Indiana K–6 english language arts standards

Participate in collaborative conversations about grade-appropriate topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (E)

Ask questions to seek help, obtain information, or clarify something that is not understood.

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

Audibly recite poems, rhymes, and songs, and use complete sentences to describe familiar people, places, things, and events. With support, provide additional details on these topics.

Follow simple two or three-step oral directions.

With support, ask and answer questions about main topics and key details in a text heard or read.

With support, retell familiar stories, poems, and nursery rhymes, including key details. (K)

Identify important elements within a text (e.g., characters, settings, or events). (K)

With support, make predictions about what will happen in a text.

With support, retell the main idea and key details of a text.

Identify text features of a nonfiction text (e.g., title, author, illustrations), and describe the relationship between those features and the text in which they appear. (E)

Identify and sort pictures of objects into categories (e.g., colors, shapes, opposites) through oral discussions. (E)

Demonstrate understanding that print moves from left to right across the page and from top to bottom.

Recognize that written words are made up of sequences of letters.

Identify and name all uppercase (capital) and lowercase letters of the alphabet. (E)

Identify and produce rhyming words.

Orally pronounce, blend, and segment words into syllables. (E)

Identify and produce the beginning, middle (medial), and final sounds in three and four phoneme words.

Use letter-sound knowledge to decode the sound of each consonant. (E)

Use letter-sound knowledge to decode words, including open and closed syllables, consonant digraphs, and blends. (E)

Orally read decodable texts with appropriate accuracy and automaticity.

Write most uppercase (capital) and lowercase letters of the alphabet, correctly shaping and spacing the letters of the words.

Write by moving from left to right across the page and top to bottom.

Use words and pictures to develop a main idea and provide information about a topic. (E)

Use words, pictures, and dictation to narrate a single event or simple story, arranging ideas in order. (E)

Plan by generating ideas for writing through oral discussions and drawings;

Develop drafts in pictorial or written form by organizing ideas;

Revise writing by adding details in pictures or words; and

Use available technology to produce and publish writing.

Identify relevant pictures, charts, grade-appropriate texts, personal experiences, or people as sources of information on a topic.

Nouns/Pronouns – Using sentences that include singular and/or plural nouns (e.g., dog/dogs, cat/cats).

Verbs – Using sentences that include verbs.

Usage – Recognizing that there are different kinds of sentences (e.g., sentences that tell something, sentences that ask something).

Capitalization – Capitalizing the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I .

Punctuation – Recognizing and naming end punctuation.

Encoding – Spelling simple words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness.

Participate in collaborative conversations about grade-appropriate topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (E)

Listen to others, take turns speaking about the topic, and add one's own ideas in small group discussions or tasks.

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

Ask and answer questions about key details in what is read, heard, or viewed to demonstrate comprehension. (E)

Speaking audibly and using appropriate language, recite poems, rhymes, songs, and stories, with careful attention to sensory detail when describing people, places, things, and events.

Add drawings or other visual displays, such as pictures and objects, when sharing information to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Give and follow oral directions with two or three steps.

Ask and answer questions about the main idea and key details to clarify and confirm understanding of a text. (E)

Retell stories, fables, and fairy tales in sequence, including key details, and demonstrate comprehension of their central message or lesson.

Using key details, identify and describe the elements of plot, character, and setting. (E)

Make and confirm predictions about what will happen next in a story.

Identify the basic characteristics of familiar narrative text genres (e.g., fairy tales, nursery rhymes, storybooks).

Retell main ideas and key details of a text. (E)

Know and use various text features (e.g., table of contents, glossary, illustrations) to locate and describe key facts or information in a text.

Identify how a nonfiction text can be structured to indicate order (e.g., sequential) or to explain a simple cause and effect relationship. (E)

Demonstrate comprehension that context clues (e.g., words and sentence clues) and text features (e.g., glossaries, illustrations) may be used to help understand unknown words.

Define and sort words into categories (e.g., antonyms, living things, synonyms). (E)

Recognize components of a sentence (e.g., capitalization, first word, ending punctuation).

