Idaho K–6 english language arts standards

Locate a printed word on a page.

Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.

Know that print (not pictures) is what we read, and text holds meaning.

Follow words from left to right with return sweep at the end of each line.

Read left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.

Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).

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

Identify and produce rhyming words.

Count, pronounce, blend, delete, 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 spoken three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words and say the resulting word (Note: This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)

Add, substitute, and delete individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.

Demonstrate knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the most frequent sound for each consonant letter.

Associate the long and short sounds for the five major vowel letters.

Read common high-frequency words with automaticity by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).

Distinguish between similarly spelled CVC words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Form regular plural nouns orally by adding 's' or 'es' sound.

Use interrogatives to ask questions in full sentences (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).

Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with).

Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.

Recognize and name end punctuation.

Spell words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.

Engage in collaborative discussions about grade-level topics and texts with peers by following agreed upon rules for discussions; listening to others and taking turns speaking through at least two exchanges.

With support, confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally by asking and answering questions.

With support, ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.

Describe familiar people, places, things, and events with support.

Digital Communications begin in grade 3.

Text Complexity begins in grade 2.

Regularly engage in listening to a series of texts related to the topics and themes being studied to build knowledge and vocabulary.

Ask and answer questions about key details in texts heard.

Read emergent-reader texts (e.g., rhymes, songs, simple poems) with purpose and understanding.

Retell key details of familiar stories, poems, and nursery rhymes heard.

Describe the connection between characters, settings, and major events in stories heard.

Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of stories.

Define the roles of authors and illustrators in presenting the ideas or information in stories.

Compare and contrast the adventures or experiences of characters in familiar stories heard.

Retell key details of texts heard.

Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in texts heard.

Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of nonfiction texts.

Identify the reasons authors give to support points in texts heard.

Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts heard on the same topic.

Inquiry process begins in grade 1.

Listen to a series of texts organized around a variety of conceptually related topics to build knowledge about the world.

Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., discovering the verb "roll" is also a noun).

Sort common objects into categories (e.g., foods, size) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.

Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their synonyms and antonyms.

Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance).

Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at home that are cozy).

With support, use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading, and listening to texts.

Routinely write or dictate writing for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Print all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Write left to right and top to bottom with appropriate spaces between letters.

Keyboarding skills begin in grade 3.

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

Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds, including consonant blends.

Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds in spoken single-syllable words.

Delete initial and final sounds in spoken single syllable words and say the resulting word.

Segment and blend sequences of individual sounds in spoken single-syllable words.

Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds (e.g., ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, and oe).

Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word.

Learn all the r-controlled vowel patterns (-ar, -er, -ir, -or, -ur) and recognize how they change short vowel recognition and pronunciation.

Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.

Decode frequently encountered words with inflectional endings (e.g., -s, ed, -est).

Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words (e.g., what, said, have).

Use subject-verb agreement in simple sentences.

Match single and plural nouns with matching verbs in simple sentences. (e.g., He hops; We hop).

Form and use the simple verb tenses (past, present, and future) for regular verbs.

Use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their, anyone, everything).

Use frequently occurring adjectives.

Use frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., and, but, or, so, because).

Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, during, under, in, with, at).

Produce and expand complete sentences in response to prompts.

Distinguish among declarative, exclamatory, and interrogative sentences, and use periods, exclamation marks, or question marks at the end of sentences when writing and reading text aloud.

Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series.

Capitalize the first word in a sentence, the first letter of student's name, and the pronoun "I".

Use conventional spelling for words with common, taught spelling patterns and frequently occurring irregular words.

Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.

Engage in collaborative discussions about grade-level topics and texts with peers by listening to others closely, taking turns speaking through multiple exchanges, and asking questions to clear up any confusion.

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.

Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

Digital communications begins in grade 3

Text complexity begins in grade 2.

Regularly engage in reading and listening to a series of texts related to the topics and themes being studied to build knowledge and vocabulary.

Ask and answer questions about key details in texts heard or read.

Read grade-level text with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression to support comprehension in successive readings.

Retell the beginning, middle, and end of familiar stories (including fables and fairy tales) with key details heard or read, demonstrating understanding of their central messages or morals.

Describe the connection between characters, settings, and major events in stories heard, using key details.

Describe major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information.

Describe who is telling stories heard or read at various points in texts.

Compare and contrast the adventures or experiences of characters in stories heard.

Retell key details of texts that demonstrate understanding of the main topics of texts heard or read.

Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in texts heard or read.

Know and use various text features (e.g., table of contents, headings, glossaries, icons, index) to locate information in a text.

