MO ELA Standards (Grade 8)

Analyze how an author's choice concerning a text's form or overall structure contributes to meaning.

Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader create dramatic irony.

Analyze how specific word choices and sentence structures contribute to meaning and tone.

Analyze how literary devices are used to develop setting, reveal character, advance the plot, and contribute to meaning.

Analyze how an author's choice concerning a text's organization or overall structure contributes to meaning.

Analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or points of view in a text.

Analyze how word choice and sentence structure contribute to meaning and tone.

Evaluate an author's argument, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

Review, revise, and edit writing with consideration for the task, purpose, and audience. a. Organization and content: Introduce the topic, maintain a clear focus throughout the text, and provide a conclusion that follows from the text. Add or delete content and change organization to achieve the writer's purpose.

Review, revise, and edit writing with consideration for the task, purpose, and audience. b. Word choice, syntax, and style: Choose precise language and make syntactical choices appropriate for the style, task, and audience.

Review, revise, and edit writing with consideration for the task, purpose, and audience. c. Conventions of standard English and usage: Demonstrate a command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including spelling and punctuation.

Review, revise, and edit writing with consideration for the task, purpose, and audience. d. Use a variety of transitions to clarify relationships, connect ideas and claims, and signal time shifts.

Review, revise, and edit writing with consideration for the task, purpose, and audience. e. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing, present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently, and interact and collaborate with others.

a. Conduct research to answer a question (including a self-generated question); gather relevant, credible sources, print and digital; integrate information using a standard citation system.

b. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Follow a writing process to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, style, and voice are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience; develop writing with narrative, expository, and argumentative techniques. a. Narrative: Develop narratives including poems about real or imagined experiences which establish and maintain a consistent point of view and include clearly identified characters, well-structured event sequences, narrative techniques, and relevant descriptive details.

Follow a writing process to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, style, and voice are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience; develop writing with narrative, expository, and argumentative techniques. b. Expository: Develop informative/explanatory writing to examine a topic with relevant facts, examples, and details; establish relationships between ideas and supporting evidence.

Follow a writing process to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, style, and voice are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience; develop writing with narrative, expository, and argumentative techniques. c. Argumentative: Develop argumentative writing by introducing and supporting a claim with clear reasons and relevant evidence; acknowledging counterclaims; and establishing relationships among claims, counterclaims, and supporting evidence.

Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

Delineate a speaker's argument and claims, evaluating reasoning and sufficiency of evidence in order to pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.

Acknowledge new information expressed by others including those presented in diverse media and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of evidence presented.

Draw conclusions, infer, and analyze by citing the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings using context, affixes, or reference materials.

Interpret visual elements of a text and draw conclusions from them (when applicable).

Determine the theme(s) of a text and analyze its development over the course of a text; provide an objective summary of the text.

Draw conclusions, infer, and analyze by citing the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative, connotative, and content-specific meanings using context, affixes, or reference materials.

Interpret visual elements of a text including those from different media and draw conclusions from them (when applicable).

Explain the central/main idea(s) of a text and analyze its development over the course of a text; provide an objective summary of the text.

Speak audibly and to the point, using conventions of language as appropriate to task, purpose, and audience when presenting including appropriate volume, clear articulation, and accurate pronunciation at an understandable pace.

Make consistent eye contact with a range of listeners when speaking, using effective gestures to communicate a clear viewpoint and engage listeners.

Plan and deliver appropriate presentations based on the task, audience, and purpose integrating multimedia into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

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.

Explain how contemporary texts make use of archetypal characters or universal themes from older or traditional texts.

Explain how themes reflect historical and/or cultural contexts.

Read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, independently and proficiently.

Compare and contrast information presented in different mediums and analyze how the techniques unique to each medium contribute to meaning.

Analyze two or more texts that provide conflicting information on the same topic, and identify where the texts disagree on matter of fact or interpretation.

Explain how the central ideas of text reflect historical and/or cultural contexts.

Read and comprehend informational text independently and proficiently.