- Triumph Learning

Contents
Fiction
Common Core
State Standards
Lesson 1: Fiction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Across the Stars, Part I Sequence • Plot Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
RL.8.3, RL.8.4, RL.8.6,
RL.8.10, L.8.4.a, L.8.4.d,
L.8.5.a, L.8.5.c
Across the Stars, Part II Make Predictions • Differences in Points of View . .
Read on Your Own . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The History of Disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Lesson 2: Traditional Literature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
The Turnip Draw Inferences • Analyze Theme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.9,
RL.8.10, L.8.4.b
Thunderbird / The Power of Rain Ask and Answer Questions • Setting. .
Read on Your Own . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
The Three Wishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Lesson 3: Drama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
The Setup, Scene 1 Summarize • Dramatic Structure . . . . . . . . . . . 62
RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.10,
L.8.4, L.8.4.c, L.8.4.d
The Setup, Scenes 2 and 3 Compare and Contrast • Characterization Read on Your Own
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Animal Shelter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Lesson 4: Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
The War God’s Horse Song / The Tyger / Sea Fever Visualize • Word Choice and Tone . .
RL.8.4, RL.8.5, RL.8.10,
L.8.5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Paul Revere’s Ride / Remember Paraphrase • Poetic Structure: Narrative and Sonnet . .
Read on Your Own . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Sonnet 29 / The Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
2
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_FM_TOC.indd 2
5/1/13 3:02 PM
Nonfiction
Common Core
State Standards
Lesson 5: Literary Nonfiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Saving the Sun Main Ideas and Details • Word Choice and Tone . . . . . 114
RI.8.2, RI.8.4, RI.8.6,
RI.8.10, L.8.4.a, L.8.4.d,
L.8.5.c
An Extraordinary Imagination Summarize • Author’s Point of View.
Read on Your Own . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Keeping America Wild. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Lesson 6: Historical Texts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
The Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 Draw Inferences • Fact, Opinion, and Reasoned Judgment. .
. . . . . . . . 140
RI.8.1, RI.8.3, RI.8.8, RI.8.9,
RI.8.10, L.8.4.c, L.8.4.d,
L.8.6, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.5,
RH.6-8.8
Hairstory Compare and Contrast • Text Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Read on Your Own Nuclear Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Lesson 7: Scientific Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Summarize • Types of Evidence. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
RI.8.2, RI.8.5, RI.8.8,
RI.8.10, L.8.4.c, L.8.5, L.8.6,
RH.6-8.5, RST.6-8.1,
RST.6-8.2, RST.6-8.5,
RST.6-8.8
Tracking Forest Fires Paragraph Structure • Evaluate Evidence .
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Read on Your Own . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Toys in Space!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Lesson 8: Technical Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Canned Heat: How to Build a Solar Heater Sequence • Author’s Purpose. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
RI.8.4, RI.8.6, RI.8.7, RI.8.8,
RI.8.10, L.8.6, RH.6-8.6,
RST.6-8.4, RST.6-8.6,
RST.6-8.7
Driving Greener Ask and Answer Questions • Graphics and Visuals .202
Read on Your Own Death-Defying Dive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Lesson 9: Persuasive Nonfiction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Newspapers vs. the Internet Make Predictions • Evaluate Author’s Argument.
RL.8.4, RI.8.4, RI.8.6, RI.8.8,
RI.8.9, RI.8.10, L.8.5.a,
RH.6-8.6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Fighting for Keiko / Freedom Isn’t Free Identify Author’s Purpose • Argument and Counterargument .
Read on Your Own . . . . . . 230
Trolleys vs. Big Oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
3
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_FM_TOC.indd 3
5/1/13 3:02 PM
Common Core
State Standards
Lesson 10: Primary and Secondary Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Mars Attacks Main Idea and Details • Primary Sources .
