8th Grade Literature Homework (by date, oldest first)

NEW IN 2021: Rigorous! Thought-provoking! Discussion-Based! This 40-page EDITABLE poetry unit promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor. The discussion questions, quizzes on poetic devices, and analytical writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of Robert Frost's poems and generate profound interpretive insights!!

Here are some highlights from this 40-page curriculum:

• 10 Poems by Robert Frost: The 10 poems in this mini-unit feature Robert Frost's BEST works of poetry: "Mending Wall," "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening," "Nothing Gold Can Stay," "The Road Not Taken," "Fire and Ice," and more. The 10 poems are split between two Homework Packets, with each packet featuring 5 poems. (12 pages)

• Discussion Questions: This bundle features a list of discussion questions for two poems from each of the homework packets. The discussion questions will ensure that every class discussion starts on a productive note. Every discussion question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! The questions lend themselves to a range of different pedagogical uses: 1) to focus students’ thinking prior to beginning a discussion, 2) to prompt in-class writing, 3) to assign written reflections for homework, etc. Guaranteed to elicit student engagement and foster deep thinking! Answer keys included. (16 pages)

• Quick Writes: The quick writes give students an opportunity to capture and refine the best ideas generated in the discussion. Quick writes can also help reticent students to gather their thoughts so they'll feel ready and eager to contribute. (4 pages)

• Literary Devices Quizzes: Open each class with a quiz of 10 questions to assess whether your students can accurately identify the literary devices used in the poems from the homework packets: metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, etc. Answer keys included. (4 pages)

• Literary Devices Glossary: A glossary with definitions and examples of the various types of figurative language, imagery, stanzas, and syntactic devices. Many teachers already have a glossary of literary devices, but I'm providing this in case you need one. (2 pages)

• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on a poem of their choice. The assignment sheet contains detailed instructions for how to generate a formalist analysis of a poem (analyzing how the poem's formal features contribute to its meaning). This kind of formalist analysis is exactly what students are asked to generate on the AP Literature exam! Sample paper included. (3 pages)

This 40-page unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word doc and PDF. Because the Word doc is fully editable, you'll be able to customize the materials to suit your teaching style and/or the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access the full unit as a PDF file, which is quick to navigate and easy to print!

Because I believe that teachers should be able to see exactly what they'll be getting before they purchase, the preview for this resource allows viewing accesses to 25 pages. Click on the green “PREVIEW” button to see exactly what you’ll get. . . .

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Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

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This 4-page pre-reading handout provides students with important background information for understanding William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. This resource includes a two-page handout on the history of the Roman Republic. The resource also included is a comprehension check and answer key so that teachers can assess whether students have understood important details from the handout.

Learning about the history of the Roman Republic will provide students with the contextual information necessary for understanding certain lines in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. You could have students read this handout for homework before starting the play; or you could have students read the handout aloud together in class before giving them the comprehension check worksheet.

If you like this pre-reading handout, you'll definitely want to check out my 160-page Complete Teaching Unit on Julius Caesar. The complete unit features colorful and engaging worksheets on every scene in Shakespeare's play. Because the complete unit is both professionally designed and academically rigorous, it is especially well-suited for courses like Honors English and AP Lang.

Wishing you an amazing experience with teaching this complex play. If you have any questions along the way, please don't hesitate to get in touch. And don't forget to check out the Complete Teaching Unit on Julius Caesar....

Happy teaching,

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

P.S. Remember to “follow” my store to receive email updates on new products by Rigorous Resources. New products will be 50% OFF for the first 24 hours!

Feel free to check out these complete units on Shakespeare's masterpieces:

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Romeo and Juliet

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Julius Caesar

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Macbeth

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Othello

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Hamlet

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Much Ado About Nothing

INTRO TO SHAKESPEARE: Biography, Globe Theater, Language, & Meter

When I read Night with my students, our focus is how imagery contributes to the author’s purpose of examining how cruelty fuels dehumanization. This product gives you everything you need to track the imagery, check for understanding with 2 paragraph response prompts, and a final test. I’ve included many examples you can refer to as exemplars for the tracking chart, sample paragraph responses, and the Essential Question that you can hang on your board. The final test includes 10 rigorous multiple choice questions that require students to analyze Wiesel's imagery, as well as a final paragraph response question. A thorough answer key for the test is included as well.

