Minnesota Academic Standards - English Language Arts K-12

Minnesota

Academic Standards

English Language Arts K-12

2010

This official standards document contains the English Language Arts standards revised in 2010 and adopted into rule effective Nov. 29, 2011.

Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................... 4

Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in

History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects K–5 .. 12

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading ........... 13

Reading Standards for Literature K–5 .................................... 14

Reading Standards for Informational Text K–5 ......................... 18

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills K–5 ............................. 22

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing ............. 25

Writing Standards K–5 ...................................................... 26

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking,

Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy ................................... 31

Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Standards K–5 ... 32

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language ........... 37

Language Standards K–5 .................................................... 38

Language Progressive Skills, by Grade .................................... 44

Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading

K–5 ............................................................................ 45

Staying on Topic Within a Grade and Across Grades ..................... 47

Standards for English Language Arts 6–12 ................................. 48

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading ............ 49

Reading Standards for Literature 6–12 .................................... 50

Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12 ......................... 54

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing ............ 58

Writing Standards 6–12 ..................................................... 59

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking,

Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy ................................... 66

Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Standards 6–12... 67

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language .......... 72

Language Standards 6–12 ................................................... 73

Language Progressive Skills, by Grade .................................... 77

Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading

6–12............................................................................ 78

Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science,

and Technical Subjects .............................................................. 80

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading ............ 81

Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6–12 ....... 82

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects

6–12 ......................................................................... 84

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing ............ 86

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science,

and Technical Subjects 6–12 ................................................ 87

Note: This document in its entirety constitutes the complete 2010 Minnesota Academic Standards in English Language Arts K-12. It consists of the

Common Core State Standards (shown in plain font) plus Minnesota’s additions (shown in bold font).

Introduction

The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in

History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (“the Standards”) are the

culmination of an extended, broad-based effort to fulfill the charge issued by the

states to create the next generation of K–12 standards in order to help ensure that

all students are college and career ready in literacy no later than the end of high

school.

The present work, led by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and

the National Governors Association (NGA), builds on the foundation laid by states

in their decades-long work on crafting high-quality education standards. The

Standards also draw on the most important international models as well as research

and input from numerous sources, including state departments of education,

scholars, assessment developers, professional organizations, educators from

kindergarten through college, and parents, students, and other members of the

public. In their design and content, refined through successive drafts and numerous

rounds of feedback, the Standards represent a synthesis of the best elements of

standards-related work to date and an important advance over that previous work.

As specified by CCSSO and NGA, the Standards are (1) research and evidence

based, (2) aligned with college and work expectations, (3) rigorous, and (4)

internationally benchmarked. A particular standard was included in the document

only when the best available evidence indicated that its mastery was essential for

college and career readiness in a twenty-first-century, globally competitive society.

The Standards are intended to be a living work: as new and better evidence

emerges, the Standards will be revised accordingly.

The Standards are an extension of a prior initiative led by CCSSO and NGA to

develop College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards in reading, writing,

speaking, listening, and language as well as in mathematics. The CCR Reading,

Writing, and Speaking and Listening Standards, released in draft form in September

2009, serve, in revised form, as the backbone for the present document. Grade-

specific K–12 standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language

translate the broad (and, for the earliest grades, seemingly distant) aims of the CCR

standards into age- and attainment-appropriate terms.

(Note: In Minnesota, the K-12 standards address viewing and media

literacy, in addition to the standards in reading, writing, speaking,

listening, and language.)

The Standards set requirements not only for English language arts (ELA) but also for

literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Just as students

must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in a variety of

content areas, so too must the Standards specify the literacy skills and understandings

required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.

Literacy standards for grade 6 and above are predicated on teachers of ELA,

history/social studies, science, and technical subjects using their content area

expertise to help students meet the particular challenges of reading, writing,

speaking, listening, and language in their respective fields. It is important to note

that the 6–12 literacy standards in history/social studies, science, and technical

subjects are not meant to replace content standards in those areas but rather to

supplement them. States may incorporate these standards into their standards for

those subjects or adopt them as content area literacy standards.

As a natural outgrowth of meeting the charge to define college and career readiness,

the Standards also lay out a vision of what it means to be a literate person in the

twenty-first century. Indeed, the skills and understandings students are expected to

demonstrate have wide applicability outside the classroom or workplace. Students

who meet the Standards readily undertake the close, attentive reading that is at the

heart of understanding and enjoying complex works of literature. They habitually

perform the critical reading necessary to pick carefully through the staggering

amount of information available today in print and digitally. They actively seek the

wide, deep, and thoughtful engagement with high-quality literary and informational

texts that builds knowledge, enlarges experience, and broadens worldviews. They

reflexively demonstrate the cogent reasoning and use of evidence that is essential to

both private deliberation and responsible citizenship in a democratic republic. In

short, students who meet the Standards develop the skills in reading, writing,

speaking, and listening that are the foundation for any creative and purposeful

expression in language.

Common Core State Standards Initiative, June 2, 2010

Minnesota and the Common Core State Standards

Minnesota actively participated in the development of the Common Core Note: Students are required to master only the standards and benchmarks. Other kinds

State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social

of standards-related materials in this document such as examples in the benchmarks,

Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. Beginning with the draft College

notes in the margins, “Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, and Range of Student

and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards in the summer of 2009, the Minnesota

Reading K-5,” information in the appendices, and so on, are provided as supportive

Department of Education convened a series of educator focus groups. The

groups provided detailed feedback on the CCR standards and each successive

draft of the K-12 Standards until they were completed in June 2010.

Many of the suggestions provided by Minnesota educators were

incorporated into the Common Core standards. Overall, there is strong

alignment between the Common Core and Minnesota’s K-12 Academic

Standards in Language Arts (2003), and the Minnesota College and Work

Readiness Expectations—Language Arts (2008).

During the summer of 2010, Minnesota’s Standards Committee revised the

state’s 2003 language arts standards, as required by law (Minn. Stat. §

120B.023, Subd. 2). Given the strong alignment between the Common Core

and Minnesota documents, the state decided, as part of the revision, to adopt

the Common Core standards as a basis for the Minnesota Academic Standards

-English Language Arts K-12. States that choose the Common Core are

required to adopt 100 percent of the Common Core K-12 standards (word for

word), with the option of adding up to 15 percent additional content.

Minnesota’s Standards Committee analyzed the Common Core standards and

identified additional knowledge and skills in order to address particular

legislative requirements and better reflect research and evidence-based best

practices in English Language Arts. The resulting document is the 2010

Minnesota Academic Standards English Language Arts K-12. Students must

satisfactorily complete these standards beginning in the 2012-2013 school

year.

The Common Core built on the foundation laid by states in their decades-

long work on crafting standards. Minnesota, in turn, built on the work of the

Common Core by adding critical knowledge and skills deemed important for

higher education and work in the twenty-first century global economy.

Given this strong foundation of standards, Minnesota students will be well-

equipped with the literacy skills needed for success in college, careers and

active participation in civic life.

Minnesota Department of Education, August, 2010

materials. These materials should not be interpreted as standards.

Key Design Considerations

CCR and grade-specific standards

The CCR standards anchor the document and define general, cross-disciplinary

literacy expectations that must be met for students to be prepared to enter college

and workforce training programs ready to succeed. The K–12 grade-specific

standards define end-of-year expectations and a cumulative progression designed to

enable students to meet college and career readiness expectations no later than the

end of high school. The CCR and high school (grades 9–12) standards work in

tandem to define the college and career readiness line—the former providing broad

standards, the latter providing additional specificity. Hence, both should be

considered when developing college and career readiness assessments.

Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-

specific standards, retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in

preceding grades, and work steadily toward meeting the more general expectations

described by the CCR standards.

Grade levels for K–8; grade bands for 9–10 and 11–12

The Standards use individual grade levels in kindergarten through grade 8 to provide

useful specificity; the Standards use two-year bands in grades 9–12 to allow schools,

districts, and states flexibility in high school course design.

A focus on results rather than means

By emphasizing required achievements, the Standards leave room for teachers,

curriculum developers, and states to determine how those goals should be reached

and what additional topics should be addressed. Thus, the Standards do not mandate

such things as a particular writing process or the full range of metacognitive

strategies that students may need to monitor and direct their thinking and learning.

Teachers are thus free to provide students with whatever tools and knowledge their

professional judgment and experience identify as most helpful for meeting the goals

set out in the Standards.

An integrated model of literacy

Although the Standards are divided into Reading, Writing, Speaking Viewing,

Listening, and Media Literacy and Language strands for conceptual clarity, the

processes of communication are closely connected, as reflected throughout this

document. For example, Writing standard 9 requires that students be able

In Minnesota, the grad- specific expectations are called “benchmarks.” Minn. Stat. §

120B.023

to write about what they read. Likewise, Speaking and Listening standard 4 sets the

expectation that students will share findings from their research.

Research and media skills blended into the Standards as a whole

To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society,

students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and report on

information and ideas, to conduct original research in order to answer questions or

solve problems, and to analyze and create a high volume and extensive range of print

and nonprint texts in media forms old and new. The need to conduct research and

to produce and consume media is embedded into every aspect of today’s curriculum.

In like fashion, research and media skills and understandings are embedded

throughout the Standards rather than treated in a separate section.

Shared responsibility for students’ literacy development

The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, viewing,

listening, and media literacy and language be a shared responsibility within the

school. The K–5 standards include expectations for reading, writing, speaking,

listening, and language applicable to a range of subjects, including but not limited to

ELA. The grades 6–12 standards are divided into two sections, one for ELA and the

other for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. This division reflects

the unique, time-honored place of ELA teachers in developing students’ literacy

skills while at the same time recognizing that teachers in other areas must have a role

in this development as well.

Part of the motivation behind the interdisciplinary approach to literacy promulgated

by the Standards is extensive research establishing the need for college and career

ready students to be proficient in reading complex informational text independently

in a variety of content areas. Most of the required reading in college and workforce

training programs is informational in structure and challenging in content;

postsecondary education programs typically provide students with both a higher

volume of such reading than is generally required in K–12 schools and comparatively

little scaffolding.

The Standards are not alone in calling for a special emphasis on informational text.

The 2009 reading framework of the National Assessment of Educational Progress

(NAEP) requires a high and increasing proportion of informational text on its

assessment as students advance through the grades.

Distribution of Literary and Informational Passages

by Grade in the 2009 NAEP Reading Framework

overwhelming focus of writing throughout high school should be on arguments and

informative/explanatory texts.

Distribution of Communicative Purposes by Grade

in the 2011 NAEP Writing Framework

Source: National Assessment Governing Board. (2008). Reading Framework for the 2009

National Assessment of Educational Progress. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

The Standards aim to align instruction with this framework so that many more

students than at present can meet the requirements of college and career readiness.

In K–5, the Standards follow NAEP’s lead in balancing the reading of literature with

the reading of informational texts, including texts in history/social studies, science,

and technical subjects. In accord with NAEP’s growing emphasis on informational

texts in the higher grades, the Standards demand that a significant amount of reading

of informational texts take place in and outside the ELA classroom. Fulfilling the

Standards for 6–12 ELA requires much greater attention to a specific category of

informational text—literary nonfiction—than has been traditional. Because the ELA

classroom must focus on literature (stories, drama, and poetry) as well as literary

nonfiction, a great deal of informational reading in grades 6–12 must take place in

other classes if the NAEP assessment framework is to be matched instructionally.

To measure students’ growth toward college and career readiness, assessments

aligned with the Standards should adhere to the distribution of texts across grades

cited in the NAEP framework.

NAEP likewise outlines a distribution across the grades of the core purposes and

types of student writing. The 2011 NAEP framework, like the Standards, cultivates

the development of three mutually reinforcing writing capacities: writing to

persuade, to explain, and to convey real or imagined experience. Evidence

concerning the demands of college and career readiness gathered during

development of the Standards concurs with NAEP’s shifting emphases: standards for

grades 9–12 describe writing in all three forms, but, consistent with NAEP, the

The percentages on the table reflect the sum of student reading, not just reading in ELA

settings. Teachers of senior English classes, for example, are not required to devote 70

percent of reading to informational texts. Rather, 70 percent of student reading across the

grade should be informational.

Source: National Assessment Governing Board. (2007). Writing framework for the 2011

National Assessment of Educational Progress, pre-publication edition. Iowa City, IA: ACT,

Inc.

It follows that writing assessments aligned with the Standards should adhere to the

distribution of writing purposes across grades outlined by NAEP.

Focus and coherence in instruction and assessment

While the Standards delineate specific expectations in reading, writing, speaking,

viewing, listening, and media literacy and language, each standard need not be a

separate focus for instruction and assessment. Often, several standards can be

addressed by a single rich task. For example, when editing writing, students address

Writing standard 5 (“Use a writing process to develop and strengthen writing as

needed by planning, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new

approach”) as well as Language standards 1–3 (which deal with conventions of

standard English and knowledge of language). When drawing evidence from literary

and informational texts per Writing standard 9, students are also demonstrating

their comprehension skill in relation to specific standards in Reading. When

discussing something they have read or written, students are also demonstrating

their speaking and listening skills. The CCR anchor standards themselves provide

another source of focus and coherence.

The same ten CCR anchor standards for Reading apply to both literary and

informational texts, including texts in history/social studies, science, and technical

subjects. The ten CCR anchor standards for Writing cover numerous text types and

As with reading, the percentages in the table reflect the sum of student writing, not just

writing in ELA settings.

Grade

Literary

Informational

4 50% 50%

8 45% 55%

12 30% 70%

Grade

Persuade

Explain

To Convey

Experience

4 30% 35% 35%

8 35% 35% 30%

12 40% 40% 20%

subject areas. This means that students can develop mutually reinforcing skills and

exhibit mastery of standards for reading and writing across a range of texts and

classrooms.

What is not covered by the Standards

The Standards should be recognized for what they are not as well as what they are.

The most important intentional design limitations are as follows:

The Standards define what all students are expected to know and be

able to do, not how teachers should teach. For instance, the use of play

with young children is not specified by the Standards, but it is welcome

as a valuable activity in its own right and as a way to help students meet

the expectations in this document. Furthermore, while the Standards

make references to some particular forms of content, including

mythology, foundational U.S. documents, and Shakespeare, they do

not—indeed, cannot—enumerate all or even most of the content that

students should learn. The Standards must therefore be complemented

by a well-developed, content-rich curriculum consistent with the

expectations laid out in this document.

While the Standards focus on what is most essential, they do not

describe all that can or should be taught. A great deal is left to the

discretion of teachers and curriculum developers. The aim of the

Standards is to articulate the fundamentals, not to set out an exhaustive

list or a set of restrictions that limits what can be taught beyond what is

specified herein.

The Standards do not define the nature of advanced work for students

who meet the Standards prior to the end of high school. For those

students, advanced work in such areas as literature, composition,

language, and journalism should be available. This work should provide

the next logical step up from the college and career readiness baseline

established here.

The Standards set grade-specific standards but do not define the

intervention methods or materials necessary to support students who

are well below or well above grade-level expectations. No set of grade-

specific standards can fully reflect the great variety in abilities, needs,

learning rates, and achievement levels of students in any given

classroom. However, the Standards do provide clear signposts along the

way to the goal of college and career readiness for all students.

It is also beyond the scope of the Standards to define the full range of

supports appropriate for English language learners and for students with

special needs. At the same time, all students must have the opportunity

to learn and meet the same high standards if they are to access the

knowledge and skills necessary in their post–high school lives.

Each grade will include students who are still acquiring English. For

those students, it is possible to meet the standards in reading, writing,

speaking, viewing, and listening and media literacy without

displaying native-like control of conventions and vocabulary.

The Standards should also be read as allowing for the widest possible

range of students to participate fully from the outset and as permitting

appropriate accommodations to ensure maximum participation of

students with special education needs. For example, for students with

disabilities reading should allow for the use of Braille, screen-reader

technology, or other assistive devices, while writing should include the

use of a scribe, computer, or speech-to-text technology. In a similar

vein, speaking and listening should be interpreted broadly to include sign

language.

While the ELA and content area literacy components described herein

are critical to college and career readiness, they do not define the whole

of such readiness. Students require a wide-ranging, rigorous academic

preparation and, particularly in the early grades, attention to such

matters as social, emotional, and physical development and approaches

to learning. Similarly, the Standards define literacy expectations in

history/social studies, science, and technical subjects, but literacy

standards in other areas, such as mathematics and health education,

modeled on those in this document are strongly encouraged to facilitate

a comprehensive, schoolwide literacy program.

Students Who are College and

Career Ready in Reading, Writing,

Speaking, Viewing, Listening, and Media Literacy and

Language

The descriptions that follow are not standards themselves but instead offer a portrait

of students who meet the standards set out in this document. As students advance

through the grades and master the standards in reading, writing, speaking, viewing,

listening, and media literacy and language, they are able to exhibit with increasing

fullness and regularity these capacities of the literate individual.

•

They demonstrate independence.

Students can, without significant scaffolding, comprehend and evaluate complex

texts across a range of types and disciplines, and they can construct effective

arguments and convey intricate or multifaceted information. Likewise, students are

able independently to discern a speaker’s key points, request clarification, and ask

relevant questions. They build on others’ ideas, articulate their own ideas, and

confirm they have been understood. Without prompting, they demonstrate

command of standard English and acquire and use a wide-ranging vocabulary. More

broadly, they become self-directed learners, effectively seeking out and using

resources to assist them, including teachers, peers, and print and digital reference

materials.

•

They build strong content knowledge.

Students establish a base of knowledge across a wide range of subject matter by

engaging with works of quality and substance. They become proficient in new areas

through research and study. They read purposefully and listen attentively to gain

both general knowledge and discipline-specific expertise. They refine and share their

knowledge through writing and speaking.

•

They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose,

and discipline.

Students adapt their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, and

discipline. They set and adjust purpose for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and

language use as warranted by the task. They appreciate nuances, such as how the

composition of an audience should affect tone when speaking and how the

connotations of words affect meaning. They also know that different disciplines call

for different types of evidence (e.g., documentary evidence in history, experimental

evidence in science).

•

They comprehend as well as critique.

Students are engaged and open-minded—but discerning—readers, listeners and

viewers. They work diligently to understand precisely what an author or speaker is

saying, but they also question an author’s or speaker’s assumptions and premises and

assess the veracity of claims and the soundness of reasoning.

•

They value evidence.

Students cite specific evidence when offering an oral or written interpretation of a

text. They use relevant evidence when supporting their own points in writing and

speaking, making their reasoning clear to the reader or listener, and they

constructively evaluate others’ use of evidence.

•

They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.

Students employ technology thoughtfully to enhance their reading, writing, speaking,

viewing, listening, and media literacy and language use. They tailor

their

searches online to acquire useful information efficiently, and they integrate

what

they learn using technology with what they learn offline. They are familiar with

the

strengths and limitations of various technological tools and mediums and can

select

and use those best suited to their communication goals.

