Pacing Guides
A complete scope and sequence for every grade and subject we have mapped: Grade 8 English Language Arts · Grade 8 Math · Grade 7 English Language Arts · Grade 7 Math · Grade 6 English Language Arts · Grade 6 Math. Similarity before slope, evidence before argument — every unit lands after what it builds on.
Grade 8 English Language Arts Pacing Guide
8 units across 32 instructional weeks, covering all 41 Common Core standards. Reading builds toward the argument unit; each writing mode lands after students have read strong models of it.
- Weeks 1–43/3 ready
Unit 1: Evidence and Theme in Literature
Cite the evidence that MOST strongly supports an analysis; determine a theme and trace its development; write objective summaries.
- Weeks 5–84/4 ready
Unit 2: Character, Craft and Structure
How dialogue and incidents propel a story; word choice, tone, and figurative language; comparing the structure of two texts.
- Weeks 9–113/3 ready
Unit 3: Point of View and Story Across Mediums
Dramatic irony and points of view; evaluating film and stage choices against the text; how modern fiction draws on myth and tradition.
- Weeks 12–154/4 ready
Unit 4: Informational Ideas and Evidence
Central ideas and their development in nonfiction; strongest textual evidence; how texts connect and distinguish ideas, individuals, and events.
- Weeks 16–195/5 ready
Unit 5: Informational Craft and Perspective
Technical and connotative word meanings; paragraph-level structure; author's point of view and conflicting evidence; choosing the right medium.
- Weeks 20–233/3 ready
Unit 6: Argument: Reading It, Writing It
Evaluate the soundness of reasoning and sufficiency of evidence; analyze two texts that disagree on the facts; write arguments with claims, counterclaims, and evidence.
- Weeks 24–289/9 ready
Unit 7: Writing Modes, Process and Research
Informative and narrative writing; planning, revising, and publishing with technology; short research projects with credible sources and correct citation.
- W.8.2Informative writingThe Explainer Workshop →
- W.8.3Narrative writingThree Seconds →
- W.8.4Clear and coherent writingThe Explainer Workshop →
- W.8.5Planning, revising, editingSecond Draft →
- W.8.6Technology and collaborationSecond Draft →
- W.8.7Short research projectsThe Source Pack →
- W.8.8Gathering and citing sourcesThe Source Pack →
- W.8.9Evidence from textsThe Source Pack →
- W.8.10Range of writingThree Seconds →
- Weeks 29–3210/10 ready
Unit 8: Speaking, Listening and Language Study
Collegial discussion and formal presentation; verbals, voice, and mood; punctuation for effect. Conventions taught here are reinforced all year.
- SL.8.1Collaborative discussionsThe Discussion Lab →
- SL.8.2Analyzing diverse mediaThe Discussion Lab →
- SL.8.3Evaluating a speaker's argumentThe Discussion Lab →
- SL.8.4Presenting claims and findingsNinety Seconds →
- SL.8.5Multimedia in presentationsNinety Seconds →
- SL.8.6Adapting speechNinety Seconds →
- L.8.1Grammar and usageMistakes Were Made →
- L.8.2Capitalization, punctuation, spellingThe Pause →
- L.8.3Knowledge of languageMistakes Were Made →
- L.8.6Academic vocabularyThe Pause →
Grade 8 Math Pacing Guide
11 units across 32 instructional weeks, covering all 28 Common Core standards. Every standard is scheduled after the standards it depends on.
- Weeks 1–33/3 ready
Unit 1: Transformations & Congruence
Establish rigid motions and what they preserve, then define congruence as a sequence of those motions.
- Weeks 4–62/2 ready
Unit 2: Dilations, Similarity & Angles
Add dilations to build similarity, and establish the angle facts that make the angle-angle criterion work.
- Weeks 7–92/2 ready
Unit 3: Proportional Relationships & Slope
Use similar triangles to show slope is constant, and derive y = mx and y = mx + b.
- Weeks 10–121/1 ready
Unit 4: Linear Equations
Solve linear equations in one variable, including the cases with no solution or infinitely many.
- Weeks 13–165/5 ready
Unit 5: Functions
Define functions, compare them across representations, and model real situations with rate of change and initial value.
