Course: Advanced English 8
Grade: 8
Designer(s): Francesca
Lounder
Overview of Course
Students enrolled in Advanced English 8 will read, comprehend, and respond to nonfiction and fiction texts,
including poetry and drama. Emphasis will be placed on making inferences and drawing conclusions based
upon textual information, as well as citing evidence from a text to support assertions. Students will also be
encouraged to consider an author’s purpose in writing and identify and explain themes and literary devices
within a text. Connections will be made between texts and personal experiences and/or the surrounding
world. Students will complete multiple formal, multi-paragraph essays utilizing the steps of the writing
process. One of these essays will take the form of a persuasive research project, which will require students to
locate information in appropriate, reliable sources, take useful and relevant notes and give precise, formal
credit for the ideas of others. Students will also present the results of this research in the form of a persuasive
speech. Throughout this course, students will listen to the contributions of others, engage in cooperative
learning activities and participate in both small and large group discussions. Students who successfully
complete Advanced English 8 should demonstrate an increased understanding of the fundamental skills
required when reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In addition, this course will challenge motivated
students using concepts and assessments recommended by the College Board. Increased emphasis will be
placed on analyzing literature through discussion and writing, and students will be encouraged to make
connections between class readings, their writings, and their experiences. The ultimate goal of this course is to
provide students with an intellectually stimulating classroom environment that prepares them for success in
advanced high school courses.
Overarching Big Ideas, Enduring Understandings, and Essential Questions
Big Idea
Common Core
Standard(s)
Addressed

Communication

Comprehension

Conflict

Individuality

Tolerance

Empathy
Various Pennsylvania Common Core
State Standards relating to Reading,
Writing, Speaking, and Listening
Various Pennsylvania Common Core
State Standards relating to Reading,
Writing, Speaking, and Listening
Various Pennsylvania Common Core
State Standards relating to Reading,
Writing, Speaking, and Listening
Various Pennsylvania Common Core
State Standards relating to Reading,
Writing, Speaking, and Listening
Various Pennsylvania Common Core
State Standards relating to Reading,
Writing, Speaking, and Listening
Various Pennsylvania Common Core
State Standards relating to Reading,
Writing, Speaking, and Listening
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
Writers and speakers must consider task, topic, and audience when
communicating a message.
What skills are necessary when communicating a message to an
audience?
Writing is a means of documenting and communicating thoughts
and feelings.
Why do authors write?
Effective readers use various strategies to understand a text.
Why is writing important?
How do we understand what we read?
Conflict is essential to literature.
What strategies help us comprehend fiction and non-fiction texts?
What is the role of conflict in literature?
Conflict can be internal or external.
We must understand and appreciate individual differences if we are
to be successful as both individuals and as a society.
What are the different types of conflict?
What can one do to better accept and understand individual differences?
How can the actions of an individual affect society?
Individuals can impact society in many ways.
Prejudice, intolerance, and a lack of empathy can have devastating
effects on society and individuals.
Empathy is the ability to identify with others and value what they
are feeling or experiencing.
What can one do to better accept and understand individual differences?
What is empathy?
Why is empathy and important skill?
Prejudice, intolerance, and a lack of empathy can have devastating
effects on society and individuals.

Courage

Power

Perspective
Various Pennsylvania Common Core
State Standards relating to Reading,
Writing, Speaking, and Listening
Various Pennsylvania Common Core
State Standards relating to Reading,
Writing, Speaking, and Listening
Various Pennsylvania Common Core
State Standards relating to Reading,
Writing, Speaking, and Listening
Empathy enables us to see other perspectives and helps us to build
strong relationships and communities with others.
Courage takes many forms.
How do we define courage?
Courage includes overcoming both physical and emotional obstacles
and facing fears.
Individuals and groups derive power through different means.
What are some different forms of courage?
Absolute power can corrupt.
Point of view provides the lens through which a reader receives
information and experiences the work.
How can power affect an individual?
How can a reader’s perception of events be influenced by an author’s
chosen point of view?
We must view different points of view through critical eyes and ears
and consider the big picture.
How do individuals and groups derive power?
Big Ideas, Enduring Understandings, and Essential Questions Per Unit of Study
Month of
Instruction
Title of
Unit
Big Idea(s)
August
Introduction
to Advanced
English 8
Responsibility
Common Core
Standard(s)
Addressed

