8th grade writing curriculum pdf

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The Guide to 8th Grade: Reading and Writing

Review reading and writing curricula for 8th grade, including what to expect and resources to support learning..

In their last year of middle school, 8th graders immerse themselves in preparation for high school by practicing and strengthening skills they learned in earlier years of middle school while also learning new (and often more complex) skills.

In many ways, 8th grade is a year of transition, as students are expected to have mastered the ways of middle school and begin becoming “high-schoolers.” Specifically, 8th graders are expected to be independent thinkers and workers analyzing and explaining what they learn in both their writing and verbally. 

8th Grade Reading

In 8th grade, students continue to practice many of the skills they learned in earlier grades, specifically paying attention to details like text evidence, language, and cross-text comparisons in different genres of text. However, 8th graders push their analyses of texts further as they examine the details and writing structure and assess how those elements affect the text. 

In order to build reading skills, your 8th grader :

• Evaluates the evidence in texts to determine the strongest supports of an idea and analysis.
• Determines the main idea or theme of a text using evidence from the text to support it.
• Provides an objective summary of a text.
• Understands, summarizes, and tracks the progress of the main idea of a text, using evidence from the text.
• Analyzes how elements such as specific dialogue, events, or word usage impact the characters, the decisions they make, and other events and actions in the text.
• Understands the use of language in a text, including figurative language, analogies, and allusions to other texts.
• Compares and contrasts the different structures of texts including the structures of paragraphs and sentences.
• Analyzes the difference between characters’ points of view and how these differences affect the text.
• Analyzes the pros and cons of using different forms of text and media to present a topic or idea.
• Compares a text to a film or play version of a text, paying specific attention to the way in which the film or play veers from the text.
• Analyzes texts that include conflicting information on the same topic and decipher when those are due to conflicting facts or interpretations.

8th Grade Writing

In 8th grade, students continue to practice and refine many of the writing skills they learned in 7th grade while also learning some additional complex writing skills. Given that refining one’s writing can take time and practice, students are not expected to cover a great deal of new skills. However, they do learn some new techniques and skills that enhance their writing and enable them to become better writers.

In order to build writing skills, your 8th grader :

• Introductions
• Acknowledgements of opposing claims
• Logical and orderly presentation of reasons and evidence
• Graphics, special formatting, and multimedia, when appropriate
• Support of the claims through the use of evidence from credible sources
• A concluding sentence or paragraph that supports the argument made
• A formal tone and style
• Use supporting claims and evidence based on credible texts and resources
• Provide an introduction that includes an explanation of what follows
• Develop topics through the use of facts, details, quotations, examples, and subject-specific terms and definitions
• Include transitions that connect concepts, events, and paragraphs
• Include a conclusion that supports the presented idea(s)
• Maintain a formal “essay type” style
• Integrate other forms of media and formats such as graphs, charts, headings, audio, or video when appropriate
• A narrator, characters, and a point of view
• Descriptive detail and sensory language to describe characters, settings, and experiences
• Dialogue, pacing, reflection, and details and descriptions of characters, setting, and experiences
• Thought-out word choice
• A clear structure with a logical order and flow, as shown through the use of transition words and phrases and a logical sequence
• A conclusion that is connected to and builds on the narrative
• Plans, revises, and edits writing, specifically with guidance from teachers and peers, focusing specifically on trying new approaches and making sure the writing has a purpose and appeals to its audience.
• Uses technology and the Internet to produce and publish writing, work with others, and cite sources.
• Works on multiple short research projects that answer specific questions and cite multiple sources, while gathering additional questions for later research.
• Uses both print and digital resources to conduct research, focusing on using appropriate search terms and reliable sources.
• Uses quotes and a standard format for citation.
• Uses research to analyze and make inferences.

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Our 2020-21 Writing Curriculum for Middle and High School

A flexible, seven-unit program based on the real-world writing found in newspapers, from editorials and reviews to personal narratives and informational essays.

Update, Aug. 3, 2023: Find our 2023-24 writing curriculum here.

Our 2019-20 Writing Curriculum is one of the most popular new features we’ve ever run on this site, so, of course, we’re back with a 2020-21 version — one we hope is useful whether you’re teaching in person , online , indoors , outdoors , in a pod , as a homeschool , or in some hybrid of a few of these.

The curriculum detailed below is both a road map for teachers and an invitation to students. For teachers, it includes our writing prompts, mentor texts, contests and lesson plans, and organizes them all into seven distinct units. Each focuses on a different genre of writing that you can find not just in The Times but also in all kinds of real-world sources both in print and online.

But for students, our main goal is to show young people they have something valuable to say, and to give those voices a global audience. That’s always been a pillar of our site, but this year it is even more critical. The events of 2020 will define this generation, and many are living through them isolated from their ordinary communities, rituals and supports. Though a writing curriculum can hardly make up for that, we hope that it can at least offer teenagers a creative outlet for making sense of their experiences, and an enthusiastic audience for the results. Through the opportunities for publication woven throughout each unit, we want to encourage students to go beyond simply being media consumers to become creators and contributors themselves.