Blend sounds, including consonant blends, to produce single- and multi-syllable words. (E)

Identify and produce beginning, middle (medial), and final sounds in single-syllable words. (E)

Segment individual phonemes in one-syllable words. (E)

Use letter-sound knowledge of single consonants (hard and soft sounds), short and long vowels, consonant blends and digraphs, vowel teams (e.g., ai) and digraphs, and r-controlled vowels to decode phonetically regular words (e.g., cat, go, black, boat, her), independent of context. (E)

Decode one-syllable words in the major syllable types (CVC, CVr, V, VV, VCe), independent of context. (E)

Decode grade-appropriate base words and affixes including common prefixes plurals, verb tense, inflectional suffixes (e.g., plurals, verb tenses), simple compound words (e.g., cupcake), and contractions (e.g., isn't). (E)

Orally read decodable texts with appropriate fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody) while reading.

Write all uppercase (capital) and lowercase letters legibly, and space letters, words, and sentences appropriately.

Produce (when writing or speaking) logically connected sentences to make a proposal to a particular audience (e.g., a parent, classmate), and give reasons why the proposal should be considered. (E)

Produce (when writing or speaking) a topic sentence or main idea, provide some facts or details about the topic, and provide a concluding statement. (E)

Produce (when writing or speaking) narratives using precise words to describe characters and actions and temporal words to signal event order, with ideas organized into a beginning, middle, and ending. (E)

Plan by generating ideas for writing through oral discussions and drawings;

Develop drafts in pictorial or written form by organizing ideas;

Revise writing to add details in pictures or words (e.g., sentence structure); edit writing for conventions (e.g., correct spelling of frequently used words, basic capitalization, end punctuation); and

Use available technology to produce and publish legible documents.

Identify several sources of information and indicate the sources.

Organize information, using graphic organizers or other aids.

Make informal presentations on information gathered.

Nouns/Pronouns – Using sentences that include common and proper nouns and personal pronouns.

Verbs – Using sentences with verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future.

Usage – Using complete simple declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts.

Capitalization – Capitalizing the first word of a sentence, dates, names of people, and the pronoun I .

Correctly using a period, question mark, and exclamation mark at the end of a sentence.

Using commas in dates and to separate items in a series.

Spelling unknown words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.

Correctly spelling words with common spelling patterns.

Correctly spelling common irregularly-spelled, grade-appropriate words (e.g., said, does, gone). (E)

Participate in collaborative conversations about grade-appropriate topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (E)

Listen to others, take one's turn in respectful ways, and speak one at a time about the topics and text under discussion.

Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says to clarify comprehension, gather information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue. (E)

Develop simple presentations that maintain a clear focus, using various media when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. (E)

Give and follow oral directions with three or more steps. (E)

Recognize that media can be sources for information, entertainment, persuasion, interpretation of events, and transmission of culture. (E)

Ask and answer questions about the main idea and key details in a text to demonstrate comprehension. (E)

Recount the beginning, middle, and ending of stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and how characters affect the plot.

Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action. (E)

Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, and identify dialogue as words spoken by characters, usually enclosed in quotation marks.

Identify the main idea of a multiparagraph text and the topic of each paragraph.

Use various text features (e.g., table of contents, index, headings, captions) to locate key facts or information, and explain how they contribute to and clarify a text.

Identify how a nonfiction text can be structured to compare and contrast, to describe a procedure, and to explain a cause and effect relationship. (E)

Describe how an author uses facts to support specific points in a text.

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

Use context clues (e.g., words and sentence clues) and text features (e.g., table of contents, headings) to determine the meanings of unknown words.

Identify relationships among words, including common synonyms and antonyms, and simple, multiple-meaning words (e.g., change, duck). (E)

Use knowledge of the six major syllable types (CVC, CVr, V, VV, VCe, Cle) to decode two-syllable words, independent of context. (E)

Apply knowledge of short and long vowels (including vowel teams) when reading regularly-spelled, one-syllable words.

Decode multisyllabic words composed of base, prefixes, and suffixes; read contractions, possessives (e.g., kitten's, sisters'), and compound words. (E)

Orally read decodable/grade-level appropriate or higher texts with fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody) while reading.

