Unit Plan 3 (Grade 8 ELA): Character, Setting, and Plot Structure

Focus: How plot unfolds; character responses/changes; word choice & tone

Grade Level: 8

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading—Literature)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

How do authors move stories forward and make us care? This week, students analyze (1) how incidents and lines of dialogue propel the plot and reveal character, (2) how word choice shapes tone and meaning, and (3) how structure (order of events, pacing, flashback/foreshadowing, parallel scenes) affects tension and theme.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Explain how specific incidents and lines of dialogue propel action, reveal character, or provoke decisions (RL.8.3).
2. Analyze how word choice (including figurative/connotative language) shapes tone and meaning (RL.8.4).
3. Evaluate how structure—order of events, time shifts, pacing—contributes to meaning and reader impact (RL.8.5).

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 8

• RL.8.3: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story/drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
• RL.8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases (including figurative and connotative meanings); analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.8.5: Compare and analyze the structure of texts and how differing structure contributes to meaning and style.

Success Criteria — student language

• I can point to a line/incident and explain exactly what it causes in the plot or character.
• I can name the tone and show how specific word choices create it.
• I can map the text’s structure (time order, pacing, shifts) and explain the effect on tension or theme.