So have a look, and see if you can find a way to include any of these opportunities in your curriculum this year, whether to help students document their lives, tell stories, express opinions, investigate ideas, or analyze culture. We can’t wait to hear what your students have to say!

Each unit includes:

Writing prompts to help students try out related skills in a “low stakes” way.

We publish two writing prompts every school day, and we also have thematic collections of more than 1,000 prompts published in the past. Your students might consider responding to these prompts on our site and using our public forums as a kind of “rehearsal space” for practicing voice and technique.

Daily opportunities to practice writing for an authentic audience.

If a student submits a comment on our site, it will be read by Times editors, who approve each one before it gets published. Submitting a comment also gives students an audience of fellow teenagers from around the world who might read and respond to their work. Each week, we call out our favorite comments and honor dozens of students by name in our Thursday “ Current Events Conversation ” feature.

Guided practice with mentor texts .

Each unit we publish features guided practice lessons, written directly to students, that help them observe, understand and practice the kinds of “craft moves” that make different genres of writing sing. From how to “show not tell” in narratives to how to express critical opinions , quote or paraphrase experts or craft scripts for podcasts , we have used the work of both Times journalists and the teenage winners of our contests to show students techniques they can emulate.

“Annotated by the Author” commentaries from Times writers — and teenagers.

As part of our Mentor Texts series , we’ve been asking Times journalists from desks across the newsroom to annotate their articles to let students in on their writing, research and editing processes, and we’ll be adding more for each unit this year. Whether it’s Science writer Nicholas St. Fleur on tiny tyrannosaurs , Opinion writer Aisha Harris on the cultural canon , or The Times’s comics-industry reporter, George Gene Gustines, on comic books that celebrate pride , the idea is to demystify journalism for teenagers. This year, we’ll be inviting student winners of our contests to annotate their work as well.

A contest that can act as a culminating project .

Over the years we’ve heard from many teachers that our contests serve as final projects in their classes, and this curriculum came about in large part because we want to help teachers “plan backwards” to support those projects.

All contest entries are considered by experts, whether Times journalists, outside educators from partner organizations, or professional practitioners in a related field. Winning means being published on our site, and, perhaps, in the print edition of The New York Times.

Webinars and our new professional learning community (P.L.C.).

For each of the seven units in this curriculum, we host a webinar featuring Learning Network editors as well as teachers who use The Times in their classrooms. Our webinars introduce participants to our many resources and provide practical how-to’s on how to use our prompts, mentor texts and contests in the classroom.

New for this school year, we also invite teachers to join our P.L.C. on teaching writing with The Times , where educators can share resources, strategies and inspiration about teaching with these units.

Below are the seven units we will offer in the 2020-21 school year.

September-October

Unit 1: Documenting Teenage Lives in Extraordinary Times

This special unit acknowledges both the tumultuous events of 2020 and their outsized impact on young people — and invites teenagers to respond creatively. How can they add their voices to our understanding of what this historic year will mean for their generation?

Culminating in our Coming of Age in 2020 contest, the unit helps teenagers document and respond to what it’s been like to live through what one Times article describes as “a year of tragedy, of catastrophe, of upheaval, a year that has inflicted one blow after another, a year that has filled the morgues, emptied the schools, shuttered the workplaces, swelled the unemployment lines and polarized the electorate.”

A series of writing prompts, mentor texts and a step-by-step guide will help them think deeply and analytically about who they are, how this year has impacted them, what they’d like to express as a result, and how they’d like to express it. How might they tell their unique stories in ways that feel meaningful and authentic, whether those stories are serious or funny, big or small, raw or polished?

Though the contest accepts work across genres — via words and images, video and audio — all students will also craft written artist’s statements for each piece they submit. In addition, no matter what genre of work students send in, the unit will use writing as a tool throughout to help students brainstorm, compose and edit. And, of course, this work, whether students send it to us or not, is valuable far beyond the classroom: Historians, archivists and museums recommend that we all document our experiences this year, if only for ourselves.

October-November

Unit 2: The Personal Narrative

While The Times is known for its award-winning journalism, the paper also has a robust tradition of publishing personal essays on topics like love , family , life on campus and navigating anxiety . And on our site, our daily writing prompts have long invited students to tell us their stories, too. Our 2019 collection of 550 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing is a good place to start, though we add more every week during the school year.

In this unit we draw on many of these resources, plus some of the 1,000-plus personal essays from the Magazine’s long-running Lives column , to help students find their own “short, memorable stories ” and tell them well. Our related mentor-text lessons can help them practice skills like writing with voice , using details to show rather than tell , structuring a narrative arc , dropping the reader into a scene and more. This year, we’ll also be including mentor text guided lessons that use the work of the 2019 student winners.

As a final project, we invite students to send finished stories to our Second Annual Personal Narrative Writing Contest .

