8th Grade Writing Handouts (by date, latest first)

Spark your students' imaginations with these engaging Easter-themed narrative writing prompts! This bundle offers two exciting storylines to inspire creative writing and storytelling.

What's Included:

• Benny the Bunny's Easter Surprise: Challenge students to write a story about a silent bunny who can only speak on Easter Day. Encourage them to develop the plot, characters, and setting to create a captivating tale.
• Not Bunny, But... Egg-cellent Surprise! Ignite curiosity with this unexpected twist! Students will craft a story around a creature that hatches from an Easter egg, exploring imaginative possibilities and character development.

These writing prompts offer opportunities for students to practice descriptive language, plot development, and character building while having fun with the Easter theme.

Don't forget to share with me how it went with your little ones. I hope it was useful in your classroom.

If you like this product, follow my store -Mettry Teaches- for more.

Unleash your students' creativity with this Halloween-themed writing bundle!

This engaging resource combines narrative writing and persuasive writing prompts to inspire your students' imaginations and hone their writing skills.

What's Included:

• Narrative Writing Prompts: Spooky and fun prompts to encourage students to write creative stories.
• Persuasive Writing Prompts: Topics related to Halloween that require students to argue their point of view.
• Writing Templates: Optional templates to provide structure and guidance for students.
• Rubric: A scoring rubric to help students assess their writing.

How it Works:

1. Choose a Prompt: Students select a narrative or persuasive writing prompt.
2. Plan and Write: Students brainstorm ideas, develop a plot, and write their story or persuasive piece.
3. Revise and Edit: Students review their writing for clarity, coherence, and grammar.
4. Share and Reflect: Students share their work with classmates and receive feedback.

Benefits:

• Engaging and Fun: The Halloween theme makes writing more exciting and enjoyable.
• Improves Writing Skills: Helps students develop their narrative and persuasive writing abilities.
• Sparks Creativity: Encourages students to think outside the box and create unique stories.
• Promotes Critical Thinking: Challenges students to analyze and argue their point of view.

Don't forget to share with me how it went with your little ones. I hope it was useful in your classroom.

If you like this product, follow my store -Mettry Teaches- for more.

Spark Your Students' Creativity with These Engaging Templates!

This resource offers 7 fun and engaging narrative writing templates to inspire your students' imaginations.

What's Included:

• 7 Narrative Writing Templates: A variety of templates to spark different writing styles and genres.

Benefits:

• Engaging and Fun: The templates provide a structured framework for writing while allowing for creativity.
• Improves Writing Skills: Helps students develop their storytelling abilities, vocabulary, and grammar.
• Sparks Imagination: Encourages students to think outside the box and explore different genres.
• Promotes Critical Thinking: Challenges students to analyze characters, plot, and setting.

Don't forget to share with me how it went with your little ones. I hope it was useful in your classroom.

If you like this product, follow my store -Mettry Teaches- for more.

This fun and engaging burger-themed rubric makes writing expectations clear and understandable for students. With four clear levels of achievement, this rubric provides valuable guidance for students to improve their writing skills.

What's Included:

• Four-Level Rubric: Detailed criteria for each level, from "Incomplete Work" to "Above and Beyond," covering essential writing elements.
• Versatile Format: Suitable for both classroom posters and individual student printouts as a guide for each student's binder/writing assignment.

⭐Writing Attempts:

Narrative
Christmas: Trapped in a Snow Globe | My Snowman Came to Life
Thanksgiving: How the Turkey Escaped Thanksgiving Dinner | How the Turkey Escaped Thanksgiving Dinner

Others: Journey to the Center of the Earth | Forms of Energy in my Car - Science, Art & WRITING Project

Easter: Benny the Bunny - Easter's Surprise | NOT Bunny - Eggcelent Easter/Spring Surprise

Halloween: Trapped in a Haunted House

Persuasive | Dear Santa - Villains Edition | Who Will Guide the Sleigh | Halloween: Can I Keep My Witch?

Don't forget to share with me how it went with your little ones. I hope it was useful in your classroom.

If you like this product, follow my store -Mettry Teaches- for more.