RI.8.1, RI.8.10, L.8.4.c,
L.8.4.d, L.8.5.b, RH.6-8.1,
RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Panic on the Airwaves Draw Inferences • Secondary Sources. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Read on Your Own A Walk on the Moon /
Apollo Has Landed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Tools
Graphic Organizers and Close Reading Worksheets
Lesson 1: Fiction
Lesson 6: Historical Texts
Across the Stars, Part I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Across the Stars, Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
The Great Influenza
Pandemic of 1918 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Hairstory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Thunderbird /
The Power of Rain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Lesson 3: Drama
The Setup, Scene 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
The Setup, Scenes 2 and 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Lesson 4: Poetry
The War God’s Horse Song /
The Tyger / Sea Fever . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Paul Revere’s Ride /
Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Lesson 5: Literary Nonfiction
Saving the Sun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
An Extraordinary Imagination. . . . . . . . 299
Lesson 7: Scientific Texts
The Great Pacific
Garbage Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Tracking Forest Fires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Lesson 8: Technical Texts
Canned Heat: How to
Build a Solar Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Driving Greener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Lesson 9: Persuasive Nonfiction
Newspapers vs. the Internet . . . . . . . . . . 313
Fighting for Keiko /
Freedom Isn’t Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Lesson 10: Primary and Secondary
Sources
Mars Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Panic on the Airwaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Lesson 2: Traditional Literature
The Turnip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
4
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_FM_TOC.indd 4
5/1/13 3:02 PM
Lesson 1
Fiction
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Fiction is any story
made up by an author. Fiction
includes many genres, like
mystery, historical fiction, and
science fiction. The story you
are about to read belongs to the
science fiction genre because
it takes place in the future and
includes imagined technologies,
such as regular space travel
between planets. What genre
would you expect to read if this
picture were a part of the story?
How do you know?
Skills Focus
Across the Stars, Part I
Sequence
Plot Elements
Across the Stars, Part II
Make Predictions
Differences in Points of View
Fiction 5
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_L01_005-030.indd 5
5/1/13 1:37 PM
Practice the Skill
First Read Sequence
Sequence is the order of events in a story. The author of a fictional work puts
events into a specific order to create meaning. For instance, an author might
begin a story in the middle of the action, tell what led up to that moment,
and then go on to tell the rest of the story. This is a common storytelling form.
Starting in the middle creates a sense of excitement and grabs your interest. Later,
when you unravel all the events that make up the plot, you can infer the order
in which events would have actually taken place. Then you can analyze why the
author might have switched the order of things around.
The clues for determining sequence within a text are words like before, after,
next, and then. These words can help you put events into the proper order so you
can better understand the plot.
Try It
Read the following paragraph.
Discuss
Think about sequence. Which words in the paragraph above tell
you the order in which Elena is performing these actions? Underline
the words you identify. What does the sequence of events tell you
about what Elena is doing here?
As you read, complete the Sequence Chart on page 281.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Elena turned her bicycle over, balancing it on its handlebars and rear
fender. Next, she worked the flat tip of a screwdriver between the tire and
the steel rim, eventually popping enough of the rubber tire out so that
she could pull out the inner tube. She then held the tube in a tub of water.
Finally, she squeezed the tube and located the stream of bubbles that
revealed where the hole in her tube was.
6 Lesson 1 • Fiction
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_L01_005-030.indd 6
5/1/13 1:37 PM
Practice the Skill
Second Read Plot Elements
Plot is the series of incidents that propels the action in a story. A well-written
plot is one that keeps the reader engaged, eager to turn the page to see what
happens next. Each of the following plot elements helps to move the story from
its introduction, through its conflict, and finally to its resolution.
•
Exposition: the story’s beginning, where the characters and setting
are introduced
•
Rising action: the point where the story’s main problem or conflict
is introduced
•
Climax: the turning point, which may involve great physical danger or
strong emotions for the main characters
•
Falling action: the point at which the story begins to wind down
•
Resolution: the story’s end, where conflicts are resolved and loose ends
are tied up
Dialogue is another element that helps move a story along. Characters often
reveal their reactions to plot events through their dialogue. These reactions can
help you determine which plot events the author considers most significant.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Try It
Read the following scene.
Rico knew that if his article wasn’t submitted in the next half hour,
Candace would break the story first. If she did, she’d probably win
entrance to the Summer Geniuses Program, which he’d been working
toward all year.
As Rico wrote furiously, he thought of his brother’s advice, but he
just couldn’t bring himself to take it. Even though he’d gotten to the
scene of the accident long before Candace, who had broken the rules
by crossing the police tape, he was dead set on following the rules. The
clock’s hands clicked louder and louder. His fingers raced over the laptop’s
keys. He’d show everyone how a genius operates under pressure.
Discuss
What is the conflict? What details support your ideas? Circle the
phrases that refer to the larger story this scene is likely a part of.
As you read, record your answers to questions about plot on the Close
Reading Worksheet on page 282.
Across the Stars, Part I 7
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_L01_005-030.indd 7
5/1/13 1:37 PM
Purpose for Reading
Read along with your teacher. Each time, read for a different purpose.
