Common Core Essential Elements

Title 7: Education K-12 Part 18 Common Core Essential Elements for English Language Arts From the State Members of the Dynamic Learning Maps Alternate Assessment Consortium and Edvantia, Inc. March 12, 2012 The present publication was developed under grant 84.373X100001 from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. The views expressed herein are solely those of the author(s), and no official endorsement by the U.S. Department should be inferred. i Common Core Essential Elements for English Language Arts Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... iv COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS Kindergarten English Language Arts Standards First Grade English Language Arts Standards ii Second Grade English Language Arts Standards Third Grade English Language Arts Standards Fourth Grade English Language Arts Standards Fifth Grade English Language Arts Standards Sixth Grade English Language Arts Standards Seventh Grade English Language Arts Standards iii Eighth Grade English Language Arts Standards Ninth-Tenth Grade English Language Arts Standards Eleventh-Twelfth Grade English Language Arts Standards APPENDIX A: SEA/STAKEHOLDER DEMOGRAPHICS iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS *For stakeholder demographics, See Appendix A. Edvantia Facilitators Jan Sheinker, Sheinker Educational Services, Inc. Beth Judy, Director, Assessment, Alignment, and Accountability Services Nathan Davis, Information Technology Specialist Kristen Deitrick, Corporate Communications Specialist Linda Jones, Executive Assistant Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Staff and Consultants Neal Kingston, Project Director Alan Sheinker, Associate Project Director Laura Kramer, Test Development Lead Karthick Palaniswamy, Technology Development Lead Kelli Thomas, Mathematics Learning Map Team Lead Carrie Mark, English Language Arts Learning Map Team Lead Patti Whetstone, Research Associate Sue Bechard, Consultant Karen Erickson, Consultant Penelope Hatch, Consultant Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Consortia States Iowa Kansas Michigan Mississippi Missouri New Jersey North Carolina Oklahoma Utah Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin v State Education Agency (SEA)/Stakeholder Representatives IOWA SEA Representatives: Tom Deeter, Emily Thatcher Stakeholders: Peggy Adkins, Judy Hamer, Kathleen Kvamme-Promes, Donna Shaw KANSAS SEA Representatives: Debbie Matthews, Kris Shaw Stakeholders: Debby Byrne, Holly Draper, Dawn Gresham, Linda Hickey MICHIGAN SEA Representatives: Joanne Winkelman, Adam Wyse Stakeholders: Debra Asano, Thomai Gersh, Marcia O’Brien, Terri Portice MISSOURI SEA Representatives: Lin Everett, Jane VanDeZande Stakeholders: Melia Franklin, Louann Hoover, Debbie Jameson, Kate Sadler NEW JERSEY SEA Representatives: Melanie O’Dea Stakeholders: Brenda Berrios, Neal Webster, Tina Yurcho NORTH CAROLINA SEA Representatives: Claire Greer, Sarah Reives Stakeholders: Emma Hatfield-Sidden, Judy Jennings, Jennifer Michalenok OKLAHOMA SEA Representatives: Jennifer Burnes, Amy Daugherty Stakeholders: Pam Cox, Dianna Daubenspeck, Sondra LeGrande, Christie Stephenson UTAH SEA Representatives: Wendy Carver, Kurt Farnsworth Stakeholders: James Brey, Janice Hill, Linda Stalliviere, Ryan Webb VIRGINIA SEA Representative: John Eisenberg vi Stakeholders: Maria Beck, Daniel Biegun, Al Klugh, Cheryl Ann Prevatte WASHINGTON SEA Representatives: Judy Kraft, Janice Tornow Stakeholders: Annalisa Brewster, Kim Cook, Jeffrey Dunn, Kimberley Perisho WEST VIRGINIA SEA Representatives: Beth Cipoletti, Melissa Gholson Stakeholders: Robert Bartlett, Gerald Hartley, Angel Harris, Angela See WISCONSIN SEA Representatives: Emilie Amundson, Kristen Burton Stakeholders: Lori Hillyer, Tamara Maxwell, Connie Persike, Sara Vold INTRODUCTION The Common Core Essential Elements (EEs) are linked to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts. A group of general educators, special educators, and content specialists from member states in the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Consortium gathered to determine the essence of the CCSS. The stakeholder group members were selected by their states to participate in this work. State education agency (SEA) representatives and SEA-selected teachers collaborated to develop the EEs. This document provides a high-level view of the relationship between the CCSS and the links to performance for students with significant cognitive disabilities. It is intended to provide a beginning structure for the design of a summative alternate assessment. The document is not intended as a stand-alone guide to instruction, nor is it intended to contain all the steps in a complete learning progression or detailed curriculum. The DLM and associated professional development will provide greater detail than described in this document. Beginning with the English Language Arts CCSS, stakeholders defined links to illuminate the precursors for the essential content and skills contained in the grade level CCSS standards and indicators. These EEs are not intended as a redefinition of the standards. Rather, they are intended to describe challenging expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities in relation to the CCSS. The EEs clarify the bridge between grade-level achievement expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities who participate in alternate assessments and the CCSS. Neither are the EEs intended to prescribe the beginning or end of instruction on the content and skills they represent; rather, they indicate the grade level at which initial mastery would be the target to be assessed. Students should begin instruction in content and skills at the earliest point possible and continue instruction until mastery is attained. The stakeholder group also developed instructional achievement level descriptors (IALDs) for each of the EEs for four performance levels: I, II, III, and IV. For each IALD, the stakeholder group developed examples to illustrate how students might demonstrate achievement of the performance level across the broad range of students with significant cognitive disabilities. Both the IALDs and accompanying examples are available in a companion document available from the DLM Consortium. Finally, the stakeholder group developed alternate assessment achievement descriptors for each grade level -- from third grade through high school -- where summative assessments might be required. The alternate assessment achievement descriptors will provide a bridge between the EEs and a summative alternate assessment aligned to them. The descriptors are intended to provide one element to guide development of the test blueprint, development of items and tasks that measure the full range of achievement, and the setting of cut scores during standard setting for the assessment. The focus of an alternate assessment in a standards-based system is based on the achievement that aligns with EEs linked to grade level content. Together, the system of standards and descriptors is designed to allow students with significant cognitive disabilities to progress toward the achievement of state standards linked to grade level expectations. The relationship of standards and assessment to teaching and learning are depicted for use by teachers, assessment designers, and users of alternate assessment results. NCLB GUIDANCE The stakeholder group’s work was guided by the U. S. Department of Education’s Standards and Assessments Peer Review Guidance: Information and Examples for Meeting Requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 [NCLB]), which requires that alternate academic achievement standards align with the alternate assessment. They must • include knowledge and skills that link to grade level expectations, • promote access to the general curriculum, and • reflect professional judgment of the highest learning standards possible for the group of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Although the grade-level content may be reduced in complexity or modified to reflect prerequisite skills, the link to grade-level standards must be clear. The Peer Review Guidance notes that the concept of alternate achievement standards related to grade level may be ambiguous. According to the Guidance, the descriptors • should be defined in a way that supports individual growth because of their linkage to different content across grades; • are not likely to show the same clearly defined advances in cognitive complexity as the general education standards when examined across grade levels; • should rely on the judgment of experienced special educators and administrators, higher education representatives, and parents of students with disabilities as they define alternate achievement standards; and • should provide an appropriate challenge for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities as they move through their schooling. The Guidance requires links to grade-level standards. The EEs were developed by DLM consortium states to differentiate knowledge and skills by grade level. This differentiation is intended to clarify the link between the grade-level EEs and the grade-level CCSS and to show a forward progression across grades. The progression of content and skills across years of instruction reflect the changing priorities for instruction and learning as students move from grade to grade. The differences from grade level to grade level are often subtle and progression is sometimes more horizontal than vertical. For example, the grade-to-grade level differences may consist of added skills that are not of obvious increasing rigor compared to the differences found in the CCSS across grade levels. To the degree possible, skills escalate in complexity or rigor at Levels III and IV across the grades, with clear links to the shifting emphasis at each grade level in the CCSS. ACCESS TO INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT The EEs and Achievement Descriptors developed by the DLM consortium states are intended to create the maximum possible access to the CCSS for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The way in which information is presented for instruction and assessment and the manner in which students demonstrate achievement is in no way intended to be limited by statements of EEs or Achievement Descriptors. To that end, modes of communication, both for presentation or response, are not stated in either the EEs or Achievement Descriptors unless a specific mode is an expectation. Where no limitation has been stated, no limitation should be inferred. Students’ opportunities to learn and to demonstrate learning should be maximized by providing whatever communication, assistive technologies, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, or other access tools that are necessary and routinely used by the student during instruction. Students with significant cognitive disabilities include a broad range of students with diverse disabilities and communication needs. For some students with significant cognitive disabilities, graphic organizers similar to those used by students without disabilities provide useful access to content and are adequate to maximize opportunities to learn and demonstrate achievement. Other students require a range of assistive technologies to access content and demonstrate achievement. For some students, AAC devices and accommodations for hearing and visual impairments will be needed. As with other physical disabilities, students with visual impairments may perform some expectations using modified items, presentations, or response formats. A few items may not lend themselves to such modifications. Decisions about the appropriate modifications for visual impairments are accounted for in the design of the assessments. The access challenge for some is compounded by the presence of multiple disabilities. All of these needs, as well as the impact of levels of alertness due to medication and other physical disabilities which may affect opportunities to respond appropriately, need to be considered. Most presentation and response access conditions do not constitute accommodations as they are understood for students who take the general assessment. Methods of presentation that do not violate the intended construct by aiding or directing the students’ response allow the student to perceive what knowledge or skill is expected. Aids to responding that do not constitute a violation of the intended construct allow the student to demonstrate the expected knowledge and skills. Examples of acceptable access technologies include the following: • communication devices that compensate for a students’ physical inability to produce independent speech. • devices that compensate for a students’ physical inability to manipulate objects or materials, point to responses, turn pages in a book, or use a pencil or keyboard to answer questions or produce writing. • tools that maximize a students’ ability to acquire knowledge and skills and to demonstrate the products of their learning. ACCESSING THE GENERAL CURRICULUM Technology is also of particular importance to students with significant cognitive disabilities to access the general curriculum and achieve the EEs. Although educators have traditionally viewed technology as hardware and software, assistive technology tenets provide a broader view of the applications of low, medium, and high levels of technology use. Assistive technology tools can be vital to a student in acquiring and demonstrating learning unimpeded by the barriers that the disability presents. Many students with significant cognitive disabilities have difficulty with or cannot use speech to communicate and/or are supported by the use of communication symbols (e.g., communication boards, speech generating devices, voice output communication devices) and supports to augment their speech and other means of communication. Students who require symbols and other AAC supports require frequent modeling in the use of those symbols to interact and respond during instruction. Students who use symbols and other communication supports need as much modeling as children who use speech to communicate. Modeling in this way is not viewed as a means of prompting, guidance, or support, just as having a teacher talk serves those purposes for a student who communicates using speech. When modeling the use of symbols and other communication supports, teachers use the symbols and supports themselves, hand them to students without communication impairments to use, and involve the students who need to use them every day. Each of these steps can play an important role in validating the use of symbols and communication supports and demonstrating multiple levels of expertise in their use. READING AND WRITING Evidence is mounting (Institute for Community Inclusion, 2010; TASH, 2011; & University of Washington, 2010) to support the belief that students with significant cognitive disabilities can learn to read more than sight words, as once thought. It is important that these students are taught to use all the tools for decoding words. However, their journey requires more time to achieve basic reading goals. For that reason, shared reading is referenced for students in kindergarten through grade five while foundational skills are being taught and beyond that grade for students achieving below the EE targets. The materials students learn to read at these levels are also at a significantly reduced level of complexity and depth in recognition of the challenges they face in acquiring reading skills. Their need to acquire reading skills remains a goal throughout their school careers. Writing for these students is also a challenge, but an important goal to attain. Spelling words or writing complete sentences precisely is less important than developing basic writing skills. Many of these students face challenges in developing the required motor skills. While adaptive and alternate writing tools and other technologies are helpful, challenges remain. The technologies may help students overcome challenges in developing the required motor skills, but writing remains a cognitive challenge for these students. Composing sentences will require many years for students with significant cognitive disabilities to achieve. Still, early and continuing efforts are needed to maximize the achievement of these students in this important skill. GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT The authors of the CCSS use the words, “prompting and support” at the earliest grade levels to indicate when students were not expected to achieve standards completely independently. Generally, “prompting” refers to “the action of saying something to persuade, encourage, or remind someone to do or say something” (McKean, 2005). However, in special education, prompting is often used to mean a system of structured cues to elicit desired behaviors that otherwise would not occur. In order to communicate clearly that teacher assistance is permitted during instruction of the EEs, and is not limited to structured prompting procedures, the decision was made by the stakeholder group to use the more general term guidance throughout the EEs. Guidance and support during instruction should be interpreted as teacher encouragement, general assistance, and informative feedback to support the student in learning. Some examples of the kinds of teacher behaviors that would be considered guidance and support include • getting the student started (e.g., “Tell me what to do first.”), • providing a hint in the right direction without revealing the answer (e.g., Student wants to write dog but is unsure how, the teacher might say, “See if you can write the first letter in the word, /d/og.”), • narrowing the field of choices as a student provides an inaccurate response, • using structured technologies such as task specific word banks, or • providing the structured cues such as those found in prompting procedures (e.g., least-to-most prompts, simultaneous prompting, and graduated guidance). Guidance and support as described above apply to instruction. Alternate assessments measure the degree to which students with significant cognitive disabilities have mastered the EEs. During any assessment, accommodation(s) allowed on the assessment must have been used and practiced during instruction; however, some accommodations that are permissible during instruction would compromise the integrity of the assessments, thereby yielding invalid and unreliable results and cannot be used for assessment purposes. Some guidance and support strategies may not be allowed for assessment purposes when variance in teacher assistance, cues, and prompts could compromise judgments about mastery of the EEs and comparability of administration. RELATIONSHIP TO THE DYNAMIC LEARNING MAPS ASSESSMENT The EEs and Achievement Descriptors developed by the DLM consortium states and their stakeholder representatives provide teachers with information about the level of knowledge and skills expected of their students Assessment Achievement Level Descriptors (AALDs) will emerge as drafts. The AALDs are content and grade specific, but summarize across the EEs the key performance differences across levels of achievement and across grade levels. While draft AALDs will be used in the initial stages of standard setting to help guide that process, final AALDs will emerge from the standard setting process. Standard setting will take into account the overall degree of accuracy with which a student would need to perform in order to achieve at a particular level. Just as on a general education assessment, no individual student will be expected to perform proficiently on every EE in order to be considered Level III. . (See Levels of Performance described below.) For purposes of the DLM assessments under development, the achievement descriptors provide a useful link between the EEs and the DLM assessments. The descriptors, along with DLM developed from the CCSS, provide guidance to the development of the alternate assessment so that a full range of performance is measured and the setting of score ranges within each level rests on a defined frame of reference. The grade level EEs and alternate achievement standards • standardize meaning for the content and skill expectations, • create consistency in expected performance, • emphasize skill similarities for all students participating in the alternate assessments, • accommodate diverse disabilities, and • ground alternate assessments in a consistent set of expectations. Achievement descriptors are used to categorize and explain student performance both in the course of instruction and on the alternate assessment. SYSTEM ALIGNMENT The EEs are intended to contribute to a fully aligned system of standards, curriculum, teaching, learning, technology, and assessment that optimize equity of opportunity for all students in each classroom, school, and local education agency to access and learn the standards. To the degree possible, the grade level EEs are vertically aligned and linked to the grade level CCSS. The linkages provided by the EEs to the CCSS are intended to increase access to the general curriculum for all students with disabilities. Just as the EEs are designed to define achievement in academic content areas linked to the CCSS, the EEs reframe the expectations for foundational skills in pre-academic and academic areas. Precursor/prerequisite and the unique enabling skills related to English language arts content is specified in the context of their roles as a foundation for students with significant cognitive disabilities to achieve skills related to academic content. Levels of Performance Within this document, each grade level EE is cross-referenced to one or several CCSS. Four performance levels have been proposed for the DLM’s alternate academic achievement standards: I, II, III, and IV. Mastery is considered to be demonstrated at Level III and Level IV and is identified as meeting the Level III level on an alternate assessment as specified in the NCLB. A general description of each of these levels is included below: Level I - A student at this level attempts to perform tasks with support. Level II - A student at this level demonstrates some content knowledge and skills from the EEs linked to grade level standards. Level III - A student at this level demonstrates content knowledge and skills at a level aligned with the complexity of the EEs. Level IV - A student at this level demonstrates content knowledge and skills at a higher level of complexity than those described for Level III. Typically, this complexity includes the routine use of symbol systems as applied to English Language Arts. For each performance level, specific descriptions of content and skills are bulleted and examples of each level of performance are provided. The EEs are intended as a resource for developing individualized education plan (IEP) goals, benchmarks, and curricular materials in reading, language arts, and mathematics. Students may need goals and benchmarks in areas other than academic content domains (e.g., self-care/living skills, mobility). As always, IEPs address the individual needs of each student to make progress toward the standards. DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION Common Core Grade-Level Standards are the Standard titles and Grade-Level Indicators as they appear in the CCSS for English Language Arts (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2010). Common Core Essential Elements (EEs) describe links to the CCSS for access by students with significant cognitive disabilities. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.K.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. EERL.K.1. With guidance and support, identify details in familiar stories. Directions for Interpreting Essential Elements Essential Elements (EEs). The EEs are statements that provide links for students with significant cognitive disabilities to the essential content and skills defined in the grade-level clusters of the CCSS. The EEs provide a bridge for students with significant cognitive disabilities to the CCSS. The EEs are not intended as a reinterpretation of the CCSS; rather, they were developed to create a bridge between the CCSS and challenging achievement expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The order in which the EEs are listed is a direct reflection of the order in which the CCSS are listed. The order is not intended to convey a sequence for instruction; rather, it illustrates progress across years. In the tables, the left column contains the CCSS grade-level standards and indicators and the middle column contains the EE linked to them. Each EE completes the phrase “Students will . . . .” In keeping with the language of the English Language Arts CCSS document, the left hand column in this document will be titled CCSS Grade-Level Standards. This is worded differently in the Math CCSS and that is why the math document reads CCSS Grade-Level Clusters in the left- hand column. “Begins in grade __” is utilized when the expectations for students to begin to demonstrate mastery is found at a higher grade level. Planning for instruction should incorporate instruction related to the higher grade level EE and begin at the earliest possible point for each student. Students with significant cognitive disabilities may require several years of instruction prior to the point at which they may be expected to begin to demonstrate mastery of a concept. COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR KINDERGARTEN Kindergarten English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.K.