Identify and use common organizational structures and graphic features to comprehend information.

Identify basic facts and ideas in text using specific strategies (e.g., recall genre characteristics, set a purpose for reading, generate essential questions as aids to comprehension and clarify understanding through rereading and discussion).

Demonstrate after reading understanding and interpretation of both fiction and nonfiction text, including public documents.
· Make, and support with evidence, assertions about texts.
· Compare and contrast texts using themes, settings, characters and ideas.
· Make extensions to related ideas, topics or information.
· Describe the context of a document.
· Analyze the positions, arguments and evidence in public documents.

Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas.
· Differentiate fact from opinion utilizing resources that go beyond traditional text (e.g., newspapers, magazines and periodicals) to electronic media.
· Distinguish between essential and nonessential information across texts and going beyond texts to a variety of media; identify bias and propaganda where present.
· Draw inferences based on a variety of information sources.
· Evaluate text organization and content to determine the author’s purpose and effectiveness according to the author’s theses, accuracy and thoroughness.

Read and respond to nonfiction and fiction including poetry and drama.

Write multi-paragraph informational pieces (e.g., letters, descriptions, reports, instructions, essays, articles, interviews).
· Include cause and effect.
· Develop a problem and solution when appropriate to the topic.
· Use relevant graphics (e.g., maps, charts, graphs, tables, illustrations, photographs).
· Use primary and secondary sources.

Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.
· Gather, determine validity and reliability of and organize information.
· Employ the most effective format for purpose and audience.
· Write paragraphs that have details and information specific to the topic and relevant to the focus.

Write with controlled and/or subtle organization.
· Sustain a logical order within sentences and between paragraphs using meaningful transitions.
· Establish topic and purpose in the introduction.
· Reiterate the topic and purpose in the conclusion.

Write with an understanding of the stylistic aspects of composition.
· Use different types and lengths of sentences.
· Use tone and voice through the use of precise language.

Revise writing after rethinking logic of organization and rechecking central idea, content, paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone and word choice.

Edit writing using the conventions of language.
· Spell common, frequently used words correctly.
· Use capital letters correctly.
· Punctuate correctly (periods, exclamation points, question marks, commas, quotation marks, apostrophes, colons, semicolons, parentheses).
· Use nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions and interjections properly.
· Use complete sentences (simple, compound, complex, declarative, interrogative, exclamatory and imperative).

Select and refine a topic for research.

Organize, summarize and present the main ideas from research.
· Identify the steps necessary to carry out a research project.
· Take relevant notes from sources.
· Develop a thesis statement based on research.
· Give precise, formal credit for others’ ideas, images or information using a standard method of documentation.
· Use formatting techniques to create an understandable presentation for a designated audience.