SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Grade 08 Unit 03 Hybrid Literary and Informational Text
Special Education and Consultant Teacher Resource Guide
* Denotes that scaffold is contained in the original unit.
Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
3.1 Readers can identify patterns and connections by
asking themselves, “Why does this keep coming up?
What might the author be showing us with these
patterns?”
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
While the theme of a piece of literature is a message
about people, life, and the world we live in, the
central idea, on the other hand, is the main topic or
gist of the text.
* Quick Write: Identify a pattern that is evident in the
text we read today. What are you noticing about this
pattern? What might the author be showing us with
this pattern? Use details from the text to support your
answer.
Unit 3 Vocabulary Hybrid ppt.
* “Why does this keep coming up? What might the
author be showing us with these patterns? What
connections are being made throughout the text?”
* Code words that continue to appear in the text (i.e.,
look for the words that come up the most; look for
words that support the main idea). Discuss what these
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
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refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
words might be hinting at.
* Prezi Introduction to the book
* Note catcher: Patterns & Details
*Using Monster: Determine the central idea
LearnZillion Lesson
*Using Monster: Determine the theme of a story
LearnZillion Lesson
Family Calendar January 2015, February 2015
3.2 Readers can connect specific, relevant details in a
text to the theme or central idea. They do this by
looking for lines in the text that support a theme or
central idea.
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
*Think-Ink-Pair-Share (literary): Which lines from the
text show how the character, setting, or plot
connects to the theme?
*Think-Ink-Pair Share (informational): Which lines from
the text are supporting ideas that connect to the
central idea?
* Teacher may provide a few lines of text and ask
how these lines are supporting ideas that connect to
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
the theme or central idea.
Various Useful Organizers:
*Theme and Central Idea Commonalities Chart
Main Central idea
Four Square Writing Template
Hierarchical Organizer
Notes on Main Idea Organizer
Sum it Up Card
3.3 Readers can summarize key events by asking
themselves, “Which events are important to the
theme or central idea?”
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
*Quick Write: Determine a theme* and explain how
the theme connects characters, setting, and plot.
*Teachers can substitute central idea for theme if text
is non-fiction.
Box and Bullet Organizer
*Central Idea Chart G/O
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
Reading Tic Tac Toe
3.4a Readers can track changes in a character by
looking closely at the character’s actions and
reactions. They ask: “How did the character say that?
How did the character look? What idea do I have
about who the character is?”
*Teachers should choose these two teaching points
(3.4a and 3.4b) with a specific text in mind. They
should be taught separately and are text dependent.
*Close Reading Protocol Video
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
Useful Organizers:
Character Considerations Organizer
Analyzing Characters
Character Analysis 2
Character Change
Leaving tracks in fiction
*Monster Character List
*Text Graffiti Quotes
*Scaffolding Questions:
Think about how each character is described? How
does the description help readers understand the
character’s motivations?
*Text Dependent Questions:
 On page 203, Steve makes the statement, “We
lie to ourselves here. Maybe we are here
because we lie to ourselves.” What could Steve
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
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refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
have lied about to himself that would lead to
jail?
*Explain how the major events in the story reveal the
character’s motivations?
*Using Monster: Tracking how a character changes
LearnZillion Lesson
*Text Graffiti Strategy: The Teaching Channel
3.4b Readers can track connections among
individuals, ideas, and events. They ask: “How are the
individuals, ideas or events related? How do they
connect? What idea do I have about what this text is
saying?”
(Teacher questions: Are there ideas that are running
across the whole text? What more information do you
have? What does it make you think? How does it
relate to earlier parts of the text?)
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
Character Considerations (see 3.4a for link)
*Quick Write: How are the individuals, ideas or events
related? How do they connect? What idea do I have
about what this text is saying? What evidence do I
have from the text to support this?
*Setting: Courtroom Layout Organizer
*Using Monster: Analyze the impact of setting on
character relationships LearnZillion Lesson
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
*Using Monster: Analyze the impact of setting on
characters LearnZillion Lesson
3.5 Readers can analyze characters’ motivations by
asking themselves, “Why would a character say that,
do that, or think that?”
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
Character Considerations (see 3.4a for link)
*Quick Write: Reread the following quote from the
text: (Teacher to insert quote, this is text dependent).
*What does this quote show the reader about the
character’s motivation? How do you know? Use
details from the text to support your answer.
*Possible quotes to use:
“They take away your shoelaces and your belt so you
can’t kill yourself no matter how bad it is. I guess
making you live is part of the punishment.”
“The movie is more real in so many ways than the life I
am leading. No, that’s not true. I just desperately wish
this was only a movie.”