This fun and engaging burger-themed rubric makes writing expectations clear and understandable for students. With four clear levels of achievement, this rubric provides valuable guidance for students to improve their writing skills.

What's Included:

• Four-Level Rubric: Detailed criteria for each level, from "Incomplete Work" to "Above and Beyond," covering essential writing elements.
• Versatile Format: Suitable for both classroom posters and individual student printouts as a guide for each student's binder/writing assignment.

⭐Writing Attempts:

Narrative
Christmas: Trapped in a Snow Globe | My Snowman Came to Life
Thanksgiving: How the Turkey Escaped Thanksgiving Dinner | How the Turkey Escaped Thanksgiving Dinner

Others: Journey to the Center of the Earth | Forms of Energy in my Car - Science, Art & WRITING Project

Easter: Benny the Bunny - Easter's Surprise | NOT Bunny - Eggcelent Easter/Spring Surprise

Halloween: Trapped in a Haunted House

Persuasive | Dear Santa - Villains Edition | Who Will Guide the Sleigh | Halloween: Can I Keep My Witch?

Don't forget to share with me how it went with your little ones. I hope it was useful in your classroom.

If you like this product, follow my store -Mettry Teaches- for more.

• 10 Winter Holiday Narrative Essay Picture Prompts & Planner: Engage students in narrative writing with holiday-themed picture prompts and a structured planner to develop plot, character, and setting in alignment with creative writing standards.
• Christmas Hip Hop Lyrics Analysis: Teach figurative language, rhyme schemes, and tone through an engaging analysis of hip hop lyrics, blending music and ELA standards for Grades 6-8.
• St. Nick: Informational Text Structures: Explore main ideas, text structures, and author’s purpose with this winter-themed set of informational texts designed to strengthen critical reading skills.
• Unraveling Krampus: Text Structures and Critical Analysis: Develop students’ ability to identify text structures and analyze information critically with this high-interest resource focused on the Krampus folklore.
• Informational Text Structure Coloring Sort: Combine creativity and learning as students sort and color-code winter-themed informational texts to practice identifying text structures.
• Winter Wonders: Exploring Text Features Through Snow-Themed Articles: Strengthen comprehension and analysis skills by examining text features in engaging snow-themed articles, perfect for enhancing nonfiction literacy.
• Christmas Winter Holiday Characters from Around the World Research PBL: Dive into global holiday traditions with this project-based learning activity that encourages research, critical thinking, and presentation skills.
• Holiday Figurative Language & Movie Clip Standard-Based Learning Activities: Analyze figurative language through fun, holiday-themed movie clips that align with ELA figurative language standards for middle schoolers.
• Virtual Winter Sports Exploration: Engage students in a digital exploration of winter sports, focusing on informational text comprehension and analysis for Grades 4-6.
• Analyzing Narrative Point of View Winter-Themed: Develop higher-order thinking with winter-themed narrative texts that challenge students to analyze and compare points of view using Bloom’s Taxonomy.
• Winter Vacation PBL: Inspire creativity and practical application with this low-prep, project-based learning activity where stude

This bundle includes a great range of activities perfect for grades 5-8 for all of February!

1. Speed Friending Activity: A dynamic classroom icebreaker designed for middle and high school students. It includes a comprehensive teacher protocol, an interactive Google Slides presentation, engaging conversation rounds with embedded timers, a note-taking sheet, and a reflection writing prompt. Ideal for building classroom community, enhancing behavior management, and fostering open communication.
2. ELA Matchmaker Review Game: An 81-page ELA review resource covering synonyms, antonyms, figurative language, literary elements, and affixes & roots. It includes printable and digital versions for flexible classroom use, promoting interactive learning and critical thinking in literary concepts.
3. Black History Month Digital Resource: A set of 45 Google Slides featuring 15 influential African American artists. This resource includes detailed informational texts, short videos, and interactive response prompts. It's a comprehensive tool for exploring African American history and art, ideal for daily classroom activities.
4. Civil Rights Movement Song Analysis: Titled 'Harmony of Hope,' this resource integrates Valentine's Day and Black History Month themes for middle schoolers. It includes a Google Slides presentation and a comprehensive PDF packet, featuring analysis of seven influential Civil Rights era songs.
5. GenZ Valentine's Day Cards: A collection of 24 unique, humorous, and inclusive Valentine's Day cards suitable for middle school students. These printable cards are gender-neutral, featuring relatable puns and high-quality graphics, adding a fun twist to traditional valentine exchanges.
6. The Science of Crushes and Heartbreak: An educational resource that blends science with Valentine's Day themes, targeting middle schoolers. It includes an article, a mini-lesson in Google Slides, a graphic organizer, and analytical questions. This resource enhances understanding of text features and author's purpose.
7. Valentine's Day Argumentative Writing Resource: A tool for grades 4-8 to enhance argumentative writing skills. It features 28 'Would You Rather' prompts, available in both PDF and Google Slides, to encourage debate and persuasive writing. Ideal for various classroom activities, including warm-ups and group discussions.

