Reading:
Students will:
- Notice sounds, rhythms, rhymes, syllables, initial sounds, other similarities/differences.
- Identify most letters and sounds.
- Understand that words are written and spoken combinations of sounds that can be read.
- Build a developing knowledge of concepts of print.
- Engage with books and understand a sense of story from the pictures.
Writing:
Students will:
- Write all letters in their name.
- Independently use environmental print for help with letters when needed.
- Use the alphabet chart for identifying letters and associated sounds.
- Use pictures and estimated spelling to express ideas.
Listening & Speaking:
Students will:
- Resolve conflicts with classmates using appropriate language and listening skills.
- Attend to and participate age-appropriately in group activities for 15 minutes.
- Take initiative to ask for help when needed.
- Practice verbal self-regulation.
- Retell familiar stories.
Mechanics:
Students will:
- Hold the pencil "in the parking spot" grip.
- Recognize top to bottom, left to right writing conventions.
- Use the "helper" hand to hold their paper.
- Draw or write a firm and solid line.
Print Concepts:
Students will:
- Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.
- Recognize and name all upper and lowercase letters.
Phonological Awareness:
Students will:
- Recognize and produce rhyming words.
- Recognize and say the common sounds of most letters.
- Isolate initial consonants in single-syllable words.
- When a single syllable word is pronounced, identify the onset and rime and begin to fully separate the sounds.
- Blend two or three phonemes into recognizable words (cvc words).
- Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds in cvc words.
Phonics and Word Recognition:
Students will:
- Read common high frequency words by sight.
Fluency:
Students will:
- Read emergent texts attending to each word in sequence and getting most of them correct.
- Read “emergently” ergo - “reread” a favorite story, re-creating the words of the text with fluent intonation and phrasing and showing through verbal statements or occasional pointing that the print on the page controls what is said.
Comprehension:
Students will:
- With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
- With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story
- With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- Use knowledge from their own experience to make sense of and talk about the text.
- Make predictions based on illustrations or portions of stories.
- Name the author and illustrator of a story and define their roles.
Craft and Structure:
Students will:
- Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems, fantasy, realistic text).
- With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
Responding to Literature and Informational Text:
Students will:
- Retell stories in their own words or re-enact them, getting the events in the correct sequence.
- Create artwork or written responses that show comprehension of the stories that were read.
Vocabulary:
Students will:
- Notice words that they don’t know when they are read to, and guess what the words mean from how they are used.
Habits and Processes:
Students will:
- Use various means to communicate and make meaning: drawings, letter strings, scribbles, letter approximations as well as gestures, intonations and role-played voices.
- Make an effort to reread their own writing and listen to that of others, showing attentiveness to meaning by, for example, asking for more information or laughing.
Genres and Writing Purposes:
Students will:
- 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 anopinion 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.
Language Use and Conventions Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
- Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.
- Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/.
- Understand the use of question words (who, what, when, where, why).
- Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for , of, by, within).
- Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.
Speaking and Listening Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups.
- Follow agreed-upon rules for discussion (eg. listening to others and taking turns speaking about topics and texts under discussion).
- Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.
Phonological Awareness:
Students will:
- Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
- Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds, including blends and digraphs.
- Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
- Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds.
Phonics and Word Recognition:
Students will:
- Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
- Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word.
- Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.
- Read words with inflectional endings.
- Recognize first grade high frequency words as they encounter the words in reading.
Fluency:
Students will:
- Independently read on-level text that have been previewed for them, using intonation, pauses and emphasis that signal the structure of the sentence and the meaning of the text.
- Use cues of punctuation, including commas, periods, question marks, and quotation marks to guide them in getting meaning and fluently reading aloud.
- Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Comprehension:
Students will:
- Retell familiar stories, including key details and demonstrate understanding of the central message or lesson.
- Identify characters, settings, and major events in a story using key details.
- Talk about motives of characters.
- Describe the cause and effects of specific events.
- Make predictions about what might happen next and say why.
Craft and Structure in Literature:
Students will:
- Compare two books by the same author.
- Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.
- Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
- Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, etc) to locate key facts or information in a text.
Responding to Literature and Informational Text:
Students will:
- Refer explicitly to parts of the text when presenting or defending a claim.
- Retell the story in their own words or re-enact it, getting the events in the correct sequence.
- Create artwork or written response that shows comprehension of the story that was read.
Vocabulary:
Students will:
- Notice words that they don’t know when they are read to and encountered in independent reading and guess what the words mean from how they are used.
Habits and Processes:
Students will:
- Generate topics and content for writing.
- Work for more than a single day on creating pieces of writing.
- Take selected pieces of their work through the processes of planning, drafting, getting response, revising, and editing.
- Apply a sense of what constitutes good writing (that is, apply some commonly agreed-upon criteria to their own work).