Identify the reasons authors give to support points in texts heard or read.

Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts heard or read on the same topic.

With support, conduct simple research tasks to take some action or make informal presentations by identifying information from classroom experiences or provided sources (including read alouds) and organizing information, recorded in words or pictures, using graphic organizers or other aids.

Read or listen to a series of texts organized around a variety of conceptually related topics to build knowledge about the world.

Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Use frequently occurring affixes (e.g., re-, un- pre-, -ful, -less) as clues to the nuance they add to known words.

Recognize and read frequently encountered words with inflectional endings (e.g., -d, -ed, -s, -es).

Identify frequently encountered root words (e.g., help) and use the roots as clues to the meaning of the full word (e.g., helper, helpful).

Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., playpen, penpal).

Sort words into categories (e.g., tools, pets) and define those words by one or more key attributes (e.g., a saw is a tool that cuts; a goldfish is a pet that lives in water).

Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring grade-level verbs and adjectives by relating them to their synonyms and antonyms.

Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk, stroll, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings.

Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

With support as needed, acquire and use general academic and content-specific words gained through conversations, reading, and listening to texts.

Routinely write or dictate writing for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences (e.g., expressing a view or preference, supplying some information about the topic, stories that recount an event or tell a story).

Print legibly and space words appropriately when writing a complete sentence.

Keyboarding skills begin in grade 3.

Reverse phonemes in spoken one-syllable words (e.g., reverse initial and final consonants in the word "pat" and say the resulting word).

Demonstrate automaticity in the deletion and substitution of phonemes in multi-syllable spoken words and naming of resulting words.

Know spelling-sound correspondences for common short and long vowel teams (e.g., head, hook, boat, weigh) including diphthongs (e.g., toil, cloud).

Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long and short vowels.

Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes (e.g., un-, dis-, -ful, -less).

Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words (e.g., was, again, been), including silent letter combinations.

Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., felt, told, went).

Use adjectives and adverbs and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.

Form and use regular and frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., men, teeth, fish).

Recognize that the names of things can also be the names of actions (fish, dream, run).

Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., yourself, herself).

Distinguish between complete and incomplete sentences and recognize and use correct word order in written sentences.

Produce and expand complete simple and compound sentences.

Commas in greetings and closing of letters.

Apostrophes to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives.

Capitalize holidays, names, and places.

Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).

Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

Engage in collaborative discussions about grade-level topics and texts with peers by gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others closely and building on others' ideas, and asking for clarification and further explanation to ensure understanding.

Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says to clarify by gathering additional information or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.

Tell a story or retell an experience with relevant facts and descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.

Digital Communications begins in grade 3.

Independently and proficiently read and comprehend texts representing a balance of genres, cultures, and perspectives, that exhibit complexity at the lower end of the grades 2–3 band.

Regularly engage in reading and listening to a series of texts, independently, with peers, or with modest support related to the topics and themes being studied to build knowledge and vocabulary.

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in grade-level texts heard or read.

Read grade-level text with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression to support comprehension in successive readings.

Identify the central message, lesson, or moral of stories (including fables and folktales) from diverse cultures heard or read.

Describe how characters in stories heard or read respond to major events and challenges.

Describe the overall structure of stories heard or read, including identifying how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

Identify different perspectives of characters in stories heard or read.

Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (heard or read) by different authors or from different cultures.

Identify the central idea of texts heard or read.

Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific concepts, or steps in technical procedures in texts.

Describe the overall structure of nonfiction texts heard or read, including identifying how the beginning introduces information and the ending sums up the information.

Describe how authors use facts and reasons to support specific points in texts.

Compare and contrast the most important points presented in two texts on the same topic.

With support as needed, conduct short research tasks to take some action or make informal presentations by gathering information from experiences and provided sources (including read alouds), and organizing information using graphic organizers or other aids.

Read or listen to a series of texts organized around a variety of conceptually related topics to build knowledge about the world. (These texts should be at a range of complexity levels so students can read the texts independently, with peers, or with modest support.)

Use sentence-level context as clues to the meaning of words or phrases.

Determine the meaning of new words formed when known prefixes (e.g., safe/unsafe, like/dislike) and suffixes (e.g., beauty/beautiful, light/lightness) are added to a known word.

Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., pain/painful, help/helpless).

Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., backpack, backyard; flashlight, lighthouse).

Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, print or digital, to clarify the meaning of words and phrases.

Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe weather that is freezing or windy).

Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., hot, sizzling, blazing).