•

They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.

Students appreciate that the twenty-first-century classroom and workplace are

settings in which people from often widely divergent cultures and who represent

diverse experiences and perspectives must learn and work together. Students

actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures through reading and

listening, and they are able to communicate effectively with people of varied

backgrounds. They evaluate other points of view critically and constructively.

Through reading great classic and contemporary works of literature representative

of a variety of periods, cultures, and worldviews, students can vicariously inhabit

worlds and have experiences much different than their own.

How to Read This Document

Overall Document Organization

The Standards comprise three main sections: a comprehensive K–5 section and two

content area–specific sections for grades 6–12, one for ELA and one for

history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Three appendices accompany

the main document.

Each section is divided into strands. K–5 and 6–12 ELA have Reading, Writing,

Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy, and Language strands; the 6–12

history/ social studies, science, and technical subjects section focuses on Reading

and Writing. Each strand is headed by a strand-specific set of College and Career

Readiness Anchor Standards that is identical across all grades and content areas.

Standards for each grade within K–8 and for grades 9–10 and 11–12 follow the CCR

anchor standards in each strand. Each grade-specific standard (as these standards are

collectively referred to) corresponds to the same-numbered CCR anchor standard.

Put another way, each CCR anchor standard has an accompanying grade-specific

standard translating the broader CCR statement into grade-appropriate end-of-year

expectations. (Note: In Minnesota, the grade specific expectations are

called “benchmarks.” Minn. Stat. § 120B.023 Skip to the final paragraph

in this section for information on how to use codes to identify

individual standards and benchmarks.)

Individual CCR anchor standards can be identified by their strand, CCR status, and

number (R.CCR.6, for example). Individual grade-specific standards can be

identified by their strand, grade, and number (or number and letter, where

applicable), so that RI.4.3, for example, stands for Reading, Informational Text,

grade 4, standard 3 and W.5.1a stands for Writing, grade 5, standard 1a. Strand

designations can be found in brackets alongside the full strand title.

Minnesota Coding System

Each anchor standard has a benchmark identified by a four-digit code.

For example, in the code 5.2.8.8—

•

The 5 refers to grade five;

•

The 2 refers to the substrand, Reading Standards for

Informational Text K-5;

•

The first 8 refers to the eighth CCR anchor standard, Delineate

and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including

the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency

of the evidence;

•

The second 8 refers to the benchmark for that standard, Explain

how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points

in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which

point(s).

Who is responsible for which portion of the Standards?

A single K–5 section lists standards for reading, writing, speaking, viewing,

listening, media literacy, and language across the curriculum, reflecting the fact

that most or all of the instruction students in these grades receive comes from one

teacher. Grades 6–12 are covered in two content area–specific sections, the first for

the English language arts teacher and the second for teachers of history/social

studies, science, and technical subjects. Each section uses the same CCR anchor

standards but also includes grade-specific standards (i.e., benchmarks) tuned to

the literacy requirements of the particular discipline(s).

Key Features of the Standards

Reading: Text complexity and the growth of comprehension

The Reading standards place equal emphasis on the sophistication of what students

read and the skill with which they read. Standard 10 defines a grade-by-grade

“staircase” of increasing text complexity that rises from beginning reading to the

college and career readiness level. Whatever they are reading, students must also

show a steadily growing ability to discern more from and make fuller use of text,

including making an number of connections among ideas and between texts,

considering a wider range of textual evidence, and becoming more sensitive to

inconsistencies, ambiguities, and poor reasoning in texts.

Writing: Text types, responding to reading, and research

The Standards acknowledge the fact that whereas some writing skills, such as the

ability to plan, revise, edit, and publish, are applicable to many types of writing;

other skills are more properly defined in terms of specific writing types: arguments,

informative/explanatory texts, and narratives. Standard 9 stresses the importance of

the writing-reading connection by requiring students to draw upon and write about

evidence from literary and informational texts. Because of the centrality of writing

to most forms of inquiry, research standards are prominently included in this strand,

though skills important to research are infused throughout the document.

Speaking and Listening: Flexible communication and collaboration

Including but not limited to skills necessary for formal presentations, the Speaking

and Listening standards require students to develop a range of broadly useful oral

communication and interpersonal skills. Students must learn to work together,

express and listen carefully to ideas, integrate information from oral, visual,

quantitative, and media sources, evaluate what they hear, use media and visual

displays strategically to help achieve communicative purposes, and adapt speech to

context and task. (Note: In Minnesota, this strand has become Speaking,

Viewing, Listening, and Media Literacy).

Language: Conventions, effective use, and vocabulary

The Language standards include the essential “rules” of standard written and spoken

English, but they also approach language as a matter of craft and informed choice

among alternatives. The vocabulary standards focus on understanding words and

phrases, their relationships, and their nuances and on acquiring new vocabulary,

particularly general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.

Appendices A, B, and C

Appendix A contains supplementary material on reading, writing, speaking and

listening, and language as well as a glossary of key terms. Appendix B consists of text

exemplars illustrating the complexity, quality, and range of reading appropriate for

various grade levels with accompanying sample performance tasks. Appendix C

includes annotated samples demonstrating at least adequate performance in student

writing at various grade levels. It is possible that Minnesota may add more

information to the appendices at a later date.

Standards for

English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social

Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

K–5

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

The grades K–5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do

by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards

below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing

broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings

that all students must demonstrate.

Key Ideas and Details

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite

specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key

supporting details and ideas.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Craft and Structure

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative,

and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of

the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and

quantitatively, as well as in words.*

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the

reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to

compare the approaches the authors take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

10.

Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

*Please see “Research to Build and Present Knowledge” in Writing and “Comprehension and Collaboration” in

Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy for additional standards relevant to gathering, assessing, and

applying information from print and digital sources.

Note on range and content of student

reading

To build a foundation for college and career

readiness, students must read widely and

deeply from among a broad range of high-

quality, increasingly challenging literary and

informational texts. Through extensive

reading of stories, dramas, poems, and

myths from diverse cultures and different

time periods, students gain literary and

cultural knowledge as well as familiarity

with various text structures and elements.

By reading texts in history/social studies,

science, and other disciplines, students

build a foundation of knowledge in these

fields that will also give them the

background to be better readers in all

content areas. Students can only gain this

foundation when the curriculum is

intentionally and coherently structured

through integrated experiences and

activities to develop rich content knowledge

within and across grades. Through

motivation and engagement

, students also

acquire the habits of reading independently

and closely, which are essential to their

future success.

Reading Benchmarks: Literature K-5 (Common Core Reading Standards for Literature K–5) [RL]

The following standards offer a focus for instruction each year and help ensure that students gain adequate exposure to a range of texts and tasks. Rigor is also infused through the

requirement that students read increasingly complex texts through the grades. To enhance motivation and engagement, students should have daily opportunities to choose

topics and text types that interest them, often determine how to undertake and complete literacy tasks, and regularly respond to texts in a variety of ways.

Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. Progress in each area is

highly dependent upon and influenced by growth across the language domains. For example, growth in vocabulary will have a recursive influence on reading, writing, speaking

and listening. Therefore, explicit vocabulary instruction should occur within each grade level. (Standards related to Vocabulary Acquisition are detailed in the Language

Strand starting on p. 37.)

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

Grade 2 students:

Key Ideas and Details

0.1.1.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer

questions about key details in a text.

1.1.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details

in a text.

2.1.1.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when,

why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details

in a text.

0.1.2.2

With prompting and support, retell familiar stories,

including key details.

1.1.2.2. Retell stories, including key details, and

demonstrate understanding of their central

message or lesson.

2.1.2.2 Recount stories, including fables and folktales from

diverse cultures, and determine their central message,

lesson, or moral.

0.1.3.3

With prompting and support, identify characters,

settings, and major events in a story.

1.1.3.3 Describe characters, settings, and major

events in a story, using key details.

2.1.3.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major

events and challenges.

Craft and Structure

0.1.4.4.

Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a

text.

1.1.4.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or

poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the

senses.

2.1.4.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats,

alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and

meaning in a story, poem, or song.

0.1.5.5

Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks,

poems).

1.1.5.5 Explain major differences between books

that tell stories and books that give

information, drawing on a wide reading of a

range of text types.

2.1.5.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including

describing how the beginning introduces the story and the

ending concludes the action.

0.1.6.6

With prompting and support, name the author and

illustrator of a story and define the role of each in

telling the story.

1.1.6.6 Identify who is telling the story at various

points in a text.

2.1.6.6 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

0.1.7.7

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).

1.1.7.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to

describe its characters, setting, or events.

2.1.7.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in

a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its

characters, setting, or plot.

0.1.8.8

(Not applicable to literature) 1.1.8.8 (Not applicable to literature)

2.1.8.8 (Not applicable to literature)

0.1.9.9

With prompting and support, compare and contrast

the adventures and experiences of characters in

familiar stories.

1.1.9.9 Compare and contrast the adventures and

experiences of characters in stories.

2.1.9.9 Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same

story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or

from different cultures, including those by or about

Minnesota American Indians.

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students: Grade 2 students:

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

0.1.10.10

Actively engage in group reading activities with

purpose and understanding, including the

appropriate selection of texts for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic tasks.

1.1.10.10

With prompting and support, read prose

and poetry of appropriate complexity for

grade 1 as well as select texts for

personal enjoyment, interest, and

academic tasks.

2.1.10.10

By the end of the year, select, read and comprehend

literature including stories and poetry for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic tasks, in the

grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with

scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Reading Benchmarks: Literature K-5 (Common Core Reading Standards for Literature K–5) [RL]

Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Key Ideas and Details

3.1.1.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate

understanding of a text, referring explicitly to

the text as the basis for the answers.

4.1.1.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining

what the text says explicitly and when drawing

inferences from the text.

5.1.1.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining

what the text says explicitly and when drawing

inferences from the text.

3.1.2.2 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.

4.1.2.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from

details in the text; summarize the text.

5.1.2.2 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.

3.1.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their

traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain

how their actions contribute to the sequence of

events.

4.1.3.3 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).

5.1.3.3 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).

Craft and Structure Craft and Structure Craft and Structure

3.1.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases

as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal

from nonliteral language, including

figurative language such as similes.

4.1.4.4 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).

5.1.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as

they are used in a text, including figurative

language such as metaphors and similes.

3.1.5.5 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.

4.1.5.5 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.

5.1.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or

stanzas fits together to provide the overall

structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

3.1.6.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that

of the narrator or those of the characters.

4.1.6.6 Compare and contrast the point of view from which

different stories are narrated, including the difference

between first- and third-person narrations.

5.1.6.6 Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of

view influences how events are described.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

3.1.7.7 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).

4.1.7.7 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.

5.1.7.7 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).

3.1.8.8 (Not applicable to literature) 4.1.8.8 (Not applicable to literature) 5.1.8.8 (Not applicable to literature)

Grade 3 students: Grade 4 students: Grade 5 students:

3.1.9.9

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).

4.1.9.9 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,

including American Indian.

5.1.9.9

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

3.1.10.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend

literature and other texts including stories,

dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the

grades 2-3 text complexity band

independently and proficiently.

Self-select texts for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic

tasks.

4.1.10.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend

literature and other texts including stories, drama,

and poetry, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band

proficiently and independently with scaffolding as

needed at the high end of the range.

Self-select texts for personal enjoyment,

interest, and academic tasks.

5.1.10.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend

literature and other texts including stories,

dramas, and poetry at the high end of the

grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently

and independently.

Self -select texts for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic

tasks.

Reading Benchmarks: Informational Text K–5 (Common Core Reading Standards for Informational Text K-5) [RI]

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

Grade 2 students:

Key Ideas and Details

0.2.1.1

With prompting and support, ask and answer

questions about key details in a text.

1.2.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a

text.

2.2.1.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where,

when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of

key details in a text.

0.2.2.2 With prompting and support, identify the main

topic and retell key details of a text.

1.2.2.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a

text.

2.2.2.2 Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as

well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the

0.2.3.3 With prompting and support, describe the

connection between two individuals, events,

ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

1.2.3.3 Describe the connection between two

individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of

information in a text.

2.2.3.3 Describe the connection between a series of historical

events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in

technical procedures in a text.

Craft and Structure Craft and Structure Craft and Structure

0.2.4.4 With prompting and support, ask and answer

questions about unknown words in a text.

1.2.4.4 Ask and answer questions to help determine or

clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a

text.

2.2.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a

text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

0.2.5.5 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title

page of a book.

1.2.5.5 Know and use various text features (e.g.,

headings, tables of contents, glossaries,

electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or

information in a text.

2.2.5.5 Know and use various text features (e.g., captions,

bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic

menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a

text efficiently.

0.2.6.6

Name the author and illustrator of a text and

define the role of each in presenting the ideas or

information in a text.

1.2.6.6 Distinguish between information provided by

pictures or other illustrations and information

provided by the words in a text.

2.2.6.6 Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the

author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

0.2.7.7

With prompting and support, describe the

relationship between illustrations and the text in

which they appear (e.g., what person, place,

thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).

1.2.7.7

Use the illustrations and details in a text to

describe its key ideas.

2.2.7.7

Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing

how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.

0.2.8.8 With prompting and support, identify the

reasons an author gives to support points in a

text.

1.2.8.8

Identify the reasons an author gives to

support points in a text.

2.2.8.8

Describe how reasons support specific points the

author makes in a text.

Kindergartners: Grade 1 students: Grade 2 students:

0.2.9.9 With prompting and support, identify basic

similarities in and differences between two texts

on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations,

descriptions, or procedures).

1.2.9.9

Identify basic similarities in and differences

between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in

illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

2.2.9.9

Compare and contrast the most important points

presented by two texts on the same topic.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

0.2.10.10

Actively engage in group reading activities with

purpose and understanding, including the

appropriate selection of texts for

personal enjoyment, interest, and

academic tasks.

1.2.10.10 With prompting and support, read

informational texts appropriately complex for

grade 1, as well as select texts for

personal enjoyment, interest, and

academic tasks.

2.2.10.10 By the end of year, select, read and comprehend

informational texts, including history/social studies,

science, and technical texts, in the grades 2–3 text

complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as

needed at the high end of the range for personal

interest, enjoyment, and academic tasks.

Reading Benchmarks: Informational Text K–5 (Common Core Reading Standards for Informational Text K-5) [RI]

Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Key Ideas and Details

3.2.1.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate

understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the

text as the basis for the answers.

4.2.1.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when

explaining what the text says explicitly and when

drawing inferences from the text.

5.2.1.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining

what the text says explicitly and when drawing

inferences from the text.

3.2.2.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the

key details and explain how they support the main

idea.

4.2.2.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain

how it is supported by key details; summarize the

text.

5.2.2.2

Determine two or more main ideas of a text and

explain how they are supported by key details;

summarize the text.

3.2.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of

historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or

steps in technical procedures in a text, using

language that pertains to time, sequence, and

cause/effect.

4.2.3.3 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.

5.2.3.3 Explain the relationships or interactions between

two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts

in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on

specific information in the text.

Craft and Structure

3.2.4.4 Determine the meaning of general academic

and domain-specific words and phrases in a text

relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.

4.2.4.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and

domain-specific words or phrases in a text

relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

5.2.4.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and

domain-specific words and phrases in a text

relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

3.2.5.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key

words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate

information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

4.2.5.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology,

comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of

events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text

or part of a text.

5.2.5.5 Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g.,

chronology, comparison, cause/effect,

problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or

information in two or more texts.

3.2.6.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of

the author of a text.

4.2.6.6 Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand

account, including those by or about

Minnesota American Indians, of the same

event or topic; describe the differences in focus

and the information provided.

5.2.6.6 Analyze multiple accounts by various cultures

of the same event or topic, noting important

similarities and differences in the point of view

they represent.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

3.2.7.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g.,

maps, photographs) and the words in a text to

demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g.,

where, when, why, and how key events occur).

4.2.7.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally,

or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs,

diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive

elements on Web pages) and explain how the

information contributes to an understanding of

the text in which it appears.

5.2.7.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital

sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an

answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem

efficiently.

Grade 3 students: Grade 4 students: Grade 5 students:

3.2.8.8 Describe the logical connection between

particular sentences and paragraphs in a text

(e.g., comparison, cause/effect,

first/second/third in a sequence).

4.2.8.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence

to support particular points in a text.

5.2.8.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence

to support particular points in a text, identifying

which reasons and evidence support which

point(s).

3.2.9.9 Compare and contrast the most important points

and key details presented in two texts on the

same topic.

4.2.9.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same

topic in order to write or speak about the subject

knowledgeably.

5.2.9.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same

topic in order to write or speak about the subject

knowledgeably.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

3.2.10.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend

informational texts, including history/social

studies, science, and technical texts, at the high

end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band

independently and proficiently.

Self-select texts for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic

tasks.

4.2.10.10

By the end of year, read and comprehend

informational texts, including history/social

studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades

4–5 text complexity band independently and

proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the

high end of the range.

Self-select texts for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic

tasks.

5.2.10.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend

informational texts, including history/social

studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end

of the grades 4–5 text complexity band

independently and proficiently.

Self-select texts for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic

tasks.

Reading Benchmarks: Foundational Skills K-5 (Common Core Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5) [RF]

These standards are directed toward fostering students’ understanding and working knowledge of concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, fluency, and other basic conventions of the

English writing system. These foundational skills are not an end in and of themselves; rather, they are necessary and important components of an effective, comprehensive reading program

designed to develop proficient readers with the capacity to fluently read and comprehend texts across a range of types and disciplines. Instruction should be differentiated: good readers

will need much less practice with these concepts than struggling readers will. The point is to teach students what they need to learn and not what they already know—to discern when

particular children or activities warrant more or less attention. (Standards related to Vocabulary Acquisition are detailed in the Language Strand starting on p. 37.)

Note: In kindergarten, children are expected to demonstrate increasing awareness and competence in the areas that follow.

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

0.3.0.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific

sequences of letters.

Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.

Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

1.3.0.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word,

capitalization, ending punctuation).

0.3.0.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

Recognize and produce rhyming words.

Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.

Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.

Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes)

in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words.* (This

does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)

Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable

words to make new words.

1.3.0.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.

Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including

consonant blends.

Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in

spoken single-syllable words.

Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual

sounds (phonemes).

*Words, syllables, or phonemes written in /slashes/refer to their pronunciation or phonology. Thus, /CVC/ is a word with three phonemes regardless of the number of letters in

the spelling of the word.

Print Concepts

Phonological Awareness

Reading Benchmarks: Foundational Skills K-5 (Common Core Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5) [RF]

Note: In kindergarten, children are expected to demonstrate increasing awareness and competence in the areas that follow.

