Although most often done in conjunction with language arts, writing activities can be incorporated into any eighth-grade subject class area. By eighth grade, students will have had considerable practice with basics such as sentence structure and spelling. However, they may not have had very much opportunity or freedom to explore their own ideas and opinions. Eighth-grade teachers can use different activities that foster their students' creativity and promote a love and enthusiasm for writing.
Personal Writing
Having your eighth-grade students keep a daily journal is an effective way to cultivate a safe writing environment in which they can express themselves without the fear of being "right" or "wrong." Student journals can be used in any subject area, and the assignments can be either broadly focused or highly specified. For example, students might freely respond to a passage of the book they are reading, such as "The Outsiders" or "To Kill a Mockingbird." Students can also be assigned a letter-writing partner or group and exchange their thoughts on paper for participation credit. The simple act of writing without pressure can strengthen students' abilities. It also provides the teacher with an opportunity to determine whether they are writing on grade level by checking their use of complete sentences, coherent points and supporting evidence, all of which should be present in an eighth grader's work.
Creative Writing
For some eighth-grade students, beginning the writing process comes easily and naturally. However, many twelve- and thirteen-year-olds struggle with writing and some type of creative prompt is helpful. For a creative writing activity, teachers can display artwork and ask students to write a story to describe a picture. Encouraging eighth-grade students to expand their writing through the use of a thesaurus will not only show them use a reference resource, but also prepare them for high school writing, which requires more depth. An eighth grader can produce a coherent point, but locating new words to describe the ones they already know expands and enhances their vocabulary base. Introducing and encouraging the use of more vivid verbs and adjectives in their stories will convey the nuances of language and make students aware of their writing choices.
Group Writing
A "conversation on paper" activity is an enjoyable collaborative writing activity that can be worked into any subject area. You can lead periods of silence during which all the "talking" is done on chart paper. Eighth-grade students can make coherent points, and engaging in this activity exposes them to the value of writing as a communicative tool. This activity can be done by breaking the class into groups and giving each group a prompt at the center of a piece of chart paper. The prompt can be a quote, a picture or a point from a prior learning experience. Students respond by writing their opinions and thoughts around the prompt, and responding to the previous responses of their classmates. Rotate the chart paper so that each group gets each prompt at least once, giving students the opportunity to respond to each prompt as well engaging in a whole-class discussion.
Essay Writing
Eighth grade is a common year to introduce the five-paragraph essay format for the purpose of argumentative writing. This format consists of an introduction, a thesis statement, three supporting points and a conclusion. By eighth grade, students are usually experienced with narrative writing but using the five-paragraph essay format teaches them to structure their ideas. Eighth-grade students are at the starting point of forming their own views of the world, and most of them have opinions on popular topics. Giving assignments centered on these familiar and relevant topics is an effective way to build writing and researching skills and heighten interest and social awareness. Writing that requires them to take a position builds students' accuracy and consistency in making their points.
Tags: chart paper, coherent points, each group, each prompt, eighth grade