US Common Core
UK Primary
Canada Elementary
Australian F10
South African PrimaryCommon Core Ela Grade 8
BackBrowse through the list of common core standards for Grade-8 Ela. Click on the common core topic title to view all available worksheets.
[l.8.1] Language: Conventions of Standard English
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
[l.8.1a] Language: Conventions of Standard English
Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences.
[l.8.1b] Language: Conventions of Standard English
Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
[l.8.1c] Language: Conventions of Standard English
Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood.
[l.8.1d] Language: Conventions of Standard English
Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.*
[l.8.2] Language: Conventions of Standard English
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
[l.8.2a] Language: Conventions of Standard English
Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break.
[l.8.2b] Language: Conventions of Standard English
Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
[l.8.2c] Language: Conventions of Standard English
Spell correctly.
[l.8.3] Language: Knowledge of Language
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
[l.8.3a] Language: Knowledge of Language
Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact).
[l.8.4] Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
[l.8.4a] Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
[l.8.4b] Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
[l.8.4c] Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
[l.8.4d] Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
[l.8.5] Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
[l.8.5a] Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.
[l.8.5b] Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words.
[l.8.5c] Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute).
[l.8.6] Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
[rh.6-8.1] Reading History/Social Studies: Key Ideas and Details
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
[rh.6-8.10] Reading History/Social Studies: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
[rh.6-8.2] Reading History/Social Studies: Key Ideas and Details
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
[rh.6-8.3] Reading History/Social Studies: Key Ideas and Details
Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
[rh.6-8.4] Reading History/Social Studies: Craft and Structure
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
[rh.6-8.5] Reading History/Social Studies: Craft and Structure
Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
[rh.6-8.6] Reading History/Social Studies: Craft and Structure
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
[rh.6-8.7] Reading History/Social Studies: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
[rh.6-8.8] Reading History/Social Studies: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
[rh.6-8.9] Reading History/Social Studies: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
[ri.8.1] Reading Informational: Key Ideas and Details
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
[ri.8.10] Reading Informational: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
[ri.8.2] Reading Informational: Key Ideas and Details
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
[ri.8.3] Reading Informational: Key Ideas and Details
Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
[ri.8.4] Reading Informational: Craft and Structure
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
[ri.8.5] Reading Informational: Craft and Structure
Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.
[ri.8.6] Reading Informational: Craft and Structure
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
[ri.8.7] Reading Informational: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
[ri.8.8] Reading Informational: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
[ri.8.9] Reading Informational: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
[rl.8.1] Reading Literature: Key Ideas and Details
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
[rl.8.10] Reading Literature: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
[rl.8.2] Reading Literature: Key Ideas and Details
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
[rl.8.3] Reading Literature: Key Ideas and Details
Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
[rl.8.4] Reading Literature: Craft and Structure
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
[rl.8.5] Reading Literature: Craft and Structure
Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
[rl.8.6] Reading Literature: Craft and Structure
nalyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
[rl.8.7] Reading Literature: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
[rl.8.8] Reading Literature: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
(Not applicable to literature)
[rl.8.9] Reading Literature: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new.
[rst.6-8.1] Reading Science/Technical: Key Ideas and Details
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
[rst.6-8.10] Reading Science/Technical: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
[rst.6-8.2] Reading Science/Technical: Key Ideas and Details
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
[rst.6-8.3] Reading Science/Technical: Key Ideas and Details
Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
[rst.6-8.4] Reading Science/Technical: Craft and Structure
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.
[rst.6-8.5] Reading Science/Technical: Craft and Structure
Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
[rst.6-8.6] Reading Science/Technical: Craft and Structure
Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text.
[rst.6-8.7] Reading Science/Technical: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
[rst.6-8.8] Reading Science/Technical: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
[rst.6-8.9] Reading Science/Technical: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
[sl.8.1] Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
[sl.8.1a] Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
[sl.8.1b] Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
[sl.8.1c] Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
[sl.8.1d] Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.
[sl.8.2] Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
[sl.8.3] Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
[sl.8.4] Speaking and Listening: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
[sl.8.5] Speaking and Listening: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.
[sl.8.6] Speaking and Listening: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
[w.8.1] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
[w.8.10] Writing: Range of Writing
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
[w.8.1a] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
[w.8.1b] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
[w.8.1c] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
[w.8.1d] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Establish and maintain a formal style.
[w.8.1e] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
[w.8.2] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
[w.8.2a] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
[w.8.2b] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
[w.8.2c] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
[w.8.2d] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
[w.8.2e] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Establish and maintain a formal style.
[w.8.2f] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
[w.8.3] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
[w.8.3a] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
[w.8.3b] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
[w.8.3c] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events.
[w.8.3d] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
[w.8.3e] Writing: Text Types and Purposes
Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.
[w.8.4] Writing: Production and Distribution of Writing
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
[w.8.5] Writing: Production and Distribution of Writing
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
[w.8.6] Writing: Production and Distribution of Writing
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
[w.8.7] Writing: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
[w.8.8] Writing: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
[w.8.9] Writing: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
[w.8.9a] Writing: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new).
[w.8.9b] Writing: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced).
[whst.6-8.1] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
[whst.6-8.10] Writing HS/S/T: Range of Writing
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
[whst.6-8.1a] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
[whst.6-8.1b] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
[whst.6-8.1c] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
[whst.6-8.1d] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Establish and maintain a formal style.
[whst.6-8.1e] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
[whst.6-8.2] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
[whst.6-8.2a] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
[whst.6-8.2b] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
[whst.6-8.2c] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
[whst.6-8.2d] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
[whst.6-8.2e] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
[whst.6-8.2f] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
[whst.6-8.3] Writing HS/S/T: Text Types and Purposes
(See note; not applicable as a separate requirement)
[whst.6-8.4] Writing HS/S/T: Production and Distribution of Writing
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
[whst.6-8.5] Writing HS/S/T: Production and Distribution of Writing
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
[whst.6-8.6] Writing HS/S/T: Production and Distribution of Writing
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.
[whst.6-8.7] Writing HS/S/T: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
[whst.6-8.8] Writing HS/S/T: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
[whst.6-8.9] Writing HS/S/T: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.