High School ELA Arkansas Standards

Conventions

Structure

Language

Presentation

Speaking and Listening Comprehension

Collaborative Communication

Vocabulary

Research

Production

Style

Writing

Reading Information

Reading Literature

Reading Fundamentals

Reading Comprehension

Initiate and express ideas in a collaborative setting, using effective discussion strategies.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using appropriate body language, tone, and pacing.

Demonstrate command of standard English when indicated or appropriate.

Recite a passage from a well-known poem, play, or speech.

Come to discussions prepared, citing researched evidence on the topic, text, or issue, and responding appropriately.

Set and follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, tracking progress towards specific goals and deadlines, and defining individual roles as needed.

Summarize points of agreement and/or disagreement from various perspectives, making new connections and justifying one's understanding of evidence and reasoning presented.

Integrate non-textual information, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of sources.

Evaluate a speaker's perspective, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying faulty reasoning.

Present claims, findings, and supporting evidence concisely, logically, and appropriately to purpose, audience, and task.

Support claims, central ideas, and/or themes with valid reasoning, relevant evidence, and well-chosen details.

Include relevant multimedia to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence.

Ensure pronouns have a clear antecedent and are appropriate in number and person.

Link two or more closely related independent clauses, using a semicolon and conjunctive adverb when applicable.

Use knowledge of reading foundational skills, spelling patterns, and generalizations such as syllable patterns, ending rules, and meaningful word parts (i.e., morphology) to spell correctly.

Use verbs effectively:<ul><li>Conditional and subjunctive mood</li><li>Shifts in mood and voice</li></ul>

Use modifiers effectively:<ul><li>Predicate adjectives</li></ul>

Correct misplaced and dangling modifiers.

Produce compound-complex sentences, using dependent clauses, subordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, correlative conjunctions, and coordinating conjunctions.

Use prepositional phrases effectively:<ul><li>Adjectival</li><li>Adverbial</li></ul>

Use various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add interest to writing and/or presentations.

Use parallel structure.

Introduce a list, quotation, or clarification, using a colon.

Provide an objective summary of a text.

Identify themes in works of American and/or world literature, including the ways in which writers incorporate ancient, mythological, and/or religious stories into their writings.

Analyze how an author introduces and develops central individuals, events, or ideas through description and sequencing.

Detail how an author uses structure to develop central ideas or claims through sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text.

Describe how an author uses rhetoric to advance the purpose, point of view, or perspective in a text.

Compare accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized and/or omitted in each account.

Evaluate the argument and supporting claims in a text, assessing the degree to which the reasoning is valid, the evidence is relevant and sufficient, and bias and fallacies are present.

Analyze two or more texts, noting how they address related themes and concepts.

Identify central ideas in works of literary nonfiction from American and/or world literary history.

Determine how a central idea and/or theme is developed over the course of a text, identifying which supporting details most contribute to the development of the central themes and/or ideas.

Cite text evidence that most strongly and thoroughly supports an analysis of what a text states, using background knowledge to justify inferences drawn from the text.

Demonstrate reading comprehension of age and grade-appropriate texts by speaking or writing.

Describe how complex characters (e.g., static, dynamic, round) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, advance the plot, and/or develop the theme.

Explain how the overall structure and sequencing of a text enhances the mood, suspense, tension, and other literary devices.

Describe how characters' points of view (POV) and/or perspectives are shaped through experiences.

Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.

Analyze to what extent a contemporary or classical text reimagines and/or adapts the source material from which it derived.

Use general academic and content-specific words and phrases accurately, gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering unfamiliar words or phrases.

Decode and encode words, using knowledge of Greek combining forms and Latin prefixes, bases, and suffixes and connectives as needed.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing from a range of effective techniques:<ul><li>Use common Greek or Latin affixes and roots (i.e., morphology),</li><li>Trace the origins of words (i.e., etymology),</li><li>Use context,</li><li>Consult reference materials to clarify pronunciation and/or parts of speech, and/or</li><li>Use word relationships such as cause and effect, part to whole, and item into category to clarify the meaning of each word.</li></ul>

Examine words with similar denotations, considering how connotation and nuance impact meaning, can change over time, and may be influenced regionally.

Determine how word choice impacts the overall meaning, style, and/or tone of a text, including how words affect a reader and/or audience.

Analyze the role of figurative language in context, including euphemism and oxymoron.