Kindergartners: Grade 1 students: Grade 2 students:

Phonics and Word Recognition

0.3.0.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word

analysis skills in decoding words.

Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-

one letter-sound correspondences by

producing the primary or many of the

most frequent sound for each consonant.

Associate the long and short sounds with

common spellings (graphemes) for the

five major vowels.

Read common high-frequency words by

sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are,

do, does).

Distinguish between similarly spelled

words by identifying the sounds of the

letters that differ.

1.3.0.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word

analysis skills in decoding words.

Know the spelling-sound correspondences for

common consonant digraphs, and initial and

final consonant blends.

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Know final -e and common vowel team

conventions for representing long vowel

sounds.

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 and read grade-appropriate

irregularly spelled words, including high-

frequency words.

2.3.0.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word

analysis skills in decoding words.

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.

Identify words with inconsistent but common

spelling-sound correspondences.

Recognize and read grade-appropriate

irregularly spelled words, including high-

frequency words.

Fluency

0.3.0.4 Read emergent-reader texts with purpose

and understanding.

1.3.0.4

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support

comprehension.

Read grade-level text with purpose and

understanding to promote oral and silent

reading fluency.

Read grade-level text orally with accuracy,

appropriate rate, and expression on successive

readings.

Use context and other cues (e.g., phonics,

word recognition skills, prior

knowledge) to confirm or self-correct word

recognition and understanding, rereading as

necessary.

2.3.0.4

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support

comprehension.

Read grade-level text with purpose and

understanding to promote oral and silent

reading fluency.

Read grade-level text orally with

accuracy, appropriate rate, and

expression on successive readings.

Use context and other cues (e.g.,

phonics,

word recognition skills,

prior

knowledge) to confirm or self-

correct word

recognition and

understanding, rereading as

necessary.

Reading Benchmarks: Foundational Skills K-5 (Common Core Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5) [RF]

Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Phonics and Word Recognition

3.3.0.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics

and word analysis skills in decoding

words.

Identify and know the meaning of

the most common prefixes and

derivational suffixes.

Decode words with common Latin

suffixes.

Decode multisyllable words.

Read grade-appropriate irregularly

spelled words, including high-

frequency words.

4.3.0.3 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 (e.g., roots and affixes) to read

accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context

and out of context.

5.3.0.3 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 (e.g., roots and affixes) to read

accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in

context and out of context.

Fluency

3.3.0.4

Read with sufficient accuracy and

fluency to support comprehension.

Read grade-level text with

purpose and understanding.

Read grade-level prose and

poetry orally with accuracy,

appropriate rate, and expression

on successive readings.

Use context to confirm or self-

correct word recognition and

understanding, rereading as

necessary.

4.3.0.4

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support

comprehension.

Read grade-level text with purpose and

understanding.

Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with

accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on

successive readings.

Use context to confirm or self-correct word

recognition and understanding, rereading as

necessary.

5.3.0.4

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support

comprehension.

Read grade-level text with purpose and

understanding.

Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with

accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on

successive readings.

Use context to confirm or self-correct word

recognition and understanding, rereading as

necessary.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

The grades K–5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the end

of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number. The

CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latter

providing additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

Text Types and Purposes*

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and

relevant and sufficient evidence.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and

accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Write narratives and other creative texts to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective

technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Writing Process: Production and Distribution of Writing

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,

purpose, and audience.

Use a writing process to develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, drafting, revising,

editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with

others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating

understanding of the subject under investigation.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each

source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

10.

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 tasks, purposes, and audiences.

*These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for definitions of key writing types.

Note on range and content of student writing

To build a foundation for college and career

readiness, students need to learn to use writing

as a way of offering and supporting opinions,

demonstrating understanding of the subjects they

are studying, and conveying real and imagined

experiences and events. They learn to appreciate

that a key purpose of writing is to communicate

clearly to an external, sometimes unfamiliar

audience, and they begin to adapt the form and

content of their writing to accomplish a particular

task and purpose. They develop the capacity to

build knowledge on a subject through research

projects and to respond analytically to literary and

informational sources.

To enhance engagement

and motivation, students should have

opportunities to choose their own topics and

forms. To meet these goals, students must devote

significant time and effort to developing a writing

process, and producing numerous pieces over

short and extended time frames throughout the

year.

Writing Benchmarks K-5 (Common Core Writing Standards K–5) [W]

The following standards for grades K–5 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications. Each year in their writing,

students should demonstrate increasing sophistication in all aspects of language use, from vocabulary and syntax to the development and organization of ideas, and they should address

increasingly demanding content and sources. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in

preceding grades. The expected growth in student writing ability is reflected both in the standards themselves and in the collection of annotated student writing samples in Appendix C.

(Conventions of written English are detailed in the Language Strand starting on p. 37.)

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

Grade 2 students:

Text Types and Purposes

0.6.1.1 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 ...)

1.6.1.1 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.

2.6.1.1

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.

0.6.2.2 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.

1.6.2.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which

they name a topic, supply some facts about the

topic, and provide some sense of closure.

2.6.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts in which

they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions

to develop points, and provide a concluding

statement or section.

0.6.3.3 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.

1.6.3.3 Write narratives and other creative texts 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.

2.6.3.3 Write narratives and other creative texts 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.

Writing Process: Production and Distribution of Writing

0.6.4.4 (Begins in grade 3)

1.6.4.4

(Begins in grade 3)

2.6.4.4

(Begins in grade 3)

0.6.5.5 With guidance and support from adults, respond

to questions and suggestions from adults and

peers and add details to strengthen writing as

needed.

1.6.5.5 With guidance and support from adults, focus

on a topic, respond to questions and

suggestions from adults and peers, and add

details to strengthen writing as needed.

2.6.5.5 With guidance and support from adults, and

peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing

as needed by revising and editing.

0.6.6.6 With guidance and support from adults, explore a

variety of digital tools to produce and publish

writing, including in collaboration with peers.

1.6.6.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a

variety of digital tools to produce and publish

writing, including in collaboration with peers.

2.6.6.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a

variety of digital tools to produce and publish

writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Kindergartners: Grade 1 students: Grade 2 students:

Research to Build and Present Knowledge Research to Build and Present Knowledge Research to Build and Present Knowledge

0.6.7.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects

(e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite

author and express opinions about them).

1.6.7.7

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).

2.6.7.7

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).

0.6.8.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall

information from experiences or gather

information from provided sources to answer a

question.

1.6.8.8

With guidance and support from adults, recall

information from experiences or gather

information from provided sources to answer

a question.

2.6.8.8 Recall information from experiences or gather

information from provided sources to answer a

question.

0.6.9.9 (Begins in grade 4)

1.6.9.9

(Begins in grade 4) 2.6.9.9 (Begins in grade 4)

Range of Writing Range of Writing Range of Writing

0.6.10.10

(Begins in grade 3) 1.6.10.10 (Begins in grade 3) 2.6.10.10 (Begins in grade 3)

Writing Benchmarks K-5 (Common Core Writing Standards K–5) [W]

Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Text Types and Purposes Text Types and Purposes Text Types and Purposes

3.6.1.1

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.

4.6.1.1

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts,

supporting a point of view with reasons and

information.

a. 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.

b. Provide reasons that are supported by facts

and details.

c. Link opinion and reasons using words and

phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in

addition).

d. Provide a concluding statement or section

related to the opinion presented.

5.6.1.1

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a

point of view with reasons and information.

a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an

opinion, and create an organizational structure

in which ideas are logically grouped to support

the writer’s purpose.

b. Provide logically ordered reasons that are

supported by facts and details.

c. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases,

and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).

d. Provide a concluding statement or section

related to the opinion presented.

3.6.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to

examine a topic and convey ideas and

information clearly.

a. Introduce a topic and group related

information together; include illustrations

when useful to aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions,

and details.

c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also,

another, and, more, but) to connect ideas

within categories of information.

d. Provide a concluding statement or section.

4.6.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to

examine a topic and convey ideas and

information clearly.

a. Introduce a topic clearly and group related

information in paragraphs and sections;

include formatting (e.g., headings),

illustrations, and multimedia when useful to

aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions,

concrete details, quotations, or other

information and examples related to the

topic.

c. Link ideas within categories of information

using words and phrases (e.g., another, for

example, also, because).

d. Use precise language and domain-specific

vocabulary to inform about or explain the

topic.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section

related to the information or explanation

presented.

5.6.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a

topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

a. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general

observation and focus, and group related

information logically; include formatting (e.g.,

headings), illustrations, and multimedia when

useful to aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete

details, quotations, or other information and

examples related to the topic.

c. Link ideas within and across categories of

information using words, phrases, and clauses

(e.g., in contrast, especially).

d. Use precise language and domain-specific

vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section

related to the information or explanation

presented.

Grade 3 students: Grade 4 students: Grade 5 students:

3.6.3.3

Write narratives and other creative texts to

develop real or imagined experiences or events

using effective technique, descriptive details,

and clear event sequences.

Establish a situation and introduce 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.

Use temporal words and phrases to signal

event order.

Provide a sense of closure.

4.6.3.3

Write narratives and other creative texts 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 (when

appropriate to the genre) that follows

from the narrated experiences or events.

5.6.3.3

Write narratives and other creative texts 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 literary and narrative techniques, such as

dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop

experiences and events or show the responses

of characters to situations.

Use a variety of transitional words, phrases,

and clauses to manage the sequence of events.

Use concrete words and phrases and sensory

details to convey experiences and events

precisely.

Provide a conclusion (when appropriate

to the genre) that follows from the narrated

experiences or events.

Writing Process:

Production and Distribution of Writing

Writing Process:

Production and Distribution of Writing

Writing Process:

Production and Distribution of Writing

3.6.4.4 With guidance and support from adults,

produce writing in which the development and

organization are appropriate to task and

purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for

writing types are defined in standards 1–3

above.)

4.6.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the

development and organization are appropriate to

task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific

expectations for writing types are defined in

standards 1–3 above.)

5.6.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the

development and organization are appropriate to

task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific

expectations for writing types are defined in

standards 1–3 above.)

3.6.5.5 With guidance and support from peers and

adults, use a writing process to develop and

strengthen writing as needed by planning,

drafting, revising, and editing. (Editing for

conventions should demonstrate command of

Language standards 1–3 up to and including

grade 3 on page 41-42.)

4.6.5.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults,

use a writing process to develop and strengthen

writing as needed by planning, drafting, revising,

and editing. (Editing for conventions should

demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3

up to and including grade 4 on page 41-42.)

5.6.5.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults,

use a writing process to develop and

strengthen writing as needed by planning,

drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a

new approach. (Editing for conventions should

demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3

up to and including grade 5 on page 41-42.)

3.6.6.6 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.

4.6.6.6 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 one page in a single sitting.

5.6.6.6 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.

Grade 3 students: Grade 4 students: Grade 5 students:

Research to Build and Present Knowledge Research to Build and Present Knowledge Research to Build and Present Knowledge

3.6.7.7 Conduct short research projects that build

knowledge about a topic.

4.6.7.7 Conduct short research projects that build

knowledge through investigation of different

aspects of a topic.

5.6.7.7

Conduct short research projects that use several

sources to build knowledge through investigation of

different aspects of a topic.

3.6.8.8 Recall information from experiences or gather

information from print and digital sources; take

brief notes on sources and sort evidence into

provided categories.

4.6.8.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or

gather relevant information from print and

digital sources; take notes and categorize

information, and provide a list of sources.

5.6.8.8

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.

3.6.9.9 (Begins in grade 4)

4.6.9.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational

texts to support analysis, reflection, and

research.

Apply grade 4 Reading standards to literature

(e.g., “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].”).

Apply grade 4 Reading standards to

informational texts (e.g., “Explain how an

author uses reasons and evidence to support

particular points in a text”).

5.6.9.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts

to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature

(e.g., “Compare and contrast two or more

characters, settings, or events in a story or a

drama, drawing on specific details in the text

[e.g., how characters interact]”).

Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational

texts (e.g., “Explain how an author uses reasons

and evidence to support particular points in a

text, identifying which reasons and evidence

support which point[s]”).

Range of Writing Range of Writing Range of Writing

3.6.10.10

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.

a. Independently select writing topics

and formats for personal enjoyment,

interest, and academic tasks.

4.6.10.10

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.

a. Independently select writing topics

and formats for personal, enjoyment

interest, and academic tasks.

5.6.10.10

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.

a. Independently select writing topics and

formats for personal enjoyment, interest,

and academic tasks.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking,

Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy

The grades K-5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do

by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards

below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former

providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the skills and

understandings that all students must demonstrate.

Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse

partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,

quantitatively, and orally.

Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of

reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and

audience.

Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance

understanding of presentations.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal

English when indicated or appropriate.

Critically analyze information found in electronic, print, and mass media and use a

variety of these sources.

Communicate using traditional or digital multimedia formats and digital writing and

publishing for a specific purpose.

Note on range and content of student

speaking and listening

To become college and career ready, students

must have ample opportunities to take part in a

variety of rich, structured conversations—as part

of a whole class, in small groups, and with a

partner—built around important content in various

domains. They must be able to contribute

appropriately to these conversations, to make

comparisons and contrasts, and to analyze and

synthesize a multitude of ideas in accordance

with the standards of evidence appropriate to a

particular discipline. Whatever their intended

major or profession, high school graduates will

depend heavily on their ability to listen attentively

to others so that they are able to build on others’

meritorious ideas while expressing their own

clearly and persuasively.

New technologies have broadened and expanded

the role that speaking and listening play in

acquiring and sharing knowledge and have

tightened their link to other forms of

communication. The Internet has accelerated the

speed at which connections between speaking,

listening, reading, and writing can be made,

requiring that students be ready to use these

modalities nearly simultaneously. Technology

itself is changing quickly, creating a new urgency

for students to be adaptable in response to

change.

Comprehension and Collaboration

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Media Literacy

Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Benchmarks K-5 (Common Core Speaking, and Listening Standards K–5) [SL]

The following standards for K–5 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications. Students advancing through the

grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. (Conventions of spoken English are detailed in

the Language Strand starting on p. 37.)

Kindergartners: Grade 1 students: Grade 2 students:

Comprehension and Collaboration Comprehension and Collaboration Comprehension and Collaboration

0.8.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with

diverse partners about kindergarten topics and

texts with peers and adults in small and larger

groups.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions

(e.g., listening to others and taking turns

speaking about the topics and texts under

discussion).

Continue a conversation through

multiple exchanges.

Listen to others and name

emotions by observing facial

expression and other nonverbal

cues.

Follow basic oral directions.

1.8.1.1

Participate in collaborative conversations with

diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts

with peers and adults in small and larger

groups.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions

(e.g., listening to others with care,

speaking one at a time about the topics

and texts under discussion).

Build on others’ 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.

Listen to others’ ideas and identify

others’ points of view.

Follow two-step oral directions.

2.8.1.1

Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse

partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and

adults in small and larger groups.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (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 others’ 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.

Cooperate for productive group discussion.

Follow two- and three-step oral directions.

0.8.2.2 Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or

information presented orally or through other

media (e.g., poems, rhymes, songs) by

asking and answering questions about key

details and requesting clarification if

something is not understood.

1.8.2.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a

text read aloud or information presented orally

or through other media (e.g., stories,

poems, rhymes, songs).

2.8.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read

aloud or information presented orally or through other

media.

0.8.3.3 Ask and answer questions in order to seek

help, get information, or clarify something

that is not understood.

1.8.3.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker

says in order to gather additional information

or clarify something that is not understood.

2.8.3.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in

order to clarify comprehension, gather additional

information, or deepen understanding of a topic or

issues.

Kindergartners: Grade 1 students: Grade 2 students:

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

0.8.4.4 Describe familiar people, places, things, and

events and, with prompting and support,

provide additional detail.

1.8.4.4 Describe people, places, things, and events

with relevant details, expressing ideas and

feelings clearly.

2.8.4.4 Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts

and relevant, descriptive details, avoid plagiarism by

identifying sources, and speak audibly in coherent

sentences.

0.8.5.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to

descriptions as desired to provide additional

detail.

1.8.5.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to

descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas,

thoughts, and feelings.

2.8.5.5 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.

0.8.6.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings,

and ideas clearly, and respond to poems,

rhymes, and songs.

1.8.6.6 Produce complete sentences when

appropriate to task and situation, and

respond to stories, poems, rhymes and

songs with expression. (See grade 1

Language standards 1and 3 on page 38 for

specific expectations.)

2.8.6.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and

situation in order to provide requested detail or

clarification. (See grade 2 Language standards 1and 3 on

page 38 for specific expectations.)

Media Literacy

0.8.7.7 Distinguish among different types of

print, digital, and multimodal media.

a. Recognize common signs and

logos.

b. Identify commercials or

advertisements.

1.8.7.7

Distinguish among and understand

purposes of different types of print,

digital, and multimodal media.

a. Demonstrate understanding of

media by asking and answering

appropriate questions about what

is read, heard or viewed.

b. Summarize ideas from media in

own words.

2.8.7.7

Distinguish, understand, and use different types of

print, digital, and multimodal media.

a. Use tools for locating print and electronic

materials appropriate to the purpose.

0.8.8.8 With prompting and support, create

an individual or shared multimedia

work for a specific purpose (e.g., to

share lived or imagined experiences,

to present information, to entertain,

or as artistic expression.)

1.8.8.8

With prompting and support, create

and share an individual or shared

multimedia work for a specific

purpose

(e.g., to share lived or

imagined

experiences, to present

information, to

entertain, or as

artistic expression.)

2.8.8.8

With prompting and support, create an individual

or shared multimedia work for a specific purpose

(e.g., to create or integrate knowledge, to share

experiences or information, to persuade, to

entertain, or as artistic expression.)

With prompting and support, critique each

found image under consideration for use in a

multimedia project for its appropriateness to

purpose, its effectiveness in conveying the

message, and its effect on the intended

audience and justify its use in the project.

Share the work with an audience.

Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Benchmarks K-5 (Common Core Speaking, and Listening Standards K–5) [SL]

Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Comprehension and Collaboration Comprehension and Collaboration Comprehension and Collaboration

3.8.1.1

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.

Come to discussions prepared, having read

or studied required material; explicitly draw

on that preparation and other information

known about the topic to explore ideas

under discussion.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions

(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).

c. Ask questions to check understanding of

information presented, stay on topic, and

link their comments to the remarks of

others.

d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in

light of the discussion.

e. Cooperate and compromise as

appropriate for productive group

discussion.

Follow multi-step oral directions.

4.8.1.1

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.

Come to discussions prepared, having read

or studied required material; explicitly draw

on that preparation and other information

known about the topic to explore ideas

under discussion.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions 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 understanding in light of

the discussion.

Cooperate and problem solve as

appropriate for productive group

discussion.

5.8.1.1

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.