Write legibly by forming letters correctly and spacing words and sentences properly. (E)

Write pieces that introduce an opinion, give reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also), include a concluding statement or section, and include multiple reasons to explain why a certain course of action should be followed. (E)

Write informative/explanatory pieces on a main idea that introduces a topic, provides facts and details about the topic, and includes a concluding statement. (E)

Include a beginning;

Use temporal words to signal event order (e.g., first of all);

Provide details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings; and

Provide a middle and an ending. (E)

Plan by generating ideas for writing by drawing and brainstorming; with support, revise writing by adding details (e.g., organization, sentence structure, word choice); edit writing for format and conventions (e.g., spelling, capitalization, usage, punctuation); and provide feedback to other writers.

Use available technology to produce and publish legible documents.

Find information on a topic of interest (e.g., cardinals).

Identify various visual and text reference sources.

Organize, summarize, and present the information, choosing from a variety of formats.

Nouns/Pronouns – Using sentences that include common, proper, possessive, and collective nouns, irregular plural nouns, and personal and possessive pronouns.

Using sentences that use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs.

Understanding the functions of different types of verbs (e.g., action, linking) in sentences.

Adjectives/Adverbs – Using sentences that use adjectives and adverbs.

Usage – Using complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences correctly. (E)

Capitalization – Capitalizing greetings, months and days of the week, titles and initials in names, and proper nouns, including holidays and geographic names.

Correctly using a period, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end of a sentence.

Using an apostrophe to form contractions and singular possessive nouns.

Using commas in greetings and closings of letters, dates, and to separate items in a series.

Correctly spelling words with short and long vowel sounds, r-controlled vowels, and consonant-blend patterns.

Generalizing learned spelling patterns (e.g., word families) when writing words.

Correctly spelling common irregularly-spelled, grade-appropriate words (e.g., said, does, gone). (E)

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) on grade-appropriate topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing personal ideas clearly. (E)

Explore ideas under discussion by drawing on readings and other information.

Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link comments to the remarks of others. (E)

Retell, paraphrase, and explain the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively (e.g., charts and graphs), and orally. (E)

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

Use appropriate language to report on a topic or text, or provide a narrative that organizes ideas chronologically using major points of information. Use appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking at an understandable pace in a clear and concise manner. (E)

Create oral presentations that maintain a clear focus, using various media when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

Distinguish among the purposes of various media messages, including for information, entertainment, persuasion, interpretation of events, or transmission of culture. (E)

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate comprehension of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. (E)

Recount folktales, fables, and tall tales from diverse cultures; identify the themes in these works. (E)

Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings), and explain how their actions contribute to the plot.

Distinguish personal point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. (E)

Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in processes or procedures in a text, using words such as first, next, finally, because, problem, solution, same, and different.

Apply knowledge of text features to locate information and gain meaning from a text (e.g., maps, illustrations, charts, font/format).

Identify how a nonfiction text can be structured to indicate a problem and solution or to put events in chronological order. (E)

Distinguish between fact and opinion; explain how an author uses reasons and facts to support specific points in a text.

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

Apply context clues (e.g., word, phrase, and sentence-level context) and text features (e.g., maps, illustrations, charts) to determine the meanings of unknown words.

Identify relationships among words, including synonyms, antonyms, homographs, homonyms, and multiple-meaning words (e.g., puzzle, fire). (E)

Use a known word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root, and identify when an affix is added to a known root word.

Understand the six major syllable patterns (CVC, CVr, V, VV, VCe, Cle) to aid in decoding unknown words. (E)

Read grade-appropriate words that have blends (e.g., walk, play) and common spelling patterns (e.g., qu- ; doubling the consonant and adding –ing, such as cut/cutting; changing the ending of a word from –y to –ies to make a plural).

Know and use more difficult word families when reading unfamiliar words (e.g., -ight).

Read multisyllabic words composed of roots and related prefixes and suffixes; read irregular contractions (e.g., will not = won't) and possessives (e.g., children's, Dennis's). (E)

Orally read grade-level appropriate or higher texts smoothly and accurately with expression that connotes comprehension.

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

State the opinion in an introductory statement or section.

Support the opinion with reasons in an organized way.

Connect opinion and reasons using words and phrases.