- 8.F.A.1Definition of a functionStreaming Growth Studio →
- 8.F.A.2Comparing functions across representationsPhone Plan Showdown →
- 8.F.A.3y = mx + b as a linear functionStreaming Growth Studio →
- 8.F.B.4Modeling linear relationshipsPhone Plan Showdown →
- 8.F.B.5Qualitative graph analysisStreaming Growth Studio →
- Weeks 17–191/1 ready
Unit 6: Systems of Equations
Read intersections as simultaneous solutions, solve systems algebraically and graphically, and apply them.
- Weeks 20–223/3 ready
Unit 7: Exponents & Scientific Notation
Build the integer exponent properties from patterns, then use powers of ten to handle very large and very small quantities.
- Weeks 23–243/3 ready
Unit 8: Roots & Irrational Numbers
Introduce square and cube roots as inverse operations, and place irrational numbers on the number line.
- Weeks 25–273/3 ready
Unit 9: Pythagorean Theorem
Prove the theorem and its converse, then apply it to lengths in two and three dimensions and to coordinate distance.
- Weeks 28–291/1 ready
Unit 10: Volume
Apply the cone, cylinder and sphere volume formulas to real design problems.
- Weeks 30–324/4 ready
Unit 11: Bivariate Data
Build scatter plots, fit and interpret linear models, and read association in two-way tables.
Grade 7 English Language Arts Pacing Guide
8 units across 32 instructional weeks, covering all 41 Common Core standards. Reading builds toward the argument unit; each writing mode lands after students have read strong models of it.
- Weeks 1–43/3 ready
Unit 1: Evidence Webs and Theme
Cite several pieces of evidence that work together; determine a theme and trace its development; analyze how story elements interact.
- Weeks 5–83/3 ready
Unit 2: Sound, Form, and Figurative Craft
Analyze the impact of rhymes and sound repetitions on a stanza; how a drama's or poem's form contributes to meaning; figurative language and nuance.
- Weeks 9–124/4 ready
Unit 3: Perspectives, Mediums, and History in Fiction
Contrast the points of view of different narrators; compare a written story to its filmed version's techniques; audit historical fiction against the record.
- Weeks 13–164/4 ready
Unit 4: Central Ideas and Interactions in Nonfiction
Determine two or more central ideas and their development; analyze interactions between individuals, events, and ideas; write objective summaries.
- Weeks 17–204/4 ready
Unit 5: Word Choice, Structure, and the Author's Position
Analyze word-choice impact on meaning and tone; how major sections organize a text; how an author distinguishes their position from others'.
- Weeks 21–243/3 ready
Unit 6: Arguments and Their Deliveries
Trace and evaluate arguments for sound reasoning and sufficient evidence; compare a text to its delivered version; analyze how two authors shape the same facts.
- Weeks 25–2910/10 ready
Unit 7: The Writing Workshops
Argument letters that acknowledge the other side; explainers organized by strategy; narratives with managed time; audience-focused revision; the research sprint.
- W.7.1Argument writingThe Letter That Wins →
- W.7.2Informative writingThe Coin Test →
- W.7.3Narrative writingThe Wrong Bus →
- W.7.4Clear and coherent writingThe Letter That Wins →
- W.7.5Planning, revising, editingWrong Reader →
- W.7.6Technology and collaborationWrong Reader →
- W.7.7Short research projectsThe Question Behind the Question →
- W.7.8Gathering and citing sourcesThe Question Behind the Question →
- W.7.9Evidence from textsThe Question Behind the Question →
- W.7.10Range of writingThe Coin Test →
- Weeks 30–3210/10 ready
Unit 8: Discussion, Presentation, and Conventions
Decision-focused collaborative discussion; presenting salient findings with visuals; modifier repair, concision, and the coordinate-adjective comma. Conventions reinforced all year.
