8th Grade

Please note that this page is for the 2024-2025 school year. 

Our rising eighth-grade students must read TWO books: one of the books listed below and a book of their choice. In addition, students will complete the assignment below using one of the books on the list. If students choose to do the assignment on their second book, they will receive extra credit.

Two Degrees by Alan Gratz

Heroes by Alan Gratz

Shoe Dog: A Memoir of the Creator of Nike (Young Reader’s Edition) by Phil Knight

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

School Trip by Jerry Craft

Mexikid by Pedro Martin

Miles Morales: Suspended by Jason Reynolds

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

You will create a one pager that includes both visual symbols and key words, phrases, or sentences that clearly and concisely show how the author develops the theme of the text through characters, setting, plot, and conflict. 

Your one pager MUST INCLUDE:

Select one of the one-pager templates below or create your own. Make sure you include all of the story elements above. 

• A border with words, symbols, and/or images that represents the topic and theme of your text. 
  • Example: 
    • Topic - Identity
    • Theme: Our identities are shaped by our experiences and interactions with others.  
• Images and/or words that represent the main characters from the novel and how they change.
• Words and/or images that show the significance of the setting and how it contributes to the theme. 
• Images and quotations that show how the plot, or sequence of events, helps to develop the theme.
• You may add other symbols, drawings, and words that represent the conflict.

Select one of the one-pager templates below or create your own. Make sure you include all of the story elements above.