Describe how words and phrases (e.g., rhymes, alliteration) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Acquire and use general academic and content-specific words gained through conversations, and reading and listening to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe situations with specificity (e.g., When other kids are acting silly, that makes me feel giddy). Use these words in discussions and writing.

Develop flexibility in writing by routinely engaging in the production of writing shorter and longer pieces for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. This could include reflections, descriptions, letters, and poetry, etc.

Write arguments that express an opinion supported by details and reasons and provide a concluding sentence.

Write informational texts that state a focus and support the focus with facts and details and provide a concluding sentence.

Write personal or fictional stories that recount a short sequence of events, include details to develop the characters or experiences, and provide sense of closure.

Employing clear and coherent organizational structures begins in grade 3.

With support from adults and peers, strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.

Form letters correctly with functional speed. Space words and sentences properly so that writing can be read easily by another person.

With support, use keyboarding skills to produce and publish writing.

Decode words when known affixes are added to a known word (e.g., visit/revisit, appear/disappear, lead/mislead, care/careful).

Decode words with common Greek and Latin roots (e.g., trans, port, bio).

Decode multisyllable words.

Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words (e.g., come, friend, today).

Form and use the progressive and perfect verb tenses.

Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs.

Use collective nouns (e.g., family, crew, assembly) matched to plural verb forms.

Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns (e.g., fish, teeth).

Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.

Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

Produce, expand, and rearrange simple and compound sentences.

Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation to provide requested detail or clarification.

Commas in addresses and dates.

Commas and quotation marks in dialogue.

Forming and using possessives.

Capitalize appropriate words in titles.

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words.

Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) when pronouncing and writing words.

Spell high-frequency irregular words correctly (e.g., who, what, why).

Consult reference materials to check and correct spelling.

Engage in collaborative discussions about grade-level topics and texts with peers by staying on topic; linking comments to the remarks of others; asking questions to check understanding of information being discussed; and reviewing ideas expressed.

Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in a variety of media (audio, visual, and quantitative).

Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

Report orally on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

With support, evaluate whether a digital source is factual or not by considering its use of evidence.

Use information gained digitally to determine where, when, why, and how key events occur.

Independently and proficiently read and comprehend texts representing a balance of genres, cultures, and perspectives that exhibit complexity at the higher end of the grades 2–3 band.

Regularly engage in a volume of reading (independently, with peers, or with modest support) related to the topics and themes being studied to build knowledge and vocabulary.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of grade-level texts, referring explicitly to textual evidence as the basis for the answers.

Read grade-level text with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate rate, and expression in successive readings to support comprehension.

Describe key details from stories (including folktales, fables, and tall tales) from diverse cultures and explain how they support the central lesson, moral, or theme.

Explain how characters develop (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) throughout the text.

Explain major structural differences between poems, plays, and prose.

Explain the difference between a narrator's point of view and various characters' perspectives in stories.

Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters.

Describe key details from texts and explain how they support the central idea.

Describe the relationship between a series of events, concepts, steps, or procedures in historical, scientific, or technical texts, using words that pertains to comparison, sequence, or cause/effect.

Describe major structural differences between the organization of different informational texts (e.g., description, sequence, comparison, problem-solution, cause-effect).

Explain the logical connection between particular facts and reasons in texts.

Compare and contrast important points and key supporting details presented in two texts on the same topic.

Conduct short research tasks to take some action or share findings orally or in writing by gathering and recording information on a specific topic from reference texts or through interviews, and using text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information efficiently.

Read a series of texts organized around a variety of conceptually related topics to build knowledge about the world. (These texts should be at a range of complexity levels so students can read the texts independently, with peers, or with modest support.)

Use sentence-level context as clues to the meaning of words or phrases.

Determine the meaning of new words formed when known affixes are added to a known word (e.g., expensive/ inexpensive, lock/unlock, help/helpless, care/ careless).

Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., transport, portable).

Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, print or digital, to clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).

Distinguish shades of meaning among grade-appropriate, related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected, heard, wondered).

Acquire and use general academic and content-specific words and phrases occurring in grade-level reading and content, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., She stood behind the door before she entered the room). Use these words in discussions and writing.

Develop flexibility in writing by routinely engaging in the production of shorter and longer pieces for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. This could include, among others, summaries, reflections, descriptions, letters, and poetry, etc.

Write arguments that introduce the topic, express an opinion supported with facts, details, and reasons, and provide a concluding statement.

Write informational texts that introduce the topic, develop the focus with facts and details, and provide a concluding statement.

Write personal or fictional stories that recount an event or experience, include details to develop the characters or event(s), and provide a sense of closure.