CC.1.5.8.A
Enduring
Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
Clear guidelines for behavior are necessary for
maintaining order and establishing a productive
learning environment.
Why is it important to have and
adhere to clear guidelines and
expectations in a classroom setting?
People interact peacefully and effectively
whenever they treat each other with respect.
Why is it important to treat others
with respect and appreciate
individuality?
Respect
Community
Individuality
Every person is unique and has different gifts
and abilities.
Communication
A community is comprised of different
individuals who share similar characteristics or
goals.
August September
Plot, Setting,
and “Those
Three
Wishes”
Communication
Comprehension
Conflict







CC.1.3.8.A
CC.1.3.8.B
CC.1.3.8.C
CC.1.3.8.H
CC.1.3.8.I
CC.1.3.8.J
CC.1.3.8.K
What is a community, and how is
our classroom a community of
learners?
How do good readers comprehend a
story?
Effective summaries include the title/author of a
work, identify the main character(s), setting, and
conflict, and succinctly explain the plot.
How can we know that a summary is
effective?
Author’s use various literary elements to
illustrate theme.
Plot includes the chain of events in a story,
poem, or play.
Setting includes the time and place of a story,
poem, or play.
Common
Resource(s)
Used
Bio-Poem Activity
Worksheet:
Bio-Poem
Group Consensus
Activity/Essay and
Discussion
Quiz on Rules and
Guidelines
Good readers use a variety of strategies and
techniques to comprehend a story.
Authors often use their writing to send a
message.
Common
Assessment(
s)
How and why does an author
communicate themes through a
work of literature?
Group/Class
Discussions
“Plot, Setting, and
‘Those Three
Wishes’”
Worksheet
Group/Class
Discussions
Packet:
Advanced English 8 Rules and
Guidelines
Worksheet:
Common Ground/Group
Consensus Activity
Quiz:
Advanced English 8 Rules and
Guidelines
Short Story:
“Those Three Wishes” by
Judith Gorog
Worksheet:
Plot, Setting, and “Those Three
Wishes”
What are plot and setting and how
can they be identified in a work of
literature?
What is the role of conflict in
literature?
What are the different types of
conflict?
Conflict is essential to literature.
Conflict can be internal or external.
August September
“Flowers for
Algernon”
Respect
Tolerance
Individuality







CC.1.2.8.J
CC.1.2.8.K
CC.1.2.8.L
CC.1.3.8.A
CC.1.3.8.B
CC.1.3.8.C
CC.1.3.8.F
There are many different types of intelligence.
What is intelligence?
Society can be cruel to people who are different.
What can one do to better accept
and understand individual
differences?
Prejudice, intolerance, and a lack of empathy can
have devastating effects on society and
individuals.
How and why do authors use
Group Discussions
and Activities
Short Story:
“Flowers for Algernon” by
Daniel Keyes
Reading Logs
Reading Logs
Group Research
Project and
Packet:
Empathy
Change
Communication
Intelligence
Perspective
Progress
Conflict





















