The Vocabulary Expander: Common Core Standards Reading for Literature and Language Grades 6 - 8

Grades 6 - 8

Key Features

The Vocabulary Expander: Common Core Standards Reading for Literature and Language Grades 6 – 8 is a vocabulary-centred approach to developing essential understanding and skills for students in Grades 6 to 8. It provides full coverage of core standards for Reading for Literature and Language, as well as support for all ‘recognize and correct’ areas of Language Progressive Skills.

Packed with engaging and precisely focused tasks and games, it offers a comprehensive coverage of these core standards with 389 tasks and more than 2500 practice questions. It includes literary extracts from more than 80 well-known texts, including novels, short stories, poems and plays from the 18th to 21st century.

The Vocabulary Expander: Common Core Standards Reading for Literature and Language Grades 6 – 8 provides in-depth coverage of:

  • essential inference skills and how to cite evidence for reading tasks
  • theme concepts and statements and objective summarizing skills
  • structural elements of literary texts, narrative point of view and figurative language
  • how literary, mythological and historical knowledge and ideas are integrated and adapted in literary texts
  • Shakespeare and his use of language and grammar
  • grammar, spelling and punctuation in standard English
  • strategies for determining the meaning of words
  • using academic and technical language and register/tone to enhance writing

A Vocabulary-Driven Approach to Common Core Standards Reading for Literature and Language Grades 6 - 8

Vocabulary is key to academic success and a proven indicator of progress in a wide array of subjects. We know that a firm grasp of subject terminology lays a clear foundation for progression into graduation, college and career success; quite simply, the highest-achieving students have the widest vocabulary.

The Vocabulary Expander: Common Core Standards Reading for Literature and Language Grades 6 – 8 is focused on the core standards for Reading for Literature and Language. It is divided into the three key areas:

• Reading for Literature
• Language
• Language Progressive Skills

Reading for Literature and Language are organized by sections on the separate core standards, whilst Language Progressive Skills addresses universal skills across the grades and focuses on how to ‘recognize and correct’ errors. All core standards for Literature and Language are covered through a wide range of practical and engaging activities, tasks and games, all with answers. These tasks offer a wealth of valuable practice and are designed to develop the essential literacy skills of close and attentive reading, deduction and precise analysis.

Tasks are supplemented by detailed definitions, explanations, and clear guidance for students across all 6 – 8 grades and across ability levels. For Literature, you will find a wealth of challenging extracts from novels, poems and plays from 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

There is a special focus on Shakespeare in Reading for Literature 10: Range of Reading which has been designed as an engaging and accessible introduction to Shakespeare’s language, to support studies in Grade 9 and beyond.

For ease, the book follows the order of the core standards and sections are clearly marked according to the numbering of the standards. This fosters an understanding of the core standards and allows students to target areas where they need further support. Each section provides multiple opportunities to practice skills in a precise and systematic way and to tackle core standards across Grades 6, 7 and 8.

In addition, The Vocabulary Expander: Common Core Standards Reading for Literature and Language Grades 6 – 8 develops wider academic vocabulary to support all areas of the curriculum. The highly interactive tasks are also devised to develop universal skills of evidence-based reasoning, analysis, critical thinking and problem-solving. Grades 6 – 8 are valuable years to develop an understanding of these concepts and to understand how vocabulary creates effects and can be utilized for effective and accurate communication. This invaluable resource positions vocabulary not as a mere tool of identification, but as central to understanding and engagement.

Book-1--Front-800-x-1130
Book-2-Front 800 x 1130