Grade 8 Language Arts Benchmarks

By the end of the year, students can:

 

  • Independently read a wide variety of young-adult-appropriate texts including non-fiction, magazine articles, newspaper articles, novels, poems and reports.
  • Independently write all content in main lesson books
  • Accurately summarize main lesson presentations
  • Manage a variety of writing forms including announcements, invitations, press releases, directions, letters to the editor, etc.
  • Write successful essays
  • Proofread their own and classmates’ work with a focus on punctuation, grammar, and spelling
  • Imitate the style of a particular author or poet
  • Interpret Literature
  • Use narrative structure in short story writing, including point of view
  • Comfortably use reference materials for independent research projects
  • Summarize a story or event orally and in writing
  • Retell a story from the point of view of a particular character
  • Demonstrate beautiful handwriting
  • Demonstrate a wide range of vocabulary in writing and speaking
  • Give poised, confident oral presentations