CC.1.3.8.G
CC.1.3.8.I
CC.1.3.8.J
CC.1.3.8.K
CC.1.4.8.A
CC.1.4.8.B
CC.1.4.8.C
CC.1.4.8.D
CC.1.4.8.E
CC.1.4.8.F
CC.1.4.8.S
CC.1.4.8.T
CC.1.4.8.U
CC.1.4.8.V
CC.1.4.8.W
CC.1.4.8.X
CC.1.5.8.A
CC.1.5.8.D
CC.1.5.8.E
CC.1.5.8.F
CC.1.5.8.G
figurative language?
Readers must consider point-of-view when
analyzing a story.
Point of view provides the lens through which a
reader receives information and experiences the
work.
We must view different points of view through
critical eyes and ears and consider the big
picture.
Authors often use their writing to send a
message.
Author’s use literary elements to illustrate
theme.
Progress and change can have consequences for
both individuals and society.
A writer may purposefully deviate from standard
grammar rules when writing in a casual tone,
such as when writing dialogue for a character.
Conflict is essential to literature and can be
internal or external.
An effective summary states the characters,
setting, and conflict of a piece of writing and
state the major plot developments. Effective
summaries are accurate, concise, and objective.
October
Suspense
and the
Short Story
Suspense
Comprehension
Individuality
Communication
Perspective











CC.1.3.8.A
CC.1.3.8.B
CC.1.3.8.C
CC.1.3.8.D
CC.1.3.8.F
CC.1.3.8.G
CC.1.3.8.I
CC.1.3.8.J
CC.1.3.8.K
CC.1.4.8.S
CC.1.4.8.T
How does an author develop a
character?
Short Story:
“Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade
Bambara
How and why does an author create
suspense?
Socratic Seminar
Discussions
Reading Logs
How does an author’s use of literary
elements enhance the reader’s
understanding and appreciation of
the author’s purpose?
Group Discussions
How can a reader’s perception of
events be influenced by an author’s
chosen point of view?
How and why does an author
communicate themes through a
work of literature?
How does the theme of a story
relate to one’s personal experience
and the surrounding world?
Why do author’s sometimes deviate
from conventional rules of
grammar?
What is the role of conflict in
literature, and what are the
different types of conflict?
What makes a summary effective?
People interact peacefully and effectively
whenever they treat each other with respect.
Why is it important to treat others
with respect and appreciate
individuality?
Writers use various literary techniques to create
suspense.
Language can create mood.
Group Research Project and
Presentation Assignment
Packet
Final Test
What must effective speakers
consider when addressing an
audience?
Authors often use their writing to send a
message.
Quizzes
How does an author’s use of pointof-view and other literary elements
enhance the reader’s understanding
and appreciation of the author’s
purpose?
Effective speakers must consider task, topic, and
audience when presenting information to a
group of people.
Every person is unique and has different gifts
and abilities.
Readers must consider point-of-view when
analyzing a story.
Presentation
Reading Logs
Viewing Guides
How does the theme of a story
relate to one’s personal experience
and the surrounding world?
Final Test
Short Story:
“The Open Window” by Saki
Short Story:
“The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W.
Jacobs
Short Story:
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar
Conflict




CC.1.5.8.A
CC.1.5.8.B
CC.1.5.8.D
CC.1.5.8.G
There are different challenges and possibilities
when telling a story through writing than there
are when using film to tell a story.
Allan Poe
How does an author use language
and various literary elements to
create a mood?
Film:
The Open Doors (YouTube)
What elements and challenges go
into adapting a story to film?
Film:
The Monkey’s Paw
What is the role of conflict in
literature, and what are the
different types of conflict?
Film:
The Tell-Tale Heart
Conflict is essential to literature.
Conflict can be internal or external.
October November
The Hunger
Games
Individuality
Communication
Courage
Conflict
Power
Perspective


















CC.1.3.8.A
CC.1.3.8.B
CC.1.3.8.C
CC.1.3.8.D
CC.1.3.8.F
CC.1.3.8.H
CC.1.3.8.I
CC.1.3.8.J
CC.1.3.8.K
CC.1.4.8.A
CC.1.4.8.B
CC.1.4.8.C
CC.1.4.8.D
CC.1.4.8.E
CC.1.4.8.S
CC.1.4.8.T
CC.1.4.8.X
CC.1.4.8.W
Conflict is essential to literature and can be
internal or external.
Courage takes many forms.
Heroes demonstrate great bravery and strength
of character.
Society can be cruel.
Readers must consider point-of-view when
analyzing a story.
Authors often use their writing to send a
message.
Author’s use literary elements to illustrate
theme.
An author’s writing can be influenced by many
things, including events in history and works of
literature.
Dystopian literature is literature that depicts a
negative view of a futuristic society.
Individuals and groups derive power through
different means, and absolute power can
corrupt.
November –
January
Persuasive
Research
Project
Persuasion
Communication
Perspective
Research


















