Skip Navigation

Utah Core  •  Curriculum Search  •  All Language Arts - Secondary Lesson Plans  •  USBE Language Arts - Secondary website

Language Arts - Secondary Curriculum English Language Arts Grade 8
Educational Links

Writing Standard 6

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
  • Argumentative Writing Standards Rubric
    This rubric will help assess first draft argumentative writing projects for 8th Grade English Language Arts.
  • Blogtopia: Blogging About Your Own Utopia
    After studying utopian literature, students design theirown utopian society, publishing the explanation of their ideal world on a blog. (Note: This is a unit for grades 9-12, but could be modified for eighth grade.)
  • Choose Your Own Adventure: Hypertext Writing Exp.
    This lesson, from ReadWriteThink, combines reading and writing in a collaborative, small-group learning experience. It utilizes technology, specifically Web page design, group and individual work, and student self-assessment. After reading several examples, students will plan their own adventure story. They will be divided into smaller groups for each split in the story until finally the students are writing their own endings. Using Web-authoring software, groups will create their own Web sites with the parts of the story hyperlinked to each other.
  • Developing a Definition of Reading
    In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students will interact with a variety of different texts to uncover a broader meaning of reading. Given one of a variety of different texts, students will brainstorm alone and together what they will need as a reader to successfully read and understand the text given to them. The students will share findings and discuss strategies needed to read specific kinds of texts.
  • Investigating the Holocaust: A Collaborative Inquiry Project
    Students will read a range of Holocaust resources, from different genres and media; use a variety of resources to gather and synthesize knowledge about the Holocaust; work collaboratively to investigate questions about a specific topic; present information orally and in a group newspaper.
  • Media Smarts
    Media Smarts is home to one of the worlds most comprehensive collections of media education and Internet literacy resources. MNets work is based on the belief that to be functionally literate in the world today-to be able to "read" the messages that inform, entertain and sell to us daily-young people need critical thinking skills. To that end, Mnet examines a wide range of media, including television, film, video games, newspapers, advertising and popular music. The Educators section includes teaching units and a variety of supporting materials.
  • Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
    Paradigm is an interactive online writer's guide. It is intended to be useful for all writers, from inexperienced to advanced.


UEN logo http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Naomi  Watkins and see the Language Arts - Secondary website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Jennifer  Throndsen.

These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Board of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Board of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.