Grade 8 English Language Arts: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 8 english language arts in the Saskatchewan Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Comprehend and Respond (CR8.1–CR8.8): View, listen to, read, comprehend, and respond to a variety of texts that address identity (e.g., Becoming… Select and use appropriate strategies to construct meaning before, during, and after (e.g., paraphrasing and… Use pragmatic (e.g., intended audience and tone), textual, syntactic (e.g., variety of sentence structures)… (and 5 more outcomes)
- Compose and Create (CC8.1–CC8.9): Create various visual, oral, written, and multimedia (including digital) texts that explore identity… Create and present a group inquiry project related to a topic, theme, or issue studied in English language arts. Select and use the appropriate strategies to communicate meaning before, during, and after speaking, writing, and… (and 6 more outcomes)
- Assess and Reflect on Language Abilities (AR8.1–AR8.2): Use information gathered in self-assessment and teacher's assessment to develop and work on goals for improving… Appraise own and others' work for clarity, correctness, and variety. Units Adventure and Adventurers An Eye on Our…
Easy ways to practise english language arts at home
- Read what they are interested in: graphic novels, sports pages, series. Then talk about it.
- Ask for the main idea and one piece of evidence from the text.
- Have them write real messages: a thank-you note, a short review, a note to a relative.
- Read their writing aloud to them; they often spot their own mistakes by ear.
What each unit covers
Close Reading
Reading original short passages and answering questions about theme, tone, word choice, inference and the author's purpose, using evidence from the text.
Literary Devices
Naming devices like simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, irony, foreshadowing and symbolism in short excerpts, and identifying a narrator's point of view.
Irony, Satire & Allusion
Telling verbal, situational and dramatic irony apart, spotting how satire uses exaggeration to criticize, and explaining what an allusion to a well-known story adds to a text.
Whose Story Is It?
Recognizing third-person limited and omniscient narrators, spotting clues that a narrator is unreliable, and thinking about how a story would change from another character's point of view.
Argument & Media
Telling fact from opinion, spotting persuasive appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) and weak reasoning, and judging how reliable a source or media message is.
Digital Citizens
Staying safe and respectful online, protecting privacy, spotting misinformation and disinformation, understanding how feeds are curated, and thinking about audience and purpose in digital and media texts.
Forms, Patterns & Visuals
Comparing text forms such as editorials, news articles, poems and graphic novels, spotting text patterns like problem-solution and compare-contrast, and judging how features, images and design add to meaning.
Word Study
Using prefixes, suffixes and Greek and Latin roots to work out unfamiliar words, reading context clues, and noticing how word choice changes feeling.
Grammar & Style
Active and passive voice, run-ons, parallel structure, commas, apostrophes, semicolons, colons and common usage choices.
Write It Better
Choosing the right form and tone for an audience, using reliable sources and giving credit, building voice, acknowledging other perspectives, and revising, editing and proofreading drafts.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Meeting is the goal for every outcome. Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exemplary
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Saskatchewan report card guide.
Common questions
How can I help my Grade 8 child with english language arts?
Read what they are interested in: graphic novels, sports pages, series. Then talk about it. Ask for the main idea and one piece of evidence from the text. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
What does my child learn in Grade 8 english language arts in Saskatchewan?
The Saskatchewan Curriculum Grade 8 english language arts units include close reading, literary devices, irony, satire & allusion, whose story is it?, argument & media, digital citizens.
Free printable Grade 8 english language arts practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.