8th Grade Reading · Parent guide
What Reading Level Should
an 8th Grader Be At?
By the end of 8th grade, a child should read stories, poems, plays and nonfiction at the high end of the Common Core grades 6-8 band (up to 1185L) on their own, without help. A typical 8th grader reads about 151 words correctly per minute in the spring. The skills that set 8th grade apart: choosing the evidence that most strongly supports an answer, explaining how dramatic irony creates suspense or humor, analyzing how an author handles conflicting viewpoints, finding where two texts disagree, and spotting irrelevant evidence in an argument.
Reviewed against the Common Core standards and published reading norms.
8th Grade Reading Benchmarks
Fluency is the typical (50th percentile) spring score in words read correctly per minute from Hasbrouck and Tindal’s 2006 compiled norms, reprinted in their 2017 report (the 2017 update itself stops at grade 6). The Lexile range is the Common Core grades 6-8 band from the standards’ Appendix A supplement; by the end of 8th grade students should read at its high end without help. None of these is a pass or fail cutoff; ask your child’s teacher which reading assessment the school uses and what it shows.
What 8th Graders Learn in Reading, by Strand
These are the Common Core English Language Arts standards for Grade 8 reading, put into plain English and grouped by strand. Many states use them as written or in an adapted version. The code after each skill is the standard it comes from, and each strand links to the full text on the Common Core site.
Reading Stories, Poems & Plays
Common Core RL.8- Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis (RL.8.1)
- Trace how a theme develops and how it relates to characters, setting and plot; summarize objectively (RL.8.2)
- Analyze how lines of dialogue or incidents move the action, reveal character or force a decision (RL.8.3)
- Explain the effect of word choices, including analogies and allusions to other texts (RL.8.4)
- Explain how dramatic irony, when the reader knows more than a character, creates suspense or humor (RL.8.6)
- Judge how faithfully a film or stage production follows the text and evaluate the director’s or actors’ choices (RL.8.7)
- Analyze how a modern story draws on myths, traditional stories or religious works and makes them new (RL.8.9)
Reading Information
Common Core RI.8- Trace a central idea and how it relates to supporting ideas; summarize objectively (RI.8.2)
- Analyze the structure of a single paragraph and the role of each sentence (RI.8.5)
- Analyze how an author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints (RI.8.6)
- Evaluate an argument and recognize when irrelevant evidence is brought in (RI.8.8)
- Find where two texts disagree on facts or interpretation of the same topic (RI.8.9)
Vocabulary
Common Core L.8- Use Greek and Latin roots and affixes as clues: precede, recede, secede (L.8.4b)
- Interpret figures of speech such as verbal irony and puns (L.8.5a)
- Tell apart words with similar meanings but different feelings: bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute (L.8.5c)
What 8th Grade Reading Tasks Look Like
Short original passages and questions written to match the standards above, with what a good answer includes.
The strongest evidence (RL.8.1)
A question asks how the main character feels about moving. Three quotes are possible: she packs her room, she says "whatever" when asked, and she hides her old house key in her pocket. Which is strongest?
Answer: The hidden key. Packing shows nothing about feelings and "whatever" could mean several things, but keeping the key shows she does not want to let go. Eighth grade asks for the most convincing evidence, not just any.
Dramatic irony (RL.8.6)
The reader knows the surprise party is in the next room, but the main character, upset that everyone forgot her birthday, is about to leave the house. What effect does this create?
Answer: Suspense and humor: the reader knows something she does not and wonders whether she will walk out before the surprise.
Irrelevant evidence (RI.8.8)
An article argues that a city should add bike lanes. It cites crash data on busy streets, a survey of riders, and the fact that the mayor rides a bike. Which piece is irrelevant?
Answer: The mayor riding a bike. It does not show that bike lanes would make streets safer or that people would use them.
Signs Your 8th Grader May Be Behind in Reading
Eighth grade is the last year before high school, which expects students to read textbooks and sources on their own. Watch for these signs:
- !Picks any quote that relates to the question instead of the one that best proves the point
- !Misses irony and reads sarcastic or ironic lines literally
- !Believes whichever of two conflicting articles they read last, without noticing where they disagree
- !Needs help with texts at the level of their textbooks, a year before high school expects independence
- !Avoids long reading altogether, or reads quickly but cannot explain the author’s argument afterward
Short At-Home Activities (10 to 15 Minutes)
Rank the evidence
When your child argues a point, ask for three reasons and then which one is strongest, and why.
Two sources, one story
Read two short news reports on the same event from different outlets and find where they disagree: on facts, or on what the facts mean.
Old story, new form
Talk about a movie or book built on a myth or fairy tale. What did it keep from the original, and what did it change?
Catch the irony
Point out verbal irony in shows and everyday speech ("great weather" in a downpour) and ask your child to explain what the speaker really means.
Paragraph X-ray
Take one paragraph from a textbook and ask what job each sentence does: claim, example, explanation or link to the next idea.
Find Your Child's Exact Level
Eighth grade reading prepares your child for high school. Our diagnostic checks evidence, irony, argument and vocabulary and shows which skills need work, in about 10 minutes.
Start the DiagnosticQuestions Parents Ask
What Lexile level is 8th grade?
The Common Core’s grades 6-8 text-complexity band runs from 925L to 1185L. By the end of 8th grade, students should read literature and nonfiction at the high end of that band, up to 1185L, independently and proficiently (RL.8.10, RI.8.10).
How many words per minute should an 8th grader read?
Hasbrouck and Tindal’s 2006 compiled norms put a typical 8th grader at about 133 words correctly per minute in the fall, 146 in winter and 151 in spring. Their 2017 update stops at grade 6, so the 2006 figures are the most recent from that source.
Is my 8th grader ready for high school reading?
Check whether they can read a textbook chapter without help, pick the strongest evidence for an answer instead of any evidence, explain where two sources disagree, and spot evidence that does not support an argument. Those are the 8th grade standards high school builds on.
What is new in 8th grade reading?
Eighth grade asks for the evidence that most strongly supports an answer (RL.8.1), adds dramatic irony (RL.8.6), and asks students to recognize irrelevant evidence in an argument (RI.8.8) and find where two texts conflict (RI.8.9). It is also the first year students should read at the top of the 6-8 band independently.
My 8th grader only reads for school. Should I worry?
Not necessarily, but independent reading builds the stamina that high school assigns. Let your child choose: graphic novels, sports writing, science articles and fan-favorite series all build reading volume.