CC.1.4.8.G
CC.1.4.8.H
CC.1.4.8.I
CC.1.4.8.J
CC.1.4.8.K
CC.1.4.8.L
CC.1.4.8.T
CC.1.4.8.U
CC.1.4.8.V
CC.1.4.8.W
CC.1.4.8.X
CC.1.5.8.A
CC.1.5.8.B
CC.1.5.8.C
CC.1.5.8.D
CC.1.5.8.E
CC.1.5.8.F
CC.1.5.8.G
Authors often use their writing to send a
message and/or to influence the beliefs and
behaviors of others.
There is a difference between facts and opinions.
It is important to give appropriate credit when
using the ideas of others.
How does an author develop character
and conflict?
Reading
Logs/Packet
What is the role of conflict in
literature, and what are the different
types of conflict?
Socratic Seminar
Discussions
How and why do authors use figurative
language?
How does an author’s use of point-ofview and other literary elements
enhance a reader’s understanding of
the author’s purpose?
How and why does an author
communicate themes through a work
of literature?
Hunger Games
Menu Project
Writing
Assessment:
Response to
Literature
Unit Test
Novel:
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Packet:
The Hunger Games Packet
Handout:
The Hunger Games
Menu Project
Handout:
Writing Assessment
Requirements and Rubric
What influences an author’s writing?
What is a hero, and how can the
actions of an individual affect society?
How do different forms of media and
popular culture affect our lives and the
world around us?
What is dystopian literature?
How do individuals and groups
derive power, and how can power
affect an individual?
How and why does one create and
present a persuasive argument for
an intended audience?
How does a speaker use persuasive
techniques to convince an
audience?
Effective speakers use a variety of techniques to
reach an audience.
How and why do writers give formal
credit when using the ideas of
others?
The goal of revision is to reexamine and make
changes to writing to ensure that it fulfills the
task/purpose and appeals to the audience. The
How can we differentiate between
facts and opinions, and why is this
skill important?
Class/Group
Discussions
Quizzes
Persuasive
Research Essay
Students will choose
one side of a
controversial,
debatable issue.
Students will conduct
research and take
useful notes relating
to this topic.
Students will then
use the writing
Persuasive Speech:
“I Have a Dream” by Martin
Luther King, Jr.
Various library and Internet
resources.
Packet:
What is Persuasive Writing?
Packet:
Research Skills and Techniques
Packet:
goal of editing is to correct any errors in
grammar, spelling, and punctuation to ensure
that the meaning of writing is clear to the
intended audience.
Utilizing the steps of the writing process allows a
writer to produce a quality final product.
When and why is it necessary to use
proper grammar when writing?
Why are revision and editing
important steps in the writing
process?
Why do authors use the writing
process?
January February March
Poetry Unit
Communication
Comprehension
Individuality
Community
Courage



























