Louisiana Standards
Louisiana 8th Grade ELA Standards
All 41 Louisiana English language arts standards for 8th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Louisiana Department of Education's document, linked at the end of this page.
41 standards
Reading Standards for Literature
9 standardsRL.8.1
Choose the strongest, most relevant evidence from a story to back an analysis of what it states directly and what can be inferred.
RL.8.2
Find a story's theme, trace how the characters, setting and plot build it, and sum the story up without taking sides.
RL.8.3
Explain how one line of dialogue or one event moves the plot along, shows what a character is like, or pushes a decision.
RL.8.4
Work out what words mean in a story or poem, including a comparison or a nod to another text, and say how they set the tone.
RL.8.5
Compare how two or more poems or stories are built, like a sonnet beside free verse, and say what each shape adds to the meaning.
RL.8.6
Explain how a gap between what a character knows and what the reader knows, like dramatic irony, builds suspense or humor.
RL.8.7
Analyze how closely a film, play, live show or artwork follows or changes the original text or script, and judge the choices made.
RL.8.9
Analyze how a modern novel or story borrows themes, plot patterns or character types from myths, traditional tales or religious works, and describe how it makes them new.
RL.8.10
Read stories, plays and poems at the top of the grades 6 to 8 level on your own by the end of the year.
Reading Standards for Informational Text
10 standardsRI.8.1
Support an analysis of an article or essay with the evidence that backs it most strongly, covering both what it states and what it implies.
RI.8.2
Find an article's central idea, trace how the supporting ideas build it across the text, and summarize it without opinion.
RI.8.3
Explain how a nonfiction writer connects people, ideas or events or sets them apart, say by comparing them or sorting them into groups.
RI.8.4
Work out what words and technical terms mean in an article, and say how the writer's word choices, including allusions, shape the tone.
RI.8.5
Take one paragraph apart and explain the job each sentence does in building and sharpening a key idea.
RI.8.6
Find the author's point of view or purpose, and explain how the author deals with evidence and viewpoints that cut against it.
RI.8.7
Weigh the pros and cons of presenting a topic in print, in a video or on a web page with mixed media.
RI.8.8
Lay out a text's argument and its claims, judge whether the reasoning holds and the evidence is enough, and spot evidence that is off topic.
RI.8.9
Compare two or more texts that disagree about the same topic and pinpoint where they differ on facts or on how to read the facts.
RI.8.10
Read literary nonfiction, like memoirs and speeches, at the top of the grades 6 to 8 level on your own by the end of the year.
Writing Standards
10 standardsW.8.1
Write an argument with a clear claim, reasons and evidence from credible sources, linking words, a formal style and a conclusion that follows from it.
W.8.2
Write an informative piece that introduces a topic, organizes facts, definitions and examples under headings or charts where they help, and ends with a conclusion.
W.8.3
Write a true or made-up story that sets the scene, uses dialogue, pacing and sensory detail, moves clearly through time and ends with a fitting conclusion.
W.8.4
Shape a lab report, history essay or technical write-up so its organization and style fit the assignment, its purpose and its readers.
W.8.5
Revise drafts with some help from peers and adults through planning, editing, rewriting or a fresh approach, focusing on how well the purpose and audience are served.
W.8.6
Use a computer and the internet to write, publish and share work, showing how ideas connect, and to work with others on it.
W.8.7
Run a short research project on a question, including one you came up with, using several sources and raising new focused questions along the way.
W.8.8
Pick good search terms to find print and online sources, check each for accuracy and reliability, and quote or paraphrase it with a citation in a format like MLA.
W.8.9
Use evidence from eighth grade literature and literary nonfiction to support analysis, reflection and research, like spotting irrelevant evidence in an argument.
W.8.10
Write regularly, from a report built over several days to a journal entry finished in one class, for different subjects, purposes and readers.
Speaking and Listening Standards
6 standardsSL.8.1
Come prepared to a discussion with evidence, follow the group's rules and roles, link speakers' ideas with questions, and adjust your view when the evidence warrants.
SL.8.2
Analyze why information is presented in a chart, video or speech, and judge the social, commercial or political motive behind it.
SL.8.3
Break down a speaker's argument, judge whether the reasoning holds and the evidence is enough, and catch evidence that is beside the point.
SL.8.4
Present a claim and findings in a focused order with evidence, sound reasoning and well-chosen details, speaking clearly, loudly enough and with eye contact.
SL.8.5
Add slides, images or video to a presentation where they make the information clearer, strengthen the evidence or add interest.
SL.8.6
Adapt your speaking style to the setting, audience and task, using strong formal English when the moment calls for it, like in a formal speech.
Language Standards
6 standardsL.8.1
Print many letters, use everyday nouns, verbs and little words like in and on, make plurals like dogs and wishes, ask with who and where, and speak in full sentences.
L.8.2
Capitalize the first word of a sentence and the word I, name the period and question mark, and spell simple words the way they sound, like kat for cat.
L.8.3
Notice the difference between formal and casual English, like Good morning, Mrs. Lee versus Hey, and choose which fits the moment.
L.8.4
Work out an unfamiliar 8th-grade word from context, from Greek and Latin roots like precede and recede, or from a dictionary, then check the guess.
L.8.5
Explain a nonliteral phrase like take steps, name someone who is friendly to link a word to real life, and rank knew, believed and suspected by how sure they are.
L.8.6
Learn and use grade-level academic and subject words, and look up any word that matters to understanding or expressing an idea.
The official Louisiana documents
- K-12 Louisiana Student Standards for English Language Arts · adopted March 2016, revised 2019 · since 2016-17, through 2026-27
- 2026 K-12 Louisiana Student Standards for English Language Arts · coming next · adopted 2026 · from 2027-28
The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Louisiana's standards, not the official wording, which Louisiana Department of Education publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.