First Read
Second Read
Third Read
Focus on the sequence of events.
Focus on plot elements.
Focus on evaluating the story critically.
ACROSS THE STARS,
PART I
Underline four things
Captain Diaz does in this
part of the story. Write the
actions on the Sequence
Chart.
How do Captain Diaz’s
actions propel the plot?
1
The ship’s computers woke Edgardo Diaz first. Groggy from months
of cryogenic sleep, the captain of the Pegasus slid into the ship’s pilot
seat and punched a button on the control panel. The universe spread
out before him, a black velvet blanket studded with diamonds. He
cleared his eyes, focusing on an object in the middle of the star field—a
planet getting larger by the second. He’d have to “defrost” the rest of
the crew soon, but for the moment, Captain Diaz gazed out across the
stars, pondering the mission ahead.
2
A signal had indicated there was life on Pleiades 19, or they
wouldn’t have ventured 140 light-years1 from Earth. Each of the
Pegasus’s six crew members had been hand-selected to make contact
with whatever life there was.
3
Captain Diaz woke the Karpelys first. Adel and her husband Paulus
were in their midsixties—not the best candidates for space travel, one
might think, yet their skills were vital. Paulus was an engineer and Adel
a psychiatrist, whose presence Captain Diaz found calming whenever
he addressed his crew.
4
Standing at the head of the table, Captain Diaz took in the freshly
showered faces: Holly Matson, his second in command, bleary-eyed
but excited; Raquel Shapira, a protective arm around her elevenyear-old son, Victor. They were a team, experts in the elite field of
speculative archaeology, and Victor had a particular genius for
deciphering random patterns.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
CHAPTER 1
A Sense of Mission
light-year the distance light can travel in a year. Light travels 186,000 miles
every second.
1
8 Lesson 1 • Fiction
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_L01_005-030.indd 8
5/1/13 1:37 PM
5
“Our mission is critical, since Earth is in crisis—we need new
technologies and new ideas if our world is to survive. As you know, our
scientists detected radio signals from this planet twenty years ago, and
we believe those signals were an invitation from alien beings, who, if
they still exist, may well represent the last best hope for humanity.”
6
Captain Diaz pressed a button, and Pleiades 19 came up on the
view screen, a blue-green marble streaked with veins of jade green.
7
8
9
“It looks good enough to eat,” Victor said, gazing at the shining sphere.
Most of the crew laughed, but Adel scowled, warning them, “We
don’t know if we’ll find intelligent life, since even if the signal was real,
that civilization could have collapsed by the time we get there. The
universe is so massive that even at the speed of light, it takes a long
time for a signal to travel across it—it’s actually been hundreds of years
since they made the broadcast.”
List the main events
in paragraphs 6–13 in
the correct order on the
Sequence Chart.
How does the dialogue on
this page set up the rest
of the story?
Why does Captain Diaz
make the point about the
importance of the team’s
mission?
“We have to hope,” said Holly, her words trailing off.
10
“Even if we don’t find a living civilization,” Raquel added,
“whatever they left behind could be useful.”
11
“Hope aside, it’s time to get to work,” the captain said.
12
After the briefing, Captain Diaz and Paulus headed for the launch
bay, where Paulus, the ship’s masterful engineer, began tinkering with the
expedition’s robotic vehicle. Big as a truck, it was built of subrobots in a
variety of sizes that could detach and function on their own. The machine’s
technical name was AR860, but everyone called it Artie. Like a mobile
factory, Artie would build the devices and structures they’d need as they
explored the planet.
13
“It’s time to switch him on,” said Paulus, and tiny lights glittered to
life on the robot’s control panel.
14
“Greetings, Captain Diaz,” a warm human voice said with a slight
southern accent, “I assume we’ve achieved orbital status.”
Across the Stars, Part I 9
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_L01_005-030.indd 9
5/1/13 1:37 PM
Circle textual evidence
that hints at Victor’s
conflict.
What is the main role
Raquel plays in the plot?
15
“Indeed we have, Artie,” said Paulus. “Welcome to Pleiades 19.”
16
After the captain’s briefing, Raquel and Victor returned to their
tiny cabin. Victor sat on the bed, shoulders slumped. “They think I
shouldn’t have come, that I’m just a kid,” he muttered.
17
“Not the ones who know, Victor, and that’s who you have to listen
to,” Raquel said quietly. “Remember when you deciphered your first
glyph? You were only seven then. How is this any different?” She was
trying to reassure her son, but so far she hadn’t succeeded. “The way
your mind works, Victor, is a gift—but you have to believe in it.”
