Literacy Standards
The following indicators outline the developmental benchmarks and literacy behaviors that most children display at a particular age/grade. All are aligned with guidelines and standards established by the Arizona Department of Education. Seen together, they show the progression of development over time, but it is important to remember that all children develop at a different pace and follow varied patterns of development.
For very young children, key components of language and communication development include modeling conversations, book handling, and picture/story comprehension. For preschool and K-3 students, indicators of developing language and emergent literacy provide a clear overview of the learning goals to be achieved by the end of each year. Across the higher grades, indicators may have similar wording, but they are to be applied with increased focus to progressively more challenging texts and tasks.
Reading Standards for Literature
- Independently and proficiently read grade-appropriate and increasingly complex literature from a variety of genres.
- Critically analyze elements of literature: plot, theme, characters, setting, figurative language, tone, conflicts, point of view, and author’s purpose.
- Demonstrate complex and deep understanding of a text by supporting their inferences by citing specific and detailed examples.
- Demonstrate understanding of author’s purpose, meaning, and tone by analyzing word choice and intentional organizational structures.
- Analyze how two or more texts from the same time period treat similar themes or topics.
Reading Standards for Informational Text
- Infer multiple meanings and determine main ideas, author’s purpose, and the effectiveness of rhetorical devices and support those inference using detailed examples from the text.
- Analyze and synthesize seminal U.S. and world texts to determine how structure, organization, and presentation helps organize ideas and details effectively.
- Continue to cite strong evidence contextually to support their analysis and claims.
Writing Standards
- Craft quality argumentative, informative, and narrative writing for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences, both formal and informal.
- Integrate and synthesize information and evidence into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoid plagiarism, and follow a standard format for citation appropriate for the task and audience.
- Plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in an effective and strategic manner.
Speaking and Listening Standards
- Demonstrate collaborative discussion/listening skills in a variety of settings, both formal and informal.
- Extend speaking and listening skills to include paraphrasing, summarizing, and directly citing information from a variety of sources.
- Present information using various forms of multimedia technology appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience.
Language Standards
- Demonstrate mastery of grade level conventions (grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling).
- Develop and utilize knowledge of Standard English conventions strategically in a variety of communication tasks for different purposes and audiences.
- Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning and style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening; vary syntax for effect.
- Determine the meanings of unknown words and figurative language using a variety of strategies.
Source: Arizona Department of Education, Arizona English Language Arts Standards
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