Semester 2 (approx. 4-5 weeks)
Central Text
Selections
Grade 8 - Intensive Language Arts - Collection 4 - Approaching Adulthood
innocence and naiveté? What makes the transition from childhood to
adulthood so complicated?
Anchor Text:
Short Story: “Marigolds” by
Eugenia Collier 1140L, p.213
LG: Identify the motivations of
characters in a story and determine
the factors that help them
understand the theme of the story.
Close Reader:
Short Story: “The Whistle” by
Anne Estevis p. 228c
Poem: “Hanging Fire” by Audre
Lord p.229
Close Reader:
Poem: “Identity” by Julia
Noboa Polanco p. 234d
Anchor Text:
Argument: “When do Kids Become
Adults?” from “Room for Debate” in
the New York Times 1440L p.235
LG: Trace and evaluate arguments
and evaluate supporting evidence
to determine whether it is relevant
or irrelevant.
Poem: “Hard on Gas” by Janet
S. Wong p. 234e
Close Reader:
Historic Article: “ Much Too
Young to Work So Hard” p.
246c
Reading Focus
Theme
Characters’ Motivation
Inferences
Symbol
Argument
Claim
Fact/Opinion
Central/Main Idea
Details
Draw Conclusions
Deductive/Inductive
Reasoning
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Poster: “Driving Distracted” p.263
LG: Analyze the purpose of a public
service announcement and
understand the elements used in it.
Intertextual Unit:
“Families”
Related Works:
“The Song of Hiawatha”
by Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow
(grammar, vocabulary, syntax)
Metaphor
Simile
Latin Suffix (-ation)
Infinitives
Words Ending in –y
Denotation
Connotation
Greek Roots
Voice
“The Seven Ages of
Man” by William
Shakespeare
Mood
Idiom
Domain Specific
Words
Fragments
from Poor Richard’s
Almanack by Benjamin
Franklin
Epigrams by Mark Twain
Golden Novel:
The Giver (Novel will be
addressed in QBA2
Exam)
debate (debatable, debated)
deduce (deduction, deductive, deducible)
license (licensed)
sufficient (sufficiently, insufficient)
trend (trendy)
Extensions - Secondary Gifted Resources


Teengagement
Language Focus
Dramatic Reading
Debate


Camera Shots and Shot Selections Persuasive
Techniques: Visual and Print/Narration: Level Up
Tutorial
How to Create a Public Service Announcement
Formative and
Summative
Assessments
Online Selection
Tests
Summative
Assessments:
Academic Vocabulary
Public Service Announcement:
“Your Phone Can Wait” p.263
Make inferences: Interactive Whiteboard Lesson
Determine Meaning of Words and Phrases: Interactive
Whiteboard Lesson: Figurative Language and Imagery
Fact and Opinion
Write an Objective Summary: Interactive whiteboard
Lesson: Summarizing Text
Cite Evidence
Compare and Contrast
Opinion
Public Service Announcement
Literary Analysis
Kylene Beers Discussion Terms
Listening & Speaking
Focus
Article: “Fatal Car Crashes Drop for
16-Year-Olds, Rise for Older Teens”
by Allison Aubrey 1070L p.247
LG: Determine central ideas and
details while analyzing relationships
between ideas.
(Click icon below for
related fyi articles)
Writing Focus
Article: “Is 16 Too Young to Drive a
Car?” by Robert Davis 1150L p.247


Additional
Suggested
Resources
EQs: Is it possible to progress in to adulthood without relinquishing
Close Reader
Selections
Poem: “Teenagers” by Pat Mora
p.229
LG: Make inferences and determine
the theme of a poem.
Print Version
Related Texts:
Reality Central
Performance
Task A: Write a
Literary Analysis p.
269
Task A: Literary
Analysis Rubric
p. 272
Performance
Task B: Produce a
Multimedia
Campaign p.273
Task B: Multimedia
Campaign Rubric
p. 276
Collection 4 Test
OPT: Tic-tac-toe
board
Interventions ESE Accommodations - ELL Strategies - ELL Accommodations




Analyze Stories: Characters’ Motivation: Level Up
Tutorial
Determine Theme: Level Up Tutorial
Trace and Evaluate an Argument: Level Up Tutorial:
Analyzing Arguments
Analyze Information in Texts

Evaluating Advantages and Disadvantages of Media
Collection 4: Thematic Connections (Teacher Version)
The connection between these texts
is an awareness of the
responsibilities of an adult. In Text 1
the main character becomes aware
of the feelings of others and herself
after she destroys a garden. In Text
5 many youth became aware of the
restrictions surrounding acquiring a
driver’s license at 16 and decided to
wait until 18 to get one.
Marigolds:
In the depression era, a young girl
expresses her frustration and her fury
upon a flowerbed. When she looks up
to see the owner standing over her she
sees with the eyes of adulthood, and
she knows that the innocence of her
childhood is gone forever.
Fatal Car Crashes Drop for 16-YearOlds, Rise for Older Teens
Tougher state restrictions have
many teenagers waiting until they
are 18 before acquiring their license.
Then they have less experience and
a higher incidence of becoming
involved in an accident.
These texts focus on drivers’ licenses for young
adults. In Text 4 the concern is that 16 may be too
young for drivers’ licenses. Text 5 shows that the
rate of accidents went down for 16 year old only
because they were waiting until they were 18 to
avoid the tougher restrictions so then the accident
rate shot up for that group.
Hanging Fire (2a):
A poem from a teenage girl’s perspective
concerning her jumbled emotions and a lack
of communication with her mother.
Approaching Adulthood
Teenagers (2b):
This poem is from a parental perspective
about the lack of communication between
parents and their teenage children.
Is it possible to progress
into adulthood without
relinquishing innocence
and naivety?
What makes the
transition from
childhood to adulthood
so difficult?
The connection between these texts is the
physical and emotional changes that signal
adulthood. In both poems there is an
emotional change taking place within the
teenage bodies. In Text 3, there are various
physiological changes occurring.
When Do Kids become
Adults?
Is 16 Too Young to Drive a Car?
Driver’s licenses have been required
since the early 1800s and age
restrictions began later. Eventually
all states adopted the age of 16.
Now some states are rethinking this
decision.
In these texts the communication
between family members is lacking. In
text 1 the daughter takes out her
frustration on a flowerbed. In Text 2a the
daughter desperately wishes that her
mother’s door would open so she could
talk to her. In text 2b the mother is sad
over the lack of communication with her
teenager.
The connection between
these texts is the question of
age as a determining factor
for maturity and the
responsibility that comes with
adulthood. In Text 3, various
authors contribute their ideas
on this while Text 4 focuses on
concerns over 16-year-old
drivers.
5 different arguments
about when kids should be
considered adults.
Collection 4: Thematic Connections (Student Version)