18
Victor rubbed the back of his head, as if he were stroking the brain
that had put him in this position, light-years from home, with all the
responsibilities of a grown-up.
19
“Come on—your job’s simple compared to mine,” Raquel laughed,
adding, “since I have to actually find the stuff, while all you have to do
is read the label!”
20
Victor smiled weakly and said, “We’re a team, right?”
CHAPTER 2
Touchdown
The landing was rough, but it wasn’t Holly’s fault—she was forced
to dodge boulders that hadn’t shown up on the scanner. When the
Pegasus finally came to a stop, everyone was OK—though a trench
stretching like a wound extended for half a mile in their wake.
22
“Looks like we’re here,” someone muttered.
23
“Artie’s on his way in,” said Captain Diaz, glancing at a monitor.
24
Victor and his mother watched through a portal as the robot
landed near them in a towering pillar of jade-green dust, then wasted
no time assembling small robots that headed out in all directions,
questing for signs of life.
25
“I don’t get it—the signal came from this vicinity,” said Victor,
looking out the porthole at empty desert.
26
“If you landed on Earth,” his mother said before pulling on her
helmet, “your chances of landing within sight of human life would be
infinitesimal. You’d have just as good a chance of finding a long-lost
shipwreck the first time you ever jumped in the ocean.”
27
Victor and Raquel put on their spacesuits and left the Pegasus,
headed toward the location of the radio signal. As Victor and his
mother hiked toward a distant ridge, the edge of the vast crater they’d
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
21
10 Lesson 1 • Fiction
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_L01_005-030.indd 10
5/1/13 1:37 PM
Contents
Student Edition Table of Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Instructional Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Student Edition Overview.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Teacher’s Manual: An Annotated Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Understanding the Common Core State Standards
Adapted from the Common Core State Standards Initiative Web site: www.corestandards.org. . . . . . . xviii
Common Core State Standards Correlation Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Lesson 1 Fiction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Lesson 2 Traditional Literature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Lesson 3 Drama.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Lesson 4 Poetry.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Lesson 5 Literary Nonfiction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Lesson 6 Historical Texts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
115
Lesson 7 Scientific Texts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
137
Lesson 8 Technical Texts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
161
Lesson 9 Persuasive Texts.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
185
Lesson 10 Primary and Secondary Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
209
Fluency Assessment and Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
231
Co n t en t s CC13_ELA_G8_TM_FM_NA_layers.indd 3
iii
7/15/13 12:37 PM
Student Edition Table of Contents
Contents
Fiction
Common Core
State Standards
Lesson 1: Fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Across the Stars, Part I Sequence • Plot Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
RL.8.3, RL.8.4, RL.8.6,
RL.8.10, L.8.4.a, L.8.4.d,
L.8.5.a, L.8.5.c
Across the Stars, Part II
Make Predictions • Differences in Points of View Read on Your Own
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The History of Disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Lesson 2: Traditional Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
The Turnip Draw Inferences • Analyze Theme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.9,
RL.8.10, L.8.4.b
Thunderbird / The Power of Rain
Ask and Answer Questions • Setting .
Read on Your Own
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
The Three Wishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Lesson 3: Drama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
The Setup, Scene 1 Summarize • Dramatic Structure . . . . . . . . . . 62
RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.10,
L.8.4, L.8.4.c, L.8.4.d
The Setup, Scenes 2 and 3
Compare and Contrast • Characterization Read on Your Own
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Animal Shelter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Lesson 4: Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
The War God’s Horse Song / The Tyger / Sea Fever
Visualize • Word Choice and Tone RL.8.4, RL.8.5, RL.8.10,
L.8.5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Paul Revere’s Ride / Remember
Paraphrase • Poetic Structure: Narrative and Sonnet Read on Your Own
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Sonnet 29 / The Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
2
iv S t u d en t Ed i t i o n Ta b l e o f Co n t en t s
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_FM_TOC.indd 2
CC13_ELA_G8_TM_FM_NA_layers.indd 4
5/10/13 1:58 PM
7/15/13 12:37 PM
Nonfiction
Common Core
State Standards
Lesson 5: Literary Nonfiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Saving the Sun Main Ideas and Details • Word Choice and Tone . . . . 114
RI.8.2, RI.8.4, RI.8.6,
RI.8.10, L.8.4.a, L.8.4.d,
L.8.5.c
An Extraordinary Imagination
Summarize • Author’s Point of View
Read on Your Own
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Keeping America Wild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Lesson 6: Historical Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
The Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918
Draw Inferences • Fact, Opinion, and Reasoned Judgment .
