Common Core
State Standards

forEnglish Language Arts&
Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Table of Contents
Introduction

3Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects K–5

9College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

10

Reading Standards for Literature K–5

11

Reading Standards for Informational Text K–5

13

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills K–5

15

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

18

Writing Standards K–5

19

2

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening 22
Speaking and Listening Standards K–5

23

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

25

Language Standards K–5

26

Language Progressive Skills, by Grade

30

Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading K–5

31

Staying on Topic Within a Grade and Across Grades

33

Standards for English Language Arts 6–12

34

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

35

Reading Standards for Literature 6–12

36

Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12

39

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

41

Writing Standards 6–12

42

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening 48
Speaking and Listening Standards 6–12

49

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

51

Language Standards 6–12

52

Language Progressive Skills, by Grade

56

Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading 6–12

57

Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects

59

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

60

Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6–12

61

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6–12

62

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

63

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science,
and Technical Subjects 6–12

64

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Introduction
The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy inHistory/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (“the Standards”) are
the culmination of an extended, broad-based effort to fulfill the charge issued
by the states to create the next generation of K–12 standards in order to help
ensure that all students are college and career ready in literacy no later than theend of high school.
The present work, led by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
and the National Governors Association (NGA), builds on the foundation laid bystates in their decades-long work on crafting high-quality education standards.
The Standards also draw on the most important international models as well
as research and input from numerous sources, including state departmentsof education, scholars, assessment developers, professional organizations,educators from kindergarten through college, and parents, students, and othermembers of the public. In their design and content, refined through successivedrafts and numerous rounds of feedback, the Standards represent a synthesis of
the best elements of standards-related work to date and an important advanceover that previous work.
As specified by CCSSO and NGA, the Standards are (1) research and evidence
based, (2) aligned with college and work expectations, (3) rigorous, and(4) internationally benchmarked. A particular standard was included in the
document only when the best available evidence indicated that its mastery wasessential for college and career readiness in a twenty-first-century, globallycompetitive society. The Standards are intended to be a living work: as new andbetter evidence emerges, the Standards will be revised accordingly.

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introduction

The Standards are an extension of a prior initiative led by CCSSO and NGA todevelop College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards in reading, writing,speaking, listening, and language as well as in mathematics. The CCR Reading,Writing, and Speaking and Listening Standards, released in draft form in
September 2009, serve, in revised form, as the backbone for the present
document. Grade-specific K–12 standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and language translate the broad (and, for the earliest grades, seemingly
distant) aims of the CCR standards into age- and attainment-appropriate terms.

The Standards set requirements not only for English language arts (ELA)
but also for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects.
Just as students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language
effectively in a variety of content areas, so too must the Standards specify
the literacy skills and understandings required for college and career
readiness in multiple disciplines. Literacy standards for grade 6 and above
are predicated on teachers of ELA, history/social studies, science, andtechnical subjects using their content area expertise to help students meetthe particular challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and languagein their respective fields. It is important to note that the 6–12 literacy
standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are notmeant to replace content standards in those areas but rather to supplement
them. States may incorporate these standards into their standards for thosesubjects or adopt them as content area literacy standards.
As a natural outgrowth of meeting the charge to define college and career
readiness, the Standards also lay out a vision of what it means to be a literate
person in the twenty-first century. Indeed, the skills and understandings
students are expected to demonstrate have wide applicability outside theclassroom or workplace. Students who meet the Standards readily undertakethe close, attentive reading that is at the heart of understanding and enjoying
complex works of literature. They habitually perform the critical readingnecessary to pick carefully through the staggering amount of information
available today in print and digitally. They actively seek the wide, deep, andthoughtful engagement with high-quality literary and informational texts
that builds knowledge, enlarges experience, and broadens worldviews.
They reflexively demonstrate the cogent reasoning and use of evidence
that is essential to both private deliberation and responsible citizenship in a
democratic republic. In short, students who meet the Standards develop theskills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening that are the foundation for any
creative and purposeful expression in language.

June 2, 2010

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Key Design Considerations
CCR and grade-specific standards

Research and media skills blended into the Standards as a whole

The CCR standards anchor the document and define general, cross-disciplinary
literacy expectations that must be met for students to be prepared toenter college and workforce training programs ready to succeed. The K–12
grade-specific standards define end-of-year expectations and a cumulative
progression designed to enable students to meet college and career readinessexpectations no later than the end of high school. The CCR and high school(grades 9–12) standards work in tandem to define the college and career
readiness line—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing
additional specificity. Hence, both should be considered when developing
college and career readiness assessments.

To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society,students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, andreport on information and ideas, to conduct original research in order to answer
questions or solve problems, and to analyze and create a high volume andextensive range of print and nonprint texts in media forms old and new. The
need to conduct research and to produce and consume media is embedded
into every aspect of today’s curriculum. In like fashion, research and media
skills and understandings are embedded throughout the Standards rather thantreated in a separate section.

Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s gradespecific standards, retain or further develop skills and understandings masteredin preceding grades, and work steadily toward meeting the more general
expectations described by the CCR standards.

Shared responsibility for students’ literacy development

Grade levels for K–8; grade bands for 9–10 and 11–12
The Standards use individual grade levels in kindergarten through grade 8 toprovide useful specificity; the Standards use two-year bands in grades 9–12 toallow schools, districts, and states flexibility in high school course design.

A focus on results rather than means
By emphasizing required achievements, the Standards leave room for teachers,
curriculum developers, and states to determine how those goals should bereached and what additional topics should be addressed. Thus, the Standards
do not mandate such things as a particular writing process or the full range ofmetacognitive strategies that students may need to monitor and direct theirthinking and learning. Teachers are thus free to provide students with whatever
tools and knowledge their professional judgment and experience identify as
most helpful for meeting the goals set out in the Standards.

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introduction

An integrated model of literacy
Although the Standards are divided into Reading, Writing, Speaking and
Listening, and Language strands for conceptual clarity, the processes ofcommunication are closely connected, as reflected throughout this document.
For example, Writing standard 9 requires that students be able to write
about what they read. Likewise, Speaking and Listening standard 4 sets the
expectation that students will share findings from their research.

The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and language be a shared responsibility within the school. The K–5 standards
include expectations for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language
applicable to a range of subjects, including but not limited to ELA. The grades
6–12 standards are divided into two sections, one for ELA and the other for
history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. This division reflects theunique, time-honored place of ELA teachers in developing students’ literacy
skills while at the same time recognizing that teachers in other areas must havea role in this development as well.
Part of the motivation behind the interdisciplinary approach to literacy
promulgated by the Standards is extensive research establishing the needfor college and career ready students to be proficient in reading complex
informational text independently in a variety of content areas. Most of therequired reading in college and workforce training programs is informationalin structure and challenging in content; postsecondary education programs
typically provide students with both a higher volume of such reading than isgenerally required in K–12 schools and comparatively little scaffolding.
The Standards are not alone in calling for a special emphasis on informational
text. The 2009 reading framework of the National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) requires a high and increasing proportion of informational text
on its assessment as students advance through the grades.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Distribution of Literary and Informational Passages by Grade in
the 2009 NAEP Reading Framework
Grade

Literary

Informational

Grade

To Persuade

To Explain

To Convey Experience

4

50%

50%

4

30%

35%

35%

8

45%

55%

8

35%

35%

30%

12

30%

70%

12

40%

40%

20%

Source: National Assessment Governing Board. (2008). Reading framework for the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Source: National Assessment Governing Board. (2007). Writing framework for the 2011 National
Assessment of Educational Progress, pre-publication edition. Iowa City, IA: ACT, Inc.

The Standards aim to align instruction with this framework so that many more
students than at present can meet the requirements of college and career
readiness. In K–5, the Standards follow NAEP’s lead in balancing the readingof literature with the reading of informational texts, including texts in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. In accord with NAEP’s growing
emphasis on informational texts in the higher grades, the Standards demandthat a significant amount of reading of informational texts take place in andoutside the ELA classroom. Fulfilling the Standards for 6–12 ELA requires
much greater attention to a specific category of informational text—literary
nonfiction—than has been traditional. Because the ELA classroom must focus
on literature (stories, drama, and poetry) as well as literary nonfiction, a great
deal of informational reading in grades 6–12 must take place in other classes if
the NAEP assessment framework is to be matched instructionally.1 To measure
students’ growth toward college and career readiness, assessments aligned with
the Standards should adhere to the distribution of texts across grades cited in
the NAEP framework.

It follows that writing assessments aligned with the Standards should adhere to
the distribution of writing purposes across grades outlined by NAEP.

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introduction

NAEP likewise outlines a distribution across the grades of the core purposes
and types of student writing. The 2011 NAEP framework, like the Standards,
cultivates the development of three mutually reinforcing writing capacities:
writing to persuade, to explain, and to convey real or imagined experience.
Evidence concerning the demands of college and career readiness gathered
during development of the Standards concurs with NAEP’s shifting emphases:
standards for grades 9–12 describe writing in all three forms, but, consistent
with NAEP, the overwhelming focus of writing throughout high school should
be on arguments and informative/explanatory texts.2

5

Distribution of Communicative Purposes by Gradein the 2011 NAEP Writing Framework

1
The percentages on the table reflect the sum of student reading, not just reading in ELA
settings. Teachers of senior English classes, for example, are not required to devote 70
percent of reading to informational texts. Rather, 70 percent of student reading across thegrade should be informational.
2
As with reading, the percentages in the table reflect the sum of student writing, not justwriting in ELA settings.

Focus and coherence in instruction and assessment
While the Standards delineate specific expectations in reading, writing,speaking, listening, and language, each standard need not be a separate focus
for instruction and assessment. Often, several standards can be addressed bya single rich task. For example, when editing writing, students address Writing
standard 5 (“Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising,editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach”) as well as Language standards 1–3(which deal with conventions of standard English and knowledge of language).
When drawing evidence from literary and informational texts per Writing
standard 9, students are also demonstrating their comprehension skill in relation
to specific standards in Reading. When discussing something they haveread or written, students are also demonstrating their speaking and listening
skills. The CCR anchor standards themselves provide another source of focus
and coherence.
The same ten CCR anchor standards for Reading apply to both literary andinformational texts, including texts in history/social studies, science, andtechnical subjects. The ten CCR anchor standards for Writing cover numerous
text types and subject areas. This means that students can develop mutually
reinforcing skills and exhibit mastery of standards for reading and writing acrossa range of texts and classrooms.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

What is Not Covered by the Standards
The Standards should be recognized for what they are not as well as what they are. The most important intentional design limitations are as follows:1.

2.

While the Standards focus on what is most essential, they do notdescribe all that can or should be taught. A great deal is left tothe discretion of teachers and curriculum developers. The aim of
the Standards is to articulate the fundamentals, not to set out an
exhaustive list or a set of restrictions that limits what can be taught
beyond what is specified herein.

3.

The Standards do not define the nature of advanced work for students
who meet the Standards prior to the end of high school. For thosestudents, advanced work in such areas as literature, composition,
language, and journalism should be available. This work should provide
the next logical step up from the college and career readiness baseline
established here.

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introduction

4.

6

The Standards define what all students are expected to know and beable to do, not how teachers should teach. For instance, the use ofplay with young children is not specified by the Standards, but it iswelcome as a valuable activity in its own right and as a way to help
students meet the expectations in this document. Furthermore, while
the Standards make references to some particular forms of content,
including mythology, foundational U.S. documents, and Shakespeare,they do not—indeed, cannot—enumerate all or even most of thecontent that students should learn. The Standards must therefore
be complemented by a well-developed, content-rich curriculum
consistent with the expectations laid out in this document.

The Standards set grade-specific standards but do not define theintervention methods or materials necessary to support students
who are well below or well above grade-level expectations. No set of
grade-specific standards can fully reflect the great variety in abilities,
needs, learning rates, and achievement levels of students in any givenclassroom. However, the Standards do provide clear signposts along
the way to the goal of college and career readiness for all students.

5.

It is also beyond the scope of the Standards to define the full range of
supports appropriate for English language learners and for students
with special needs. At the same time, all students must have theopportunity to learn and meet the same high standards if they are toaccess the knowledge and skills necessary in their post–high school
lives.
Each grade will include students who are still acquiring English.
For those students, it is possible to meet the standards in reading,writing, speaking, and listening without displaying native-like control
of conventions and vocabulary.
The Standards should also be read as allowing for the widest
possible range of students to participate fully from the outset andas permitting appropriate accommodations to ensure maximum
participation of students with special education needs. For example,
for students with disabilities reading should allow for the use of
Braille, screen-reader technology, or other assistive devices, whilewriting should include the use of a scribe, computer, or speech-totext technology. In a similar vein, speaking and listening should beinterpreted broadly to include sign language.

6.

While the ELA and content area literacy components describedherein are critical to college and career readiness, they do not
define the whole of such readiness. Students require a wideranging, rigorous academic preparation and, particularly in the early
grades, attention to such matters as social, emotional, and physicaldevelopment and approaches to learning. Similarly, the Standards
define literacy expectations in history/social studies, science, andtechnical subjects, but literacy standards in other areas, suchas mathematics and health education, modeled on those in thisdocument are strongly encouraged to facilitate a comprehensive,
schoolwide literacy program.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Students Who are College and Career Readyin Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Language
The descriptions that follow are not standards themselves but instead offer a portrait of students who meet the standards set out in this document. As students
advance through the grades and master the standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, they are able to exhibit with increasing fullness andregularity these capacities of the literate individual.

They demonstrate independence.

They comprehend as well as critique.

Students can, without significant scaffolding, comprehend and evaluate
complex texts across a range of types and disciplines, and they can constructeffective arguments and convey intricate or multifaceted information. Likewise,
students are able independently to discern a speaker’s key points, request
clarification, and ask relevant questions. They build on others’ ideas, articulate
their own ideas, and confirm they have been understood. Without prompting,they demonstrate command of standard English and acquire and use awide-ranging vocabulary. More broadly, they become self-directed learners,
effectively seeking out and using resources to assist them, including teachers,
peers, and print and digital reference materials.

Students are engaged and open-minded—but discerning—readers and listeners.
They work diligently to understand precisely what an author or speaker issaying, but they also question an author’s or speaker’s assumptions andpremises and assess the veracity of claims and the soundness of reasoning.