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. EERL.K.1. With guidance and support, identify details in familiar stories. RL.K.2. With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details. EERL.K.2. With guidance and support, identify major events in familiar stories. RL.K.3. With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. EERL.K.3. With guidance and support, identify characters and settings in a familiar story. Craft and Structure. RL.K.4. Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. EERL.K.4. With guidance and support, ask about an unknown word in a text. RL.K.5. Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems). EERL.K.5. With guidance and support, recognize familiar texts (e.g., storybooks, poems). RL.K.6. With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story. EERL.K.6. With guidance and support, distinguish between words and illustrations in a story. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RL.K.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). EERL.K.7. With guidance and support, match illustrations with the story. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements RL.K.8. (Not applicable to literature) EERL.K.8. N/A RL.K.9. With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories. EERL.K.9. With guidance and support, identify the adventures or experiences of a character in a familiar story. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RL.K.10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. EERL.K.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all elements above. Kindergarten English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.K.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. EERI.K.1. With guidance and support, identify a detail in a familiar text. RI.K.2. With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. EERI.K.2. With guidance and support, identify the topic of a familiar text. RI.K.3. With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. EERI.K.3. With guidance and support, identify individuals, events, or ideas in a familiar informational text. Craft and Structure. RI.K.4. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. EERI.K.4. With guidance and support, ask about an unknown word in a text. RI.K.5. Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book. EERI.K.5. With guidance and support, identify parts of a book. RI.K.6. Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text. EERI.K.6. With guidance and support, distinguish between print and illustrations in an informational text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.K.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). EERI.K.7. With guidance and supports, match illustrations to an informational text. RI.K.8. With prompting and support, identify the reasons an EERI.K.8. With guidance and support, identify points the author CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements author gives to support points in a text. makes in an informational text. RI.K.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). EERI.K.9. With guidance and support, match similar parts of two texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.K.10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. EERI.K.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all elements above. Kindergarten English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Foundational Skills) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Print Concepts. RF.K.1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print. a. Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page. EERF.K.1. With guidance and support, demonstrate an emerging understanding of the organization and basic features of print. a. With guidance and support during shared reading, turn pages one page at a time from beginning to end. b. Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters. EERF.K.1.b. N/A c. Understand that words are separated by spaces in print. EERF.K.1.c. N/A d. Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet. EERF.K.1.d. With guidance and support, recognize first letter of own name in print. Phonological Awareness. RF.K.2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). a. Recognize and produce rhyming words. EERF.K.2. With guidance and support, demonstrate an emerging understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). a. With guidance and support, recognize rhyming words. b. Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words. EERF.K.2.b. With guidance and support, recognize the number of words in a spoken message. c. Blend and segment onsets and rimes [sic] of single-syllable spoken words. EERF.K.2.c. With guidance and support, identify single-syllable spoken words with the same onset (beginning sound) as a familiar word. d. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final EERF.K.2.d. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel- consonant, or CVC) words.1 (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.) e. Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words. EERF.K.2.e. N/A Phonics and Word Recognition. RF.K.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. a. Demonstrate basic knowledge of letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary or most frequent sound for each consonant. EERF.K.3. With guidance and support, apply letter name and letter-sound knowledge when decoding words during shared activities. a. With guidance and support, recognize sound of first letter in own name. b. Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels. EERF.K.3.b. N/A c. Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does). EERF.K.3.c. With guidance and support, recognize common signs and/or symbols in the environment. d. Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ. EERF.K.3.d. N/A Fluency. RF.K.4. Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding. EERF.K.4. Engage in independent exploration of books. 1 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. Kindergarten English Language Arts Standards: Writing CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.K.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 . . . ). EEW.K.1. With guidance and support, select a topic or book and use drawing, dictating, or writing to state an opinion about it. W.K.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. EEW.K.2. With guidance and support, select a topic and use drawing, dictating, or writing to share information about the topic. W.K.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. EEW.K.3. With guidance and support, select an event and use drawing, dictating, or writing to narrate information about it. Production and Distribution of Writing. W.K.4. (Begins in grade 3) EEW.K.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.K.5. With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed. EEW.K.5. (Begins in grade 1) W.K.6. With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. EEW.K.6. With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce writing. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.K.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them). EEW.K.7. With guidance and support, participate in shared research and writing projects. W.K.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. EEW.K.8. With guidance and support from adults, identify information, objects, or events that relate to personal experiences. W.K.9. (Begins in grade 4) EEW.K.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing. W.K.10. (Begins in grade 3) EEW.K.10. (Begins in grade 3) Kindergarten English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.K.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion). EESL.K.1. Participate in communication exchanges with diverse partners. a. Communicate directly with peers. b. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges. EESL.K.1.b. Participate in multiple-turn communication exchanges with adults. SL.K.2. Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood. EESL.K.2. Demonstrate an emerging understanding of a familiar text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by answering questions. SL.K.3. Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood. EESL.K.3. Ask for help when needed. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.K.4. Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail. EESL.K.4. With guidance and support, identify familiar people, places, things, and events. SL.K.5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. EESL.K.5. With guidance and support, add or select drawings or other visual or tactual displays that relate to familiar people, places, things, and events. SL.K.6. Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas EESL.K.6. With guidance and support, communicate thoughts, CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements clearly. feelings, and ideas. Kindergarten English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.K.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Print many upper- and lowercase letters. EEL.K.1. Demonstrate emerging understandings of English grammar and word usage when communicating. a. With guidance and support, distinguish between letters and other symbols or shapes. b. Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs. EEL.K.1.b. With guidance and support, identify objects or other symbols that represent familiar nouns. c. Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes). EEL.K.1.c. N/A d. Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how). EEL.K.1.d. With guidance and support, answer simple questions (e.g., who, what). e. Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with). EEL.K.1.e. With guidance and support, demonstrate understanding of common prepositions: on, off, in, out. f. Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities. EEL.K.1.f. With guidance and support, link two or more words together in communication. L.K.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. b. Recognize and name end punctuation. c. Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). d. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships. EEL.K.2. Demonstrate emerging understandings of writing. a-d. Demonstrate emerging understandings of writing. Knowledge of Language. EEL.K.3. (Begins in grade 2) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements L.K.3. (Begins in grade 2) Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.K.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content. a. Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck). EEL.K.4. Demonstrate an understanding of vocabulary based on reading and other content. a. Demonstrate an understanding of familiar words. b. 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. EEL.K.4.b. N/A L.K.5. With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings. a. Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. EEL.K.5. With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships: a. With guidance and support, sort common objects into familiar categories. b. Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms). EEL.K.5.b. With guidance and support, demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring opposites. c. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful). EEL.K.5.c. With guidance and support, use words to communicate in real-life situations. d. Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings. EEL.K.5.d. With guidance and support, demonstrate an understanding of common verbs. L.K.6. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, EEL.K.6. Use words acquired through conversations, being read CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements reading and being read to, and responding to texts. to, and during shared reading activities. COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR FIRST GRADE First Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.1.1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. EERL.1.1. Identify details in familiar stories. RL.1.2. Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson. EERL.1.2. Retell details from a familiar story. RL.1.3. Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. EERL.1.3. Identify characters and settings in a familiar story. Craft and Structure. RL.1.4. Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. EERL.1.4. Identify sensory or feeling words in a familiar story. RL.1.5. Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types. EERL.1.5. Classify reading materials into storybooks and informational books. RL.1.6. Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text. EERL.1.6. Identify a speaker in a familiar story. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RL.1.7. Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events. EERL.1.7. Identify details or illustrations that describe the characters or events in a familiar story. RL.1.8. (Not applicable to literature) EERL.1.8. N/A RL.1.9. Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. EERL.1.9. Identify the adventures or experiences of characters in a familiar story. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. EERL.1.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements RL.1.10. With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1. elements above. First Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.1.1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. EERI.1.1. Identify details in familiar text. RI.1.2. Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. EERI.1.2. Retell details of a familiar text. RI.1.3. Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. EERI.1.3. With guidance and support, identify events or ideas in a familiar text. Craft and Structure. RI.1.4. Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text. EERI.1.4. Respond to questions about a new word in familiar text. RI.1.5. 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. EERI.1.5. With guidance and support, recognize that books have titles. RI.1.6. Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text. EERI.1.6. With guidance and support, distinguish between text and illustrations in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.1.7. Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas. EERI.1.7. Identify illustration that shows what the text is describing. RI.1.8. Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. EERI.1.8. With guidance and support, identify details that match the topic of a text. RI.1.9. Identify basic similarities in and differences between two EERI.1.9. With guidance and support, match similar parts of two CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.1.10. With prompting and support read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1. EERI.1.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all elements above. First Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Foundational Skills) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Print Concepts. RF.1.1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print. a. Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation). EERF.1.1. Demonstrate an understanding of the organization and basic features of print. a. Interact with books one page at a time from beginning to end. EERF.1.1.b. Follow print from left to right. EERF.1.1.c. Follow print from top to bottom. Phonological Awareness. RF.1.2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). a. Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single- syllable words. EERF.1.2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). a. Identify spoken rhyming words b. Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends. EERF.1.2.b. With guidance and support, indicate the number of syllables in a spoken word. c. Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words. EERF.1.2.c. Identify a single syllable spoken word with the same onset (beginning sound) as a familiar word. d. Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes). EERF.1.2.d. Match orally presented segmented phonemes to pictures that are labeled orally first by an adult. Phonics and Word Recognition. RF.1.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis EERF.1.3. Apply letter name and letter-sound knowledge when decoding words during shared activities. a. Identify words that begin with a single-consonant phoneme CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements skills in decoding words. a. Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant. that is spoken by an adult. b. Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words. EERF.1.3.b. N/A c. Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds. EERF.1.3.c. N/A d. Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word. EERF.1.3.d. N/A e. Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables. EERF.1.3.e. N/A f. Read words with inflectional endings. EERF.1.3.f. N/A g. Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly EERF.1.3.g. N/A Fluency. RF.1.4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. a. Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. EERF.1.4. Engage in sustained independent study of books (e.g., studies a book one page at a time). a. Independently engage in exploring a book or navigating pages in a multimedia book. b. Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression. EERF.1.4.b. Sustain attention to a variety of reading materials reflecting a variety of text genre. c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. EERF.1.4.c. N/A First Grade English Language Arts Standards: Writing CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.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. EEW.1.1. Select a book and use drawing, dictating, or writing to state an opinion about it. W.1.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. EEW.1.2. Select a topic and use drawing, dictating, or writing to share information about it. W.1.3. Write narratives 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. EEW.1.3. Select an event and use drawing, dictating, or writing to share information about it. Production and Distribution of Writing. W.1.4. (Begins in grade 3) EEW.1.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.1.5. With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed. EEW.1.5. With guidance and support from adults, add more information to own drawing, dictating, or writing to strengthen it. W.1.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. EEW.1.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.1.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., EEW.1.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions). W.1.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. EEW.1.8. With guidance and support from adults, identify information related to personal experiences and answer simple questions about those experiences. W.1.9. (Begins in grade 4) EEW.1.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing. W.1.10. (Begins in grade 3) EEW.1.10. (Begins in grade 3) First Grade English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.1.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. a. 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). EESL.1.1. Participate in conversations with peers and adults. a. Engage in multiple-turn exchanges with peers. b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. EESL.1.1.b. Build on comments or topics initiated by an adult. c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion. EESL.1.1.c. Uses one or two words to ask questions related to personally relevant topics. SL.1.2. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. EESL.1.2. During shared reading activities, answer questions about details presented orally or through other media. SL.1.3. Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood. EESL.1.3. Ask for help when needed. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.1.4. Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. EESL.1.4. With guidance and support, identify familiar people, places, things, and events. SL.1.5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. EESL.1.5. Communicate own thoughts, feelings, or ideas. SL.1.6. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task EESL.1.6. With guidance and support, provide more information CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements and situation. to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. First Grade English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.1.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Print all upper- and lowercase letters. EEL.1.1. Demonstrate emerging understandings of standard English usage when communicating. a. Write letters from own name. b. Use common, proper, and possessive nouns. EEL.1.1.b. With guidance and support, use familiar nouns (e.g., own name, Mom, dog) in isolation. c. Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop). EEL.1.1.c. With guidance and support, produce noun + verb or verb + noun combinations. d. Use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their, anyone, everything). EEL.1.1.d. With guidance and support, use familiar personal pronouns (e.g., I, me, and you). e. 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). EEL.1.1.e. With guidance and support, use familiar present tense verbs. f. Use frequently occurring adjectives. EEL.1.1.f. With guidance and support, use familiar frequently occurring adjectives. (e.g., big, hot). g. Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because) EEL.1.1.g. N/A h. Use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives). EEL.1.1.h. N/A i. Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward). EEL.1.1.i. With guidance and support, use frequently occurring prepositions: in, out, on, off. j. Produce and expand complete simple and compound EEL.1.1.j. With guidance and support, use simple question words CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts. (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what). L.1.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Capitalize dates and names of people. EEL.1.2. Demonstrate emerging understandings of the use of conventions of standard English during communication. a. Locate first letter in own name when presented with name. a. Use end punctuation for sentences. EEL.1.2.b. N/A b. Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series. EEL.1.2.c. N/A c. Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. EEL.1.2.d. With guidance and support, recognize that letters are used to create words. e. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions. EEL.1.2.e. N/A Knowledge of Language. L.1.3. (Begins in grade 2) EEL.1.3. (Begins in grade 2) Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.1.4. 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. a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. EEL.1.4.a. With guidance and support, demonstrate understanding of the meaning of newly acquired vocabulary. b. Use frequently occurring affixes as a clue to the meaning of a word. EEL.1.4.b. N/A c. Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look) and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks, looked, looking). EEL.1.4.c. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements L.1.5. With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings. a. Sort words into categories (e.g., colors, clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. EEL.1.5. With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate emerging understandings of word relationships. a. With guidance and support from adults, sort common objects into familiar categories. b. 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). EEL.1.5.b. With guidance and support from adults, identify attributes of familiar words. c. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at home that are cozy). EEL.1.5.c. With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of words by identifying real-life connections between words and their use. d. 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. EEL.1.5.d. N/A L.1.6. 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). EEL.1.6. N/A COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR SECOND GRADE Second Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.2.1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. EERL.2.1. Answer who and where questions to demonstrate understanding of details in a familiar text. RL.2.2. Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. EERL.2.2. Retell familiar stories from diverse cultures, including two or more elements from different parts of the story. RL.2.3. Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. EERL.2.3. Identify the actions and feelings of the characters in a familiar story. Craft and Structure. RL.2.4. Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song. EERL.2.4. Identify rhyming words or repeated phrases in a familiar story, poem, or song. RL.2.5. Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action. EERL.2.5. Determine the beginning and ending of a story. RL.2.6. Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud. EERL.2.6. Identify the speakers in a dialogue. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. EERL.2.7. Use illustrations in print or digital text to identify CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements RL.2.7. Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. characters and settings. RL.2.8. (Not applicable to literature) EERL.2.8. N/A RL.2.9. Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures. EERL.2.9. Identify similarities in two versions of the same story. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RL.2.10. By the end of the year read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. RL.2.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all elements above. Second Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.2.1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. EERI.2.1. Answer who and what questions to demonstrate understanding of details in a familiar text. RI.2.2. Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text. EERI.2.2. Identify the topic of the text. RI.2.3. Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text. EERI.2.3. Sequence at least two steps in a procedure or ideas/incidents in an event. Craft and Structure. RI.2.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area. EERI.2.4. Identify words related to a topic of a text. RI.2.5. 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. EERI.2.5. Locate facts or information in a familiar text. RI.2.6. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe. EERI.2.6. Identify purpose of a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.2.7. Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text. EERI.2.7. Demonstrate understanding of how images relate to a familiar informational text. RI.2.8. Describe how reasons support specific points the author EERI.2.8. N/A (See EERI.2.1.) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements makes in a text. RI.2.9. Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. EERI.2.9. Identify a common element between two texts. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.2.10. By the end of year, 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. EERI.2.10. **This Informational Text Essential Element references all elements above. Second Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Foundational Skills) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Phonics and Word Recognition. RF.2.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. a. Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words. b. Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams. c. Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels. EERF.2.3.a-c. Apply letter-sound and word analysis skills in decoding words. In context, identify 18 or more letter-sound associations. d. Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes. e. Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling- sound correspondences. EERF.2.3.d-e. Identify the beginning sound of familiar words beginning with a single consonant sound. f. Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. EERF.2.3.f. Recognize 10 or more written words. Fluency. RF.2.4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. a. Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. b. Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression. c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. EERF.2.4. Read a shared-reading selection. Second Grade English Language Arts Standards: Writing CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.2.1. 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. EEW.2.1. Select a book and write, draw, or dictate to state an opinion about it and one reason to support the opinion. W.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. EEW.2.2. Select a topic and use drawing, dictating, or writing to compose a message with one fact about the topic. W.2.3. Write narratives 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. EEW.2.3. Select an event or personal experience and use drawing, writing, or dictating to compose a message about it. Production and Distribution of Writing. W.2.4. (Begins in grade 3) EEW.2.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.2.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. EEW.2.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, add more information to own drawing, dictating, or writing to strengthen the message. W.2.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. EEW.2.6. With guidance and support from adults and peers, use technology (including assistive technologies) to produce and publish writing. Research to Build and Present Knowledge. EEW.2.7. Participate in shared writing projects - communicate a CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements W.2.7. 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). message to add information. W.2.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.2.9. (Begins in grade 4) EEW.2.8. Identify information related to personal experiences and answer simple questions about those experiences. EEW.2.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing. W.2.10. (Begins in grade 3) EEW.2.10. (Begins in grade 3) Second Grade English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.2.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. a. 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). EESL.2.1. Participate in conversations with peers and adults in small groups. a. Engage in multiple-turn exchanges with peers and adults in small groups. b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others. EERF.2.1.b. Build on comments or topics initiated by adults and peers. c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion. EESL.2.1.c. Ask questions related to a prescribed topic or text. SL.2.2. Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. EESL.2.2. Ask and answer questions about key details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. SL.2.3. Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue. EESL.2.3. Answer questions about what a speaker says. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.2.4. Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. EESL.2.4. Identify a photograph or object that reflects a personal experience and tell one detail about it. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements SL.2.5. 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. EESL.2.5. Select a visual, audio, or tactual representation to depict an experience, thoughts, or feelings. SL.2.6. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. EESL.2.6. Communicate to provide clarification. Second Grade English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.2.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a-f. (See below) EEL.2.1. Communicate to convey information. a-f. Produce all letters. a. Use collective nouns (e.g., group). b. Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice, fish). EEL.2.1.a-b. Use frequently occurring nouns (e.g., mom, dad, boy, girl). c. Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves). EEL.2.1.c. Use frequently occurring pronouns to refer to self and others (e.g., we, they, him, her, them). d. Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told). EEL.2.1.d. Use frequently occurring verbs. e. Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified. EEL.2.1.e. Use frequently occurring adjectives. f. 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). EEL.2.1.f. Link two or more words together in communication. L.2.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names. EEL.2.2. Use conventions of spelling when communicating. a. Capitalize the first letter of familiar names. b. Use commas in greetings and closings of letters. EEL.2.2.b. N/A c. Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently EEL.2.2.c. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements occurring possessives. d. Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil). EEL.2.2.d. Identify printed rhyming words with the same spelling pattern. e. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings. EEL.2.2.e. Consult print in the environment to support reading and spelling. Knowledge of Language. L.2.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. a. Compare formal and informal uses of English. EEL.2.3. Use informal language when communicating. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.2.4. 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 a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. b. Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell). EEL.2.4. Demonstrate knowledge of new vocabulary drawn from reading and content areas. a-b. Use newly acquired vocabulary. c. Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional). EEL.2.4.c. Sort words into familiar categories. d. Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, notebook, bookmark). EEL.2.4.d. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements e. Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases. EEL.2.4.e. Ask about an unknown word. L.2.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy). EEL.2.5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships. a. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., happy: “I am happy.”). b. Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny). EEL.2.5.b. Identify the function of common nouns. L.2.6. 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). EEL.2.6. Use adjectives and adverbs from texts that have been read. COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR THIRD GRADE Third Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.3.1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. EERL.3.1. Answer questions to demonstrate understanding of text. RL.3.2. 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. EERL.3.2. Retell stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures including details from the text. RL.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. EERL.3.3. Identify the traits, motivations, or feelings of characters in a story. Craft and Structure. RL.3.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language. EERL.3.4. Determine whether something described in the text could be true. RL.3.5. 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. EERL.3.5. Determine the beginning, middle, and end of a story. RL.3.6. Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters. EERL.3.6. Identify personal point of view about a character or the narrator. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RL.3.7. 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). EERL.3.7. Identify parts of illustrations that depict a particular mood, setting, or character. RL.3.8. (Not applicable to literature) EERL.3.8. N/A RL.3.9. 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). EERL.3.9. Identify similarities in the settings of two stories by the same author. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RL.3.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. EERL.3.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all elements above. Third Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.3.1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. EERI.3.1. Answer questions related to a familiar text. RI.3.2. Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. EERI.3.2. Identify a detail of a text. RI.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. EERI.3.3. List the progression of a series of events. Craft and Structure. RI.3.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain- specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topics or subject area. EERI.3.4. Determine the meaning of vocabulary related to a familiar text. RI.3.5. Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. EERI.3.5. Identify text features and search tools. RI.3.6. Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text. EERI.3.6. Identify a personal point of view about a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.3.7. Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, EERI.3.7. Demonstrate an understanding of text by connecting a visual element. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). RI.3.8. Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence). EERI.3.8. N/A (See EERI.3.3.) RI.3.9. Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. EERI.3.9. Identify similarities of two resources on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.3.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehends 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. EERI.3.10. **This Informational Text Essential Element references all elements above. Third Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Foundational Skills) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Phonics and Word Recognition. RF.3.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. a. Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes. EERF.3.3. Apply letter-sound skills in decoding consonant sounds of familiar one-syllable words. a. In context, demonstrate basic knowledge of letter-sound correspondences. b. Decode words with common Latin suffixes. EERF.3.3.b. With models and supports, decode single-syllable words with common spelling patterns (consonant-vowel- consonant [CVC] or high-frequency rhymes). c. Decode multi-syllable words. EERF.3.3.c. N/A d. Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. EERF.3.3.d. Recognize 40 or more written words. Fluency. RF.3.4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. a. Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. EERF.3.4. Read text comprised of familiar words to support comprehension. a. Read familiar text with purpose and understanding. b. Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression. EERF.3.4.b. N/A c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. EERF.3.4.c. Use context to determine missing words in familiar texts. Third Grade English Language Arts Standards: Writing2 CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.3.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. a. Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons. b. Provide reasons that support the opinion. EEW.3.1.a-b. Select a text and write to state an opinion about it and one reason to support the opinion. c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons. EEW.3.1.c. N/A d. Provide a concluding statement or section. EEW.3.1.d. N/A W.3.2. 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. EEW.3.2.a-b. Select a topic and write about it including one fact or detail. c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information. EEW.3.2.c. N/A d. Provide a concluding statement or section. EEW.3.2.d. N/A W.3.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear EEW.3.3.a. Select an event or personal experience and write one thing about it. 2 Throughout, writing can include standard writing instruments, computers, or alternate writing tools. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements event sequences. a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations. EEW.3.3.b. N/A c. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order. EEW.3.3.c. N/A d. Provide a sense of closure. EEW.3.3.d. N/A Production and Distribution of Writing. W.3.4. 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.) EEW.3.4. With guidance and support, produce writing that expresses more than one idea. W.3.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. EEW.3.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, revise own writing by adding more information. W.3.6. 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. EEW.3.6. With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce writing while interacting and collaborating with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.3.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. EEW.3.7. Gather information about a topic for a group research project. W.3.8. Recall information from experiences or gather EEW.3.8. Sort information into two provided categories and CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. write information learned about them. W.3.9. (Begins in grade 4) EEW.3.9. (Begins in grade 4.) Range of Writing. W.3.10. 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. EEW.3.10. Write routinely for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Third Grade English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.3.1. 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. a. 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. EESL.3.1. Participate in collaborative opportunities. a. Engage in collaborative interactions about texts. b. 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). EESL.3.1.b. Listen to others’ ideas before responding. c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others. EESL.3.1.c. Ask questions that link to ideas of others. d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. EESL.3.1.d. Express ideas clearly. SL.3.2. 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. EESL.3.2. Ask and answer questions about details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. SL.3.3. Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail. EESL.3.3. Ask or answer questions about what a speaker says. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.3.4. Report on a topic or text, a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. EESL.3.4. Recount a personal experience including details. SL.3.5. 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. EESL.3.5. Create a multimedia presentation of a story or poem. SL.3.6. Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. EESL.3.6. Combine words for effective communication to clarify thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Third Grade English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.3.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences. EEL.3.1. Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage when communicating. a. Uses noun + verb, noun + adjective, and subject + verb + object combinations in communication. b. Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns. EEL.3.1.b. Use plural nouns. c. Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood). EEL.3.1.c. N/A d. Form and use regular and irregular verbs. EEL.3.1.d. Use present and past tense verbs. e. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses. EEL.3.1.e. N/A f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.*[sic] EEL.3.1.f. N/A g. Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified. EEL.3.1.g. N/A h. Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. EEL.3.1.h. Produce utterances using three or more words. i. Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences. EEL.3.1.i. Ask simple questions. L.3.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Capitalize appropriate words in titles. EEL.3.2. Apply conventions of standard English including capitalization and spelling. a. Capitalize the first letter of a familiar place. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements b. Use commas in addresses. EEL.3.2.b. N/A c. Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue EEL.3.2.c. N/A d. Form and use possessives EEL.3.2.d. N/A e. Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness). EEL.3.2.e. Spell common high-frequency words accurately. f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words. EEL.3.2.f. Use spelling patterns in familiar words with common spelling patterns to spell words with the same spelling pattern. g. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings. EEL.3.2.g. Consult print in the environment to support reading and spelling. Knowledge of Language. L.3.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. a. Choose words and phrases for effect.*[sic] EEL.3.3. Use language to achieve desired outcomes when communicating. a. Use language to make simple requests. b. Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English. EEL.3.3.b. Use language to comment or share information. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.3.4. 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. a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. EEL.3.4. Demonstrate knowledge of new vocabulary drawn from reading and content areas. a. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements b. 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). EEL.3.4.b. Identify the temporal meaning of words when common affixes (-ing, ed) are added to common verbs. c. Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion). EEL.3.4.c. N/A d. Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases. EEL.3.4.d. N/A L.3.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings. a. Distinguish the literal and non-literal meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps). EEL.3.5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships. a. N/A b. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful). EEL.3.5.b. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., happy: “I am happy.”). c. Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected, heard, and wondered). EEL.3.5.c. Identify words that describe personal emotional states. L.3.6. 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). EEL.3.6. Demonstrate understanding of words that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., behind, under, after, soon, next, later). COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR FOURTH GRADE Fourth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. EERL.4.1. Use details from the text to recount what the text says. RL.4.2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. EERL.4.2. Determine the main idea of a text. RL.4.3. Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific detail in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions). EERL.4.3. Use details from text to describe a character in a story. Craft and Structure. RL.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). EERL.4.4. Determine meaning of words in context. RL.4.5. 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. EERL.4.5. Recognize a text as a story or poem. RL.4.6. Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between EERL.4.6. Identify the narrator of a story. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements first- and third-person narrations. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RL.4.7. 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. EERL.4.7. Make connections between text and visual or oral presentations. RL.4.8. (Not applicable to literature) EERL.4.8. N/A RL.4.9. 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. EERL.4.9. Compare and contrast two stories, myths, or texts from different cultures. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RL.4.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. EERL.4.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all elements above. Fourth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. EERI.4.1. Use details from the text to recount what the text says. RI.4.2. Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. EERI.4.2. Determine a main idea of a text. RI.4.3. 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. EERI.4.3. Use details from text to describe what happened. Craft and Structure. RI.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. EERI.4.4: Determine meaning of words in context. RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, and problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text. EERI.4.5. Identify the chronological structure of a text (first, then, next). RI.4.6. Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided. EERI.4.6. Identify a firsthand account of an event. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.4.7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or EERI.4.7. Interpret information presented visually and orally. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements 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. RI.4.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text. EERI.4.8. Identify the author’s point. RI.4.9. Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. EERI.4.9. Identify similarities of two resources on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.4.10. 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 proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. EERI.4.10. **This Informational Text Essential Element references all elements above. Fourth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Foundational Skills) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Phonics and Word Recognition. RF.4.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. a. 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. EERF.4.3. Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. a. Apply letter-sound knowledge to use first letter plus context to identify unfamiliar words. b. 