Stage H - English Language Arts

Descriptors

1A - Students who meet the standard can apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend selections.

1. Use word origins and derivations to understand meanings of new words.
2. Apply knowledge of structural analysis to construct meaning of difficult or unfamiliar words.
3. Infer the appropriate meaning of a word in context when the word has multiple meanings.
4. Interpret idioms, similes, analogies, and metaphors to express implied meanings.
5. Identify the effect of literary devices (e.g., allusion, diction, figurative language, imagery) in text.
6. Interpret the effect of authors' decisions regarding word choice, content, and literary elements upon the text.
7. Recognize specialized vocabulary/terminology.

1B - Students who meet the standard can apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency.

1. Preview reading materials using pre-reading strategies (e.g., skimming, scanning, predicting, SQ3R).
2. Relate literature selections and informational text to self, world, and other texts.
3. Identify text structure and create a mental/visual representation (e.g., graphic organizer, outline, drawing) to use while reading.
4. Apply self-monitoring and self-correcting strategies continuously to clarify understanding (e.g., in addition to previous skills, draw comparisons to other readings).
5. Demonstrate an accurate understanding of important information in the text by focusing on the key ideas presented explicitly or implicitly.
6. Build, evaluate, and extend text interpretations through collaboration with others.
7. Identify how different content areas require different organizational structures (e.g., lists/sequence, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution, classification).
8. Read aloud fluently (with accuracy and appropriate speed).
9. Select and read books for recreation.

1C - Students who meet the standard can comprehend a broad range of reading materials.

1. Use information from text to form, explain, and support questions and predictions.
2. Generate and respond to questions that reflect higher level thinking skills (e.g., analysis, synthesis, evaluation).
3. Ask open-ended questions to improve critical thinking skills.
4. Summarize and make generalizations from content and relate them to the purpose of the material.
5. Explain how the story elements, point of view, and theme contribute to reader understanding of the text.
6. Select reading strategies for text appropriate to the reader's purpose.
7. Interpret concepts or make connections through analysis, evaluation, inference, and/or comparison.
8. Compare story elements.
9. Analyze and evaluate author's word choice.
10. Connect, relate, interpret, and integrate information from various sources and genres (e.g., content area textbooks, novels, newspapers, magazines, poetry, drama, reference materials).
11. Synthesize key points and supporting details to form conclusions.
12. Recognize how illustrations reflect, interpret and enhance the text.
13. Draw conclusions based on information found in visual information and data.
14. Explain how visual information and data support written text.
15. Apply appropriate reading strategies to fiction and non-fiction texts within and across content areas.

2A - Students who meet the standard can understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning.

1. Read extensively.
2. Determine which literacy elements/techniques are dominant and subordinate in text.
3. Explain how an author uses specific techniques to achieve intended effect.
4. Explain how specific elements and techniques (e.g., dialect, setting, vocabulary) enhance characterization.
5. State how changes in technique might affect aspects of the story.
6. Analyze nonfiction (e.g., 5 w's).
7. Identify details that reveal the genre (e.g., short stories, novels, dramas, poetry, biographies).
8. Use textual structure, word choice and style to identify detail that reveals the author's viewpoint.
9. Evaluate how a text reflects a culture, society, or historical period.

2B - Students who meet the standard can read and interpret a variety of literary works.

1. Respond to text.
2. Make connections from text to text, text to self, and text to world.
3. Paraphrase, summarize, synthesize, and evaluate information from a variety of texts and genres.
4. Make connections between text and its culture.
5. Use literary themes to connect recurring problems over time and across cultures.
6. Investigate how attitudes toward a situation or problem change in different periods of history or in different cultures.
7. Engage in literary discussions (e.g., conflict, resolutions, relevance, background, effectiveness, realism).

3A - Students who meet the standard can use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure.

1. Develop compositions that contain complete sentences and effective paragraphs.
2. Use effective transition words and phrases within and between paragraphs.
3. Use appropriate sentence structure (i.e., simple, compound, complex, compound/complex) and sentence types (i.e., interrogative, imperative, declarative, exclamatory).
4. Proofread for correct English conventions.

3B - Students who meet the standard can compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.