They build strong content knowledge.
Students establish a base of knowledge across a wide range of subject matterby engaging with works of quality and substance. They become proficientin new areas through research and study. They read purposefully and listen
attentively to gain both general knowledge and discipline-specific expertise.
They refine and share their knowledge through writing and speaking.

They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose,and discipline.

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introduction

Students adapt their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, anddiscipline. They set and adjust purpose for reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and language use as warranted by the task. They appreciate nuances, such as
how the composition of an audience should affect tone when speaking andhow the connotations of words affect meaning. They also know that different
disciplines call for different types of evidence (e.g., documentary evidence inhistory, experimental evidence in science).

They value evidence.
Students cite specific evidence when offering an oral or written interpretationof a text. They use relevant evidence when supporting their own points inwriting and speaking, making their reasoning clear to the reader or listener, andthey constructively evaluate others’ use of evidence.

They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
Students employ technology thoughtfully to enhance their reading, writing,speaking, listening, and language use. They tailor their searches online toacquire useful information efficiently, and they integrate what they learn using
technology with what they learn offline. They are familiar with the strengths andlimitations of various technological tools and mediums and can select and use
those best suited to their communication goals.

They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.
Students appreciate that the twenty-first-century classroom and workplace
are settings in which people from often widely divergent cultures and who
represent diverse experiences and perspectives must learn and work together.
Students actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures throughreading and listening, and they are able to communicate effectively withpeople of varied backgrounds. They evaluate other points of view criticallyand constructively. Through reading great classic and contemporary worksof literature representative of a variety of periods, cultures, and worldviews,
students can vicariously inhabit worlds and have experiences much different
than their own.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

How to Read This Document
Overall Document Organization
The Standards comprise three main sections: a comprehensive K–5 section
and two content area–specific sections for grades 6–12, one for ELA and one
for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Three appendicesaccompany the main document.
Each section is divided into strands. K–5 and 6–12 ELA have Reading, Writing,Speaking and Listening, and Language strands; the 6–12 history/ social studies,science, and technical subjects section focuses on Reading and Writing. Eachstrand is headed by a strand-specific set of College and Career Readiness
Anchor Standards that is identical across all grades and content areas.
Standards for each grade within K–8 and for grades 9–10 and 11–12 follow the
CCR anchor standards in each strand. Each grade-specific standard (as thesestandards are collectively referred to) corresponds to the same-numbered
CCR anchor standard. Put another way, each CCR anchor standard has anaccompanying grade-specific standard translating the broader CCR statement
into grade-appropriate end-of-year expectations.
Individual CCR anchor standards can be identified by their strand, CCR status,
and number (R.CCR.6, for example). Individual grade-specific standards canbe identified by their strand, grade, and number (or number and letter, whereapplicable), so that RI.4.3, for example, stands for Reading, Informational Text,
grade 4, standard 3 and W.5.1a stands for Writing, grade 5, standard 1a. Strand
designations can be found in brackets alongside the full strand title.

Who is responsible for which portion of the Standards
A single K–5 section lists standards for reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and language across the curriculum, reflecting the fact that most or all of the
instruction students in these grades receive comes from one teacher. Grades
6–12 are covered in two content area–specific sections, the first for the English
language arts teacher and the second for teachers of history/social studies,science, and technical subjects. Each section uses the same CCR anchor
standards but also includes grade-specific standards tuned to the literacy
requirements of the particular discipline(s).

8|introduction

Key Features of the Standards
Reading: Text complexity and the growth of comprehension
The Reading standards place equal emphasis on the sophistication of what
students read and the skill with which they read. Standard 10 defines a grade-bygrade “staircase” of increasing text complexity that rises from beginning reading

to the college and career readiness level. Whatever they are reading, students
must also show a steadily growing ability to discern more from and make fuller
use of text, including making an increasing number of connections among ideas
and between texts, considering a wider range of textual evidence, and becoming
more sensitive to inconsistencies, ambiguities, and poor reasoning in texts.

Writing: Text types, responding to reading, and research
The Standards acknowledge the fact that whereas some writing skills, suchas the ability to plan, revise, edit, and publish, are applicable to many types ofwriting, other skills are more properly defined in terms of specific writing types:
arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives. Standard 9 stresses
the importance of the writing-reading connection by requiring students to draw
upon and write about evidence from literary and informational texts. Becauseof the centrality of writing to most forms of inquiry, research standards areprominently included in this strand, though skills important to research areinfused throughout the document.

Speaking and Listening: Flexible communication and collaboration
Including but not limited to skills necessary for formal presentations, theSpeaking and Listening standards require students to develop a range ofbroadly useful oral communication and interpersonal skills. Students must learn
to work together, express and listen carefully to ideas, integrate informationfrom oral, visual, quantitative, and media sources, evaluate what they hear, use
media and visual displays strategically to help achieve communicative purposes,
and adapt speech to context and task.

Language: Conventions, effective use, and vocabulary
The Language standards include the essential “rules” of standard written
and spoken English, but they also approach language as a matter of craft
and informed choice among alternatives. The vocabulary standards focus onunderstanding words and phrases, their relationships, and their nuances and on
acquiring new vocabulary, particularly general academic and domain-specificwords and phrases.

Appendices A, B, and C
Appendix A contains supplementary material on reading, writing, speaking andlistening, and language as well as a glossary of key terms. Appendix B consists oftext exemplars illustrating the complexity, quality, and range of reading appropriate
for various grade levels with accompanying sample performance tasks. Appendix
C includes annotated samples demonstrating at least adequate performance instudent writing at various grade levels.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

STANDARDS FOR

English Language Arts&
Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects
K–5

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
The K–5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by
the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards
below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former
providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the skills andunderstandings that all students must demonstrate.

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specifictextual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting
details and ideas.

3.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Craft and Structure
4.

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, andfigurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

5.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g.,a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

6.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as
well as in words.*

8.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as wellas the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

9.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare theapproaches the authors take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

10 | K-5 | Reading

10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

*Please see “Research to Build and Present Knowledge” in Writing and “Comprehension and Collaboration” in Speaking and Listening foradditional standards relevant to gathering, assessing, and applying information from print and digital sources.

Note on range and content
of student reading
To build a foundation for college
and career readiness, students
must read widely and deeply fromamong a broad range of high-quality,
increasingly challenging literary andinformational texts. Through extensive
reading of stories, dramas, poems,
and myths from diverse cultures anddifferent time periods, students gain
literary and cultural knowledge aswell as familiarity with various text
structures and elements. By reading
texts in history/social studies, science,and other disciplines, students build
a foundation of knowledge in thesefields that will also give them thebackground to be better readers in allcontent areas. Students can only gain
this foundation when the curriculum isintentionally and coherently structured
to develop rich content knowledge
within and across grades. Students
also acquire the habits of reading
independently and closely, which areessential to their future success.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects­

Reading Standards for Literature K–5									RL RLThe following standards offer a focus for instruction each year and help ensure that students gain adequate exposure to a range of texts and tasks. Rigor is also
infused through the requirement that students read increasingly complex texts through the grades. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meeteach year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades.

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

Grade 2 students:

Key Ideas and Details
1.

With prompting and support, ask and answer
questions about key details in a text.

1.

Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text.

1.

Ask and answer such questions as who, what,
where, when, why, and how to demonstrateunderstanding of key details in a text.

2.

With prompting and support, retell familiar
stories, including key details.

2.

Retell stories, including key details, anddemonstrate understanding of their central
message or lesson.

2.

Recount stories, including fables and folktales
from diverse cultures, and determine their central
message, lesson, or moral.

3.

With prompting and support, identify characters,
settings, and major events in a story.

3.

Describe characters, settings, and major events ina story, using key details.

3.

Describe how characters in a story respond to
major events and challenges.

Craft and Structure
4.

Ask and answer questions about unknown words
in a text.

4.

Identify words and phrases in stories or poems
that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

4.

Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regularbeats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply
rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

5.

Recognize common types of texts (e.g.,storybooks, poems).

5.

Explain major differences between books that tellstories and books that give information, drawing
on a wide reading of a range of text types.

5.

Describe the overall structure of a story, including
describing how the beginning introduces thestory and the ending concludes the action.

6.

With prompting and support, name the author
and illustrator of a story and define the role ofeach in telling the story.

6.

Identify who is telling the story at various points
in a text.

6.

Acknowledge differences in the points of view ofcharacters, including by speaking in a different
voice for each character when reading dialogue
aloud.

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K-5 | Reading: Literature

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.

With prompting and support, describe therelationship between illustrations and the story inwhich they appear (e.g., what moment in a story
an illustration depicts).

7.

Use illustrations and details in a story to describe
its characters, setting, or events.

7.

Use information gained from the illustrations andwords in a print or digital text to demonstrateunderstanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

8.

(Not applicable to literature)

8.

(Not applicable to literature)

8.

(Not applicable to literature)

9.

With prompting and support, compare andcontrast the adventures and experiences ofcharacters in familiar stories.

9.

Compare and contrast the adventures andexperiences of characters in stories.

9.

Compare and contrast two or more versionsof the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) bydifferent authors or from different cultures.

10.

With prompting and support, read prose andpoetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.

10.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend
literature, including stories and poetry, in thegrades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently,
with scaffolding as needed at the high end of therange.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10.

Actively engage in group reading activities withpurpose and understanding.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards for Literature K–5							Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

RL

Grade 5 students:

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrateunderstanding of a text, referring explicitly to thetext as the basis for the answers.

1.

Refer to details and examples in a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and whendrawing inferences from the text.

1.

Quote accurately from a text when explaining
what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.

2.

Recount stories, including fables, folktales, andmyths from diverse cultures; determine thecentral message, lesson, or moral and explain
how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

2.

Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem
from details in the text; summarize the text.

2.

Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem
from details in the text, including how charactersin a story or drama respond to challenges or
how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic;
summarize the text.

3.

Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits,
motivations, or feelings) and explain how theiractions contribute to the sequence of events.

3.

Describe in depth a character, setting, or eventin a story or drama, drawing on specific details
in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or
actions).

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., howcharacters interact).

Craft and Structure
4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from
nonliteral language.

4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including thosethat allude to significant characters found inmythology (e.g., Herculean).

4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including figurative
language such as metaphors and similes.

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 onearlier sections.

5.

Explain major differences between poems,
drama, and prose, and refer to the structuralelements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter)and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings,
descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) whenwriting or speaking about a text.

5.

Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, orstanzas fits together to provide the overall
structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

6.

Distinguish their own point of view from that of
the narrator or those of the characters.

6.

Compare and contrast the point of view from which
different stories are narrated, including the difference
between first- and third-person narrations.

6.

Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point ofview influences how events are described.

12|K-5 | Reading: Literature

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
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).

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.

7.

Analyze how visual and multimedia elements
contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of atext (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentationof fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

8.

(Not applicable to literature)

8.

(Not applicable to literature)

8.

(Not applicable to literature)

9.

Compare and contrast the themes, settings, andplots of stories written by the same author about
the same or similar characters (e.g., in books
from a series).

9.

Compare and contrast the treatment of similar
themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good andevil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) instories, myths, and traditional literature fromdifferent cultures.

9.

Compare and contrast stories in the same genre(e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on theirapproaches to similar themes and topics.

10.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend
literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, inthe grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently,
with scaffolding as needed at the high end of therange.

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.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
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.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards for Informational Text K–5
Kindergartners:

RI

Grade 1 students:

Grade 2 students:

Key Ideas and Details
1.

With prompting and support, ask and answer
questions about key details in a text.

1.

Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text.

1.

Ask and answer such questions as who, what,
where, when, why, and how to demonstrateunderstanding of key details in a text.

2.

With prompting and support, identify the main
topic and retell key details of a text.

2.

Identify the main topic and retell key details of a
text.

2.

Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text
as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within
the text.

3.

With prompting and support, describe theconnection between two individuals, events,
ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

3.

Describe the connection between two
individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information
in a text.

3.

Describe the connection between a series ofhistorical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or
steps in technical procedures in a text.

Craft and Structure
4.

With prompting and support, ask and answer
questions about unknown words in a text.

4.

Ask and answer questions to help determine orclarify the meaning of words and phrases in a
text.

4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases in atext relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

5.

Identify the front cover, back cover, and title
page of a book.

5.

Know and use various text features (e.g.,
headings, tables of contents, glossaries,
electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts orinformation in a text.

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.

6.

Name the author and illustrator of a text anddefine the role of each in presenting the ideas orinformation in a text.

6.

Distinguish between information provided by
pictures or other illustrations and information
provided by the words in a text.

6.

Identify the main purpose of a text, including
what the author wants to answer, explain, or
describe.

13|

K-5 | Reading: informational text

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.

With prompting and support, describe therelationship between illustrations and the text
in which they appear (e.g., what person, place,thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).

7.

Use the illustrations and details in a text todescribe its key ideas.

7.

Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram
showing how a machine works) contribute to andclarify a text.

8.

With prompting and support, identify thereasons an author gives to support points in a
text.

8.

Identify the reasons an author gives to support
points in a text.

8.

Describe how reasons support specific points theauthor makes in a text.

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).

9.

Identify basic similarities in and differences
between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in
illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

9.

Compare and contrast the most important points
presented by two texts on the same topic.

10.

With prompting and support, read informational
texts appropriately complex for grade 1.

10.

By the end of year, read and comprehend
informational texts, including history/social
studies, science, and technical texts, in thegrades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently,
with scaffolding as needed at the high end of therange.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10.

Actively engage in group reading activities withpurpose and understanding.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards for Informational Text K–5
Grade 3 students:

RI

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrateunderstanding of a text, referring explicitly to thetext as the basis for the answers.

1.

Refer to details and examples in a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and whendrawing inferences from the text.

1.

Quote accurately from a text when explaining
what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.

2.

Determine the main idea of a text; recount the
key details and explain how they support themain idea.

2.

Determine the main idea of a text and explain
how it is supported by key details; summarize the
text.

2.

Determine two or more main ideas of a text andexplain how they are supported by key details;summarize the text.

3.

Describe the relationship between a series ofhistorical events, scientific ideas or concepts,
or steps in technical procedures in a text, using
language that pertains to time, sequence, andcause/effect.

3.

Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts ina historical, scientific, or technical text, including
what happened and why, based on specificinformation in the text.

3.

Explain the relationships or interactions between
two or more individuals, events, ideas, orconcepts in a historical, scientific, or technicaltext based on specific information in the text.

Craft and Structure
4.

Determine the meaning of general academic
and domain-specific words and phrases in a text
relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.

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.

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.

5.

Use text features and search tools (e.g., keywords, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information
relevant to a given topic efficiently.

5.

Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology,
comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of
events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text
or part of a text.

5.

Compare and contrast the overall structure(e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect,
problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, orinformation in two or more texts.

6.

Distinguish their own point of view from that of
the author of a text.

6.

Compare and contrast a firsthand andsecondhand account of the same event or
topic; describe the differences in focus and theinformation provided.

6.

Analyze multiple accounts of the same eventor topic, noting important similarities anddifferences in the point of view they represent.

14|

K-5 | Reading: informational text

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.

Use information gained from illustrations (e.g.,maps, photographs) and the words in a text todemonstrate understanding of the text (e.g.,where, when, why, and how key events occur).

7.

Interpret information presented visually, orally, or
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 inwhich it appears.

7.

Draw on information from multiple print or digitalsources, demonstrating the ability to locate
an answer to a question quickly or to solve a
problem efficiently.

8.

Describe the logical connection between
particular sentences and paragraphs in a text
(e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third
in a sequence).

8.

Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence
to support particular points in a text.

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).

9.

Compare and contrast the most important points
and key details presented in two texts on thesame topic.

9.

Integrate information from two texts on the same
topic in order to write or speak about the subject
knowledgeably.

9.

Integrate information from several texts on thesame topic in order to write or speak about the
subject knowledgeably.

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.

10.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend
informational texts, including history/social
studies, science, and technical texts, at the highend of the grades 4–5 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend
informational texts, including history/social
studies, science, and technical texts, at the highend of the grades 2–3 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5)

RF

These standards are directed toward fostering students’ understanding and working knowledge of concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, and other basic
conventions of the English writing system. These foundational skills are not an end in and of themselves; rather, they are necessary and important components
of an effective, comprehensive reading program designed to develop proficient readers with the capacity to comprehend texts across a range of types anddisciplines. Instruction should be differentiated: good readers will need much less practice with these concepts than struggling readers will. The point is to teachstudents what they need to learn and not what they already know—to discern when particular children or activities warrant more or less attention.
Note: In kindergarten, children are expected to demonstrate increasing awareness and competence in the areas that follow.

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

Print Concepts
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.
b. Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by
specific sequences of letters.
c. Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.
d. Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

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).

2.

Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds

Phonological Awareness2.

Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds

15|

K-5 | Reading: foundational skills(phonemes).
a. Recognize and produce rhyming words.
b. Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.
c. Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.
d. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes)in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words.* (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.

(phonemes).
a. Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
b. Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes),
including consonant blends.
c. Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in
spoken single-syllable words.
d. Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence ofindividual sounds (phonemes).

*
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.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5)

RF

Note: In kindergarten children are expected to demonstrate increasing awareness and competence in the areas that follow.

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

Grade 2 students:

Phonics and Word Recognition
3.

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word
analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one
letter-sound correspondences by producing
the primary sound or many of the mostfrequent sounds for each consonant.
b. Associate the long and short sounds with
common spellings (graphemes) for the five
major vowels.
c. Read common high-frequency words by sight(e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).
d. Distinguish between similarly spelled words byidentifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

3.

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word
analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Know the spelling-sound correspondences forcommon consonant digraphs.
b. Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
c. Know final -e and common vowel teamconventions for representing long vowel
sounds.
d. Use knowledge that every syllable must havea vowel sound to determine the number ofsyllables in a printed word.
e. Decode two-syllable words following basic
patterns by breaking the words into syllables.
f. Read words with inflectional endings.
g. Recognize and read grade-appropriate
irregularly spelled words.

3.

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word
analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Distinguish long and short vowels whenreading 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.
d. Decode words with common prefixes andsuffixes.
e. Identify words with inconsistent but common
spelling-sound correspondences.
f. Recognize and read grade-appropriate
irregularly spelled words.

4.

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency tosupport comprehension.
a. Read grade-level text with purpose andunderstanding.
b. Read grade-level text orally with accuracy,
appropriate rate, and expression on successive
readings.
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word
recognition and understanding, rereading asnecessary.

4.

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency tosupport comprehension.
a. Read grade-level text with purpose andunderstanding.
b. Read grade-level text orally with accuracy,
appropriate rate, and expression on successive
readings.
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word
recognition and understanding, rereading asnecessary.

Fluency

16|

K-5 | Reading: foundational skills

4.

Read emergent-reader texts with purpose andunderstanding.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5)
Grade 3 students:

RF

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Phonics and Word Recognition
3.

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word
analysis skills in decoding words.

3.

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word
analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Use combined knowledge of all letter-soundcorrespondences, syllabication patterns, andmorphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to readaccurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words incontext and out of context.

3.

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word
analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Use combined knowledge of all letter-soundcorrespondences, syllabication patterns, andmorphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to readaccurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words incontext and out of context.

4.

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency tosupport comprehension.
a. Read grade-level text with purpose andunderstanding.
b. Read grade-level prose and poetry orally withaccuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on
successive readings.
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word
recognition and understanding, rereading asnecessary.

4.

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency tosupport comprehension.

a. Identify and know the meaning of the mostcommon prefixes and derivational suffixes.
b. Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
c. Decode multisyllable words.
d. Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelledwords.

Fluency

17|

K-5 | Reading: foundational skills

4.

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency tosupport comprehension.
a. Read grade-level text with purpose andunderstanding.
b. Read grade-level prose and poetry orally withaccuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on
successive readingsc. Use context to confirm or self-correct word
recognition and understanding, rereading asnecessary.

a. Read grade-level text with purpose andunderstanding.
b. Read grade-level prose and poetry orally withaccuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on
successive readings.
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word
recognition and understanding, rereading asnecessary.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
The K–5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the end ofeach grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number. The
CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latterproviding additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

Text Types and Purposes*
1.

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant
and sufficient evidence.

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

3.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details,
and well-structured event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing
4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.

5.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

6.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7.

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of eachsource, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

9.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

18|

K-5 | writing

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (asingle sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

*These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for definitions of key writing types.

Note on range and content
of student writing
To build a foundation for college
and career readiness, students needto learn to use writing as a way ofoffering and supporting opinions,demonstrating understanding of
the subjects they are studying,
and conveying real and imagined
experiences and events. They learn
to appreciate that a key purpose ofwriting is to communicate clearly to
an external, sometimes unfamiliar
audience, and they begin to adapt
the form and content of their writing
to accomplish a particular task andpurpose. They develop the capacity
to build knowledge on a subject
through research projects and torespond analytically to literary andinformational sources. To meet thesegoals, students must devote significant
time and effort to writing, producing
numerous pieces over short andextended time frames throughout theyear.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards K–5

W

The following standards for K–5 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications.
Each year in their writing, students should demonstrate increasing sophistication in all aspects of language use, from vocabulary and syntax to the development
and organization of ideas, and they should address increasingly demanding content and sources. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meeteach year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. The expected growth in student writing
ability is reflected both in the standards themselves and in the collection of annotated student writing samples in Appendix C.

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

Grade 2 students:

Text Types and Purposes1.

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, andwriting to compose opinion pieces in which theytell a reader the topic or the name of the bookthey are writing about and state an opinion or
preference about the topic or book (e.g., My
favorite book is . . .).

1.

Write opinion pieces in which they introduce thetopic or name the book they are writing about,state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion,and provide some sense of closure.

1.

Write opinion pieces in which they introduce thetopic or book they are writing about, state an
opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion,
use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) toconnect opinion and reasons, and provide aconcluding statement or section.

2.

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, andwriting to compose informative/explanatory
texts in which they name what they are writing
about and supply some information about the
topic.

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts in which they
name a topic, supply some facts about the topic,
and provide some sense of closure.

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.

3.

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, andwriting to narrate a single event or several
loosely linked events, tell about the events inthe order in which they occurred, and provide areaction to what happened.

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, andprovide some sense of closure.

3.

Write narratives in which they recount a wellelaborated 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.

Production and Distribution of Writing
4.

(Begins in grade 3)

4.

(Begins in grade 3)

4.

(Begins in grade 3)

5.

With guidance and support from adults, respondto questions and suggestions from peers andadd details to strengthen writing as needed.

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.

5.

With guidance and support from adults andpeers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as
needed by revising and editing.

6.

With guidance and support from adults, explore
a variety of digital tools to produce and publish
writing, including in collaboration with peers.

6.

With guidance and support from adults, use avariety of digital tools to produce and publish
writing, including in collaboration with peers.

6.

With guidance and support from adults, use avariety of digital tools to produce and publish
writing, including in collaboration with peers.

19|

K-5 | writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7.

Participate in shared research and writing
projects (e.g., explore a number of books bya favorite author and express opinions aboutthem).

7.

Participate in shared research and writing
projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to”
books on a given topic and use them to write asequence of instructions).

7.

Participate in shared research and writing
projects (e.g., read a number of books on asingle topic to produce a report; record scienceobservations).

8.

With guidance and support from adults,
recall information from experiences or gather
information from provided sources to answer aquestion.

8.

With guidance and support from adults,
recall information from experiences or gather
information from provided sources to answer aquestion.

8.

Recall information from experiences or gather
information from provided sources to answer aquestion.

9.

(Begins in grade 4)

9.

(Begins in grade 4)

9.

(Begins in grade 4)

10.

(Begins in grade 3)

10.

(Begins in grade 3)

Range of Writing
10.

(Begins in grade 3)

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards K–5

W

Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

20|

K-5 | writing

Text Types and Purposes
1.

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supportinga point of view with reasons.
a. Introduce the topic or text they are writing
about, state an opinion, and create anorganizational structure that lists reasons.
b. Provide reasons that support the opinion.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because,
therefore, since, for example) to connect
opinion and reasons.
d. Provide a concluding statement or section.

1.

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting apoint of view with reasons and information.
a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an
opinion, and create an organizational structurein which related ideas are grouped to support
the writer’s purpose.
b. Provide reasons that are supported by facts
and details.
c. Link opinion and reasons using words andphrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in
addition).
d. Provide a concluding statement or section
related to the opinion presented.

1.

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting apoint of view with reasons and information.
a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an
opinion, and create an organizational structurein which ideas are logically grouped to support
the writer’s purpose.
b. Provide logically ordered reasons that aresupported by facts and details.
c. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases,
and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
d. Provide a concluding statement or section
related to the opinion presented.

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, anddetails.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also,
another, and, more, but) to connect ideas
within categories of information.
d. Provide a concluding statement or section.

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 toaiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions,concrete details, quotations, or otherinformation and examples related to the topic.
c. Link ideas within categories of information
using words and phrases (e.g., another, forexample, also, because).
d. Use precise language and domain-specificvocabulary to inform about or explain the
topic.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section
related to the information or explanation
presented.

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a
topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a generalobservation and focus, and group related
information logically; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), illustrations, and multimedia when
useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions,concrete details, quotations, or otherinformation and examples related to the topic.
c. Link ideas within and across categories of
information using words, phrases, and clauses(e.g., in contrast, especially).
d. Use precise language and domain-specificvocabulary to inform about or explain the
topic.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section
related to the information or explanation
presented.

3.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences or events using effective technique,descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator
and/or characters; organize an event sequencethat unfolds naturally.
b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions,thoughts, and feelings to develop experiencesand events or show the response of charactersto situations.
c. Use temporal words and phrases to signal
event order.
d. Provide a sense of closure.

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 asituationand introducing a narrator and/or
characters; organize an event sequence that
unfolds naturally.
b. Use dialogue and description to develop
experiences and events or show the responsesof characters to situations.
c. Use a variety of transitional words and phrases
to manage the sequence of events.
d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory
details to convey experiences and events
precisely.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from thenarrated experiences or events.

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 situationand 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 responsesof characters to situations.
c. Use a variety of transitional words, phrases,
and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory
details to convey experiences and events
precisely.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from thenarrated experiences or events.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards K–5

W

Grade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Production and Distribution of Writing
4.

With guidance and support from adults,
produce writing in which the development
and organization are appropriate to task andpurpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing
types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which thedevelopment and organization are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specificexpectations for writing types are defined instandards 1–3 above.)

4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which thedevelopment and organization are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specificexpectations for writing types are defined instandards 1–3 above.)

5.

With guidance and support from peers andadults, develop and strengthen writing as neededby planning, revising, and editing. (Editing forconventions should demonstrate command of
Language standards 1–3 up to and including
grade 3 on page 29.)

5.

With guidance and support from peers andadults, develop and strengthen writing as neededby planning, revising, and editing. (Editing forconventions should demonstrate command of
Language standards 1–3 up to and including
grade 4 on page 29.)

5.

With guidance and support from peers and adults,
develop and strengthen writing as needed byplanning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a
new approach. (Editing for conventions should
demonstrate command of Language standards
1–3 up to and including grade 5 on page 29.)

6.

With guidance and support from adults, use
technology to produce and publish writing (using
keyboarding skills) as well as to interact andcollaborate with others.

6.

With some guidance and support from adults,
use technology, including the Internet, toproduce and publish writing as well as to interact
and collaborate with others; demonstratesufficient command of keyboarding skills to typea minimum of one page in a single sitting.

6.

With some guidance and support from adults,
use technology, including the Internet, toproduce and publish writing as well as to interact
and collaborate with others; demonstratesufficient command of keyboarding skills to typea minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

21|

K-5 | writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7.

Conduct short research projects that build
knowledge about a topic.

7.

Conduct short research projects that build
knowledge through investigation of different
aspects of a topic.

7.

Conduct short research projects that use several
sources to build knowledge through investigationof different aspects of a topic.

8.

Recall information from experiences or gather
information from print and digital sources; takebrief notes on sources and sort evidence into
provided categories.

8.

Recall relevant information from experiences orgather relevant information from print and digitalsources; take notes and categorize information,and provide a list of sources.

8.

Recall relevant information from experiences orgather relevant information from print and digitalsources; summarize or paraphrase informationin notes and finished work, and provide a list ofsources.