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. EERF.4.3.b. Decode single-syllable words with common spelling patterns (consonant-vowel-consonant [CVC] or high-frequency rhymes). Fluency. RF.4.4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. a. Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. b. Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression. c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. Decode multi-syllable words. EERF.4.4. Read text comprised of familiar words with accuracy and understanding. Fourth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Writing CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.4.1. 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. EEW.4.1. Write an opinion about a topic or text and reasons to support the opinion. a. Select a topic or text and write an opinion about it. 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). EEW.4.1.b-c. List reasons to support the opinion. d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented. EEW.4.1.d. N/A W.4.2. 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. EEW.4.2. Write to convey ideas and information clearly. a. Select a topic and related visual, tactual, or multimedia information. b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. EEW.4.2.b. List words, facts, or details related to the topic. c. Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because). EEW.4.2.c. N/A d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to EEW.4.2.d. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements inform about or explain the topic. e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented. EEW.4.2.e. N/A W.4.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. EEW.4.3. Select an event or personal experience and write about it. a. Write about two events in sequence related to a personal experience. b. Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. EEW.4.3.b. List words that describe an event or personal experience to use when writing about it. c. Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events. EEW.4.3.c. N/A d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. EEW.4.3.d. N/A e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. EEW.4.3.e. N/A Production and Distribution of Writing. W.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.) EEW.4.4. Produce writing that expresses more than one idea with a logical organization. W.4.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. EEW.4.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, plan by brainstorming and revise own writing by adding more information. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements W.4.6. 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. EEW.4.6. With guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce writing while interacting and collaborating with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.4.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. EEW.4.7. Gather information about a topic from two or more sources for a group research project. W.4.8. 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. EEW.4.8. Recall information from personal experiences and sort into provided categories. W.4.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. 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].”). EEW.4.9. Recall information from literary and informational text to support writing. a. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 4 Reading Standards to literature (e.g., “Use details from text to describe a character in a story.”). b. 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”). EEW.4.9.b. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 4 Reading Standards to informational text (e.g., “Use details from the text to recount what the text says.”). Range of Writing. W.4.10. 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. EEW.4.10. Write routinely for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Fourth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.4.1. 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. a. 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. EESL.4.1.a. Participate in communicative exchanges to communicate directly with peers in multi-turn exchanges. a. Contribute ideas from prior knowledge and experience during discussions about text. b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. EESL.4.1.b. Take turns in discussions with others. c. 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. EESL.4.1.c. Ask and answer questions about information presented by others. d. Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. EESL.4.1.d. Identify the key ideas of the discussion. SL.4.2. Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. EESL.4.2. Identify the main idea of a text presented through diverse media. SL.4.3. Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points. EESL.4.3. Identify a point that the speaker makes. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. EESL.4.4. Tell a story about a personal experience with supporting details. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements SL.4.4. Report 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; speak clearly at an understandable pace. SL.4.5. Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes. EESL.4.5. Add audio recordings or visuals to a presentation about a personally relevant topic. SL.4.6. 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. EESL.4.6. Differentiate between communication partners and contexts that call for formal and informal communication. Fourth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.4.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why). EEL.4.1. Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage when communicating. a. Use possessive pronouns. b. Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses. EEL.4.1.b. N/A c. Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must) to convey various conditions. EEL.4.1.c. N/A d. Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag rather than a red small bag). EEL.4.1.d. Use comparative and superlative adjectives to describe people or objects. e. Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.*[sic] EEL.4.1.e. Use common prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, by, with). f. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).*[sic] EEL.4.1.f. Communicate using grammatically complete utterances. L.4.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use correct capitalization. EEL.4.2. Demonstrate capitalization, end punctuation, and spelling when communicating. a. Capitalize the first word in a sentence. b. Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text. EEL.4.2.b. N/A c. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence. EEL.4.2.c. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements d. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed. EEL.4.2.d. Spell words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of letter-sound relationships, and/or common spelling patterns. Knowledge of Language. L.4.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. a. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.*[sic] EEL.4.3. Use language to convey meaning when writing or communicating. a. Use language to express emotion. b. Choose punctuation for effect.*[sic] EEL.4.3.b. N/A c. Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion). EEL.4.3.c. Communicate effectively with peers and adults. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.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. a. Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. EEL.4.4. Demonstrate knowledge of new vocabulary drawn from reading and content areas. a. Use context as a clue to guide selection of a word that completes a sentence read aloud by an adult. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph). EEL.4.4.b. Use frequently occurring root words (e.g., talk) and the words that result when word endings are added (e.g., talked, talking, talks). c. 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. EEL.4.4.c. N/A L.4.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. EEL.4.5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships. a. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements a. Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context. b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. EEL.4.5.b. Use common idioms (e.g., no way, not a chance, you bet). c. Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms). EEL.4.5.c. Demonstrate understanding of opposites. L.4.6. 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). EEL.4.6. Use domain-specific words. COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR FIFTH GRADE Fifth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.5.1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. EERL.5.1. Identify words in the text to answer a question about explicit information. RL.5.2. 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. EERL.5.2. Identify the central idea or theme of a familiar story, drama or poem. RL.5.3. 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). EERL.5.3. Compare and contrast two characters in a familiar story. Craft and Structure. RL.5.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes. EERL.5.4. After listening to or reading a familiar text, determine the meanings of words and phrases. RL.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. EERL.5.5. Identify the beginning, middle, and end of a poem, drama, or story with a clear sequential structure. RL.5.6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described. EERL.5.6. Determine the point of view of the narrator. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. EERL.5.7. Identify illustrations and multimedia elements that add CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements RL.5.7. 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). to understanding of a text. RL.5.8. (Not applicable to literature) EERL.5.8. N/A RL.5.9. Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics. EERL.5.9. Compare two stories with similar topics. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RL.5.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently. EERL.5.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all elements above. Fifth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.5.1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. EERI.5.1. Select words or phrases from the text to support inferences. RI.5.2. Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text. EERI.5.2. When given text, identify the main ideas that are supported by the key details. RI.5.3. 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. EERI.5.3. Make connections between two individuals or events/actions in a text. Craft and Structure. RI.5.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain- specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area. EERI.5.4. After listening to or reading a text, determine the meanings of domain-specific words and phrases. RI.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. EERI.5.5. Identify the beginning, middle, and end of a text with a clear sequential structure. RI.5.6. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent. EERI.5.6. Given two pieces of information on the same event or topic, note what is the same. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.5.7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital EERI.5.7. Use print or digital sources for information to answer a question. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. RI.5.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s). EERI.5.8. Identify the evidence or reasons the author uses to support points in text. RI.5.9. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. EERI.5.9. Collect information from two or more texts on the same topic to share information about a subject. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.5.10. 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. EERI.5.10. **This Informational Text Essential Element references all elements above. Fifth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Foundational Skills) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Phonics and Word Recognition. RF.5.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. a. 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. EERF.5.3. Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. a. Decode two-syllable words. EERF.5.3.b. Read more than 20 common high-frequency words. Fluency. RF.5.4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. a. Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. b. Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression. c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. EERF.5.4. Read text comprised of familiar words with accuracy and understanding. Fifth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Writing CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.5.1. 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. EEW.5.1. Write an opinion about a topic or text and reasons to support the opinion. a. Introduce a topic or text and state an opinion about it. b. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details. EEW.5.1.b. Provide reasons to support the opinion. c. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically). EEW.5.1.c. N/A d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented. EEW.5.1.d. N/A W.5.2. 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. EEW.5.2. Write to convey ideas and information clearly. a. Introduce a topic and organize illustrations or other multimedia related to it. b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. EEW.5.2.b. Provide facts, details, or other information related to the topic. c. Link ideas within and across categories of information EEW.5.2.c. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements 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. EEW.5.2.d. N/A e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented. EEW.5.2.e. N/A W.5.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. EEW.5.3. Select an event or personal experience and write about it. a-b. Introduce the experience or situation, and follow with three or more events in sequence. c. Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events. EEW.5.3.c. N/A d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. EEW.5.3.d. N/A e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. EEW.5.3.e. N/A Production and Distribution of Writing. W.5.4. 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 EEW.5.4. Produce writing that is appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.5.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. EEW.5.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, plan by brainstorming and revise own writing by adding more information. W.5.6. 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. EEW.5.6. With guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce writing while interacting and collaborating with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.5.7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. EEW.5.7. Conduct short research projects using two or more sources. W.5.8. 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. EEW.5.8. Recall information from personal experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources to include in writing. W.5.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. 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].”). EEW.5.9. Use information from literary and informational text to support writing. a. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 5 Reading Standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast two characters in the story.”). b. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., EEW.5.9.b. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 5 Reading CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements “Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point[s]”). Standards to informational text (e.g., “Identify evidence the author uses.”). Range of Writing. W.5.10. 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. EEW.5.10. Write routinely for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Fifth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.5.1. 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. a. 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. EESL.5.1. Participate in collaborative discussions. a. Prepare for discussions. b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. EESL.5.1.b. Engage in discussions to share information on the topic. c. Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. EESL.5.1.c. Communicate directly with peers in multi-turn exchanges. d. Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions. EESL.5.1.d. Ask and answer questions of adult or peer communication partners to identify key issues of the discussion. SL.5.2. Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. EESL.5.2. Identify the main idea and supporting details of a text presented through diverse media. SL.5.3. Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence. EESL.5.3. Identify the main point a speaker makes. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.5.4. 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; speak clearly at an understandable pace. EESL.5.4. Create a simple report or presentation about a curriculum-based topic. SL.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. EESL.5.5. Select or create an audio recording, images, photographs, or other visuals/tactual displays to enhance a report or presentation. SL.5.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation. EESL.5.6. Use formal and informal language. Fifth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.5.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their function in particular sentences. EEL.5.1. Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage when communicating. a. Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs (e.g., Sam eats, dogs eat). b. Form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked; I have walked; I will have walked) verb tenses. EEL.5.1.b. N/A c. Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions. EEL.5.1.c. N/A d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.*[sic] EEL.5.1.d. (See EEL.5.1.a.) e. Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor). EEL.5.1.e. Use frequently occurring conjunctions: and, but, or, for, because. L.5.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use punctuation to separate items in a series.*[sic] EEL.5.2. Use conventions of standard English. a. Capitalize names and the first word in a sentence. b. Use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence. EEL.5.2.b. Use a period to mark the end of a sentence. c. 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?). EEL.5.2.c. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements d. Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works. EEL.5.2.d. N/A e. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed. EEL.5.2.e. Spell untaught word phonetically, drawing on letter- sound relationships and common spelling patterns. Knowledge of Language. L.5.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. a. Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style. EEL.5.3. Use language to achieve desired meaning when communicating. b. Compare and contrast the varieties of English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas, or poems. EEL.5.3.b. N/A Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.5.4. 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. a. Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. EEL.5.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of vocabulary drawn from reading and content areas. a. Use context as a clue to determine the meaning of words. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis). EEL.5.4.b. Identify the temporal meaning of words when common affixes (-ing, -ed, -s, -es) are added to common nouns and verbs. c. 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. EEL.5.4.c. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements L.5.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context. EEL.5.5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships. a. Use simple, common idioms (e.g., You bet!, It’s a deal., We’re cool.). b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. EEL.5.5.b. N/A c. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words. EEL.5.5.c. N/A L.5.6. 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). EEL.5.6. Use domain-specific words (e.g., if, then, next). COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR SIXTH GRADE Sixth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.6.1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. EERL.6.1. Determine what a text says explicitly as well as what simple inferences should be drawn. RL.6.2. 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. EERL.6.2. Determine the theme or central idea of a familiar story and identify details that relate to it. RL.6.3. 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. EERL.6.3. Identify the episodes or significant events in a story or drama. Craft and Structure. RL.6.4. 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. EERL.6.4. Determine the meaning of simple idioms and figures of speech as they are used in a text. RL.6.5. 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. EERL.6.5. Determine how a sentence, paragraph, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of the text. RL.6.6. Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text. EERL.6.6. Use an example from a text to describe the point of view of the narrator. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. EERL.6.7. Compare a text version of a story, drama, or poem with CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements RL.6.7. 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. an audio, video, or live version of the text. RL.6.8. (Not applicable in literature.) EERL.6.8. N/A RL.6.9. Compare and contrast texts 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. EERL.6.9. (See EERL.6.7.) Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RL.6.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. EERL.6.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all elements above. Sixth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.6.1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. EERI.6.1. Analyze a text to determine what it says explicitly as well as what inferences should be drawn. RI.6.2. 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. EERI.6.2. Determine the central idea of a short passage and details or facts related to it. RI.6.3. Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes). EERI.6.3. Identify the progression of a key individual, event, or idea throughout an informational text. Craft and Structure. RI.6.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. EERI.6.4. Determine the meaning of simple idioms and figures of speech as they are used in a text. RI.6.5. 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. EERI.6.5. Describe how an element of the text fits into the overall structure of the text. RI.6.6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text. EERI.6.6. Use an example from text to describe the author’s purpose or point of view. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.6.7. Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to EERI.6.7. Integrate information from different media and formats of texts. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue. RI.6.8. 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. EERI.6.8. Distinguish claims in a text supported by reason. RI.6.9. Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person). EERI.6.9. (See EERI.6.7.) Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.6.10. 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. EERI.6.10. **This Informational Text Essential Element references all elements above. Sixth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Writing CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.6.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. a. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly. b. Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. EEW.6.1.a-b. With guidance and support, write a claim and support it with reasons. c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons. EEW.6.1.c. N/A d. Establish and maintain a formal style. EEW.6.1.d. N/A e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented. EEW.6.1.e. N/A W.6.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. a. 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. b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. EEW.6.2.a-b. Write to convey ideas and information including facts, details, and other information. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements c. Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. EEW.6.2.c. N/A d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. EEW.6.2.d. N/A e. Establish and maintain a formal style. EEW.6.2.e. N/A f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented. EEW.6.2.f. N/A W.6.