Standard One: Students will use agreed-upon rules for informal and formal discussions in small and large groups.  They will pose questions, listen to the ideas of others and contribute their own information or ideas in group discussions or interviews in order to acquire new knowledge. They will make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose and the information to be conveyed.

Benchmarks:

• 1.1. Use agreed-upon rules for informal and formal discussions in large and small groups such as Book Club, Literature Circles and Buddy Reading.
• 1.2. Facilitate discussion groups independent from the teacher; identify and practice techniques to improve group productivity such as discussion guidelines, setting time limits for speakers and deadlines for decision-making.
• 1.3. Organize and present ideas in a logical order.
• 1.4. Ask for clarification when others’ responses are unclear.
• 1.5. Actively listen, respond to, and build on ideas generated during group discussions.
• 1.6. Use information to inform or change their perspectives.
• 1.7. Support their responses with evidence or details; expect and request the same of others.
• 1.8. Summarize and evaluate what they have learned from the discussion.
• 1.9. Evaluate the productivity of group discussion using group created criteria and make suggestions to address the needs of the group.
• 1.10. Give oral presentations for a variety of purposes, using teacher-made criteria that demonstrate consideration of audience, purpose and content.
• 1.11. Create an appropriate guide to prepare, improve, and assess presentations.
• 1.12. Use assessment criteria to prepare their presentations.
• 1.13. Listen critically and express opinions in oral presentations.
• 1.14. Distinguish between fact and opinion.
• 1.15. Compare and contrast points of view.
• 1.16. Gather relevant information for a research project or composition through interviews.
• 1.17. Conduct interviews for research projects and writing.

Standard Two: Students will acquire and understand new vocabulary and use it correctly in reading and writing.  They will analyze standard English grammar and usage and recognize how its vocabulary has developed and been influenced by other languages.  They will describe, analyze and use appropriately formal and informal English.

Benchmarks:

• 2.1. Identify sentences along the continuum from simple to compound-complex.
• 2.2. Identify whether a clause functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
• 2.3. Identify whether a verbal is a participle, gerund, or infinitive.
• 2.4. Analyze the structure of a sentence.
• 2.5. Identify correct mechanics, usage, and sentence structure.
• 2.6. Identify the differences between formal and informal English.
• 2.7. Describe the origins and meanings of common words or phrases used frequently in written English.
• 2.8. Identify content-specific vocabulary and terms.
• 2.9. Recognize common irregularly spelled words by sight.
• 2.10. Use letter-sound knowledge to decode written English.
• 2.11. Read grade-appropriate imaginative/literary and informational/expository text fluently, accurately, and with understanding.
• 2.12. Identify and analyze the different purposes for language: expressive, descriptive, expository, persuasive, and reflective.

Standard Three:  Students will understand the nature of written English and the relationship of letters and spelling patterns to the sounds of speech. They will identify the basic facts and main ideas in a text and use them as the basis for interpretation. They will deepen their understanding of a literary or non-literary work by relating it to its contemporary context or historical background and will identify, analyze and apply knowledge of the characteristics of different genres. They will identify, analyze and apply knowledge of a theme in a literary work and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding and will identify, analyze and apply knowledge of the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.

Benchmarks:

• 3.1. Demonstrate fluency and understanding when reading different grade-level appropriate text.
• 3.2. Select books for independent reading.
• 3.3. Use before, during, and after reading strategies to enhance their comprehension of different texts.
• 3.4. Use background knowledge to make inferences and predictions and to make personal connections with what is being read.
• 3.5. Setting a purpose for reading.
• 3.6. Ask questions to clarify information.
• 3.7. Summarize information to check understanding.
• 3.8. Visualize information in text to support comprehension.
• 3.9. Identify the topic and main idea of different texts.
• 3.10. Understand genres and organizational structure and apply that knowledge to their reading of different texts.
• 3.11. Use knowledge of text features and organizational structure to make meaning of what is read.
• 3.12. Develop and analyze a critical theory about the text they are reading.
• 3.13. Demonstrate and understanding of intratextuality and intertextuality when reading different texts.
• 3.14. Understand when comprehension breaks down; know and using self-correcting strategies to make meaning of what is being read.
• 3.15. Relate a literary work to primary source documents of its literary period or historical setting.
• 3.16. Relate a literary work to artifacts, artistic creations, or historical sites of the period of its setting.
• 3.17. Locate and analyze elements of plot and characterization; use an understanding of the elements to determine how qualities of the central characters influence the resolution of the conflict.
• 3.18. Compare and contrast the presentation of a theme or topic across genres to explain how the selection of genre shapes the message.
• 3.19. Apply knowledge of the concept that the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or comment on life, and provide support from the text for the identified themes.
• 3.20. Locate and analyze such elements in fiction as point of view, foreshadowing, and irony.
• 3.21. Analyze the logic and use of evidence in an author’s argument.
• 3.22. Analyze and explain the structure and elements of nonfiction works.
• 3.23. Respond to and analyze the effects of sound, form, figurative language, and graphics in order to uncover meaning in poetry.
• 3.24. Identify and analyze imagery and figurative language.
• 3.25. Identify and analyze how an author’s use of words creates tone and mood.
• 3.26. Identify and analyze elements of setting, plot, and characterization in the plays that are read, viewed, written, and/or performed.
• 3.27. Identify and analyze the similarities and differences in the presentation of setting, character, and plot in texts, plays, and films.