9.

(Begins in grade 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].”).
b. Apply grade 4 Reading standards toinformational texts (e.g., “Explain how an
author uses reasons and evidence to support
particular points in a text”).

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 morecharacters, settings, or events in a story or adrama, drawing on specific details in the text
[e.g., how characters interact]”).
b. Apply grade 5 Reading standards toinformational texts (e.g., “Explain how
an author uses reasons and evidence tosupport particular points in a text, identifying
which reasons and evidence support which
point[s]”).

10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (timefor research, reflection, and revision) and shortertime frames (a single sitting or a day or two) fora range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, andaudiences.

10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (timefor research, reflection, and revision) and shortertime frames (a single sitting or a day or two) fora range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, andaudiences.

Range of Writing
10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (timefor research, reflection, and revision) and shortertime frames (a single sitting or a day or two) fora range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, andaudiences.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards
for Speaking and Listening
The K–5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the end ofeach grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number. The
CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latterproviding additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

Comprehension and Collaboration1.

Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners,
building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

2.

Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, andorally.

3.

Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

22|

K-5 | speaking and listening

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and theorganization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

5.

Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understandingof presentations.

6.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English whenindicated or appropriate.

Note on range and content
of student speaking andlistening
To build a foundation for college
and career readiness, students musthave ample opportunities to takepart in a variety of rich, structured
conversations—as part of a wholeclass, in small groups, and with apartner. Being productive membersof these conversations requiresthat students contribute accurate,
relevant information; respond toand develop what others have said;
make comparisons and contrasts; andanalyze and synthesize a multitude ofideas in various domains.
New technologies have broadened
and expanded the role that speaking
and listening play in acquiringand sharing knowledge and havetightened their link to other formsof communication. Digital texts
confront students with the potential
for continually updated content anddynamically changing combinations ofwords, graphics, images, hyperlinks,
and embedded video and audio.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Speaking and Listening Standards K–5

sl

The following standards for K–5 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications.
Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings masteredin preceding grades.

Kindergartners:

Grade 2 students:

Grade 1 students:

Comprehension and Collaboration
1.

Participate in collaborative conversations withdiverse partners about kindergarten topics andtexts 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).
b. Continue a conversation through multiple
exchanges.

1.

Participate in collaborative conversations withdiverse 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 underdiscussion).
b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by
responding to the comments of others throughmultiple exchanges.
c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about
the topics and texts under discussion.

1.

Participate in collaborative conversations withdiverse 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 toothers with care, speaking one at a time about
the topics and texts under discussion).
b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking
their comments to the remarks of others.
c. Ask for clarification and further explanation
as needed about the topics and texts underdiscussion.

2.

Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or
information presented orally or through othermedia by asking and answering questions
about key details and requesting clarification if
something is not understood.

2.

Ask and answer questions about key details in atext read aloud or information presented orally or
through other media.

2.

Recount or describe key ideas or details from atext read aloud or information presented orally or
through other media.

3.

Ask and answer questions in order to seek help,
get information, or clarify something that is notunderstood.

3.

Ask and answer questions about what a speakersays in order to gather additional information or
clarify something that is not understood.

3.

Ask and answer questions about what a speakersays in order to clarify comprehension, gather
additional information, or deepen understandingof a topic or issue.

23|

K-5 | speaking and listening

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4.

Describe familiar people, places, things, andevents and, with prompting and support, provide
additional detail.

4.

Describe people, places, things, and events with
relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings
clearly.

4.

Tell a story or recount an experience withappropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details,
speaking audibly in coherent sentences.

5.

Add drawings or other visual displays todescriptions as desired to provide additional
detail.

5.

Add drawings or other visual displays todescriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas,
thoughts, and feelings.

5.

Create audio recordings of stories or poems;
add drawings or other visual displays to stories
or recounts of experiences when appropriate toclarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

6.

Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, andideas clearly.

6.

Produce complete sentences when appropriate
to task and situation. (See grade 1 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 26 for specificexpectations.)

6.

Produce complete sentences when appropriate totask and situation in order to provide requested
detail or clarification. (See grade 2 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 26 for specificexpectations.)

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Speaking and Listening Standards K–5
Grade 3 students:

sl

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Comprehension and Collaboration
1.

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics andtexts, building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having reador studied required material; explicitly draw
on that preparation and other information
known about the topic to explore ideas underdiscussion.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g.,
gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening toothers with care, speaking one at a time about
the topics and texts under discussion).
c. Ask questions to check understanding of
information presented, stay on topic, and link
their comments to the remarks of others.
d. Explain their own ideas and understanding inlight of the discussion.

1.

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics andtexts, building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having reador studied required material; explicitly draw
on that preparation and other information
known about the topic to explore ideas underdiscussion.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions andcarry out assigned roles.
c. Pose and respond to specific questions toclarify or follow up on information, and makecomments that contribute to the discussion
and link to the remarks of others.
d. Review the key ideas expressed and explain
their own ideas and understanding in light ofthe discussion.

1.

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics andtexts, building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having reador studied required material; explicitly draw
on that preparation and other information
known about the topic to explore ideas underdiscussion.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions andcarry out assigned roles.
c. Pose and respond to specific questions bymaking comments that contribute to thediscussion and elaborate on the remarks ofothers.
d. Review the key ideas expressed and draw
conclusions in light of information andknowledge gained from the discussions.

2.

Determine the main ideas and supporting detailsof a text read aloud or information presented indiverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.

2.

Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or
information presented in diverse media andformats, including visually, quantitatively, andorally.

2.

Summarize a written text read aloud or
information presented in diverse media andformats, including visually, quantitatively, andorally.

3.

Ask and answer questions about information froma speaker, offering appropriate elaboration anddetail.

3.

Identify the reasons and evidence a speakerprovides to support particular points.

3.

Summarize the points a speaker makes andexplain how each claim is supported by reasonsand evidence.

24|

K-5 | speaking and listening

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4.

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recountan experience with appropriate facts and relevant,descriptive details, speaking clearly at anunderstandable pace.

4.

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recountan experience in an organized manner, using
appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details
to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly atan understandable pace.

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 anunderstandable pace.

5.

Create engaging audio recordings of stories
or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at anunderstandable pace; add visual displays whenappropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts
or details.

5.

Add audio recordings and visual displays topresentations when appropriate to enhance thedevelopment of main ideas or themes.

5.

Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics,
sound) and visual displays in presentations whenappropriate to enhance the development of mainideas or themes.

6.

Speak in complete sentences when appropriate totask and situation in order to provide requested
detail or clarification. (See grade 3 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 28 for specificexpectations.)

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 whenappropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4
Language standards 1 on page 28 for specificexpectations.)

6.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks,
using formal English when appropriate to task andsituation. (See grade 5 Language standards 1 and3 on page 28 for specific expectations.)

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
The K–5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the end ofeach grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number. The
CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latterproviding additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

Conventions of Standard English
1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling whenwriting.

Knowledge of Language
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.

25|

K-5 | language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues,
analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

5.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

6.

Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient forreading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence ingathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.

Note on range and content
of student language use
To build a foundation for college
and career readiness in language,
students must gain control over many
conventions of standard English
grammar, usage, and mechanics
as well as learn other ways to
use language to convey meaning
effectively. They must also be able todetermine or clarify the meaning of
grade-appropriate words encounteredthrough listening, reading, and mediause; come to appreciate that words
have nonliteral meanings, shadings ofmeaning, and relationships to otherwords; and expand their vocabulary
in the course of studying content. The
inclusion of Language standards intheir own strand should not be taken
as an indication that skills related
to conventions, effective languageuse, and vocabulary are unimportantto reading, writing, speaking, andlistening; indeed, they are inseparablefrom such contexts.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Language Standards K–5l

The following standards for grades K–5 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills andapplications. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills andunderstandings mastered in preceding grades. Beginning in grade 3, skills and understandings that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher
grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking are marked with an asterisk (*). See the table on page 30 for a complete list andAppendix A for an example of how these skills develop in sophistication.

Kindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

Grade 2 students:

26|

K-5 | language

Conventions of Standard English
1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English grammar and usage whenwriting or speaking.
a. Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
b. Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.
c. Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).
d. Understand and use question words(interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when,
why, how).
e. Use the most frequently occurring
prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for,of, by, with).
f. Produce and expand complete sentences inshared language activities.

1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English grammar and usage whenwriting or speaking.
a. Print all upper- and lowercase letters.
b. Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.
c. Use singular and plural nouns with matchingverbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We
hop).
d. Use personal, possessive, and indefinite
pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their;
anyone, everything).
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 walkhome).
f. Use frequently occurring adjectives.
g. Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g.,and, but, or, so, because).
h. Use determiners (e.g., articles,
demonstratives).
i. Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g.,during, beyond, toward).
j. Produce and expand complete simple
and compound declarative, interrogative,
imperative, and exclamatory sentences in
response to prompts.

1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English grammar and usage when writingor speaking.
a. Use collective nouns (e.g., group).
b. Form and use frequently occurring irregularplural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice,fish).
c. Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).
d. Form and use the past tense of frequently
occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told).
e. Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose
between them depending on what is to bemodified.
f. Produce, expand, and rearrange complete
simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy
watched the movie; The little boy watched themovie; The action movie was watched by thelittle boy).

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English capitalization, punctuation, andspelling 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 consonantand short-vowel sounds (phonemes).
d. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on
knowledge of sound-letter relationships.

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English capitalization, punctuation, andspelling when writing.
a. Capitalize dates and names of people.
b. Use end punctuation for sentences.
c. Use commas in dates and to separate single
words in a series.
d. Use conventional spelling for words with
common spelling patterns and for frequently
occurring irregular words.
e. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing onphonemic awareness and spelling conventions.

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English capitalization, punctuation, andspelling when writing.
a. Capitalize holidays, product names, andgeographic names.
b. Use commas in greetings and closings ofletters.
c. Use an apostrophe to form contractions andfrequently occurring possessives.
d. Generalize learned spelling patterns whenwriting words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
e. Consult reference materials, including
beginning dictionaries, as needed to check andcorrect spellings.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Language Standards K–5lKindergartners:

Grade 1 students:

Grade 2 students:

Knowledge of Language
3.

(Begins in grade 2)

3.

(Begins in grade 2)

3.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions
when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Compare formal and informal uses of English.

27|

K-5 | language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown andmultiple-meaning words and phrases based onkindergarten reading and content.
a. Identify new meanings for familiar words andapply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is abird and learning the verb to duck).
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.

4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown
and multiple-meaning words and phrases basedon grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly
from an array of strategies.
a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to themeaning of a word or phrase.
b. Use frequently occurring affixes as a clue tothe meaning of a word.
c. Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g.,look) and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks,
looked, looking).

4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown andmultiple-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 themeaning 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).
c. Use a known root word as a clue to themeaning of an unknown word with the sameroot (e.g., addition, additional).
d. Use knowledge of the meaning of individual
words to predict the meaning of compoundwords (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly;
bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).
e. Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, bothprint and digital, to determine or clarify themeaning of words and phrases.

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.
b. Demonstrate understanding of frequently
occurring verbs and adjectives by relatingthem to their opposites (antonyms).
c. Identify real-life connections between words
and their use (e.g., note places at school thatare colorful).
d. Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs
describing the same general action (e.g.,walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out themeanings.

5.

With guidance and support from adults,
demonstrate understanding of word relationships
and nuances in word meanings.
a. Sort words into categories (e.g., colors,
clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts thecategories represent.
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).
c. Identify real-life connections between words
and their use (e.g., note places at home thatare cozy).
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.

5.

Demonstrate understanding of 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).
b. Distinguish shades of meaning among closely
related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely
related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny,scrawny).

6.

Use words and phrases acquired throughconversations, reading and being read to, andresponding to texts.

6.

Use words and phrases acquired throughconversations, reading and being read to, andresponding to texts, including using frequently
occurring conjunctions to signal simple
relationships (e.g., because).

6.

Use words and phrases acquired throughconversations, reading and being read to, andresponding to texts, including using adjectives
and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are
happy that makes me happy).

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Language Standards K–5

lGrade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

28|

K-5 | language

Conventions of Standard English
1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English grammar and usage whenwriting or speaking.
a. Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs,
adjectives, and adverbs in general and theirfunctions in particular sentences.
b. Form and use regular and irregular plural
nouns.
c. Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).
d. Form and use regular and irregular verbs.
e. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk;I will walk) verb tenses.
f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent
agreement.*
g. Form and use comparative and superlative
adjectives and adverbs, and choose between
them depending on what is to be modified.
h. Use coordinating and subordinating
conjunctions.
i. Produce simple, compound, and complex
sentences.

1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English grammar and usage whenwriting or speaking.
a. Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom,
which, that) and relative adverbs (where,
when, why).
b. Form and use the progressive (e.g., I waswalking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb
tenses.
c. Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must) toconvey various conditions.
d. Order adjectives within sentences according
to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag
rather than a red small bag).
e. Form and use prepositional phrases.
f. Produce complete sentences, recognizing
and correcting inappropriate fragments andrun-ons.*g. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g.,
to, too, two; there, their).*

1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English grammar and usage when writingor speaking.
a. Explain the function of conjunctions,
prepositions, and interjections in general andtheir function in particular sentences.
b. Form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked; Ihave walked; I will have walked) verb tenses.
c. Use verb tense to convey various times,
sequences, states, and conditions.
d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts inverb tense.*
e. Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or,
neither/nor).

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English capitalization, punctuation, andspelling when writing.
a. Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
b. Use commas in addresses.
c. Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.
d. Form and use possessives.
e. Use conventional spelling for high-frequency
and other studied words and for adding
suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled,cries, happiness).
f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations(e.g., word families, position-based spellings,
syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful
word parts) in writing words.
g. Consult reference materials, including
beginning dictionaries, as needed to checkand correct spellings.

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English capitalization, punctuation, andspelling when writing.
a. Use correct capitalization.
b. Use commas and quotation marks to markdirect speech and quotations from a text.
c. Use a comma before a coordinating
conjunction in a compound sentence.
d. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly,
consulting references as needed.