. . . . . . . . . 140
RI.8.1, RI.8.3, RI.8.8, RI.8.9,
RI.8.10, L.8.4.c, L.8.4.d,
L.8.6, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.5,
RH.6-8.8
Hairstory Compare and Contrast • Text Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Read on Your Own
Nuclear Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Lesson 7: Scientific Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Summarize • Types of Evidence .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
RI.8.2, RI.8.5, RI.8.8,
RI.8.10, L.8.4.c, L.8.5, L.8.6,
RH.6-8.5, RST.6-8.1,
RST.6-8.2, RST.6-8.5,
RST.6-8.8
Tracking Forest Fires
Paragraph Structure • Evaluate Evidence
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Read on Your Own
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Toys in Space! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Lesson 8: Technical Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Canned Heat: How to Build a Solar Heater
Sequence • Author’s Purpose .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
RI.8.4, RI.8.6, RI.8.7, RI.8.8,
RI.8.10, L.8.6, RH.6-8.6,
RST.6-8.4, RST.6-8.6,
RST.6-8.7
Driving Greener Ask and Answer Questions • Graphics and Visuals 202
Read on Your Own
Death-Defying Dive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Lesson 9: Persuasive Nonfiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Newspapers vs. the Internet
Make Predictions • Evaluate Author’s Argument .
RL.8.4, RI.8.4, RI.8.6, RI.8.8,
RI.8.9, RI.8.10, L.8.5.a,
RH.6-8.6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Fighting for Keiko / Freedom Isn’t Free
Identify Author’s Purpose • Argument and Counterargument
Read on Your Own
. . . . . . . 230
Trolleys vs. Big Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
3
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_FM_TOC.indd 3
CC13_ELA_G8_TM_FM_NA_layers.indd 5
S t u d en t Ed i t i o n Ta b l e o f Co n t 5/10/13
en t s 2:01 v
PM
7/15/13 12:37 PM
Common Core
State Standards
Lesson 10: Primary and Secondary Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Mars Attacks
Main Idea and Details • Primary Sources
RI.8.1, RI.8.10, L.8.4.c,
L.8.4.d, L.8.5.b, RH.6-8.1,
RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Panic on the Airwaves
Draw Inferences • Secondary Sources .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
A Walk on the Moon /
Apollo Has Landed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Read on Your Own
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Tools
Graphic Organizers and Close Reading Worksheets
Lesson 1: Fiction
Lesson 6: Historical Texts
Across the Stars, Part I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
Across the Stars, Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . .283
The Great Influenza
Pandemic of 1918 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301
Hairstory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303
Thunderbird /
The Power of Rain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287
Lesson 3: Drama
The Setup, Scene 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289
The Setup, Scenes 2 and 3 . . . . . . . . . . . .291
Lesson 4: Poetry
The War God’s Horse Song /
The Tyger / Sea Fever . . . . . . . . . . . . .293
Paul Revere’s Ride /
Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .295
Lesson 5: Literary Nonfiction
Saving the Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297
An Extraordinary Imagination . . . . . . . .299
Lesson 7: Scientific Texts
The Great Pacific
Garbage Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305
Tracking Forest Fires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307
Lesson 8: Technical Texts
Canned Heat: How to
Build a Solar Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309
Driving Greener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311
Lesson 9: Persuasive Nonfiction
Newspapers vs. the Internet . . . . . . . . . .313
Fighting for Keiko /
Freedom Isn’t Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315
Lesson 10: Primary and Secondary
Sources
Mars Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317
Panic on the Airwaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Lesson 2: Traditional Literature
The Turnip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285
4
vi S t u d en t Ed i t i o n Ta b l e o f Co n t en t s
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_FM_TOC.indd 4
CC13_ELA_G8_TM_FM_NA_layers.indd 6
5/10/13 2:01 PM
7/15/13 12:37 PM
Contents
Lesson Quizzes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Practice Test 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Practice Test 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
3
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 3
15/04/13 5:56 PM
LESSON
1
Quiz
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
Getting Ahead
The youth leaned easily against the counter of the break room at Hargrove Widgets,
coffee mug in hand. He took a long sip, ran a hand through his short and rather spiky hair,
and looked around slowly. Through the large interior window, he could observe smartly
dressed office workers moving purposefully up and down the hall.
