punctuation marks, including commas in complex sentences, transitions, and introductory elements; and
correct spelling, including commonly confused terms; and
publish written work for appropriate audiences.
compose literary texts such as personal narratives, fiction, and poetry using genre characteristics and craft;
compose informational texts, including multi-paragraph essays that convey information about a topic, using a clear controlling idea or thesis statement and genre characteristics and craft;
compose multi-paragraph argumentative texts using genre characteristics and craft; and
compose correspondence that reflects an opinion, registers a complaint, or requests information in a business or friendly structure.
generate student-selected and teacher-guided questions for formal and informal inquiry;
develop and revise a plan;
refine the major research question, if necessary, guided by the answers to a secondary set of questions;
identify and gather relevant information from a variety of sources;
differentiate between primary and secondary sources;
synthesize information from a variety of sources;
differentiate between paraphrasing and plagiarism when using source materials;
examine sources for:
reliability, credibility, and bias; and
faulty reasoning such as hyperbole, emotional appeals, and stereotype;
display academic citations and use source materials ethically; and
use an appropriate mode of delivery, whether written, oral, or multimodal, to present results.
listen actively to interpret a message, ask clarifying questions, and respond appropriately;
follow and give oral instructions that include multiple action steps;
give an organized presentation with a specific stance and position, employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, natural gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively; and
participate in student-led discussions by eliciting and considering suggestions from other group members, taking notes, and identifying points of agreement and disagreement.
use print or digital resources to determine the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin, and part of speech;
use context such as definition, analogy, and examples to clarify the meaning of words; and
determine the meaning and usage of grade-level academic English words derived from Greek and Latin roots such as mis/mit, bene, man, vac, scrib/script, and jur/jus.
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--fluency. The student reads grade-level text with fluency and comprehension. The student is expected to adjust fluency when reading grade-level text based on the reading purpose.
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--self-sustained reading. The student reads grade-appropriate texts independently. The student is expected to self-select text and read independently for a sustained period of time.
establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected text;
generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information;
make and correct or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures;
create mental images to deepen understanding;
make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society;
make inferences and use evidence to support understanding;
evaluate details read to determine key ideas;
synthesize information to create new understanding; and
monitor comprehension and make adjustments such as re-reading, using background knowledge, asking questions, and annotating when understanding breaks down.
describe personal connections to a variety of sources, including self-selected texts;
write responses that demonstrate understanding of texts, including comparing sources within and across genres;
use text evidence to support an appropriate response;
paraphrase and summarize texts in ways that maintain meaning and logical order;
interact with sources in meaningful ways such as notetaking, annotating, freewriting, or illustrating;
respond using newly acquired vocabulary as appropriate;
discuss and write about the explicit or implicit meanings of text;
respond orally or in writing with appropriate register, vocabulary, tone, and voice; and
reflect on and adjust responses as new evidence is presented.
infer multiple themes within and across texts using text evidence;
analyze how the characters' internal and external responses develop the plot;
analyze plot elements, including rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and non-linear elements such as flashback; and
analyze how the setting, including historical and cultural settings, influences character and plot development.
demonstrate knowledge of literary genres such as realistic fiction, adventure stories, historical fiction, mysteries, humor, and myths;
analyze the effect of meter and structural elements such as line breaks in poems across a variety of poetic forms;
analyze how playwrights develop characters through dialogue and staging;
analyze characteristics and structural elements of informational text, including:
the controlling idea or thesis with supporting evidence;
features such as introduction, foreword, preface, references, or acknowledgements to gain background information; and
organizational patterns such as definition, classification, advantage, and disadvantage;
analyze characteristics and structures of argumentative text by:
identifying the claim;
explaining how the author uses various types of evidence to support the argument;