DECEMBER-January

Unit 3: The Review

Book reports and literary essays have long been staples of language arts classrooms, but this unit encourages students to learn how to critique art in other genres as well. As we point out, a cultural review is, of course, a form of argumentative essay. Your class might be writing about Lizzo or “ Looking for Alaska ,” but they still have to make claims and support them with evidence. And, just as they must in a literature essay, they have to read (or watch, or listen to) a work closely; analyze it and understand its context; and explain what is meaningful and interesting about it.

In our Mentor Texts series , we feature the work of Times movie , restaurant , book and music critics to help students understand the elements of a successful review. In each one of these guided lessons, we also spotlight the work of teenage contest winners from previous years.

As a culminating project, we invite students to send us their own reviews of a book, movie, restaurant, album, theatrical production, video game, dance performance, TV show, art exhibition or any other kind of work The Times critiques.

January-February

Unit 4: Informational Writing

Informational writing is the style of writing that dominates The New York Times as well as any other traditional newspaper you might read, and in this unit we hope to show students that it can be every bit as engaging and compelling to read and to write as other genres. Via thousands of articles a month — from front-page reporting on politics to news about athletes in Sports, deep data dives in The Upshot, recipes in Cooking, advice columns in Style and long-form investigative pieces in the magazine — Times journalists find ways to experiment with the genre to intrigue and inform their audiences.

This unit invites students to take any STEM-related discovery, process or idea that interests them and write about it in a way that makes it understandable and engaging for a general audience — but all the skills we teach along the way can work for any kind of informational writing. Via our Mentor Texts series, we show them how to hook the reader from the start , use quotes and research , explain why a topic matters and more. This year we’ll be using the work of the 2020 student winners for additional mentor text lessons.

At the end of the unit, we invite teenagers to submit their own writing to our Second Annual STEM writing contest to show us what they’ve learned.

March-April

Unit 5: Argumentative Writing

The demand for evidence-based argumentative writing is now woven into school assignments across the curriculum and grade levels, and you couldn’t ask for better real-world examples than what you can find in The Times Opinion section .

This unit will, like our others, be supported with writing prompts, mentor-text lesson plans, webinars and more. We’ll also focus on the winning teenage writing we’ve received over the six years we’ve run our related contest.

At a time when media literacy is more important than ever, we also hope that our annual Student Editorial Contest can serve as a final project that encourages students to broaden their information diets with a range of reliable sources, and learn from a variety of perspectives on their chosen issue.

To help students working from home, we also have an Argumentative Unit for Students Doing Remote Learning .

Unit 6: Writing for Podcasts

Most of our writing units so far have all asked for essays of one kind or another, but this spring contest invites students to do what journalists at The Times do every day: make multimedia to tell a story, investigate an issue or communicate a concept.

Our annual podcast contest gives students the freedom to talk about anything they want in any form they like. In the past we’ve had winners who’ve done personal narratives, local travelogues, opinion pieces, interviews with community members, local investigative journalism and descriptions of scientific discoveries.

As with all our other units, we have supported this contest with great examples from The Times and around the web, as well as with mentor texts by teenagers that offer guided practice in understanding elements and techniques.

June-August

Unit 7: Independent Reading and Writing

At a time when teachers are looking for ways to offer students more “voice and choice,” this unit, based on our annual summer contest, offers both.

Every year since 2010 we have invited teenagers around the world to add The New York Times to their summer reading lists and, so far, 70,000 have. Every week for 10 weeks, we ask participants to choose something in The Times that has sparked their interest, then tell us why. At the end of the week, judges from the Times newsroom pick favorite responses, and we publish them on our site.

And we’ve used our Mentor Text feature to spotlight the work of past winners , explain why newsroom judges admired their thinking, and provide four steps to helping any student write better reader-responses.

Because this is our most open-ended contest — students can choose whatever they like, and react however they like — it has proved over the years to be a useful place for young writers to hone their voices, practice skills and take risks . Join us!

Curriculum  /  ELA  /  8th Grade

English Language Arts

8th Grade ELA Course Summary

In 8th Grade English Language Arts, students explore the question of whether human beings are fundamentally good or evil. Students will consider how access to power influences human behavior, and how everyday people respond in the face of unjust leadership, violent oppression, and cruelty through careful study of classic and contemporary texts: All American Boys , Night , The Diary of Anne Frank , Animal Farm , Wicked History , Persepolis , An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power , and additional supporting texts: articles, poems, and digital media. Across the 5 units, students deepen their writing skills through argumentative, informational, and narrative tasks, and continue to build their academic vocabularies, speaking and listening skills, and social-emotional competencies.

Throughout the course, students address all ELA Common Core Standards as they engage with increasingly complex texts , participate in class discussions, and write daily. Each unit helps build students’ knowledge and understanding of the world around them through thematically organized core and supplemental texts, embedded writing instruction and extended writing assignments in response to Essential Questions, and daily opportunities to engage in multiple tiers of academic discourse . 