The youth, it should be noted, was less smartly dressed. His casual shirt and khaki
trousers were faintly disheveled and evidently in need of an iron, and neither exactly
matched the scuffed canvas shoes he wore. But he carried himself with the ease of someone
supremely comfortable with, and interested in, the world around him. This posture and
mode of dress was noticed by one who had just entered the room.
Cecil Balder cut an imposing figure as he stood in the doorway, his three-piece suit
gleaming from the neatly knotted tie down to his freshly shined shoes. He stood with his
chest puffed out like a major general and stretched his arms out almost imperceptibly, so
that the sparkling cufflinks on his shirt sleeves were clearly visible. Masterfully, he scanned
the room and, having located the coffee pot, strode across the room to it and poured
himself a cup. He took a sip and nodded at the youth, who was still leaning on the
counter nearby.
“Good morning, young man,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Cecil Balder. Are you
new here?”
5
The young man smiled slightly and returned the handshake. “I am, in fact,” he said.
“Not having been here long, I hope to learn a great deal.”
“That is the job of a young man just starting out,” said Cecil Balder, “for with patience
you must pay your dues and put in your hours. What troves of knowledge we gain with
experience—what valuable instincts for success!”
“Have you been at the company long, then?” asked the youth, interestedly.
“For quite some time!” said Cecil Balder. He leaned forward conspiratorially. “Long
enough to know how to get ahead. There is but one way to climb that ladder, even if you
must do so beginning from the lowly rung of the mail room boy, as I perceive you are”—
the young man inclined his head modestly—“to the president of the company.”
Cecil Balder cleared his throat importantly and went on, “It’s all about first impressions,
young man; people are impressively rapid judges of those who have the potential to succeed.
And they act on this judgment, quite simply, by sending on to greatness those with elegance
of speech, attention to grooming, and impeccable dress.”
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
1
4
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 4
15/04/13 5:56 PM
Lesson 1 Quiz
10
He paused to brush an invisible speck of lint from his suit jacket.
was rather under the impression,” said the youth politely, “that what was valued in a
company was the contribution of helpful and practical ideas. It seems to me that, with the
right idea, one could, perhaps even in a short time, build a company from the ground up.”
“Young man, if I may say so, I feel you are hampered by the naïve notions of youth,”
replied Cecil Balder, with a gentle shake of his head and a tone of fatherly concern. “If you
take my advice, you must consider the effect of your appearance on those who might help
you climb the ladder, rather than dressing—and I hope I do not offend—as if you were
spending a Saturday loafing at home.”
The youth raised an eyebrow thoughtfully but said only, “I see your point.”
Cecil Balder nodded with expansive goodwill. “Yes, young man, it can only do you
good to take to heart the advice of those who have gone before. One day, perhaps—if you
put some effort into your appearance—you may rise through the ranks, and then you will
understand, as I do, the importance of such things. I wish you all the best. Good morning.”
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Lesson
Quizzes
“I
5
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 5
15/04/13 5:56 PM
Lesson 1 Quiz
And so saying, he nodded again to the youth, who returned the greeting as he watched
Cecil Balder exit the break room. The youth lingered a moment to finish his cup of coffee,
and then he left the break room and proceeded down a long hallway past interminable rows
of cubicles. At the end of the hallway, he stepped into the anteroom of a large corner office
and was greeted by the secretary who functioned as its gatekeeper.
“Hello, Mr. Hargrove,” she said, “I hope you’ve enjoyed your time here at the remote
office. We’re honored that you traveled here all the way from headquarters!”
The youth smiled at her as he walked past her into the office and lowered himself
into the chair behind the gigantic mahogany desk. “Yes, Alice,” he said, “as I hoped, I
have learned a great deal from my observations. I do appreciate your help in keeping me
anonymous, so I could really understand my employees’ perspective. Overall, I’m very
pleased with how things are progressing.”
He paused and looked up curiously. “Oh, I did want to ask you something: are you
familiar with a man named Cecil Balder, who works in this office?”
Alice looked at him, puzzled. “Cecil Balder? It’s funny you should mention that name.
No, he doesn’t work for us. But he has recently arrived in the building. He’s a driver for the
car service we use. He’s come to take you to the airport, any time you’re ready to leave.”
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
15
6
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 6
15/04/13 5:56 PM
Lesson 1 Quiz
1.
3.
A. gives incorrect advice to the youth.
A. It shows that the youth is observant
and clever.