Compose an argument about a complex topic:<ul><li>Develop claims supported by credible sources.</li><li>Distinguish alternate or opposing claims, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge and concerns.</li><li>Maintain a cohesive argumentative structure throughout.</li><li>Provide commentary to connect claims to the reasons and evidence.</li></ul>

Engage in the writing process (e.g., draft, revise, edit), addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Include headings, graphics, and various multimedia to support ideas and information.

Conform writing to style manual guidelines appropriate for the discipline and writing type, editing writing to include grade-appropriate conventions for publishing.

Conduct short and sustained research synthesizing information from multiple sources to answer a question or solve a problem, narrowing or broadening the inquiry when appropriate.

Assess the credibility and accuracy of sources, using scholarly databases when appropriate.

Paraphrase, integrate, and/or embed select quotations to maintain the flow of ideas, crediting sources and/or authors and avoiding plagiarism.

Follow a standard citation format, including both in-text citations and a works cited or bibliography.

Write to inform about a complex topic:<ul><li>Develop a topic with a clear preview of what is to follow.</li><li>Organize ideas, concepts, and information, using major sections.</li><li>Select well-chosen facts, extended definitions, quotations, commentary, and examples, making connections and distinctions when appropriate.</li><li>Maintain a cohesive informational structure and objective tone, clarifying the relationships among ideas, concepts, and information.</li></ul>

Write to express real or imagined experiences and/or events:<ul><li>Develop the topic, context, narrative elements, and one or more points of view and/or perspectives.</li><li>Select well-chosen, descriptive details, sensory language, and precise language, conveying a detailed picture of conflict, setting, and/or characters.</li><li>Develop well-structured event sequences with multiple plot lines to enhance the relationships among ideas and experiences.</li><li>Use narrative techniques effectively.</li></ul>

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

Organize writing logically, composing an introduction, body, conclusion, and/or purposeful reflection when appropriate.

Use a variety of sentence types effectively.

Choose precise words, phrases, and clauses to clarify relationships among ideas, claims, counterclaims, reasons, and/or evidence.

Choose a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses effectively to connect ideas.

Write with stamina during single sessions and over extended periods of time.

Conventions

Structure

Language

Presentation

Speaking and Listening Comprehension

Collaborative Communication

Vocabulary

Research

Production

Style

Writing

Reading Information

Reading Literature

Reading Fundamentals

Reading Comprehension

Initiate and express ideas in a collaborative setting, using and adapting effective discussion strategies appropriately.

Adapt speech to a variety of audiences, contexts, and tasks, using appropriate body language, tone, style, and pacing.

Demonstrate command of standard English when indicated or appropriate.

Recite a passage from a well-known poem, play, or speech.

Come to discussions prepared to participate and/or facilitate, citing researched evidence on the topic, text, or issue, and responding appropriately.

Set and follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, tracking progress towards specific goals and deadlines, and defining individual roles as needed.

Synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on multiple sides of an issue, resolving contradictions when possible and determining what additional information or research is needed.

Integrate non-textual information from diverse forms of multimedia, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of sources.

Evaluate a speaker's perspective, reasoning, rhetoric, and use of evidence, assessing the effectiveness.

Present claims, findings, and supporting evidence concisely, logically, and appropriately to purpose, audience, and task.

Support claims, central ideas, and/or themes with valid reasoning, relevant evidence, and well-chosen details, addressing opposing perspectives as appropriate.

Include relevant multimedia to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence.

Ensure pronouns have a clear antecedent and are appropriate in number and person.

Use knowledge of reading foundational skills, spelling patterns, and generalizations such as syllable patterns, ending rules, and meaningful word parts (i.e., morphology) to spell correctly.

Use verbs effectively.

Correct misplaced and dangling modifiers.

Vary syntax for effect, consulting references for guidance as needed.

Use various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add interest to writing and/or presentations.

Use parallel structure.

Introduce a list, quotation, or clarification, using a colon.

Link two or more closely related independent clauses, using a semicolon and conjunctive adverb when applicable.

Separate elements in a sentence, using hyphens, commas, ellipses, dashes, and semicolons.

Provide an objective summary of a text.

Identify themes in works of American literature (1930-present), including the ways American writers incorporate ancient, mythological, and/or religious stories into their writings.

Identify themes in works of American literature, noting the dominant traits from Puritan, Colonial, American Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Realism, Naturalism, Modernist, and Contemporary periods.