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
3.6 Readers can explain how authors use specific
words to create a tone. They reread to note words
that evoke strong reactions. They think to themselves,
“How does the authors feel about this topic?” and
“What evidence do I have from the text to support
this?”
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
*Quick Write:
What is the tone of the text? Which words or phrases
does the author use to create that tone? Choose one
evocative line or passage in the text. What does this
line suggest/imply?
*Close Read:
Teacher selects a section of text to reread. Ask,
“How would you describe the author’s tone at this
point?”
Possible Quotes to use for this:
“Ain't no use putting the blanket over your head,
man. You can't cut this out; this is reality. This is the
real deal." Chapter 1, p. 7
"I can hardly think about the movie, I hate this place
so much. But if I didn't think of the movie I would go
crazy. All they talk about in here is hurting people."
Chapter 2, p. 45
"The dream took place in the courtroom. I was trying
to ask questions and nobody could hear me. I was
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
shouting and shouting but everyone went about their
business as if I wasn't there. I hope I didn't shout out in
my sleep. That would look weak to everybody. It's not
good to be weak in here." Chapter 3, pp. 63-64
*T-Chart (Glencoe, pg. 546):
*Find two examples of tone, and use words or phrases
directly from the text to show how the author has
created tone.
DIDLS for Tone Analysis
Tone and Mood Mini Lesson
Teaching Tone and Mood Lesson and Video
Tone and Mood PPT
3.7 Readers can identify and differentiate between
words with connotative and denotative meanings that
connect to the tone.
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
*Quick Write: Identify words with a connotative
meaning and identify the feeling of each word. How
do these words connect to the tone of this piece?
*Connotative vs. Denotative Mini Lesson Resource
Connotative vs. Denotative Organizer
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
Denotation vs. Connotation Def/Sketch
*Text Dependent Questions:
“Pay careful attention to the dialogue that O’Brien
uses. On page 16, the word “whatever” says a lot
about O’Brien. What does that word choice say
about her?
“What can you conclude about Ms. O’Brien when
she answers Steve, “It probably depends on what you
mean by win”?
3.8 Readers can identify when an author uses
figurative language by locating examples of
metaphors, similes, idioms, alliteration, and
personification.
*Poetry Lessons LearnZillion Resource
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
*Idiom Practice
*Mini-lesson: Color Marking
*Figurative Language Activities:




Figurative Language Chart
Figurative Language Flow Chart
Figurative Language Sort part 1
Figurative Language: Term, Definition, Examples
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports

Figurative Language Graphic Organizer
Brain Pop Idioms
*Scaffolding Question for Metaphor:
To what does the speaker compare________?
3.9 Readers can explain what effect figurative
language has by asking, “Why does the author use this
device?”
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
Figurative Language Graphic Organizer (see 3.8 for
link)
*Quick Write: How does the author’s use of figurative
language help you to imagine the poem? List some
specific lines from the text that help you imagine this.
3.10 Readers can explain what affect certain words
and phrases have on the central idea by asking, “Why
does the author use these words or phrases?”
(Teacher questions: Some words are more important
than others. Which words feel important? What do
they suggest? Why does the author choose certain
words?)
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
*Quick Write: Choose one evocative word or phrase
in the text. What does this word or phrase
suggest/imply? How do you know? Why did the
author use it and how does it affect the central idea?
*Scaffolding Questions for Poetry:
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
What effect do you think those rhyming words might
have on a reader?
*Text Dependent Question:
 What is Steve’s purpose for including the
random, casual dialogue on p. 65-67?
*Using Monster: Analyze a key word or phrase to
interpret the story LearnZillion Lesson
Word Choice Organizer
3.11 Readers can analyze how an author has
structured a text and think to themselves, “Why would
the author use this structure or literary device? What is
he or she trying to show me?”
Explicit vocabulary instruction when reviewing the
objective.
*Quick Write:
Monster is a novel written in a screenplay format with
Steve’s journal entries mixed in throughout. Do you
think this is an effective structure for the book? Why or
why not?
* Literary Device Sort: Definitions and Examples
*“Why Children Are Killing Children” text structure
organizer
*Notes on structure of a Screenplay
* The author uses the structure of ________ to show the
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still 11
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
reader _________. I know this because______. (Use
evidence from the text)
Text Structure Signal Words
Text Structure Reference Sheet
Identifying Text Structures
Scholastic Graphic Organizers
Structure Flow Chart
3.12 Readers can look for particular structures within a
paragraph that develop or refine a key concept
(central idea). They ask themselves, “What role do
these sentences play in developing the concept or
idea? How does this specific structure add to the
meaning of the central idea?”
