Grades Eleven and Twelve
English-Language Arts Content Standards

1.0
 Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development Students apply their knowledge of word origins to determine the meaning of new words encountered in reading materials and use those words accurately.
Vocabulary and Concept Development   
1.1

Trace the etymology of significant terms used in political science and history.
1.2
Apply knowledge of Greek, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon roots and affixes to draw inferences concerning the meaning of scientific and mathematical terminology.
1.3
Discern the meaning of analogies encountered, analyzing specific comparisons as well as relationships and inferences.
2.0
Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials) Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They analyze the organizational patterns, arguments, and positions advanced. The selections in Recommended Readings in Literature, Grades Nine Through Twelve illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. In addition, by grade twelve, students read two million words annually on their own, including a wide variety of classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, and online information.

Structural Features of Informational Materials
2.1
Analyze both the features and the rhetorical devices of different types of public documents (e.g., policy statements, speeches, debates, platforms) and the way in which authors use those features and devices.
 

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text

2.2
Analyze the way in which clarity of meaning is affected by the patterns of organization, hierarchical structures, repetition of the main ideas, syntax, and word choice in the text.
2.3
Verify and clarify facts presented in other types of expository texts by using a variety of consumer, workplace, and public documents.
2.4
Make warranted and reasonable assertions about the author's arguments by using elements of the text to defend and clarify interpretations.
2.5
Analyze an author's implicit and explicit philosophical assumptions and beliefs about a subject.
 
Expository Critique
2.6
Critique the power, validity, and truthfulness of arguments set forth in public documents; their appeal to both friendly and hostile audiences; and the extent to which the arguments anticipate and address reader concerns and counterclaims (e.g., appeal to reason, to authority, to pathos and emotion).
3.0
Literary Response and Analysis Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science. They conduct in-depth analyses of recurrent themes. The selections in Recommended Readings in Literature, Grades Nine Through Twelve illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students.
 
Structural Features of Literature
3.1
Analyze characteristics of subgenres (e.g., satire, parody, allegory, pastoral) that are used in poetry, prose, plays, novels, short stories, essays, and other basic genres.
 
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
3.2
Analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or comment on life, using textual evidence to support the claim.
3.3

Analyze the ways in which irony, tone, mood, the author's style, and the "sound" of language achieve specific rhetorical or aesthetic purposes or both.
3.4
Analyze ways in which poets use imagery, personification, figures of speech, and sounds to evoke readers' emotions.
3.5
Analyze recognized works of American literature representing a variety of genres and traditions:
3.6
Analyze the way in which authors through the centuries have used archetypes drawn from myth and tradition in literature, film, political speeches, and religious writings (e.g., how the archetypes of banishment from an ideal world may be used to interpret Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth).
a.
Trace the development of American literature from the colonial period forward.
b.
Contrast the major periods, themes, styles, and trends and describe how works by members of different cultures relate to one another in each period.
c.
Evaluate the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period that shaped the characters, plots, and settings.
3.7
Analyze recognized works of world literature from a variety of authors:
a.
Contrast the major literary forms, techniques, and characteristics of the major literary periods (e.g., Homeric Greece, medieval, romantic, neoclassic, modern).
b.
Relate literary works and authors to the major themes and issues of their eras.
c.
Evaluate the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period that shaped the characters, plots, and, settings.
 
Literary Criticism
3.8
Analyze the clarity and consistency of political assumptions in a selection of literary works or essays on a topic (e.g., suffrage, women's role in organized labor). (Political approach)
3.9
Analyze the philosophical arguments presented in literary works to determine whether the authors' positions have contributed to the quality of each work and the credibility of the characters. (Philosophical approach)
 
WRITING GRADE 8
1.0
Writing Strategies Students write coherent and focused texts that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly reasoned argument. The writing demonstrates students' awareness of the audience and purpose and progression through the stages of the writing process.
 