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. a. 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. b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. EEW.6.3. Select an event or personal experience and write about it. a-b. Introduce the experience or situation, at least one character, and two or more events in sequence. c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another. EEW.6.3.c. N/A d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events. EEW.6.3.d. N/A e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. EEW.6.3.e. N/A Production and Distribution of Writing. W.6.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the EEW.6.4. Produce writing that is appropriate for the task, purpose, or audience. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.6.5. 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. EEW.6.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, plan by brainstorming and revise own writing by adding more information. W.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. EEW.6.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce writing while interacting and collaborating with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.6.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate. EEW.6.7. Conduct research to answer a question based on two or more sources of information. W.6.8. 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 sources. EEW.6.8. Identify quotes from print or digital sources that provide information about a topic. W.6.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast texts 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.”). EEW.6.9. Use information from literary and informational text to support writing. a. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 6 Reading Standards to literature (e.g., “Compare a text version of a story, drama, or poem with an audio, video, or live version of the text.”). b. Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., EEW.6.9.b. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 6 Reading CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements “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”). Standards to informational text (e.g., “Distinguish claims in a text supported by reason.”). Sixth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.6.1. 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. a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion. SL.6.1. Participate in collaborative discussions. a. Prepare for discussion through prior study. b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. SL.6.1.b. With guidance and support from adults and peers, follow simple, agreed-upon rules for discussions and contribute information. c. Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion. SL.6.1.c. Ask and answer questions specific to the topic, text, or issue under discussion. d. Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing. SL.6.1.d. Restate key ideas expressed in the discussion. SL.6.2. 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. EESL.6.2. Identify information presented in graphical, oral, visual, or multimodal formats that relates to a topic or text. SL.6.3. Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence EESL.6.3. Identify points the speaker makes to support an argument or claim. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements from claims that are not. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.6.4. 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. EESL.6.4. Present findings including descriptions, facts, or details related to a topic. SL.6.5. Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information. EESL.6.5. Select an auditory, visual, or tactual display to clarify the information in presentations. SL.6.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. EESL.6.6. Use formal and informal language as appropriate to the communication partner and situation. Sixth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.6.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive). EEL.6.1. Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage when communicating. a. Use personal pronouns (e.g., he, she, they) correctly. b. Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves). EEL.6.1.b. N/A c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.*[sic] EEL.6.1.c. N/A d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).*[sic] EEL.6.1.d. N/A 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.*[sic] EEL.6.1.e. N/A L.6.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/ parenthetical elements.*[sic] EEL.6.2. Demonstrate understanding of conventions of standard English when writing. a. Use question marks at the end of written questions. b. Spell correctly. EEL.6.2.b. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on letter- sound relationships and common spelling patterns. Knowledge of Language. L.6.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. EEL.6.3. Use language to achieve desired meaning in communication. a. Vary use of language when the listener or reader does not understand the initial attempt. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.*[sic] b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.*[sic] EEL.6.3.b. N/A Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.6.4. 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. a. 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. EEL.6.4. Demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary drawn from reading and content areas. a. Use context to identify which word in an array of content- related words is missing from a sentence. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible). EEL.6.4.b. N/A c. 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. EEL.6.4.c. Seek clarification and meaning support when unfamiliar words are encountered while reading or communicating d. 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). EEL.6.4.d. N/A L.6.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. b. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context. EEL.6.5. Demonstrate word relationships. a. Interpret similes (e.g., The man was as big as a tree.). b. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category) to better understand each of the words. EEL.6.5.b. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements c. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., stingy, scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty). EEL.6.5.c. N/A L.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. EEL.6.6. Use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases. COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENT DESCRIPTORS FOR SEVENTH GRADE Seventh Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.7.1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. EERL.7.1. Cite text to draw inferences from stories and poems. RL.7.2. 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. EERL.7.2. Determine the theme or central idea of a text and identify the details that relate to it. RL.7.3. Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot). EERL.7.3. Recognize the relationship of two story elements. Craft and Structure. RL.7.4. 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. EERL.7.4. Use rhyme and other repetitions of words or sounds (e.g., alliteration) to support understanding of a poem or a section of a story or drama. RL.7.5. Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning. EERL.7.5. Determine how poetry form and structure contributes to its meaning. RL.7.6. Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text. EERL.7.6. Identify how a character’s point of view is the same or different from another character. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. EERL.7.7. Compare a video version of a story, poem, or drama to CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements RL.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). a text-based version of the same story, poem, or drama. RL.7.8. (Not applicable to literature) EERL.7.8. N/A RL.7.9. Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal 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. EERL.7.9. Recognize the difference between fictional characters and nonfictional characters. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RL.7.10. By the end of the year read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. EERL.7.10. **This Essential Element references all elements above. Seventh Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.7.1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. EERI.7.1. Cite text to draw inferences from informational text. RI.7.2. 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. EERI.7.2. Determine two central ideas that progress throughout the text. RI.7.3. 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). EERI.7.3. Identify interactions between individuals, events, or ideas in text. Craft and Structure. RI.7.4. 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. EERI.7.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in an informational text. RI.7.5. 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. EERI.7.5. Determine how headings, key words, and key phrases relate to the topic of a text. RI.7.6. 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. EERI.7.6. Determine author’s point of view and compare to own point of view Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. EERI.7.7. Compare the experience of reading a text to listening or CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements RI.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). watching a video of the same text. RI.7.8. 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. EERI.7.8. Delineate the specific claims for text. RI.7.9. Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts. EERI.7.9. Compare information provided by authors of two different texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.7.10. 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. EERI.7.10. **This Essential Element references all elements above. Seventh Grade English Language Arts Standards: Writing CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.7.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. EEW.7.1.a-b. Write a claim and support it with reasons or other relevant evidence. c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence. EEW.7.1.c. N/A d. Establish and maintain a formal style. EEW.7.1.d. N/A e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. EEW.7.1.e. N/A W.7.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. a. 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 multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete EEW.7.2.a-b. Write to convey ideas and information including facts, details, and other information as well as graphics and multimedia as needed. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements details, quotations, or other information and examples. c. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. EEW.7.2.c. N/A d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. EEW.7.2.d. Use domain-specific vocabulary when writing about a topic. e. Establish and maintain a formal style. EEW.7.2.e. N/A f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. EEW.7.2.f. N/A W.7.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. a. 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 narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. EEW.7.3. Select an event or personal experience and write about it. a-b. Introduce the experience or situation, at least one character, and two or more events in sequence. c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another. EEW.7.3.c. N/A d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events. EEW.7.3.d. N/A e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events. EEW.7.3.e. N/A Production and Distribution of Writing. EEW.7.4. Produce writing that is appropriate for the task, CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements W.7.4. 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.) purpose, or audience. W.7.5. 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. EEW.7.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, plan by brainstorming and revise own writing by adding more information. W.7.6. 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. EEW.7.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce writing to interact and collaborate with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.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. EEW.7.7. Conduct research to answer a question based on multiple sources of information. W.7.8. 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 plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. EEW.7.8. Select quotes from multiple print or digital sources that provides important information about a topic. W.7.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, EEW.7.9. Use information from literary and informational text to support writing. a. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 7 Reading Standards to literature (e.g., “Recognize the difference between fictional CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history”). characters and nonfictional characters.”). b. 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”). EEW.7.9.b. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 7 Reading Standards to informational text (e.g., “Delineate the specific claims in a text.”). Range of Writing. W.7.10. 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. EEW.7.10. Write routinely for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Seventh Grade English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.7.1. 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. a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or 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. EESL.7.1. Engage in a range of collaborative discussions. a. Come to discussions prepared to share information. b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. EESL.7.1.b. With guidance and support from adults and peers, follow simple, agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. c. 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. EESL.7.1.c. Remain on the topic of the discussion when asking or answering questions or making other contributions. d. Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views. EESL.7.1.d. Accept when others involved in the discussion agree or disagree with own perspective. SL.7.2. 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. EESL.7.2. Identify the main idea of information presented in graphical, oral, visual, or multimodal formats that relate to a topic, text, or issue under study. SL.7.3. Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and EESL.7.3. Determine whether the claims made by a speaker are fact or opinion. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements sufficiency of the evidence. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.7.4. Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. EESL.7.4. Present findings including descriptions, facts, or details related to a main idea or theme. SL.7.5. Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points. EESL.7.5. Select or create an audio recording, images, photographs, or other visual/tactual displays to emphasize points in presentations. SL.7.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. EESL.7.6. Communicate precisely (i.e., provide complete information) or efficiently (i.e., telegraphic communication) as required by the context, task, and communication partner. Seventh Grade English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.7.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. EEL.7.1. Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage when writing or communicating. a. Produce simple complete sentences when writing or communicating. b. Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas EEL.7.1.b. N/A c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.*[sic] EEL.7.1.c. N/A L.7.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie; but not, He wore an old[,] green shirt.) EEL.7.2. Demonstrate understanding of conventions of standard English when writing. a. Use end punctuation when writing a sentence or question. b. Spell correctly. EEL.7.2.b. Spell words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of letter-sound relationships and/or common spelling patterns. Knowledge of Language. L.7.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. a. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and EEL.7.3. Use language to achieve desired meaning when writing or communicating. a. Use precise language as required to achieve desired meaning. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements redundancy.*[sic] Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.7.4. 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. a. 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. EEL.7.4. Demonstrate knowledge of new vocabulary drawn from reading and content areas. a. Use context to identify which word in an array of content related words is missing from a sentence. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel). EEL.7.4.b. N/A c. 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. EEL.7.4.c. Seek clarification and meaning support when unfamiliar words are encountered while reading or communicating. d. 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). EEL.7.4.d. N/A L.7.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context. EEL.7.5. Demonstrate an understanding of word relationships. a. Demonstrate understanding of synonyms and antonyms. b. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand each of the words. EEL.7.5.b. N/A c. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words EEL.7.5.c. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined, respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending). L.7.6. 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. EEL.7.6. Use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases. COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR EIGHTH GRADE Eighth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.8.1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. EERL.8.1. Cite text to support inferences from stories and poems. RL.8.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text 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. EERL.8.2. Provide a summary of a familiar text. RL.8.3. 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. EERL.8.3. Identify which incidents in a story or drama lead to subsequent action. Craft and Structure. RL.8.4. 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. EERL.8.4. Determine meanings of words and phrases in literature including figurative language. RL.8.5. 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. EERL.8.5. Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts. RL.8.6. Analyze how differences in the points of view of the EERL.8.6. Determine the difference in the points of view of a CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor. character and the audience or reader in a text with suspense or humor. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RL.8.7. 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. EERL.8.7. Compare and contrast a scene from a filmed or live production of a story or drama to the text or script. RL.8.8. (Not applicable to literature) EERL.8.8. N/A RL.8.9. Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new. EERL.8.9. Compare and contrast themes, patterns of events, or characters across two or more stories or dramas. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RL.8.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. EERL.8.10. **This Essential Element references all elements above. Eighth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.8.1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. EERI.8.1. Cite text to support inferences from informational text. RI.8.2. 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. EERI.8.2. Provide a summary of a familiar informational text. RI.8.3. Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories). EERI.8.3. Make connections between key individuals or events in a text. Craft and Structure. RI.8.4. 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. EERI.8.4. Determine meanings of words and phrases in informational text including figurative language. RI.8.5. 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. EERI.8.5. Determine the role of sentences in a paragraph (e.g., topic sentence, supporting details, and examples). RI.8.6. 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. EERI.8.6. Determine an author’s purpose or point of view. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.8.7. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea. EERI.8.7. Select medium based on the advantages and disadvantages of using print, digital text, video, or multimedia to present a topic or idea. RI.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. EERI.8.8. Determine whether claims in a text are fact or opinion. RI.8.9. Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation. EERI.8.9. Compare and contrast the key information in two different texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.8.10. 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. EERI.8.10. **This Essential Element references all elements above. Eighth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Writing CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.8.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. EEW.8.1.a-b. Write an argument to support claims with one clear reason or piece of evidence. c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. EEW.8.1.c. N/A d. Establish and maintain a formal style. EEW.8.1.d. N/A e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. EEW.8.1.e. N/A W.8.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. a. 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 to aiding comprehension. b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other EEW.8.2.a-b. Write to convey ideas and information clearly including facts, details, and other information as well as graphics and multimedia as needed. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements information and examples. c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. EEW.8.2.c. N/A d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. EEW.8.2.d. N/A e. Establish and maintain a formal style. EEW.8.2.e. N/A f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. EEW.8.2.f. N/A W.8.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. a. 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. b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. EEW.8.3. Select an event or personal experience and write about it. a-b. Introduce the experience or situation, at least one character, and two or more events in sequence. c. 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. EEW.8.3.c. N/A d. Use precise words and phrases relevant descriptive details and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events. EEW.8.3.d. N/A e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events. EEW.8.3.e. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Production and Distribution of Writing. W.8.4. 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.) EEW.8.4. Produce writing that is appropriate for the task, purpose, or audience. W.8.5. 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. EEW.8.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, plan by brainstorming and revise own writing by adding more information. W.8.6. 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. EEW.8.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce writing to interact and collaborate with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.8.7. 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. EEW.8.7. Conduct short research projects to answer and pose questions based on one source of information. W.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 plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. EEW.8.8. Select quotes from multiple print or digital sources that provide important information about a topic. W.8.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze EEW.8.9. Use information from literary and informational text to support writing. a. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 8 Reading Standards to CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new”). literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast themes, patterns of events, or characters across two or more stories or dramas.”). b. 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”). EEW.8.9.b. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 8 Reading Standards to informational text (e.g., “Determine whether claims in a text are fact or opinion.”). Range of Writing. W.8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two). EEW.8.10. Write routinely for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Eighth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.8.1. 