(Teacher could share the following: In this lesson, you
will learn how to determine the main idea of a section
of a text by looking for that ‘stand-out sentence’ that
summarizes what you are reading. Most often, but not
always, this is this first or last sentence
in a section or paragraph.)
*Think-Ink-Pair-Share:
Reread the following paragraph (TBD by teacher and
text). Out of the following structures (TBD by teacher
and text), choose ONE structure and explain how this
structure added to the understanding of the central
idea.
If using Monster with this teaching point, a suggested
structure to discuss could be Steve’s journal entries.
*Common Core PEEL Anchor Chart
Student Packet Children’s Topics
* Informational Text Post Reading Questions
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
Text Structure Writing Prompt
Activity Using Nonfiction Text
*Text Dependent Question:
 Why does Steve choose to include the voice
overs on pages 220-222?
3.13 Readers can explain how an author’s point of
view affects how he or she presents evidence. They
look for information that shows the author’s viewpoint
and ask, “Does this evidence support or conflict with
that viewpoint?”
Locked Away Forever? Leveled read and organizer.
*Quick Write: How does the author’s point of view
affect the evidence presented? Does the author
present information in a way that shows bias or
opinion?
*Previewing Text Activity:
*Preview the text. Think about the author’s
perspective or angle. What have you learned about
the text from previewing it?
*Answer the following stem:
“From what I know so far, the author feels ___________
about this subject.”
Author’s Point of View
Author’s Purpose and Point of View
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Teaching Points (Lesson Objectives)
Scaffolds and Supports
3.14 Readers can identify specific claims and assess
whether the claim is sound by asking themselves,
“Does this make sense? Is there enough evidence that
supports the claim?”
3.15 Readers can compare and contrast how two or
more texts present conflicting information on the same
topic by identifying the author’s viewpoint.
(Teachers to students: we use the skill of identifying
fact and opinion to help figure out how the author
interprets the facts to support his or her viewpoint.)
District Recommended Readings
Anchor Text:
Monster by Walter Dean Myers (Level Z, Lexile
670)
Student Packet (see 3.12 for link)
Locked Away Forever? Leveled read and organizer.
(see 3.13 for link)
*T-Chart: Review your notes. Does the evidence
offered support the ideas in the text (the claim)?
Does the evidence make sense? Is there enough
evidence that supports the claim? Record the
information on t-chart.
Locked Away Forever? Leveled read and organizer.
(see 3.13 for link)
Venn Diagram
Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer
Modifications to text
Chunk the text/pair share read/class read aloud.
Monster unit overview
This unit asks readers to make connections
among texts of multiple genres. In order to
address all of the teaching points it is necessary
to pair the novel, Monster, with some of the
other texts provided below.
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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Picture Books:
“Just One Flick of a Finger” by Marybeth
Lorbiecki & David Diaz
“Harlem” by Walter Dean Myers
Websites:
Meet the Author: Walter Dean Myer
Video Interview with Walter Dean Myers
Author Website
Class read
Same
Discussion Questions
Informational Articles:
Why Children Are Killing Children by Joy
Bennett Kinnon (Lexile 1170)
Reducing Youth Incarceration by The Annie E.
Casey Foundation (Lexile 1420)
excerpt from the Juvenile Offenders and
Victims: A National Report (Lexile 1260) and
diagram
Juvenile and Gangs (Lexile 1390)
Chunk the text.
Chunk the text
-Cut up text and have students summarize small section. Complete a class
Jigsaw or give one get one.
Locked Away Forever leveled read and organizer.
Paired Informational Articles for Standards
RI.8.6, RI.8.8, RI.8.9/ Teaching Points 3.13** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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3.15:
Study: Teens Who Expect to Die Young Are More Likely to Commit Crime
Teenage Criminals Should Not Be Tried As
Adults by Lisa Young (Lexile 1620)
White House Asks Schools to Stop Coming Down Hard on Misbehaving
Students
Criminal Youth Should Be Imprisoned by
James Backstrom (Lexile 1610)
Should Teenagers Be Tried As Adults?
Poetry:
The 6th Sense by Dominique Belanger
Regret by Brooke Hoffer
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Vocabulary and authors notes.
Vocabulary and authors notes.
Road Not Taken Interpretation
Regret poem and hand out
Road not taken poem and hand out
Road not taken leaves powerpoint
** These resources are in addition to the scaffolding provided on Curriculum Central grade 8. It is important that you still
refer to the original curriculum for guidance. Modify the given text in form or delivery to best meet the needs of your
students.
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