B. does not realize how self-important
he seems.
B. It reveals the identities of the youth
and Cecil Balder.
C. thinks that appearance is important
to getting ahead.
C. It demonstrates that good ideas are
important to the company.
D. dresses in a different style from
other workers at the company.
2.
This quotation from the youth is an
example of irony because
A. he actually has built his own
company.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
D. It suggests that the youth does not
have enough respect for authority.
Read this sentence from the passage.
“It seems to me that, with the
right idea, one could, perhaps
even in a short time, build a
company from the ground up.”
B. he is disagreeing with someone who
is older.
C. he is demonstrating how little he
knows about business.
What is the MAIN purpose of the
interaction between the youth and
the secretary?
Lesson
Quizzes
The character of Cecil Balder adds
humor to the story MAINLY because he
4.
The ending of this story is ironic
because
A. two characters strongly dislike each
other.
B. the characters have an argument
that is not resolved.
C. the characters turn out to be the
opposite of what they seem.
D. one character says things about
another character that are not true.
D. he suggests that companies value
ideas even though they do not.
7
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 7
15/04/13 5:56 PM
Lesson 1 Quiz
5.
Read these sentences from the passage.
The youth, it should be noted,
was less smartly dressed. His
casual shirt and khaki trousers
were faintly disheveled and
evidently in need of an iron,
and neither exactly matched the
scuffed canvas shoes he wore.
6.
The word loafing suggests the idea of
A. a lazy person wasting time.
B. a happy person being relaxed.
C. a tired person moving slowly.
D. a calm person feeling peaceful.
To be smartly dressed means to wear
clothes that are
A. stiff and proper.
B. cheap and tacky.
C. showy and expensive.
D. neat and professional.
Why doesn’t the youth reveal himself to Cecil Balder? Use details from the passage to
support your answer.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
7.
8
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 8
15/04/13 5:56 PM
Lesson 1 Quiz
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
“Welcome to the Ecolodge!” Fiona smiled at the little family of four—an American
mother, father, brother, and sister—that stood in front of her looking eagerly ahead to the
trail. “It’s so close to sunset, I thought you all might like to take a quick nature walk, even
though you haven’t really settled in yet; there’s just enough daylight left for you to see all of
our wonderful Australian wildlife—or at least the tracks they leave on the trail!”
The family began to follow Fiona as she wandered slowly through the tall eucalyptus
trees in the quiet, rosy light of the fading sun. Arthur and Susan, the brother and sister,
laughed as Fiona’s enormous brown dog trotted behind them. “That’s Womby, our
invaluable koala spotter,” Fiona told them. “You’ll see he’s the most important guide on this
nature walk—just watch what he does!”
Suddenly, Womby glanced up into one of the trees and sat down, as immobile as a
statue. “That’s his way of ‘pointing,’” Fiona told her guests, “so just look up where he’s
looking, and see what you can observe.”
“I’m not sure I observe anything but eucalyptus,” said Arthur and Susan’s father
slowly, as he stared up through the leaves with a pair of binoculars. “Let me see—wait, there
is something fuzzy up there!” He passed the binoculars to Arthur and Susan, and then to
their mother.
5
“It looks like a huge ball of fuzz, but that’s definitely a koala,” said Fiona. “They spend
most of their time up in the trees sleeping—up to twenty hours a day—and the rest of
the time, they’re chewing those eucalyptus leaves.” She paused and pointed at the ground.
“Come over here, though—you can see just a few koala tracks, where one of them was on
the ground. Let’s look along the trail for some other tracks.”
As they walked through the forest, they fanned out to search for interesting tracks on the
ground. Arthur and Susan’s mother spotted some long, thin tracks that Fiona said belonged
to a family of Eastern Grey kangaroos. Arthur found some smaller ones that turned out to
be from wallabies. Susan found some long scratches where a kiwi bird had stabbed its beak
into the ground, searching for insects.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
1
Lesson
Quizzes
Tracks on the Trail
9
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 9
03/05/13 10:55 AM
Lesson 1 Quiz
suddenly, as they lagged behind the others to look more closely at the tracks, Arthur
and Susan began to notice another set, much larger and deeper than the rest. They were
huge prints in the shape of a paw, sunk deep into the ground at regular intervals all around
the trail. Whatever it was, it had been right where they were walking.
Gesturing toward this set of tracks, Arthur nudged Susan and whispered, “What could
those be? If we were home in Denver, I’d say a cougar or some other kind of wildcat made
those tracks.”