After completing the 8th grade ELA course, students will have the reading, writing, and speaking and listening skills, and the relevant background knowledge to set them up for success in high school ELA. 

Explore this curriculum

8th Grade Standards Map

Pacing Guide

8th Grade Book List

Facing Prejudice: All American Boys

Students explore the American experience through the eyes of two young men - one white and one Black - connected through an incident of police brutality.

Encountering Evil: Night

Students explore human nature through the memoir of Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who vividly describes the horrors he experienced.

Abusing Power: Animal Farm and Wicked History

Students explore human nature through careful study of the Russian Revolution, focusing on the ways in which leaders manipulated and oppressed their own people.

Surviving Repression: Persepolis

Students explore human nature through the story of a young girl coming of age during the Iranian Revolution, and the challenges she faced during this violent, turbulent time.

Facing Calamity: Climate Change Facts and Fictions

Students explore human nature by studying the climate crisis and its causes and impact, and the role of government, businesses, and individuals in finding solutions.

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Essentials in Writing

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Essentials in Writing Level 8 Second Edition

EIW™ Level 8 is a homeschool writing curriculum that features a slow, systematic approach for students aged 13-14 who want to learn how to write well. The step-by-step approach allows students to focus on small, daily assignments, so they don’t feel overwhelmed.

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Homeschool students will learn to apply parts of speech and different sentence structures as well as use them as tools for effective communication. They will address common problems in writing, including sentence errors, pronouns and antecedents, subject/verb agreement, homophones, unclear subjects, paraphrasing, and summarizing. They will practice crafting compositions including paragraphs, a narrative, a business letter, essays, and a research project. Students will explore expository, descriptive, persuasive, compare, and contrast writing.

Unit One: Grammar

Apply activities for parts of speech:.

• Action Verbs
• Prepositional phrases
• Vivid Language

Apply activities for sentence structure:

• Independent and Dependent clauses
• Simple and Compound Sentences
• Complex Sentences
• Compound-Complex Sentences
• Avoiding Sentence Errors (fragments, run-ons, and comma splices)
• Varied Sentences in a Composition
• Appositives
• Transitions

Apply activities for common problems:

• Pronouns and Antecedents
• Subject/Verb Agreement
• Don’t/Doesn’t Problem
• Unclear Subjects
• Paraphrasing
• Writing a Summary

Unit Two: Composition

Follow the writing process for:.

• Paragraphs (expository, persuasive, descriptive, compare, and contrast writing)
• Expository essay
• Compare/contrast business letter
• Persuasive essay
• Research project

Additional composition skills:

• Audience and purpose
• How to choose an appropriate writing form
• Informal and formal writing
• Finding and using quality sources to research and explain a topic
• Effective narrative writing skills (first and third-person point of view, mechanics of dialogue, narrative hook, narrative writing)
• Letter formatting (business letters)
• Effective writing skills (sensory details, hooks, thesis statement and restatement, mechanics of dialogue, first and third-person point of view, transitions, variety of sentence structures and word choice)
• Summarizing and paraphrasing someone else’s content in their own words
• Develop supportive, strong details and examples

Sample Lesson Video – Level 8 Second Edition

Level 8 Second Edition – Sample PDFs

• LEVEL 8 SECOND EDITION TEXTBOOK SAMPLE
• LEVEL 8 ASSESSMENT/RESOURCE SAMPLE
• Level 8 34-Week Plan
• Alternative Instructional Strategies – PDF

Frequently Asked Questions About Level 8 Writing Curriculum

How old are 8th level students.

The general age for students completing Level 8 is 13 or 14 years old. The age can vary depending on if a child has started school early, on time, or is repeating a grade. The age of the student does not delegate if a child can complete this writing course. Instead, we recommend that students have a basic understanding of spelling, grammar, sentences, composition, and the skills taught in the upper elementary levels before beginning.

What is taught in Level 8?

Level 8 will teach students to apply parts of speech and sentence structures to produce more complex, purposeful writing and explores more advanced grammatical concepts such as gerunds and appositives, as well as advanced sentence structures like compound-complex sentences. Activities also provide practice for valuable skills in paraphrasing and summarizing. Composition activities in Level 8 reinforce the writing process for expository, persuasive, descriptive, narrative, and research writing. Students will gain familiarity with the business letter format and the mechanics of dialogue and continue to learn techniques that will allow them to write with greater clarity and development, such as thesis statement development and organizing compositions.

What is the 8th grade homeschool writing curriculum?

In homeschool, 8th grade writing curriculum consists of online video lessons, a student textbook/workbook, and an answer key. Parents use this homeschool writing curriculum to guide their students through grammar and writing for the 8th grade. Eighth grade students should already have a basic understanding of grammar, how to write sentences and a basic paragraph, and the basic concept of beginning, middle, and end in writing.

Why choose Essentials in Writing?

