Grades 6-8 Example Topics and Genres: Content Related to

WIDA’s English Language Proficiency Standards

These examples, representative of state academic content standards, provide context for the English language development described in the strands of Model Performance Indicators.

Standard 1: Standard 2: Standard 3: Standard 4: Standard 5:

Social and The language of The language of The language of Science The language of
Instructional language Language Arts Mathematics Social Studies

Example Topics Example Genres Example Topics Example Topics Example Topics
• Assignments/Research • Adventures • Algebraic equations • Atoms & molecules • Agriculture
• Character development • Ballads • Area, volume & • Bacteria to plants • America’s story
• Editorials circumference • Body systems & organs • Ancient/Medieval civilizations
• Instructions/
Assignments • Historical documents • Complex two- & three- • Chemical building blocks • Bill of Rights
dimensional figures • Climate/Temperature change • Civic rights & responsibilities
• Resources & supplies • Human interest
• Data interpretation & • Climate zones • Civil wars
• School behavior • Mythology statistics
• Poetry/Free verse • Comets & meteorites • Colonization
• School life • Data sets & plots
• Science fiction • Cycles • Countries & continents
• Social interaction • Decimals • Elements & compounds
• Technical texts • Cultural perspectives & frames
• Use of information • Estimation • Forms of energy of reference
• Use of multiple Example Topics • Factors • Light • Economic trends
resources • Alliteration • Fractions • Motion & force • Forms & organization of
• Use of register • Author’s purpose • Geometric relations government
• Natural disasters
• Biographies • Integers • Populations, resources & • Freedom & democracy
• Comprehension strategies • Line segments & angles environments • Human resources
• Dialogue • Measures of central • Processes • Longitude/Latitude/Time zones
• Editing tendency (mean, median, • Reproduction • Maps
• Figures of speech mode, range) • Scientific inventions or • Revolution
• Literacy devices • Metric & standard units discoveries
• Slavery
of measurement • Scientific tools or instruments
• Metaphors & similes • U.S. Constitution
• Parallel lines • Solar system
• Multimedia
• Percent • Sound
• Multiple meanings
• Perimeter • Universe: Stars and planets
• Personification
• Probability • Water
• Synonyms & antonyms
• Ratio & proportion
• Test-taking strategies
• Square root
• Word origins

RG-29
Resource Guide