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English capitalization, punctuation, andspelling when writing.
a. Use punctuation to separate items in a series.*b. Use a comma to separate an introductoryelement from the rest of the 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’tit?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is thatyou, Steve?).
d. Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics toindicate titles of works.
e. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly,
consulting references as needed.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Language Standards K–5

lGrade 3 students:

Grade 4 students:

Grade 5 students:

Knowledge of Language3.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions
when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Choose words and phrases for effect.*b. Recognize and observe differences between
the conventions of spoken and written
standard English.

3.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions
when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas
precisely.*b. Choose punctuation for effect.*c. Differentiate between contexts that callfor formal English (e.g., presenting ideas)
and situations where informal discourse isappropriate (e.g., small-group discussion).

3.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions
when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Expand, combine, and reduce sentences formeaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
b. Compare and contrast the varieties of English(e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas,or poems.

29|

K-5 | language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown
and multiple-meaning word and phrases basedon grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly
from a range of strategies.
a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to themeaning of a word or phrase.
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).
c. Use a known root word as a clue to themeaning of an unknown word with the sameroot (e.g., company, companion).
d. Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, bothprint and digital, to determine or clarify theprecise meaning of key words and phrases.

4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown andmultiple-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 meaningof a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and
Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaningof a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph,
autograph).
c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital,
to find the pronunciation and determine orclarify the precise meaning of key words andphrases.

4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown andmultiple-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 themeaning of a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and
Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaningof a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital,
to find the pronunciation and determine orclarify the precise meaning of key words andphrases.

5.

Demonstrate understanding of word relationships
and nuances in word meanings.
a. Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings
of words and phrases in context (e.g., takesteps).
b. Identify real-life connections between words
and their use (e.g., describe people who arefriendly or helpful).
c. Distinguish shades of meaning among related
words that describe states of mind or degrees
of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected,
heard, wondered).

5.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative
language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
a. Explain the meaning of simple similes andmetaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) incontext.
b. Recognize and explain the meaning ofcommon idioms, adages, and proverbs.
c. Demonstrate understanding of words byrelating them to their opposites (antonyms)
and to words with similar but not identicalmeanings (synonyms).

5.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language,
word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret figurative language, including similes
and metaphors, in context.
b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common
idioms, adages, and proverbs.
c. Use the relationship between particular words(e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) tobetter understand each of the words.

6.

Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate
conversational, general academic, and domainspecific words and phrases, including those thatsignal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g.,
After dinner that night we went looking for them).

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 aparticular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, andendangered when discussing animal preservation).

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).

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Language Progressive Skills, by Grade
The following skills, marked with an asterisk (*) in Language standards 1–3, are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they areapplied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking.

Standard
L.3.1f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
L.3.3a. Choose words and phrases for effect.
L.4.1f. Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.
L.4.1g. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to/too/two; there/their).
L.4.3a. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.*
L.4.3b. Choose punctuation for effect.
L.5.1d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
L.5.2a. Use punctuation to separate items in a series.†
L.6.1c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.
L.6.1d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).
L.6.1e. Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing and speaking, and identify anduse strategies to improve expression in conventional language.
L.6.2a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
L.6.3a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.‡
L.6.3b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.
L.7.1c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.
L.7.3a. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness andredundancy.

30|

K-5 | language

L.8.1d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
L.9–10.1a. Use parallel structure.

*

Subsumed by L.7.3a
Subsumed by L.9–10.1a‡
Subsumed by L.11–12.3a†

Grade(s)
3

4

5

6

7

8

9–10

11–12

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading K–5
Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors
Qualitative evaluation of the text: Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality
and clarity, and knowledge demands
Quantitative evaluation of the text: Readability measures and other scores of text complexity
Matching reader to text and task:

Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, andexperiences) and task variables (such as purpose and thecomplexity generated by the task assigned and the questions posed)

Note: More detailed information on text complexity and how it is measured is contained inAppendix A.

Range of Text Types for K–5
Students in K–5 apply the Reading standards to the following range of text types, with texts selected from a broad range of cultures and periods.

31|

K–5 | Reading standard 10

Literature

Informational Text

StoriesDramasPoetryLiterary Nonfiction and Historical, Scientific, and Technical Texts

Includes children’s adventurestories, folktales, legends,
fables, fantasy, realistic fiction,and myth

Includes staged dialogue andbrief familiar scenes

Includes nursery rhymes andthe subgenres of the narrative
poem, limerick, and free verse
poem

Includes biographies and autobiographies; books about history, social
studies, science, and the arts; technical texts, including directions,forms, and information displayed in graphs, charts, or maps; and digitalsources on a range of topics

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects* Read-aloud** Read-along

Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, and Range of Student Reading K–5
Literature: Stories, Drama, Poetry

K*

1*

2–3

32

|

K–5 | Reading standard 10

4–5

Note:

Informational Texts: Literary Nonfiction and Historical, Scientific, and Technical Texts

Over in the Meadow by John Langstaff (traditional) (c1800)*

My Five Senses by Aliki (1962)**



A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer (1967)



Truck by Donald Crews (1980)

Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola (1978)

I Read Signs by Tana Hoban (1987)



A Story, A Story by Gail E. Haley (1970)*

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (2003)*



Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (2004)*

Amazing Whales! by Sarah L. Thomson (2005)*

“Mix a Pancake” by Christina G. Rossetti (1893)**A Tree Is a Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla, illustrated by Stacey Schuett (1960)**



Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater (1938)*Starfish by Edith Thacher Hurd (1962)



Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (1957)**



Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean by Arthur Dorros (1991)**

Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel (1971)**



From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer, illustrated by James Graham Hale (2004)*



Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (2006)

How People Learned to Fly by Fran Hodgkins and True Kelley (2007)*“Who Has Seen the Wind?” by Christina G. Rossetti (1893)

A Medieval Feast by Aliki (1983)

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (1952)*



From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons (1991)

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (1985)

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (1995)*

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens (1995)

A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick (1997)



Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mark Teague (2001)

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca (2009)

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)



Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet by Melvin Berger (1992)

“Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1888)



Hurricanes: Earth’s Mightiest Storms by Patricia Lauber (1996)

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley (1941)



A History of US by Joy Hakim (2005)

“Zlateh the Goat” by Isaac Bashevis Singer (1984)

Horses by Seymour Simon (2006)



Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (2009)

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea by
Sy Montgomery (2006)

Given space limitations, the illustrative texts listed above are meant only to show individual titles that are representative of a wide range of topics and genres. (See Appendix
B for excerpts of these and other texts illustrative of K–5 text complexity, quality, and range.) At a curricular or instructional level, within and across grade levels, texts need to
be selected around topics or themes that generate knowledge and allow students to study those topics or themes in depth. On the next page is an example of progressions oftexts building knowledge across grade levels.

*Children at the kindergarten and grade 1 levels should be expected to read texts independently that have been specifically written to correlate to their reading level and their word knowledge. Many of the titles listed above are meant to supplement carefully structured independent reading with books to read along with a teacher or that are read aloud to students to build
knowledge and cultivate a joy in reading.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Staying on Topic Within a Grade and Across Grades:
How to Build Knowledge Systematically in English Language Arts K–5
Building knowledge systematically in English language arts is like giving children various pieces of a puzzle in each grade that, over time, will form one big picture.
At a curricular or instructional level, texts—within and across grade levels—need to be selected around topics or themes that systematically develop the knowledge
base of students. Within a grade level, there should be an adequate number of titles on a single topic that would allow children to study that topic for a sustained
period. The knowledge children have learned about particular topics in early grade levels should then be expanded and developed in subsequent grade levels toensure an increasingly deeper understanding of these topics. Children in the upper elementary grades will generally be expected to read these texts independently
and reflect on them in writing. However, children in the early grades (particularly K–2) should participate in rich, structured conversations with an adult in responseto the written texts that are read aloud, orally comparing and contrasting as well as analyzing and synthesizing, in the manner called for by the Standards.
Preparation for reading complex informational texts should begin at the very earliest elementary school grades. What follows is one example that uses domainspecific nonfiction titles across grade levels to illustrate how curriculum designers and classroom teachers can infuse the English language arts block with rich,age-appropriate content knowledge and vocabulary in history/social studies, science, and the arts. Having students listen to informational read-alouds in the early
grades helps lay the necessary foundation for students’ reading and understanding of increasingly complex texts on their own in subsequent grades.
Exemplar Texts on a Topic
Across Grades
The Human Body
Students can begin learning
about the human body
starting in kindergarten
and then review and extend
their learning during eachsubsequent grade.

K
The five senses and associatedbody parts• My Five Senses by Aliki (1989)• Hearing by Maria Rius (1985)• Sight by Maria Rius (1985)• Smell by Maria Rius (1985)• Taste by Maria Rius (1985)• Touch by Maria Rius (1985)
Taking care of your body:
Overview (hygiene, diet, exercise,rest)• My Amazing Body: A First
Look at Health & Fitness by Pat
Thomas (2001)• Get Up and Go! by Nancy
Carlson (2008)33|

K–5 | STAYING ON TOPIC• Go Wash Up by Doering
Tourville (2008)• Sleep by Paul Showers (1997)• Fuel the Body by Doering
Tourville (2008)1

2–3

Introduction to the systems of thehuman body and associated bodyparts

Digestive and excretory systems

Circulatory system• What Happens to a Hamburger
by Paul Showers (1985)• The Heart by Seymour Simon(2006)• The Digestive System by
Christine Taylor-Butler (2008)• The Heart and Circulation by
Carol Ballard (2005)• The Digestive System byRebecca L. Johnson (2006)• The Circulatory System by
Kristin Petrie (2007)• The Digestive System by Kristin
Petrie (2007)• The Amazing Circulatory System
by John Burstein (2009)

Taking care of your body:
Healthy eating and nutrition

Respiratory system• Under Your Skin: Your Amazing
Body by Mick Manning (2007)• Me and My Amazing Body by
Joan Sweeney (1999)• The Human Body by Gallimard
Jeunesse (2007)• The Busy Body Book by Lizzy
Rockwell (2008)• First Encyclopedia of the
Human Body by Fiona Chandler(2004)Taking care of your body: Germs,
diseases, and preventing illness• Germs Make Me Sick by Marilyn
Berger (1995)• Tiny Life on Your Body by
Christine Taylor-Butler (2005)• Germ Stories by Arthur
Kornberg (2007)• All About Scabs by
GenichiroYagu (1998)• Good Enough to Eat by Lizzy
Rockwell (1999)• Showdown at the Food Pyramid
by Rex Barron (2004)
Muscular, skeletal, and nervous
systems• The Mighty Muscular andSkeletal Systems Crabtree
Publishing (2009)• Muscles by Seymour Simon(1998)• Bones by Seymour Simon(1998)• The Astounding Nervous System
Crabtree Publishing (2009)• The Nervous System by Joelle
Riley (2004)

4–5• The Lungs by Seymour Simon(2007)• The Respiratory System by
Susan Glass (2004)• The Respiratory System by
Kristin Petrie (2007)• The Remarkable Respiratory
System by John Burstein (2009)
Endocrine system• The Endocrine System byRebecca Olien (2006)• The Exciting Endocrine System
by John Burstein (2009)Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

STANDARDS FOR

English Language Arts
6–12

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by theend of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number.
The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latterproviding additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual
evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details
and ideas.

3.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Craft and Structure
4.

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative
meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

5.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text
(e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

6.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

35|

6-12 | English Language Arts | Reading

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as
well as in words.*

8.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as
the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

9.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare theapproaches the authors take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

*
Please see “Research to Build Knowledge” in Writing and “Comprehension and Collaboration” in Speaking and Listening foradditional standards relevant to gathering, assessing, and applying information from print and digital sources.

Note on range and content
of student reading
To become college and career ready,students must grapple with works
of exceptional craft and thought
whose range extends across genres,cultures, and centuries. Such works
offer profound insights into the humancondition and serve as models forstudents’ own thinking and writing.
Along with high-quality contemporary
works, these texts should be chosenfrom among seminal U.S. documents,
the classics of American literature, andthe timeless dramas of Shakespeare.
Through wide and deep reading ofliterature and literary nonfiction ofsteadily increasing sophistication,
students gain a reservoir of literary
and cultural knowledge, references,and images; the ability to evaluate
intricate arguments; and the capacity
to surmount the challenges posed bycomplex texts.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards for Literature 6–12

RL

The following standards offer a focus for instruction each year and help ensure that students gain adequate exposure to a range of texts and tasks. Rigor is also
infused through the requirement that students read increasingly complex texts through the grades. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meeteach year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades.

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.

1.

Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.

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.

2.

Determine a theme or central idea of a text andhow it is conveyed through particular details;
provide a summary of the text distinct frompersonal opinions or judgments.

2.

Determine a theme or central idea of a text andanalyze its development over the course of thetext; provide an objective summary of the text.

2.

Determine a theme or central idea of a text andanalyze its development over the course of the text,
including its relationship to the characters, setting,and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

3.

Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot
unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how thecharacters respond or change as the plot moves
toward a resolution.

3.

Analyze how particular elements of a story or
drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes thecharacters or plot).

3.

Analyze how particular lines of dialogue orincidents in a story or drama propel the action,
reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

36|

6-12 | English Language Arts | Reading: literature

Craft and Structure
4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, including figurative andconnotative meanings; analyze the impact of a
specific word choice on meaning and tone.

4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including figurativeand connotative meanings; analyze the impactof rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g.,alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of apoem or section of a story or drama.

4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including figurativeand connotative meanings; analyze the impactof specific word choices on meaning and tone,
including analogies or allusions to other texts.

5.

Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter,scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure ofa text and contributes to the development of thetheme, setting, or plot.

5.

Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or
structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to
its meaning.

5.

Compare and contrast the structure of two or more
texts and analyze how the differing structure ofeach text contributes to its meaning and style.

6.

Explain how an author develops the point of viewof the narrator or speaker in a text.

6.

Analyze how an author develops and contrasts
the points of view of different characters or
narrators in a text.

6.

Analyze how differences in the points of view of thecharacters and the audience or reader (e.g., createdthrough the use of dramatic irony) create such
effects as suspense or humor.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards for Literature 6–12
Grade 6 students:

RL

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
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.

7.

Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or
poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia
version, analyzing the effects of techniques uniqueto each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, orcamera focus and angles in a film).

7.

Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live
production of a story or drama stays faithful toor departs from the text or script, evaluating the
choices made by the director or actors.

8.

(Not applicable to literature)

8.

(Not applicable to literature)

8.

(Not applicable to literature)

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.

9.

Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of atime, place, or character and a historical accountof the same period as a means of understanding
how authors of fiction use or alter history.

9.

Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on
themes, patterns of events, or character types frommyths, traditional stories, or religious works such as
the Bible, including describing how the material isrendered new.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend
literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, inthe grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently,
with scaffolding as needed at the high end of therange.

10.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend
literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, atthe high end of grades 6–8 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity37|

6-12 | English Language Arts | Reading: literature

10.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend
literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, inthe grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently,
with scaffolding as needed at the high end of therange.

10.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards for Literature 6–12

RL

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing
broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

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.

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 isshaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the
text.

2.

Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze theirdevelopment 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.

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.

3.

Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop andrelate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action isordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

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6-12 | English Language Arts | Reading: literature

Craft and Structure
4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impactof 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).

4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specificword 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.)

5.

Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order
events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing,
flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

5.

Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts ofa text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide acomedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning aswell as its aesthetic impact.

6.

Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work ofliterature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world
literature.

6.

Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is
directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or
understatement).

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
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).

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.)

8.

(Not applicable to literature)

8.

(Not applicable to literature)9.

Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specificwork (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).

9.

Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century
foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts fromthe same period treat similar themes or topics.

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, withscaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band
independently and proficiently.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
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, withscaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 9–10 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12		
Grade 6 students:

RI

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Cite textual evidence to support analysis ofwhat the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.

1.

Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.

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.

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.

2.

Determine two or more central ideas in a text
and analyze their development over the courseof the text; provide an objective summary of the
text.

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.

3.

Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or
idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in atext (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

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).

3.

Analyze how a text makes connections among anddistinctions between individuals, ideas, or events(e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

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6-12 | English Language Arts | Reading: informational text

Craft and Structure
4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings.

4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze theimpact of a specific word choice on meaning and
tone.

4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they
are used in a text, including figurative, connotative,
and technical meanings; analyze the impact ofspecific word choices on meaning and tone,
including analogies or allusions to other texts.

5.

Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph,chapter, or section fits into the overall structureof a text and contributes to the development of
the ideas.

5.

Analyze the structure an author uses to organize
a text, including how the major sections
contribute to the whole and to the developmentof the ideas.

5.

Analyze in detail the structure of a specificparagraph in a text, including the role of particularsentences in developing and refining a key concept.

6.

Determine an author’s point of view or purpose
in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the
text.

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 ofothers.

6.

Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in atext and analyze how the author acknowledges andresponds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.

Integrate information presented in different
media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively)
as well as in words to develop a coherent
understanding of a topic or issue.

7.

Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video,
or multimedia version of the text, analyzing eachmedium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how thedelivery of a speech affects the impact of thewords).

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.

8.

Trace and evaluate the argument and specificclaims in a text, distinguishing claims that aresupported by reasons and evidence from claims
that are not.

8.

Trace and evaluate the argument and specificclaims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning
is sound and the evidence is relevant andsufficient to support the claims.

8.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specificclaims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning issound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient;recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

9.

Compare and contrast one author’s presentationof events with that of another (e.g., a memoir
written by and a biography on the same person).

9.

Analyze how two or more authors writing about
the same topic shape their presentations of key
information by emphasizing different evidence oradvancing different interpretations of facts.

9.

Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide
conflicting information on the same topic andidentify where the texts disagree on matters of fact
or interpretation.

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.

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.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
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.

10.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12

RI

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing
broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

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.

2.

Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the courseof the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specificdetails; provide an objective summary of the text.

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 anotherto provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.

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 anddeveloped, and the connections that are drawn between them.

3.

Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specificindividuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

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6-12 | English Language Arts | Reading: informational text

Craft and Structure
4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze thecumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how thelanguage of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

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).

5.

Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined byparticular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or
chapter).

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.

6.

Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an
author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

6.

Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric isparticularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power,
persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.

Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., aperson’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details areemphasized in each account.

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 toaddress a question or solve a problem.

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.

8.

Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including theapplication 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).

9.

Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g.,
Washington’s Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s FourFreedoms speech, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”), including how they
address related themes and concepts.

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.

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 highend of the range.
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high endof the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
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 highend of the range.
By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the highend of the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by theend of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number.
The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latterproviding additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

Text Types and Purposes*
1.

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant
and sufficient evidence.

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

3.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details,
and well-structured event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing
4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.

5.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

6.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

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6-12 | English Language Arts | writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7.

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of eachsource, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

9.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (asingle sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for definitions of key writing types.

*

Note on range and content
of student writing
For students, writing is a key meansof asserting and defending claims,
showing what they know about asubject, and conveying what they
have experienced, imagined, thought,
and felt. To be college- and careerready writers, students must taketask, purpose, and audience into
careful consideration, choosing words,
information, structures, and formats
deliberately. They need to know how
to combine elements of different
kinds of writing—for example, to use
narrative strategies within argument
and explanation within narrative—
to produce complex and nuanced
writing. They need to be able touse technology strategically whencreating, refining, and collaborating on
writing. They have to become adept
at gathering information, evaluating
sources, and citing material accurately,
reporting findings from their research
and analysis of sources in a clear
and cogent manner. They must havethe flexibility, concentration, andfluency to produce high-quality firstdraft text under a tight deadline aswell as the capacity to revisit andmake improvements to a piece ofwriting over multiple drafts whencircumstances encourage or require it.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards 6–12

W

The following standards for grades 6–12 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills andapplications. Each year in their writing, students should demonstrate increasing sophistication in all aspects of language use, from vocabulary and syntax tothe development and organization of ideas, and they should address increasingly demanding content and sources. Students advancing through the grades are
expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. The expected growthin student writing ability is reflected both in the standards themselves and in the collection of annotated student writing samples in Appendix C.

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

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6-12 | English Language Arts | writing

Text Types and Purposes
1.

Write arguments to support claims with clear
reasons and relevant evidence.
a. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasonsand evidence clearly.
b. Support claim(s) with clear reasons andrelevant evidence, using credible sources anddemonstrating an understanding of the topic
or text.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the
relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from the argument presented.

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 andevidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning andrelevant evidence, using accurate, credible
sources and demonstrating an understandingof the topic or text.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create
cohesion and clarify the relationships amongclaim(s), reasons, and evidence.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from and supports the argument
presented.

1.

Write arguments to support claims with clear
reasons and relevant evidence.
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge anddistinguish the claim(s) from alternate or
opposing claims, and organize the reasons andevidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning andrelevant evidence, using accurate, credible
sources and demonstrating an understandingof the topic or text.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create
cohesion and clarify the relationships amongclaim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from and supports the argument
presented.

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a
topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information
through the selection, organization, and analysisof 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, orother information and examples.
c. Use appropriate transitions to clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specificvocabulary to inform about or explain the
topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that
follows from the information or explanation
presented.

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a
topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information
through the selection, organization, and analysisof relevant content.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what
is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, andinformation, 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, orother information and examples.
c. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion
and clarify the relationships among ideas andconcepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specificvocabulary to inform about or explain the
topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style.
f. Provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from and supports the information
or explanation presented.

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, andinformation into broader categories; include
formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,charts, tables), and multimedia when useful toaiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen
facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations,or other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create
cohesion and clarify the relationships amongideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specificvocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that
follows from and supports the information or
explanation presented.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards 6–12

W

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

Text Types and Purposes (continued)
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 establishinga 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.
c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, andclauses to convey sequence and signal shifts
from one time frame or setting to another.
d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant
descriptive details, and sensory language toconvey experiences and events.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from thenarrated experiences or events.

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 establishinga context and point of view and introducing anarrator 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.
c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, andclauses to convey sequence and signal shifts
from one time frame or setting to another.
d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant
descriptive details, and sensory language tocapture the action and convey experiencesand events.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from andreflects on the narrated experiences or events.

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 establishinga context and point of view and introducing anarrator 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.
c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases,
and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts
from one time frame or setting to another, andshow the relationships among experiences andevents.
d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant
descriptive details, and sensory language tocapture the action and convey experiences andevents.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from andreflects on the narrated experiences or events.

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6-12 | English Language Arts | writing

Production and Distribution of Writing
4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which
the development, organization, and style areappropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types aredefined in standards 1–3 above.)

4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which
the development, organization, and style areappropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types aredefined in standards 1–3 above.)

4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which
the development, organization, and style areappropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types aredefined in standards 1–3 above.)

5.

With some guidance and support from peers andadults, develop and strengthen writing as neededby planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach. (Editing for conventions should
demonstrate command of Language standards
1–3 up to and including grade 6 on page 53.)

5.

With some guidance and support from peers andadults, develop and strengthen writing as neededby planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach, focusing on how well purpose
and audience have been addressed. (Editing forconventions should demonstrate command of
Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade
7 on page 53.)

5.

With some guidance and support from peers andadults, develop and strengthen writing as neededby planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach, focusing on how well purpose
and audience have been addressed. (Editing forconventions should demonstrate command of
Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade
8 on page 53.)

6.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce
and publish writing as well as to interact andcollaborate with others; demonstrate sufficientcommand of keyboarding skills to type a minimumof three pages in a single sitting.

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.

6.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce
and publish writing and present the relationships
between information and ideas efficiently as wellas to interact and collaborate with others.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards 6–12

W

Grade 6 students:

Grade 7 students:

Grade 8 students:

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6-12 | English Language Arts | writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7.

Conduct short research projects to answer
a question, drawing on several sources andrefocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

7.

Conduct short research projects to answer
a question, drawing on several sources andgenerating additional related, focused questions
for further research and investigation.

7.

Conduct short research projects to answer aquestion (including a self-generated question),drawing on several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions that allow for
multiple avenues of exploration.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple printand digital sources; assess the credibility of eachsource; and quote or paraphrase the data andconclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism
and providing basic bibliographic information forsources.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple printand digital sources, using search terms effectively;
assess the credibility and accuracy of each source;and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusionsof others while avoiding plagiarism and following
a standard format for citation.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple printand digital sources, using search terms effectively;
assess the credibility and accuracy of each source;and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusionsof others while avoiding plagiarism and following astandard format for citation.

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 termsof their approaches to similar themes andtopics”).
b. Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literary
nonfiction (e.g., “Trace and evaluate theargument and specific claims in a text,
distinguishing claims that are supported byreasons and evidence from claims that arenot”).

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, or character anda historical account of the same period as ameans of understanding how authors of fictionuse or alter history”).
b. Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literary
nonfiction (e.g. “Trace and evaluate theargument and specific claims in a text,
assessing whether the reasoning is soundand the evidence is relevant and sufficient tosupport the claims”).

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 how a modern work of fiction
draws on themes, patterns of events, orcharacter types from myths, traditional stories,
or religious works such as the Bible, including
describing how the material is rendered new”).
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 soundand the evidence is relevant and sufficient;recognize when irrelevant evidence isintroduced”).

10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (timefor research, reflection, and revision) and shortertime frames (a single sitting or a day or two) fora range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, andaudiences.

10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (timefor research, reflection, and revision) and shortertime frames (a single sitting or a day or two) fora range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, andaudiences.

Range of Writing
10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (timefor research, reflection, and revision) and shortertime frames (a single sitting or a day or two) fora range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, andaudiences.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards 6–12

W

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing
broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

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6-12 | English Language Arts | writing

Text Types and Purposes
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 eachwhile pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that
anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
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.
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.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the argument presented.

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 theclaim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, andcreate an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims,
reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying themost relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths andlimitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge
level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
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.
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.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the argument presented.

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and 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 to
make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful toaiding 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 andconcepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage thecomplexity of the topic.
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.
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).

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and 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 sothat each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified
whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), andmultimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevantfacts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other informationand examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sectionsof the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex
ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as
metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
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.
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).

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards 6–12

W

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Text Types and Purposes (continued)
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, orobservation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing anarrator 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.
d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language toconvey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced,
observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

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, orobservation 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 andoutcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).
d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language toconvey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced,
observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

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6-12 | English Language Arts | writing

Production and Distribution of Writing
4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specificexpectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specificexpectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)5.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is mostsignificant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should
demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades
9–10 on page 55.)

5.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is mostsignificant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should
demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades
11–12 on page 55.)

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 and to display information flexibly anddynamically.

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.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
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.

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.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digitalsources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of eachsource in answering the research question; integrate information into the text
selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following astandard format for citation.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources,using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations ofeach source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information
into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism andoverreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards 6–12

W

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Research to Build and Present Knowledge (continued)
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]”).
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”).

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”).
b. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate
and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the applicationof constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme
Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, andarguments in works of public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential
addresses]”).

10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, andrevision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range oftasks, purposes, and audiences.

Range of Writing

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6-12 | English Language Arts | writing

10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, andrevision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range oftasks, purposes, and audiences.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards
for Speaking and Listening

Note on range and content ofstudent speaking and listening

The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by theend of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number.
The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latterproviding additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

To become college and career
ready, students must have ample
opportunities to take part in a variety
of rich, structured conversations—aspart of a whole class, in small groups,
and with a partner—built aroundimportant content in various domains.
They must be able to contribute
appropriately to these conversations,
to make comparisons and contrasts,
and to analyze and synthesize amultitude of ideas in accordance withthe standards of evidence appropriate
to a particular discipline. Whatever
their intended major or profession, highschool graduates will depend heavily
on their ability to listen attentively toothers so that they are able to build
on others’ meritorious ideas while
expressing their own clearly andpersuasively.

Comprehension and Collaboration1.

Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners,
building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

2.

Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, andorally.

3.

Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

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6-12 | English Language Arts | speaking and listening

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and theorganization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

5.

Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understandingof presentations.

6.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English whenindicated or appropriate.

New technologies have broadened andexpanded the role that speaking andlistening play in acquiring and sharing
knowledge and have tightened theirlink to other forms of communication.
The Internet has accelerated the
speed at which connections between
speaking, listening, reading, and writing
can be made, requiring that students
be ready to use these modalities nearly
simultaneously. Technology itself
is changing quickly, creating a newurgency for students to be adaptable inresponse to change.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Speaking and Listening Standards 6–12

SL

The following standards for grades 6–12 offer a focus for instruction in each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills
and applications. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills andunderstandings mastered in preceding grades.

