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English Language Arts

Sub Categories or Standards:
  • Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
  • By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
  • Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
  • Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
  • Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
  • Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
  • Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
  • Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
  • By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
  • Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
  • Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
  • Determine the meaning of symbols, 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.
  • 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.
  • Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text.
  • 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, or table).
  • Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
  • Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
  • Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
  • 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.
  • 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 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.
  • Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
  • 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.
  • 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 and objective tone.
  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented.
  • Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • Produce clear and coherent functional writing (e.g., formal letters, envelopes, procedures, labels, timelines, graphs/tables, experiments, maps, caption, charts, diagrams) in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
  • Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.
  • 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.
  • 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 plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
  • Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.