Come to discussions prepared, having read or

studied required material; explicitly draw on that

preparation and other information known about

the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and

carry out assigned roles.

Pose and respond to specific questions by making

comments that contribute to the discussion and

elaborate on the remarks of others.

Review the key ideas expressed and draw

conclusions in light of information and

knowledge gained from the discussions.

Cooperate and problem solve to make

decisions as appropriate for productive

group discussion.

3.8.2.2 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.

4.8.2.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or

information presented in diverse media and

formats, including visually, quantitatively, and

orally.

5.8.2.2 Summarize a written text read aloud or information

presented in diverse media and formats, including

visually, quantitatively, and orally.

3.8.3.3 Ask and answer questions about information

from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration

and detail.

4.8.3.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker

provides to support particular points.

5.8.3.3 Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain

how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence

distinguishing between a speaker’s opinions

and verifiable facts.

Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

3.8.4.4 Report on a topic or text and avoid plagiarism by

identifying sources, tell a story, or recount an

experience with appropriate facts and relevant,

descriptive details, speaking clearly at an

understandable pace.

4.8.4.4 Report on a topic or text and avoid plagiarism

by identifying sources, 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.

5.8.4.4 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; avoid plagiarism by identifying

sources; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

3.8.5.5 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.

4.8.5.5 Add audio recordings and visual displays to

presentations when appropriate to enhance the

development of main ideas or themes.

5.8.5.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics,

sound) and visual displays in presentations when

appropriate to enhance the development of main

ideas or themes.

3.8.6.6 Speak in complete sentences when appropriate

to task and situation in order to provide

requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3

Language standards 1 and 3 on page 41-42 for

specific expectations.)

4.8.6.6

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. (See grade 4 Language standards 1

and 3 on page 41-42 for specific expectations.)

5.8.6.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using

formal English when appropriate to task and

situation. (See grade 5 Language standards 1 and 3 on

page 41-42 for specific expectations.)

Media Literacy

3.8.7.7

Distinguish among, understand, and use

different types of print, digital, and

multimodal media.

Make informed judgments about

messages promoted in the mass

media (e.g., film, television, radio,

magazines, advertisements,

newspapers).

Locate and use information in print,

non-print, and digital resources, and

identify reasons for choosing

information used.

Check for accuracy in pictures and

images.

Recognize safe practices in personal

media communications.

4.8.7.7

Distinguish among, understand, and use

different types of print, digital, and

multimodal media.

Make informed judgments about

messages promoted in the mass

media (e.g., film, television, radio,

magazines, advertisements,

newspapers).

Locate and use information in print,

non-print, and digital resources

using a variety of strategies.

Check for accuracy of information

between two different sources.

Recognize safe practices in social

and personal media

communications.

5.8.7.7

Distinguish among, understand, and use

different types of print, digital, and

multimodal media.

Make informed judgments about

messages promoted in the mass media

(e.g., film, television, radio, magazines,

advertisements, newspapers).

Locate and use information in print,

non-print, and digital resources using a

variety of strategies.

Evaluate the accuracy and credibility of

information found in digital sources.

Recognize ethical standards and safe

practices in social and personal media

communications.

Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

3.8.8.8

With prompting and support, create an

individual or shared multimedia work

for a specific purpose (e.g., to create or

integrate knowledge, to share

experiences or information, to persuade,

to entertain, or as artistic expression.)

With prompting and support,

critique each found image under

consideration for use in a multimedia

project for its appropriateness to

purpose, its effectiveness in

conveying the message, and its effect

on the intended audience and justify

its use in the project.

Share the work with an audience.

4.8.8.8

Create an individual or shared

multimedia work for a specific purpose

(e.g., to create or integrate knowledge,

to share experiences or information, to

persuade, to entertain, or as artistic

expression.)

Evaluate the Fair Use of each visual

element or piece of music used in a

media work and create a list

documenting the source for each

found image or piece of music.

Publish the work and share it with

an audience.

5.8.8.8

Create an individual or shared multimedia

work or digital text for a specific purpose

(e.g., to create or integrate knowledge, to

share experiences or information, to

persuade, to entertain, or as artistic

expression.)

Evaluate the Fair Use of each visual

element or piece of music used in a

media work and create a list

documenting the source for each found

image or piece of music.

Publish the work and share it with an

audience.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

The grades K–5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do

by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards

below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former

providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the skills and

understandings that all students must demonstrate.

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

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make

effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using

context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference

materials, as appropriate.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases

sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level;

demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term

important to comprehension or expression.

Note on range and content of student

language use

To build a foundation for college and career

readiness in language, students must gain

control over many conventions of standard

English grammar, usage, and mechanics as

well as learn other ways to use language to

convey meaning effectively. They must also be

able to determine or clarify the meaning of

grade-appropriate words encountered through

listening, reading, and media use; come to

appreciate that words have nonliteral

meanings, shadings of meaning, and

relationships to other words; and expand their

vocabulary in the course of studying content.

The inclusion of Language standards in their

own strand should not be taken as an

indication that skills related to conventions,

effective language use, and vocabulary are

unimportant to reading, writing, speaking, and

listening; indeed, they are inseparable from

such contexts.

Conventions of Standard English

Language Benchmarks K-5 (Common Core Language Standards K–5) [L]

The following standards for grades K–5 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications. Students advancing

through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. Beginning in grade 3, skills and

understandings that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking are marked with an asterisk

(*). (See the table on page 44 for a complete list and Appendix A for an example of how these skills develop in sophistication.)

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

Grade 2 students:

Conventions of Standard English

0.10.1.1 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/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).

Understand and use question words

(interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where,

when, why, how).

Use the most frequently occurring

prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off,

for, of, by, with).

Produce and expand complete sentences in

shared language activities.

1.10.1.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English grammar and usage when writing

or speaking.

Print all upper- and lowercase letters.

Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.

Use singular and plural nouns with matching

verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We

hop).

Use personal, possessive, and indefinite

pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their;

anyone, everything).

Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present,

and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today

I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home).

Use frequently occurring adjectives.

Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g.,

and, but, or, so, because).

Use determiners (e.g., articles,

demonstratives).

Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g.,

during, beyond, toward).

j. Produce and expand complete simple and

compound declarative, interrogative,

imperative, and exclamatory sentences in

response to prompts.

2.10.1.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English grammar and usage when writing

or speaking.

Use collective nouns (e.g., group).

Form and use frequently occurring irregular

plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice,

fish).

Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).

Form and use the past tense of frequently

occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told).

Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose

between them depending on what is to be

modified.

Produce, expand, and rearrange complete

simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy

watched the movie; The little boy watched the

movie; The action movie was watched by the little

boy).

Kindergartners: Grade 1 students: Grade 2 students:

0.10.2.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English capitalization, punctuation, and

1.10.2.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English capitalization, punctuation, and

2.10.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English capitalization, punctuation, and

spelling when writing. spelling when writing. spelling when writing.

Capitalize the first word in a sentence and a. Capitalize dates and names of people. a. Capitalize holidays, product names, and

the pronoun I. b. Use end punctuation for sentences. geographic names.

Recognize and name end punctuation. c. Use commas in dates and to separate single b. Use commas in greetings and closings of

Write a letter or letters for most consonant words in a series. letters.

and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). d. Use conventional spelling for words with c. Use an apostrophe to form contractions and

Spell simple words phonetically, drawing common spelling patterns and for frequently frequently occurring possessives.

on knowledge of sound-letter relationships. occurring irregular words. d. Generalize learned spelling patterns when

Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on

writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).

phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.

e. Consult reference materials, including

beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and

correct spellings.

Knowledge of Language Knowledge of Language Knowledge of Language

0.10.3.3 (Begins in grade 2)

1.10.3.3

(Begins in grade 2)

2.10.3.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions

when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Compare formal and informal uses of English.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

0.10.4.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of

unknown and multiple-meaning words and

phrases based on kindergarten reading and

content.

Identify new meanings for familiar

words and apply them accurately (e.g.,

knowing duck is a bird and learning the

verb to duck).

Use the most frequently occurring

inflections and affixes (e.g., -ed, -s, re-,

un-, pre-, -ful, -less) as a clue to the

meaning of an unknown word.

1.10.4.4

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.

Use sentence-level context as a clue

to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Use frequently occurring affixes as a

clue to the meaning of a word.

Identify frequently occurring base

words and root words (e.g., look) and

their inflectional forms (e.g., looks,

looked, looking).

2.10.4.4

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.

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the

meaning of a word or phrase.

Determine the meaning of the new word

formed when a known prefix is added to a

known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).

Use a known root word as a clue to the

meaning of an unknown word with the same

root (e.g., addition, additional).

Use knowledge of the meaning of individual

words to predict the meaning of compound

words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly;

bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).

Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both

print and digital, to determine or clarify the

meaning of words and phrases.

Kindergartners: Grade 1 students: Grade 2 students:

0.10.5.5 With guidance and support from adults, 1.10.5.5 With guidance and support from adults, 2.10.5.5 Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and

explore word relationships and nuances in demonstrate understanding of word nuances in word meanings to develop word

word meanings to develop word

consciousness.

Sort common objects into categories

(e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of

the concepts the categories represent.

Demonstrate understanding of

frequently occurring verbs and

adjectives by relating them to their

opposites (antonyms).

Identify real-life connections

between words and their use (e.g.,

note places at school that are

colorful).

Distinguish shades of meaning

among verbs describing the same

general action (e.g., walk, march,

strut, prance) by acting out the

meanings.

relationships and nuances in word meanings

to develop word consciousness.

Sort words into categories (e.g., colors,

clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts

the categories represent.

Define words by category and by one or

more key attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird

that swims; a tiger is a large cat with

stripes).

Identify real-life connections between

words and their use (e.g., note places at

home that are cozy).

Distinguish shades of meaning among

verbs differing in manner (e.g., look, peek,

glance, stare, glare, scowl) and adjectives

differing in intensity (e.g., large, gigantic)

by defining or choosing them or by acting

out the meanings.

consciousness.

Identify real-life connections between words and their

use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).

Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related

verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related

adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny).

0.10.6.6 Use words and phrases acquired through

conversations, reading and being read to,

and responding to texts.

1.10.6.6 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).

2.10.6.6 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).

Language Benchmarks K-5 (Common Core Language Standards K–5) [L]

Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students: Grade 5 students:

Conventions of Standard English Conventions of Standard English Conventions of Standard English

3.10.1.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard

English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs,

adjectives, and adverbs in general and their

functions in particular sentences.

Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns.

Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).

Form and use regular and irregular verbs.

Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will

walk) verb tenses.

Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent

agreement.*

Form and use comparative and superlative

adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them

depending on what is to be modified.

Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

Produce simple, compound, and complex

sentences.

4.10.1.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English grammar and usage when

writing or speaking.

Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom,

which, that) and relative adverbs (where,

when, why).

Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was

walking; I am walking; I will be walking)

verb tenses.

Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may,

must) to convey various conditions.

Order adjectives within sentences

according to conventional patterns (e.g.,

a small red bag rather than a red small bag).

Form and use prepositional phrases.

Produce complete sentences, recognizing

and correcting inappropriate fragments

and run-ons.*

Correctly use frequently confused words

(e.g., to, too, two; there, their).*

5.10.1.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English grammar and usage when

writing or speaking.

Explain the function of conjunctions,

prepositions, and interjections in general

and their function in particular sentences.

Form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked;

I have walked; I will have walked) verb tenses.

Use verb tense to convey various times,

sequences, states, and conditions.

Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts

in verb tense.*

Use correlative conjunctions (e.g.,

either/or, neither/nor).

3.10.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard

English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when

writing.

Capitalize appropriate words in titles.

Use commas in addresses.

Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.

Form and use possessives.

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and

other studied words and for adding suffixes to base

words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).

Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g.,

word families, position-based spellings, syllable

patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in

writing words.

Consult reference materials, including beginning

dictionaries, as needed to check and correct

spellings.

4.10.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English capitalization, punctuation,

and spelling when writing.

Use correct capitalization.

Use commas and quotation marks to

mark direct speech and quotations from a

text.

Use a comma before a coordinating

conjunction in a compound sentence.

Spell grade-appropriate words correctly,

consulting references as needed.

5.10.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English capitalization, punctuation,

and spelling when writing.

Use punctuation to separate items in a

series.*

Use a comma to separate an introductory

element from the rest of the sentence.

Use a comma to set off the words yes and

no (e.g., Yes, thank you), to set off a tag

question from the rest of the sentence

(e.g., It’s true, isn’t it?), and to indicate

direct address (e.g., Is that you, Steve?).

Use underlining, quotation marks, or

italics to indicate titles of works.

Spell grade-appropriate words correctly,

consulting references as needed.

Grade 3 students: Grade 4 students: Grade 5 students:

Knowledge of Language

3.10.3.3

Use knowledge of language and its

conventions when writing, speaking, reading,

or listening.

Choose words and phrases for effect.*

Recognize and observe differences

between the conventions of spoken and

written standard English.

4.10.3.3

Use knowledge of language and

its

conventions when writing,

speaking,

reading, or listening.

Choose words and phrases to

convey

ideas precisely.*

Choose punctuation for effect.*

Differentiate between contexts

that

call for formal English

(e.g.,

presenting ideas) and

situations

where informal

discourse is

appropriate (e.g.,

small-group

discussion).

5.10.3.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions

when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for

meaning, reader/listener interest, and

style.

Compare and contrast the varieties of

English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in

stories, dramas, or poems.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

3.10.4.4

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.

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the

meaning of a word or phrase.

Determine the meaning of the new word

formed when a known affix is added to a

known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable,

comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless,

heat/preheat).

Use a known root word as a clue to the

meaning of an unknown word with the

same root (e.g., company, companion).

Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries,

both print and digital, to determine or

clarify the precise meaning of key words

and phrases.

4.10.4.4

Determine or clarify the meaning of

unknown

and multiple-meaning words and

phrases based

on grade 4 reading and content,

choosing flexibly

from a range of strategies.

Use context (e.g., definitions, examples,

restatements in text) as a clue to the

meaning

of a word or phrase.

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek

and

Latin affixes and roots as clues to

the

meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph,

photograph, autograph).

Consult reference materials (e.g.,

dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses),

both

print and digital, to find the

pronunciation

and determine or clarify

the precise meaning

of key words and

phrases.

5.10.4.4

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.

Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships

and comparisons in text) as a clue to the

meaning of a word or phrase.

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and

Latin affixes and roots as clues to the

meaning of a word (e.g., photograph,

photosynthesis).

Consult reference materials (e.g.,

dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both

print and digital, to find the pronunciation

and determine or clarify the precise

meaning of key words and phrases.

Grade 3 students: Grade 4 students: Grade 5 students:

3.10.5.5

Demonstrate understanding of word

relationships and nuances in word meanings to

develop word consciousness.

Distinguish the literal and nonliteral

meanings of words and phrases in context

(e.g., take steps).

Identify real-life connections between

words and their use (e.g., describe people

who are friendly or helpful).

Distinguish shades of meaning among

related words that describe states of mind

or degrees of certainty (e.g., knew, believed,

suspected, heard, wondered).

4.10.5.5

Demonstrate understanding of figurative

language, word relationships, and nuances in

word meanings to develop word

consciousness.

Explain the meaning of simple similes and

metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in

context.

Recognize and explain the meaning of

common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

Demonstrate understanding of words by

relating them to their opposites (antonyms)

and to words with similar but not identical

meanings (synonyms).

5.10.5.5

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language,

word relationships, and nuances in word meanings

to develop word consciousness.

Interpret figurative language, including similes

and metaphors, in context.

Recognize and explain the meaning of common

idioms, adages, and proverbs.

Use the relationship between particular words

(e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to

better understand each of the words.

3.10.6.6 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).

4.10.6.6 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).

5.10.6.6 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).

Language Progressive Skills, by Grade

The following skills, marked with an asterisk (*) in Language standards 1–3, are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to

increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking.

Standard

9-10

11-12

L.3.1f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Yes

L.3.3a Choose word and phrases for effect.

Yes

L.4.1.f Produce and complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and

run-ons.

Yes

L.4.1g Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to/too/two; there/their).

Yes

L.4.3a Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.*

Yes

L.4.3b Choose punctuation for effect.

Yes

L.5.1.d Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.

Yes

L.5.2 Use punctuation to separate items in a series.+

Yes

L.6.1c Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.

Yes

L.6.1.d Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).

Yes

L.6.1.e Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing and speaking,

and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.

Yes

L.6.2 Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical

elements.

Yes

L.6.3 Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest and style.++

Yes

L.6.3b Maintain consistency in style and tone.

Yes

L.7.1c Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and

dangling modifiers.

Yes

L.7.3a Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating

wordiness and redundancy.

Yes

L.8.1d Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.

Yes

L.9-10.1a Use parallel structure.

Yes

* Subsumed by L.7.3a

Subsumed by L.9–10.1a

Subsumed by L.11–12.3a

Standard

Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading K–5

Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors

Qualitative evaluation of the text: Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and

knowledge demands

Quantitative evaluation of the text: Readability measures and other scores of text complexity

Matching reader to text and task: Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences) and task

variables (such as purpose and the complexity generated by the task assigned and

the questions posed)

Note: More detailed information on text complexity and how it is measured is contained in Appendix A.

Range of Text Types for K–5

Students in K–5 apply the Reading standards to the following range of text types, with texts selected from a broad range of cultures and periods.