Genres and Writing Purposes:
Students will:
- 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.
Language Use and Conventions Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Produce writing that contains a large portion of correctly spelled, high-frequency words.
- Write text that usually can be read by the child and others (perceived sounds in unfamiliar words are phonetically represented).
- Draw on a range of resources for deciding how to spell unfamiliar words, including strategies
like segmenting, sounding out, and matching to familiar words and word parts.
Punctuation and Capitalization:
Students will:
- Demonstrate interest and awareness by approximating the use of some punctuation, including exclamation points, question marks, periods, question marks, ellipses, and colons.
- Capitalize proper names and sentence beginnings.
Grammar:
Students will:
- Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.
- Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences.
- Use pronouns.
- Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future.
- Use frequently occurring adjectives.
- Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so because).
- Use frequently occurring prepositions.
Speaking and Listening Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about first grade topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups.
- Follow agreed-upon rules for discussion (eg. listening to others and taking turns speaking about topics and texts under discussion).
- Build on other’s talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.
- Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.
Phonics and Word Recognition:
Students will:
- Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.
- Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.
- Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.
- Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.
- Recognize second grade high frequency words as they encounter the words in reading.
Fluency:
Students will:
- Independently read on-level text that they have previewed on their own, using intonation, pauses and emphasis that signal the structure of the sentence and the meaning of the text.
- Use cues of punctuation, including commas, periods, question marks, and quotation marks to guide them in getting meaning and fluently reading aloud.
- Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Comprehension:
Students will:
- Retell stories and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
- Describe how characters in a story respond to major events or challenges.
- Use information gained from the illustrations and words in print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
- Infer cause and effect relationships that are not stated explicitly.
- Compare two or more versions of the same story by different authors or from different cultures.
Craft and Structure:
Students will:
- Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story or poem.
- Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
- Acknowledge differences in points of view of characters, including speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
Key Ideas and Details in Informational Texts:
Students will:
- Identify the main idea and key supporting details in a paragraph and multi-paragraph text.
- Describe the connection individuals, events, ideas or pieces of information in a
text.
- Discuss how, why, and what-if questions about nonfiction texts.
- Combine information from two different parts of the text.
Craft and Structure in Informational Texts:
Students will:
- Know and use various text features (e.g.,headings, tables of contents, glossaries, etc.) to locate key facts or information in a text.
- Identify the main purpose of a text including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
Responding to Literature and Informational Text:
Students will:
- Retell the story in their own words getting the events in the correct sequence.
- Create written response that shows comprehension of the story or text that was read.
- Refer explicitly to parts of the text when presenting or defending a claim both in literature and informational texts.
Vocabulary:
Students will:
- Recognize when they don’t know what a word means and use a variety of strategies for making sense of how it is used in the passage they are reading.
- Talk about the meaning of some new words encountered in reading after they have finished reading and discussing a text.
Habits and Processes:
Students will:
- Generate topics and content for writing.
- Work for more than a single day on creating pieces of writing.
- Take selected pieces of their work through the processes of planning, drafting, getting response, revising, and editing.
- Apply a sense of what constitutes good writing (that is, apply some commonly agreed-upon criteria to their own work).
- Take on strategies and elements of author’s craft that the class has discussed in their study of literary works.
Genres and Writing Purposes:
Students will:
- 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 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.
Spelling:
Students will:
- Produce writing in which most high-frequency words are spelled correctly.
- Correctly spell most words with regularly spelled patterns such as consonant-vowel-consonant, consonant-vowel-consonant-silent e and one-syllable words with blends.
- Correctly spell most inflectional endings, including plurals and verb tenses.
- Use correct spelling patterns and rule most of the time.
Punctuation and Capitalization:
Students will:
- Use capital letters at the beginning of sentences.
- Use periods to end sentences.
- Approximate the use of quotation marks.
- Use capital letters and exclamation marks for emphasis.
- Use question marks.
- Use common contractions.
Speaking and Listening Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about second grade topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups.
- Follow agreed-upon rules for discussion (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
- Build on other’s talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.
- Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.
Phonics and Word Recognition:
Students will:
- Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words both in isolation and in text.
- Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
- Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
- Decode multi-syllable words.
- Read grade- appropriate irregularly spelled words.
Fluency:
Students will:
- Independently read on-level text that they have previewed on their own, using intonation, pauses and emphasis that signal the structure of the sentence and the meaning of the text.
- Use cues of punctuation to guide them in getting meaning and fluently reading aloud.
- Use pacing and intonation to convey the meaning of the clauses and phrases of the sentences they read aloud.
- Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Key Ideas and Details in Literature:
Students will:
- Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for answers.
- Recount stories; 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.
- 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).