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The excerpt from "Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored" by Clifton L. Taulbert appears in my school's 8th grade red McDougal Littell textbook. This product instructs students to read and annotated a xeroxed copy of the text. Then they have 6 text-based questions to answer in complete sentence that ask them to analyze the text. The questions are on the following topics: characterization, plot, inference, author's craft, and theme. An answer key is included.

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This is an analysis of my FAVORITE quote from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, which appears on page 79 of my version of the text (the one with the red cover and book of matches). There are 4 questions that can be used as a Do Now/Bellringer, Exit Ticket, partner activity, or even as a homework assignment. Answers are included!

It’s not books you need, it’s some of the things that once were in books. The same things could be in the ‘parlor families’ today. The same infinite detail and awareness could be projected through the radios and televisors, but are not. No, no, it’s not books at all you’re looking for! Take it where you can find it, in old phonograph records, old motion pictures, and in old friends; look for it in nature and look for it in yourself. Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them, at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us” (Bradbury 79).

Please check out my shop for other great Fahrenheit 451 resources!

This is a very simple double entry journal assignment. Over the course of the week, students are asked to read their book at home and in class. As they read, they will practice reading strategies and identifying literary concepts. They will cite their quote on the left, and analyze it on the right.

A special thank you to Mae Hates Mondays for the clipart used in this product!

https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Students-at-Work-Freebie-2611203

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As students read their independent reading/ reading workshop book over the course of the week, they will select 5 words or phrases that the author used that stood out to them, or had a particularly strong impact. They will put the 5 words, definitions, and an analysis of how the author used them onto one piece of blank paper. The end result will be one page of visually appealing information. I used this for independent reading, but you could use it for a specific novel or even literature circles. The file contains directions for you to copy or post, Success Criteria, and a scoring rubric.

This digital assignment is PERFECT for use during Distance Learning. Students can view the requirements and the rubric in this PDF, then create and submit their final product through Google Classroom or whatever way you use for your students!

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This 2-page assignment requires students to make an inference and a prediction based on 6 quotes pulled from pages 69-88, which is the first half of chapter 4. They make predictions and inferences about TJ's character, TJ and Stacey's friendship, Mr. Morrison's character, the situation with Mr. Tatum, When TJ "goes back for his cap", and the incident at the Wallace Store based on quotes from the text. You could have them do it while reading individually, with a partner, or in a small group. It could be done during or after reading the assigned pages.

The following file contains 8 text-based questions that require students to infer, analyze, recall, predict, and support their answers. The directions state the students need to use text evidence to back up their answers. This set of questions pertains to chapters 9, 10, and 11 of The Giver. An answer key is included.

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This week- long assignment asks students to make nightly entries describing the setting of the scene they read that night, and then analyze how the setting affects the tone and mood. At the end, they need to draw a conclusion about the relationship between setting and mood/ tone.

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Background: Due to the first person limited narrator S.E. Hinton used in The Outsiders, the Socs are mostly silent. We are very aware of the greasers’ point of view and of their problems and concerns, but the Socs remain aloof and mysterious. Luckily, we hear from two important Socs—Cherry and Randy—who help us come to a better understanding of what it’s like to be a Soc.

This worksheet requires students to analyze quotes from Cherry and Randy, as well as the conversation Pony has with Randy on p. 115-118. It is best completed after reading chapter 7. It ends with a question that relates what the students have learned during this chapter to the main conflict of the novel.

You could use this as homework or classwork, and have students do it individually or with a partner/ small group. I've included an answer key for your convenience!

This product bundles ALL of my shop's Holocaust- related resources together. Please check out each product individually using the links below. Thank you!