“I don’t want to be out here with one of those!” said Susan, shuddering. “Do you think
Womby knows how to spot those, too?”
10
The children walked on more slowly, now glancing over their shoulders and up through
the trees for any sign of a treacherous creature lurking just out of sight. The fading light
that had seemed so beautiful only moments ago now felt threatening, as they squinted to see
in the twilight.
As Fiona walked with Arthur and Susan’s parents, she called back to them, “Come and
catch up with us, you two! We ought to be getting back before dark!”
Gratefully, Arthur and Susan ran, a little too hurriedly, up to the three adults. “Is
anything wrong?” their mother asked with a worried look. “Did you see something in
the trees?”
“Tracks,” panted Arthur, “big tracks, like a cougar or a wildcat or some other dangerous
animal, right on the trail!”
Surprising him, Fiona laughed. “I think I know what you saw,” she said, “and I can
promise you—on the whole continent of Australia, we don’t have a single wild cougar
or any other species of wildcat! But you’re here at the Ecolodge to learn about how to
investigate nature, so let’s see what we can deduce. Can you think of anything that might
have made that size track—something large and heavy, with enormous paws?”
15
“Woof!” Womby trotted up to them, back from his travels to and fro looking for koalas
along the trail.
The family laughed. “I bet I know,” said Arthur’s father, patting Womby on the head.
Fiona nodded, pulling a piece of plaster in the shape of a paw from her pocket.
“Exactly!” she said. “After so many people asked about those ‘dangerous-looking’ tracks, I
made a plaster cast from the impression of Womby’s paw so I could prove it! Here”—and
she handed the cast to Susan—“see if it fits one of those enormous tracks in the dirt.”
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
But
10
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 10
15/04/13 5:56 PM
Lesson 1 Quiz
Susan
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
Lesson
Quizzes
carefully dropped the plaster cast into one of the tracks and said, “It fits perfectly!
I guess our ‘dangerous animal’ is only Womby, after all.”
The family walked on after Fiona to the end of the trail and the peaceful, open yard of
the Ecolodge. A group of kangaroos—a “mob,” Fiona told them—was playing just outside,
enjoying the last minutes of sunlight. Seeing the visitors, they sat up, and then bounded
gracefully into the woods. The thought of danger now banished from their minds, Arthur
and Susan looked happily after them. All was peaceful and quiet as another day came to
a close.
11
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 11
15/04/13 5:56 PM
Lesson 1 Quiz
8.
Which event in the passage is part of the
rising action?
A. Womby spots a koala asleep in
a tree.
B. Susan drops the plaster cast into
one of the tracks.
C. The family sees kangaroos playing
peacefully in the yard.
D. Arthur and Susan notice tracks
made by a large, heavy animal.
10. What does the word impression mean as
it is used in paragraph 17 of the passage?
A. a misunderstanding
B. a type of measurement
C. a plaster imitation of an object
D. an indentation such as a footprint
11. Why does Womby sit down and stay
very still?
A. He is obeying Fiona’s command.
9.
Read this sentence from the passage.
The fading light that had seemed
so beautiful only moments ago
now felt threatening, as they
squinted to see in the twilight.
In this sentence, the author is MAINLY
trying to
B. He has spotted a koala sleeping in a
tree.
C. He has seen the tracks of a
dangerous animal.
D. He is waiting for Fiona and the
family to catch up to him.
B. show readers that it has become too
dark to see.
C. encourage readers to be careful on
nature trails at dusk.
D. suggest to readers that Arthur and
Susan do not enjoy nature.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
A. create a feeling of suspense.
12
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 12
15/04/13 5:56 PM
Lesson 1 Quiz
A. the animal is likely very large.
B. there are not many animals nearby.
C. they are afraid an animal may
attack them.
D. it is difficult to see animals sleeping
in the trees.
13. The author uses Arthur and Susan’s
misunderstanding about the tracks to
Lesson
Quizzes
12. The passage describes Arthur and Susan
as looking for a creature lurking to
show that
A. teach readers a lesson.
B. describe what nature trails are like.
C. add an element of humor to
the story.
D. explain why tracks can be difficult
to identify.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. © 2014 Triumph Learning, LLC
14. Why doesn’t Fiona directly tell the family that the paw prints belong to Womby? Use
details from the passage to support your answer.
13
CC13_ELA_G8_AS_PDF.indd 13
15/04/13 5:56 PM