ACCESS “Power Standards” Language Arts-Grade 4 ESLR-Attain basic literacy skills by communicating effectively in reading, writing and speaking Strand Narrative Texts (Literature/Recreational) Expository Texts (Informational/Textual/Functional) Reading Comprehension Compare and contrast tales from different cultures, and develop theories to account for similar tales Use knowledge of plot to determine cause for a character’s actions Draw conclusions, make and confirm predictions using text clues Identify the “moral of the story” in myths and fables Recognizes similes, metaphors, and personification Identify author’s purpose/attitude Identifies structural characteristics of textbook materials Compare/contrast Theme Cause and effect Identify correct use of various reference materials Identify fact vs. opinion Understand format and content of materials found in everyday life Compare information on the same topic from several different articles Fluency Independent “Wide” Reading, with new vocabulary Narrative and expository prose: every day! Vocabulary Development Use knowledge of synonyms, antonyms and homophones Identify affixes and root words Use context to determine meaning of a known word with multiple meanings Use context to determine meaning of an unknown word Identify meaning through understanding of Greek and Latin word roots Writing Strategies and Applications Organization and focus Identify/write paragraphs with topic sentence, supporting detail Genre Biography: relate ideas and observations with setting and detail Response to Literature: show understanding of the work Persuasive Composition: state a clear position and give simple evidence Organization and focus Write reports and summaries using Chronological order Cause and effect Genre Analytical Essay/Research Report: frame a central question and include facts and details, properly cited references Letters: write personal letters using a conventional style Conventions Sentence Structure and Grammar Know simple, compound, complex sentence structures, and how to combine short sentences Edit for awkward construction, fragments, and run-ons Identify subject-verb agreement, part tense, pronoun case, comparative adjectives Punctuation and Capitalization Use of apostrophe, comma with conjunction, items in a series, abbreviations, dialogue First word in a quote, letter parts, proper nouns, title of people, works of art Spelling: Identify misspellings of words in the context of sentences: Consonant and vowel sounds with various spellings Inflectional endings and affixes No mistakes Listening/Speaking Summarize and paraphrase information Give precise directions Recite poems
ACCESS “Power Standards” Language Arts-Grade 7 ESLR-Attain basic literacy skills by communicating effectively in reading, writing and speaking Strand Narrative Texts (Literature/Recreational) Expository Texts (Informational/Textual/Functional) Reading Comprehension Explain qualities of different genre Identify examples of irony and incongruity in a text Analyze character traits, motivation Identify recurring themes, especially across cultures Trace development of point of view, and explain effect on theme Identify passages that set tone or mood with metaphor, dialect, symbolism Draw conclusions; make predictions and hypotheses from implicit information Understand differences in structure and purpose of various informational media Identify details and sequence in informational and functional materials Locate information from encyclopedia, bibliography, card catalogue, Reader’s Guide, atlas, index, and table of contents Show how ideas in a text would change under different circumstances Identify and trace the development of an author’s argument in persuasive writing Vocabulary Identify idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes in prose and poetry Use knowledge of Greek, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon roots and affixes to figure out the meaning of a new content words Identify synonyms and words with multiple meanings Writing Strategies Organization and Focus Use a specific structure to achieve balance with effective transitions Complete use of supporting detail Use note taking, outlines and summarizing to develop structure Research and Technology Identify questions leading to research, and use sanctioned format for bibliography Evaluation and Revision Identify topic sentences and supporting sentences as well as extraneous material Distinguish between clearly written sentences and sentences that contain errors. Genre Biography: mimic various styles of plot and characterization Responses to Literature: focus on interpretation from close reading Research Reports including evidence and documentation Persuasive Compositions with clarity and support Business Letters: letter of introduction Conventions Sentence Structure and Grammar Edit for awkward construction, fragments, run-ons, misplaced modifiers, and redundancy Identify correct subject-verb agreement (advanced), past perfect tense, pronoun antecedents, pronoun case, adjective/adverb usage Identify all parts of speech and types and structure of sentences Punctuation and Capitalization Use of apostrophe with possessives, colon with list, comma with appositive, comma in introduction, quotation marks, and semicolon. Spelling Identify misspellings in the context of sentences: Homophones No mistakes Listening/Speaking Deliver narrative presentations Deliver research presentation Analyze techniques of electronic media in persuasion Deliver persuasive presentation