Course Competencies


1.      Students will be able to read grade-level literary texts with fluency and understanding.
o   I can independently identify plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution/denouement) in grade-level literary texts.
o   I can examine characterization (identification of protagonist, antagonist, and stereotypes) in a work of fiction.
o   I can identify significant changes in setting and character over the course of a literary work.
o   I can identify and describe the problem/solution in a literary work.
o   I can summarize the plot of literary works, including short stories, novels, and dramatic works.  
o   I can make logical predictions during reading using specific examples from texts.
o   I can make inferences about cause/effect and conflict (both internal and external).
o   I can identify the point of view in a literary work and explain its role in readers’ interpretation.
o   I can identify messages and themes found within literary texts and support my findings with textual evidence.
o   I can demonstrate knowledge of the use of the following literary elements in a given text: imagery, repetition, flashback, foreshadowing, personification, hyperbole, and symbolism.

2.      Students will be able to read grade-level informational texts with fluency and understanding.
o   I can obtain information from the following text features: table of contents, glossary, index, bold/italicized text, graphic organizers, and illustrations.
o   I can use information from informational texts to answer questions.
o   I can state the main/central ideas of informational texts and provide supporting details to back them up.
o   I can interpret maps, charts, and timelines.
o   I can compare information presented in two textual excerpts.
o   I can synthesize information within and across texts.
o   I can identify the author’s purpose or message in an informational text and explain how this affects the interpretation of the text.
o   I can distinguish fact from opinion and identify conflicting information within and across texts.
o   I can make inferences about causes and/or effects.
o   I can evaluate the accuracy of information in terms of consistency and effectiveness of organizational patterns.

3.      Students will be able to identify new vocabulary and incorporate it into their speaking and writing.
o   I can use prior knowledge of word structure (prefixes/suffixes, common roots, word origins and dialects) to unlock meaning of unfamiliar words.
o   I can use context clues to unlock meaning of unfamiliar words.
o   I can use resources including dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses to determine definition, pronunciation, etymology, and word usage.
o   I can identify synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, and homophones.

4.      Students will be able to use an appropriate writing process.
o   I can generate ideas using a brainstorm list or graphic organizer.
o   I can plan a structure and order to my final piece before writing.
o   I can focus a writing piece on a specific topic.
o   I can effectively write all of the following: persuasive essays, personal narratives, analytical responses to texts, poems, fictional stories, and letters.
o   I can revise and rewrite a piece.
o   I can edit my writing to meet the rules of standard English usage (capitalization, consistency of verb tense, irregular forms of verbs/nouns, pronoun referent, subject verb agreement, colons and semi-colons).
o   I can use phrases and clauses to vary sentence length and structure and enhance meaning.

5.      Students will be able to write in response to Literary and Informational texts.
o   I can select and summarize key ideas to set a context appropriate to my audience.
o   I can connect the plot, ideas, concepts, and themes of what I have read to prior knowledge, other texts, and the broader world of ideas.
o   I can use my own interpretive thoughts to create a thesis when responding to a given prompt.
o   I can write about connections, including word choice, bias, style, and point of view.
o   I can use specific details and references to a text to support thesis and interpretations.
o   I can use transitional words and phrases in my writing.

6.      Students will be able to write a Reflective Essay.
o   I can define and describe what a reflective essay is.
o   I can engage the reader by establishing a context and purpose.
o   I can analyze a condition or situation of significance in writing.
o   I can use an organizational structure that allows for a progression of ideas to develop.
o   I can use the following elaboration techniques: questioning, comparing/contrasting, and connecting.
o   I can write a conclusion that includes a call to action.

7.      Students will be able to write Informational pieces, including Reports, Procedures, and Persuasive Writing.
o   I can use the following text structures appropriate to focus/controlling idea or thesis: sequence, chronology, compare/contrast, cause/effect.
o   I can select appropriate and relevant information to set context.
o   I can establish a topic and state/maintain a focus/controlling idea/thesis.
o   I can use precise language that clarifies and supports my intent.
o   I can include facts and details relevant to my focus/controlling idea/thesis.
o   I can comment on the significance of the information.
o   I can write with a specific and authentic audience in mind.

8.      Students will be able to participate in class discussions by speaking purposefully and articulately and by listening actively.
o   I can comfortably voice my ideas and opinions in class discussions.
o   I can convey my intended message through speaking.
o   I can actively listen to my classmates’ ideas and opinions and provide thoughtful feedback.
o   I can rephrase something said by my teacher or classmates during a discussion.
o   I can work collaboratively in small groups.

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