Literature

Informational Text

Stories Dramas Poetry

Literary Nonfiction and Historical, Scientific, and Technical

Texts

Includes children’s adventure

stories, folktales, legends, fables,

fantasy, realistic fiction, and myth

Includes staged dialogue

and brief familiar scenes

Includes nursery rhymes and the subgenres

of the narrative poem, limerick,

and free verse poem

Includes biographies and autobiographies; books about history, social

studies, science, and the arts; technical texts, including directions,

forms, and information displayed in graphs, charts, or maps; and digital

sources on a range of topics

Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, and Range of Student Reading K–5

* Read-aloud

** Read-along

Literature: Stories, Drama, Poetry

Informational Texts: Literary Nonfiction and

Historical, Scientific, and Technical Texts

 Over in the Meadow by John Langstaff (traditional) (c1800)*

 A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer (1967)

 A Story, A Story by Gail E. Haley (1970)*

 Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola (1978)

 Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (2004)*



The Legend of the Ladyslipper by Lise Lunge-Larsen (2004)**

 My Five Senses by Aliki (1962)**

 Truck by Donald Crews (1980)

 I Read Signs by Tana Hoban (1987)

 What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (2003)*

 Amazing Whales! by Sarah L. Thomson (2005)*



Pow Wow: Niimiwin Everyone Dance by Leah Savage (2009)**

 “Mix a Pancake” by Christina G. Rossetti (1893)**

 Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater (1938)*

 Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

(1957)**

 Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel (1971)**

 Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (2006)

 Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith (2000)

 A Tree Is a Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla, illustrated by Stacey Schuett (1960)**

 Starfish by Edith Thacher Hurd (1962)

 Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean by Arthur Dorros (1991)**

 From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer, illustrated by James Graham Hale

(2004)*

 How People Learned to Fly by Fran Hodgkins and True Kelley (2007)*

2–3

 “Who Has Seen the Wind?” by Christina G. Rossetti (1893)

 Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (1952)*

 Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (1985)

 Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens (1995)

 Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mark Teague (2001)

 The Gift Horse- A Lakota Story by S. D. Nelson (1999)

 A Medieval Feast by Aliki (1983)

 From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons (1991)

 The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (1995)*

 A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick (1997)

 Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca (2009)

 Fearless John-The Legend of John Beargrease by Kelly Emerling Rauzi

(2006)*

4–5



Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)

 “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1888)

 The Black Stallion by Walter Farley (1941)

 “Zlateh the Goat” by Isaac Bashevis Singer (1984)

 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (2009)

 Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet by Melvin Berger (1992)

 Hurricanes: Earth’s Mightiest Storms by Patricia Lauber (1996)

 A History of US by Joy Hakim (2005)

 Horses by Seymour Simon (2006)

 Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea by Sy

Montgomery (2006)

 Ininatig’s Gift of Sugar: Traditional Native Sugarmaking by Laura

Waterman Wittstock (1993)

 A Native American Thought of It: Amazing Inventions and Innovations

by Rocky Landon (2008)

Note: Given space limitations, the illustrative texts listed above are meant only to show individual titles that are representative of a wide range of topics and genres. (See Appendix B for excerpts of

these and other texts illustrative of K–5 text complexity, quality, and range.) At a curricular or instructional level, within and across grade levels, texts need to be selected around topics or themes that

generate knowledge and allow students to study those topics or themes in depth. On the next page is an example of progressions of texts building knowledge across grade levels. Children at the

kindergarten and grade 1 levels should be expected to read texts independently that have been specifically written to correlate to their reading level and their word knowledge. Many of the titles listed

above are meant to supplement carefully structured independent reading with books to read along with a teacher or that are read aloud to students to build knowledge and cultivate a joy in reading.

Staying on Topic Within a Grade and Across Grades:

How to Build Knowledge Systematically in English Language Arts K–5

Building knowledge systematically in English language arts is like giving children various pieces of a puzzle in each grade that, over time, will form one big picture. At a curricular or instructional

level, texts—within and across grade levels—need to be selected around topics or themes that systematically develop the knowledge base of students. Within a grade level, there should be an

adequate number of titles on a single topic that would allow children to study that topic for a sustained period. The knowledge children have learned about particular topics in early grade levels should

then be expanded and developed in subsequent grade levels to ensure an increasingly deeper understanding of these topics. Children in the upper elementary grades will generally be expected to read

these texts independently and reflect on them in writing. However, children in the early grades (particularly K–2) should participate in rich, structured conversations with an adult in response to the

written texts that are read aloud, orally comparing and contrasting as well as analyzing and synthesizing, in the manner called for by the Standards.

Preparation for reading complex informational texts should begin at the very earliest elementary school grades. What follows is one example that uses domain-specific nonfiction titles across grade

levels to illustrate how curriculum designers and classroom teachers can infuse the English language arts block with rich, age-appropriate content knowledge and vocabulary in history/social studies,

science, and the arts. Having students listen to informational read-alouds in the early grades helps lay the necessary foundation for students’ reading and understanding of increasingly complex texts on

their own in subsequent grades. The following is an example of using informational texts across the grade levels to build concepts around a particular topic. In developing a

reading program the science standards should be consulted for topics that are taught at each grade level to best connect content learning activities and motivate student

reading.

Exemplar Texts on a Topic

Across Grades

K 1 2–3 4–5

The Human Body

Students can begin learning about

the human body starting in

kindergarten and then review and

extend their learning during each

subsequent grade.

The five senses and associated

body parts

 My Five Senses by Aliki (1989)

 Hearing by Maria Rius (1985)

 Sight by Maria Rius (1985)

 Smell by Maria Rius (1985)

 Taste by Maria Rius (1985)

 Touch by Maria Rius (1985)

Taking care of your body:

Overview (hygiene, diet, exercise,

rest)

 My Amazing Body: A First Look at

Health & Fitness by Pat Thomas

(2001)

 Get Up and Go! by Nancy

Carlson (2008)

 Go Wash Up by Doering

Tourville (2008)

 Sleep by Paul Showers (1997)

 Fuel the Body by Doering

Tourville (2008)

Introduction to the systems of

the human body and associated

body parts

 Under Your Skin: Your Amazing

Body by Mick Manning (2007)

 Me and My Amazing Body by

Joan Sweeney (1999)

 The Human Body by Gallimard

Jeunesse (2007)

 The Busy Body Book by Lizzy

Rockwell (2008)

 First Encyclopedia of the Human

Body by Fiona Chandler

(2004)

Taking care of your body:

Germs, diseases, and preventing

illness

 Germs Make Me Sick by Marilyn

Berger (1995)

 Tiny Life on Your Body by

Christine Taylor-Butler

(2005)

 Germ Stories by Arthur

Kornberg (2007)

 All About Scabs by

GenichiroYagu (1998)

Digestive and excretory systems

 What Happens to a Hamburger by Paul

Showers (1985)

 The Digestive System by Christine Taylor-

Butler (2008)

 The Digestive System by Rebecca L.

Johnson (2006)

 The Digestive System by Kristin Petrie

(2007)

Taking care of your body: Healthy eating

and nutrition

 Good Enough to Eat by Lizzy Rockwell

(1999)

 Showdown at the Food Pyramid by Rex

Barron (2004)

Muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems

 The Mighty Muscular and Skeletal Systems

Crabtree Publishing (2009)

 Muscles by Seymour Simon (1998)

 Bones by Seymour Simon (1998)

 The Astounding Nervous System Crabtree

Publishing (2009)

 The Nervous System by Joelle Riley (2004)

Circulatory system

 The Heart by Seymour Simon (2006)

 The Heart and Circulation by Carol

Ballard (2005)

 The Circulatory System by Kristin Petrie

(2007)

 The Amazing Circulatory System by John

Burstein (2009)

Respiratory system

 The Lungs by Seymour Simon (2007)

 The Respiratory System by Susan Glass

(2004)

 The Respiratory System by Kristin Petrie

(2007)

 The Remarkable Respiratory System by

John Burstein (2009)

Endocrine system

 The Endocrine System by Rebecca Olien

(2006)

 The Exciting Endocrine System by John

Burstein (2009)

Standards for

English Language Arts

6–12

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

The grades 6-12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do

by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards

below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements-the former providing

broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity-that together define the skills and understandings

that all students must demonstrate.

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite

specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key

supporting details and ideas.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Craft and Structure

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative,

and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of

the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and

quantitatively, as well as in words.*

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the

reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to

compare the approaches the authors take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

10.

Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

*Please see “Research to Build and Present Knowledge” in Writing and “Comprehension and

Collaboration” in Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy for additional standards relevant to

gathering, assessing, and applying information from print and digital sources.

Note on range and content

of student reading

To become college and career ready,

students must grapple with works of

exceptional craft and thought whose range

extends across genres, cultures, and

centuries. Such works offer profound

insights into the human condition and serve

as models for students’ own thinking and

writing. Along with high-quality

contemporary works, these texts should be

chosen from among seminal U.S.

documents, the classics of American

literature, and the timeless dramas of

Shakespeare. Through wide and deep

reading of literature and literary nonfiction

of steadily increasing sophistication,

students gain a reservoir of literary and

cultural knowledge, references, and

images; the ability to evaluate intricate

arguments; and the capacity to surmount

the challenges posed by complex texts.

Through motivation and engagement,

students also acquire the habits of reading

independently and closely, which are

essential to their future success.

Key Ideas and Details

Reading Benchmarks: Literature 6-12 (Common Core Reading Standards for Literature 6–12) [RL]

The following standards offer a focus for instruction each year and help ensure that students gain adequate exposure to a range of texts and tasks. Rigor is also infused through the

requirement that students read increasingly complex texts through the grades. To enhance motivation and engagement, students should have daily opportunities to

choose topics and text of interest to them, often determine how to undertake and complete literacy tasks, and regularly respond to text in a variety of

ways. Students advancing through the grades are engaged in more difficult texts and are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and

understandings mastered in preceding grades. (Standards for Vocabulary Acquisition are detailed in the Language Strand starting on p. 72.)

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

Key Ideas and Details Key Ideas and Details Key Ideas and Details

6.4.1.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of

what the text says explicitly as well as

inferences drawn from the text.

7.4.1.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support

analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as

inferences drawn from the text.

8.4.1.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly

supports an analysis of what the text says

explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the

text.

6.4.2.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text

and how it is conveyed through particular

details; provide a summary of the text

distinct from personal opinions or

judgments.

7.4.2.2 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.

8.4.2.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text,

including those by and about Minnesota

American Indians, and analyze its

development over the course of the text,

including its relationship to the characters,

setting, and plot; provide an objective summary

of the text.

6.4.3.3 Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s

plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as

how the characters respond or change as the

plot moves toward a resolution.

7.4.3.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama

interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or

plot).

8.4.3.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or

incidents in a story or drama propel the action,

reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

Craft and Structure Craft and Structure Craft and Structure

6.4.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and

phrases as they are used in a text, including

figurative and connotative meanings;

analyze the impact of a specific word

choice on meaning and tone.

7.4.4.4 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.

8.4.4.4 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.

6.4.5.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter,

scene, or stanza fits into the overall

structure of a text and contributes to the

development of the theme, setting, or plot.

7.4.5.5 Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure

(e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.

8.4.5.5 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.

6.4.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point

of view of the narrator or speaker in a text,

including those by or about

Minnesota American Indians.

7.4.6.6 Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the

points of view of different characters or narrators in a

text, including those from diverse cultures.

8.4.6.6 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.

Grade 6 students: Grade 7 students: Grade 8 students:

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

6.4.7.7 Compare and contrast the experience of

reading a story, drama, or poem to

listening to or viewing an audio, video, or

live version of the text, including

contrasting what they “see” and “hear”

when reading the text to what they

perceive when they listen or watch.

7.4.7.7

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).

8.4.7.7

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.

6.4.8.8 (Not applicable to literature)

7.4.8.8

(Not applicable to literature)

8.4.8.8

(Not applicable to literature)

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

6.4.9.9 Compare and contrast texts in different

forms or genres including those by and

about Minnesota American Indians

(e.g., stories and poems; historical novels

and fantasy stories) in terms of their

approaches to similar themes and topics.

7.4.9.9

Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal,

including those in stories, poems, and

historical novels of Minnesota American

Indians, 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.

8.4.9.9

Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws

on themes, patterns of events, or character

types from myths, traditional stories,

including stories, poems, and historical

novels of Minnesota American Indians,

or religious works such as the Bible, including

describing how the material is rendered new.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

6.4.10.10

By the end of the year, read and

comprehend literature and other texts

including stories, dramas, and poems, in

the grades 6–8 text complexity band

proficiently and independently with

appropriate scaffolding for texts at

the high end of the range.

Self-select texts for personal

enjoyment, interest and

academic tasks.

Read widely to understand

multiple perspectives and

pluralistic viewpoints.

7.4.10.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend

literature and other texts including stories,

dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text

complexity band proficiently and

independently with appropriate scaffolding

for texts at the high end of the range.

Self-select texts for personal enjoyment,

interest and academic tasks.

Read widely to understand multiple

perspectives and pluralistic viewpoints.

8.4.10.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend

literature and other texts including stories,

dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text

complexity band proficiently and

independently with appropriate

scaffolding for texts at the high end of the

range.

Self-select texts for personal

enjoyment, interest and academic

tasks.

Read widely to understand multiple

perspectives and pluralistic

viewpoints.

Reading Benchmarks: Literature 6-12 (Common Core Reading Standards for Literature 6–12) [RL]

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the

latter providing additional specificity.

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Key Ideas and Details

9.4.1.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the

text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

11.4.1.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the

text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including

determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

9.4.2.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its

development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is

shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the

text.

11.4.2.2

Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their

development over the course of the text, including how they interact and

build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective

summary of the text.

9.4.3.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting

motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other

characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

11.4.3.3

Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and

relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action

is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

Craft and Structure Craft and Structure

9.4.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,

including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact

of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes

a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

11.4.4.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,

including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific

word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings

or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include

Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

9.4.5.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order

events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing,

flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

11.4.5.5

Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts

of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to

provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and

meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

9.4.6.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work

of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of

world literature.

11.4.6.6

Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what

is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm,

irony, or understatement).

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

9.4.7.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic

mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g.,

Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of

Icarus).

11.4.7.7

Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or

live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each

version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and

one play by an American dramatist.)

9.4.8.8 (Not applicable to literature)

11.4.8.8

(Not applicable to literature)

Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

9.4.9.9

Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a

specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or

the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare or how a

Minnesota American Indian author uses oral tradition to create

works of literature).

11.4.9.9 Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-

century foundational works of American literature, including American

Indian and other diverse cultures’ texts and how two or more texts

from the same period treat similar themes or topics.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

9.4.10.10

By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature and other texts

including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text complexity

band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Self-select texts for personal enjoyment, interest, and

academic tasks.

Read widely to understand multiple perspectives and

pluralistic viewpoints.

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literature and other texts

including stories, dramas, and poems at the high end of the grades 9–10

text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Self-select texts for personal enjoyment, interest, and

academic tasks.

Read widely to understand multiple perspectives and

pluralistic viewpoints.

11.4.10.10

By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature and other texts

including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11–CCR text

complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of

the range.

Self-select texts for personal enjoyment, interest, and

academic tasks.

Read widely to understand multiple perspectives and

pluralistic viewpoints.

By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature and other texts

including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11–CCR

text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Self-select texts for personal enjoyment, interest, and

academic tasks.

Read widely to understand multiple perspectives and

pluralistic viewpoints.

Reading Benchmarks: Informational Text 6-12 (Common Core Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12) [RI]

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

Key Ideas and Details Key Ideas and Details Key Ideas and Details

6.5.1.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what

the text says explicitly as well as inferences

drawn from the text.

7.5.1.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support

analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as

inferences drawn from the text.

8.5.1.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly

supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly

as well as inferences drawn from the text.

6.5.2.2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is

conveyed through particular details; provide a

summary of the text distinct from personal

opinions or judgments.

7.5.2.2 Determine two or more central ideas in a text

and analyze their development over the course of

the text; provide an objective summary of the

text.

8.5.2.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its

development over the course of the text, including

its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an

objective summary of the text.

6.5.3.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or

idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in

a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

7.5.3.3 Analyze the interactions between individuals,

events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas

influence individuals or events, or how

individuals influence ideas or events).

8.5.3.3 Analyze how a text makes connections among and

distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events

(e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or

categories).

Craft and Structure Craft and Structure Craft and Structure

6.5.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as

they are used in a text, including figurative,

connotative, and technical meanings.

7.5.4.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as

they are used in a text, including figurative,

connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the

impact of a specific word choice on meaning and

tone.

8.5.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as

they are used in a text, including figurative,

connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the

impact of specific word choices on meaning and

tone, including analogies or allusions to other

texts.

6.5.5.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph,

chapter, or section fits into the overall structure

of a text and contributes to the development of

the ideas.

7.5.5.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a

text, including how the major sections contribute

to the whole and to the development of the ideas.

8.5.5.5

Analyze in detail the structure of a specific

paragraph in a text, including the role of particular

sentences in developing and refining a key

concept.

6.5.6.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose

in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the

text.

7.5.6.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose

in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes

his or her position from that of others.

8.5.6.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in

a text and analyze how the author acknowledges

and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Grade 6 students: Grade 7 students: Grade 8 students:

6.5.7.7 Integrate information presented in different

media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively)

as well as in words to develop a coherent

understanding of a topic or issue.

7.5.7.7

Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video,

or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each

medium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the

delivery of a speech affects the impact of the

words).

8.5.7.7 Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using

different mediums (e.g., print or digital text,

video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or

idea.

6.5.8.8 Trace and evaluate the argument and specific

claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are

supported by reasons and evidence from claims

that are not.

7.5.8.8. Trace and evaluate the argument and specific

claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning

is sound and the evidence is relevant and

sufficient to support the claims.

8.5.8.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific

claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is

sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient;

recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

6.5.9.9 Compare and contrast one author’s

presentation

of events, including events

related to

Minnesota American Indians,

with that of

another (e.g., a memoir written by

and a

biography on the same person).

7.5.9.9 Analyze how two or more authors writing

about

the same topic including topics about

Minnesota American Indians; shape their

presentations of key information by emphasizing

different evidence or advancing different

interpretations of facts.

8.5.9.9 Analyze a case in which two or more texts,

including one text by or about Minnesota

American Indians or other diverse

cultures, provide conflicting information on the

same topic and identify where the texts disagree

on matters of fact or interpretation.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

6.5.10.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend

literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text

complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as

needed at the high end of the range.

Self-select texts for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic

tasks.

7.5.10.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend

literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text

complexity band independently and

proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the

high end of the range.

Self-select texts for personal

enjoyment, interest and academic

tasks.

8.5.10.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend

literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6–

8 text complexity band independently and

proficiently.

Self-select texts for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic

tasks.

Reading Benchmarks: Informational Text 6-12 (Common Core Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12) [RI]

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the

latter providing additional specificity.

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Key Ideas and Details

9.5.1.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the

text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

11.5.1.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text

says

explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining

where the text leaves matters uncertain.

9.5.2.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the

course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by

specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

11.5.2.2

Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development

over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one

another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the

text.

9.5.3.3 Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events,

including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced

and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.

11.5.3.3

Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific

individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

Craft and Structure Craft and Structure

9.5.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,

including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the

cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how

the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

11.5.4.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,

including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author

uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text

(e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).

9.5.5.5 Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined

by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a

section or chapter).

11.5.5.5

Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or

her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear,

convincing, and engaging.

9.5.6.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how

an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

11.5.6.6

Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric

is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the

power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

9.5.7.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a

person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details

are emphasized in each account.

11.5.7.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different

media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to

address a question or solve a problem.

9.5.8.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing

whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient;

identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.

11.5.8.8

Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the

application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S.

Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and

arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential

addresses).

Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

9.5.9.9 Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance

(e.g., Washington’s Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address,

Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,”

and other documents such as those written by Sojourner Truth,

Chief Seattle, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton), including how they

address related themes and concepts.

11.5.9.9

Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S.

documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of

Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln’s

Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

9.5.10.10

By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the

grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed

at the high end of the range.

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high

end of the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and

proficiently.

Self-select texts for personal enjoyment, interest, and

academic tasks.

