8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
MODULE A
Duration: First Trimester
Themes: Genocide, Survival, Cruelty & Determination
Anchor/Extended Texts for the Module:

Night by Elie Weisel

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (book and movie)
Summative Assessment for the Unit: Students will write a journal that contains a series of letters, drawings, and poems from the perspective of the two
main characters for any of the anchor/extended texts who were on opposing sides of the genocide at issue in the text.
Supplement Texts – Excerpts are used to enhance the anchor texts.
Fiction excerpts (text and/or video):
Non-fiction excerpts (text and/or video):
1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
1. Primary and secondary sources the Japanese & American internment
2. Diary of a Young Girl by Ann Frank
2. Teaching Tolerance Kit
3. I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from the Terezin
Concentration Camp, 1942-1944 by Hana Volavkova
3. Diary of a Freedom Writer by Darrius Garrett
4. I Never Saw Another Butterfly (One Act) by Celeste Raspanti
4. Primary and secondary sources on genocide (Dafur, Rwanda, Somalia, Cambodia,
China, Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Armenia, Ukraine) such as Scholastic articles and The
History of USA textbook.
5. Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Eve Bunting
5. Other sources of information to consider are:
6. Life is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni (movie)
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a. The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century:
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/
8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
7. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
8. What is the What by Dave Eggers
b. Genocide:Meaning and Definition:
http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/GENOCIDE.ENCY.HTM
9. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
c. Genocide in Darfur by the United Human Rights Council:
http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide-in-sudan.htm
10. Wicked History: Stalin by Kimberly Burton
d. Genocide Watch Home Page: http://genocidewatch.org/
11. Adolf Hitler (Wicked History) by Sean Price
e. PBS Teachers - Thematic Teaching on Genocide:
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/thismonth/genocide/index1.html
f. Genocide in Rwanda by the United Human Rights Council:
http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/Genocide/genocide_in_rwanda.htm
g. Genocide - Beyond Intractability: http://www.beyondintractability.org/biessay/war-crimes-genocide
h. Genocide Watch: http://www.genocidewatch.org/southafrica.html
i. Rwanda Genocide - The Art of Remembering and Forgetting:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/new
ELA Concepts That Are a Focus of This Module:
 Plot
 Setting
 Point of View
 Narrator
 Characterization
 Tone
 Symbolism
 Metaphor/Simile
 Theme
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8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
Writing
Cross-Curricular Application
Science:
1. Daily Routine Writing –
Journaling, short responses, blogging, etc.
The afflictions suffered in the concentration camps.
2. Students will create their own version of propaganda after examining Nazi
propaganda. For example, students can create propaganda from the perspective
of an American soldier. (Persuasive)
Social Studies:
3. After reading the Terezin poetry, students will create their own poem.
(Narrative)
4. Students will research about modern day genocide. Using the modern-day
genocide the students researched, they will answer the following question, “Do
the sins of the past keep repeating themselves in the future? Why or why not?”
(argumentative)
5. Research a modern day genocide and write all the similarities and differences
between the modern day genocide with the Holocaust. (expository)

World War II and the Concentration Camps

Holocaust and Genocide

Geography of Germany, Russia & Lithuania
Possible Field Trips:
- Holocaust Museum in Skokie
- Lithuanian Museum
STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THE MODULE
ELA Common Core State Standards
Literature:
RL 8.1 – 8.7, 8.9, 8.10
Informational Text:
RI 8.1 – 8.10
Writing:
W 8.1 – 8.10
Speaking & Listening:
SL 8.1 – 8.6
Language:
L 8.1 – 8.6
Illinois State Standards for Social Studies
Inquiry Skills
Developing
Questions and
Planning
Evaluating Sources and
Using Evidence:
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Content Standards
Communicating
Conclusions and Taking
Informed Action:
Civics Standards:
Geography Standards:
SS.CV.1.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.1.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
Economics and
Financial
Literacy
History Standards:
SS.H.1.6-8. LC; MdC;
8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
Inquiries:
SS.IS.4.6-8.LC; MdC; MC
SS.IS.5.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.IS.1.6-8
SS.IS.2.6-8
SS.IS.3.6-8
SS.IS.6.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.IS.7.6-8
SS.IS.8.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.2.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.3.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.4.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS CV.5.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.6.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.2.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.3.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.4.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
Standards:
SS.EC.3.6-8. MC
SS.EC.FL.1.6-8. LC
MC
SS.H.2.6-8. LC; MdC;
MC
SS.H.3.6-8. LC; MdC;
MC
SS.H.4.6-8. LC; MdC;
MC
Next Generation Science Standards
Science & Engineering Practices:
Ask and Answer Questions
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Core Disciplinary Ideas:
Middle School Life Science: MS-LS1-5; MS-LS2-1
Cross-Cutting Concepts: Patterns
8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
MODULE B
Duration: Second Trimester
Themes: Urban Chicago, Cultural Traditions, Immigration, Racism, and Politics
Anchor/Extended Texts for the Module:

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg
Summative Assessment for the Unit: Using technology, students will write their own children’s book on immigration.
To help with research on the book:
1. Possible Field Trip: Chicago Historical Society (use of library)
2. Possible Field Trip: Pilsen or Little Village sections of the city
3. Interview a family member who immigrated to the U.S.
Supplement Texts – Excerpts are used to enhance the anchor texts.
Fiction excerpts (text and/or video):
Non-fiction excerpts (text and/or video):
1. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child by Francisco Jiménez
1. Primary and secondary sources U.S. and immigration such as from:
2. A Day’s Work by Eve Bunting
3. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Herniquez
a. Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants from USCIS
http://www.uscis.gov/tools/green-card-resources/welcome-united-statesguide-new-immigrants
b. Immigration To The United States (Free Lesson Plans for Teachers)
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8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
4. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhna Lai
5. Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros
6. Lupita Manana by Patricia Beatty
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/immigrationto-the-united-states.cfm
c. Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today and Ellis Island from
Scholastic.com
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/
d. Migration Information Source - Frequently Requested Statistics on
Immigrants and Immigration in the United States
http://migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?id=886
e. Immigrants in the United States, 2010: A Profile of America's Foreign-Born
Population from the Center for Immigration Studies
http://www.cis.org/2012-profile-of-americas-foreign-born-population
f. Migration Information Source on Mexican Immigrants in the United States
http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=935
2. Speaking in Tongues (video) from Patch Work Films
3. Primary and Secondary sources of anti-immigration laws in the U.S. (Arizona –
S.B. 1070; California – Prop. 227; and Alabama – H.B. 56)
4. Meet the Young Immigrants by Scholastic Magazine:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/young_immigrants/
5. Vietnamese Immigrants to the U.S.:
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/vietnamese-immigrants-united-states/
6. Straddling Different Worlds: The Acculturation of Vietnamese Refugee Children:
https://migration.ucdavis.edu/rs/more.php?id=49
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8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
ELA Concepts That Are a Focus of This Module:
 Plot
 Setting
 Point of View
 Narrator
 Characterization
 Tone
 Symbolism
 Metaphor/Simile
 Theme
Writing
1. Daily Routine Writing –
Journaling, short responses, blogging, etc.
Cross-Curricular Application
Science:
The habitat or environmental differences between countries.
2. Using the wordless picture book, The Arrival, students will add their own text to
the pictures. (Narrative)
Social Studies:
3. Undocumented children from Latin America have been streaming into the
United States without their parents. There have been many perspectives about
why this is happening. Also, Americans’ reactions to the influx of undocumented
children have been mixed. Many believe the children should stay but many also
believe the children should be deported. Write a letter to the president arguing if
the children should stay or go. (argumentative)

The history of immigration into the United States, particularly from Mexico
and Vietnam.

The current landscape of anti-immigration laws.

The current influx of undocumented children into the U.S.
3. Write a news article on the current status of many of the undocumented
children in the public school system. (Expository)

The influx of Syrian refugees into the U.S. and Europe
4. Hold a debate on the anti-immigration laws. (Persuasive)
5. At the end of the Vietnam War, many Vietnam families were given asylum in
the U.S. Currently, the U.S. is giving asylum to the Syrian refugees. Write a
research paper on the trials and tribulations the families faced being in the U.S.
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8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THE MODULE
ELA Common Core State Standards
Literature:
RL 8.1 – 8.7, 8.9, 8.10
Informational Text:
RI 8.1 – 8.10
Writing:
W 8.1 – 8.10
Speaking & Listening:
SL 8.1 – 8.6
Language:
L 8.1 – 8.6
Illinois State Standards for Social Studies
Inquiry Skills
Developing
Questions
and Planning
Inquiries:
Evaluating Sources and
Using Evidence:
SS.IS.4.6-8.LC; MdC; MC
SS.IS.5.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.IS.1.6-8
SS.IS.2.6-8
SS.IS.3.6-8
Content Standards
Communicating
Conclusions and Taking
Informed Action:
SS.IS.6.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.IS.7.6-8
SS.IS.8.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
Civics Standards:
Geography Standards:
SS.CV.1.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.2.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.3.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.4.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS CV.5.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.6.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.1.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.2.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.3.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.4.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
Economics and
Financial
Literacy
Standards:
SS.EC.3.6-8. MC
SS.EC.FL.1.6-8. LC
History Standards:
SS.H.1.6-8. LC; MdC;
MC
SS.H.2.6-8. LC; MdC;
MC
SS.H.3.6-8. LC; MdC;
MC
SS.H.4.6-8. LC; MdC;
MC
Next Generation Science Standards
Science & Engineering Practices:
Develop and Use Models
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Core Disciplinary Ideas:
Middle School Life Science: MS-LS1-7
Cross-Cutting Concepts: Energy & Matter
8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
MODULE C
Duration: Third Trimester
Themes: Human Rights, Peace, Hope
Anchor/Extended Texts for the Module: The focus of this unit is on famous speeches. Students will be study the following speeches:




Sojourner Truth - Ain’t I a Woman
Abraham Lincoln - Gettysburg Address
Martin Luther King - I Have a Dream
Chief Joseph – I Will Fight No More Forever (Surrender Speech)
If there is time, add John F. Kennedy’s Moon Speech (at Rice Stadium) and Lou Gehrig’s Farewell to Baseball Speech.
Summative Assessment for the Unit: Students will write and verbally recite their own speech. Their speech will be on leaving elementary school and/or
entering high school.
Supplement Texts – Excerpts are used to enhance the anchor texts.
Fiction excerpts (text and/or video):
Non-fiction excerpts (text and/or video):
1. Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride by Andrea Davis Pinkney
1. The history behind “Ain’t I a Woman” - http://www.history.com/topics/blackhistory/sojourner-truth
2. My Name Is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth by Ann Turner
3. Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport
4. I Have a Dream (Book & CD) by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Kadir Nelson
5. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
6. Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
7. Trickster (graphic novel on Native American folk tales) by Matt Dembicki
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2. Literary analysis of “Ain’t I a Woman” https://writeclick.appstate.edu/sites/writeclick.appstate.edu/files/Ain%27t_I_Woman.pdf
3. Biography of Sojourner Truth - http://www.biography.com/people/sojourner-truth9511284
4. Women’s Rights Convention of 1851 http://womensrightsforever319.weebly.com/womens-rights-convention-of-1851.html
5. The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech That Nobody Knows by Gabor Boritt
6. Writing the Gettysburg Address by Martin Johnson
8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
7. Literary Analysis of “I Have a Dream” - https://www.fastcompany.com/3040976/whatmade-i-have-a-dream-such-a-perfect-speech
8. Letter from Birmingham City Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
9. Video of “I Will Not Fight No More Forever” http://www.schooltube.com/video/dc67fddf1b5190f806ae/I-Will-Fight-No-More-Forever
10. I Will Fight No More Forever: Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War by Beal
Articles on historical truths and fabrications from Lies My Teacher Told Me:
Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen
11.
ELA Concepts That Are a Focus of This Module:
 Plot
 Setting
 Point of View
 Narrator
 Characterization
 Tone
 Symbolism
 Metaphor/Simile
 Theme
Writing
1. Daily Routine Writing –
Journaling, short responses, blogging, etc.
2. Race and gender is a theme that runs through the speeches. Do you feel that
rights based on race and gender will be protected under the new presidency?
(argumentative)
3. The Gettysburg Address refocused our attention from a divided nation to one.
Does this speech have importance for us today as Americans? (persuasive)
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Cross-Curricular Application
Social Studies:





Abolitionist movement
Feminist Movement – 1851 Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio
U.S. Civil War and Gettysburg
Civil Rights Movement
U.S. Government and Native Americans
8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
4. Do you think Native American have a case against the U.S. government to get
their lands back or for African Americans to receive reparations because of
slavery? (argumentative)
Possible Field Trips:
- Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL
- Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood home
5. What does it mean when it is said, “History books are told by the victors.”
(persuasive)
6. Create a video biography of Sojourner Truth, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther
King, Jr., and Chief Joseph. (expository)
7. Are we living the dream as called for Martin Luther King, Jr.?
(persuasive/argumentative)
8. Recall a time when you witness discrimination based on race or gender.
STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THE MODULE
ELA Common Core State Standards
Literature:
RL 8.1 – 8.7, 8.9, 8.10
Informational Text:
RI 8.1 – 8.10
Writing:
W 8.1 – 8.10
Speaking & Listening:
SL 8.1 – 8.6
Language:
L 8.1 – 8.6
Illinois State Standards for Social Studies
Inquiry Skills
Developing
Questions and
Planning
Inquiries:
Evaluating Sources and
Using Evidence:
SS.IS.4.6-8.LC; MdC; MC
SS.IS.5.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.IS.1.6-8
SS.IS.2.6-8
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Content Standards
Communicating
Conclusions and Taking
Informed Action:
SS.IS.6.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.IS.7.6-8
SS.IS.8.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
Civics Standards:
Geography Standards:
SS.CV.1.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.2.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.3.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.CV.4.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS CV.5.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.1.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.2.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.3.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
SS.G.4.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
Economics and
Financial
Literacy
Standards:
SS.EC.3.6-8. MC
SS.EC.FL.1.6-8. LC
History Standards:
SS.H.1.6-8. LC; MdC;
MC
SS.H.2.6-8. LC; MdC;
MC
SS.H.3.6-8. LC; MdC;
8TH GRADE ELA CURRICULUM MAP
SS.IS.3.6-8
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SS.CV.6.6-8. LC; MdC; MC
MC
SS.H.4.6-8. LC; MdC;
MC