Group related information within a paragraph, using common linking words and phrases to connect ideas and information.

With support from adults and peers, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing should demonstrate command of grade-level Grammar and Conventions.)

Write legibly in cursive, leaving space between letters in a word, in a sentence, and at the edges of the paper.

Use keyboarding skills to produce and publish writing.

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar grade-appropriate multisyllabic words (e.g., depart, beneficial, recycle) in context and out of context.

Recognize subject-predicate relationship in sentences.

Use principal modals to convey various conditions (e.g., can, may, must).

Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns.

Use relative pronouns and relative adverbs.

Form and use prepositional phrases.

Correctly use frequently confused common words (e.g., to/too/two).

Ensure subject-verb agreement.

Produce complete sentences; recognize and correct inappropriate fragments and run-ons.

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.

Commas in a series.

Quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text.

Use correct capitalization.

Spell grade level words correctly, including commonly confused words (e.g., there/their/they're).

Engage in collaborative discussions about grade-level topics and texts with peers by carrying out assigned roles; making comments that build on and link to others' remarks; clarifying or following up on information; and reviewing key ideas expressed and explaining one's understanding.

Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud, or information presented in diverse media (audio, visual, and quantitative).

Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points being made.

Report orally on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

Evaluate whether a digital source is factual or opinion-based by considering its use of evidence and whose point-of-view is represented or missing.

Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, or interactive elements) on Web pages.

Independently and proficiently read and comprehend texts representing a balance of genres, cultures, and perspectives that exhibit complexity at the lower end of the grades 4–5 band.

Regularly engage in a volume of reading, independently, with peers, or with modest support related to the topics and themes being studied to build knowledge and vocabulary.

Refer to details and examples in grade-level texts when explaining what texts say explicitly and when drawing inferences from texts.

Read grade-level text with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate rate, and expression in successive readings to support comprehension.

Determine the central themes in stories (including myths and legends), poems, and plays and explain how they are supported by key details.

Describe a character, setting, or event in depth in stories and plays, drawing on specific details in the texts (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

Explain the overall structures of stories, plays, and poems and how each successive part builds on earlier sections.

Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.

Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and patterns of events in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.

Determine the central ideas of texts and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize texts.

Explain events, procedures, steps, ideas, or concepts found in historical, scientific, or technical texts, including what happened and why.

Explain the overall structure of informational texts (e.g., description, sequence, comparison, problem-solution, cause-effect) and how each successive part builds on earlier sections.

Explain how authors use evidence and reasons to support specific points in texts.

Combine information from two texts on the same topic, noting important similarities and differences in focus and the information provided.

Conduct short research tasks to take some action or share findings orally or in writing by identifying what information is needed to answer a research question, using text features and search tools to gather relevant information efficiently; and taking notes, categorizing that information, and providing a list of sources.

Read a series of texts organized around a variety of conceptually related topics to build knowledge about the world. (These texts should be at a range of complexity levels so students can read the texts independently, with peers, or with modest support.)

Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as clues to the meaning of words or phrases.

Use common Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of words (e.g., thermometer, thermos, thermostat).

Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), print or digital, to find the pronunciation and clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

Recognize and explain the meaning of idioms, adages, and proverbs in context.

Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe subtle differences (e.g., shook, trembled, wavered, quivered).

Acquire and use accurately general academic and content-specific words and phrases occurring in grade-level reading and content, including those that signal precise actions or states of being (e.g., frustrated, puzzled, stammered) and vocabulary essential to a particular topic (e.g., heroes, villains, quest, fate when discussing myths). Use these words in discussions and writing.

Develop flexibility in writing by routinely engaging in the production of shorter and longer pieces for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. This could include, among others, summaries, reflections, descriptions, letters, and poetry, etc.

Write arguments that introduce the topic; express a clear opinion supported with facts, details and reasons; and provide a concluding statement or section.

Write informational texts that introduce the topic; develop the focus with facts, details or other information; and provide a concluding statement or section.

Write personal or fictional narratives that organize the writing around a central problem, conflict, or experience; use descriptions or dialogue to develop the characters or event(s); and provide a sense of closure.

Organize related information together in paragraphs using precise language and linking words and phrases to connect details and ideas.

With support from adults and peers, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing should demonstrate command of grade-level Grammar and Conventions.)

Write legibly and fluently in cursive by hand, forming letters and words that can be easily read by others.

Use technology to produce and publish writing, demonstrating sufficient command of keyboarding skills.

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar grade-level multisyllabic words (e.g., disallow, misinform, transaction) in context and out of context.