11.5.10.10

By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades

11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the

high end of the range.

By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end

of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Self-select texts for personal enjoyment, interest, and academic

tasks.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by

the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below

by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad

standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings

that

all students must demonstrate.

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and

relevant and sufficient evidence.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and

accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Write narratives and other creative texts to develop real or imagined experiences or events using

effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Writing Process: Production and Distribution of Writing

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to

task, purpose, and audience.

Use a writing process to develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, drafting, revising,

editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate

with others.

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating

understanding of the subject under investigation.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy

of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

10.

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 tasks, purposes, and audiences.

*These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for definitions of key writing types.

Note on range and content

of student writing

For students, writing is a key means of asserting and

defending claims, showing what they know about a

subject, and conveying what they have experienced,

imagined, thought, and felt. Creative writing,

including but not limited to fiction, poetry, drama,

and creative nonfiction, is a valuable tool

contributing to a writer’s growing awareness of

audience, structure, style, and other literary features

of a text. To be college- and career- ready writers,

students must be able to independently take task,

topic, purpose, and audience into careful

consideration, choosing words, information,

structures, and formats deliberately. They need to

know how to combine elements of different kinds of

writing—for example, to use narrative strategies

within argument and explanation within narrative—to

produce complex and nuanced writing. They need to

be able to use technology strategically when

creating, refining, and collaborating on writing. They

have to become adept at gathering information,

evaluating sources, and citing material accurately,

reporting findings from their research and analysis of

sources in a clear and cogent manner. Effective

writers are familiar with and practice a writing

process. They must have the flexibility,

concentration, and fluency to produce high-quality

first-draft text under a tight deadline as well as the

capacity to revisit ,

reflect and make improvements

to a piece of writing over multiple drafts when

circumstances encourage or require it.

Text Types and Purposes*

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Writing Benchmarks 6-12 (Common Core Standards 6–12) [W]

The following standards for grades 6–12 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications. Each year in their

writing, students should demonstrate increasing sophistication in all aspects of language use, from vocabulary and syntax to the development and organization of ideas, and they should

address increasingly demanding content and sources. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and

understandings mastered in preceding grades. The expected growth in student writing ability is reflected both in the standards themselves and in the collection of annotated student writing

samples in Appendix C. (Conventions of written English are detailed in the Language Strand starting on p. 72.)

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

Text Types and Purposes

6.7.1.1

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons

and relevant evidence.

Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and

evidence clearly.

Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant

evidence, using credible sources and

demonstrating an understanding of the topic or

text.

Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the

relationships among claim(s) and reasons.

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Provide a concluding statement or section that

follows from the argument presented.

7.7.1.1

Write arguments to support claims with clear

reasons and relevant evidence.

Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate

or opposing claims, and organize the

reasons and evidence logically.

Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and

relevant evidence, using accurate, credible

sources and demonstrating an

understanding of the topic or text.

Use words, phrases, and clauses to create

cohesion and clarify the relationships among

claim(s), reasons, and evidence.

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Provide a concluding statement or section

that follows from and supports the

argument presented.

8.7.1.1

Write arguments to support claims with clear

reasons and relevant evidence.

Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and

distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or

opposing claims, and organize the reasons

and evidence logically.

Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and

relevant evidence, using accurate, credible

sources and demonstrating an

understanding of the topic or text.

Use words, phrases, and clauses to create

cohesion and clarify the relationships

among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons,

and evidence.

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Provide a concluding statement or section

that follows from and supports the

argument presented.

6.7.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a

topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information

through the selection, organization, and analysis of

relevant content.

Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and

information, using strategies such as definition,

classification, comparison/contrast, and

cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings),

graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia

when useful to aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic with relevant facts,

7.7.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to

examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts,

and information through the selection,

organization, and analysis of relevant content.

Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what

is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and

information, using strategies such as

definition, classification,

comparison/contrast, and cause/effect;

include formatting (e.g., headings

graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and

8.7.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to

examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts,

and information through the selection,

organization, and analysis of relevant content.

Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what

is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and

information into broader categories,

include formatting (e.g., headings),

graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and

multimedia when useful on aiding

comprehension.

Grade 6 students: Grade 7 students: Grade 8 students:

definitions, concrete details, quotations, or

other information and examples.

Use appropriate transitions to clarify the

relationships among ideas and concepts.

Use precise language and domain-specific

vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Provide a concluding statement or section that

follows from the information or explanation

presented.

multimedia when useful to aiding

comprehension.

Develop the topic with relevant facts,

definitions, concrete details, quotations,

or other information and examples.

Use appropriate transitions to create

cohesion and clarify the relationships

among ideas and concepts.

Use precise language and domain-specific

vocabulary to inform about or explain the

topic.

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Provide a concluding statement or section

that follows from and supports the

information or explanation presented.

Develop the topic with relevant, well-

chosen facts, definitions, concrete details,

quotations, or other information and

examples.

Use appropriate and varied transitions to

create cohesion and clarify the relationships

among ideas and concepts.

Use precise language and domain-specific

vocabulary to inform about or explain the

topic.

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Provide a concluding statement or section

that follows from and supports the

information or explanation presented.

6.7.3.3

Write narratives and other creative texts to

develop real or imagined experiences or events using

effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and

well-structured event sequences.

Engage and orient the reader by establishing a

context and introducing a narrator and/or

characters; organize an event sequence that

unfolds naturally and logically.

Use literary and narrative techniques, such as

dialogue, pacing, rhythm and description, to

develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and

clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts

from one time frame or setting to another.

Use precise words and phrases, relevant

descriptive details, figurative and sensory

language to convey experiences and events.

Provide a conclusion (when appropriate to

the genre) that follows from the narrated

experiences or events.

7.7.3.3

Write narratives and other creative texts

to develop real or imagined experiences or

events using effective technique, relevant

descriptive details, and well-structured event

sequences.

Engage and orient the reader by

establishing a context and point of view

and introducing a narrator and/or

characters; organize an event sequence

that unfolds naturally and logically.

Use literary and narrative techniques,

such as dialogue, pacing, rhythm,

rhyme, and description, to develop

experiences, events, and/or characters.

Use a variety of transition words, phrases,

and clauses to convey sequence and signal

shifts from one time frame or setting to

another.

Use precise words and phrases, relevant

descriptive details, figurative and

sensory language to capture the action and

convey experiences and events.

Provide a conclusion (when

appropriate to the genre) that follows

8.7.3.3

Write narratives and other creative texts to

develop real or imagined experiences or events

using effective technique, relevant descriptive

details, and well-structured event sequences.

Engage and orient the reader by

establishing a context and point of view

and introducing a narrator and/or

characters; organize an event sequence

that unfolds naturally and logically.

Use literary and narrative techniques,

such as dialogue, pacing, description,

rhythm, repetition, rhyme, and

reflection, to develop experiences,

events, and/or characters.

Use a variety of transition words, phrases,

and clauses to convey sequence, signal

shifts from one time frame or setting to

another, and show the relationships

among experiences and events.

Use precise words and phrases, relevant

descriptive details, figurative and

sensory language to capture the action and

convey experiences and events.

Provide a conclusion (when

Grade 6 students: Grade 7 students: Grade 8 students:

from and reflects on the narrated

experiences or events.

appropriate to the genre) that

follows from and reflects on the narrated

experiences or events.

Writing Process: Production and Distribution of Writing Writing Process: Production and Distribution of Writing Writing Process: Production and Distribution of Writing

6.7.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the

development, organization, and style are

appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-

specific expectations for writing types are defined in

standards 1–3 above.)

7.7.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which

the development, organization, and style are

appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

(Grade-specific expectations for writing types

are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

8.7.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which

the development, organization, and style are

appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

(Grade-specific expectations for writing types

are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

6.7.5.5 With some guidance and support from peers and

adults, use a writing process to develop and

strengthen writing as needed by planning,

drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a

new approach. (Editing for conventions should

demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3

up to and including grade 6 on page 73.)

7.7.5.5 With some guidance and support from peers

and adults, use a writing process to

develop and strengthen writing as needed by

planning, drafting, revising, editing,

rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing

on how well purpose and audience have been

addressed. (Editing for conventions should

demonstrate command of Language standards

1–3 up to and including grade 7 on page 73.)

8.7.5.5 With some guidance and support from peers

and adults, use a writing process to

develop and strengthen writing as needed by

planning, drafting, revising, editing,

rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing

on how well purpose and audience have been

addressed. (Editing for conventions should

demonstrate command of Language standards

1–3 up to and including grade 8 on page 73.)

6.7.6.6 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 three pages in a single sitting.

7.7.6.6 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.

8.7.6.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to

produce and publish writing and present the

relationships between information and ideas

efficiently as well as to interact and

collaborate with others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge Research to Build and Present Knowledge Research to Build and Present Knowledge

6.7.7.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a

question, drawing on several sources and refocusing

the inquiry when appropriate.

7.7.7.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a

question, drawing on several sources and

generating additional related, focused

questions for further research and

investigation.

8.7.7.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a

question (including a self-generated

question), drawing on several sources and

generating additional related, focused

questions that allow for multiple avenues of

exploration.

6.7.8.8

Gather relevant information from multiple print

and digital sources; assess the credibility of each

source; and quote or paraphrase the data and

conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and

providing basic bibliographic information for

7.7.8.8 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

8.7.8.8 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

Grade 6 students: Grade 7 students: Grade 8 students:

sources.

plagiarism and following a standard format for

citation.

plagiarism and following a standard format

for citation.

6.7.9.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts

to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literature

(e.g., “Compare and contrast texts in different

forms or genres including those by and

about Minnesota American Indians [e.g.,

stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy

stories] in terms of their approaches to similar

themes and topics”).

Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literary

nonfiction (e.g., “Trace and evaluate the

argument and specific claims in a text,

distinguishing claims that are supported by

reasons and evidence from claims that are not”).

7.7.9.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational

texts to support analysis, reflection, and

research.

Apply grade 7 Reading standards to

literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast

a fictional portrayal, including those

in stories, poems, and historical

novels of Minnesota American

Indians, 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”).

Apply grade 7 Reading standards

to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Trace and

evaluate the argument and specific

claims in a text, assessing whether the

reasoning is sound and the evidence is

relevant and sufficient to support the

claims”).

8.7.9.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational

texts to support analysis, reflection, and

research.

Apply grade 8 Reading standards to

literature (e.g., “Analyze how a modern

work of fiction draws on themes, patterns

of events, or character types from myths,

traditional stories, including stories,

poems, and historical novels of

Minnesota American Indians, or

religious works such as the Bible,

including describing how the material is

rendered new”).

Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary

nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate

the argument and specific claims in a text,

assessing whether the reasoning is sound

and the evidence is relevant and sufficient;

recognize when irrelevant evidence is

introduced”).

Range of Writing Range of Writing Range of Writing

6.7.10.10

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.

Independently select writing topics and

formats for personal enjoyment,

interest, and academic tasks.

7.7.10.10

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.

Independently select writing topics

and formats for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic

tasks.

8.7.10.10

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.

Independently select writing topics

and formats for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic

tasks.

Writing Benchmarks 6-12 (Common Core Writing Standards 6–12) [W]

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the latter

providing additional specificity.

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Text Types and Purposes

9.7.1.1

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,

using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or

opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear

relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each

while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that

anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.

Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text,

create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and

reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and

counterclaims.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to

the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports

the argument presented.

11.7.1.1

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,

using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the

claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and

create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims,

reasons, and evidence.

Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the

most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and

limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge

level, concerns, values, and possible biases.

Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major

sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between

claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s)

and counterclaims.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to

the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports

the

argument presented.

9.7.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas,

concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective

selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to

make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g.,

headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to

aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts,

extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information

and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the

text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas

and concepts.

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the

complexity of the topic.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending

to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports

the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications

11.7.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas,

concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection,

organization, and analysis of content.

Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so

that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified

whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables),

and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant

facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other

information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the

topic.

Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections

of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex

ideas and concepts.

Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as

metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to

the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports

Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

or the significance of the topic).

the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or

the

significance of the topic).

9.7.3.3

Write narratives and other creative texts develop real or imagined

experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-

structured event sequences.

Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or

observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and

introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of

experiences or events.

Use literary and narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing,

rhythm, repetition, rhyme, description, reflection, and multiple plot

lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one

another to create a coherent whole.

Use precise words and phrases, telling details, figurative and sensory

language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting,

and/or characters.

Provide a conclusion (when appropriate to the genre) that follows

from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the

course of the narrative or creative text.

11.7.3.3

Write narratives and other creative texts to develop real or imagined

experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-

structured event sequences.

Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or

observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of

view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth

progression of experiences or events.

Use literary and narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, rhythm,

repetition, rhyme, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to

develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one

another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and

outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).

Use precise words and phrases, telling details, figurative and sensory

language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting,

and/or characters.

Provide a conclusion (when appropriate to the genre) that follows

from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the

course of the narrative or creative text.

Writing Process:

Production and Distribution of Writing

Writing Process:

Production and Distribution of Writing

9.7.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,

and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific

expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

11.7.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,

and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific

expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

9.7.5.5 Use a writing process to develop and strengthen writing as needed by

planning, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach,

focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and

audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language

standards 1–3 up to and including grades 9

–

10 on page 75.)

11.7.5.5 Use a writing process to develop and strengthen writing as needed by

planning, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach,

focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and

audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language

standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11

–

12 on page 75.)

9.7.6.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update

individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s

capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and

dynamically.

11.7.6.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update

individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback,

including new arguments or information.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge Research to Build and Present Knowledge

9.7.7.7

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a

question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or

broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the

subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

11.7.7.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question

(including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the

inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject,

demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

9.7.8.8

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital

11.7.8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital

Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each

source in answering the research question; integrate information into the

text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and

following a standard format for citation.

sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations

of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate

information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding

plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format

for citation.

9.7.9.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,

reflection, and research.

Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an

author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g.,

how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a

later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”).

Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate

and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether

the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify

false statements and fallacious reasoning”).

11.7.9.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,

reflection, and research.

Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate

knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century

foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts

from the same period treat similar themes or topics”).

Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate

and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of

constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme

Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and

arguments in works of public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential

addresses]”).

Range of Writing Range of Writing

9.7.10.10

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 tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Independently select writing topics and formats for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic tasks.

11.7.10.10

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

tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Independently select writing topics and formats for personal

enjoyment, interest, and academic tasks.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking,

Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy

The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able

to do by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor

standards below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the

former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the

skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse

partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,

quantitatively, and orally.

Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of

reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and

audience.

Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance

understanding of presentations.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of

formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Media Literacy

Critically analyze information found in electronic, print, and mass media and use a

variety of these sources.

Communicate using traditional or digital multimedia formats and digital writing and

publishing for a specific purpose.

Note on range and content

of student speaking and listening

To become college and career ready, students

must have ample opportunities to take part in a

variety of rich, structured conversations—as part

of a whole class, in small groups, and with a

partner—built around important content in various

domains. They must be able to contribute

appropriately to these conversations, to make

comparisons and contrasts, and to analyze and

synthesize a multitude of ideas in accordance

with the standards of evidence appropriate to a

particular discipline. Whatever their intended

major or profession, high school graduates will

depend heavily on their ability to listen attentively

to others so that they are able to build on others’

meritorious ideas while expressing their own

clearly and persuasively.

New technologies have broadened and expanded

the role that speaking and listening play in

acquiring and sharing knowledge and have

tightened their link to other forms of

communication. The Internet has accelerated the

speed at which connections between speaking,

listening, reading, and writing can be made,

requiring that students be ready to use these

modalities nearly simultaneously. Technology

itself is changing quickly, creating a new urgency

for students to be adaptable in response to

change.

Comprehension and Collaboration

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Benchmarks 6–12 (Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12) [SL]

The following standards for grades 6–12 offer a focus for instruction in each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications. Students advancing

through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. (Conventions of spoken English are

detailed in the Language Strand starting on p. 72.)

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students: Grade 8 students:

6.9.1.1 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.

7.9.1.1

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.

8.9.1.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and

issues,

building on others’ ideas and expressing their

own

clearly.

Come to discussions prepared, having read

studied required material; explicitly draw

that preparation by referring to evidence

the topic, text, or issue to probe and

reflect

on ideas under discussion.

Follow rules for collegial discussions, set

specific goals and deadlines, and define

individual roles as needed.

Pose and respond to specific questions with

elaboration and detail by making comments

that contribute to the topic, text, or issue

under discussion.

Review the key ideas expressed and

demonstrate understanding of multiple

perspectives through reflection and

paraphrasing.

Cooperate, mediate, and problem solve

to make decisions as appropriate for

productive group discussion.

Come to discussions prepared, having read

researched material under study;

explicitly

draw on that preparation by

referring to

evidence on the topic, text, or

issue to probe

and reflect on ideas under

discussion.

Follow rules for collegial discussions, track

progress toward specific goals and deadlines,

and define individual roles as needed.

Pose questions that elicit elaboration and

respond to others’ questions and comments

with relevant observations and ideas that

bring the discussion back on topic as needed.

Acknowledge new information expressed by

others and, when warranted, modify their

own views.

Cooperate, mediate, and problem

solve to make decisions as

appropriate for productive group

discussion.

Come to discussions prepared, having read

researched material under study;

explicitly

draw on that preparation by

referring to

evidence on the topic, text, or

issue to probe

and reflect on ideas under

discussion.

Follow rules for collegial discussions and

decision-making, track progress toward specific

goals and deadlines, and define individual roles

as needed.

Pose questions that connect the ideas of several

speakers and respond to others’ questions and

comments with relevant evidence, observations,

and ideas.

Acknowledge new information expressed by

others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify

their own views in light of the evidence

presented.

Cooperate, mediate, and problem solve

to make decisions or build consensus as

appropriate for productive group

discussion.

6.9.2.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally)

and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or

issue under study.

7.9.2.2

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.

8.9.2.2 Analyze the purpose of information presented in

diverse media and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives

(e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its

presentation.

Comprehension and Collaboration

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

6.9.3.3 Delineate a speaker’s argument, specific claims,

and intended audience, distinguishing claims

that are supported by reasons and evidence from

claims that are not.

7.9.3.3 Delineate a speaker’s argument, specific claims,

and intended audience, evaluating the

soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and

sufficiency of the evidence.

8.9.3.3 Delineate and respond to a speaker’s argument,

specific claim, and intended audience,

evaluating

the soundness of the reasoning and

relevance and

sufficiency of the evidence and

identifying when

irrelevant evidence is introduced.

