Sorting by NYSLS ELA & Grade Level 8
 

Title
Synopsis
  Student-made Web Pages...Show Off Their Work! Designed to teach students how to create a web page using Netscape Communicator's Composer and can be used by students in grades 3-12 to present their projects or research on their school's web page. Designed to be taught in a lab setting and will be used by the technology teacher in coordination with the classroom teacher.
  A Not-So-Funny Sense of Humor This unit was primarily designed to provide rudimentary introduction to the Medieval Period; ideally, would be studied prior to reading any Medieval literature; however, it would be valuable as a unit of study unto itself. Preparation for eighth grade English/Language Arts exam is also a consideration. The unit provides the student with extensive practice listening and note taking and in the use of graphic organizers.
  How Much Pie Can I Eat? Cross-Cirricular unit between Health and Math A. This is a nutrition unit where students learn about what is a healthy diet and how to create personal nutritional outlines.
  The World Beyond My Back Yard To broaden the student's general global knowledge to the fact that a whole world exists outside their door -- not just their immediate community or country.
  World War II Memorials Based on prior knowledge, students will be introduced to the concept of memorials based on the understanding that memorials are found in every human culture. Why create memorials? What makes an effective memorial?
  You Gotta Read This: A Favorite Author Study This unit is written as a way to encourage students to focus on the written works of an author whom they most enjoy reading. It is hoped that by researching this author, reading & reviewing some of their stories, and presenting a PowerPoint demonstration to a grade level appropriate for this author, the students will be encouraged to read even more of this author's works. It may also spark an interest in this author for the grade/class seeing the PowerPoint presentation.
  Friendship and Belonging Literature based unit that incorporates the theme freindship and belonging. It incorporates the ELA standards and the health standards.
  Yeas and Nays: Parilamentary Procedure Essential Questions: What internal structure enables officers of varied groups to conduct business in a consistent and orderly manner? Which international, national, local groups apply the principals of parliamentary procedure? What are the ingredients necessary for a smooth running meeting? What vocabulary is associated with parliamentary procedure? What are the established authorities on parliamentary procedure?
  Show Me the Way to Go Home You are an immigrant. To enter your new country, you will need to take the following test. You may discuss the test with your partner and you will have 5 minutes to write the answers.
  Where Were You World War II
  Things Are Tough All Over Essential Questions: How did the main character's life change as a result of the Great Depression? How did your idea of this time period (1929-1941) change as a result of your reading and research? If you had to experience a depression, how would your life be different?
  Holocaust Surviror Story Map Trace a survivor's story using a timeline, map skills, poetry/short biography and photography.
  Every Picture Tells a Story Students will use personal histories developed and written as descriptive narratives and transform them into visual imagery integrating characters, events and symbols into an observable story. Using influences of fabric artist Faith Ringgold and painter Carmen Lomas Garza, students will selectively weave a visual narrative for presentation from individually developed writings. During the creative process, students will use e-mail skills to contact Ms. Ringgold at her web site.
  Strangers in a New Land The reasons why various ethnic groups immigrated to the U. S. at the turn of the century, where various ethnic groups tended to settle in the U. S. and how they were received. The difficulties faced during the journey to America, including the screening process at Ellis Island The importance of belonging to a culture and a place Selections from both fiction and nonfiction writing representative of the immigrant experience relevant vocabulary.
  What is Good Information Students recognize/use electronic information useful in learning and critical thinking. Emphasis on finding and using "Good Information" (whether objective or subjective) can be recognized/applied in appropriate contexts. Flexible, collaborative unit that overlays content-area in English, Art, Home & Careers, Social Studies taught by faculty when bringing classes to the Library Media Center for instruction. Students find answers to content challenges in parallel units, and use technological aspects to refine research abilities in Library Skills.
  To Be or Not To Be This introductory unit on verbs will lay a basic foundation for student understanding of what a verb is, how to recognize it, use of principal parts of regular and irregular verbs, and some work on tenses and progressive forms.
  Powerpoint Presents: Poetry Builds students' knowledge of poetic devices, exercises library research skills. They work in collaborative pairs to prepare/present oral interpretation/analysis of poem, biographical information about poet, enhanced by Powerpoint presentation. Integration of English, library, and technology skills provides evidence of having achieved several NYS Learning Standards. (ELA #1-Using Language for Information/Understanding: Speaking/ writing to acquire and transmit information; MST Standard #5-Technology-Using technological knowledge/skills to design, construct, use, evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.
