By the end of the 8th grade, your child should be able to orally read grade level text by using pre-reading activities. These activities include prior reviews of vocabulary that may be presented before reading the text. When reading, the child should be able to successfully read text in a manner that is identified as near-fluent speech. He should demonstrate the ability to adjust the style of reading according to punctuation. He should also be able to adjust his rate of reading by slowing down or speeding up based on the form and style of the text. Help to accomplish these tasks should be minimal.
Your 8th grader should be able to demonstrate the basic comprehension of a variety of grade-level passages by utilizing comprehension strategies. These strategies include re-reading, note-taking and summarizing. If he is on par with state standards, he will be able to successfully determine the essential message or main idea by using words and phrases that support the details of the passage.
In order to meet state standards for the 8th grade, your child will learn to read critically. Through critical reading, the student will be able to identify the author's purpose and perspectives. He will utilize comprehension activities such as viewing illustrations and re-telling to construct meaning. Being exposed to techniques to read critically will help prepare the student to comprehend and analyze high school level reading assignments.
Your student will learn to compare literary texts that possess a universal theme. He will also learn to provide textual evidence to support the identified theme. He will learn to identify and analyze the author's use of descriptive and figurative language and be able to successfully identify how the chosen words were used to appeal to the reader's emotions and senses.
Throughout the 8th grade, your student will be given assignments to write essays that narrate or explain a thesis statement. He will also learn how to identify the thesis statement within a text and employ organizational strategies to arrange information. Note taking during lectures will be encouraged. Grammar and parts of speech will be reviewed and expounded upon.