Comprehensive Dahl Exploration: This bundle combines three of Roald Dahl’s most compelling stories, each presented in a detailed ELA unit designed to engage middle school students. Perfect for an author’s study, this bundle allows students to analyze Dahl’s unique narrative style and recurring themes across different works. From the mysterious escalations in "Way Up to Heaven" to the unsettling undertones of "The Landlady" and the darkly comic "Lamb to the Slaughter," students will appreciate Dahl’s mastery in crafting suspense and surprise. This bundle is an excellent resource for end-of-year activities, sub plans, or a focused thematic unit on one of literature’s most intriguing authors.

1. Way Up to Heaven ELA Unit

Description: Explore the suspenseful realms of Roald Dahl’s "Way Up to Heaven" with this detailed ELA unit. This package includes engaging slides for easy teaching, a structured Socratic seminar to foster deep discussion, comprehensive lesson plans for effective learning, and versatile choice board activities to cater to diverse learning preferences. Students will delve into thematic analysis, character study, and the craft of writing through guided essays and creative projects.

2. The Landlady ELA Unit

Description: Dive deep into the chilling story of "The Landlady" with this complete ELA unit. It features dynamic slides that enrich the narrative experience, a Socratic seminar to enhance critical thinking, and a choice board that offers creative and analytical options like comic strips and alternate endings. Additional essays and activities, including a film comparison using a Venn diagram, make this unit perfect for a comprehensive study of narrative techniques and thematic development.

3. Lamb to the Slaughter ELA Unit

Description: Unpack the intrigue of Roald Dahl’s "Lamb to the Slaughter" in this all-inclusive ELA unit. This resource provides detailed slides for seamless instruction, engaging seminar guidelines to discuss the complexities of the plot, and a range of activities including a choice board for student-driven projects. The unit also includes tailored essay prompts and additional activities that encourage a deeper understanding of the story’s themes and Dahl’s distinctive writing style.

Bonus:

Includes in-depth character analysis across three stories and synthesizing essay prompt with graphic organizers!

Transform your middle school ELA classroom with this comprehensive bundle of 12 highly engaging short story units. Each unit is meticulously designed to provide a full week of dynamic lessons, complete with detailed plans, interactive slides, a choice activity board, Socratic seminar questions, three STAAR-aligned essay prompts, a film vs. text Venn diagram, and the text PDF. These short stories will captivate your students and enhance their literary analysis skills, making learning both fun and meaningful.

Included Short Stories:

1. The Most Dangerous Game
2. Sorry, Wrong Number
3. The Hitchhiker
4. The Way Up to Heaven
5. Lamb to the Slaughter
6. The Landlady
7. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
8. Harrison Bergeron
9. Examination Day
10. The Pedestrian
11. All Summer in a Day
12. There Will Come Soft Rains

Bundle Features:

1. Comprehensive 5-Day Lesson Plans: Each story unit includes a detailed five-day lesson plan, ensuring a structured approach to teaching. Lessons are aligned with educational standards and include clear objectives and outcomes.

2. Interactive Slides: Engage your students with interactive slides that guide them through the story, provide context, and facilitate discussions. These slides are designed to keep students focused and involved.

