Our trimester home reports indicate a student’s progress toward mastery of the standards identified as benchmarks for each grade level.  This progress is reported under topic headings called “power standards.”

Listed below are some sub-domains in Communication Arts (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, etc.) that help explain what is assessed under each of those power standards.  For more detailed information, please consult with your child’s homeroom teacher.

 

Kindergarten

READING

Key Ideas and Details

• With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
• With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details
• With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

Literary Organization and Structure

• Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
• Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
• With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
• With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

Fluency

• Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.
• Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

WRITING AND LANGUAGE

Text Types and Purposes

• Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is…).
• Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
• Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
• With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).
• With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Range of Writing (begins in grade 3)

Conventions of Standard English

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language (begins in grade 2)

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.
• With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
• Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Comprehension and Collaboration

• Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
• Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
• Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
• Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

Integration

Digital Citizenship

 

1st Grade

Key Ideas and Details

• Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
• Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
• Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

Literary Organization and Structure

• Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
• Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.
• Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
• Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.

Fluency

• Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
• Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

WRITING AND LANGUAGE

Text Types and Purposes

• Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.
• Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
• Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
• With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).
• With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Range of Writing (begins in grade 3)

Conventions of Standard English

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language (begins in grade 2)

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.

• With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

• Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., because).

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Comprehension and Collaboration

• Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
• Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
• Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
• Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.

MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

Integration

Digital Citizenship

 

Second Grade

READING

Key Ideas and Details

• Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
• Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
• Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

Literary Organization and Structure

• Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
• Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
• Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

• Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Fluency

• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

WRITING AND LANGUAGE

Text Types and Purposes

• Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.
• Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
• Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
• With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
• Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Conventions of Standard English

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language

• Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
• Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
• Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Comprehension and Collaboration

• Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
• Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
• Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
• Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

Integration

Digital Citizenship

 

Third Grade

READING

Key Ideas and Details

• Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
• Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
• Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events

Literary Organization and Structure

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.
• Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections.
• Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)
• Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series)

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Fluency

• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

WRITING AND LANGUAGE

Text Types and Purposes

• Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
• With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
• With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
• Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.

Range of Writing

• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Conventions of Standard English

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language

• Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
• Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Comprehension and Collaboration

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
• Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
• Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.
• Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

Integration

Digital Citizenship

 

Fourth Grade

READING

Key Ideas and Details

• Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
• Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

Literary Organization and Structure

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
• Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.
• Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.
• Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Fluency

• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

WRITING AND LANGUAGE

Text Types and Purposes

• Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
• With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
• Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Conventions of Standard English

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language

• Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
• Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g.,wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Comprehension and Collaboration

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
• Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
• Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
• Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation.

MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

Integration

Digital Citizenship

 

Fifth Grade

READING

Key Ideas and Details

• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
• Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

Literary Organization and Structure

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
• Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
• Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
• Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Fluency

• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

WRITING AND LANGUAGE

Text Types and Purposes:

• Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
• With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
• Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Conventions of Standard English

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language

• Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
• Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Comprehension and Collaboration

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
• Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
• Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
• Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.

MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

Integration

Digital Citizenship

 

Sixth Grade

READING

Key Ideas and Details

• Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
• Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

Literary Organization and Structure

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.
• Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning
• Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).
• Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

WRITING AND LANGUAGE

Text Types and Purposes

• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
• Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
• Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Conventions of Standard English

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language

• Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
• Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Comprehension and Collaboration

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
• Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
• Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.
• Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

WORLD LANGUAGES

MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

Integration

Digital Citizenship

 

Seventh Grade

READING

Key Ideas and Details

• Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
• Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

Literary Organization and Structure

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
• Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
• Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
• Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

WRITING AND LANGUAGE

Text Types and Purposes

• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
• Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
• Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Conventions of Standard English

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language

• Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
• Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Comprehension and Collaboration

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
• Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
• Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.
• Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

WORLD LANGUAGES

MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

Integration

Digital Citizenship

 

Eighth Grade

READING

Key Ideas and Details

• Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
• Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

Literary Organization and Structure

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.
• Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning
• Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).
• Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

WRITING AND LANGUAGE

Text Types and Purposes

• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
• Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
• Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Conventions of Standard English

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language

• Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
• Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Comprehension and Collaboration

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
• Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
• Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.
• Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

WORLD LANGUAGES

MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY

Integration

Digital Citizenship