Evaluate how an author develops and connects a complex set of central ideas and key details to enhance the overall meaning of a text.

Evaluate the syntax of a text, including the extent to which the points are clear, convincing, and engaging.

Evaluate how content, style, and/or use of rhetorical devices contribute to the purpose, point of view, perspective, and overall effectiveness of a text.

Evaluate information presented in a variety of formats and from multiple sources, identifying the information that best answers a question or solves a problem.

Evaluate the premise, reasoning, and validity of an argument in texts, including works of public advocacy and U.S. seminal documents.

Analyze documents of historical significance for their literary and rhetorical features, including U.S. documents when appropriate.

Identify central ideas in works of literary nonfiction from English and American literary history, including works written after 1930.

Determine how one or more complex central ideas and/or themes are developed over the course of a text, including how the supporting details interact and build upon one another.

Cite text evidence that strongly and thoroughly supports an analysis of what a text states and what the details imply, using background knowledge to determine which parts of the text are ambiguous and to justify inferences drawn from the text.

Demonstrate reading comprehension of age and grade-appropriate texts by speaking or writing.

Describe how characterization, plot, setting, and other literary elements interact with and contribute to the development and complexity of a text.

Explain how syntax contributes to the overall meaning and/or style of a text.

Examine a text in which understanding the purpose, point of view (POV), and/or perspective requires the reader to distinguish between what the author states and what is implied through irony, sarcasm, understatement, and satire.

Evaluate how more than one portrayal of a story, drama, or poem represents and/or interprets the source text.

Analyze how two or more influential literary works from the same era address similar themes.

Use general academic and content-specific words and phrases accurately, gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering unfamiliar words or phrases.

Recognize the major historical influences in the evolution of the English language (i.e., linguistics), including Old English, Middle English, and Modern English.

Decode and encode words, using knowledge of Greek combining forms and Latin prefixes, bases, and suffixes and connectives as needed.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing from a range of effective techniques:<ul><li>Use common Greek or Latin affixes and roots (i.e., morphology),</li><li>Trace the origins of words (i.e., etymology),</li><li>Use context,</li><li>Consult reference materials to clarify pronunciation and/or parts of speech or resolve issues of complex or contested usage, and/or</li><li>Use word relationships such as cause and effect, part to whole, and item into category to clarify the meaning of each word.</li></ul>

Examine words with similar denotations, considering how connotation and nuance impact meaning, can change over time, and may be influenced regionally.

Examine how word choice impacts the overall meaning, style, tone, or literary merit of a text, including how words affect a reader and/or audience.

Analyze the role of figurative language in context, including hyperbole and paradox.

Compose an argument about a complex topic:<ul><li>Develop defensible and significant claims.</li><li>Distinguish alternate or opposing claims, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge and values.</li><li>Maintain a cohesive argumentative structure throughout.</li><li>Provide relevant commentary to connect claims to the reasons and evidence.</li></ul>

Engage in the writing process (e.g., draft, revise, edit), addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Include headings, graphics, and various multimedia to support ideas and information.

Conform writing to style manual guidelines appropriate for the discipline and writing type, editing writing to include grade-appropriate conventions for publishing.

Conduct short and sustained research, synthesizing information from multiple sources to answer a question or solve a problem, narrowing or broadening the inquiry when appropriate.

Assess the credibility and accuracy of sources, using scholarly databases when appropriate.

Paraphrase, integrate, and/or embed select quotations to maintain the flow of ideas, crediting sources and/or authors and avoiding plagiarism.

Follow a standard citation format, including in-text citations and a literature review, works cited/references, or bibliography.

Write to inform about a complex topic:<ul><li>Develop a topic addressing the most significant and relevant evidence.</li><li>Organize ideas, concepts, and information, using major sections and subtopics.</li><li>Select well-chosen facts, extended definitions, quotations, commentary, and examples, making connections and distinctions when appropriate.</li><li>Maintain a cohesive informational structure and objective tone, clarifying the relationships among ideas, concepts, and information.</li></ul>

Write to express real or imagined experiences and/or events:<ul><li>Develop the topic, context, narrative elements, and one or more points of view and/or perspectives.</li><li>Select well-chosen, descriptive details, sensory language, and precise language, conveying a detailed picture of conflict, setting, and/or characters.</li><li>Develop well-structured event sequences with multiple plot lines to enhance the relationships among ideas and experiences.</li><li>Use narrative techniques effectively.</li></ul>

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

Organize writing purposefully, composing an introduction, outline, major sections, and/or reflection appropriate to the task and purpose.