3. Choice Activity Board: Each unit comes with a creative choice board, allowing students to demonstrate their understanding through various projects such as writing an alternate ending, creating a comic strip, designing a literary brochure, and more.

4. Socratic Seminar Questions: Encourage critical thinking and in-depth discussion with six thought-provoking Socratic seminar questions for each story. These questions help students delve deeper into the text and analyze its themes, characters, and literary elements.

5. Three STAAR-Aligned Essay Prompts: Each unit includes three essay prompts (argumentative, correspondence, and informational) that are aligned with STAAR standards, helping students practice their writing skills and prepare for standardized assessments.

6. Film vs. Text Venn Diagram: Enhance your students' analytical skills with a film vs. text Venn diagram activity. Students compare and contrast the short story with its film adaptation, focusing on key similarities and differences.

7. Text PDF: Each unit comes with a PDF of the short story, making it easy to provide students with the text for reading and annotation.

Why Choose This Bundle?

• Engaging Content: These short stories are highly engaging and perfect for capturing the interest of middle school students. The diverse selection of stories includes suspense, science fiction, dystopian themes, and more.
• Comprehensive and Ready-to-Use: Save time with ready-to-use lesson plans, activities, and resources. Each unit is designed for easy implementation, ensuring you can focus on teaching and engaging your students.
• Develop Critical Thinking: The activities and discussions included in each unit promote critical thinking, literary analysis, and deeper understanding of the text.
• Flexible and Adaptable: The bundle provides flexibility in teaching, with a variety of activities and assessment options to suit different learning styles and classroom needs.

Perfect for middle school humanities teachers, this bundle offers everything you need to deliver engaging and effective ELA lessons throughout the year. Enrich your curriculum and inspire your students with these timeless short stories and comprehensive teaching resources.

Elements of Suspense Lesson Plan (Grades 6-8)

Description:
Dive into the spine-tingling world of suspense with this engaging lesson plan! Students will analyze the key elements of suspense—pacing, foreshadowing, red herrings, danger, and more—through guided notes, interactive activities, and media examples like film trailers. This resource is perfect for Halloween or any time you want to keep your students on the edge of their seats. Ideal for introducing or reviewing the genre of suspense.

Elements of Dystopia Lesson Plan (Grades 6-8)

Description:
Welcome to the dark side of fiction with this comprehensive dystopian literature lesson. Students will explore themes like totalitarian regimes, environmental disasters, survival, and rebellion. Using multimedia examples and text excerpts, students will analyze how these elements create powerful dystopian worlds. This resource is perfect for introducing dystopian fiction or as a review of the genre, making it a great fit for discussions on social justice or government control.

Elements of Science Fiction Lesson Plan (Grades 6-8)

Description:
Blast off into the universe of science fiction! This lesson plan introduces students to the exciting elements of sci-fi, including futuristic technology, space exploration, time travel, alien life, and parallel universes. Students will analyze these elements through guided notes, multimedia, and text excerpts. Whether you're teaching the genre for the first time or reviewing it with your class, this resource is out of this world!

Elements of Fantasy Lesson Plan (Grades 6-8)

Description:
Step into magical realms with this enchanting lesson plan on the elements of fantasy. Students will explore key components such as world-building, magical systems, mythical creatures, quests, and good vs. evil. Using guided notes and multimedia, students will be transported into the fantastical worlds of dragons, wizards, and epic quests. This resource is perfect for immersing students in the magic of fantasy fiction, sparking their imaginations and developing their literary analysis skills.

Elements of Mystery Lesson Plan (Grades 6-8)

Introduce your students to the mystery genre with this 60-minute, print-and-go lesson plan that includes everything you need to kick off a mystery unit! This engaging lesson features guided notes, teacher slides, a one-page mystery story, and answer keys. Students will explore key mystery elements, such as clues, suspects, and red herrings, and apply their knowledge by solving the included mystery. Perfect for grades 6-8, this resource makes it easy to teach critical thinking and deduction skills while introducing a fun and interactive genre.

If your students loved reading Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, they need to see the new Disney+ series! As teachers, we want our students to be engaged, even when they are watching a film. With this resource, students will be challenged to think critically about the text and film in a variety of ways including comparing and contrasting, evaluating director decisions, and tracking character development across the series.