Provide a concluding statement or section. (E)

State the topic, develop a main idea for the introductory paragraph, and group related information together.

Develop the topic with facts and details.

Connect ideas within categories of information using words and phrases.

Use text features (e.g., photographs, maps) when useful to aid comprehension.

Provide a concluding statement or section. (E)

Establish an introduction (e.g., situation, narrator, characters).

Include specific descriptive details and clear event sequences.

Include dialogue.

Connect ideas and events using introduction and transition words.

Provide an ending. (E)

Generate a draft by developing, selecting, and organizing ideas relevant to topic, purpose, and genre; revise to improve writing, using appropriate reference materials (e.g., quality of ideas, organization, sentence fluency, word choice); and edit writing for format and conventions (e.g., spelling, capitalization, usage, punctuation).

Use available technology to produce and publish legible documents.

Identify a specific topic or question of interest (e.g., where did Benjamin Harrison grow up?).

Locate information in reference texts, electronic resources, or through interviews.

Recognize that some sources may be more reliable than others.

Record relevant information in their own words.

Present the information, choosing from a variety of formats. (E)

Nouns/Pronouns – Writing sentences using abstract nouns (e.g., hope, thought).

Verbs – Writing sentences that use regular and irregular verbs and simple verb tenses to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions.

Adjectives/ Adverbs – Writing sentences that include comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, choosing between them depending on what is being modified, and explaining their functions in the sentence.

Usage – Writing complete simple, compound, and complex declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences, using coordinating and subordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, for, but, or) correctly. (E)

Capitalization – Capitalizing appropriate words in titles, historical periods, company names, product names, and special events.

Correctly using apostrophes to form contractions and singular and plural possessives.

Using quotation marks to mark direct speech.

Using commas in locations and addresses, to mark direct speech, and for coordinating adjectives (e.g., a small, red bicycle).

Using correct spelling for irregularly spelled words (e.g., said, does, gone) and other studied words and for adding affixes to base words.

Using spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts, homophones/ homographs) when writing. (E)

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) on grade-appropriate topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing personal ideas clearly. (E)

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. (E)

Summarize major ideas and supportive evidence from text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. (E)

Identify and use evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

Use appropriate language to report on a topic or text, or provide a narrative that organizes ideas appropriately using effective introductions and conclusions. Use appropriate structure, facts, and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes, speaking at an understandable pace in a clear and concise manner. (E)

Create oral presentations that maintain a clear focus, using multimedia to enhance the development of main ideas and themes that engage the audience.

Recognize claims in print, image, and multimedia and identify evidence used to support these claims. (E)

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what a text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. (E)

Paraphrase or summarize the main events in a story, myth, legend, or novel; identify the theme and provide evidence for the interpretation. (E)

Describe a character, setting, or event in a story or play, drawing on specific details in the text, and how that impacts the plot.

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

Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. (E)

Apply knowledge of text features to locate information and gain meaning from a text (e.g., charts, tables, graphs, headings, subheadings, font/format).

Describe the organizational structure (e.g., chronological, problem-solution, comparison/contrast, procedural, cause/effect, sequential, description) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text. (E)

Distinguish between fact and opinion; explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support a statement or position (claim) in a text.

Combine information from two texts on the same topic in order to demonstrate knowledge about the subject.

Apply context clues (e.g., word, phrase, sentence, and paragraph context) and text features (e.g., charts, headings/subheadings, font/format) to determine the meanings of unknown words.

Identify relationships among words, including more complex homographs, homonyms, synonyms, antonyms, and multiple meanings. (E)

Apply knowledge of word structure elements (e.g., suffixes, prefixes, common Greek and Latin affixes and roots), known words, and word patterns to determine meaning.

Determine how words and phrases provide meaning to works of literature, including figurative language (e.g., similes, metaphors, or hyperbole).

Use the six major syllable patterns (CVC, CVr, V, VV, VCe, Cle) to read unknown words.

Use knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to accurately read unfamiliar, multisyllabic words in context. (E)

Orally read grade-level appropriate or higher texts smoothly and accurately with expression that connotes comprehension.

In an introductory statement, clearly state an opinion to a particular audience.

Support the opinion with facts and details from various sources, including texts.