Craft and Structure in Literature:
Students will:
- Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text.
- 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.
Key Ideas and Details in Informational Texts:
Students will:
- Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
- Identify the main idea and key supporting details in a paragraph and multi-paragraph text.
- Summarize texts.
- Describe the relationship between a series of events, ideas, or concepts in a text using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
Craft and Structure in Informational Texts:
Students will:
- Know and use various text features (e.g.,headings, tables of contents, glossaries, etc) to locate key facts or information in a text.
- Identify the main purpose of a text including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
- Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented on two texts on the same topic.
Responding to Literature and Informational Text:
Students will:
- Create written response that shows comprehension of the story or text that was read.
Vocabulary:
Students will:
- Infer the meaning of words from roots, prefixes and suffixes, as well as from the overall contextual meaning of what they are reading.
Writing Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Generate topics and content for writing
- Take selected pieces of their work through the processes of planning, drafting, getting response,
revising, and editing.
- Apply a sense of what constitutes good writing (that is, apply some commonly agreed-upon criteria to their own work).
- Take on strategies and elements of author’s craft that the class has discussed in their study of literary works.
- Write Opinion Pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
- Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.
- Provide reasons that support the opinion.
- Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons
- Provide a concluding statement or section.
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
- Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
- Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
- Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.
- Provide a concluding statement or section.
- Write narrative to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequence.
- Establish a situation that introduces a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
- Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.
- Provide a sense of closure.
Spelling:
Students will:
- Notice when words do not look correct and use strategies to correct the spelling.
- Correctly spell all familiar high-frequency words.
- Correctly spell words with short vowels and common endings.
- Correctly spell most inflectional endings, including plurals and verb tenses.
- Use correct spelling patterns and rules such as consonant doubling, dropping e and changing y to i
- Correctly spell most derivational words (-tion, -ment, -ly)
Punctuation, Capitalization, and Grammar:
Students will:
- Use capital letters at the beginning of sentences.
- Use periods and other end punctuation correctly nearly all the time.
- Approximate the use of quotation marks and commas.
- Use contractions.
Speaking and Listening Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on third grade topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
- Come to discussions prepared; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
- Follow agreed upon rules for discussion (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
- Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their
comments to the remarks of others.
- Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
Phonics and Word Recognition:
Students will:
- Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
- Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and
morphology to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of
context.
Fluency:
Students will:
- Independently read on-level text that they have previewed on their own, using intonation, pauses and emphasis that signal the structure of the sentence and the meaning of the text.
- Use cues of punctuation to guide them in getting meaning and fluently reading aloud.
- Use pacing and intonation to convey the meaning of the clauses and phrases of the sentences they read aloud.
- Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Key Ideas and Details in Literature:
Students will:
- 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 or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
- Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story drawing on specific details of the text (e.g. a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
- Compare and contrast treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events in stories.
Craft and Structure in Literature:
Students will:
- When writing or speaking about a text refer to the structural elements (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter, characters, settings, dialogue, etc).
- Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first and third person narrations.
Key Ideas and Details in Informational Texts:
Students will:
- Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
- Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
- Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
Craft and Structure in Informational Texts:
Students will:
- Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events.
Responding to Literature and Informational Text:
Students will:
- 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.
- 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.
Vocabulary:
Students will:
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.
Writing Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Generate topics and content for writing.
- Take selected pieces of their work through the processes of planning, drafting, getting response,
revising, and editin
- Apply a sense of what constitutes good writing (that is, apply some commonly agreed-upon criteria to their own work).
- Take on strategies and elements of author’s craft that the class has discussed in their study of literary works.
- Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
- Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose.
- Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
- Link Opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition).
- Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
- Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections.
- Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
- Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because).
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
- Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
- Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
- Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.
- Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
- Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
Speaking and Listening Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on fourth grade topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
- Come to discussions prepared; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
- Follow agreed upon rules for discussion and carry out assigned roles.
- Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
- Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understandings in light of the discussion.
Reading:
Students will:
- Summarize the main events including the chronology and importance in reading passages.
- Distinguish characters from one another and identify them by their salient characteristics.
- Recognize the setting of a particular work, as well as begin to understand how setting impacts character and plot.
- Recognize an author's tone, as well as the mood of an excerpt or reading.
Writing:
Students will:
- Write clearly structured paragraphs that include a topic/thesis sentence, supporting points, evidence for supporting points, and a concluding sentence.
- Recognize and use transitions effectively within a paragraph.
- Use evidence to support each point or claim.
- Write in clear, complete sentences; recognize and revise run-ons and fragments.
- Write a variety of genres, including reports, letters, stories, journals, personal reflections.
Listening & Speaking:
Students will:
- Make consistent eye contact while listening and speaking with others.
- Read passages aloud with proper emphasis and inflection.