Essentials in Writing is an excellent choice for homeschool curriculum because it is not parent intensive, and each composition follows a step-by-step process (The Writing Process) broken down into small chunks of information with the act of modeling provided by the teacher, Mr. Stephens, on video.

8th grade writing as a Tutoring Program

Many parents and teachers use this program for the children and students as a middle school writing tutor. Because each composition follows a step-by-step process (The Writing Process) broken down into small chunks of information with the act of modeling provided by the teacher, Mr. Stephens, on video, students learn to write well with ease. Additionally, given the fact that the lessons are short, and compositions are written over several days rather than in one sitting, Essentials in Writing is an easy add to a student’s school day, like an after-school tutoring program. Most lessons are a maximum of 30 minutes each day, including the time students spend watching the teacher on video and working on the assignment.

What is included in the Workbook and Assessment/Resource Book?

8th Grade Writing Workbook

• Lesson content that accompanies the video lesson
• Lesson activities that accompany the video lesson
• Writing graphic organizers that accompany the video lesson
• Separate parent/teacher handbook
• How to use the program
• 34-week lesson planning option
• Writing icon descriptions
• Sample answers for each lesson
• Scoring rubrics for compositions
• Point values for each activity and composition
• How to score activities and compositions

8th Grade Writing Assessment (A) / Resource (R) Book

• (A) Multiple choice, underline, fill-in-the-blank for each mini section of the grammar unit
• (A) Composition assessments for each composition completed in the workbook
• (A) Unit One and Unit Two comprehensive assessments
• (R) Extra graphic organizers
• (R) Extra helpful graphics
• (R) Extra composition rubrics
• (R) Research project source cards
• (R) Extra writing checklists
• (R) Additional word lists

The Assessment/Resource Book will provide students the opportunity to show what information they are retaining. Although some parents/teachers use the assessments as actual evaluations, others use them as extra practice. The point values are included to help parents/teachers track and evaluate the student’s progress, though some parents may not use them. The additional word lists and graphics are valuable in improving student vocabulary and remind the student of important writing techniques.

What if I have multiple students?

Additional 8th grade writing workbooks can be purchased to provide a workbook for another child/student. The workbook does not have additional information and is just another core workbook for another student so that each student has their own workbook to use.

What should a grade 8 homeschool student know by the end of the year?

Students completing their 8th grade year should have mastered a number of skills and writing techniques.

• Apply parts of speech in writing
• Identify and correct common writing problems
• Use writing techniques to communicate effectively in written language
• Identify and use a variety of clauses and sentence structures to develop quality sentences
• Know and understand how to effectively paraphrase and summarize content
• Follow the writing process to communicate in paragraphs, narratives, letters, and essays
• Know and understand how to use strong details and examples to support opinions and explanations in writing
• Know and understand how to develop thesis statements for larger compositions
• Identify audience and purpose
• Use graphic organizers effectively to organize writing content
• Know how to choose an appropriate writing form
• Understand informal and formal writing
• Understand how to format personal and business letters
• Know and understand effective writing skills: strong details, transitions, variety of sentence structure, effective use of dialogue, and effective use of vivid language and sensory details
• Research a topic using quality sources, paraphrase content, and include multiple small compositions in a research project

What is included in the course?

Unit One covers grammar instruction with activities where students learn to apply parts of speech, to identify and correct common problems in writing, to use parts of speech along with a variety of sentence structures and vivid language as tools for effective communication, and to effectively paraphrase and summarize content.

Unit Two covers the writing process for multiple compositions as well as how to communicate effectively in written language through a variety of styles and formats by applying effective writing tools. The unit ends with a research project.

Does each unit come with worksheets and tests?

Both units are included in the 8th grade writing curriculum Workbook/Textbook. This book contains instructional content as well as worksheet activities related to both units (grammar and composition). An Assessment/Resource Book is available for purchase to accompany the Workbook/Textbook and includes a variety of assessments in different formats as well as additional resources such as graphic organizers and resource word lists.

Does the workbook include a daily/weekly curriculum planner?

Each level of Essentials in Writing includes a 34-week suggested, yet optional, lesson planner.

How much time will students need to complete a course?

The time needed to complete the 8th level writing curriculum is a typical academic year (34 weeks). If students follow the 34-week plan included, they will complete individual lessons and activities during the week; however, because the lessons are broken up into small, daily mini-lessons, students can double up on some lessons and activities and complete the entire course sooner. Each day, students will spend 15-30 minutes on writing.

Can I grade my student’s papers myself?

Yes. Essentials in Writing provides both scoring checklists and rubrics for your convenience with sample compositions for comparison purposes.

Some parents, however, choose to use The Essentials in Writing Scoring Service. This service is an optional add-on that takes the scoring burden off the parent/teacher and places it on the scoring team! Our Scoring Team includes a variety of qualified individuals including long-time educators, librarians, and professionals with Bachelor’s degrees in English.

Parents of students completing Levels 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 of Essentials in Writing are eligible to purchase this service. Offered from September 1 to June 15 of each school year, one composition for each EIW composition assignment may be submitted for scoring. If purchased after the September 1 start date, services still expire on June 15 of the following year.