Use an organizational structure to group related ideas that support the purpose.

Connect opinion and reasons using words and phrases.

Provide a concluding statement or section related to the position presented. (E)

Provide an introductory paragraph with a clear main idea.

Provide supporting paragraphs with topic and summary sentences.

Provide facts, specific details, and examples from various sources and texts to support ideas and extend explanations.

Connect ideas using words and phrases.

Include text features (e.g., formatting, photographs, maps) and multimedia when useful to aid comprehension.

Use language and vocabulary appropriate to the audience and topic.

Provide a concluding statement or section. (E)

Establish an introduction with context to allow the reader to imagine the world of the event or experience.

Organize events that unfold naturally, using meaningful paragraphing and transitional words and phrases.

Use dialogue and descriptive details to develop events and reveal characters' personalities, feelings, and responses to situations.

Employ vocabulary with sufficient sensory (i.e., sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) details to give clear pictures of ideas and events.

Provide an ending that follows the narrated experiences or events. (E)

Generate a draft by developing, selecting, and organizing ideas relevant to topic, purpose, and genre; revise to improve writing, using appropriate reference materials (e.g., quality of ideas, organization, sentence fluency, word choice); edit writing for format and conventions (e.g., spelling, capitalization, usage, punctuation).

Use technology to interact and collaborate with others to produce and publish legible documents.

Identify a specific question to address (e.g., What is the history of the Indy 500?).

Use organizational features of print and digital sources to efficiently locate further information.

Determine the reliability of the sources.

Summarize and organize information in their own words, giving credit to the source.

Present the research information, choosing from a variety of formats. (E)

Nouns/Pronouns – Writing sentences that include relative pronouns (e.g., who, which) and reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves) and explaining their functions in the sentence.

Writing sentences that use progressive verb tenses.

Recognizing and correcting inappropriate shifts in verb tense.

Using modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must).

Adjectives/Adverbs – Writing sentences using relative adverbs (e.g., where, when), explaining their functions in the sentence.

Prepositions – Writing sentences that include prepositions, explaining their functions in the sentence.

Usage – Writing complete simple, compound, and complex declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences, using coordinating and subordinating conjunctions (e.g., yet, nor, so) correctly. (E)

Capitalization – Capitalizing names of magazines, newspapers, works of art, musical compositions, organizations, and the first word in quotations, when appropriate.

Correctly using apostrophes to form possessives and contractions.

Correctly using quotation marks and commas to mark direct speech.

Using a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.

Spelling – Using spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts, homophones/homographs) in writing single and multisyllable words. (E)

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) on grade-appropriate topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing personal ideas clearly. (E)

Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. (E)

Orally summarize or respond to a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. (E)

Use appropriate language to present on a topic or text, or provide a narrative or opinion that organizes ideas appropriately using effective introductions and conclusions. Use appropriate structure, facts, and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes, speaking at an understandable pace and in a clear and concise manner. (E)

Create engaging presentations that include multimedia components and visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

Review claims made in various types of media and evaluate evidence used to support these claims.

Identify the role of the media in focusing people's attention on events and in forming their opinions on issues. (E)

Quote accurately from a text when explaining what a text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. (E)

Determine the theme of a story, play, or poem from details in the text, including how characters respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text. (E)

Describe two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or play, drawing on specific details in the text and how they impact the plot.

Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are portrayed.

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

Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text. (E)

Apply knowledge of text features in multiple print and digital sources to locate information, gain meaning from a text, or solve a problem.

Compare and contrast the organizational structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts. (E)

Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support claims in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which claims. (E)

Combine information from several texts or digital sources on the same topic in order to demonstrate knowledge about the subject.

Select and apply context clues (e.g., word, phrase, sentence, and paragraph clues) and text features to determine the meanings of unknown words.

Identify relationships among words, including multiple meanings, synonyms and antonyms, homographs, metaphors, similes, and analogies.

Apply knowledge of word structure elements, known words, and word patterns to determine meaning (e.g., word origins, common Greek and Latin affixes and roots, parts of speech). (E)

Determine how words and phrases provide meaning to works of literature, including imagery, symbolism, and figurative language (e.g., similes, metaphors, hyperbole, or allusion).