Grade 6 students:

Grade 8 students:

Grade 7 students:

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6-12 | English Language Arts | speaking and listening

Comprehension and Collaboration
1.

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics,
texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas andexpressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or
studied required material; explicitly draw onthat preparation by referring to evidence on
the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on
ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, set
specific goals and deadlines, and define
individual roles as needed.
c. Pose and respond to specific questions withelaboration and detail by making commentsthat contribute to the topic, text, or issue
under discussion.
d. Review the key ideas expressed anddemonstrate understanding of multiple
perspectives through reflection andparaphrasing.

1.

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics,
texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas andexpressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having reador researched material under study; explicitly
draw on that preparation by referring toevidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe
and reflect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, trackprogress toward specific goals and deadlines,
and define individual roles as needed.
c. Pose questions that elicit elaboration andrespond to others’ questions and commentswith relevant observations and ideas that bring
the discussion back on topic as needed.
d. Acknowledge new information expressed byothers and, when warranted, modify their own
views.

1.

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics,
texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas andexpressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having reador researched material under study; explicitly
draw on that preparation by referring toevidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe
and reflect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions anddecision-making, track progress towardspecific goals and deadlines, and define
individual roles as needed.
c. Pose questions that connect the ideas ofseveral speakers and respond to others’questions and comments with relevant
evidence, observations, and ideas.
d. Acknowledge new information expressedby others, and, when warranted, qualify or
justify their own views in light of the evidence
presented.

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.

2.

Analyze the main ideas and supporting details
presented in diverse media and formats (e.g.,visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how theideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.

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.

3.

Delineate a speaker’s argument and specificclaims, distinguishing claims that are supported byreasons and evidence from claims that are not.

3.

Delineate a speaker’s argument and specificclaims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning
and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

3.

Delineate a speaker’s argument and specificclaims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning
and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence andidentifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
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.

4.

Present claims and findings, emphasizing
salient points in a focused, coherent mannerwith pertinent descriptions, facts, details, andexamples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.

4.

Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient
points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant
evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosendetails; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.

5.

Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics,
images, music, sound) and visual displays inpresentations to clarify information.

5.

Include multimedia components and visualdisplays in presentations to clarify claims andfindings and emphasize salient points.

5.

Integrate multimedia and visual displays into
presentations to clarify information, strengthen
claims and evidence, and add interest.

6.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks,
demonstrating command of formal English whenindicated or appropriate. (See grade 6 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 53 for specificexpectations.)

6.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks,
demonstrating command of formal English whenindicated or appropriate. (See grade 7 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 53 for specificexpectations.)

6.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks,
demonstrating command of formal English whenindicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 53 for specificexpectations.)

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Speaking and Listening Standards 6–12

SL

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing
broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Grades 11–12 students:

Grades 9–10 students:

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6-12 | English Language Arts | speaking and listening

Comprehension and Collaboration
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 understudy; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence fromtexts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful,well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making(e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation ofalternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate thecurrent discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate
others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas andconclusions.
d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points ofagreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify theirown views and understanding and make new connections in light of theevidence and reasoning presented.

1.

Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (oneon-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 andpersuasively.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material understudy; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts
and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, wellreasoned exchange of ideas.
b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decisionmaking, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles asneeded.
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.
d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims,
and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions whenpossible; and determine what additional information or research is required
to deepen the investigation or complete the task.

2.

Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy ofeach source.

2.

Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats andmedia (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions
and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source andnoting any discrepancies among the data.

3.

Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric,
identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.

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 ofemphasis, and tone used.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely,
and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and theorganization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose,audience, and task.

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 arange of formal and informal tasks.

5.

Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, andinteractive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings,
reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

5.

Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, andinteractive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings,
reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

6.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating commandof formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9–10 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 54 for specific expectations.)

6.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a commandof formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 11–12 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 54 for specific expectations.)

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by theend of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number.
The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latterproviding additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

Conventions of Standard English
1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling whenwriting.

Knowledge of Language
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.

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Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues,
analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

5.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

6.

Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient forreading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence ingathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Note on range and content
of student language use
To be college and career ready inlanguage, students must have firm
control over the conventions ofstandard English. At the same time,they must come to appreciate that
language is as at least as much amatter of craft as of rules and beable to choose words, syntax, andpunctuation to express themselves
and achieve particular functions andrhetorical effects. They must also
have extensive vocabularies, built
through reading and study, enablingthem to comprehend complex texts
and engage in purposeful writing
about and conversations aroundcontent. They need to become
skilled in determining or clarifying
the meaning of words and phrases
they encounter, choosing flexibly
from an array of strategies to aid
them. They must learn to see anindividual word as part of a networkof other words—words, for example,
that have similar denotations but
different connotations. The inclusionof Language standards in theirown strand should not be taken as
an indication that skills related toconventions, effective language use,and vocabulary are unimportantto reading, writing, speaking, andlistening; indeed, they are inseparablefrom such contexts.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Language Standards 6–12		

L

The following standards for grades 6–12 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills andapplications. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills andunderstandings mastered in preceding grades. Beginning in grade 3, skills and understandings that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher
grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking are marked with an asterisk (*). See the table on page 56 for a complete listing andAppendix A for an example of how these skills develop in sophistication.

Grade 6 students:

Grade 8 students:

Grade 7 students:

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6-12 | English Language Arts | language

Conventions of Standard English
1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English grammar and usage whenwriting or speaking.
a. Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case(subjective, objective, possessive).
b. Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself,
ourselves).
c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts inpronoun number and person.*d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns(i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous
antecedents).*e. Recognize variations from standard English
in their own and others’ writing andspeaking, and identify and use strategies toimprove expression in conventional language.*

1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English grammar and usage whenwriting or speaking.
a. Explain the function of phrases and clauses
in general and their function in specificsentences.
b. Choose among simple, compound, complex,
and compound-complex sentences to signal
differing relationships among ideas.
c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence,
recognizing and correcting misplaced anddangling modifiers.*

1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English grammar and usage when writingor speaking.
a. Explain the function of verbals (gerunds,
participles, infinitives) in general and theirfunction in particular sentences.
b. Form and use verbs in the active and passive
voice.
c. Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative,
interrogative, conditional, and subjunctivemood.
d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts inverb voice and mood.*

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English capitalization, punctuation, andspelling when writing.
a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses,
dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parentheticalelements.*
b. Spell correctly.

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English capitalization, punctuation, andspelling 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).
b. Spell correctly.

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions ofstandard English capitalization, punctuation, andspelling when writing.
a. Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) toindicate a pause or break.
b. Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
c. Spell correctly.

3.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions
when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Choose language that expresses ideas
precisely and concisely, recognizing andeliminating wordiness and redundancy.*3.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions
when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Use verbs in the active and passive voice andin the conditional and subjunctive mood toachieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing theactor or the action; expressing uncertainty or
describing a state contrary to fact).

Knowledge of Language3.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions
when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/
listener interest, and style.*b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.*

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Language Standards 6–12

L

Grade 6 students:

Grade 8 students:

Grade 7 students:

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6-12 | English Language Arts | language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown andmultiple-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 asentence or paragraph; a word’s position
or function in a sentence) as a clue to themeaning of a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or
Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaningof a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, thesauruses), both print anddigital, to find the pronunciation of a word or
determine or clarify its precise meaning or its
part of speech.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of
the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., bychecking the inferred meaning in context or ina dictionary).

4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown andmultiple-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 asentence or paragraph; a word’s position
or function in a sentence) as a clue to themeaning of a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or
Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaningof a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).
c. Consult general and specialized referencematerials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries,
thesauruses), both print and digital, to findthe pronunciation of a word or determine
or clarify its precise meaning or its part ofspeech.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of
the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., bychecking the inferred meaning in context or ina dictionary).

4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown andmultiple-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 asentence or paragraph; a word’s position orfunction in a sentence) as a clue to the meaningof a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin
affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of aword (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
c. Consult general and specialized referencematerials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries,
thesauruses), both print and digital, to find thepronunciation of a word or determine or clarify
its precise meaning or its part of speech.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of themeaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking
the inferred meaning in context or in adictionary).

5.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative
language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g.,
personification) in context.
b. Use the relationship between particular words(e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category)to better understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations(associations) of words with similar
denotations (definitions) (e.g., stingy,
scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).

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.
b. Use the relationship between particular words(e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better
understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations(associations) of words with similar
denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined,
respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).

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.
b. Use the relationship between particular words
to better understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations(associations) of words with similar denotations(definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm,
persistent, resolute).

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 tocomprehension or expression.

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 tocomprehension or expression.

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 tocomprehension or expression.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Language Standards 6–12

L

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing
broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Conventions of Standard English
1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar andusage when writing or speaking.
a. Use parallel structure.*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 interestto writing or presentations.

1.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar andusage when writing or speaking.
a. Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can changeover time, and is sometimes contested.
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.

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 moreclosely related independent clauses.
b. Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.
c. Spell correctly.

2.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Observe hyphenation conventions.
b. Spell correctly.

3.

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions indifferent contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and tocomprehend 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 ofcomplex texts when reading.

Knowledge of Language

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6-12 | English Language Arts | language

3.

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions indifferent contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and tocomprehend more fully when reading or listening.
a. Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual(e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian’s Manual for Writers) appropriate for thediscipline and writing type.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Language Standards 6–12

L

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

55|

6-12 | English Language Arts | language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words andphrases 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; aword’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a wordor phrase.
b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different
meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate,advocacy).
c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation ofa word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its
etymology.
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).

4.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words andphrases 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; aword’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a wordor phrase.
b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different
meanings or parts of speech (e.g., conceive, conception, conceivable).
c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciationof a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, its
etymology, or its standard usage.
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).

5.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, andnuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context andanalyze their role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

5.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, andnuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze
their role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

6.

Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words andphrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college
and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabularyknowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or
expression.

6.

Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words andphrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college
and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabularyknowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or
expression.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Language Progressive Skills, by Grade
The following skills, marked with an asterisk (*) in Language standards 1–3, are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied
to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking.

Standard
L.3.1f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
L.3.3a. Choose words and phrases for effect.
L.4.1f. Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.
L.4.1g. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to/too/two; there/their).
L.4.3a. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.*
L.4.3b. Choose punctuation for effect.
L.5.1d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
L.5.2a. Use punctuation to separate items in a series.†
L.6.1c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.
L.6.1d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).
L.6.1e. Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing and speaking, and identify anduse strategies to improve expression in conventional language.

56|

6-12 | English Language Arts | language

L.6.2a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
L.6.3a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.‡
L.6.3b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.
L.7.1c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.
L.7.3a. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness andredundancy.
L.8.1d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
L.9–10.1a. Use parallel structure.

Subsumed by L.7.3a
Subsumed by L.9–10.1a‡
Subsumed by L.11–12.3a*†

Grade(s)
3

4

5

6

7

8

9–10

11–12

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading 6–12
Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors
Qualitative evaluation of the text: Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality
and clarity, and knowledge demands
Quantitative evaluation of the text: Readability measures and other scores of text complexity
Matching reader to text and task:

Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, andexperiences) and task variables (such as purpose andthe complexity generated by the task assigned and thequestions posed)

57|

6-12 | English Language Arts | reading standard 10

Note: More detailed information on text complexity and how it is measured is contained inAppendix A.

Range of Text Types for 6–12
Students in grades 6–12 apply the Reading standards to the following range of text types, with texts selected from a broad range of cultures and periods.

Literature

Informational Text

StoriesDrama

PoetryLiterary Nonfiction

Includes the subgenres ofadventure stories, historicalfiction, mysteries, myths,
science fiction, realistic fiction,
allegories, parodies, satire, andgraphic novels

Includes one-act and multi-act
plays, both in written form andon film

Includes the subgenres ofnarrative poems, lyrical poems,
free verse poems, sonnets,
odes, ballads, and epics

Includes the subgenres of exposition, argument, and functional text inthe form of personal essays, speeches, opinion pieces, essays about
art or literature, biographies, memoirs, journalism, and historical,
scientific, technical, or economic accounts (including digital sources)
written for a broad audienceCommon Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, and Range of Student Reading 6–12
Literature: Stories, Dramas, Poetry

6–8

58

|

6-12 | English Language Arts | reading standard 10

9–10

11–
CCR

Note:

Informational Texts: Literary Nonfiction“Letter on Thomas Jefferson” by John Adams (1776)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1869)





The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (1876)



“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost (1915)

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave byFrederick Douglass (1845)

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)



Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (1975)“Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: Address to Parliament on May 13th,
1940” by Winston Churchill (1940)

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (1976)

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann
Petry (1955)

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck (1962)

The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1592)



“Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry (1775)

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1817)

“Farewell Address” by George Washington (1796)

“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe (1845)



“Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln (1863)

“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry (1906)



“State of the Union Address” by Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1941)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1964)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)

“Hope, Despair and Memory” by Elie Wiesel (1997)

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (1975)

“Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats (1820)



Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1848)



Walden by Henry David Thoreau (1854)



“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson (1890)

“Society and Solitude” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1857)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)



“The Fallacy of Success” by G. K. Chesterton (1909)Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937)Black Boy by Richard Wright (1945)

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (1959)

“Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell (1946)

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (2003)



“Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry” by Rudolfo Anaya (1995)

Given space limitations, the illustrative texts listed above are meant only to show individual titles that are representative of a range of topics and genres.
(See Appendix B for excerpts of these and other texts illustrative of grades 6–12 text complexity, quality, and range.) At a curricular or instructional level,
within and across grade levels, texts need to be selected around topics or themes that generate knowledge and allow students to study those topics orthemes in depth.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

STANDARDS FOR

Literacy inHistory/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects
6–12Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the endof each grade span. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number.
The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latterproviding additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

60 | 6-12 | History/Social Studies, science, and technical subjects | Reading

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual
evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details
and ideas.

3.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Craft and Structure
4.