The scoring system includes:

• Online access through Gradient where the Scoring Services are conducted
• One final composition from each composition lesson of Essentials in Writing to submit for scoring
• Feedback in the form of a rubric with a score as well as a one-paragraph write-up from their scorer complementing strengths and sharing areas to improve, plus, detailed comments and suggestions within the composition

Additional Student Level 8 Workbook

(Additional Workbook is compatible only with second edition Essentials in Writing video instruction)

This is only a Student Workbook for an ADDITIONAL student using the same level of video instruction. Please note that the Workbook is not functional without the related video instruction.

About The Scoring Service

Let Essentials in Writing take the scoring burden off your mind! Our Scoring Team includes a variety of qualified individuals, including long-time educators, librarians, and professionals with Bachelor’s degrees in English, and they are ready to take the burden of grading compositions away from you.

Parents of students completing levels 6*, 7*, 8*, 9, 10, 11 or 12 of Essentials in Writing are eligible to purchase this service. (*Second Editions only.) Offered from September 1 to June 15 of each school year, one composition for each EIW assignment may be submitted for scoring. If purchased after September 1 start date, services still expire on June 15 the following year.

How Do The Scoring Services Work?

• Available from September 1 to June 15 (one school year).
• One final composition from each composition lesson of Essentials in Writing may be presented for scoring.
• Students receive a rubric with a score as well as a one-paragraph write-up from their scorer complimenting strengths and sharing areas to improve, plus, detailed comments and suggestions within the composition.
• Scoring Services will be conducted online through Gradient, Essentials in Writing’s online grading platform.

PLEASE NOTE: Scoring services are for Essentials in Writing only and are not eligible for unconditional money back guarantee.

Read More About Our Scoring Service

(Assessment/Resource Booklet is compatible only with second edition Essentials in Writing curriculum)

Assessment/Resource Booklet

• Assessments 16 grammar assessments in a variety of formats (fill in the blank and revision activities associated with both sentences and larger compositions), five composition assessments, and two comprehensive unit tests
• Resources Parent/student full-color word lists, composition resources, and multiple graphic organizers

Essentials in Writing comes with Online Streaming Video Instruction

• ONLINE STREAMING 12 month access to ONLINE lesson-by-lesson video instruction (Free renewals upon request)
• DVD DVD video lessons can be added for $45.00 plus shipping (This includes access to online streaming as well)

Analyzing fiction, nonfiction, novel, and poetry/figurative language.

Unit 1: Fiction (Short Stories)

• Fiction unit terms and explanation
• 6 short stories (application)
• 1 summative assessment

Unit 2: Nonfiction (Short Literary Works)

• Nonfiction unit terms and explanation
• 6 nonfiction works (application)

Unit 3: Novel

• 1 Novel (literary analysis application)
• 1 major writing activity

Unit 4: Figurative Language/Poetry

• Figurative Language/Poetry Unit terms and explanation
• 6 units of up to 8 literary works (application)

Sample Lesson Video – Level 8

Level 8 – Sample PDFs

• Level 8 Textbook Sample
• Level 8 Literary Works

Frequently Asked Questions About Level 8 Essentials in Literature

Essentials in Literature Level 8 breaks down into four units with each unit focusing on a different aspect of literature. Unit One uses short story fiction to explain fiction terms and includes six short stories (application) and one summative assessment. Unit Two uses short nonfiction works to define terms and includes six nonfiction works (application) and one summative assessment. Unit Three centers around one novel (literary analysis application) with one summative assessment and one major writing activity. Unit Four is the Figurative Language/Poetry Unit with a full explanation of terms, six units of up to eight literary works (application), and one summative assessment.

How are tests and assignments graded?

Scoring is for Essentials in Writing only, and there is no scoring for Essentials in Literature. The literature curriculum provides parents with scoring guides found in the answer key that include sample answers for each activity.

How much time will students need to complete Essentials in Literature?

The Essentials in Literature follows the same 34-week timeline as Essentials in Writing, but students can work faster than the intended timeline to finish the course sooner. Each day, students will spend 15-40 minutes on literature. 

Does the Workbook include a daily/weekly curriculum planner?

Essentials in Literature Level 8 includes a 34-week suggested, yet optional, lesson planner geared for middle school level learning. 

Will I need to purchase additional reading material for this curriculum?

Shorter works for Units One, Two, and Four can be found online. Instructions are given in the Parent/Teacher Handbook. The chosen novel for Unit Three is included with the purchase of Essentials in Literature Level 8.

What is included in the bundle?

The bundle for Level 8 includes both Essentials in Writing and Essentials in Literature. The textbook, workbook, and video content are included in the bundle price. 

Difference between the writing workbook and literature workbook?

Essentials in Writing textbook/workbook is the writing component whereas Essentials in Literature textbook/workbook is the literary analysis component in order to earn an English credit at the middle school level.

