English, grades 6 to 8

Units

1. 1

   Reading stories: plot, character and theme

   3 lessons

   1. Citing evidence from a storyMake a claim about a character and support it with the exact words of the text, choosing the quotation that proves the claim best, and tell what the text says from what it only suggests.
   2. Theme and how it developsTell a story's topic from its theme, trace how events build the theme, and write a short summary of the story that leaves out opinions.
   3. Plot, character and how events shape each otherShow how a line of dialogue or an incident reveals a character, moves the plot forward or leads a character to a decision.
2. 2

   Author's craft: words, point of view and structure

   3 lessons

   1. Word choice, tone and meaningTell a word's literal meaning from its feeling, explain a figure of speech, and show how an author's word choices set a tone.
   2. How structure shapes meaningShow how a poem's stanzas and rhyme scheme and a play's acts give a text its shape, and explain how that shape adds to its meaning.
   3. Point of view and its effectTell first person from third person, show how what a character knows differs from what the reader knows, and explain how that gap makes suspense or humour.
3. 3

   Comparing texts across genres and media

   3 lessons

   1. Comparing text with audio, video or live versionsCompare a story as a book with a film, audio or live version, say what each form can do, and explain how a change in form changes the effect.
   2. Fiction and historyCompare a made-up or poetic portrayal of a time and person with a historical account, say what each keeps and changes, and explain why an author would choose to change it.
   3. How modern works use older themesShow how a modern film, play or novel borrows a theme, a pattern of events or a type of character from an old myth, tale or play, and say what the borrowing adds.
4. 4

   Poetry and drama

   3 lessons

   1. Reading a poem closelyRead a short poem stanza by stanza, say what each stanza adds, and explain how one line or stanza fits the whole poem's meaning and tone.
   2. Sound, rhyme and figurative languageFind rhyme, alliteration and repetition in a stanza, name a simile, metaphor or personification, and say what each does to the meaning or mood.
   3. Drama: dialogue, stage directions and structureRead a short script, tell dialogue from stage directions, say what each adds, and compare the structure of a drama with the structure of a story.
5. 5

   Reading for information: main idea and evidence

   3 lessons

   1. Evidence for an analysis of nonfictionSeparate what an informational text says outright from what it lets you infer, and support each with the text's exact words.
   2. Central ideas and summariesFind two central ideas in an informational text, trace how details develop each, and write a short objective summary with no opinions.
   3. How ideas and individuals connectExplain how a text connects people, ideas and events through cause and effect, comparisons and analogies, and categories.
6. 6

   Text structure and features

   3 lessons

   1. How a section fits the wholeExplain how one sentence, paragraph or section of a text fits the structure of the whole and what it adds to the author's ideas.
   2. Author's point of view and purposeName an author's purpose and point of view in an informational text, find the words that show them, and tell how the author sets his position apart from others.
   3. Evaluating an argumentPick out the claim, reasons and evidence in a short argument, and judge whether each reason is relevant and the reasoning sound.
7. 7

   Comparing sources and media

   3 lessons

   1. Integrating information in different mediaCombine what words, a chart, a map and a diagram each say about a topic into one clear understanding, and tell what each form shows best.
   2. Comparing two authors on the same topicCompare how two authors present the same facts, say what each emphasises and what interpretation each advances, and cite the words that show it.
   3. Conflicting information between textsSpot where two texts disagree about a fact or an interpretation, find out why, and decide how to check which one to trust.
8. 8

   Writing arguments

   3 lessons

   1. Claim, reasons and evidenceWrite a short argument that introduces a clear claim, gives reasons in a sensible order and backs each reason with relevant evidence.
   2. Acknowledging the counterclaimState the opposing view fairly, answer it with a reason and evidence, and use credible sources to support your own claim.
   3. Distinguishing claims and a strong conclusionMake your claim stand apart from the alternate claims, link the paragraphs with words and phrases that create cohesion, and end with a conclusion that follows from the argument.
9. 9

   Informative and explanatory writing

   3 lessons

   1. Introducing and developing a topicWrite an introduction that names a topic and previews it, then develop the topic with facts, definitions, details and examples organised in a clear order.
   2. Transitions and precise languageUse transitions that show how ideas relate and replace vague words with precise and domain-specific language in informative writing.
   3. Formal style and concluding statementEstablish and keep a formal style in informative writing and write a concluding statement that follows from the information.
10. 10

    Narrative writing

    3 lessons

    1. Narrative techniquesPlan and begin a narrative with a hook, a setting, a character with a problem and events in a clear order that builds to a turning point.
    2. Pacing, dialogue and reflectionControl the pace of a story by speeding up and slowing down, write dialogue that shows character and is correctly punctuated, and add a reflection that shows what an experience meant.
    3. Sensory language and a meaningful endingUse precise words and details that appeal to the five senses, and write a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the events of a narrative.
11. 11

    The writing process: plan, revise and edit

    3 lessons

    1. Planning and revisingUse the writing process, planning, drafting, revising, editing and rewriting, and tell revising from editing.
    2. Matching style to task, purpose and audienceChoose the organisation, details and voice that fit a writing task, its purpose and its audience, and revise a piece for a different audience.
    3. Technology, collaboration and publishingUse technology to produce, share and publish writing, give and use peer feedback, and show relationships between ideas efficiently.
12. 12

    Research projects

    3 lessons

    1. Short research projectsTurn a broad topic into a focused research question, plan a short project that uses several sources, take notes and refocus the question when the sources suggest it.
    2. Judging sources and avoiding plagiarismJudge a source's credibility, tell a quotation from a paraphrase from plagiarism, and cite what you borrow.
    3. Drawing evidence from textsSupport an analysis of a literary or informational text with well-chosen evidence, explain how the evidence proves the point and compare how the two kinds of text give evidence.
13. 13

    Discussion and presentations

    3 lessons

    1. Productive discussionPrepare for a discussion by reading and noting, follow agreed norms, ask questions that build on others and respond to what each speaker says.
    2. Presenting claims and findingsPresent a claim and findings in a focused, coherent talk that emphasises the main points with evidence, sound reasoning and clear delivery.
    3. Evaluating a speaker's argumentIdentify a speaker's claim, reasons and evidence, and judge whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence relevant and sufficient.
14. 14

    Grammar, usage and punctuation

    3 lessons

    1. Pronouns, phrases and clausesUse the right pronoun case, number and person, fix pronoun errors, and tell phrases from clauses and independent from dependent clauses.
    2. Commas, hyphens and spellingUse commas between coordinate adjectives and around nonrestrictive elements, use hyphens correctly in compound words, and spell commonly confused words correctly.
    3. Verbals, voice and moodName gerunds, participles and infinitives, use the active and passive voice on purpose, and choose among verb moods.
15. 15

    Vocabulary and word meanings

    3 lessons

    1. Context clues and word partsWork out the meaning of an unknown word from the clues around it and from its Greek or Latin root, prefix and suffix, then check the guess.
    2. Figurative language and word relationshipsExplain what an allusion and common figures of speech mean in context, and use synonyms, antonyms and analogies to see how words relate.
    3. Academic and domain-specific wordsTell general academic words from domain-specific words, work out what each means in its subject, and use both accurately in your own writing.