  Humanity's Quest for Utopia in Hist. & Liter. Thematic unit,links numerous pieces of literature in multiple genres, and social studies components. Main text, The Giver by Lois Lowry, designed for an 8th grade class piloting learner-centered strategies, and thus uses collaboration and individual work, journal writing, and assignment options. Extremely well-received by students who demonstrated significant progress in attaining several of the NYS Learning Standards in addition to the one being formally assessed in the unit (took about 5 weeks).
  Gaining Knowledge Through Reading A Newspaper Students will learn that there is a wealth of information in a newspaper article. At the end of this unit they will be able to summarize an article including the main idea, supporting details, the point of view from which the article was written. They will also write an article for a school newspaper.
  Inventions: Natural & Man-made What is evolution? How did Native Americans use legends to explain natural discoveries/adaptations? How did inventions/inventors in Industrial Age impact on the growth/development of the US? Are processes/procedures that can contribute to creation of an invention? What is the Information Age? What invention(s) have been critical to arrival of the Information Age? How do you imagine it will impact on the growth and development of the US? Can the computer assist with inventive processes?
  Becoming an Effective Essay Writer Essays: most common type of writing students do and include one or more questions; students must respond in detail, writing answers in clear, well-organized manner. Many students have trouble writing-they do not realize there is a sequence to follow in writing effective essays and doing well on essay exams. Unit attempts to introduce students to five steps in writing effective exam essays, provides practice in writing different types of essays: process essay, compare and contrast essay, descriptive essay, and summary essay, commensurate with NYS learning standards targeted toward 7-8 grades;can be adapted to grades 9-12).
  Beyond "Ranger Rick" Where is the best information found for research papers? When is the best time to use periodicals vs. books? How do I search for information in thousands of periodicals? How do I acquire the periodical I need to look at? Does the information I've found satisfy the questions I have to answer?
  How Spring Comes Each Year - The Sotry of Persepho Students will be able to accurately paraphrase what they have heard, follow directions that involve a few steps. Learning Standard - ELA 4. Students will be able to listen attentively and participate in discussions and present information to classmates.
  The Sculpture of Henry Moore This unit is designed to provide students with an understanding of the processes involved in creating sculpture as well as an in-depth study of the defining characteristics of Henry Moore's sculpture. This unit also addresses the NYS Standards in the Arts, ELA, MST, and Social Studies.
  Women in the Civil War Grade 5-8 ELA women of the Civil War
  Literary Interaction with the novel Lyddie Engaging students in personal interaction iwht the character, Lyddie, who struggles with hardships of life in the factories in Lowell, Massachusettes.
  Poetry and Performance Essential Question:Poetry can be a vital, real part of everyone's life. What place or importance does poetry have in my own life? Does poetry belong to everyone? How do I know? How does the life and experiences of a poet affect the poem he/she creates?
  Reality and Literature Essential Questions: What poems can one use to reflect lives changes, choices, and losses? How can reading help people understand how society was, is and will be? How have choices, changes and loss affected student's lives? What can a life graph help you to see in yourself? How are character's lives different or similar to real people's lives? How does literature reflects life and how does life reflects literature?
  Pro/Con Research Project & Presentation How can we use technology to investigate diversity in social/political issues? Why are there no right/wrong answers to social/political issues? What is a pro/con social/political issue?
  Top Ten Facts Research project.
  Yoko and the Sushi Party Students will read Yoko by Rosemary Wells. The story is about a Japanese cat. The story will be used to initiate a discussion of Japanese culture, customs, and foods. The experience can be done in conjunction with a social studies unit on Japan, Culture, or Foods of the World.
  Letters to the Government-Powerpoint The students become active participants in their government.
  An Introduction to Poetry Using Color This "experience" was taken from a poetry unit. It is the first of many poems that will eventually, as a culminating project, represent a portfolio of poetic works. Students are expected to complete a variety of poems that focus on many different literary techniques and styles, share their portfolios with adults in the school and at home and peer and self-evaluation a culminating project.
