In this unit, students will examine the global topic of refugees.  The students will use nonfiction articles that provide students a background knowledge of the topic.  The articles will be the resources used to support learning of nonfiction VDOE Grade 8 standards. Students will apply comprehension skills daily throughout the unit of study.   The acquired background knowledge will support the second half of the unit as students will take part in a novel study using Refugee.   The students will show mastery by completing a persuasive writing performance based assessment. 

In this unit, students read the novel, Lyddie, by Katherin Patterson.  Students will read a variety of fiction and nonfiction through the novel to make connections between characters and settings.  Additionally, students will engage in character analysis to help them understand author's conventions.  Finally, students will engage in vocabulary study to help them understand the connotations and denotations of words as well as enhance reading comprehension.