This is only a Student Textbook/Workbook for an ADDITIONAL student using the same level of video instruction.  Please note that this Workbook is not functional without the related video instruction.

Scoring Services are for Essentials in Writing only.

• DVD DVD video lessons can be added for $25.00 plus shipping (This includes access to online streaming as well)

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Literature Courses

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• Level 10 (ages 15–16)

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Grades 6-8: Educating Powerful Writers

Grades 6-8 Educating Powerful Writers is a complete writing curriculum.  There are 7-8 distinct units per grade which include outlines of daily lessons, mentor writing texts for each unit, guidance for assessment, sample handouts, and sample lesson plans.  Educating Powerful Writers is a spiraled curriculum that takes students through narrative, informative, argumentative, literary essay, and poetry writing each year.  Each grade offers a distinctly different unit in each of these genres while continuing to build on the skills developed in previous grades to continue educating powerful writers. Additional materials, including student work, will be added to this collection on a rolling basis.

Included Resources

Sample student work: educating powerful write..., sample student work: educating powerful writers.

Sample student work to be utilized with Grades 6-8 : Educating Powerful Writers Middle School writing curriculum.

Grade 6,units 1- 4: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 6,units 1- 4: educating ..., grade 6,units 1- 4: educating powerful writers.

Grade 6, Units 1-4 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence . This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 6, units 5-8: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 6, units 5-8: educating ..., grade 6, units 5-8: educating powerful writers.

Grade 6, Units 5-8 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence .  This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 7, units 1-3: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 7, units 1-3: educating ..., grade 7, units 1-3: educating powerful writers.

Grade 7, Units 1-3 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence .  This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 7, units 4-8: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 7, units 4-8: educating ..., grade 7, units 4-8: educating powerful writers.

Grade 7, Units 4-8 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence . This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 8, units 1-8: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 8, units 1-8: educating ..., grade 8, units 1-8: educating powerful writers.

Grade 8, Units 1-8 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence . This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Common Core State Standards Initiative

English Language Arts Standards » Language » Grade 8

Standards in this strand:, conventions of standard english:, knowledge of language:, vocabulary acquisition and use:.

• Key Design Consideration
• Students Who are College and Career Ready in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, & Language
• How to Read the Standards
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
• Introduction for K-5
• Kindergarten
• Introduction for 6-12
• Grade 11-12
• Introduction
• Language Progressive Skills
• Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors
• Range of Text Types for K-5
• Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Range of Student Reading K-5
• Staying on Topic Within a Grade & Across Grades
• Range of Text Types for 6-12
• Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Range of Student Reading 6-12
• English Language Arts Appendix A
• English Language Arts Appendix B
• English Language Arts Appendix C

Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

8th Grade Writing

For eighth graders, this Common Core area helps students gain mastery of writing skills by working collaboratively and producing written texts, understanding syntax and vocabulary, and organizing their ideas. Among the complete standards for this grade, eighth graders will be asked to: support the claims of their arguments with evidence, logical reasoning, and credible sources, use a formal style when writing, be able to develop the topic of a work with details, facts, definitions, and quotations, employ formatting, graphics, and multimedia to present information in the written medium, employ narrative techniques like pacing, description, reflection, and dialogue to develop events and characters within a text, go through the process of writing, editing and revision for their written work, use appropriate technology to publish writing and to collaborate on written projects, demonstrate keyboarding skill, go through the process of writing, editing and revision for their written work, conduct short research projects to answer a question, quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of supporting texts while avoiding plagiarism and using proper citation, use evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Abraham Lincoln Bio Poem

Your students will write a bio poem about Abraham Lincoln.

Bio Poem: My Mother

A fun Mother’s Day bio poem activity for your students!

Bio Poem: Pilgrim

A biography poem, also called a bio poem, is a short poem which describes a person or thing. This printable Thanksgiving Activity guides students through creating a bio poem about Pilgrims.

Bio Poem: Someone You Know

Students will write a bio poem about someone they know using the format set in this worksheet.

Christmas Tree Bio Poem

A biography poem, also called a bio poem, is a short poem which describes a person or thing. Sometimes writing a bio pem can be tricky! This printable Christmas Activity guides students through creating a bio poem about a Christmas tree.

Correct the Transition Words Mistakes – Worksheet

Have your students revise sentences and correct transition word mistakes with this educational writing activity.

Edgar Allan Poe: Secrets in Poetry

Students read from Edgar Allan Poe’s “An Enigma” and decipher the name of the woman’s whose name is hidden within the text.

Father’s Day Bio Poem: My Father

Enhance your students’ writing skills with this fun Father’s Day Biography Poem activity.

Fourth of July Bio Poem: America

Encourage your students to learn about America with this Fourth of July Biography Poem activity.

George Washington Bio Poem

Your students will write a bio poem about George Washington.

George Washington’s List of Rules

When George Washington was a young boy, he made a list of rules for himself. Students choose one of the rules and write what it means.