- SL.7.1Collaborative discussionsThe Meeting That Worked →
- SL.7.2Ideas in diverse mediaThe Meeting That Worked →
- SL.7.3Evaluating a speaker's argumentThe Meeting That Worked →
- SL.7.4Presenting claims and findingsSalient →
- SL.7.5Multimedia in presentationsSalient →
- SL.7.6Adapting speech to contextSalient →
- L.7.1Grammar: phrases, clauses, sentencesThe Museum of Misplaced Modifiers →
- L.7.2Capitalization, punctuation, spellingThe Comma Between →
- L.7.3Precise and concise languageThe Museum of Misplaced Modifiers →
- L.7.6Academic vocabularyThe Comma Between →
Grade 7 Math Pacing Guide
11 units across 32 instructional weeks, covering all 24 Common Core standards. Every standard is scheduled after the standards it depends on.
- Weeks 1–31/1 ready
Unit 1: Adding & Subtracting Rational Numbers
Extend addition and subtraction to negative numbers on the number line: opposites make zero, and subtracting is adding the inverse.
- Weeks 4–62/2 ready
Unit 2: Multiplying & Dividing Rational Numbers
Extend multiplication and division to signed numbers, convert rationals to decimals, and put all four operations to work on real problems.
- Weeks 7–92/2 ready
Unit 3: Equivalent Expressions
Add, subtract, factor, and expand linear expressions — and see how rewriting an expression can reveal what a problem is really saying.
- Weeks 10–122/2 ready
Unit 4: Equations & Inequalities
Turn word problems into px + q = r equations and px + q > r inequalities, solve them fluently, and interpret solution sets in context.
- Weeks 13–152/2 ready
Unit 5: Unit Rates & Proportional Relationships
Compute unit rates from ratios of fractions, then recognize and represent proportional relationships in tables, graphs, and equations.
- Weeks 16–181/1 ready
Unit 6: Percent & Proportional Applications
Apply proportional reasoning to the money problems of real life: tax, tips, markups, discounts, interest, and percent change.
- Weeks 19–213/3 ready
Unit 7: Scale Drawings & Constructions
Use proportional reasoning on scale drawings, construct triangles from given conditions, and slice solids to discover their cross-sections.
- Weeks 22–242/2 ready
Unit 8: Angles & Circles
Write equations from angle relationships, and establish the circle formulas with an informal derivation connecting circumference to area.
- Weeks 25–261/1 ready
Unit 9: Area, Surface Area & Volume
Solve real problems about composed two- and three-dimensional figures built from triangles, quadrilaterals, and right prisms.
- Weeks 27–294/4 ready
Unit 10: Sampling & Statistical Inference
Draw inferences about populations from random samples, and compare two populations using centers measured against variability.
- Weeks 30–324/4 ready
Unit 11: Probability
Quantify chance from 0 to 1, build uniform and observed-frequency models, and find compound probabilities with lists, tables, trees, and simulation.
Grade 6 English Language Arts Pacing Guide
8 units across 32 instructional weeks, covering all 41 Common Core standards. Reading builds toward the argument unit; each writing mode lands after students have read strong models of it.
- Weeks 1–43/3 ready
Unit 1: Evidence and Theme
Cite textual evidence for explicit and inferred meaning; determine a theme through its particular details, distinct from personal opinion; trace how characters respond and change as a plot moves toward resolution.
- Weeks 5–84/4 ready
Unit 2: Craft: Word, Structure, and Voice
Analyze word choices, figurative and connotative meanings, and figures of speech; how a sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits a text's structure and builds theme; how an author develops a narrator's point of view.
- Weeks 9–113/3 ready
Unit 3: Versions, Genres, and the Reading Range
Compare reading a text to listening to or watching its audio or video version; compare texts in different genres approaching similar themes; read and comprehend grade-band literature independently.
- Weeks 12–154/4 ready
Unit 4: Central Ideas in Nonfiction
Cite evidence in informational text; determine a central idea and how details convey it; analyze how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated; summarize without opinion.
- Weeks 16–207/7 ready
Unit 5: Nonfiction Craft, Argument, and Sources
Technical and connotative word meanings with vocabulary strategies; how a part fits a text's structure; author's purpose and point of view; integrating information across formats; evaluating whether claims are backed by reasons and evidence; comparing two authors' presentations of the same events.