This resource includes:

• A double-sided handout for episode 7
• This handout contains:
• One do now question, three discourse questions, compare and contrast section, and two rigorous writing tasks in DOK 3 or 4 and Bloom's Taxonomy Evaluate/Analyze categories.
• This handout contains a teacher-facing answer key with answers students may write about.

Check out every episode bundled 1-8: Disney's The Crossover Series Text Companion Handouts Episodes 1-8 BUNDLE (TeachShare.com)

If your students loved reading Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, they need to see the new Disney+ series! As teachers, we want our students to be engaged, even when they are watching a film. With this resource, students will be challenged to think critically about the text and film in a variety of ways including comparing and contrasting, evaluating director decisions, and tracking character development across the series.

This resource includes:

• A double-sided handout for episode 8
• This handout contains:
• One do now question, three discourse questions, compare and contrast section, and two rigorous writing tasks in DOK 3 or 4 and Bloom's Taxonomy Evaluate/Analyze categories.
• This handout contains a teacher-facing answer key with answers students may write about.

Check out every episode bundled 1-8: Disney's The Crossover Series Text Companion Handouts Episodes 1-8 BUNDLE (TeachShare.com)

If your students loved reading Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, they need to see the new Disney+ series! As teachers, we want our students to be engaged, even when they are watching a film. With this resource, students will be challenged to think critically about the text and film in a variety of ways including comparing and contrasting, evaluating director decisions, and tracking character development across the series.

This resource includes:

• A double-sided handout for episode 2
• This handout contains:
• One do now question, three discourse questions, compare and contrast section, and two rigorous writing tasks in DOK 3 or 4 and Bloom's Taxonomy Evaluate/Analyze categories.
• This handout contains a teacher-facing answer key with answers students may write about.

Check out every episode bundled 1-8: Disney's The Crossover Series Text Companion Handouts Episodes 1-8 BUNDLE (TeachShare.com)

Exceptional learners such as English language learners will benefit tremendously from previewing the text prior to starting a nonfiction text. By activating prior knowledge, zooming in to titles and subheadings, and analyzing pictures they will spend quality time building context before reading.

This product contains three pages:

• Previewing the text anchor chart reference sheet so students can refer back when needed
• Previewing the text graphic organizer
• Previewing the text sentence starters

If your students loved reading Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, they need to see the new Disney+ series! As teachers, we want our students to be engaged, even when they are watching a film. With this resource, students will be challenged to think critically about the text and film in a variety of ways including comparing and contrasting, evaluating director decisions, and tracking character development across the series.

This resource includes:

• A double-sided handout for episode 3
• This handout contains:
• One do now question, three discourse questions, compare and contrast section, and two rigorous writing tasks in DOK 3 or 4 and Bloom's Taxonomy Evaluate/Analyze categories.
• This handout contains a teacher-facing answer key with answers students may write about.

Check out every episode bundled 1-8: Disney's The Crossover Series Text Companion Handouts Episodes 1-8 BUNDLE (TeachShare.com)

If your students loved reading Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, they need to see the new Disney+ series! As teachers, we want our students to be engaged, even when they are watching a film. With this resource, students will be challenged to think critically about the text and film in a variety of ways including comparing and contrasting, evaluating director decisions, and tracking character development across the series. Check out the preview for one handout from the bundle!

This resource includes:

• A double-sided handout for each episode 1-8
• Each handout contains:
• Do now question, discourse questions, compare and contrast section, and two rigorous writing tasks in DOK 3 or 4 and Bloom's Taxonomy Evaluate/Analyze categories.
• Each handout contains a teacher-facing answer key with answers students may write about.

The Crossover Summary: Kwame Alexander's text The Crossover is a coming-of-age story written in verse about 7th graders Josh and Jordan Bell as they navigate life, family, friendship, health, and most importantly basketball! The book became a graphic novel and later an 8 episode series streaming on Disney plus!

Dive into the world of argumentative writing with a fresh, culturally relevant approach! This comprehensive resource uses the popular song "The Boy is Mine" by Brandy and Monica to introduce middle school students to the key elements of a strong argument.

