Eighth Grade  

Grade level book options

  • Graphic novel: Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosczka (Level Z) 

  • Jackaby by William Ritter (Level Z+) 

  • Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Level Z+) 

  • Scythe by Neal Shusterman (Level Z+) 

7C’s Journal Prompts 

  • Catholic Identity: Think about the characters you have met in the book you are reading. Take a minute to think about the ways their actions might or might not reflect the Catholic values of compassion, empathy, and respect for others.  Write about 2 of these characters and give examples from the story of actions where they might show or not show these traits. What do you feel motivated their behavior in those situations? What does this tell you about the character? 

  • Content:  List 3 setbacks the protagonist faces in the novel. How do they respond to those setbacks and failures to grow and ultimately achieve their goal? 

  • Critical Thinking: Think of a decision, big or small, that the protagonist makes in the novel that you feel is wrong. Imagine you were there with the character in that moment, and you were able to convince them to make the opposite decision. How would the novel be different? 

  • Creativity:  Imagine you have been given the job of creating a TV show for your book starting with Season 1. What would the episodes be titled? What would your first 3 episodes be centered around?  How would you summarize each episode? 

  • Collaboration:  Think about one of your previous answers to the prompts and take a step back. Put yourself in another person’s shoes and try to come up with an opposing point to your previous answer. What evidence would you pull from the text to support your new answer?   

  • Communication: Choose one character that has a conflict with the protagonist, and think about why this is a problem for them. Write down one sentence that explains what the conflict is. Then, write a dialogue between these two characters that either 1) helps to resolve the problem; or 2) shows why it is difficult for them to get past it, based on the personalities of both characters and/or what they each want.

  • Confidence: Choose one character who becomes more confident as the book goes on. What is one quality that you share with them? How will this quality help you succeed in 8th grade?

Grade specific directions/notes: You will read at least one book from the provided list and complete one journal prompt. Your response to the prompt should be at least 1-2 paragraphs and should contain between 7-10 complete sentences. Your response can be handwritten or typed.