Kindergarten:

READING

1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development

Concepts about Print

• Follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on the printed page
• Understand that printed materials provide information
• Recognize that sentences in print are made up of separate words
• Distinguish letters from words

3.0 Literary Response and Analysis

Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

• Identify types of everyday print materials (e.g., storybooks, poems, newspapers, signs, labels).

Grade One:

READING

1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development

Concepts about Print

• Match oral words to printed words
• Identify letters, words and sentences.

2.0 Reading Comprehension

In addition to their regular school reading, by grade four students read one-half million words annually, including a good representation of grade-level-appropriate narrative and expository text (e.g., classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, online information). In grade one, students begin to make progress toward this goal.

Structural Features of Informational Materials

• Identify text that uses sequence or other logical order

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

• Respond to who, what, when, where, and how questions.
• Relate prior knowledge to textual information
• Retell the central ideas of simple expository passages.

3.0 Literary Response and Analysis

Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

• Describe the roles of authors and illustrators and their contributions to print materials.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

2.0 Speaking Applications

• Retell stories using basic story grammar and relating the sequence of events by answering who, what, when, where, why and how questions.

Grade Two:

READING

2.0 Reading Comprehension

In addition to their regular school reading, by grade four students read one-half million words annually, including a good representation of grade-level-appropriate narrative and expository text (e.g., classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, online information). In grade two, students continue to make progress toward this goal.

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

• State the purpose in reading (i.e., tell what information is sought).
• Use knowledge of the author's purpose(s) to comprehend informational text.
• Ask clarifying questions about essential textual elements of exposition (e.g., why, what if, how).
• Restate facts and details in the text to clarify and organize ideas.
• Recognize cause-and-effect relationships in a text.

Grade Three:

READING

2.0 Reading Comprehension

In addition to their regular school reading, by grade four students read one-half million words annually, including a good representation of grade-level-appropriate narrative and expository text (e.g., classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, online information). In grade three, students continue to make progress toward this goal.

Structural Features of Informational Materials

• Use titles and indexes to locate information in text.

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

• Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information found in, and inferred from, the text.
• Distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository text.
• Extract appropriate and significant information from the text, including problems and solutions.

WRITING

1.0 Writing Strategies

Research

• Understand the structure and organization of various reference materials.

Grade Four:

READING

2.0 Reading Comprehension

In addition to their regular school reading, by grade four students read one-half million words annually, including a good representation of grade-level-appropriate narrative and expository text (e.g., classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, online information).

Structural Features of Informational Materials

• Identify structural patterns found in informational text (e.g., compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequential or chronological order, proposition and support) to strengthen comprehension.

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

• Use appropriate strategies when reading for different purposes (e.g., full comprehension, location of information, personal enjoyment).
• Make and confirm predictions about text by using prior knowledge and ideas presented in the text itself, including illustrations, titles, topic sentences and important words.
• Evaluate new information and hypotheses by testing them against known information and ideas.
• Compare and contrast information on the same topic after reading several passages or articles.
• Distinguish between cause and effect and between fact and opinion in expository text.

WRITING

1.0 Writing Strategies

Research and Technology

• Quote or paraphrase information sources, citing them appropriately.
• Use various reference materials as an aid to writing.
• Understand the organization of almanacs, newspapers, and periodicals and how to use those print materials.

2.0 Writing Applications

• Write information reports that draw from more than one source of information (e.g., speakers, books, newspapers, other media sources).
• Write summaries that contain the main ideas of a reading selection and the most significant details.

WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS

1.0 Written Conventions

Capitalization

• Capitalize names of magazines, newspapers, works of art, musical compositions, organizations and the first word in quotations when appropriate.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

1.0 Listening and Speaking Strategies

Analysis and Evaluation of Media Communication

• Evaluate the role of the media in focusing attention on events and in forming opinions on issues.

2.0 Speaking Applications

• Make informational presentations that incorporate more than one source of information (e.g., speakers, books, newspapers, television or radio reports).

Grade Five:

READING

2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials)

In addition to their regular school reading, by grade eight students read one million words annually on their own, including a good representation of grade-level-appropriate narrative and expository text (e.g., classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, online information). In grade five, students make progress toward this goal.

Structural Features of Informational Materials

• Understand how text features make information accessible and usable.
• Analyze text that is organized in sequential or chronological order.

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-level-Appropriate Text

• Discern main ideas and concepts presented in texts, identifying and assessing evidence that supports those ideas.
• Draw inferences, conclusions or generalizations about text and support them with textual evidence and prior knowledge.

Expository Critique

• Distinguish facts, supported inferences, and opinions in text.

Grade Six:

READING

2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials)

In addition to their regular school reading, by grade eight students read one million words annually on their own, including a good representation of grade-level-appropriate narrative and expository text (e.g., classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, online information). In grade six, students continue to make progress toward this goal.

Structural Features of Informational Materials

• Identify the structural features of popular media (e.g., newspapers, magazines, online information) and use the features to obtain information.
• Analyze text that uses the compare-and-contrast organizational pattern.

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-level-Appropriate Text

• Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other sources and related topics.

Expository Critique

• Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an author's conclusions.
• Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations.
• Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning, persuasion and propaganda in text.

2.0 Writing Applications

• Write research reports that support the main idea or ideas with facts, details, examples and explanations from multiple authoritative sources (e.g., speakers, periodicals, online information searches).