Use knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to accurately read unfamiliar, multisyllabic words in context. (E)

Orally read grade-level appropriate or higher texts smoothly and accurately, with expression that connotes comprehension.

Clearly present a position in an introductory statement to an identified audience.

Support the position with qualitative and quantitative facts and details from various sources, including texts.

Use an organizational structure to group related ideas that support the purpose.

Use language appropriate for the identified audience.

Connect reasons to the position using words, phrases, and clauses.

Provide a concluding statement or section related to the position presented. (E)

Introduce a topic; organize sentences and paragraphs logically, using an organizational form that suits the topic.

Employ sufficient examples, facts, quotations, or other information from various sources and text to give clear support for topics.

Connect ideas within and across categories using transition words (e.g., therefore, in addition).

Include text features (e.g., formatting, photographs, maps, diagrams) and multimedia when useful to aid comprehension.

Use appropriate language, vocabulary, and sentence variety to convey meaning; for effect; and to support a tone and formality appropriate to the topic and audience.

Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented. (E)

Develop the exposition (e.g., describe the setting, establish the situation, introduce the narrator and/or characters).

Develop an event sequence (e.g., conflict, climax, resolution) that unfolds naturally, connecting ideas and events using transitions.

Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.

Use precise and expressive vocabulary and figurative language for effect.

Provide an ending that follows from the narrated experiences or events. (E)

Generate a draft by developing, selecting, and organizing ideas relevant to topic, purpose, and genre; revise to improve writing, using appropriate reference materials (e.g., quality of ideas, organization, sentence fluency, word choice); and edit writing for format and standard English conventions.

Use technology to interact and collaborate with others to publish legible documents.

With support, formulate a research question (e.g., What were John Wooden's greatest contributions to college basketball?).

Identify and acquire information through reliable primary and secondary sources.

Summarize and paraphrase important ideas and supporting details, and include direct quotations where appropriate, citing the source of information.

Avoid plagiarism and follow copyright guidelines for use of sources whenever appropriate (e.g., text, images, multimedia).

Present the research information, choosing from a variety of sources. (E)

Writing sentences that use the correct (e.g., I have walked, I had walked, I will have walked) verb tenses.

Correctly using verbs that are often misused (e.g., lie/lay, sit/set, rise/raise).

Prepositions – Writing sentences that include prepositional phrases and explaining their functions in the sentence.

Usage – Writing correctly simple, compound, and complex declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences, using correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor). (E)

Capitalization – Applying correct usage of capitalization in writing.

Applying correct usage of apostrophes and quotation marks in writing.

Using a comma for appositives, to set off the words yes and no, to set off a tag question from the rest of the sentence, and to indicate direct address.

Spelling – Applying correct spelling patterns and generalizations in writing. (E)

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (e.g., one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) on grade appropriate topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing personal ideas clearly. (E)

Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion. (E)

Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing. (E)

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.

Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes. Use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Develop engaging presentations that include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.

Use evidence to evaluate the accuracy of information presented in multiple media messages. (E)

Analyze what a text says explicitly as well as draw inferences from the text through citing textual evidence. (E)

Determine how a theme or central idea of a work of literature is conveyed through particular details; provide a detailed, objective summary of the text. (E)

Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a work of literature and contributes to the development of the theme, characterization, setting, or plot. (E)

Compare and contrast works of literature in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems, historical novels, and fantasy stories ) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Determine how a central idea of a text is conveyed through particular details; provide an objective summary of the text.

Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

Determine an author's perspective or purpose in a text, and explain how it is conveyed in the text. (E)

Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that the author supports with reasons and evidence from claims that are not supported.

Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, verbally) to demonstrate a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

Use context to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases.

Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category) to better understand individual words.

Distinguish among the connotations of words with similar denotations.

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible). (E)

Introduce claim(s) using strategies such as textual analysis, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect.

Use an organizational structure to group related ideas that support the argument.

Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

Establish and maintain a consistent style and tone appropriate to the purpose and audience.

Use appropriate transitions that enhance the progression of the text and clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented. (E)

Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information using strategies such as definition and classification.

Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples from various sources and texts.

Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.