AISL Grade 8 Benchmarks in English Language Arts

(Revised June, 2010)

AISL.ELA.01 READING-FLUENCY: Students will read fluently using the skills and strategies of the reading process.
AISL.ELA.01.G8.01 Summarize, paraphrase, hypothesize, and draw inferences
AISL.ELA.01.G8.02 Connect information from a passage to students’ lives and/or the real world
AISL.ELA.01.G8.03 Determine whether evidence presented to support an opinion is objective, authoritative, and/or true to original context
AISL.ELA.02 READING-COMPREHENSION: Students will comprehend, respond to, and analyze a wide variety of literary texts.
AISL.ELA.02.G8.01 Analyze and write about the conflict of a story.
AISL.ELA.02.G8.02 Explain how the setting influences the plot and characters in a story.
AISL.ELA.02.G8.03 Describe the physical and personality traits of a character in a story.
AISL.ELA.02.G8.04 Analyze and discuss character development and change.
AISL.ELA.02.G8.05 Understand how an author makes use of foreshadowing to advance the plot.
AISL.ELA.02.G8.06 Discuss as well as compare and contrast similarities and differences in themes and characters.
AISL.ELA.02.G8.07 Recognize that prejudice can occur when one is unwilling to understand another’s point of view.
AISL.ELA.02.G8.08 Recognize traits and characteristics of poetry (rhyme, rhythm, imagery, simile, metaphor, symbol).
AISL.ELA.02.G8.09 Identify literary devices (metaphor, symbolism, irony, etc).
AISL.ELA.02.G8.10 Recognize structural elements of the plot (exposition, rising action, climax) and how conflict is addressed and resolved.
AISL.ELA.03 READING-STRATEGIES: Students will apply skills and strategies appropriate for decoding reading of unfamiliar words in a variety of texts
AISL.ELA.03.G8.01 Use knowledge of word relationships, as well as historical and literary context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate words
AISL.ELA.03.G8.02 Use idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes to infer the literal and figurative meanings of phrases
AISL.ELA.03.G8.03 Use the dictionary as a tool for reading (e.g., pronunciation, parts of speech, etc.)
AISL.ELA.04 WRITING-MECHANICS: Students will write using the appropriate conventions of the English language.
AISL.ELA.04.G8.01 Understand and utilize correct grammar; sentence and paragraph structure; punctuation and; spelling when writing for a specific audience.
AISL.ELA.04.G8.02 Construct a variety of sentence types: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.
AISL.ELA.04.G8.03 Distinguish between a fragment and a run-on sentence.
AISL.ELA.05 WRITING-CONTENT: Students will write with clarity and coherence in a wide variety of contexts.
AISL.ELA.05.G8.01 Write creatively in various forms (ie. narrative, rap, obituaries etc.)
AISL.ELA.05.G8.02 Develop three and five paragraph critical essays
AISL.ELA.05.G8.03 Respond intelligently and sensitively in a journal
AISL.ELA.05.G8.04 Express feelings through poetry, using such devices as tone, imagery, onomatopoeia, personification, etc
AISL.ELA.05.G8.05 Defend opinions in a persuasive essay
AISL.ELA.05.G8.06 Critique an author’s work
AISL.ELA.05.G8.07 Improve coherence of writing through the self and peer revision processes.
AISL.ELA.06 LISTENING: Students will listen and respond critically to oral communication.
AISL.ELA.06.G8.01 Participate as an active listener in group activities.
AISL.ELA.06.G8.02 Draw inferences from the speaker’s words, tone, and expressions
AISL.ELA.06.G8.03 Record and/or summarize information heard
AISL.ELA.06.G8.04 Use questioning techniques to further clarify information presented
AISL.ELA.07 SPEAKING: Students will speak with clarity and coherence in a wide variety of contexts.
AISL.ELA.07.G8.01 Use oral language in a variety of situations, (group activities, discussion, presentations, role-plays).
AISL.ELA.07.G8.02 Communicate thoughts in a clear logical fashion.
AISL.ELA.07.G8.03 Utilize techniques to enhance oral presentations such as eye contact, volume, facial and body expression, and clarity of speech.
AISL.ELA.07.G8.04 Provide constructive feedback on the oral presentations of others.
AISL.ELA.07.G8.05 Incorporate newly learned vocabulary in speaking and writing.
AISL.ELA.08 RESEARCH: Students will use a variety of resources and research skills
AISL.ELA.08.G8.01 Conduct research that frame a key question or issue; includes facts and detail; and uses both primary and secondary sources.
AISL.ELA.08.G8.02 Access research information from the internet, periodicals, books, etc...
AISL.ELA.08.G8.03 Quote or paraphrase information sources, citing them appropriately with MLA standards.
AISL.ELA.09 MEDIA-COMPREHENSION: Students will respond to, analyze and comprehend the content of a variety of media.
AISL.ELA.09.G8.01 Recognize the different ways media products reflect a bias in regards to the audience for which they were created.
AISL.ELA.09.G8.02 Analyze strategies employed by the media (logical fallacy, advertising, perpetuation of stereotypes, use of visual representations, special effects, language) to inform, persuade, entertain, and transmit culture.
AISL.ELA.10 MEDIA-CREATION: Students will create a variety of media
AISL.ELA.10.G8.01 Independently create a product using media (eg. power-point, poster, blog, newsletter etc.)