Use a variety of sentence types effectively.

Choose precise words, phrases, and clauses to clarify relationships among ideas, commentary, claims, counterclaims, reasons, and/or evidence.

Choose a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses effectively to connect ideas.

Write with stamina over extended periods of time.

Conventions

Structure

Language

Presentation

Speaking and Listening Comprehension

Collaborative Communication

Vocabulary

Research

Production

Style

Writing

Reading Information

Reading Literature

Reading Fundamentals

Reading Comprehension

Initiate and express ideas in a collaborative setting, using and adapting effective discussion strategies appropriately.

Adapt speech to a variety of audiences, contexts, and tasks, using appropriate body language, tone, style, and pacing.

Demonstrate command of standard English when indicated or appropriate.

Recite a passage from a well-known poem, play, or speech.

Come to discussions prepared to participate and/or facilitate, citing researched evidence on the topic, text, or issue, and responding appropriately.

Set and follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, tracking progress towards specific goals and deadlines, and defining individual roles as needed.

Synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on multiple sides of an issue, resolving contradictions when possible and determining what additional information or research is needed.

Integrate non-textual information from multiple and diverse multimedia, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of sources.

Evaluate a speaker's perspective, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the effectiveness.

Present claims, findings, and supporting evidence concisely, logically, and appropriately according to purpose, audience, and task.

Support claims, central ideas, and/or themes with valid reasoning, relevant evidence, and well-chosen details, addressing opposing perspectives as appropriate.

Include relevant multimedia to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence.

Ensure pronouns have a clear antecedent and are appropriate in number and person

Use knowledge of reading foundational skills, spelling patterns, and generalizations such as syllable patterns, ending rules, and meaningful word parts (i.e., morphology) to spell correctly.

Use verbs effectively.

Correct misplaced and dangling modifiers.

Vary syntax for effect, consulting references for guidance as needed.

Use various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add interest to writing and/or presentations.

Use parallel structure.

Introduce a list, quotation, or clarification, using a colon.

Link two or more closely related independent clauses, using a semicolon and conjunctive adverb when applicable.

Separate elements in a sentence, using hyphens, commas, ellipses, dashes, and semicolons.

Provide an objective summary of a text.

Identify themes in works of British literature (1450-present), including the ways British writers incorporate ancient, mythological, and/or religious stories into their writings.

Identify themes in works of British literature, noting the dominant traits from Medieval, Renaissance, Neoclassical, Romantic, Victorian, Modern, and Post-Modern periods.

Evaluate how an author develops and connects a complex set of central ideas and key details, including how the central ideas and key details evolve, interact, and contribute to the overall meaning of a text.

Analyze the syntax of a text, including the extent to which it impacts the clarity, credibility, and appeal of the information presented.

Evaluate how content, style, and/or use of rhetorical devices contribute to the purpose, point of view, perspective, and overall effectiveness of a text.

Evaluate information presented in a variety of formats and from multiple sources, integrating the information that best answers a question or solves a problem.

Evaluate the premise, reasoning, and validity of an argument in texts, including works of public advocacy and seminal documents from outside the U.S.

Analyze documents of historical significance for their literary and rhetorical features, including documents from outside the U.S. when appropriate.

Identify central ideas in works of literary nonfiction from world literary history, including works written after 1450.

Determine how multiple complex central ideas and/or themes are developed over the course of a text, including how details interact and build upon one another.

Cite text evidence that strongly and thoroughly supports an analysis of what a text states, what the details imply, and what ambiguities are left to interpret, using background knowledge to justify inferences drawn from the text.

Demonstrate reading comprehension of age and grade-appropriate texts by speaking or writing.

Examine how characterization, plot, setting, and other literary elements interact with and contribute to the development and complexity of a text.

Analyze how syntax contributes to the overall meaning and style of a text.

Examine a text in which understanding the purpose, point of view (POV), and/or perspective requires the reader to distinguish between what the author states and what is implied through irony, sarcasm, understatement, and satire, including how this contributes to a character's point of view and/or perspective.

Evaluate how various portrayals of a story, drama, or poem represent and/or interpret the original source material from which they were derived.

Analyze how two or more influential literary works from the same world era addresses similar themes.

Use general academic and content-specific words and phrases accurately, gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering unfamiliar words or phrases.