6.9.4.4

Present claims and findings, respect intellectual

properties, sequence ideas logically and using

pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to

7.9.4.4

Present claims and findings, respect intellectual

properties, emphasize salient points in a focused,

coherent manner with pertinent descriptions,

8.9.4.4

Present claims and findings, respect intellectual

properties emphasize salient points in a focused,

coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound

accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate

eye contact, adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation.

facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye

contact, adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation.

valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use

appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and

clear pronunciation.

6.9.5.5

Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics,

7.9.5.5

Include multimedia components and visual

8.9.5.5

Integrate multimedia and visual displays into

images, music, sound) and visual displays in

displays in presentations to clarify claims and

presentations to clarify information, strengthen

presentations to clarify information.

findings and emphasize salient points.

claims and evidence, and add interest.

6.9.6.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts, audiences,

7.9.6.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts,

8.9.6.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts, audiences,

tasks, and feedback from self and others,

audiences, tasks, and feedback from self

tasks, and feedback from self and others,

demonstrating command of formal English when

and others, demonstrating command of formal

demonstrating command of formal English when

indicated or appropriate. (See grade 6 Language

English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade

indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language

standards 1 and 3 on page 73 for specific

7 Language standards 1 and 3 on page 73 for

standards 1 and 3 on page 73 for specific

expectations.)

specific expectations.)

expectations.)

6.9.7.7

Understand, analyze, and use different

types of print, digital, and multimodal

media.

Evaluate mass media with regard to

quality of production (e.g., film,

television, radio, advertisements).

Evaluate mass media with regard to

accuracy of information, bias,

stereotype, purpose, message and target

audience (e.g., film, television, radio,

video games, print and digital media,

advertisements).

Recognize ethical standards and safe

practices in social and personal media

communications.

7.9.7.7

Understand, analyze, and use different

types of print, digital, and multimodal

media.

Evaluate mass media with regard to

quality of production, accuracy of

information, bias, stereotype, purpose,

message and target audience (e.g., film,

television, radio, video games, and

advertisements).

Analyze the messages and points of

view employed in different media (e.g.,

advertising, news programs, websites,

video games, blogs, documentaries).

Recognize ethical standards and safe

practices in social and personal media

communications.

8.9.7.7

Understand, analyze, and use different

types of print, digital, and multimodal

media.

Evaluate mass media with regard to

quality of production, accuracy of

information, bias, stereotype, purpose,

message and target audience (e.g., film,

television, radio, video games,

advertisements).

Critically analyze the messages and

points of view employed in different

media (e.g., advertising, news

programs, websites, video games, blogs,

documentaries).

Analyze design elements of various

kinds of media productions to observe

that media messages are constructed for

a specific purpose

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Grade 6 students: Grade 7 students: Grade 8 students:

Recognize ethical standards and safe

practices in social and personal media

communications.

6.9.8.8

As an individual or in collaboration,

create an informative multimedia work

or a piece of digital communication or

contribute to an online collaboration for

a specific purpose.

Demonstrate a developmentally

appropriate understanding of

Fair Use, Creative Commons

licenses

and the effect of genre on

conventions of attribution and

citation.

Publish the work and share with an

audience.

7.9.8.8 As an individual or in collaboration,

create an artistic or entertaining

multimedia work or a piece of digital

communication or contribute to an

online collaboration for a specific

purpose.

Demonstrate a developmentally

appropriate understanding of

Fair Use, Creative Commons licenses

and the effect of genre on

conventions of attribution and

citation.

Publish the work and share with an

audience.

8.9.8.8 As an individual or in collaboration, create a

persuasive multimedia work or a piece of

digital communication or contribute to an

online collaboration for a specific purpose.

a. Demonstrate a developmentally

appropriate understanding of copyright,

attribution, principles of Fair Use,

Creative Commons licenses and the

effect of genre on conventions of

attribution and citation.

b. Publish the work and share with an

audience.

Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Benchmarks 6–12 (Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12) [SL]

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the latter

providing additional specificity.

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Comprehension and Collaboration

9.9.1.1

Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-

one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts,

and issues, including those by and about Minnesota American Indians,

building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study;

explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other

research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange

of ideas.

Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making

(e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate

views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.

Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the

current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others

into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement

and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and

understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning

presented.

11.9.1.1

Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one,

in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and

issues, including those by and about Minnesota American Indians, building

on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study;

explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts

and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned

exchange of ideas.

Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making,

set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.

Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe

reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic

or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote

divergent and creative perspectives.

Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and

evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and

determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the

investigation or complete the task.

9.9.2.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats

(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each

source.

11.9.2.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media

(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve

problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any

discrepancies among the data.

9.9.3.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, intended audience, and use of

evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or

distorted evidence.

11.9.3.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, intended audience, and use of

evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word

choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

Presentation

of Knowledge and Ideas

9.9.4.4 While respecting intellectual property, present information, findings, and

supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow

the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are

appropriate to purpose, audience, and task (e.g., persuasion, argumentation,

debate).

11.9.4.4 While respecting intellectual property, present information, findings, and

supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners

can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed,

and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose,

audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks (e.g., persuasion,

argumentation, debate).

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

9.9.5.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and

interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings,

reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

11.9.5.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and

interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings,

reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

9.9.6.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts, audiences, tasks, and feedback from self

and others, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or

appropriate. (See grades 9–10 Language standards 1 and 3 on pages 75 for

specific expectations.)

a. Apply assessment criteria to evaluate oral presentations by self

and others.

11.9.6.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts, audiences, tasks, and feedback from self

and others, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or

appropriate. (See grades 11–12 Language standards 1 and 3 on page 75 for specific

expectations.)

Apply assessment criteria to evaluate oral presentations by self and

others.

Media Literacy

9.9.7.7

Understand, analyze, evaluate, and use different types of print,

digital, and multimodal media.

Evaluate the content and effect of persuasive techniques used in

different mass media.

Synthesize information and recognize categories, trends, and

themes across multiple sources.

Demonstrate an understanding of ethics in mass communication

and describe the characteristics of ethical and unethical behavior.

Recognize ethical standards and safe practices in social and

personal media communications, and understand the

consequences of personal choices.

11.9.7.7

Understand, analyze, evaluate, and use different types of print,

digital, and multimodal media.

Evaluate the aural, visual, and written images and other special

effects used in mass media for their ability to inform, persuade, and

entertain.

Examine the intersections and conflicts between visual (e.g., media

images, painting, film, graphic arts) and verbal messages.

Recognize how visual techniques or design elements (e.g., special

effects, camera angles) carry or influence messages in various

media.

Recognize ethical standards and safe practices in social and

personal media communications, and understand the

consequences of personal choices.

9.9.8.8

As an individual or in collaboration, create a multimedia work, a

remix of original work and the work of others, or a piece of digital

communication for a specific purpose (e.g., to interpret or respond

to a piece of literature, to represent thematic similarities between

two literary works, to interact or collaborate globally, to critique a

current event or social issue.)

Present, transform, or remix content in an ethical manner,

demonstrating an understanding of copyright, attribution,

citation, the principles of Fair Use, and of the different types of

Creative Commons licenses.

Publish the work and share with an audience.

11.9.8.8

As an individual or in collaboration, create a multimedia work, a

remix of original work and the work of others, or a piece of digital

communication for a specific purpose (e.g., to connect literature to a

culture or a literary period, to recast a piece of literature into a

different time period or culture, to critique popular culture, to create

a parody or satire).

Present, transform or remix content in an ethical manner,

demonstrating an understanding of copyright, attribution,

citation, the principles of Fair Use, and the different types of

Creative Commons licenses.

Publish the work and share with an audience.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Language Standards

The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able

to do by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor

standards below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the

former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the

skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

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.

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to

make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or

listening.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using

context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference

materials, as appropriate.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word

meanings.

Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases

sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level;

demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or

phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Note on range and content of student

language use

To be college and career ready in language,

students must have firm control over the

conventions of standard English. At the same

time, they must come to appreciate that

language is as at least as much a matter of craft

as of rules and be able to choose words, syntax,

and punctuation to express themselves and

achieve particular functions and rhetorical

effects. They must also have extensive

vocabularies, built through reading and study,

enabling them to comprehend complex texts

and engage in purposeful writing about and

conversations around content. They need to

become skilled in determining or clarifying the

meaning of words and phrases they encounter,

choosing flexibly from an array of strategies to

aid them. They must learn to see an individual

word as part of a network of other words—words,

for example, that have similar denotations but

different connotations. The inclusion of

Language standards in their own strand should

not be taken as an indication that skills related

to conventions, effective language use, and

vocabulary are unimportant to reading, writing,

speaking, and listening; indeed, they are

inseparable from such contexts.

Knowledge of Language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Language Benchmarks 6-12 (Common Core Language Standards English 6-12) [L]

The following standards for grades 6–12 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications. Students advancing

through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. Beginning in grade 3, skills and

understandings that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking are marked with an

asterisk (*). (See the table on page 77 for a complete listing and Appendix A for an example of how these skills develop in sophistication.)

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

Conventions of Standard English

6.11.1.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English grammar and usage when

writing or speaking.

Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case

(subjective, objective, possessive).

Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself,

ourselves).

Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts

in pronoun number and person.*

Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e.,

ones with unclear or ambiguous

antecedents).*

Recognize variations from standard English

in their own and others' writing and

speaking, and identify and use strategies to

improve expression in conventional

language.

7.11.1.1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English grammar and usage when

writing or speaking.

Explain the function of phrases and clauses

in general and their function in specific

sentences.

Choose among simple, compound,

complex, and compound-complex

sentences to signal differing relationships

among ideas.

Place phrases and clauses within a sentence,

recognizing and correcting misplaced and

dangling modifiers.*

8.11.1.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English grammar and usage when writing

or speaking.

Explain the function of verbals (gerunds,

participles, infinitives) in general and their

function in particular sentences.

Form and use verbs in the active and passive

voice.

Form and use verbs in the indicative,

imperative, interrogative, conditional, and

subjunctive mood.

Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in

verb voice and mood.*

6.11.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English capitalization, punctuation,

and spelling when writing.

Use punctuation (commas, parentheses,

dashes) to set off

nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.*

Spell correctly.

7.11.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English capitalization, punctuation,

and spelling when writing.

Use a comma to separate coordinate

adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable

movie but not He wore an old[,] green shirt).

Spell correctly.

8.11.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English capitalization, punctuation, and

spelling when writing.

Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to

indicate a pause or break.

Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.

Spell correctly.

Knowledge of Language

6.11.3.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions

when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Vary sentence patterns for meaning,

reader/listener interest, and style.*

Maintain consistency in style and tone.*

7.11.3.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions

when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Choose language that expresses ideas

precisely and concisely, recognizing and

eliminating wordiness and redundancy.*

8.11.3.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions

when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in

the conditional and subjunctive mood to

achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing

the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty

or describing a state contrary to fact).

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

6.11.4.4

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.

Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a

sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or

function in a sentence) as a clue to the

meaning of a word or phrase.

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or

Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning

of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).

Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,

glossaries, thesauruses), both print

and digital, to find the pronunciation of a

word

or determine or clarify its precise

meaning or

its part of speech.

Verify the preliminary determination of the

meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by

checking the inferred meaning in context or in

a dictionary).

7.11.4.4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown

and multiple-meaning words and phrases based

on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly

from a range of strategies.

Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a

sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or

function in a sentence) as a clue to the

meaning of a word or phrase.

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or

Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning

of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).

Consult general and specialized reference

materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries,

thesauruses), both print and digital, to find

the pronunciation of a word or determine or

clarify its precise meaning or its part of

speech.

Verify the preliminary determination of the

meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by

checking the inferred meaning in context or in

a dictionary).

8.11.4.4

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.

Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a

sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or

function in a sentence) as a clue to the

meaning of a word or phrase.

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or

Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning

of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).

Consult general and specialized reference

materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries,

thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the

pronunciation of a word or determine or

clarify its precise meaning or its part of

speech.

Verify the preliminary determination of the

meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by

checking the inferred meaning in context or in

a dictionary).

6.11.5.5

Demonstrate understanding of figurative

language, word relationships, and nuances in

word meanings to extend word

consciousness.

Interpret figures of speech (e.g.,

personification) in context.

Use the relationship between particular words

(e.g., cause/effect, part/whole,

item/category) to better understand each of

the words.

Distinguish among the connotations

(associations) of words with similar

denotations (definitions) (e.g., stingy,

scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).

7.11.5.5

Demonstrate understanding of figurative

language, word relationships, and nuances in

word meanings to extend word

consciousness.

Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary,

biblical, and mythological allusions) in

context.

Use the relationship between particular

words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to

better understand each of the words.

Distinguish among the connotations

(associations) of words with similar

denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined,

respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).

8.11.5.5

Demonstrate understanding of figurative

language, word relationships, and nuances in

word meanings to extend word

consciousness.

Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony,

puns) in context.

Use the relationship between particular words

to better understand each of the words.

Distinguish among the connotations

(associations) of words with similar

denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded,

willful, firm, persistent, resolute).

6.11.6.6 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.

7.11.6.6 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.

8.11.6.6 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.

Language Benchmarks 6-12 (Common Core Language Standards English 6-12) [L]

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the latter

providing additional specificity.

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Conventions of Standard English

9.11.1.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage

when writing or speaking.

Use parallel structure.*

b. Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial,

prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative,

adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or

presentations.

11.11.1.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage

when writing or speaking.

Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can change over

time, and is sometimes contested.

b. Resolve issues of complex or contested usage, consulting references (e.g.,

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, Garner’s Modern American Usage) as

needed.

9.11.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,

punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely

related independent clauses.

Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.

Spell correctly.

11.11.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,

punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Observe hyphenation conventions.

Spell correctly.

Knowledge of Language

9.11.3.3

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different

contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more

fully when reading or listening.

Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g.,

MLA Handbook, Turabian’s Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and

writing type.

11.11.3.3

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different

contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more

fully when reading or listening.

Vary syntax for effect, consulting references (e.g., Tufte’s Artful Sentences) for

guidance as needed; apply an understanding of syntax to the study of complex

texts when reading.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

9.11.4.4

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and

phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of

strategies.

Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a

word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or

phrase.

Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different

meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).

Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,

glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a

word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its

etymology.

Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g.,

by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

11.11.4.4

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and

phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of

strategies.

Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a

word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or

phrase.

Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different

meanings or parts of speech (e.g., conceive, conception, conceivable).

Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,

glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a

word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, its

etymology, or its standard usage.

Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g.,

by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

9.11.5.5

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances

in word meanings.

Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze

their role in the text.

Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

11.11.5.5

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances

in word meanings.

Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze

their role in the text.

Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

9.11.6.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases,

sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career

readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when

considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

11.11.6.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and

phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and

career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary

knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or

expression.

Language Progressive Skills, by Grade

The following skills, marked with an asterisk (*) in Language standards 1–3, are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied

to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking

Standard

9-10

11-12

L.3.1f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Yes

L.3.3a Choose word and phrases for effect.

Yes

L.4.1.f Produce and complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and

run-ons.

Yes

L.4.1g Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to/too/two; there/their).

Yes

L.4.3a Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.*

Yes

L.4.3b Choose punctuation for effect.

Yes

L.5.1.d Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.

Yes

L.5.2 Use punctuation to separate items in a series.+

Yes

L.6.1c Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.

Yes

L.6.1.d Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).

Yes

L.6.1.e Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing and speaking,

and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.

Yes

L.6.2 Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical

elements.

Yes

L.6.3 Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest and style.++

Yes

L.6.3b Maintain consistency in style and tone.

Yes

L.7.1c Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and

dangling modifiers.

Yes

L.7.3a Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating

wordiness and redundancy.

Yes

L.8.1d Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.

Yes

L.9-10.1a Use parallel structure.

Yes

* Subsumed by L.7.3a

Subsumed by L.9–10.1a

Subsumed by L.11–12.3a

Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading 6–12

Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors

Qualitative evaluation of the text: Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and

knowledge demands

Quantitative evaluation of the text: Readability measures and other scores of text complexity

Matching reader to text and task: Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences) and task

variables (such as purpose and the complexity generated by the task assigned and

the questions posed)

Note: More detailed information on text complexity and how it is measured is contained in Appendix A.

Range of Text Types for 6–12

Students in grades 6–12 apply the Reading standards to the following range of text types, with texts selected from a broad range of cultures and periods.

Literature

Informational Text

Stories Drama Poetry Literary Nonfiction

Includes the subgenres of adventure stories,

historical fiction, mysteries, myths, science

fiction, realistic fiction, allegories, parodies,

satire, and graphic novels

Includes one-act and

multi-act plays, both in

written form and on

film

Includes the subgenres of

narrative poems, lyrical

poems, free verse poems,

sonnets, odes, ballads, and

epics

Includes the subgenres of exposition, argument, and functional text in

the form of personal essays, speeches, opinion pieces, essays about art or

literature, biographies, memoirs, journalism, and historical, scientific,

technical, or economic accounts (including digital sources) written for a

broad audience

Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, and Range of Student Reading 6–12

Literature: Stories, Dramas, Poetry Informational Texts: Literary Nonfiction

6–8

 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1869)

 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (1876)

 “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost (1915)

 The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)

 Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (1975)

 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (1976)

 The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich (2002)

 “Letter on Thomas Jefferson” by John Adams (1776)

 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick

Douglass (1845)

 “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: Address to Parliament on May 13th, 1940” by

Winston Churchill (1940)

 Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry (1955)

 Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck (1962)

 The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday (1969)



The Four Hills of Life by Tom Peacock (2006)

9–10

 The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1592)

 “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1817)

 “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe (1845)

 “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry (1906)

 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)

 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)

 The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (1975)

 “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry (1775)

 “Farewell Address” by George Washington (1796)

 “Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln (1863)

 “State of the Union Address” by Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1941)

 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1964)

 “Hope, Despair and Memory” by Elie Wiesel (1997)

 Night Flying Woman by Ignatia Broker (1983)

11–CCR

 “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats (1820)

 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1848)

 “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson (1890)

 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

 Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937)

 A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (1959)

 The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (2003)

 Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (1986)

 Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776)

 Walden by Henry David Thoreau (1854)

 “Society and Solitude” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1857)

 “The Fallacy of Success” by G. K. Chesterton (1909)

 Black Boy by Richard Wright (1945)

 “Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell (1946)

 “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry” by Rudolfo Anaya (1995)

Note: Given space limitations, the illustrative texts listed above are meant only to show individual titles that are representative of a range of topics and genres. (See Appendix B

for excerpts of these and other texts illustrative of grades 6–12 text complexity, quality, and range.) At a curricular or instructional level, within and across grade levels,

texts need to be selected around topics or themes that generate knowledge and allow students to study those topics or themes in depth.