  Reconstruction to Civil Rights To study Reconstruction to Civil Rights and its effect on society
  Research Report on Immigration A research project.
  Library Media Center Research Learning Unit for Provide 6th grade students with Research experience in Library Media Center class as follows: Focus on Research Process (not subject matter) as a learning experience of value; calls for commitment, responsibility, independent effort and a variety of skills and prior knowledge; provide a transitional experience with Research Process in 6th grade, to ensure readiness for similar requirements in Middle School; to use prior knowledge of note taking, collecting data, documentation, summarization, making generalizations; discovering relationships from oral, written and electronic resources; provide an opportunity for each student to utilize available technology for research integrate acquired information into written format; provide an opportunity for students to use written language, in Part A, transmit information and discover concepts, in Part B, show understanding of diverse social and historical events from another person's point of view and, in Part C, interpret and analyze information gathered during research process.
  West Side Story: An Interdisciplinary Analysis This unit focuses on encouraging students to appreciate and understand the musical West Side Story by analyzing the musical from different perspectives. The unit prepares Band and Voice class students to expressively perform West Siode Story at a public concert and English students to write a critical essay comparing the musical's plot to the plot of Romeo and Juliet.
  States Research Project Students are assigned a state and learn about the state while learning various research techniques and create a map and a powerpoint presentation.
  Across Five Aprils Students will read the novel while studying the Civil War in social studies. The MUT will involve students composing a hyperlinked "brother against brother" essay.
  Newbery Books: Guaranteed Good Reading Each February the American Library Association selects one book that is considered the outstanding example of children's literature published in the previous year. Students gain the understanding that by reading this literature they are reading the best of the best books. They have a chance to react to the books as critics and readers. As a library media specialist I prepare book talks throughout the year for classes. These talks can center on a particular genre or theme. For this learning experience we decided to concentrate on the Newbery Medal books. The timing of the experience coincides with the announcement of the new Newbery Award.
  Remembering the Hate in Order to Remember Compassi None Available
  Understanding the Struggle Leads to Appreciation: The English and social studies teachers will introduce the Civil Rights unit through a DBQ and literature. After the hook, the students will be placed in groups and will focus on one of four topics to teach to the class. In other words, the students are teaching this unit with extensive guidance from the two teachers. The following are the four topics to be addressed in this unit: 1) Civil Rights: Leaders/Groups 2) Civil Rights: Protests 3) Civil Rights: Political/Trials 4) Knowledge and Appreciation is the Path to Tolerance. The students will attain the information from books, articles, videos, and the Web. The final presentation will include a Power Point presentation, interactive student participation, and lecture. After all topics have been taught, the individual students will create a pamphlet that includes information taught by all four groups.
  Rising Above Intolerance Create individual group Power Point presentations that summarized the learning they experienced throughout the day.
  Murders in the Rue Morgue Students will view Murders in the Rue Morgue (halfway) and (with partners) use reasoning skills to determine the identity of the killer, will read the story “Murders in the Rue Morgue”, will compare/contrast it with the video, and will use reasoning skills to solve another mystery.
  Circle Graph Learning Expereince This experience was prepared for an eighth grade math class. It lets the students create their own circle graphs by hand and with the aid of a computer spreadsheet program. It can be adapted to any grade learning similar concepts. This experience can be used in a number of ways. (Refer to Reflection) Two forty-minute class periods with students doing finish up work on their own should be sufficient. If the computer-generated graph were also developed it would require an additional period. (Dependent, of course, on the availability of computers.
  Process Writing with Powerpoint English students combine a process essay and speech with a Powerpoint presentation
  The Tread of the Iron Horse Exposes 4th graders to issues, conditions adn events in their community during the mid-19th century.
  Anne Frank Does survival depend on how well we adapt to a changing environment? Does discrimination towards minorities still exist in contemporary society?
  The Essential Brick Give students a foundation which they need in order to grow into successful citizens.
  Writing an ecology children's book This is an activity packed unit with laboratory skill, cooperative groupings and lecture formats intermingled together. The purpose of this unit is to get students to learn about ecology in a fun and interesting way. Using technology, science skills, their imagination, and creativity,the students will produce a children's story book about food chains and food webs.
  Internet As a Research Tool Internet as a research tool.





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