Unit Plan 22 (Grade 8 ELA): Poetry, Drama, and Prose Structures (with Film)
8th graders analyze how structure shapes meaning across poetry, drama, and prose, then compare texts to their film or stage adaptations. Students evaluate faithful vs. altered choices, media motives, and how sound, visuals, and pacing transform tone and interpretation.
Focus: Structural elements; text vs. film/stage adaptations; media comparisons
Grade Level: 8
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading—Literature & Media; Speaking/Listening—Analysis)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Writers and directors shape meaning through structure—stanzas and line breaks in poetry, scenes/acts in drama, chapters/flashbacks in prose, and in film: shots, cuts, sound, and staging. This week, students analyze how textual structures create meaning and style, then compare a scene/poem on the page to its film or stage adaptation, evaluating faithfulness vs. purposeful departures and the motives/effects of media choices.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Compare and contrast structures across literary forms (poetry/drama/prose) and explain how structural choices contribute to meaning and style (RL.8.5).
- Analyze film/stage adaptations, evaluating where they stay faithful to or depart from the text and how directorial/actor choices (blocking, shot type, pacing, sound) affect interpretation (RL.8.7).
- Analyze information presented in diverse media (text, audio, video), infer purpose, and evaluate motives/effects of presentation (SL.8.2).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 8
- RL.8.5: Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts; analyze how differing structures contribute to meaning and style.
- RL.8.7: Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production stays faithful to or departs from the text, evaluating choices made by the director or actors.
- SL.8.2: Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats and evaluate the motives behind its presentation.
Success Criteria — student language
- I can name specific structural moves (e.g., enjambment, stanza turn; scene/act break; frame story/flashback) and explain their effects.
- I can identify faithful moments and departures in an adaptation and evaluate why those choices were made.
- I can explain how visual/sound elements (shot, lighting, music) reshape tone/meaning compared to the text.