Content Area: Language Arts Literacy

 

Index: 3.1A Grade 8 CPI 1

 

Standard: 3.1 Reading

 

Strand: A - Concepts About Print

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 1 -  The student will identify and use organizational structures to comprehend information. (e.g., logical order, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, chronological, sequential, procedural text).

 

Grade: 8

 

Sample Activities

 

·       Upon completing a unit on novels, small groups select two favorite characters for comparison and contrast. In a mini-lesson, the teacher guides the students’ recall of categories for comparing and contrasting characters. After each group analyzes its characters, the group determines how to present its work to the class (e.g., visual materials, a play, or an essay).

 

·       Students in this classroom use a herringbone organizer in order to diagram a situation such as the Korean War. Then from their previous reading, they identify the causes and speculate about the effects they might find discussed in their next reading on this topic.

 

·       Students examine various text types that demonstrate patterns of cause/effect, comparison/ contrast, persuasive/argumentative, etc. Then, using an overhead projector, the teacher shows partially completed graphic organizers that match the text types examined and asks the students to complete the organizers. Next, students examine unfamiliar texts and construct the ideas in an organizer of their own choice. After completing the organizer, they write a narrative explaining the process they used for this activity.