identify two examples of dramatic irony and record
the examples in the chart below. Determine the effect the dramatic irony has on the
reader/audience.
Example of Dramatic Irony
from Novel
1.
2.
Explanation of Why this is
an Example of Dramatic
Irony
Impact of Dramatic Irony on
Reader/Audience (suspense,
humor)
Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL6 Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the
use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
Title of book:
Author:
Explain
how the author’s use of dramatic irony creates suspense or
Author:
humor in the novel.
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Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL7 Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or
script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
Title of book:
Author:
Read a novel that has also been adapted as a movie. After
Author:
reading the book, watch the film version of the novel. Then
complete the Be A Critic activity.
BE A CRITIC
Choose 3 story events from the novel that are also featured in the film adaptation. In the
appropriate column of the chart, describe each event as portrayed in the novel. In the
appropriate column also describe each event as portrayed by the film.
Event
1.
2.
Describe the event as portrayed
in the novel
Describe the event as portrayed in
the film
Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
3.
RL7 Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or
script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
Title of book:
Author:
Author:
Now, be a critic. Write a movie review of the film adaptation of
your selected novel. Based on your analysis of the same three
events in the novel and film, evaluate the film maker’s telling of
the story. Would you recommend the film to someone who has
read the novel? If needed, continue your review on an additional
sheet of paper.
Movie Review of _________________________________________
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Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL9 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.
Title of book:
Author:
Author:
Sentence from
Novel that
Includes an
Allusion
An allusion is a reference to a well-known piece of literature, person,
place, event, or work of art. If readers understand the reference, then the
allusion also helps them understand exactly what the author means
without a long explanation.
In your novel, identify three examples of allusions and explain their
meaning in the chart provided.
Chapter
and
Page
Number
To whom or
what does
the allusion
refer?
How do you
know?
Meaning of the
allusion based
on the context
of the novel
Baltimore County Public Schools
Draft
Office of Secondary English Language Arts
RL9 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.
Explain how the author’s use of allusions helps you to better understand the
theme, events or characters of the novel. If needed, use an additional sheet of
paper to complete your response.
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