CC.1.3.8.A
CC.1.3.8.B
CC.1.3.8.C
CC.1.3.8.D
CC.1.3.8.E
CC.1.3.8.F
CC.1.3.8.I
CC.1.3.8.J
CC.1.3.8.K
CC.1.4.8.A
CC.1.4.8.B
CC.1.4.8.C
CC.1.4.8.D
CC.1.4.8.E
CC.1.4.8.F
CC.1.4.8.S
CC.1.4.8.T
CC.1.4.8.U
CC.1.4.8.V
CC.1.4.8.W
CC.1.4.8.X
CC.1.5.8.A
CC.1.5.8.C
CC.1.5.8.D
CC.1.5.8.E
CC.1.5.8.F
CC.1.5.8.G
process to complete
a five-paragraph
persuasive essay
utilizing
parenthetical
citations and a
Works Cited page.
Persuasion Unit Performance
Task
Persuasion Unit
Performance Task
(Speech)
Students will present
the results of this
research in the form
of a formal
persuasive speech.
Poetry as a genre is difficult to define. In poetry,
language is used in ways that differentiate it from prose
works.
What is poetry?
Authors often use their writing to send a message.
What are poetic devices and how/why do
poets use these devices when writing
poetry?
Socratic Seminar
Discussions
By using vivid imagery and figurative language, a poet
can relate the situation in a poem to the reader.
How do poets use figurative language and
poetic devices, particularly imagery and
symbolism, to engage readers and to
create/communicate a message to an
intended audience?
Poetry Analysis
Project (Essay
and Group
Presentation)
(Projects may analyze the following
poems: “Because I could not stop for
Death” by Dickinson, “Dream Variations”
by Hughes, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by
Frost, “A Dream Within a Dream” by Poe,
“She Walks in Beauty” by Byron (Lord
Byron), “When You Are Old” by Yeats,
“Love and Friendship” by Brontë, and
“Loveliest of Trees” by Housman.)
Well-written poems contain many different elements
and require a great deal of work to create.
How can an author’s life experiences
influence their work?
Analysis Project/
Presentation
Exam
Song/Audio:
“The Sound of Silence” by
Simon and Garfunkel
Heroes demonstrate great bravery and strength of
character and often reflect the values respected in a
culture.
How does an author develop character
and conflict?
Unit Exam
(Various songs may be used, including
but not limited to the following: “Dust in
the Wind,” “The River,” “Walking After
Midnight,” and “Stereo Heart.”)
Poets often write to express emotions or illustrate
universal truths and principles.
Author’s use literary elements to illustrate theme.
Why do poets write poetry?
What is a hero? How can the actions of
an individual affect society?
Group Discussions
and Activities
Packet:
Poetry Unit Packet
Packet:
Group Poetry Analysis Project
Songs/Audio:
Poem:
“Valentine for Ernest Mann”
by Naomi Shihab Nye
Poem:
“A word is dead” by Emily
Dickinson
Poem:
“Words” by Manuel Ulacia
Poem:
“Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow
Poem:
From “Beowulf”
Poem:
“Casey at the Bat” by Ernest
Lawrence Thayer
Poem:
“O Captain! My Captain!” by
Walt Whitman
Poem:
“I Hear America Singing” by
Walt Whitman
Poem:
“I, Too” by Langston Hughes
March - April
Novel Unit:
A Wrinkle
in Time
Individuality
Communication
Intelligence
Progress
Courage
Conflict














CC.1.3.8.A
CC.1.3.8.B
CC.1.3.8.C
CC.1.3.8.D
CC.1.3.8.F
CC.1.3.8.H
CC.1.3.8.I
CC.1.3.8.J
CC.1.3.8.K
CC.1.4.8.S
CC.1.4.8.T
CC.1.4.8.X
CC.1.5.8.A
CC.1.5.8.D
Power
April –
May - June
Anne
Frank: The
Diary of a
Young Girl
Empathy
Perspective
Courage
Individuality
Communication
Power
War
Conflict























