South Carolina ELA Grade 8 Chapter 9

1. What does it take to succeed? Becoming successful requires certain skills. Some of these skills are taught in school, others are taught on the job, and still others we learn from general life experience. Below is a list of ten general skills that will help anyone get ahead in practically any field, from running a company to running a gardening club.

Public speaking Writing Organizational skills Self-discipline Evaluating information Math Research Leadership Decision making Communication

4. Your parents are planning a weekend camping trip for the whole family; however, you would rather stay home. Write an argumentative essay to your parents which provides logical and relevant reasons why you should be able to stay home by yourself for the weekend.

**Writing a Narrative Essay

Choose one of the prompts below, and write a well-developed narrative essay.Engage the reader, use a variety of narrative techniques, include vivid description and sensory details, and provide an appropriate conclusion.Decide on your own topic, or choose from the list below.**

1. Every day you pass a door in your house. The door is always closed and locked. However, one day, as you pass, you notice the door is open, and you walk through the door. Write a story about what was on the other side of that door.

2. Write a story about trading places with your favorite TV, movie, or rock/pop star for one day.

3. If you and your best friend could have a free limousine and chauffer for 24 hours, where would you go, and what would you do?

4. Imagine that you could travel to the future and live there. What would the future be like? How different would it be from today? Write a story about living in the future.

5. On your way to school one morning, you see a huge truck speeding down the road. Suddenly, the back door of the truck opens, and a large, mysterious box falls off the back of the truck. What do you do? What is in the box? Write a story about this mysterious box.