Form and use irregular verbs (e.g., lie/lay, sit/set, rise/raise) correctly in sentences.

Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense and number.

Use nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections appropriate to function.

Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Use coordinating (e.g., and, but), subordinating (e.g., although, because), and correlative (e.g., either/or) conjunctions to join words and phrases in a sentence.

Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.

Commas before a coordinating conjunction.

Commas to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence (e.g., Yes, thank you, It's true, isn't it?).

Underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works.

Spell grade-level words correctly, including commonly confused words (e.g., its/it's, affect/effect).

Engage in collaborative discussions about grade-level topics and texts with peers by carrying out assigned roles; making comments and posing and responding to questions that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on others' remarks; and reviewing key ideas expressed and drawing conclusions considering the discussion.

Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Summarize the major points a speaker makes and explain how each is supported by reasons and evidence.

Report orally on a topic or text or present an argument, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details to support main ideas or themes and speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

Consider the source of information gathered digitally through such means as domains (e.g., .gov; .edu vs. .com or .tv).

Use information from multiple digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question or to solve a problem efficiently.

Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text presented digitally.

Independently and proficiently read and comprehend texts representing a balance of genres, cultures, and perspectives that exhibit complexity at the higher end of the grades 4–5 band.

Regularly engage in a volume of reading, independently, with peers, or with modest support related to the topics and themes being studied to build knowledge and vocabulary.

Draw evidence from grade-level texts to explain what is said explicitly and when drawing inferences, including quoting from texts accurately.

Read grade-level text with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate rate, and expression in successive readings to support comprehension.

Summarize a text and determine the central themes of stories, plays, or poems, including how they are developed using details.

Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in stories and plays, drawing on specific details in the texts.

Explain how chapters, scenes, or stanzas work together to provide the overall structure of a literary text.

Explain how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influence how events are described in stories, plays, or poems.

Compare and contrast stories in the same genre on their approaches to similar themes.

Explain the central ideas of texts, including how they are developed using details; summarize texts.

Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in historical, scientific, or technical texts.

Explain how series of chapters or sections fit together to provide the overall structure of informational texts (e.g., description, sequence, comparison, problem-solution, cause-effect).

Explain how authors use evidence and reasons to support specific claims in texts, identifying which reasons and evidence support which claims.

Integrate information from several texts on the same event or topic to demonstrate a coherent understanding of the information.

Conduct short research tasks to take some action or share findings orally or in writing by formulating research questions; gathering relevant and reliable information from both primary and secondary sources as appropriate; paraphrasing and quoting ideas and information; and respecting copyright guidelines for use of that information and any images.

Read a series of texts organized around a variety of conceptually related topics to build knowledge about the world. (These texts should be at a range of complexity levels so students can read the texts independently, with peers, or with modest support.)

Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as clues to the meaning of words or phrase.

Use common Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of words (e.g., biography, biology, biohazard).

Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), print or digital, to find the pronunciation and clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

Recognize and explain the meaning of figurative language such as metaphors and similes, in context.

Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe different states or subtleties (e.g., sang, trilled, chirped, chorused).

Acquire and use accurately general academic and content-specific words and phrases occurring in grade-level reading and content, including those that signal contrast, addition, connection, and other logical relationships (e.g., therefore, for example, meanwhile, on the other hand). Use these words in discussions and writing.

Develop flexibility in writing by routinely engaging in the production of shorter and longer pieces for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. This could include, among others, summaries, reflections, descriptions, critiques, letters, and poetry, etc.

Write arguments that introduce the topic clearly; express a distinct opinion supported with adequate facts, ideas, and reasons that are logically grouped and provide a concluding section.

Write informational texts that introduce the topic; develop the focus with relevant facts, details, and examples from multiple sources that are logically grouped, including headings to support the purpose; and provide a concluding section.

Write personal or fictional narratives that establish a situation and narrator; organize around a central problem, conflict, or experience using descriptions, dialogue or pacing to develop the characters, event(s), or experience(s); and provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated events.

Produce clear and coherent organizational structures of multiple paragraphs in which facts and details are logically grouped and linking words and phrases connect details and ideas.

With support from adults and peers, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing should demonstrate command of grade-level Grammar and Conventions.)

Write in cursive legibly and fluently by hand with a consistent form and recognizable signature.

Use technology to produce and publish writing demonstrating sufficient command of keyboarding skills.

Identify the eight basic parts of speech (noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, conjunction, preposition, interjection).

Recognize that a word performs different functions according to its position in the sentence.