Striving for Excellence: Standards

Speaking & Listening

Standard 11-12.SL.1:

Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations on topics, texts, and issues.

  • Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives in democratic discussions that involve decision-making and role-taking; resolve claims and evidence.

  • Participate in conversations by asking and responding to questions that examine reasoning and evidence, ensuring the opportunity to consider a range of perspectives, and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions with evidence.

  • Resolve contradictions when applicable, and determine if additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or conversation.

Standard 11-12.SL.2

Interpret, evaluate, and integrate multiple sources of information presented in various formats and media to verify the credibility and accuracy of each source, and note any discrepancies among the data in order to make informed decisions.

Standard 11-12.SL.3

Use appropriate language, grammar, organization, development, and delivery styles appropriate to purpose and audience for formal or informal contexts.

  • Strategically use visual displays of data and digital media, to convey information and enhance understanding of presentations.

Reading

  • Standard 11-12.R.4

    Read grade-level text with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

    (RL & RI)

  • Standard 11-12.R.5

    Cite relevant textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including analyzing where the text implies ambiguity.

    (RL & RI)

  • Standard 11-12.R.6

    When reading texts, including those from diverse cultures, determine two or more themes and analyze their development, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account, and provide an objective summary that includes textual evidence.

    (RL)

  • Standard 11-12.R.6

    When reading texts, including those from diverse cultures, determine main ideas of two or more texts, analyze the main ideas, supporting details, and the relationship between/among the texts; provide an objective synthesis of the texts that includes textual evidence.

    (RI)

  • Standard 11-12.R.7

    Analyze how an author develops a text through complex and/or dynamic characters, interaction with other characters, and advancement of the plot or development of the theme.

    (RL)

  • Standard 11-12.R.7

    Analyze how the author develops a text through an analysis or argument, including the sequence, the introduction and development and connections of ideas.

    (RI)

  • Standard 11-12.R.8

    Determine the meaning and impact of words and phrases on tone and mood, including words with multiple meanings. Analyze figurative language, connotative meanings, and figures of speech. Examine how the author uses and refines the meaning of domain-specific vocabulary and how language differs across historical time periods, cultures, regions, and genres.

    (RL & RI)

  • Standard 11-12.R.9

    Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

    (RL & RI)

    • Analyze patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech.

    • Determine and consult appropriate reference materials, to find the pronunciation of a word, its precise meaning, its part of speech, its etymology including Greek or Latin affixes and roots, and its usage.

  • Standard 11-12.R.10

    Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of structures across multiple texts about similar topics/themes, including whether the structures make points or events clear, effective, convincing, or engaging.

    (RL & RI)

  • Standard 11-12.R.11

    Analyze how an author’s geographic location, identity or background, culture, and time period affect the perspective, point of view, purpose, and implicit/explicit messages of a collective body of work.

    (RL & RI)

  • Standard 11-12.R.12

    Analyze how a subject and/or content is presented in two or more mediums by determining which details are emphasized, altered, or absent in each account and how these details influence audiences’ experiences and interpretations.

    (RL & RI)

  • Standard 11-12.R.13

    Delineate and evaluate arguments and specific claims across multiple texts on the same subject, assessing the validity or fallacy of key statements by examining whether the supporting evidence is relevant and sufficient. Recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

    (RI)

  • Standard 11-12.R.14

    Analyze two or more texts of literary significance across and within time periods with similar topics and themes, drawing on their purposes, stylistic choices, and rhetorical features.

    (RL)

  • Standard 11-12.R.14

    Analyze and evaluate works of cultural significance for the way in which these works treat similar themes, conflicts, issues, or topics, and maintain relevance for current audiences.

    (RI)

Writing

    • Introduce claims, establish the significance of the claims, distinguish the claims from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

    • Develop claims and counterclaims by interpreting the most relevant evidence from accurate, credible sources for each; elaborate on the strengths and limitations that anticipate the audience.

    • 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 claims and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claims and counterclaims.

    • Use appropriate conventions and style for the audience, purpose, and task.

    • Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; utilize formatting, graphics, and multimedia to illustrate complexities.

    • Develop the topic thoroughly with relevant and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, examples, and figurative language.

    • Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas.

    • Use precise language and content-specific vocabulary to clarify the complexity of the ideas.

    • Use appropriate conventions and style for the audience, purpose, and task.

    • Engage and orient the reader by describing a complex problem, situation, or observation.

    • Establish one or multiple point(s) of view, and develop a setting, narrator and/or characters.

    • Apply narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, flashback, and multiple plot lines to develop characters and well-structured event sequences.

    • Utilize varied syntax techniques and descriptive language to create a mood and tone appropriate to purpose, task, and audience.

    • Use appropriate conventions and style for the audience, purpose, and task.

    • Gather, assess, and synthesize information from credible sources on the topic.

    • Evaluate the evidence and generate ideas to demonstrate understanding of the topic and purpose.

    • Avoid plagiarism by quoting, paraphrasing, and citing, using a standard format for citation of evidence.

    • Interact and collaborate with others throughout the writing process.