1. Select and apply appropriate pre-writing strategies (e.g., webbing, brainstorming, listing, note taking, outlining, research).
2. Compose a clear thesis/claim that contains the main idea in an essay.
3. Choose the appropriate form for the purpose of writing (e.g., letters, essays, poems, reports, narratives), voice, and style appropriate to the audience and purpose.
4. Use an effective, coherent organizational pattern (e.g., sequence, cause/effect, comparison, classification).
5. Write using organization (e.g., introduction, body, conclusion) and elaboration (first and second level support) that demonstrate coherence.
6. Use figurative language.
7. Use appropriate transitional words, phrases, and devices to connect and unify key ideas and claims.
8. Edit and revise to maintain a consistent voice, tone, and focus throughout a piece of writing.
9. Select effective formats for publication of final product.
10. Use available technology.

3C - Students who meet the standard can communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes.

1. Use appropriate language, details, and format for a specified audience.
2. Write creatively for a specified purpose and audience (e.g., short story, poetry, radio scripts, play, TV commercial).
3. Write a narrative account that establishes a context, creates a point of view, and develops a focused, powerful impression.
4. Compose a multi-paragraph piece of expository writing.
5. Compose a multi-paragraph persuasive piece which presents one position of an issue that offers sufficient support through multiple strategies (e.g., cause/effect, compare/contrast).
6. Use available technology (e.g., web pages, presentations, speeches) to design, produce, revise, and present compositions and multi-media works.

4A - Students who meet the standard can listen effectively in formal and informal situations.

1. Appraise the situation and assume the appropriate listening mode.
2. Separate main ideas, supporting facts, and details while listening.
3. Record appropriate notes and rough outlines with editorial comments.
4. Critique the relationship between a speaker's verbal communication skills (e.g., word choice, pitch, feelings, tone, voice) and nonverbal messages (e.g., eye contact, gestures, facial expressions, posture, spatial proximity).
5. Determine meaning from speaker's denotations and connotations.
6. Differentiate between the speaker's factual and emotional content.
7. Infer speaker's bias and purpose." Analyze, paraphrase, and summarize information, in both oral and written form, information in formal/ informal presentations.
8. Formulate probing, idea-generating questions to clarify meaning.
9. Follow a multi-step set of instructions to complete a task.
10. Modify, control, block out both internal and external distractions.

4B - Students who meet the standard can speak effectively using language appropriate to the situation and audience.

1. Align content, vocabulary, rate, volume, and style with the characteristics of the audience and intent of the message.
2. Employ an engaging introduction, appropriate organization, and an effective conclusion.
3. Use verbal and nonverbal cues to engage the audience.
4. Use language that is clear, audible, and appropriate.
5. Use appropriate grammar, word choice, and pacing.
6. Utilize available technological resources (e.g., Internet, video, overhead, pictures, maps, diagrams).
7. Incorporate feedback to make impromptu modifications.
8. Manage use of note cards, graphic organizers, various forms of outlining and/or other visual aids in oral presentations.
9. Discuss a problem, list possible solutions, and analyze and evaluate solutions to arrive at a group consensus.
10. Evaluate and provide evidence to support synthesis of other people's content or feelings.
11. Rehearse presentations to overcome communication anxiety and apprehension.
12. Demonstrate composure while confronting and rebutting opposing viewpoints.

5A - Students who meet the standard can locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems, and communicate ideas.

1. Survey, with appropriate guidance, a subject and select a topic.
2. Identify steps that need to be taken to present an idea or solve a problem using multiple sources.
3. Choose a variety of sources to gain new information or solve a problem.
4. Identify accurate, current, and credible sources to solve problems or answer questions through research.
5. Arrange information in an orderly manner (e.g., outlining, sequencing.)
6. Follow appropriate style manual accurately (e.g., APA, MLA).

5B - Students who meet the standard can analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources.

1. Analyze information from primary and secondary print and non-print sources.
2. Develop a bibliography/ source(s) cited from identified and evaluated information.
3. Cite the source(s) of all direct quotations and paraphrased/summarized information.
4. Recognize how to develop source(s) cited page from only the sources used in paper.

5C - Students who meet the standard can apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.

1. Analyze, evaluate, and synthesize original work and researched information.
2. Use effective print and non-print documents.
3. Justify adaptations in format to accommodate characteristics of audiences (e.g., age, background, interest level, group size) and purposes of the presentation (e.g., inform, persuade, entertain).
4. Design and present a project (e.g., written report, graphics, visuals, multi-media presentations) that:
   • Effectively communicates the intended message;
   • Engages the audience's interest;
   • Establishes and maintains a focus;
   • Organizes around a structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context;
   • Elaborates ideas through facts, details, description, analysis, and narration;
   • Cites or credits sources appropriately; and uses self, peer, or teacher feedback where appropriate.

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