CC.1.2.8.A
CC.1.2.8.B
CC.1.2.8.C
CC.1.2.8.D
CC.1.2.8.E
CC.1.2.8.F
CC.1.2.8.G
CC.1.2.8.J
CC.1.2.8.K
CC.1.2.8.L
CC.1.3.8.A
CC.1.3.8.B
CC.1.3.8.C
CC.1.3.8.D
CC.1.3.8.E
CC.1.3.8.F
CC.1.3.8.G
CC.1.3.8.H
CC.1.3.8.I
CC.1.3.8.J
CC.1.3.8.K
CC.1.4.8.S
CC.1.4.8.T
Conformity can be dangerous, yet society can be cruel to
people who are different.
What can one do to better accept and
understand individual differences?
Prejudice, intolerance, and a lack of empathy can have
devastating effects on society and individuals.
What roles do intellect and emotion play in our
lives?
Language is limited.
How and why do authors use figurative
language?
Readers must consider point-of-view when analyzing a
story.
Authors often use their writing to send a message.
Author’s use literary elements to illustrate theme.
The struggle between good and evil is a theme found
throughout literature.
Progress and change can have consequences for both
individuals and society.
How does an author develop character and
conflict?
How does an author’s use of point-of-view and
other literary elements enhance the reader’s
understanding and appreciation of the author’s
purpose?
How and why does an author communicate
themes through a work of literature?
Courage takes many forms.
How does the theme of a story relate to one’s
personal experience and the surrounding world?
Conflict is essential to literature and can be internal or
external.
What is the role of conflict in literature and what
are the different types of conflict?
Dramas, or plays, involve acting out a story in
front of a live audience.
What reading skills are needed
when studying a play?
We read plays differently than we read other
written works, since a play is meant to be acted.
How does a play tell a story
and/or convey a message to an
audience?
Plays rely on elements of dramatic structure,
dialogue, and stage directions to tell a story.
Tragedies are plays that end unhappily and
depict serious and/or important situations.
Comedies are plays that end happily and often
contain elements of humor and important
themes.
Prejudice, intolerance, war, and a lack of
empathy can have devastating effects on society
and individuals.
Reading Logs
Socratic
Seminar
Discussions
Why is it important that we
remember tragic events from
the past?
Quizzes
Final Test
Group
Discussions and
Activities
Socratic
Seminar
Discussions
Essays
Quizzes
How can the actions of an
individual affect society?
Final Test
Conformity can be dangerous.
Individuals and groups derive power through
different means, and absolute power can
corrupt.
Why is it important to study and
preserve primary source
documents?
Reading Logs
Class
Discussions and
Activities
Reading Logs
What can one do to better
accept and understand
individual differences?
Novel:
A Wrinkle in Time by
Madeleine L’Engle
Final Project
(Research Essay
and Display)
Drama:
The Diary of Anne
Frank by Frances
Goodrich and Albert Hackett
Excerpts from Anne Frank:
The Diary of a Young Girl
Reading Logs
Final Project Assignment
Sheet
Documentary:
Paper Clips
Documentary:
Anne Frank Remembered
Film:
The Diary of Anne Frank
Short Story:
Terrible Things by Eve Bunting
Nonfiction Selection:
“Walking with Living Feet”
Communication
Midterm
Common
Assessment:
Midterm
Exam
Communication
End of Year
Common
Assessment:
Final Exam










CC.1.4.8.U
CC.1.4.8.V
CC.1.4.8.W
CC.1.4.8.X
CC.1.5.8.A
CC.1.5.8.B
CC.1.5.8.C
CC.1.5.8.D
CC.1.5.8.E
CC.1.5.8.F

Various Pennsylvania
Common Core State
Standards relating to
Reading, Writing,
Speaking, and
Listening
Various Pennsylvania
Common Core State
Standards relating to
Reading, Writing,
Speaking, and
Listening

Primary source documents serve an important
purpose when studying historical events.
Courage takes many forms.
Writing is a means of documenting thoughts and
feelings.
Nonfiction Selection:
“A Tragedy Revealed: A
Heroine’s Last Days”
How do individuals and groups
derive power, and how can
power affect an individual?
Nonfiction Selection:
“My Childhood Under Fire: A
Sarajevo Diary” by Nadia
Halibegovich
What is the role of conflict in
literature and what are the
different types of conflict?
Short Story (Optional):
“Stop the Sun” by Gary
Paulsen
Conflict is essential to literature and can be
internal or external.
Common
Assessment:
Midterm Exam
Common Assessment:
Midterm Exam
Common
Assessment:
Final Exam
Common Assessment:
Final Exam