Grade 8
-
Language
-
Reading: Informational
-
Reading: Literature
-
Speaking & Listening
-
Writing
CCSS ELA Standard: 8.SL.1
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.
Notice, Wonder: Brooklyn
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Holiday Shuffle – Day vs Date
Wouldn't some holidays be better on a certain day of the week? Should Thanksgiving have a set date?
What’s In My Brain: Guinea Pig vs Potbelly
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of misnomers
What’s In My Brain: Spain vs Germany
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of Spain vs Germany.
Tournament of Mythological Creatures
Who will win the tournament of mythological creatures!?
Tournament of Not-So-Famous Inventors
Which inventor and invention will win the tournament?
Not Like The Others: Rivers
Students will determine which river is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: Cephalopods
Students will determine which cephalopod is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: Flowers
Students will determine which flower is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: 19th Century Presidents
Students will determine which US President from the 19th century is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: 20th Century Presidents – Group B
Students will determine which of these US Presidents is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: 20th Century Presidents – Group A
Students will determine which of these US Presidents is not like the others.
What’s In My Brain: Pentagon vs Pentagon
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of regular polygons.
What’s In My Brain: Austin vs Los Angeles
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of capital cities.
What’s In My Brain: Italy vs Normandy
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of Countries vs Smaller Regions.
What’s In My Brain: Coral vs Water Lilies
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of Saltwater vs Freshwater Organisms.
What’s In My Brain: Tree vs Tree
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of Deciduous vs Coniferous.
What’s In My Brain: Ball vs Book
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of Kinetic vs Potential Energy.
What’s In My Brain: Crocodile vs Tree Frog
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of Reptiles vs Amphibians.
What’s In My Brain: Narwhal vs Penguin
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of Arctic vs Antarctic.
Domesticated Animals Tournament
Which domesticated animal will win the tournament?
Types of Energy Tournament
Which type of energy will win the tournament!?
Countries in Oceania Tournament
Who will win the tournament of Countries in Oceania!?
Natural Disasters Tournament
Who will win the tournament of Natural Disasters!?
Notice, Wonder: Sombrero
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Silver Torch
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Barringer
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder – Rosetta
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Not Like The Others: African Nations
Students will determine which country in Africa is not like the others.
Concept Attainment: Japan vs Jamaica
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of archipelagos.
Not Like The Others: US National Parks
Students will determine which US National Park is not like the others.
Concept Attainment: Conductors
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of electrical conductors!
Concept Attainment: Walnut vs Clouds
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to arrive at the topic of living vs non-living things.
Notice, Wonder – Critter
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: A House
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Concept Attainment: Hornet vs Tiger
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to arrive at the topic of invertebrates vs vertebrates.
Notice, Wonder: SLS Test
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Not Like The Others: Types of Diseases
Students will determine which of these types of diseases is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: Birds of the Desert
Students will determine which desert bird is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: Penguins
Students will determine which type of penguin is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: Microstates of Europe
Students will determine which of these tiny countries is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: Microorganisms
Students will determine which of these microorganisms is not like the others.
Notice, Wonder: Butterball
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Ramses
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Plant Adaptation Tournament
Who will win in a tournament of eight plants with Interesting adaptations!?
Notice, Wonder: Craters
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Bloom
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Skylight
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Tournament: 8 Wonders of the Solar System
Which location is the most wondrous place in the solar system?
Notice, Wonder: Krzywy Las
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Not Like The Others: Ants of the World!
Students will determine which type of ant is not like the others.
Countries of Europe Tournament
Who will win the tournament of European countries!?
Notice, Wonder: Scales
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Vortices
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
The 8th Wonder of the World Tournament
Which of these eight wonders deserves to become the Eighth Wonder of the World!?
Notice, Wonder: Swirls
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Witch’s Fingers
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Countries of Africa Tournament
Who will win the tournament of African Countries!?
Countries of North America Tournament
Who will win the tournament of North American countries!?
Exploration Technology Tournament
Which of these pieces of exploration technology is most important? Most underrated? Most long-lasting?
Precipitation Tournament
Eight types of precipitation battle it out in this tournament.