- Speak in a clear voice with an appropriate level of energy.
- Listen to peers and avoid repeating points that have already been said.
- Present information in a clearly measured voice.
Mechanics:
Students will:
- Write with consistent subject-verb agreement and tense.
- Begin to vary sentence structure and length.
- Avoid colloquial language and broad adjectives.
- Use precise language.
- Brainstorm and outline prior to beginning a writing assignment.
- Edit writing for capitalization, overall sound, punctuation and spelling.
Reading:
Students will:
- Summarize and retain the main events in a night's reading.
- Recognize the main themes of a reading, as well as how these themes develop over time in a work.
- Determine what the most important concepts and events are in a reading, and explain why they are important.
- Determine how setting, mood, and tone impact a work.
Writing:
Students will:
- Achieve proficiency with the paragraph structure.
- Recognize and use transitions effectively.
- Write multi-paragraph assignments with each paragraph structured around a single main idea.
- Construct four-paragraph essays with introductions and conclusions.
- Recognize writing conventions from literature and begin incorporating them into their own writing.
- Use precise (specific, concrete, and/or sensory) language appropriate to the audience.
- Utilize the writing process (brainstorm, outline, draft, revise, publish).
Listening & Speaking:
Students will:
- Listen to what peers are saying.
- Speak in a clearly audible voice.
- Make consistent eye contact with audience.
- Present information in a clearly measured voice.
- Read passages aloud with proper inflection and emphasis.
Mechanics:
Students will:
- Incorporate quotations as evidence and cite properly.
- Recognize and understand the function of all eight parts of speech, as well as subject-verb agreement and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
- Recognize fragments and run-ons.
- Vary word choice and use precise language.
Reading:
Students will:
- Summarize and retain main events in a reading.
- Distinguish between information that is important and that which is superfluous.
- Use literary evidence to support an argument or thesis.
- Notice how an author’s use of word choice and repetition creates meaning in a passage.
Writing:
Students will:
- Achieve mastery of the paragraph structure.
- Achieve proficiency with writing five paragraph essays.
- Develop proficiency with different styles of writing, including personal, analytical, and creative.
- Use literary evidence in support of one’s argument in ways that are increasingly more fluid; analyze the evidence provided in a way that elaborates on its significance, in light of one’s main argument.
- Use precise (concrete and specific) language.
- Vary word choice and sentence length to achieve fluidity in one's writing.
- Utilize pre-writing (brainstorming, outlining) strategies.
- Achieve proficiency when it comes to beginning a piece of writing with a hook/lead and ending with a final reflective summary.
Listening & Speaking:
Students will:
- Listen and participate meaningfully during classroom discussions, distinguishing between comments that add to a discussion and those which have already been covered.
- Address the group in a clear, energetic voice while making eye contact.
- Read passages aloud with proper inflection and emphasis.
- Speak in an even, measured tone while avoiding use of filler words such as “um” and “like”; use more formal language when addressing a group or giving a presentation.
- Ask questions of one’s peers, including engaging them during group work and keeping them on task.
Mechanics:
Students will:
- Consistently observe standard conventions for writing about literature, including writing in third person, using present tense, writing to an audience familiar with the text, and avoiding plot summary in favor of analysis.
- Avoid writing run-ons and fragments.
- Achieve proficiency with use of possessives, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, and semicolon and comma usage.
Reading:
Students will:
- Determine the most important events and themes in a reading.
- Make connections between different parts of a text, as well as between different texts.
- Analyze passages/quotations in support of making an argument.
- Craft discussion questions.
- Notice how an author’s use of word choice and repetition creates meaning in a passage.
Writing:
Students will:
- Write cohesive five paragraph essays.
- Achieve proficiency with different styles of writing, including analytical, personal and expository.
- Use precise language to accurately convey meaning.
- Craft a thesis, topic or question to explore in writing.
- Use textual evidence fluidly and effectively in support of a thesis.
- Analyze and cite evidence effectively in proving a thesis.
- Vary word choice and sentence length to create a sense of fluidity and voice.
- Begin a piece of writing with an engaging hook/lead, and end a piece with a final thought that leaves the reader with a new insight or sense of discovery.
Listening & Speaking:
Students will:
- Build on and respond to the comments of one's peers.
- Present information in a clearly audible voice that conveys an appropriate level of energy and interest in subject matter.
- Read passages with appropriate inflection and tone.
- Guide aspects of a class discussion using discussion questions or an activity.
Mechanics:
Students will:
- Achieve mastery of standard conventions for writing about literature, including writing in third person, using present tense, writing to an audience familiar with the text, and avoiding plot summary in favor of analysis.
- Correctly punctuate and cite quotations.
- Write with consistency of tense, point of view, and subject-verb agreement.