Grade 8 ELA Activities

Passion is what drives our strong feelings about what we love and who we are. Because teenagers are passionate about many things, it’s fun and useful to tap into their passions as a way to engage them more deeply in the worlds of reading and writing. The things your child loves to talk, think, and dream about are the same things he will want to read and write stories about. This activity will allow your child to make a chart of his passions that he can then use to figure out what he already knows and what else he might explore.

	A set of encyclopedias, a dictionary, an almanac, or any general information source (all of these reference materials are available at your local public library branch.)

	Paper

	Pen or pencil

	Notebook

Help your child investigate his passions by starting with such questions as, What do I most enjoy? What do I really care about? What do I want to know more about? What is something I have never done but would really love to try? Use encyclopedias, dictionaries, and general information sources at home or at the library to generate more ideas.

As you view resources with your child, have him make a list of his passions. For example, he might talk about a favorite country, a hobby, an animal, a person, or a movie. Have him put stars besides the passions he cares about most. After he narrows his search to one passion, have him set up a notebook where he generates a K-W-L Chart. This chart should contain three columns: What I Know (K), What I Want to Know (W), and What I Learned (L). Encourage him to identify the sources he will need for further research into the topic. Will he look for certain books in the library? Will he share the topic with his friends?

Help your child go forward with finding the sources he needs so that he can discover “what he wants to know.” You may find that the librarian in your neighborhood library branch is very helpful for finding sources on many different topics.

When your child thinks carefully about what he does or doesn't know about a topic of interest, he is setting up the possibility of learning more. If you want to give your child an additional challenge, encourage him to seek out an expert who can tell him more about one of his identified topics. Using a K-W-L chart, have him develop a list of questions for the expert, and follow through with an interview by phone or in person.

 Grade 8 ELA Activities