Recognize the major historical influences in the evolution of the English language (i.e., linguistics), including Old English, Middle English, and Modern English.

Decode and encode words, using knowledge of Greek combining forms and Latin prefixes, bases, and suffixes and connectives as needed.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing from a range of effective techniques:<ul><li>Use common Greek or Latin affixes and roots (i.e., morphology),</li><li>Trace the origins of words (i.e., etymology),</li><li>Use context,</li><li>Consult reference materials to clarify pronunciation and/or parts of speech or resolve issues of complex or contested usage, and/or</li><li>Use word relationships such as cause and effect, part to whole, and item into category to clarify the meaning of each word.</li></ul>

Examine words with similar denotations, considering how connotation and nuance impact meaning, can change over time, and may be influenced regionally.

Examine how word choice impacts the overall meaning, style, tone, or literary merit of a text, including how words affect a reader and/or audience.

Analyze the role of figurative language in context, including hyperbole and paradox.

Compose an argument about a complex topic:<ul><li>Develop defensible and significant claims.</li><li>Distinguish alternate or opposing claims, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge, values, and bias.</li><li>Maintain a cohesive argumentative structure throughout.</li><li>Provide relevant commentary to connect claims to the reasons and evidence.</li></ul>

Engage in the writing process (e.g., draft, revise, edit), addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Include headings, graphics, and various multimedia to support ideas and information.

Conform writing to style manual guidelines appropriate for the discipline and writing type, editing writing to include grade-appropriate conventions for publishing.

Conduct short and sustained research projects synthesizing information from multiple sources to answer a question or solve a problem, narrowing or broadening the inquiry when appropriate.

Assess the credibility and accuracy of sources, using scholarly databases when appropriate.

Paraphrase, integrate, and/or embed select quotations to maintain the flow of ideas, crediting sources and/or authors and avoiding plagiarism.

Follow a standard citation format, including in-text citations, literature review, and a works cited/references or bibliography.

Write to inform about a complex topic:<ul><li>Develop a topic addressing the most significant and relevant evidence.</li><li>Organize ideas, concepts, and information, using major sections and subtopics.</li><li>Select well-chosen facts, extended definitions, quotations, commentary, and examples, making connections and distinctions when appropriate.</li><li>Maintain a cohesive informational structure and objective tone, clarifying the relationships among ideas, concepts, and information.</li></ul>

Write to express real or imagined experiences and/or events:<ul><li>Develop the topic, context, narrative elements, and one or more points of view and/or perspectives.</li><li>Select well-chosen, descriptive details, sensory language, and precise language, conveying a detailed picture of conflict, setting, and/or characters.</li><li>Develop well-structured event sequences with multiple plot lines to enhance the relationships among ideas and experiences.</li><li>Use narrative techniques effectively.</li></ul>

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

Organize writing purposefully, composing an introduction, outline, major sections, and/or reflection appropriate to the task and purpose.

Use a variety of sentence types effectively.

Choose precise words, phrases, and clauses to clarify relationships among ideas, commentary, claims, counterclaims, reasons, and/or evidence.

Choose a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses effectively to connect ideas.

Write with stamina over extended periods of time.

Conventions

Structure

Language

Presentation

Speaking and Listening Comprehension

Collaborative Communication

Vocabulary

Research

Production

Style

Writing

Reading Information

Reading Literature

Reading Fundamentals

Reading Comprehension

Initiate and express ideas in a collaborative setting, using effective discussion strategies.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using appropriate body language, tone, and pacing.

Demonstrate command of standard English when indicated or appropriate.

Recite a passage from a well-known poem, play, or speech.

Come to discussions prepared, citing researched evidence on the topic, text, or issue, and responding appropriately.

Set and follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, tracking progress towards specific goals and deadlines and defining individual roles as needed.

Summarize points of agreement and/or disagreement from various perspectives, justifying one's understanding of evidence and reasoning presented.

Integrate non-textual information, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of sources.

Evaluate a speaker's perspective, reasoning, and use of evidence, identifying faulty reasoning.

Present claims and supporting evidence concisely and logically appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Support claims, central ideas, and/or themes with valid reasoning, relevant evidence, and well-chosen details.

Include relevant multimedia to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and/or evidence.

Ensure pronouns have a clear antecedent and are appropriate in number and person.

Set off restrictive, nonrestrictive, and parenthetical elements, using commas, parentheses, and dashes.