Grade Seven:

READING

2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials)

In addition to their regular school reading, by grade eight students read one million words annually on their own, including a good representation of grade-level-appropriate narrative and expository text (e.g., classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, online information). In grade seven, students make substantial progress toward this goal.

Structural Features of Informational Materials

• Understand and analyze differences in structure and purpose between various categories of informational materials (e.g., textbooks, newspapers, instructional manuals, signs) and use the features to obtain information.
• Locate information by using a variety of consumer, workplace and public documents.
• Analyze text that uses cause-and-effect organizational pattern.

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-level-Appropriate Text

• Identify and trace the development of an author's argument, point of view or perspective in text.

Expository Critique

• Assess the adequacy, accuracy and appropriateness of the author's evidence to support claims and assertions, noting instances of bias and stereotyping.

2.0 Writing and Speaking Applications

• Write research reports that include evidence compiled through the formal research process (e.g., use of a card catalog, Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, a computer catalog, magazines, newspapers, dictionaries).
• Cite reference sources appropriately.

Grade Eight:

READING

2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials)

In addition to their regular school reading, students read one million words annually on their own, including a good representation of grade-level-appropriate narrative and expository text (e.g., classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, online information).

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-level-Appropriate Text

• Find similarities and differences between texts in the treatment, scope or organization of ideas.
• Use information from a variety of consumer, workplace, and public documents to explain a situation or decision and to solve a problem.

Expository Critique

• Evaluate the unity, coherence, logic, internal consistency and structural patterns of text.

2.0 Writing Applications

• Write research reports that record important ideas, concepts and direct quotations from significant information sources and paraphrase and summarize all perspectives on the topic, as appropriate.
• Use a variety of primary and secondary sources and distinguish the nature and value of each.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING STRATEGIES

1.0 Listening and Speaking Strategies

Analysis and Evaluation of Oral and Media Communications

• Interpret and evaluate the various ways in which visual image makers (e.g., news photographers, graphic artists, illustrators) communicate information and affect impressions and opinions.

2.0 Speaking Applications

• Deliver research presentations that record important ideas, concepts and direct quotations from significant information sources and paraphrase and summarize all perspectives on the topic, as appropriate.
• Use a variety of primary and secondary sources and distinguish the nature and value of each.

Grades Nine and Ten:

READING

2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials)

By grade twelve, students read two million words annually on their own, including a wide variety of classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, and online information. In grades nine and ten, students make substantial progress toward this goal.

Structural Features of Informational Materials

• Analyze the structure and format of functional workplace documents, including the graphics and headers, and explain how authors use the features to achieve their purposes.
• Prepare a bibliography of reference materials for report using a variety of consumer, workplace, and public documents.

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

• Generate relevant questions about reading on issues that can be researched.
• Synthesize the content from several sources dealing with a single issue; paraphrase the ideas and connect them to other sources and related topics to demonstrate comprehension.
• Extend ideas presented in primary or secondary sources through original analysis, evaluation and elaboration.

Expository Critique

• Evaluate the credibility of an author's argument or defense of a claim by critiquing the relationship between generalizations and evidence, the comprehensiveness of evidence, and the way in which the author's intent affects the structure and tone of the text (e.g., in professional journals, editorials, political speeches, primary source material).

WRITING

1.0 Writing Strategies

Research and Technology

• Use clear research questions and suitable research methods to elicit and present evidence from primary and secondary sources.
• Synthesize information from multiple sources and identify complexities and discrepancies in the information and the different perspectives found in each medium (e.g., almanacs, microfiche, news sources, etc.)

2.0 Writing Applications

• Write expository compositions, including analytical essays and research reports that convey information and ideas from primary and secondary sources accurately and coherently.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

1.0 Listening and Speaking Strategies

Comprehension

• Compare and contrast the ways in which media genres cover the same event.

2.0 Speaking Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)

• Deliver expository presentations that convey information and ideas from primary and secondary sources accurately and coherently.

Grades Eleven and Twelve

READING

2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials)

By grade twelve, students read two million words annually on their own, including a wide variety of classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, and online information.

Structural Features of Informational Materials

• Analyze both the features of different types of public documents and the way in which authors use those features.

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

• Verify and clarify facts presented in other types of expository texts by using a variety of consumer, workplace and public documents.

Expository Critique

• Critique the power, validity, and truthfulness of arguments set forth in public documents; their appeal to both friendly and hostile audiences; and the extent to which the arguments anticipate and address reader concerns and counterclaims.

WRITING

2.0 Writing Applications

• Deliver multimedia presentations that combine text, images and sound and draw information from many sources (e.g., television broadcasts, videos, films, newspapers, magazines, CD-ROMs, the Internet, electronic media-generated images).

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

1.0 Listening and Speaking Strategies

Comprehension

• Recognize strategies used by the media to inform, persuade, entertain and transmit culture (e.g., advertisements; perpetuation of stereotypes; use of visual representations, special effects, language).
• Analyze the impact of the media on the democratic process at the local, state and national levels.
• Interpret and evaluate the various ways in which events are presented and information is communicated by visual image makers (e.g., graphic artists, documentary filmmakers, illustrators, news photographers).

2.0 Speaking Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)

• Deliver multimedia presentations that combine text, images and sound by incorporating information from a wide range of media, including films, newspapers, magazines, CD-ROMs, online information, television, videos and electronic media-generated images.