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. a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or 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. EESL.8.1. Listen and communicate with a variety of partners in order to discuss issues regarding the content. a. Come to discussions prepared to share information previously studied. b. Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. EESL.8.1.b.Follow simple rules and carry out assigned roles during discussions. c. Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas. d. Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented. EESL.8.1.c-d. Respond to others’ questions and comments by answering questions regarding content. SL.8.2. 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. EESL.8.2. Describe the purpose of information presented in graphical, oral, visual, or multimodal formats. SL.8.3. Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and EESL.8.3. Determine whether claims in an oral presentation are fact or opinion. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.8.4. Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. EESL.8.4. Present findings including relevant details. SL.8.5. Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest. EESL.8.5. Integrate multimedia and visual information into presentations. SL.8.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. EESL.8.6. Adapt communication to a variety of contexts and tasks using complete sentences when indicated or appropriate. Eighth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.8.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their functions in particular sentences. EEL.8.1. Demonstrate conventions of standard English grammar when writing or communicating. a. N/A b. Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice. EEL.8.1.b. Form and use the simple verb tenses (e.g., I walked, I walk, I will walk). c. Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood. EEL.8.1.c. N/A d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.*[sic] EEL.8.1.d. Use appropriate verbs to match nouns. L.8.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break. EEL.8.2. Demonstrate understanding of conventions of standard English when writing. a. Use end punctuation and capitalization when writing a sentence or question. b. Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission. EEL.8.2.b. N/A c. Spell correctly. EEL.8.2.c. Spell words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of letter-sound relationships and/or common spelling patterns. Knowledge of Language. L.8.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. EEL.8.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. a. Use to-be verbs (am, are, is, was, were, be, become, became) accurately when writing and communicating. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements a. 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). Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.8.4. 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. a. 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. EEL.8.4. Demonstrate knowledge of new vocabulary drawn from reading and content areas. a. Use context to identify which word in an array of content related words is missing from a sentence. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede). EEL.8.4.b. N/A c. 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. EEL.8.4.c. Seek clarification and meaning support when unfamiliar words are encountered while reading or communicating. d. 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). EEL.8.4.d. N/A L.8.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., verbal irony, puns) in context. EEL.8.5. Demonstrate an understanding of word relationships. a. Demonstrate understanding of the use of multiple meaning words. b. Use the relationship between particular words to better EEL.8.5.b. Use knowledge of common words to understand the CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements understand each of the words. meaning of compound and complex words in which they appear (e.g., birdhouse, household). c. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute). EEL.8.5.c. Use descriptive words to add meaning when writing and communicating. L.8.6. 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. EEL.8.6. Acquire and use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases. COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR NINTH-TENTH GRADE Ninth-Tenth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.9-10.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. EERL.9-10.1. Determine which citations demonstrate what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. RL.9-10.2. 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. EERL.9-10.2. Determine the central idea of the text and select details that relate to it; recount the text. RL.9-10.3. 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. EERL.9-10.3. Describe interactions between characters. Craft and Structure. RL.9-10.4. 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). EERL.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including common analogies and figures of speech. RL.9-10.5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and EERL.9-10.5. Determine the sequence of events in a story or drama. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. RL.9-10.6. 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. EERL.9-10.6. Connect the experiences of characters in a story or drama from outside of the U.S. with personal experience. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RL.9-10.7. 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). EERL.9-10.7. Compare the representation of a subject or topic in two different artistic mediums (e.g., poetry and illustration). RL.9-10.8. (Not applicable to literature) EERL.9-10.8. N/A RL.9-10.9. 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). EERL.9-10.9. Identify when an author references one text to another text. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RL.9-10.10. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, 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. EERL.9-10.10. **This Essential Element references all elements above. Ninth-Tenth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.9-10.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. EERI.9-10.1. Determine which citations demonstrate what the text says explicitly as well as inferentially. RI.9-10.2. 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. EERI.9-10.2. Determine the central idea of the text and select details to support it. RI.9-10.3. 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. EERI.9-10.3. Determine connections drawn between ideas or events in informational text. Craft and Structure. RI.9-10.4. 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). EERI.9-10.4. Determine meanings of words and phrases in informational text including figurative language. RI.9-10.5. 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). EERI.9-10.5. Determine which sentences in a text support the claims of the author. RI.9-10.6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a EERI.9-10.6. Determine an author’s purpose or point of view. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.9-10.7. 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. EERI.9-10.7. Compare a selection of informational text about a person with another medium. RI.9-10.8. 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. EERI.9-10.8. Delineate statements that support an argument. RI.9-10.9. 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”), including how they address related themes and concepts. EERI.9-10.9. Make connections between U.S. documents of historical and literary significance based on related themes and concepts. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.9-10.10. 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. EERI.9-10.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all elements above. Ninth-Tenth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Writing CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.9-10.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. a. 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. b. 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. EEW.9-10.1.a-b. Write about a personal opinion and give more than one reason supporting and rejecting the claim. 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. EEW.9-10.1.c. N/A 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. EEW.9-10.1.d. N/A e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. EEW.9-10.1.e. N/A W.9-10.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and EEW.9-10.2.a-b. Write to convey ideas and information using clear organization and including facts, details, and other information as well as graphics and multimedia as needed. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements analysis of content. a. 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. b. 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. c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts. EEW.9-10.2.c. N/A d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. EEW.9-10.2.d. N/A 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. EEW.9-10.2.e. N/A 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). EEW.9-10.2.f. N/A W.9-10.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. a. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple EEW.9-10.3. Select an event or personal experience and write about it. a-b. Introduce an experience or situation, at least one character, and describe multiple events in sequence. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events. b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. c. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole. EEW.9-10.3.c. N/A d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. EEW.9-10.3.d. N/A e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. EEW.9-10.3.e. N/A Production and Distribution of Writing. W.9-10.4. 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.) EEW.9-10.4. Produce writing that is appropriate to a particular task, purpose, and audience. W.9-10.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. EEW.9-10.5. Develop writing by planning and revising own writing by adding more information. W.9-10.6. 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 EEW.9-10.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements and to display information flexibly and dynamically. Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.9-10.7. 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. EEW.9-10.7. Conduct short research projects to answer questions posed by self and others using multiple sources of information. W.9-10.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print 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. EEW.9-10.8. Select information from multiple sources and use the information to write answers to research questions. W.9-10.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. 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]”). EEW.9-10.9. Use information from literary and informational text to support writing. a. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 9-10 Reading Standards to literature (e.g., “Identify when an author has drawn upon or included references to another text.”). b. 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”). EEW.9-10.9.b. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 9-10 Reading Standards to informational text (e.g., “Delineate statements that support an argument.”). Range of Writing. EEW.9-10.10. Write routinely over time for a range of tasks, CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements W.9-10.10. 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. purposes, and audiences. Ninth-Tenth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.9-10.1. 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, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. a. 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. EESL.9-10.1. Initiate and participate in collaborative discussions. a. Prepare for discussions by collecting information on the topic. b. 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. EESL.9-10.1.b. Work with peers to set rules for discussions. c. 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. EESL.9-10.1.c. Ask and answer questions during a discussion. d. 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. EESL.9-10.1.d. Indicate agreement or disagreement with others during discussions. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements SL.9-10.2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source. EESL.9-10.2. Determine the credibility of information presented in diverse media or formats. SL.9-10.3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence. EESL.9-10.3. Determine whether a claim made by a speaker is credible (e.g., fact or opinion; supported or unsupported). Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.9-10.4. 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. EESL.9-10.4. Present information logically with an organization that is appropriate to the purpose, audience, and task. SL.9-10.5. 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. EESL.9-10.5. Use digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to support understanding. SL.9-10.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. EESL.9-10.6. Adapt communication to a variety of contexts and tasks using complete sentences when indicated or appropriate. Ninth-Tenth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.9-10.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Use parallel structure.*[sic] EEL.9-10.1. Demonstrate knowledge of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. N/A 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. EEL.9-10.1.b. Use a variety of parts of speech (nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and prepositions) in writing or communication to convey information. L.9-10.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses. EEL.9-10.2. Demonstrate understanding of use of conventions of standard English writing. a. Use correct punctuation when writing. b. Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation. EEL.9-10.2.b. N/A c. Spell correctly. EEL.9-10.2.c. Spell most single-syllable words correctly and apply knowledge of word chunks in spelling longer words. Knowledge of Language. L.9-10.3. 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. a. Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a EEL.9-10.3. Use knowledge of language to achieve desired meaning when writing or communicating. a. Write and revise work so that it communicates clearly to the intended audience. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian’s Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. L.9-10.4. 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. a. 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. EEL.9-10.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words. a. Use context to determine the meaning of unknown words. b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy). EEL.9-10.4.b. N/A c. 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. EEL.9-10.4.c. Consult reference materials (dictionaries, online vocabulary supports) to clarify the meaning of unfamiliar words encountered when reading. d. 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). EEL.9-10.4.d. See EEL.9-10.4.c. above. L.9-10.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text. EEL.9-10.5. Demonstrate understanding of multiple meaning of words and figurative language. a. Distinguish understanding of multiple meaning of words and figures of speech. b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations. EEL.9-10.5.b. N/A CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements L.9-10.6. 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. EEL.9-10.6. Acquire and use general academic and domain- specific words and phrases. COMMON CORE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR ELEVENTH-TWELFTH GRADE Eleventh-Twelfth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Literature) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RL.11-12.1. 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. EERL.11-12.1. Cite textual evidence to determine where the text leaves matters uncertain. RL.11-12.2. 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. EERL.11-12.2. Provide a summary of an unfamiliar text. RL.11-12.3. 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). EERL.11-12.3. Explain how characters develop over the course of a story. Craft and Structure. RL.11-12.4. 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.) EERL.11-12.4. Determine how words or phrases with multiple meanings have an impact on meaning or tone of a text. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements RL.11-12.5. 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. EERL.11-12.5. Determine how the author’s choice of where to end the story contributes to the meaning. RL.11-12.6. Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement). EERL.11-12.6. Identify the intended meaning to match what an author wrote. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RL.11-12.7. 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.) EERL.11-12.7. Compare two or more interpretations (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry) of a story, drama, or poem. RL.11-12.8. (Not applicable to literature) EERL.11-12.8. N/A RL.11-12.9. 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. EERL.11-12.9. Compare and contrast elements of American literature to other literary works, self, or one’s world. (Compare themes, topics, locations, context, and point of view.) Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RL.11-12.10. By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, 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. EERL.11-12.10. **This Literature Essential Element references all elements above. Eleventh-Twelfth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Reading (Informational Text) CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Key Ideas and Details. RI.11-12.1. 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. EERI.11-12.1. Cite textual evidence to determine where informational text leaves matters uncertain. RI.11-12.2. 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. EERI.11-12.2. Provide a summary of an informational text. RI.11-12.3. 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. EERI.11-12.3. Explain how specific events develop over the course of the text. Craft and Structure. RI.11-12.4. 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). EERI.11-12.4. Determine the meaning of words or phrases within an informational text. RI.11-12.5. 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. EERI.11-12.5. Determine how the author’s choice of where to make an argument contributes to the meaning. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements RI.11-12.6. 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. EERI.11-12.6. Determine how the author’s style affects the purpose of the text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. RI.11-12.7. 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. EERI.11-12.7. Analyze information presented in different media on related topics to answer questions or solve problems. RI.11-12.8. 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). EERI.11-12.8. Explain how U.S. texts inform citizens’ rights. RI.11-12.9. 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. EERI.11-12.9. Determine the purposes of foundational U. S. documents of historical significance. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. RI.11-12.10. 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 EERI.11-12.10. **This Essential Element references all elements above. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements range. Eleventh-Twelfth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Writing CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Text Types and Purposes. W.11-12.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 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 claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. b. 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. EEW.11-12.1.a-b. Write to express an opinion with supporting information about a topic or text and a concluding statement. 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. EEW.11-12.1.c. N/A d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the EEW.11-12.1.d. N/A e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. EEW.11-12.1.e. N/A W.11-12.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and EEW.11-12.2.a-b. Write to convey ideas and information using CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. a. 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. b. 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. clear organization and including facts, details, and other information as well as graphics and multimedia as needed. c. 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. EEW.11-12.2.c. N/A d. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic. EEW.11-12.2.d. N/A 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. EEW.11-12.2.e. N/A 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). EEW.11-12.2.f. N/A W.11-12.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. EEW.11-12.3. Select an event or personal experience and write about it. a-c. Introduce an experience or situation, at least one CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements a. 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. b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. c. 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). character, and describe multiple events in sequence. d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. EEW.11-12.3.d. N/A e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. EEW.11-12.3.e. N/A Production and Distribution of Writing. W.11-12.4. 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.) EEW.11-12.4. Produce writing that is appropriate to a particular task, purpose, and audience. W.11-12.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific EEW.11-12.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements purpose and audience. W.11-12.6. 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. EEW.11-12.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish and update an individual or shared writing project. Research to Build and Present Knowledge. W.11-12.7. 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. EEW.11-12.7. Conduct short research projects to answer questions posed by self and others using multiple sources of information. W.11-12.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital 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. EEW.11-12.8. Select information from multiple sources and use the information to write answers to research questions. W.11-12.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. 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”). EEW.11-12.9. Cite evidence from literary or informational texts. a. Apply Grades 11-12 Essential Elements for Reading Standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast elements of American literature to other literary works, self, or one’s world. [Compare themes, topics, locations, context, and point of view].”). a. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction EEW.11-12.9.b. Apply Essential Elements of Grade 11-12 Reading CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements (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]”). Standards to nonfictional or informational texts (e.g., “Explain how U.S. texts inform citizens’ rights.”). Range of Writing. W.11-12.10. 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. EEW.11-12.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Eleventh-Twelfth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Comprehension and Collaboration. SL.11-12.1. 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, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. a. 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. EESL.11-12.1. Initiate and participate in collaborative discussions. a. Prepare for discussions by collecting information on the topic. b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. EESL.11-12.1.b. Work with peers to set rules, goals, and deadlines to promote democratic discussions. c. 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. EESL.11-12.1.c. Ask and answer questions to verify or clarify own ideas and understandings during a discussion. d. 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. EESL.11-12.1.d. Restate comments or claims made by others during a discussion. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements SL.11-12.2. 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. EESL.11-12.2. Determine the credibility and accuracy of information presented across diverse media or formats. SL.11-12.3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used. EESL.11-12.3. Determine whether the claims made by a speaker are credible (e.g., fact or opinion; supported or unsupported). Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. SL.11-12.4. 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. EESL.11-12.4. Present information and findings as well as alternative or opposing information, with an organization that is appropriate to the purpose, audience, and task. SL.11-12.5. 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. EESL.11-12.5. Use digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to support understanding. SL.11-12.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 11-12 Language Standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.) EESL.11-12.6. Adapt communication to a variety of contexts and tasks using complete sentences when indicated or appropriate. Eleventh-Twelfth Grade English Language Arts Standards: Language CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements Conventions of Standard English. L.11-12.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can change over time, and is sometimes contested. EEL.11-12.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Apply understandings that conventions of English are required in some forms of communication (e.g., writing a letter to advocate for something) but not in others (e.g., writing an e-mail or a text message to a friend). 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. EEL.11-12.1.b. Use appropriate resources to resolve issues involving grammar usage, punctuation, and spelling (e.g., end of sentence punctuation, commas, question marks, exclamation points, hyphenation, parentheses, and colons). L.11-12.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Observe hyphenation conventions. EEL.11-12.2. Apply knowledge of conventions of English grammar to convey desired meaning in writing and communication. b. Spell correctly. EEL.11-12.2.b. N/A Knowledge of Language. L.11-12.3. 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. a. 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 EEL.11-12.3. Use knowledge of language to achieve desired meaning when writing or communicating. a. Vary sentence structure using a variety of simple and compound sentence structures. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements reading. L.11-12.4. 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. a. 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. EEL.11-12.4. Demonstrate knowledge of the meaning of words and phrases drawn reading and academic content. a. Use context to determine the meaning of unknown words. b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., conceive, conception, conceivable). EEL.11-12.4.b. N/A c. 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. EEL.11-12.4.c. N/A d. 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). EEL.11-12.4.d. Consult reference materials (dictionaries, online vocabulary supports) to clarify the meaning of unfamiliar words encountered when reading. L.11-12.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text. EEL.11-12.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language and words relationships. a. Interpret simple figures of speech encountered while reading or listening. b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations. EEL.11-12.5.b. N/A L.11-12.6. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career EEL.11-12.6. Use academic and domain-specific words and phrases for communication appropriate for the student’s educational plans and career goals. CCSS Grade-Level Standards Common Core Essential Elements readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. GLOSSARY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS TERMS Adapted text (simplified). Substitutes linguistically frequently occurring vocabulary for infrequently occurring nontechnical vocabulary, shortens sentence length, lowers reading level, and restructures sentences to reduce their complexity. See http://www.coursecrafters.com/ELL-Outlook/2006/mar_apr/ELLOutlookITIArticle1.htm Adapted text (elaborated). Clarifies, elaborates, and explains implicit information and makes connections explicit with words sometimes added to increase comprehension. See http://www.coursecrafters.com/ELL-Outlook/2006/mar_apr/ELLOutlookITIArticle1.htm Assistive technology. Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. See http://standards.gov/assistivetechnology.cfm Context clues. Bits of information from the text that, when combined with the reader's own knowledge, help the reader determine the meaning of the text, or unknown words in the text. Decoding. Understanding that a printed word represents the spoken word, and that this printed word is made of a sequence of phonemes. Digital literacy. Ability to use digital technology, communication tools, or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information; ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers; person’s ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment. Literacy includes the ability to read and interpret media, to reproduce data and images through digital manipulation, and to evaluate and apply new knowledge gained from digital environments. See http://www.library.illinois.edu/diglit/definition.html Digital tools. Tools that involve or relate to the use of a computer/technology. Distracters. An incorrect choice among multiple-choice answers on a question or test. See http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/distractor Encode. To represent complicated information in a simple or short way. Episode. A brief unit of action in a literary work; a situation that is part of a narrative. Figurative language. Uses "figures of speech" as a way of saying something other than the literal meaning of the words (e.g., All the world's a stage.); hyperbole, metaphor, onomatopoeia. Figurative meaning. Exaggerated or altered meaning of words used as a figure of speech (e.g., She swims like a dolphin (simile); figurative meaning is that she swims very well.). Formal language. Adheres to stricter grammar rules, does not follow informal, spontaneous language (language between friends). Graphic organizer. A diagram or pictorial device used to record and show relationships among ideas or information. An example could be a Venn diagram or a T-chart. Guided writing activities/lessons. Temporary, small group lessons teaching strategies that students most need to practice with guidance from a teacher. See http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/guided-writing- 30685.html High-frequency words. Words that appear frequently in writing, reading, and language. Hyperbole. Way of speaking or writing (emphatic exaggeration) that makes someone or something sound bigger, better, more, etc. than they are (e.g., You’ve grown like a bean sprout!). Idiom. Words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meaning of each word separately (e.g., "Bitten off more than you can chew."; “It’s raining cats and dogs.”; and “A little under the weather.” Independent writing. Children write their own pieces, such as stories and informational narratives, retellings, labeling, speech balloons, lists, etc. See http://www.oe.k12.mi.us/balanced_literacy/independent_writing.htm Inference. Assuming that something is true or forming an opinion based on information. Informational (natural) language. Refers to spontaneous language (language between friends) that has less strict grammar rules and/or shorter sentences. Informational text. Text that intends to provide information on a particular topic (e.g., an essay written about the Battle of Gettysburg). Informational essay/text/writing. Writing that intends to provide information on a particular topic (e.g., Students write informational pieces about the effects of global warming, the impact of women in politics, and the salaries and endorsements in professional sports.). Intonation. The sound changes produced by the rise and fall of the voice when speaking, especially when this has an effect on the meaning of what is said. Literary elements. Characterizations, setting(s), plot(s) (including exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action), and theme(s) developed by an author over the course of a story. Metaphor. An expression (figure of speech) which describes a person or object in a literary way by referring to something that is considered to have similar characteristics to the person or object being described, such as “The mind is an ocean,” and “The city is a jungle.” Multimedia book. Combines media of communication (e.g., text, graphics, and sound). Multimodal. Having or involving several or a combination of learning styles, modes, or modalities (e.g., auditory, kinesthetic, visual, or a combination). Onomatopoeia. The creation and use of words which include sounds that are similar to the noises (imitates) that the words refer to (e.g., hiss, buzz, bang, or the word “zip” imitates the sound of zipping up one’s coat). Open-ended questions. A question beginning with such words as what, why, how, describe that are designed to encourage a full, meaningful answer using the subject's own knowledge and/or feelings. See http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/interviews/open-ended- questions.html and http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/open_closed_questions.htm Phonemes. Abstract units of the phonetic system of a language that corresponds to a set of similar speech sounds (as the velar \k\ of cool and the palatal \k\ of keel) which are perceived to be a single distinctive sound in the language. See http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/phoneme Phonetic spelling. The representation of vocal sounds which express pronunciations of words and a system of spelling in which each letter represents invariably the same spoken sound. See http://dictionary.reference.com/help/faq/language/s08.html Picture exchange cards (PECS). Originally created by Pyramid Products as a tool for communicating with non-verbal people on the spectrum. Since its invention, though, "PECS" has become shorthand for any kind of image-based communication. Prompt levels/prompt hierarchy. To make something happen. • Verbal prompts - Statements that help learners acquire target skills (e.g., “You might need to try it a different way,” “Write your name.”). • Gestural prompts - Movements that cue learners to use a particular behavior or skill (e.g., pointing to the top of the paper where the learner needs to write his name). • Model prompts - Models the target skill or behavior. Full model prompts can be verbal if the skill being taught is verbal, or they can be motor responses if the skill being taught involves moving a body part. • Physical prompts - Touches to help a student use the target behavior or skill (e.g., tapping a learner’s hand to cue writing, putting hand over learner’s to help writing). • Visual prompts - Pictures of events that provide learners with information about how to use the target skill or behavior (e.g., task analysis checklist, transition picture card). See http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/content/prompting Roots (morphemes). The most basic form of a word that is still able to convey a particular thought or meaning. Segmental phonemes. One of the phonemes (as \ k, a, t \ in cat, tack, act) of a language that can be assigned to a relative sequential order of minimal segments. See http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/segmental%20phoneme Sensory language/sensory words. Words that refer to the senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste that can help add realism to writing. Shared reading. An interactive reading experience where children interact with the reading of a big book or other enlarged text as guided by a teacher or other experienced reader, generally accomplished using an enlarged text that all children can see. See http://www.oe.k12.mi.us/balanced_literacy/shared_reading.htm Shared writing activity/modeled writing. An approach to writing where the teacher and children work together to compose messages and stories where children provide the ideas and the teacher supports the process as a scribe. The message is usually related to some individual or group experience. The teacher provides full support, modeling and demonstrating the process of putting children's ideas into written language. See http://www.oe.k12.mi.us/balanced_literacy/modeled_writing.htm Short essay. Literary composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal view of the author. See http://www.thefreedictionary.com/essay Simile. The use of an expression (figure of speech) comparing one thing with another, always including the words “as” or “like” (e.g., She swims like a dolphin.). Social story. Describes a situation, skill, or concept in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses and shares accurate social information that is easily understood by its audience. See http://www.thegraycenter.org/social-stories/what-are-social- stories Speech/voice-to-text technology. A type of speech recognition program that converts spoken to written language. See http://searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com/definition/voice-to-text Spatial and temporal relationships/meaning words. Signal event order (e.g., behind, under, after, soon, next, and later). Story elements. Plot, setting, genre, point of view, characters, and order of events. Textual evidence. Evidence from one or more texts used to support an argument/position, and is derived from reading and drawing from other text(s). It is provided in the form of quotation, paraphrase, descriptions of theory, and also description. See http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_textual_evidence Theme or central idea. Main thought or topic in a work of literature Vivid verbs. Words that express an action with an implied emphasis (e.g., “He sprinted down the street,” or “He dashed down the street,” rather than “He ran down the street.”). Word family. Groups of words that have a common feature or pattern (also known as phonograms, rhymes, or chunks). At, cat, hat, and fat are a family of words with the "at" sound and letter combination in common. Common word families include: ack, ain, ake, ale, all, ame, an, ank, ap, ash, at, ate, aw, ay, eat, ell, est, ice, ick, ide, ight, ill, in, ine, ing, ink, ip, it, ock, oke, op, ore, ot, uck ,ug, ump, unk. See http://www.enchantedlearning.com/rhymes/wordfamilies/ GLOSSARY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TERMS Accommodations. Changes in the administration of an assessment, such as setting, scheduling, timing, presentation format, response mode, or others, including any combination of these that does not change the construct intended to be measured by the assessment or the meaning of the resulting scores. Accommodations are used for equity, not advantage, and serve to level the playing field. To be appropriate, assessment accommodations must be identified in the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Section 504 plan and used regularly during instruction and classroom assessment. Achievement descriptors. Narrative descriptions of performance levels that convey student performance at each achievement level and further defines content standards by connecting them to information that describes how well students are doing in learning the knowledge and skills contained in the content standards. See also “performance descriptors.” Achievement levels. A measurement that distinguishes an adequate performance from a novice or expert performance. Achievement levels provide a determination of the extent to which a student has met the content standards. See also “performance levels.” Achievement standard. A system that includes performance levels (e.g., unsatisfactory, proficient, or advanced), descriptions of student performance for each level, examples of student work representing the entire range of performance for each level, and cut scores. A system of performance standards operationalizes and further defines content standards by connecting them to information that describes how well students are doing in learning the knowledge and skills contained in the content standards. See also “performance standards.” Achievement test. An instrument designed to measure efficiently the amount of academic knowledge and/or skill a student has acquired from instruction. Such tests provide information that can be compared to either a norm group or a measure of performance, such as a standard. Age appropriate. The characteristics of the skills taught, the activities and materials selected, and the language level employed that reflect the chronological age of the student. Alignment. The similarity or match between or among content standards, achievement (performance) standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessments in terms of equal breadth, depth, and complexity of knowledge and skill expectations. Alternate assessment. An instrument used in gathering information on the standards-based performance and progress of students whose disabilities preclude their valid and reliable participation in general assessments. Alternate assessments measure the performance of a relatively small population of students who are unable to participate in the general assessment system, even with accommodations, as determined by the IEP team. Assessment. The process of collecting information about individuals, groups, or systems that relies upon a number of instruments, one of which may be a test, making assessment a more comprehensive term than test. Assessment literacy. The knowledge of the basic principles of sound assessment practice including terminology, development, administration, analysis, and standards of quality. Assistance. (versus support) The degree to which the teacher provides aid to the student’s performance that provides direct assistance in the content or skill being demonstrated by the student. That is, the assistance involves the teacher performing the cognitive work required. Assistance results in an invalidation of the item or score. See also “support.” Assistive technology. A device, piece of equipment, product system or service that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a student with a disability. (See 34 CFR §300.5 and 300.6.) Cues. Assistance, words, or actions provided to a student to increase the likelihood that the student will give the desired response. Curriculum. A document that describes what teachers do in order to convey grade-level knowledge and skills to a student. Depth. The level of cognitive processing (e.g., recognition, recall, problem solving, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation) required for success relative to the performance standards. Disaggregation. The collection and reporting of student achievement results by particular subgroups (e.g., students with disabilities, limited English proficient students), to ascertain the subgroup’s academic progress. Disaggregation makes it possible to compare subgroups or cohorts. Essence of the Standard. Is that which conveys the same ideas, skills, and content of the standard, expressed in simpler terms. Essential Elements (EEs or CCEEs). The Common Core Essential Elements are specific statements of the content and skills that are linked to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) grade level specific expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Grade Band Essential Element. A statement of essential precursor content and skills linked to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) grade-level standards and indicators that maintain the essence of that standard, thereby identifying the grade-level expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities to access and make progress in the general curriculum. Grade level. The grade in which a student is enrolled. Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP is a written plan, developed by a team of regular and special educators, parents, related service personnel and the student, as appropriate, describing the specially designed instruction needed for an eligible exceptional student to progress in the content standards and objectives and to meet other educational needs. Linked. A relationship between a grade-level indicator for Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Common Core Essential Elements (EEs or CCEEs) that reflects similar content and skills but does not match the breadth, depth, and complexity of the standards. Multiple measures. Measurement of student or school performance through more than one form or test • For students, these might include teacher observations, performance assessments, or portfolios. • For schools, these might include dropout rates, absenteeism, college attendance, or documented behavior problems. Natural cue. Assistance given to a student that provides a flow among the expectations presented by the educator, opportunities to learn, and the desired outcome exhibited by the student. Opportunity to learn. The provision of learning conditions, including suitable adjustments, to maximize a student’s chances of attaining the desired learning outcomes, such as the mastery of content standards. Readability. The formatting of presented material that considers the organization of text; syntactic complexity of sentences; use of abstractions; density of concepts; sequence and organization of ideas; page format; sentence length; paragraph length; variety of punctuation; student background knowledge or interest; and use of illustrations or graphics in determining the appropriate level of difficulty of instructional or assessment materials. Real-world application. The opportunity for a student to exhibit a behavior or complete a task that he or she would normally be expected to perform outside of the school environment. Response requirements. The type, kind, or method of action required of a student to answer a question or testing item. The response may include, but is not limited to, reading, writing, speaking, creating, and drawing. Stakeholders. A group of individuals perceived to be vested in a particular decision (e.g., a policy decision). Standardized. An established procedure that assures that a test is administered with the same directions, under the same conditions, and is scored in the same manner for all students to ensure the comparability of scores. Standardization allows reliable and valid comparison to be made among students taking the test. The two major types of standardized tests are norm- referenced and criterion-referenced. Standards. There are two types of standards, content, and achievement (performance). • Content standards. Statements of the subject-specific knowledge and skills that schools are expected to teach students, indicating what students should know and be able to do. • Achievement (Performance) standards. Indices of qualities that specify how adept or competent a student demonstration must be and that consist of the following four components:  levels that provide descriptive labels or narratives for student performance (i.e., advanced, Level III, etc.);  descriptions of what students at each particular level must demonstrate relative to the task;  examples of student work at each level illustrating the range of performance within each level; and  cut scores clearly separating each performance level. Standards-based assessments. Assessments constructed to measure how well students have mastered specific content standards or skills. Test. A measuring device or procedure. Educational tests are typically composed of questions or tasks designed to elicit predetermined behavioral responses or to measure specific academic content standards. Test presentation. The method, manner, or structure in which test items or assessments are administered to the student. Universal design of assessment. A method for developing an assessment to ensure accessibility by all students regardless of ability or disability. Universal design of assessment is based on principles used in the field of architecture in which user diversity is considered during the conceptual stage of development. *Adapted from the Glossary of Assessment Terms and Acronyms Used in Assessing Special Education Students: A Report from the Assessing Special Education Students (ASES) State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (SCASS.) BIBLIOGRAPHY OF DEVELOPMENT PROCESS Bradford, S., Shippen, M., Alberto, P., Houchins, D., & Flores, M. (2006). Using systematic instruction to teach decoding skills to middle school students with moderate intellectual disabilities. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 41(4), 333-343. 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Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/2006/Assessing_Students_with_Disabilities_Glossary _2006.pdf Education Commission of the States. (1998). Designing and implementing standards-based accountability systems. Denver, CO: Author. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED419275.pdf Erickson, K., & Clendon, S. (2009). Addressing literacy demands of the curriculum for beginning readers and writers. In G. Soto and C. Zangari (Eds.), Practically Speaking: Language, Literacy, and Academic Development for Students with AAC Needs (pp. 195-215). Baltimore, MD: Brookes. Retrieved from http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/soto-69513/index.htm Erickson, K., Musselwhite, C., & Ziolkowski, R. (2002). The beginning literacy framework. Volo, IL: Don Johnston, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.donjohnston.com/research/beg_lit_framework.pdf Hansche, L. (1998). Handbook for the development of performance standards: Meeting the requirements of Title I. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education (ED) and CCSSO. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED427027.pdf Institute of Community Inclusion. (2012). Think college!, College options for people with intellectual disabilities [website]. Boston, MA: University of Massachusetts Boston. Retrieved from http://www.thinkcollege.net/ Jaeger, R. M., & Tucker, C. G. (1998). Analyzing, disaggregating, reporting, and interpreting students' achievement test results: A guide to practice for Title I and beyond. Washington, DC: CCSSO. Johnstone, C. J. (2003). Improving validity of large-scale tests: Universal design and student performance (Technical Report 37). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/nceo/onlinepubs/technical37.htm Lehr, C.,& Thurlow, M. (2003). Putting it all together: Including students with disabilities in assessment and accountability systems (Policy Directions No. 16). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, NCEO. Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/onlinepubs/Policy16.htm Linn, R. L., & Herman, J. L. (1997). A policymaker’s guide to standards-led assessment. Denver, CO: National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) & Education Commission of the States (ECS) Distribution Center. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED408680.pdf Quenemoen, R., Thompson, S., & Thurlow, M. (2003). Measuring academic achievement of students with significant cognitive disabilities: Building understanding of alternate assessment scoring criteria (Synthesis Report 50). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, NCEO. Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/onlinepubs/Synthesis50.html Rabinowitz, S., Roeber, E., Schroeder, C., & Sheinker, J. (2006). Creating aligned standards and assessment systems. Washington, DC: CCSSO. Retrieved from http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/2006/Creating_Aligned_Standards_2006.pdf Rehfeldt, R., Kinney, E., Root, S., & Stromer, R. (2009). Creating activity schedules using Microsoft Powerpoint. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37(1), 115-128. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1284488/ Roeber, E. (2002). Setting standards on alternate assessments (Synthesis Report 42). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, NCEO. Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/nceo/OnlinePubs/Synthesis42.html Sheinker, J. M. (2004, April 26). Achievement standards for alternate assessments: What is standard setting? Teleconference presentation for the National Center for Educational Outcomes to 38 State Departments of Education, Minneapolis, MN. Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/nceo/teleconferences/tele08/default.html Sheinker, J. M., & Redfield, D. L. (2001). Handbook for professional development on assessment literacy. Washington, DC: CCSSO. TASH. (n.d.) TASH advocates for full membership, relationships, participation and learning for all students with disabilities within inclusive general education classes. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://tash.org/advocacy-issues/inclusive-education/ Thompson, S. J., Johnstone, C. J., & Thurlow, M. L. (2002). Universal design applied to large scale assessments (Synthesis Report 44). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, NCEO. Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/nceo/onlinepubs/Synthesis44.html University of Washington. (2010). It's Your Career: Work-Based Learning Opportunities for College Students With Disabilities. Seattle, WA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Careers/worklearn.html Ysseldyke, J., Krentz, J., Elliott, J., Thurlow, M. L., Erickson, R., & Moore, M. L. (1998). NCEO framework For educational accountability. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, NCEO. Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/onlinepubs/archive/Framework/FrameworkText.html APPENDIX A SEA/Stakeholder Demographics Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Peggy Akins IA Master Educator License:K-8 Mental Disabilities Mild/Moderate;5-12 Mental Disabilities Mild/Moderate Special Educator on Special Assignment K-12 Mild/Moderate, Behavior, Autism, Severe/Profound, LD Caucasian 16-20 MS Emilie Amundson WI English Language Arts General Education State Consultant General Education 6-12 Diverse, Special Education, and English Language Learner students Caucasian 6-10 MA Debra Asano MI K-8: English Language Arts, Speech, and Mathematics General Education, RESA Curriculum Consultant, Regional Literacy Trainer for MLPP, DIBELS, REWARDS, Michigan Foundations in Reading General Education Classroom K, 1, 3, 7, 8; Title I Instruction K-5 Title I Instructor K-5, Elementary Building Administrator, District/RESA Assessment Coordinator Caucasian 26-30 MA Robert Bartlett WV Master’s Degree in Severe Multiple Disabilities, Certification in Autism, Multi- Categorical Certification, including Learning Disabilities, Behavioral Disabilities, and Mental Impairments Director of Special Education and School Improvement, RESA 6 (Regional Education Service Agencies), Wheeling, WV K-6 Autism and MI (All Special Education) 15 years in high school classroom for students with Severe/Profound Disabilities and 9+ years in K-6 classroom for students with Autism and Mental Impairments, 23 years working summer program with all grade levels, including Pre-K through High School. Caucasian 21-25 MA Maria Beck VA Special Education Special Education Instructional Specialist for Students with Severe Disabilities Special Education K-12 20 years teaching this population and 7 years administrative experience with alternate assessment Caucasian 26-30 MS Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Brenda Berrios NJ Teacher of the Handicapped, Elementary Education Special Education N/A Cognitively Impaired (Mild - Severe), Autism Spectrum Disorders Puerto Rican 30+ MA Daniel Biegun VA No Response Intellectual Disability Specialist (Training and Technical Assistance Center, Old Dominion University) High School 3 years educational specialist, 12 years teacher of students with multiple and intellectual disabilities (high school) Caucasian 11-15 MS Annalisa Brewster WA K-12 Special Education, K-8 General Education 4-5 Self-Contained Special Education Previously taught K-5 Special Education Severe to profound delays, multiple disabilities, dual- sensory loss (deaf- blind) Caucasian 6-10 MED James Brey UT Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education Grades 1-8 and Special Education Mild to Moderate K-12, Master in Education with an Endorsement in Severe Disabilities K-12 Temporary Assignment (Teacher on Special Assignment) - Elementary Special Education Severe Teacher Secondary Severe Special Education Grades 7-9 , Secondary Mild to Moderate Special Education 7-9, Elementary Special Education Severe K-5 (2 different schools) Adult Basic Education (ABE) Continuing ED at Dixie State College (Post-Post high 22 years to very old.) Mild to Moderate Special Education Severe to Profound Special Education Caucasian 16-20 MED Jennifer Burnes OK Special Education; All Content Areas Assessment Coordinator, Special Education Services, State Department of Education 6-8; Early Childhood Special Education Severe/Profound; Mild-Moderate Caucasian 6-10 MED & MS Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Kristen Burton WI N/A DPI-Assessment N/A EBD, Alternate Assessment development Caucasian 1-5 BS Debby Byrne KS English 7-9; Social Studies 7-9; Elementary K-9; Educable Mentally Retarded; Trainable Mentally Retarded Lifeskills Coordinator for Olathe District Schools K-21 Special Education throughout my whole career. Coordinator for the Olathe School District. Special Pops and Special Olympics liaison for the city of Olathe and the school district Caucasian 26-30 yrs. MS Wendy Carver UT Communication Disorders (K-12+) and Special Education (K- 12+); Endorsements: Speech-Language Pathology, Psychology, Mild/Moderate Disabilities, English Special Education Assessment Specialist Special Education every grade: K–post high school Mild/moderate and severe Caucasian 30+ MS Beth Cipoletti WV Math 7-12 SEA Assistant Director, Office of Assessment and Accountability Math 7-12 and College Inclusion Classes Caucasian 30+ EdD Kim Cook WA K-12 Special Education; K-12 English as a Second Language; K-12 Bilingual Education; K- 8 Elementary Education K-5 Literacy Coach General Education Kindergarten; Special Education Kindergarten; Special Education Preschool; Dual Language Kindergarten ELL; Low SES; Bilingual; Migrant Caucasian 11-15 MED Pam Cox OK Reading, Math, Elementary Education, Special Education Instructional Coach Preschool-12, Special Education Teacher of ID, AU, TBI, OHI, SLD Caucasian 21-25 BS Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Dianna Daubenspeck OK Multiple Handicapped PK- 12, Other Health Impaired, Learning Disabilities, reading Special Services Curriculum Specialist PK- 12th grades PK- 12 Multiple Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injury, OHI Caucasian 30+ MED Amy Daugherty OK Severe/Profound Special Education, All Content Areas Associate State Director, Special Education Services, State Dept. of Education K-12 S/P; Emotional Disturbance Caucasian 6-10 BS Thomas Deeter IA N/A Lead Consultant (General Education) Assessment, Accountability, Program Evaluation General Education Asian- Caucasian 21-25 PhD Holly Draper KS Functional Special Education and Adaptive Special Education Grades 6-10 Functional Special Education Age 5-21 Functional Special Education (in Missouri) Teaching SPED for 6 years, paraeducator 1 year, group home worker 2 years Caucasian 6-10 BS Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Jeffrey Dunn WA English, Communications, Social Studies Secondary Learning Assistance Program (LAP, WA companion program to Title 1) Coordinator; English teacher 9-12 (Blended general/special education class); one concurrent enrollment Eastern Washington University English 101 class. General Education English grades 9-12 Developed and implemented district secondary reading, writing, and math RTI screening and diagnostic assessment process; coordinate after school and summer school programs open to targeted special education students; taught and supported reading and writing special education students in their effort to meet state standards. Caucasian 30+ PhD John Eisenberg VA Special Education Director of Instructional Support and Related Services, Virginia Department of Education Special Education ASD; SD; ID Caucasian 11-15 MS Lin Everett MO K-8 Teaching: Lifetime Certificate; K-5 Educational ADMIN/Principal; 4-8 Middle school ADMIN/Principal, 4-8 Social Studies; Superintendent’s Certification K-12 Assistant Director of Assessment/Office of CCR, MO Department of Education Self-contained 1-4; ELA Middle (2/3 self- contained); Principal K-8; Methods for pre-service teachers/university Special Education Coordinator Caucasian 30+ EdS Kurt Farnsworth UT Elementary K-6 Elementary English Language Arts Assessment Specialist Grades 4th, 5th, Principal Principal, 4th grade inclusion classroom Caucasian 11-15 MED Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Melia Franklin MO English-7-12 General Education- English 1, Applied Communications I and II, 7th grade Reading, College Prep English All grades 6-12 (English and German) at some point in my career Class within a Class dual instructor, Frequently teach main streamed students Caucasian 16-20 EdD Thomai Gersh MI MI Teacher Certification K-8 Natural and Social Sciences; Licensed Psychologist; Administrative Approval Administrator: Supervisor of Special Education N/A Early On (Evaluator and Coordinator); Severely Multiply Impaired; Severely Cognitively Impaired Caucasian 30+ EdS Melissa Gholson WV Multi-Subjects K-8; Mental Impairments, Specific LD and Autism K-21; Behavior Disorders K-21 Principal and Superintendent; Curriculum Supervisor West Virginia Department of Education, Office of Assessment and Accountability, Alternate Assessment and Accommodations Elementary (general and special education), Middle School (special education); High School (general and special education), , College (teacher preparation courses) Supervisor of Special Education; Special education teaching experience with autism, mild, moderate, severe and profound, mental impairments, behavior disorders, gifted and learning disabilities Caucasian 16-20 MA Claire Greer NC K-12 Special Education, 1-8 General Education State Consultant Elementary, Middle, and High School Mild, moderate and severe disabilities Caucasian 21-25 MS Dawn Gresham KS Music K-12, Educable Mental Retarded K-12, Functional Special Education PreK-12 Special Education High School, grades 9 to age 21. Severe emotional disturbances, students with Autism Spectrum disorders and students with Severe Multiple Disabilities. Caucasian 11-15 MS Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Judy Hamer IA K-6 Elementary Teacher, K-8 Reading, 5-8 Reading, K-12 Reading Specialist 8th Grade Language Arts (General Education) and District K-12 Language Arts Head Teacher Co-teaches with special educator in these language arts classes Students with disabilities integrated into general education classroom; coteaching and consultation with special education teachers Caucasian 21-25 MS Angela Harris WV K - 8: Multi-Subjects; K - 12: Mentally Impaired - Mild - Moderate, Specific Learning Disabilities, Behavior Disorders, Autism; PK-Adult: Superintendent, Supervisor of Instruction, Principal, and School Library / Media Special Education Evaluator (Placed 2010 - 2011 School Year) High School: Special Education 9 - 12; Elementary: General and Special Education K - 6; and Middle School: Special Education 7 - Autism Training, Positive Behavior Support Training, Board Maker Training, and Data Analysis for Special Education Caucasian 16-20 MA Gerald Hartley WV Elementary Education 1-9 , Art K-10, English 5-8, Middle Childhood Certification Reading/Language Arts 8th Grade Grades 4-12 Special Education Caucasian 30+ MA Emma Hatfield- Sidden NC No response Special Education ID- Mod 3 years in ID-Mod Classroom Caucasian 1-5 BA Linda Hickey KS Special Education (5 endorsements), Elementary Education Special Education-- Student Services Consultant Elementary through High School 30+ years of experience Caucasian 30+ MS Janice Hill UT General Special Education K-12 with Severe Endorsement Special Education K-6 Self Contained Classroom Special Education 7-9 Students with Severe Multiple Cognitive Impairments, Autism Caucasian 16-20 BS Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Lori Hillyer WI Secondary Education: Language Arts; Secondary Education: French; Reading Specialist: K-12 Learning Coordinator 6-8 General Education Diverse population (Approx. 60% minority, predominantly AA and ELL); 55% poverty Caucasian 26-30 MS Louann Hoover MO No response Special Education for Students with Severe Disabilities K-6 Special Education Severely Disabled Caucasian 30+ BS Debbie Jameson MO Elementary Education 1-5 Lifetime Certification; Middle School Certification 5- 8 Literacy; Reading Certification Literacy Coach/Title 1 Teacher for grades 1, 3, 4 Classroom Teacher for grades 1 ,2, 3, 5; Reading Recovery/Title 1 Teacher for grades K-5 STARR Teacher, MAP Senior Leader, Literacy Coach, Title 1 District Chair for Hannibal Public Schools, Reading Recovery Trained, MAP Scorer/Item Writer/Table Leader, Model Curriculum Writer, State Literacy Team, GLE/MAP Alignment Study, Graduate Professor Part Time, Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Alignment Study to MAP Questions/GLE Caucasian 26-30 MED Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Judy Jennings NC LD, MR, BEH-K-6, MR Extended Curriculum K-12 Special Education Teacher- Self- Contained Centralized Class for 6-8th Grade Students with Moderate to Severe Autism and EC Chairperson Have taught 3rd-5th grade inclusion special education and self-contained special education Have taught inclusion 7th grade ELA and Math- Special Education BED Self-Contained 6th-8th grade - Special Education Volunteered pre-k developmentally delayed class 1 year TA developmentally delayed classroom 2 summers, Nanny for family with 16 year old daughter who was severely multiply disabled for 1 year, Teacher Assistant in a self-contained AU 9- 14 year olds, Worked at a camp for 5-21 year olds with cognitive delays, Special Olympics coach for Cycling and Alpine Skiing over 10 years, mother of Liz- 12 year daughter with Autism diagnosis and cognitive delays, Volunteered summer to work with 3rd-5th grade students on AAC needs. Caucasian 16-20 MED Al Klugh VA No response Special Education Administration Special Education Teacher/Building Principal Autism, ID, Population Previously known as Severe Disability, ED Caucasian 26-30 MED Judy Kraft WA No response Alternate Assessment Specialist for WA State Caucasian MS Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Kathleen Kvamme-Promes IA Master Educator License K-12 Mental Disabilities Moderate/Severe/ Profound. K-12 Instructional Strategist Mental Disabilities Special Education Severe/Profound (Significant Disabilities) 5-12 Special Education year 13-14 Autism, Physical Disabilities, Behavior, Severe/Profound, Medically Fragile Caucasian 21-25 EdS Sondra LeGrande OK Special Education Teacher -Mild and Moderate/Severe, English, Social Studies Special Education teacher at Edmond Santa Fe High School Special education 6- ID, Autism, Multiple disabilities, other health impaired, hearing impaired, visual impairment Caucasian 16-20 BS Deborah Matthews KS Students w/Severe Cognitive Disabilities (functional) and Early Childhood Kansas State Department of Education Early Childhood-High School Special Education Mild, moderate and severe students with disabilities Caucasian 21-25 MS Tamara Maxwell WI Reading Specialist, English, and Political Science Instructional Coach for Secondary Education Content Area Teachers and English Teacher (general) N/A Working with special education, at-risk, and regular secondary education students who struggle with reading, writing, and motivation Caucasian 6-10 MS Jennifer Michalenok NC Mild-Moderate Disabilities, K-12; Moderate-Severe Disabilities, K-12; Reading Certification Elementary Special Education, Multiple Disabilities classroom Elementary: K-5 grade levels Specialization in Low- Incidence Disabilities European American 1-5 MED Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Marcia O’Brien MI Elementary K- 8, Cognitive Impairments, Learning Disabilities. Special Education, Principal (building ages 2-26 years old) Special Education – High School, General Education K-1 Cognitive Impairments, Emotional Impairments, Learning Disabilities, Severe Multiple Impairments, Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury Caucasian 26-30 EdS Melanie O’Dea NJ Special Education NJ Department of Education/Office of Special Education Programs N/A Students with significant intellectual disabilities Caucasian 26-30 MS Kimberley Perisho WA Elementary Curriculum/Alternativ e Assessment Special Education, Mariner High School Life Skills, grades 9-12 Occasional student ages 18-21(Special Education), 4 yrs.; Music K-12, 10 yrs.; Nursery school (General Education) 3 yrs. Paraeducator ( 1 year 1-on-1 and 2 years life skills); 5 yrs. Life Skills teacher Caucasian 16-20 MA Connie Persike WI Speech Pathologist –Student Services Coordinator Early Childhood and Elementary Special Education Autism, special education Caucasian 11-15 MS Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Terri Portice MI Learning Disabilities K- 12 (SM) K-12; Emotional Impairment (SE) K-12; Cognitive Impairment (SA) K-12; Elementary K-5 all subjects; K-8 All subjects Self Contained Classroom; Central Office Administration; Special Education Supervisor Approval, teacher consultant approval Director of Teaching and Learning at Kent Intermediate School District (Educational Service Center Agency) - Professional Development and Curriculum Development K-12 General and Special Education Collaboration Team Taught K-5 SPED in gen ed classroom; K-5 self- contained SPED pull out services. For the last 4 yrs, I’ve been leading curriculum & professional development related to the 4 core content areas for all levels K- 12. During this time I’ve spent a great deal of time in direct support with secondary ELA teachers. Recent work has been with K-12 staff in the areas of ELA and Math as it relates to making the transition from state content expectations to the CCSS. Learning Disabilities; Emotional Impairment, and Cognitive Impairment Classroom Caucasian 16-20 years MA masters Cheryl Ann Prevatte VA Math/Reading/ Science/Social Studies Special Education Teacher K-5 (Intellectually Disabled/Self- Contained) K-5 Special Education Teacher Rockingham County, Virginia - 29 years Previous experience w/TARC Caucasian 26-30 BS Sarah Reives NC Math 9-12 and Science 9-12 North Carolina Department of Instruction General Education 9-12 Assessment African American 6-10 MED Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Katie Sadler MO ECSE, BD/MR K-12 K-5/Self-contained AU ECSE MU, ECSE, AU Caucasian 6-10 BS Angela See WV Elementary Education, Content for Special Education, English, and History, Multi- Categorical - CBD, LD, MI, K-6, OS AD Special Education 9-12 Other experience - worked on the development of the WV alternate assessment, development of the WV Extended Academic Content Standards and Performance Descriptors, Acuity items for Extended Standards, Scored Alternate Assessment BD, LD, MI, Autism Caucasian 6-10 MA Donna Shaw IA K-12 Special Education; General/Special Education Administrator Special Education No Response 32 years experience Caucasian 30+ MED Kris Shaw KS Reading Specialist, Master’s Degree KSDE Language Arts and Literacy Consultant N/A N/A Caucasian 26-30 MS Linda Stalliviere UT Elementary Education 1-8 LEA Mentor Coordinator (New Teacher Mentor for K- 12 General and Special Education 2nd, 4th General Education Special education students within my classroom USEAP (Utah Special Education Advisory Panel) committee, general education representative Caucasian 30+ BA Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Christie Stephenson OK Mild/Moderate Disabilities, Severe/Profound Disabilities Special Education Supervisor K-12 I have taught in classrooms with student populations consisting of LD, ID, Multi-disabled, Autistic and OHI students. Caucasian 6-10 BS Emily Thatcher IA K-12 Strat I MD; K-12 Strat II MD. Multi- categorical 6-12; BD K- 6; Severe and Profound K-12; Special Education Consultant Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Student and Family Support Services (SPED) Instructional Content Resource Consultant and Alternate Assessment Consultant Special Education and Art K-12 22 years varied experience Caucasian 21-25 MED Janice Tornow WA All areas including special education Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Special Education K-12 5 year Special Ed Teacher and 26 years Special Education Administrator Caucasian 30+ MED Jane VanDeZande MO ELA and Special Education (handicapped learner) Director of Assessment 5-8 (Speech and Language, handicapped learner-LD); 9-12ELA and Social Studies 9- Chapter I Director math and reading Irish American 16-20 Other Degree Sara Vold WI No response Special Education Cognitive Disabilities Teacher K-5 Special Education Cognitive Disabilities Teacher K-6 Autism, CD (mild and severe), EBD Caucasian 1-5 BS Ryan Webb UT English Language Arts, Spanish 8th grade Tier 2 ELA classroom, 8th and 9th grade Spanish 1 and 2 General Education Tier 2 Language Arts Students Caucasian 6-10 MED Name State Area of Certification Current Assignment Other Grades Taught Special Population Experience Ethnicity Years of Experience Highest Degree Neal Webster NJ Literacy Specialist General Education and Special Populations High School, and provide PD to K-8th grade teachers in Classroom instructional processes (IDEAL and LEADS) As it applies to inclusion of all special populations during literacy block. Multi Ethnic (African American, Native American and Caucasian) 11-15 MA Joanne Winkelman MI Elementary and Special Education State Agency Middle and High School 20 years Special Education experience Caucasian 20-25 PhD Adam Wyse MI State Education Agency Assessment Participant Psychometrician for Alternate Assessments Grades 9-12 Mathematics Taught SLD, EI, Speech and Language, and Hearing Impaired Students Caucasian PhD Tina Yurcho NJ No response Special Education Supervisor Special Education infant through middle school. Multiply disabled population Caucasian 26-30 MED