Learning Objectives:

• Trace an argument using song lyrics.
• Identify the essential components of an argumentative essay.

What's Inside:

• A 60-minute lesson plan aligned with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1, and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1.
• A 12-slide PowerPoint presentation.
• Chunked and labeled song lyrics for clarity and ease of tracing arguments.
• Vocabulary words: argument, counterargument, and rebuttal.
• Engaging writing activities, including a Do Now, lyric annotation, and a tracing argument graphic organizer.

Usage Scenario: Perfect for middle school ELA teachers and interventionists, this resource is both engaging and educational. Start with a Do Now activity, delve into vocabulary, and introduce students to the iconic artists. After watching the music video, students will actively engage with the lyrics, tracing the arguments of each singer. By the end of the lesson, students will form and share their opinions on which singer presented the strongest argument. The PowerPoint also includes additional discourse questions for extended engagement.

Highlights!

• Print & Go: This resource is ready to be used with minimal preparation.
• High Engagement: Incorporate what students love (music) with what they need to master (argumentative writing).
• Culturally Relevant: Connect with students using a song they recognize and enjoy.

Elevate your teaching game with this innovative resource. Ideal for middle school grades, it aligns with key educational standards, ensuring your students are on the right track while having fun!

If your students loved reading Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, they need to see the new Disney+ series! As teachers, we want our students to be engaged, even when they are watching a film. With this resource, students will be challenged to think critically about the text and film in a variety of ways including comparing and contrasting, evaluating director decisions, and tracking character development across the series.

This resource includes:

• A double-sided handout for episode 1
• This handout contains:
• One do now question, three discourse questions, compare and contrast section, and two rigorous writing tasks in DOK 3 or 4 and Bloom's Taxonomy Evaluate/Analyze categories.
• This handout contains a teacher-facing answer key with answers students may write about.

Check out every episode bundled 1-8: Disney's The Crossover Series Text Companion Handouts Episodes 1-8 BUNDLE (TeachShare.com)

If your students loved reading Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, they need to see the new Disney+ series! As teachers, we want our students to be engaged, even when they are watching a film. With this resource, students will be challenged to think critically about the text and film in a variety of ways including comparing and contrasting, evaluating director decisions, and tracking character development across the series.

This resource includes:

• A double-sided handout for episode 6
• This handout contains:
• One do now question, three discourse questions, compare and contrast section, and two rigorous writing tasks in DOK 3 or 4 and Bloom's Taxonomy Evaluate/Analyze categories.
• This handout contains a teacher-facing answer key with answers students may write about.

Check out every episode bundled 1-8: Disney's The Crossover Series Text Companion Handouts Episodes 1-8 BUNDLE (TeachShare.com)

Introducing our dynamic ELA resource, expertly designed to enhance middle school students' understanding of narrative perspectives. This 15-page toolkit focuses on the skill of identifying different points of view, including first person, second person, third person limited, and third person omniscient, making it an essential addition to your teaching arsenal this winter.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive Point of View Exploration: Delve into the nuances of narrative perspectives. This resource covers first, second, third person limited, and third person omniscient points of view, providing a holistic understanding of this fundamental ELA concept.
• 15 Pages of Tiered Activities: Enjoy a rich collection of tiered exercises. Each page is carefully designed to progressively build your students' skills, ensuring a deep and thorough grasp of the topic.
• Differentiated Instruction: This resource recognizes the diverse learning styles and abilities in your classroom. The activities are differentiated using Bloom's Taxonomy to cater to varying levels of comprehension and engagement, making learning inclusive and effective.
• Engaging Winter Themes: Capture your students' interest with activities that are wrapped in appealing winter themes. This seasonal touch adds relevance and fun to the learning process, keeping students motivated and curious.
• Ideal for Middle Schoolers: Specifically crafted for 6th to 8th graders, these activities align with middle school benchmarks in ELA. They challenge students to think critically and creatively, enhancing their reading and analytical skills.

Upgrade your teaching toolkit with our point of view activities and watch as your middle school students develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of narrative perspectives. Perfect for winter-themed learning, this resource is a must-have for any dedicated ELA educator!