- RI.6.4Word meanings in nonfictionGoosebumps: Old Equipment →
- RI.6.5Structure of a nonfiction textThe Five-Second Rule on Trial →
- RI.6.6Author's purpose and its deliveryThe Five-Second Rule on Trial →
- RI.6.7Integrating media and formatsWill School Close? →
- RI.6.8Supported vs. unsupported claimsBacked or Bare? →
- RI.6.9Two authors, one storyThe Same Crossing, Twice →
- L.6.4Determining word meaningsGoosebumps: Old Equipment →
- Weeks 21–255/5 ready
Unit 6: Writing: Argument, Information, Narrative
Write arguments with clear claims, credible evidence, and formal style; informative pieces that examine a topic through well-chosen facts and details; narratives with effective technique, descriptive details, and structured event sequences — all with development and organization matched to task and audience, across extended and shorter time frames.
- Weeks 26–295/5 ready
Unit 7: Revision, Research, and Publication
Strengthen writing by planned revision passes; use technology to produce and publish with keyboarding fluency; conduct short research projects drawing on several sources; assess credibility, paraphrase without plagiarism, and cite; draw evidence from texts to support analysis.
- Weeks 30–3210/10 ready
Unit 8: Speaking, Listening, and Conventions
Collaborative discussions with preparation and talk moves; interpreting information across media; delineating a speaker's claims; presentations with logical sequence, clear delivery, and visuals that clarify; pronoun conventions and sentence variety; punctuation for nonrestrictive elements; academic vocabulary.
- SL.6.1Collaborative discussionsThe Recess Announcement →
- SL.6.2Interpreting media and formatsThe Recess Announcement →
- SL.6.3A speaker's claims, weighedThe Recess Announcement →
- SL.6.4Presenting claims and findingsOne Minute, One Visual →
- SL.6.5Multimedia in presentationsOne Minute, One Visual →
- SL.6.6Adapting speech to contextOne Minute, One Visual →
- L.6.1Grammar: pronouns and usageThe Pronoun Museum →
- L.6.2Capitalization, punctuation, spellingThe Interrupters →
- L.6.3Sentence variety and consistent styleThe Pronoun Museum →
- L.6.6Academic vocabularyThe Interrupters →
Grade 6 Math Pacing Guide
11 units across 32 instructional weeks, covering all 29 Common Core standards. Every standard is scheduled after the standards it depends on.
- Weeks 1–32/2 ready
Unit 1: Ratios & Rates
Build ratio language and the unit rate a/b — the for-every reasoning the whole middle school arc stands on.
- Weeks 4–61/1 ready
Unit 2: Ratio Problem Solving & Percent
Put ratio reasoning to work: equivalent-ratio tables, double number lines, unit pricing, percent as a rate per 100, and unit conversion.
- Weeks 7–81/1 ready
Unit 3: Dividing Fractions by Fractions
Interpret and compute fraction-by-fraction quotients with models and the how-many-fit question.
- Weeks 9–113/3 ready
Unit 4: Decimals, Factors & Multiples
Fluency with multi-digit division and decimal operations, plus GCF, LCM, and the distributive property on numbers.
- Weeks 12–143/3 ready
Unit 5: Rational Numbers & the Number Line
Extend the number system below zero: opposites, ordering, absolute value, and what 0 means in each context.
- Weeks 15–161/1 ready
Unit 6: The Coordinate Plane
All four quadrants: plotting, reflections across axes, and distances along gridlines with absolute value.
- Weeks 17–204/4 ready
Unit 7: Expressions
Exponents, variables, and the properties of operations — writing, reading, evaluating, and proving expressions equivalent.
- Weeks 21–234/4 ready
Unit 8: Equations & Inequalities
Solutions as truth-makers, variables as unknowns, solving x + p = q and px = q, and inequalities with infinitely many solutions.
- Weeks 24–251/1 ready
Unit 9: Two Variables Together
Dependent and independent variables linked by equations, tables, and graphs — d = 65t and its relatives.
- Weeks 26–294/4 ready
Unit 10: Area, Volume & Nets
Areas by composing and decomposing, prisms with fractional edges, polygons on the coordinate plane, and surface area from nets.
- Weeks 30–325/5 ready
Unit 11: Statistics
Statistical questions anticipate variability: distributions, dot plots, histograms and box plots, and summaries chosen by shape.
Unit order and week allocations are our editorial sequencing, not part of the Common Core. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.