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This bundle includes an imagery unit plan, a question trail, an analysis of "Never Shall I Forget" from chapter 3, an analysis of "Juliek's Violin" by Cyrus Cassells (to use with chapter 6), and a Socratic Seminar for Elie Wiesel's Night. Please check out each product individually. Thank you!

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This big bundle includes every Ray Bradbury product in my store. It includes materials to teach Fahrenheit 451 as well as 5 different short stories, including:

1. "Dark They Were, and Golden Eyed" ("The Naming of Names")

2. "There Will Come Soft Rains"

3. "The Veldt"

4. "A Sound of Thunder"

5. "All Summer in a Day"

Please check out each product individually! Thank you for looking!

This product bundles all the Fahrenheit 451 resources in my store! Please check them out individually for details. Thank you!

Please help my little business grow!

Did you know that you can receive $ credit towards future TeachShare purchases by reviewing this product? Please leave a review at the product page or through "My Purchases" under "My Account" at TpT. Thank you!

This product bundles all of the products I have in my store for S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. You'll get everything from characterization activities to a creative narrative writing assignment to an analysis of "Nothing Gold Can Stay" to a final assessment!
Please check out the individual products for the details. Thank you so much! Let me know if you have any questions!

This product bundles all of my Roll of Thunder products together at a discount! You'll have 5 reading check quizzes, individual chapter activities, a Socratic Seminar, and even a movie viewing guide!

This product bundles all of my Independent Reading products together. Please check out the products individually so you can see exactly what is included. Thank you so much!

This product features 20 generic essay prompts that will work for any novel. They can be used within the classroom and for distance learning.

These prompts are differentiated so that they appeal to all learners and give all students a chance to shine in their essay writing! After years of tweaking my essay prompts, I have created questions that are thoughtful and concise so that in turn, they reap excellent student responses.

Example: How reliable is the narrator of your novel? Is the reader able to fully trust him/her? Why or why not? Support your answer with three specific and relevant details from the text.

Essay prompts focus on literary analysis and are recommended for middle and high school students.

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Check out these related resources by Language Arts Excellence to start your year in ELA off strong!

⭐ Back to School ELA Bundle

⭐ Back to School ELA Escape Room

⭐ Back to School ELA Escape Room - Pop Culture Edition

⭐ First Day of ELA "Book Talk" Activity

⭐ Back to School "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover" Activity

⭐ First Day of School Powerpoint Presentation

⭐ Study Hall Expectations Powerpoint Presentation

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Also, check out these great resources that can be adapted for any novel by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ Literature Activities {{BUNDLE!}}

⭐ Differentiated Essay Prompt Task Cards

⭐ Novel Soundtrack Assignment

⭐ Socratic Seminar Lesson Plan and Materials

⭐ Differentiated End of Term Reflection Activities

⭐ Book Recommendation Form

⭐ Differentiated End of Year Reflection Activities

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This Scavenger Hunt serves as an excellent introduction to the life and times of William Shakespeare. It encourages active learning as students must use what resources they have to discover answers to the 21 important questions about the man, the myth, the legend himself. Resource can be used to introduce a unit on any of Shakespeare's plays as it is designed to provide a full picture of both Shakespeare and his life and times.

This product contains:

• 21 questions about the life and times of William Shakespeare and The Globe Theater
• Full Answer Key

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This resource is included in: Introduction to Shakespeare Powerpoint, Scavenger Hunt & Lesson Plan

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Also, check out these great products to add to your Shakespeare unit by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ Elizabethan England Differentiated Mini-Unit

⭐ Shakespeare ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Shakespeare Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ Shakespeare's "Death Lines" Activity

⭐ Shakespeare's Epitaph Assignment

⭐ Shakespeare Valentine's Day Lesson Plan

⭐ Sonnet 130 Valentine's Day Lesson Plan

⭐ Sonnet 18 Valentine's Day Lesson Plan

⭐ William Shakespeare Quote Posters

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