How to Write a

Paragraph:
(Without this, everything we teach
them will be like fresh paint on a
crumbling house.)

Paragraph-Writing Skills We
Can All Teach Every Year:
1. Topic sentences
2. Supporting the Topic
Sentence
Grammar
3. Sentence Combining for
1. Review
Flow* Parts of Speech: (if
Forming compound and
necessary)
Nouns
(including
Pronouns)
complex
sentences
Verbs
(including
the
to be
Eliminating repetition
verbs)
4. Avoiding/Eliminating
Adjectives
Sentence Problems
Adverbs
Fragments
Prepositions
Run-ons and
Comma
Conjunctions
(coordinating)
SplicesPhrases: Noun, Verb,
2. Review
5.
Transitioning to the next
Preposition
paragraph
3. Three
types of sentences:
A noun does something
Subject and Predicate
A noun does something to
somethingSubject,
Predicate, and Direct Object
A noun is being something
Subject, Predicate (linking
verbs), and Predicate
Noun/Adjective

Genres and
Forms for
Publication

OD Demand
Writing

Content
Area
Writing

(ODW forms and elements to focus on.)

(Writing options
in each content
area.)

Writing Rubrics*

Narrative Article/Essay*

Social
Studies:
Monologue
One-Act
Play
Historical
Fiction
Article

Intro Skills:
Snapshot/Descriptive &
Creating Tension through
Suspense (Hints)

1. Narrative and/or
Essay (high
school app)

Body and Transition Skills:

Chronological Structure
w/Flashback &
Climax (exploded moment)

2. Argumentative
Speech
3. Persuasive
Letter

Conclusion Skills:
Wrap-Around/Framing Device
Retrospective: creating meaning
(What I learned from this
event, what it meant to my life,
etc)

Poem

Argumentative Speech
Intro Skills:
Snapshot/Descriptive
Startling Statement or Fact
Anecdote
Claim
Body and Transition Skills:
Idea support (FACED)
Organization of the body will vary
depending on the type of claim.
Connecting Support to Reasoning
Counter-claim and rebuttal
Conclusion Skills:
Wrap-Around/Framing Device
Call to action

Grave Eight Writing Overview and Map

Science:
Article
(with
research)
Cause/Effect
Problem/Solut
ion
Compare/Con
trast
Argument
(expanded
CRE)
Related Arts
Review (of
a
performanc
e)
Compositio
n (i.e., one
act play in
drama,
song lyrics
in music)
Artist

Mechanics
(The rules and common
errors of Capitalization,
Usage, Punctuation &
Spelling {CUPS})

Capitalization:
Usage:
Me, Myself, and
I
Its v its
Who v Whom
Active v Passive
Voice
Consistency in
Tense
Dangling &
Misplaced
Modifiers
Parallel
structures in lists
Punctuation
1. Commas
After
prepositional
phrases and
adverbs when
they start the
sentence.
Surrounding
relative clauses
Surrounding
appositives
2. Colons and
Semi-colons
3. Proper use of
parentheses
4. Quotes within
quotes (dbl &

Statement
(i.e., VA
prompt)

GP

How to Write a
Paragraph

Publication

On Demand

Content
Area Writing

Mechanics
(CUPS)

single marks)
Spelling

Grammar

Vocab and
Roots
For 8th Grade

GP1

1. Baseline
Paragraph

Start Feature
Article

Baseline OD
(Article Stand-

These should
be filled in

Grave Eight Writing Overview and Map

C:
U: Counting/

POS Pretest
Review Parts

Intro Project
in the first week or
two.

Diagnostic
2. Tony Hawk
Mini-lesson

alone)
Get the prompt
here.

team by team
as you look at
the other
contents
together.

Non-counting
words

of Speech as a
System (Prezi)

Amount v
Number
Less v Fewer
Much v Many

Project
Presentati
ons at about

P:
Punctuating
Dialogue

week three or four.

(You can use the

Project Score Sheet
or let them create a
rubric with the
Template.)

S:

Intro Vocab
Assignmen
ts after

Continue FA

presentations.
(You can use this
PPT to explain the
assignments)

Peer review
baseline OD
GP2

(You can use the

model PPT and even
let them download
it and use it as a
template to fill in if
you want.)

1. Model and
Practice
2. Analyze
paragraphs in
Narrative/
baseline On
Demand
have them go
back to their
own writing
how are their
paragraphs?
3. Sentence
combining for
smooth flow.
a. Intro to
sentence
combining
.

Grave Eight Writing Overview and Map

C:
U:
Parallel
structures in lists
Avoiding
Double
Negatives

P:
Commas in
compound &
complex
sentences
(Also avoiding
unnecessary
commas in
complex sentences
starting with
dependent
clauses.)

S:

A noun does
something:
Subjects
and
predicates

Vocab
Assessment
GP2
Weekly vocab
assignments
(HWK)

GP

How to Write a
Paragraph

Publication

On Demand

Content
Area Writing

Mechanics
(CUPS)

Grammar

Vocab and
Roots
For 8th Grade

GP3

GP4

Start
Argument
Essay

Paragraph
Analysis (models
and baseline FA
PB)

These should
be filled in
team by team
as you look at
the other
contents
together.

Baseline On
Demand
(Argument
Passage-based)
Continue Arg
Essay

GP5

Summative On
Demand
(narrative
essay/article)

Start One-Act
Play,
Monologue, or
Short Story

Get the prompt.

Peer review
Baseline FA PB

Grave Eight Writing Overview and Map

C:
U:
Consistency in
tense
Then v Than
Past v Passed
P:
Apostrophes
in single and
plural
possessives
Commas in
lists
S:
C:
U: Modals (ie,
couldve v
could have
P: Revisit
commas in lists
and compound
sents
S:
C:
U:
Subject/Verb
agreement
P: Revisit
punctuating
dialogue
S:

A noun does
something to
something:
Subj, Pred, DO

Vocab
assessment
GP3
Weekly vocab
assignments
(HWK)

Vocab
assessment
GP4
Weekly vocab
assignments
(HWK)

A noun is
being
something:
Subj
Pred
Linking verbs
and
predicate
nouns/

Vocab
assessment
GP5
Weekly vocab
assignments
(HWK)

adjectives
GP6
Continue OAP,
Mono, or SS

Grave Eight Writing Overview and Map

Vocab
assessment
GP6
Weekly vocab
assignments
(HWK)