Tournament of Ancient Inventions
Which of these inventions of the ancient world is most influential? Least useful today? Most taken-for-granted?
Animal Adaptation Tournament
Which animal has the most interesting, most valuable, or strangest adaptations?
Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament
Which object in the solar system is most habitable?
Parts of Speech Tournament
Which part of speech is most useful? Interesting? Strange?
Not Like The Others: Types of Volcanoes
Which of these types of volcanoes is not like the others?
Not Like The Others: Types of Rocks
Which of these rocks is not like the others?
Not Like The Others: Snakes of the Rainforest
Students will determine which snake of the rainforest is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: Deserts
Which of these deserts is not like the others?
Not Like The Others: Stars
How is each of these stars not like the others?
Not Like The Others: US States
How is each of these states not like the others?
Not Like The Others: Mountains
Which of these mountains is not like the others?
Not Like The Others: Birds of the Tropical Rainforest
Which of these four birds is not like the others?
Not Like The Others: Branches of the US Government
How is each part of the United States Government not like the other parts?
Tournament of Presidents
So who was the strangest of these eight presidents?
What’s In My Brain: Owl vs Eagle
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of nocturnal vs diurnal animals.
Concept Attainment: Art
Students will be working with examples and non-examples to deduce the topic of cubism.
Notice, Wonder: Green Circles
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: An Orange Thing
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Not Like The Others: Natural Disasters
Students will determine which type of natural disaster is not like the others.
Notice, Wonder: Kuiseb
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Not Like The Others: States of Matter
How is each of the states of matter not like the others?
Not Like The Others: Countries
How is each of these four countries not like the others?
Notice, Wonder: A Long Line
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice Wonder: Blood Falls
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
What’s In My Brain: May vs May
Students will determine when "may" is used for possibility and when it's used for permission.
What’s In My Brain: Trapezoids or Not?
What's the deal with these four sided polygons?
Not Like The Others: Charlotte’s Web
Students will determine which of the characters is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: Creatures of the Tundra
Students will determine which creature of the tundra is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: US Presidents
Students will determine which founding US president is not like the others.
Not Like The Others: Planets
Which of these planets is not like others? Well, it sure looks simple at first. But quickly, you start to realize… there's more to it than you thought. Each option could be the one that doesn't fit in.
Notice, Wonder: Forest
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Akron
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
The Tournament of Biomes
Want to move beyond memorizing the characteristics of biomes? In this lesson, students work through a Tournament of Biomes, explaining which biome wins in each round (based on criteria you choose). In the end, they crown a 👑 Champion Biome!
Notice Wonder: Electronics
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice Wonder: Turbine
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice Wonder: Z-Machine
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Climber
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: A River
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: The Cliff
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
What’s In My Brain: Painting vs Painting
Can the concept attainment model make transitive and intransitive verbs interesting? In my experience, it sure can!
What’s In My Brain: Cute Baby vs Fast Cheetah
Can your students puzzle out the differences in these types of figurative language - without any instruction!?
Notice, Wonder: Michael
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Etna
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Fraction Ordering Tournament
Which set of fractions would be the trickiest to order from least to greatest? Let's have a tournament!
What’s In My Brain – Independent vs Dependent
What makes these clauses different?
Notice, Wonder: Plateau
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: A Ship
A mysterious image. Slowly reveal it. Let your students wonder!
Simple or Compound Sentences – Concept Attainment
Can your students puzzle out the differences in these two types of sentences - without any instruction!?
Run On or Not? – Concept Attainment
Can your students puzzle out the differences in these sentences - without any instruction!?
Complex or Compound – Concept Attainment
Can your students puzzle out the difference between these two types of sentences without any instruction!?
What’s In My Brain: Progressive vs Simple Tenses
Can your students puzzle out the differences between these two tenses - without any instruction!?
What’s In My Brain – The Park vs The Museum
Can students figure out the differences between sentences with past progressive and simple past tenses using the concept attainment model?
The Resiliency Tournament
Your students will set up a tournament to determine which person or character best demonstrated resiliency.