Standard Four: Students will write with a clear focus, coherent organization and sufficient detail. They will write for different purposes and demonstrate improvement in organization, content, paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone and word choice in their compositions after revising and editing them.  They will organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for their purpose and gather information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the quality of the information they obtain, and use it to answer their own questions.  They will develop and use appropriate rhetorical, logical and stylistic criteria for assessing final versions of their compositions or research projects before presenting them to varied audiences.

Benchmarks:

• 4.1. Collect ideas for writing from different texts and sources (dialogue, artifacts, memories, images, etc.).
• 4.2. Maintain a process for recording, collecting, referring to, and sharing their ideas for writing, as well as more formal writing products, including drafts.
• 4.3. Demonstrate their ability to write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
• 4.4. Identify and use different genres and organizational structures; monitor and evaluate their selection of genres and organizational structures for drafts.
• 4.5. Monitor and evaluate their selection of appropriate strategies for developing ideas into drafts.
• 4.6. Monitor and evaluate their selection of appropriate strategies for revising the organization and ideas in drafts.
• 4.7. Demonstrate an understanding of the various features of written English.
• 4.8. Demonstrate the use of effective language for talking about pieces of writing (e.g. craft, focus, structure, genre, voice, audience).
• 4.9. Write and justify a personal interpretation of literary, informational, or expository reading that includes topic statement, supporting details from the literature, and a conclusion.
• 4.10. Write multi-paragraph compositions that have clear topic development, logical organization, effective use of detail, and variety in sentence structure.
• 4.11. Revise writing to improve organization and diction after checking the logic underlying the order of ideas, the precision of vocabulary used, and the economy of writing.
• 4.12. Improve word choice by using a variety of references.
• 4.13. Use knowledge of types of sentences (simple, compound, complex), correct mechanics (comma after introductory structures), correct usage (pronoun reference), sentence structure (complete sentences, properly placed modifiers), and standard English spelling when writing and editing.
• 4.14. Use knowledge of types of sentences (simple, compound, complex), correct mechanics (comma after introductory structures), correct usage (pronoun reference), sentence structure (complete sentences, properly placed modifiers), and standard English spelling when writing and editing.
• 4.15. Integrate the use of organizing techniques that break up strict chronological order in a story (starting in the middle of the action, then filling in background information using flashbacks).
• 4.16. Organize information into a coherent essay or report with a thesis statement in the introduction, transition sentences to link paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• 4.17. Integrate the use of organizing techniques that break up strict chronological order in a story (starting in the middle of the action, then filling in background information using flashbacks).
• 4.18. Organize information into a coherent essay or report with a thesis statement in the introduction, transition sentences to link paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• 4.19. Apply and evaluate steps for obtaining information from a variety of sources to respond to a self-selected question: organizing information, documenting sources, and presenting research in individual projects.
• 4.20. Differentiate between primary and secondary source materials.
• 4.21. Differentiate between paraphrasing and using direct quotes in a report.
• 4.22. Document information and quotations and use consistent format for footnotes or endnotes.
• 4.23. Use standard bibliographic format to document sources.
• 4.24. Identify and use established criteria from a scoring rubric to evaluate compositions, recitations, or performances before presenting them to an audience.
• 4.25. Collaboratively develop and use scoring guides or rubrics to improve organization and presentation of written and oral projects.

Standard Five: Students will identify, analyze and apply knowledge of the conventions, elements and techniques of films, radio, video, television, multimedia productions, the Internet, and emerging technologies and provide evidence from their works to support their understanding.

Benchmarks:

• 1.1. Create presentations using computer technology, posters, reports, and graphic design
• 1.2. Develop and apply criteria for assessing the effectiveness of presentations
• 1.3. Gather information using the Internet and information databases
• 1.4. Use their understanding of television to distinguish between fact and fiction
• 1.5. Examine and explain advertising
• 1.6. View, understand and discuss informational media productions.
• 1.7. Compare stories in print with their filmed adaptations, describing the similarities and differences in the portrayal of characters, plot, and settings
• 1.8. View, understand, and discuss informational media productions.
• 1.9. Use film, radio, TV and the Internet to demonstrate an understanding of how these mediums convey information and entertain in ways that are different from text.
• 1.10. Create a media production using effective images from text, music, software or graphics.
• 1.11. Analyze the techniques used in different media to affect the readers’ or viewers’ emotions.
• 1.12. Create media presentations and written reports on the same subject and compare the differences in effects of each medium.