Halloween Bio Poem Activity: Ghost

Create a bio poem about your own personal ghost with our fun Halloween printable activity!

Main Idea Organizer

Teach your students how to organize their writing with this helpful Main Idea Organizer. Students will be asked to complete the worksheet by writing their own main idea, three details, and a summary. This will help your students better understand how to organize their ideas for writing in the future, especially when writing an essay!

Write a Biography Poem

Bio poems are usually short poems following a specific format. In this worksheet students will write a bio poem about themself.

Bio Poem: A President

Bio poems are usually short poems following a specific format. Students will write about a President in this worksheet.

Bio Poem: An Ocean

Have your students get creative by writing a bio poem about an ocean.

Editing and Proofing a Paragraph

Your students will further their editing and proofing skills by correcting a paragraph in this printable classroom worksheet.

George Washington: Almost a King

What if George Washington had become king? Students ponder this question and then write about what it would be like.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

This activity helps students develop a strong thesis statement for their essays by providing practice writing sample statements.

How to Write an Introduction: Bridge Building Activity

This activity is designed to help students learn about writing introductions through a fun bridge building activity to join the lead noun card and thesis statement card.

Homeschools »

Writing & Grammar 8 Parent Portal Kit, 4th ed. (UMSI)

Writing & Grammar 8 Worktext, 4th ed.

The 8th grade writing and grammar workbook teaches students to write in a variety of genres by guiding them through the writing process and focusing on the six traits of writing. This textbook emphasizes learning grammar to develop strong writing skills, and it shows students how to develop a biblical view of communication by focusing on writing with empathy, logic, virtue, and discernment. Students will also learn speaking and listening skills and methods of communicating through visuals.

Writing & Grammar 8 Teacher Edition, 4th ed.

The Writing & Grammar 8 teacher edition gives educators the resources they need to craft effective lessons. 8th grade grammar lesson plans feature a variety of proven strategies within the framework of a teaching cycle. Instructional aids are available in the back of the book to assist the teacher in developing students’ grammar and writing skills.

Writing & Grammar 8 Assessments, 4th ed.

The 8th grade writing and grammar assessments packet includes preprinted chapter tests for assessing students’ understanding of objective concepts. Assessment questions align with educational objectives from the Writing & Grammar 8 student workbook.

Writing & Grammar 8 Assessments Answer Key, 4th ed.

The Writing & Grammar 8 assessments answer key includes copies of the chapter tests and exam with overprint answers for easy grading. Assessment questions align with educational objectives from the Writing & Grammar 8 student workbook. These Writing & Grammar 8 answer keys correspond with the Writing & Grammar 8 assessments.

Writing & Grammar 8 Student Worktext, 3rd ed.

Writing & Grammar 8 Student Worktext presents clear instruction and offers plenty of practice in writing and grammar, including an overview of the writing process and many focused writing activities. Writing & Grammar 8 reviews the eight parts of speech, five basic sentence patterns, usage, and mechanics, and discusses grammar elements such as participles, gerunds, and infinitives. Dictionary skills, library skills, study skills, and the writing process are also part of the year's work.

Writing & Grammar 8 Tests, 3rd ed.

These objective tests require that students use information explained in the student text. Each test follows a theme, e.g., birds or sailing, and may include a variety of multiple choice, application (labeling, underlining, circling), and short answer items. Midterm and final exams are included.

Writing & Grammar 8 Tests Answer Key, 3rd ed.

The Writing & Grammar 8 Test Answer Key provides answers for the tests found in the test packet.

Writing & Grammar 8 Teacher's Edition, 3rd ed.

Writing & Grammar 8 Teacher’s Edition (3rd ed.) provides many helpful teaching aids, including margins with teacher’s notes, suggested lesson schedules, and suggested teaching approaches. Lesson plans identify key objectives, help you guide your student through the Writing Process, and suggest ways to present grammar and usage concepts.

How We Teach Writing & Grammar 8

Mentor texts.

Students will interact with and evaluate samples of good writing to learn writing principles they can apply to their own writing. Writing Toolboxes give them opportunities to practice and further develop their writing skills as well as learn to write specific types of paragraphs.

Grammar Application

Teachers will find special features such as Punctuation PowerUps and Grammar Toolboxes, which will support them in teaching grammar and its application to writing. Students will learn to use grammar, not in isolation, but to improve their writing on both the sentence and paragraph level.

Skill Development

Students will find instruction and activities designed to improve skills their skills in written and oral communication. They will practice revising sentences, use the library and internet for research, give presentations, and participate in peer reviews and group assignments.

Get a free sample of our Writing & Grammar 8 materials. Download a Course Overview (PDF) Edition Comparison Chart (PDF)

Level B Resources for Grades 6–8

MIDDLE SCHOOL In this stage writing can be awkward just like so many other parts of being a middle school student. IEW can help you instruct and coach them to maturity in their writing so they become confident and competent communicators and thinkers.