Standards for

Literacy in History/Social Studies,

Science, and Technical Subjects

6–12

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able

do by the end of each grade span. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR)

anchor

standards below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary

complements—the

former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that

together define the

skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate. For the purposes

of these standards, a

“text” may include primary and secondary sources, including but

not exclusive to, print

documents, statutes, newspaper articles, legal decisions,

paintings, maps, globes,

photographs, architecture, oral histories, art forms, and

objects.

Key Ideas and Details

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite

specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key

supporting details and ideas.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Craft and Structure

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical,

connotative,

and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or

tone.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions

the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and

quantitatively, as well as in words.*

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the

reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or

compare the approaches the authors take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

10.

Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

*Please see “Research to Build and Present Knowledge” in Writing for additional standards relevant to

gathering, assessing, and applying information from print and digital sources.

Note on range and content

of student reading

Reading is critical to building knowledge in

history/social studies as well as in science and

technical subjects. College and career ready

Reading Benchmarks: Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-12 (Common Core Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies

6–12)

[RH]

The standards below begin at grade 6; standards for K–5 reading in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are integrated into the K–5 Reading standards. The CCR

anchor standards and high school standards in literacy work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the latter

providing additional specificity.

Grades 6–8 students: Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

Key Ideas and Details Key Ideas and Details Key Ideas and Details

6.12.1.1 Cite specific textual, visual or physical

evidence to support analysis of primary and

secondary sources.

9.12.1.1 Cite specific textual visual or physical

evidence to support analysis of primary and

secondary sources, attending to such features as

the date and origin of the information.

11.12.1.1

Cite specific textual visual or physical

evidence to support analysis of primary and

secondary sources, connecting insights gained

from specific details to an understanding of the

text as a whole.

6.12.2.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a

primary or secondary source; provide an

accurate summary of the source distinct from

prior knowledge or opinions.

9.12.2.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a

primary or secondary source; provide an

accurate summary of how key events or ideas

develop over the course of the text.

11.12.2.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a

primary or secondary source; provide an

accurate summary that makes clear the

relationships among the key details and ideas.

6.12.3.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a

process related to history/social studies (e.g.,

how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are

raised or lowered, how individuals become

noteworthy, how ideas develop, how

geography influences history).

9.12.3.3 Analyze in detail a series of events described in

a text; determine whether earlier events caused

later ones or simply preceded them.

11.12.3.3 Evaluate various explanations for actions or

events and determine which explanation best

accords with textual evidence, acknowledging

where the text leaves matters uncertain.

Craft and Structure Craft and Structure Craft and Structure

6.12.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as

they are used in a text, including vocabulary

specific to domains related to history/social

studies.

9.12.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as

they are used in a text, including vocabulary

describing political, social, geographic,

historical, or economic aspects of

history/social studies.

11.12.4.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases

as they are used in a text, including analyzing

how an author uses, reinforces, and refines

the meaning of a key term over the course of a

text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in

Federalist No. 10).

6.12.5.5 Describe how a text presents information (e.g.,

sequentially, comparatively, causally).

9.12.5.5 Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize

key points or advance an explanation or

analysis.

11.12.5.5

Analyze in detail how a complex primary or

secondary source is structured, including

how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger

portions of the text contribute to the whole.

6.12.6.6

Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s

or creator’s point of view or purpose (e.g.,

loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of

particular facts or ideas, use of color,

formatting).

9.12.6.6 Compare the point of view of two or more

authors or creators for how they treat the same

or similar topics, including which details they

include and emphasize or exclude in their

respective accounts including points of view

about Minnesota American Indian history

11.12.6.6

Evaluate authors’ differing points of view,

including differing points of view about

Minnesota American Indian history, on

the same historical event or issue by assessing

the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.

Grades 6–8 students: Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

6.12.7.7

Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts,

graphs, photographs, videos, maps) with other

information in print and digital texts.

9.12.7.7 Integrate quantitative or technical analysis

(e.g., charts, maps, research data) with

qualitative analysis in print or digital text.

11.12.7.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of

information presented in diverse formats and

media (e.g., visually, quantitatively,

spatially, aurally, physically as well as in

words) in order to address a question or solve

a problem.

6.12.8.8

Distinguish among fact, opinion, and

reasoned judgment in a text.

9.12.8.8 Assess the extent to which the reasoning and

evidence in a text support the author’s

claims.

11.12.8.8 Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and

evidence by corroborating or challenging

them with other information.

6.12.9.9

Analyze the relationship between a primary

and secondary source on the same topic.

9.12.9.9 Compare and contrast treatments of the

same topic in several primary and secondary

sources, including texts from various

cultures and Minnesota American

Indian culture.

11.12.9.9 Integrate information from diverse sources,

both primary and secondary, into a coherent

understanding of an idea or event, noting

discrepancies among sources.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

6.12.10.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend

history/social studies texts in the grades 6–8

text complexity band independently and

proficiently.

9.12.10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend

history/social studies texts in the grades 9–10

text complexity band independently and

proficiently.

11.12.10.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend

history/social studies texts in the grades 11-

12 text complexity band independently and

proficiently.

Reading Benchmarks: Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6–12 (Common Core Standards for Literacy in Science and

Technical Subjects 6-12) [RST]

These standards should be interpreted to apply to reading any related text including textbooks, newspapers, magazines, Internet, student work,

correspondence and other technical manuals. Instructions should connect understanding of the text to concepts and activities in scientific and technical

investigations.

Grades 6–8 students: Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

Key Ideas and

Key Ideas and Details

6.13.1.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support

analysis of science and technical texts.

9.13.1.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis

of science and technical texts, attending to the

precise details of explanations or descriptions.

11.13.1.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis

of science and technical texts, attending to

important distinctions the author makes and to

any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.

6.13.2.2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a

text; provide an accurate summary of the text

distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

9.13.2.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a

text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of

a complex process, phenomenon, or concept;

provide an accurate summary of the text.

11.13.2.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a

text; summarize complex concepts, processes,

or information presented in a text by

paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate

terms.

6.13.3.3. Follow precisely a multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments, designing

solutions, taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks.

9.13.3.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure

when carrying out experiments, designing

solutions, taking measurements, or performing

technical tasks, attending to special cases

(constraints) or exceptions defined in

the text.

11.13.3.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure

when carrying out experiments, designing

solutions, taking measurements, or performing

technical tasks; analyze the specific results based

on explanations in the text.

Craft and

Craft and Structure

6.13.4.4. Determine the meaning of symbols,

equations, graphical representations,

tabular representations, key terms, and

other domain-specific words and phrases as they

are used in a specific scientific or technical

context relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics.

9.13.4.4 Determine the meaning of symbols,

equations, graphical representations,

tabular representations, key terms, and

other domain-specific words and phrases as they

are used in a specific scientific or technical

context relevant to grades 9–10 texts and topics.

11.13.4.4

Determine the meaning of symbols,

equations, graphical representations,

tabular representations, key terms, and

other domain-specific words and phrases as they

are used in a specific scientific or technical

context relevant to grades 11–12 texts and topics.

6.13.5.5. Analyze the structure an author uses to organize

a text, including how the major sections

contribute to the whole and to an understanding

of the topic.

9.13.5.5 Analyze the structure of the relationships among

concepts in a text, including relationships

among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction

force, energy).

11.13.5.5

Analyze how the text structures information or

ideas into categories or hierarchies,

demonstrating understanding of the information

or ideas.

6.13.6.6 Analyze the author’s purpose in describing

phenomena, providing an explanation,

describing a procedure, or

discussing/reporting an experiment in a text.

9.13.6.6 Analyze the author’s purpose in describing

phenomena, providing an explanation,

describing a procedure, or

discussing/reporting an experiment in a text,

defining the question the author seeks to

address.

11.13.6.6

Analyze the author’s purpose in describing

phenomena, providing an explanation,

describing a procedure, or

discussing/reporting an experiment in a text,

identifying important issues and questions

that remain unresolved.

Grades 6–8 students: Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

6.13.7.7 Compare and integrate quantitative or

technical information expressed in words in a

text with a version of that information

expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart,

diagram, model, graph, table, map).

9.13.7.7 Translate quantitative or technical

information expressed in words in a text

into visual form (e.g., a table or chart)

and translate information expressed

visually or mathematically (e.g., in an

equation) into words.

11.13.7.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of

information presented in diverse formats and

media (e.g., quantitative data, video,

multimedia) in order to address a question or

solve a problem.

6.13.8.8 Distinguish among claims, evidence,

reasoning, facts, and reasoned judgment

based on research findings, and speculation in

a text.

9.13.8.8 Assess the extent to which the reasoning

and evidence in a text support the

author’s claim or a recommendation for

solving a scientific or technical problem.

11.13.8.8 Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and

conclusions in a science or technical text,

verifying the data when possible and

corroborating or challenging conclusions with

other sources of information.

6.13.9.9 Compare and contrast the information gained

from experiments, simulations, video, or

multimedia sources with that gained from

reading a text on the same topic.

9.13.9.9 Compare and contrast findings presented

in a text to those from other sources

(including their own experiments),

noting when the findings support or

contradict previous explanations or

accounts.

11.13.9.9 Synthesize information from a range of sources

(e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a

coherent understanding of a process,

phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting

information when possible.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

6.13.10.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend

science/technical texts in the grades 6–8 text

complexity band independently and proficiently.

9.13.10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and

comprehend science/technical texts in

the grades 9–10 text complexity band

independently and proficiently.

11.13.10.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend

science/technical texts in the grades 11-12

text complexity band independently and

proficiently.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the

end of each grade span. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by

number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing

broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that

all students must demonstrate.

Text Types and Purposes*

1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and

relevant and sufficient evidence.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and

accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen

details and well-structured event sequences.

Writing Process: Production and Distribution of Writing

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,

purpose, and audience.

Use a writing process to develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, drafting, revising,

editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with

others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating

understanding of the subject under investigation.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each

source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

10. 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 tasks, purposes, and audiences.

*These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for definitions of key writing types.

Note on range and content

of student writing

For students, writing is a key means of

asserting and defending claims, showing

what they know about a subject, and

conveying what they have experienced,

imagined, thought, and felt. To be college

and career ready writers, students must

able to independently take task, topic,

purpose, and audience into careful

consideration, choosing words, information,

structures, and formats deliberately. They

need to be able to use technology

strategically when creating, refining, and

collaborating on writing. They have to

become adept at gathering information,

evaluating sources, and citing material

accurately, reporting findings from their

research and analysis of sources in a clear

and cogent manner. They must have the

flexibility, concentration, and fluency to

produce high-quality first-draft text under a

tight deadline and the capacity to revisit

and make improvements to a piece of

writing over multiple drafts when

circumstances encourage or require it. To

meet these goals, students must devote

significant time and effort to writing,

producing numerous pieces over short and

long time frames throughout the year.

Writing Benchmarks: Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 6–12 (Common Core

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 6-12) [WHST]

The standards below begin at grade 6; standards for K–5 writing in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are integrated into the K–5 Writing standards. The CCR

anchor standards and high school standards in literacy work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing

additional specificity.

Grades 6–8 students: Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

Text Types and Purposes

6.14.1.1

Write arguments focused on discipline-

specific content.

Introduce claim(s) about a topic or

issue, acknowledge and distinguish the

claim(s) from alternate or opposing

claims, and organize the reasons and

evidence logically.

Support claim(s) with logical reasoning

and relevant, accurate data and credible

evidence that demonstrate an

understanding of the topic or text, using

credible sources.

Use words, phrases, and clauses to create

cohesion and clarify the relationships

among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons,

and evidence.

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Provide a concluding statement or

section that follows from and supports

the argument presented.

9.14.1.1

Write arguments focused on discipline-specific

content.

a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the

claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims,

and create an organization that establishes

clear relationships among the claim(s),

counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly,

supplying data and credible evidence for

each while pointing out the strengths and

limitations of both claim(s) and

counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate

form and in a manner that anticipates the

audience’s knowledge level and concerns.

c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the

major sections of the text, create cohesion,

and clarify the relationships between claim(s)

and reasons, between reasons and evidence,

and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

d. Establish and maintain a formal style and

objective tone while attending to the norms

and conventions of the discipline in which

they are writing.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section

that follows from or supports the argument

presented.

11.14.1.1

Write arguments focused on discipline-specific

content.

a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s),

establish the significance of the claim(s),

distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or

opposing claims, and create an organization

that logically sequences the claim(s),

counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and

thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data

and credible evidence for each while

pointing out the strengths and limitations of

both claim(s) and counterclaims in a

discipline-appropriate form that anticipates

the audience’s knowledge level, concerns,

values, and possible biases.

c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as

varied syntax to link the major sections of the

text, create cohesion, and clarify the

relationships between claim(s) and reasons,

between reasons and evidence, and between

claim(s) and counterclaims.

d. Establish and maintain a formal style and

objective tone while attending to the norms

and conventions of the discipline in which

they are writing.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section that

follows from or supports the argument

presented.

Grades 6–8 students:

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

6.14.2.2.

Write informative/explanatory texts, as they

apply to each discipline and reporting

format, including the narration of historical

events, of scientific procedures/ experiments,

or description of technical processes.

a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing

what is to follow; organize ideas,

concepts, and information into broader

categories as appropriate to achieving

purpose; include formatting (e.g.,

headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables),

and multimedia when useful to aiding

comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with relevant,

credible, sufficient, and well-chosen

facts, definitions, concrete details,

quotations, or other information and

examples.

c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to

create cohesion and clarify the

relationships among ideas and concepts.

d. Use precise language and domain-specific

vocabulary to inform about or explain the

topic.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style and

objective tone.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section

that follows from and supports the

information or explanation presented.

9.14.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts, as

they

apply to each discipline and

reporting

format, including the narration of

historical

events, of scientific procedures/

experiments,

or description of technical

processes.

a. Introduce a topic and organize ideas,

concepts, and information to make

important connections and distinctions;

include formatting (e.g., headings),

graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and

multimedia when useful to aiding

comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with well-chosen,

relevant, credible and sufficient facts,

extended definitions, concrete details,

quotations, or other information and

examples appropriate to the audience’s

knowledge of the topic.

c. Use varied transitions and sentence

structures to link the major sections of the

text, create cohesion, and clarify the

relationships among ideas and concepts.

d. Use precise language and domain-specific

vocabulary to manage the complexity of

the topic and convey a style appropriate to

the discipline and context as well as to the

expertise of likely readers.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style and

objective tone while attending to the

norms and conventions of the discipline in

which they are writing.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section

that follows from and supports the

information or explanation presented

(e.g., articulating implications or the

significance of the topic).

11.14.2.2

Write informative/explanatory texts, as they

apply to each discipline and reporting

format, including the narration of historical

events, of scientific procedures/ experiments,

or description of technical processes.

Introduce a topic and organize complex

ideas, concepts, and information so that

each new element builds on that which

precedes it to create a unified whole;

include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics

(e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when

useful to aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting

the most significant, credible, sufficient,

and relevant facts, extended definitions,

concrete details, quotations, or other

information and examples appropriate to the

audience’s knowledge of the topic.

Use varied transitions and sentence

structures to link the major sections of the

text, create cohesion, and clarify the

relationships among complex ideas and

concepts.

Use precise language, domain-specific

vocabulary and techniques such as

metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage

the complexity of the topic; convey a

knowledgeable stance in a style that

responds to the discipline and context as

well as to the expertise of likely readers.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style

and objective tone while attending to

the norms and conventions of the

discipline in which they are writing.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section

that follows from and supports the

information or explanation provided (e.g.,

articulating implications or the significance

of the topic).

Grades 6–8 students: Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

6.14.3.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate

requirement)

9.14.3.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate

requirement)

11.14.3.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate

requirement)

Writing Process: Production and Distribution of Writing

6.14.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which

the development, organization, and style are

appropriate to discipline, task, purpose, and

audience.

9.14.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the

development, organization, and style are

appropriate to discipline, task, purpose, and

audience.

11.14.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in

which the development, organization,

and style are appropriate to discipline,

task, purpose, and audience.

6.14.5.5 With some guidance and support from peers

and adults, use a writing process to

develop and strengthen writing as needed by

planning, drafting, revising, editing,

rewriting, or trying a new approach,

focusing on how well purpose, discipline,

and audience have been addressed.

9.14.5.5 Use a writing process to develop and

strengthen writing as needed by planning,

drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a

new approach, focusing on addressing what is

most significant for a specific purpose and

audience, and appropriate to the discipline.

11.14.5.5 Use a writing process to develop and

strengthen writing as needed by planning,

drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying

a new approach, focusing on addressing what is

most significant for a specific purpose and

audience, and appropriate to the

discipline.

6.14.6.6 Use technology, including, but not

limited to, the Internet, to produce and

publish writing and multi-media texts,

and present the relationships between

information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

9.14.6.6 Use technology, including, but not limited to,

the Internet, to produce, publish, and update

individual or shared writing products and multi-

media texts, taking advantage of technology’s

capacity to link to other information and to display

information flexibly and dynamically.

11.14.6.6 Use technology, including, but not limited to,

the Internet, to produce, publish, and update

individual or shared writing products and

multi-media texts in response to ongoing

feedback, including new arguments or

information.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

6.14.7.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a

question (including a self-generated

question), drawing on several sources and

generating additional related, focused

questions that allow for multiple avenues of

exploration.

9.14.7.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research

projects to answer a question (including a self-

generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or

broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize

ideas from multiple sources on the subject,

demonstrating understanding of the subject under

investigation.

11.14.7.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research

projects to answer a question (including a self-

generated question) or solve a problem; narrow

or broaden the inquiry when appropriate;

synthesize ideas from multiple sources on the

subject, demonstrating understanding of the

subject under investigation.

6.14.8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple

data, print, physical (e.g., artifacts,

objects, images), 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.

9.14.8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple

authoritative data, print, physical (e.g.,

artifacts, objects, images), and digital sources

using advanced searches effectively; assess the

usefulness of each source in answering the research

question; integrate information into the text

selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding

plagiarism and following a standard format for

citation.

11.14.8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple

authoritative data, print, physical (e.g.,

artifacts, objects, images), and digital

sources, using advanced searches effectively;

assess the strengths and limitations of each source

in terms of the specific task, purpose, and

audience; integrate information into the text

selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding

plagiarism and overreliance on any one source

and following a standard format for citation.

Grades 6–8 students: Grades 9–10 students: Grades 11–12 students:

6.14.9.9

Draw evidence from literary or

informational texts to support analysis,

reflection, and research.

9.14.9.9 Draw evidence from literary or

informational texts to support analysis,

reflection, and research.

11.14.9.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational

texts to support analysis, reflection, and

research.

Range of Writing

6.14.10.10

Write routinely over extended time

frames (time for 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.

9.14.10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames

(time for 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.

11.14.10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames

(time for 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.

Note: Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and

informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In

science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others

can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.