Organization and Focus 
1.1
Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of discourse (e.g., purpose, speaker, audience, form) when completing narrative, expository, persuasive, or descriptive writing assignments.
1.2
Use point of view, characterization, style (e.g., use of irony), and related elements for specific rhetorical and aesthetic purposes.
1.3
Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained, persuasive, and sophisticated way and support them with precise and relevant examples.
1.4
Enhance meaning by employing rhetorical devices, including the extended use of parallelism, repetition, and analogy; the incorporation of visual aids (e.g., graphs, tables, pictures); and the issuance of a call for action.
1.5
Use language in natural, fresh, and vivid ways to establish a specific tone.
 
Research and Technology 
1.6
Develop presentations by using clear research questions and creative and critical research strategies (e.g., field studies, oral histories, interviews, experiments, electronic sources).
1.7
Use systematic strategies to organize and record information (e.g., anecdotal scripting, annotated bibliographies).
1.8
Integrate databases, graphics, and spreadsheets into word-processed documents.
 
Evaluation and Revision 
1.9
Revise text to highlight the individual voice, improve sentence variety and style, and enhance subtlety of meaning and tone in ways that are consistent with the purpose, audience, and genre.
2.0
Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics) Students combine the rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description to produce texts of at least 1,500 words each. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English and the research, organizational, and drafting strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0. Using the writing strategies of grades eleven and twelve outlined in Writing Standard 1.0, students:
2.1
Write fictional, autobiographical, or biographical narratives:
a.
Narrate a sequence of events and communicate their significance to the audience.
b.
Locate scenes and incidents in specific places.
c.
Describe with concrete sensory details the sights, sounds, and smells of a scene and the specific actions, movements, gestures, and feelings of the characters; use interior monologue to depict the characters' feelings.
d.
Pace the presentation of actions to accommodate temporal, spatial, and dramatic mood changes.
e.
Make effective use of descriptions of appearance, images, shifting perspectives, and sensory details.
2.2
Write responses to literature:
a.
Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the significant ideas in works or passages.
b.
Analyze the use of imagery, language, universal themes, and unique aspects of the text.
c.
Support important ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed references to the text and to other works.
d.
Demonstrate an understanding of the author's use of stylistic devices and an appreciation of the effects created.
e.
Identify and assess the impact of perceived ambiguities, nuances, and complexities within the text.
2.3
Write reflective compositions:
a.
Explore the significance of personal experiences, events, conditions, or concerns by using rhetorical strategies (e.g., narration, description, exposition, persuasion).
b.
Draw comparisons between specific incidents and broader themes that illustrate the writer's important beliefs or generalizations about life.
c.
Maintain a balance in describing individual incidents and relate those incidents to more general and abstract ideas.
2.4
 Write historical investigation reports:
a.
Use exposition, narration, description, argumentation, exposition, or some combination of rhetorical strategies to support the main proposition.
b.
Analyze several historical records of a single event, examining critical relationships between elements of the research topic.
c.
Explain the perceived reason or reasons for the similarities and differences in historical records with information derived from primary and secondary sources to support or enhance the presentation.
d.
Include information from all relevant perspectives and take into consideration the validity and reliability of sources.
e.
Include a formal bibliography.
2.5
Write job applications and resumés:
a.
Provide clear and purposeful information and address the intended audience appropriately.
b.
Use varied levels, patterns, and types of language to achieve intended effects and aid comprehension.
c.
Modify the tone to fit the purpose and audience.
d.
Follow the conventional style for that type of document (e.g., resumé, memorandum) and use page formats, fonts, and spacing that contribute to the readability and impact of the document.
2.6
Deliver multimedia presentations:
a.
Combine text, images, and sound and draw information from many sources (e.g., television broadcasts, videos, films, newspapers, magazines, CD- ROMs, the Internet, electronic media-generated images).
b.
Select an appropriate medium for each element of the presentation.
c.
Use the selected media skillfully, editing appropriately and monitoring for quality.
d.
Test the audience's response and revise the presentation accordingly.
 
WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
The standards for written and oral English language conventions have been placed between those for writing and for listening and speaking because these conventions are essential to both sets of skills.
1.0
Written and Oral English Language Conventions Students write and speak with a command of standard English conventions.
1.1
Demonstrate control of grammar, diction, and paragraph and sentence structure and an understanding of English usage. 
1.2
Produce legible work that shows accurate spelling and correct punctuation and capitalization. 
1.3
Reflect appropriate manuscript requirements in writing.