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative
meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

5.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., asection, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

6.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as
well as in words.*

8.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as
the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

9.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare theapproaches the authors take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

*
Please see “Research to Build and Present Knowledge” in Writing for additional standards relevant to gathering, assessing, and applying information from print and digital sources.

Note on range and content
of student reading
Reading is critical to building
knowledge in history/social studies
as well as in science and technicalsubjects. College and career readyreading in these fields requires
an appreciation of the norms andconventions of each discipline, such as
the kinds of evidence used in history
and science; an understanding of
domain-specific words and phrases;
an attention to precise details; andthe capacity to evaluate intricate
arguments, synthesize complex
information, and follow detailed
descriptions of events and concepts.
In history/social studies, for example,
students need to be able to analyze,
evaluate, and differentiate primaryand secondary sources. Whenreading scientific and technicaltexts, students need to be able togain knowledge from challenging
texts that often make extensive useof elaborate diagrams and data toconvey information and illustrateconcepts. Students must be able toread complex informational texts
in these fields with independence
and confidence because the vast
majority of reading in college andworkforce training programs will
be sophisticated nonfiction. It is
important to note that these Reading
standards are meant to complement
the specific content demands of thedisciplines, not replace them.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6–12

RH

The standards below begin at grade 6; standards for K–5 reading in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are integrated into the K–5 Reading
standards. The CCR anchor standards and high school standards in literacy work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former
providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Grades 6–8 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Grades 9–10 students:

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis
of primary and secondary sources.

1.

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis
of primary and secondary sources, attending
to such features as the date and origin of theinformation.

1.

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis
of primary and secondary sources, connecting
insights gained from specific details to anunderstanding of the text as a whole.

2.

Determine the central ideas or information of a
primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of the source distinct from priorknowledge or opinions.

2.

Determine the central ideas or information of a
primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop overthe course of the text.

2.

Determine the central ideas or information of a
primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary that makes clear the relationships among
the key details and ideas.

3.

Identify key steps in a text’s description of aprocess related to history/social studies (e.g., how
a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised
or lowered).

3.

Analyze in detail a series of events described ina text; determine whether earlier events caused
later ones or simply preceded them.

3.

Evaluate various explanations for actions or eventsand determine which explanation best accords
with textual evidence, acknowledging where thetext leaves matters uncertain.

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6-12 | History/Social Studies | Reading

Craft and Structure
4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
specific to domains related to history/social
studies.

4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social, or economic aspects ofhistory/social studies.

4.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, including analyzing how an
author uses and refines the meaning of a key term
over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines
faction in Federalist No. 10).

5.

Describe how a text presents information (e.g.,
sequentially, comparatively, causally).

5.

Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize
key points or advance an explanation or analysis.

5.

Analyze in detail how a complex primary sourceis structured, including how key sentences,
paragraphs, and larger portions of the text
contribute to the whole.

6.

Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s
point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language,
inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

6.

Compare the point of view of two or moreauthors for how they treat the same or similar
topics, including which details they include andemphasize in their respective accounts.

6.

Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on thesame historical event or issue by assessing theauthors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.

Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts,
graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with otherinformation in print and digital texts.

7.

Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g.,charts, research data) with qualitative analysis inprint or digital text.

7.

Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of
information presented in diverse formats and media(e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) inorder to address a question or solve a problem.

8.

Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned
judgment in a text.

8.

Assess the extent to which the reasoning andevidence in a text support the author’s claims.

8.

Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidenceby corroborating or challenging them with otherinformation.

9.

Analyze the relationship between a primary andsecondary source on the same topic.

9.

Compare and contrast treatments of the same
topic in several primary and secondary sources.

9.

Integrate information from diverse sources,
both primary and secondary, into a coherent
understanding of an idea or event, noting
discrepancies among sources.

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend
history/social studies texts in the grades 9–10 text
complexity band independently and proficiently.

10.

By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend
history/social studies texts in the grades 11–CCR text
complexity band independently and proficiently.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10.

By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend
history/social studies texts in the grades 6–8 text
complexity band independently and proficiently.

10.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6–12
Grades 6–8 students:

Grades 9–10 students:

RST

Grades 11–12 students:

Key Ideas and Details
1.

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis
of science and technical texts.

1.

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis
of science and technical texts, attending to theprecise details of explanations or descriptions.

1.

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis ofscience and technical texts, attending to importantdistinctions the author makes and to any gaps orinconsistencies in the account.

2.

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of atext; provide an accurate summary of the text
distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

2.

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of atext; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of
a complex process, phenomenon, or concept;
provide an accurate summary of the text.

2.

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of atext; summarize complex concepts, processes, orinformation presented in a text by paraphrasing
them in simpler but still accurate terms.

3.

Follow precisely a multistep procedure whencarrying out experiments, taking measurements,
or performing technical tasks.

3.

Follow precisely a complex multistep procedurewhen carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks,
attending to special cases or exceptions definedin the text.

3.

Follow precisely a complex multistep procedurewhen carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks;
analyze the specific results based on explanationsin the text.

62|

6-12 | science and technical subjects: reading

Craft and Structure
4.

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms,
and other domain-specific words and phrases as
they are used in a specific scientific or technicalcontext relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics.

4.

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms,
and other domain-specific words and phrases as
they are used in a specific scientific or technicalcontext relevant to grades 9–10 texts and topics.

4.

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, andother domain-specific words and phrases as they
are used in a specific scientific or technical context
relevant to grades 11–12 texts and topics.

5.

Analyze the structure an author uses to organize atext, including how the major sections contributeto the whole and to an understanding of the topic.

5.

Analyze the structure of the relationships among
concepts in a text, including relationships among
key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force,energy).

5.

Analyze how the text structures information orideas into categories or hierarchies, demonstrating
understanding of the information or ideas.

6.

Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an
explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing
an experiment in a text.

6.

Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an
explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing
an experiment in a text, defining the question theauthor seeks to address.

6.

Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an
explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing
an experiment in a text, identifying important
issues that remain unresolved.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.

Integrate quantitative or technical information
expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart,
diagram, model, graph, or table).

7.

Translate quantitative or technical information
expressed in words in a text into visual form
(e.g., a table or chart) and translate information
expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an
equation) into words.

7.

Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of
information presented in diverse formats andmedia (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) inorder to address a question or solve a problem.

8.

Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment
based on research findings, and speculation in a
text.

8.

Assess the extent to which the reasoning andevidence in a text support the author’s claim
or a recommendation for solving a scientific ortechnical problem.

8.

Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, andconclusions in a science or technical text, verifying
the data when possible and corroborating or
challenging conclusions with other sources of
information.

9.

Compare and contrast the information gained
from experiments, simulations, video, or
multimedia sources with that gained from readinga text on the same topic.

9.

Compare and contrast findings presented in a text
to those from other sources (including their own
experiments), noting when the findings support orcontradict previous explanations or accounts.

9.

Synthesize information from a range of sources(e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a
coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon,
or concept, resolving conflicting information whenpossible.

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehendscience/technical texts in the grades 9–10 text
complexity band independently and proficiently.

10.

By the end of grade 12, read and comprehendscience/technical texts in the grades 11–CCR text
complexity band independently and proficiently.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10.

By the end of grade 8, read and comprehendscience/technical texts in the grades 6–8 text
complexity band independently and proficiently.

10.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the endof each grade span. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number.
The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latterproviding additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.

63 | 6-12 | History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects | Writing

Text Types and Purposes*
1.

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant
and sufficient evidence.

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

3.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details
and well-structured event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing
4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.

5.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

6.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7.

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of eachsource, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

9.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (asingle sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

*These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for definitions of key writing types.

Note on range and content
of student writing
For students, writing is a key meansof asserting and defending claims,
showing what they know about asubject, and conveying what they
have experienced, imagined, thought,
and felt. To be college and career
ready writers, students must taketask, purpose, and audience into
careful consideration, choosing words,
information, structures, and formats
deliberately. They need to be able touse technology strategically whencreating, refining, and collaborating on
writing. They have to become adept
at gathering information, evaluating
sources, and citing material accurately,
reporting findings from their research
and analysis of sources in a clear
and cogent manner. They must havethe flexibility, concentration, andfluency to produce high-quality firstdraft text under a tight deadline
and the capacity to revisit andmake improvements to a piece ofwriting over multiple drafts whencircumstances encourage or require
it. To meet these goals, students must
devote significant time and effort towriting, producing numerous pieces
over short and long time frames
throughout the year.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 6–12

whST

The standards below begin at grade 6; standards for K–5 writing in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are integrated into the K–5 Writing
standards. The CCR anchor standards and high school standards in literacy work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former
providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Grades 6–8 students:

Grades 9–10 students:

Grades 11–12 students:

Text Types and Purposes

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6-12 | History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects | Writing

1.

Write arguments focused on discipline-specificcontent.
a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue,
acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) fromalternate or opposing claims, and organize thereasons and evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning andrelevant, accurate data and evidence that
demonstrate an understanding of the topic ortext, using credible sources.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create
cohesion and clarify the relationships amongclaim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from and supports the argument
presented.

1.

Write arguments focused on discipline-specificcontent.
a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish theclaim(s) from alternate or opposing claims,
and create an organization that establishes
clear relationships among the claim(s),counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly,
supplying data and evidence for each while
pointing out the strengths and limitationsof both claim(s) and counterclaims in a
discipline-appropriate form and in a mannerthat anticipates the audience’s knowledge
level and concerns.
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.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style andobjective tone while attending to the norms
and conventions of the discipline in which they
are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from or supports the argument
presented.

1.

Write arguments focused on discipline-specificcontent.
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 organizationthat logically sequences the claim(s),counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly andthoroughly, supplying the most relevant dataand evidence for each while pointing out thestrengths and limitations of both claim(s) andcounterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form
that anticipates the audience’s knowledge
level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
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.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style andobjective tone while attending to the norms
and conventions of the discipline in which they
are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from or supports the argument
presented.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 6–12
Grades 6–8 students:

Grades 9–10 students:

whST

Grades 11–12 students:

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6-12 | History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects | Writing

Text Types and Purposes (continued)
2.

Write informative/explanatory texts, including
the narration of historical events, scientificprocedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what
is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, andinformation into broader categories asappropriate to achieving purpose; include
formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,charts, tables), and multimedia when useful toaiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen
facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations,or other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions tocreate cohesion and clarify the relationships
among ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specificvocabulary to inform about or explain the
topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style andobjective tone.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that
follows from and supports the information or
explanation presented.

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts, including
the narration of historical events, scientificprocedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
a. Introduce a topic and organize ideas,
concepts, and information to make importantconnections and distinctions; include
formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,
figures, tables), and multimedia when useful toaiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant,and sufficient facts, extended definitions,concrete details, quotations, or otherinformation and examples appropriate to theaudience’s knowledge of the topic.
c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures
to link the major sections of the text, create
cohesion, and clarify the relationships amongideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specificvocabulary to manage the complexity ofthe topic and convey a style appropriate to
the discipline and context as well as to theexpertise of likely readers.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style andobjective tone while attending to the norms
and conventions of the discipline in which they
are writing.
f. Provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from and supports the information
or explanation presented (e.g., articulating
implications or the significance of the topic).

2.

Write informative/explanatory texts, including
the narration of historical events, scientificprocedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
a. Introduce a topic and organize complex ideas,
concepts, and information so that each newelement builds on that which precedes it tocreate 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 themost significant and relevant facts, extended
definitions, concrete details, quotations, orother information and examples appropriate to
the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures
to link the major sections of the text, create
cohesion, and clarify the relationships among
complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language, domain-specificvocabulary and techniques such as metaphor,simile, and analogy to manage the complexityof the topic; convey a knowledgeable stancein a style that responds to the discipline andcontext as well as to the expertise of likely
readers.
e. Provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from and supports the information
or explanation provided (e.g., articulating
implications or the significance of the topic).

3.

(See note; not applicable as a separate
requirement)

3.

(See note; not applicable as a separate
requirement)

3.

(See note; not applicable as a separate
requirement)

Note:

Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into
arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses ofindividuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-stepprocedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.

Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 6–12
Grades 6–8 students:

Grades 9–10 students:

whST

Grades 11–12 students:

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6-12 | History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects | Writing

Production and Distribution of Writing
4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which
the development, organization, and style areappropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which
the development, organization, and style areappropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

4.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which
the development, organization, and style areappropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

5.

With some guidance and support from peers andadults, develop and strengthen writing as neededby planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a
new approach, focusing on how well purpose andaudience have been addressed.

5.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed byplanning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach, focusing on addressing what
is most significant for a specific purpose andaudience.

5.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed byplanning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach, focusing on addressing what
is most significant for a specific purpose andaudience.

6.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce
and publish writing and present the relationships
between information and ideas clearly andefficiently.

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 and to display
information flexibly and dynamically.

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.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7.

Conduct short research projects to answer aquestion (including a self-generated question),drawing on several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions that allow for
multiple avenues of exploration.

7.

Conduct short as well as more sustained research
projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated 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.

7.

Conduct short as well as more sustained research
projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated 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.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple printand digital sources, using search terms effectively;
assess the credibility and accuracy of each source;and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusionsof others while avoiding plagiarism and following
a standard format for citation.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple
authoritative print and digital sources, using
advanced searches effectively; assess theusefulness of each source in answering the
research question; integrate information into thetext selectively to maintain the flow of ideas,
avoiding plagiarism and following a standard
format for citation.

8.

Gather relevant information from multiple
authoritative print and digital sources, using
advanced searches effectively; assess thestrengths and limitations of each source in termsof the specific task, purpose, and audience;
integrate information into the text selectively tomaintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism andoverreliance on any one source and following astandard format for citation.

9.

Draw evidence from informational texts to support
analysis reflection, and research.

9.

Draw evidence from informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.

9.

Draw evidence from informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.

10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (timefor reflection and revision) and shorter timeframes (a single sitting or a day or two) for arange of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, andaudiences.

10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (timefor reflection and revision) and shorter timeframes (a single sitting or a day or two) for arange of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, andaudiences.

Range of Writing
10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (timefor reflection and revision) and shorter timeframes (a single sitting or a day or two) for arange of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, andaudiences.