Introduce a list, quotation, or clarification, using a colon.

Link two or more closely related independent clauses, using a semicolon and conjunctive adverb when applicable.

Use knowledge of reading foundational skills, spelling patterns, and generalizations such as syllable patterns, ending rules, and meaningful word parts (i.e., morphology) to spell correctly.

Use verbs effectively:<ul><li>Conditional and subjunctive mood</li><li>Shifts in mood and voice</li><li>Active and passive voice</li></ul>

Use verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) correctly.

Use modifiers effectively:<ul><li>Predicate adjectives</li></ul>

Correct misplaced and dangling modifiers.

Produce compound-complex sentences, using dependent clauses, subordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, correlative conjunctions, and coordinating conjunctions.

Use prepositional phrases effectively:<ul><li>Adjectival</li><li>Adverbial</li></ul>

Use various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add interest to writing and/or presentations.

Use parallel structure.

Provide an objective summary of a text.

Identify a theme in an original, adapted, or modernized drama, poem, folktale, or story from Arkansas or regional literature, explaining its historical and/or contemporary significance.

Analyze how an author introduces and develops a central individual, event, or idea through description and sequencing.

Detail how an author uses structure to develop a central idea or claim through sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text.

Describe how an author uses rhetoric to advance the purpose, point of view, or perspective of a text.

Compare accounts of a subject told in different multimedia, determining which details are emphasized in each account.

Evaluate the argument and supporting claims in a text, assessing the degree to which the evidence is relevant and sufficient, the reasoning is valid, and false statements are present.

Compare and contrast two or more texts, noting how they address related themes and concepts.

Identify a central idea in a non-fiction work from or about Arkansas or regional literature, explaining its historical and/or contemporary significance.

Determine how a central idea and/or theme is developed over the course of a text, identifying which supporting details most contribute to the development of a central theme and/or idea.

Cite text evidence that most strongly and thoroughly supports an analysis of what a text states, using background knowledge to justify inferences drawn from the text.

Demonstrate reading comprehension of age and grade-appropriate texts by speaking or writing.

Describe how a complex character (e.g., static, dynamic, round) develops over the course of a text, interacts with other characters, advances the plot, and/or develops the theme.

Explain how the overall structure and sequencing of a text enhances the mood, suspense, and tension.

Describe how a character's point of view (POV) and/or perspective is shaped through experiences.

Compare and contrast the representation of a subject or key scene in two artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.

Analyze how a contemporary or classical text reimagines and/or adapts the source material from which it was derived.

Use general academic and content-specific words and phrases accurately, gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering unfamiliar words or phrases.

Decode and encode words, using knowledge of Greek combining forms and Latin prefixes, bases, and suffixes and connectives as needed.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing from a range of effective techniques:<ul><li>Use common Greek or Latin affixes and roots (i.e., morphology),</li><li>Trace the origins of words (i.e., etymology),</li><li>Use context,</li><li>Consult reference materials to clarify pronunciation and/or parts of speech, and/or</li><li>Use word relationships such as cause and effect, part to whole, and item into category to clarify the meaning of each word.</li></ul>

Examine words with similar denotations, considering how connotation and nuance impact meaning, can change over time, and may be influenced regionally.

Determine how word choice impacts the overall meaning, style, and/or tone of a text, including how words affect a reader and/or audience.

Analyze the role of figurative language in context, including euphemism and oxymoron.

Compose an argument about a complex topic:<ul><li>Develop claims supported by credible sources.</li><li>Distinguish alternate or opposing claims, including the strengths and weaknesses of each in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge and concerns.</li><li>Maintain a cohesive argumentative structure throughout.</li><li>Provide commentary to connect claims to the reasons and evidence.</li></ul>

Engage in the writing process (e.g., draft, revise, edit), addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Include headings, graphics, and various multimedia to support ideas and information.

Conform writing to style manual guidelines appropriate for the discipline and writing type, editing writing to include grade-appropriate conventions for publishing.

Conduct short and sustained research to answer a question or solve a problem, narrowing or broadening the inquiry when appropriate.

Assess the credibility, accuracy, and usefulness of sources, using a scholarly database when appropriate.

Paraphrase and/or embed select quotations to maintain the flow of ideas, crediting sources and/or authors and avoiding plagiarism.

Follow a standard citation format, including both in-text citations and a works cited or bibliography.

Write to inform about a complex topic:<ul><li>Develop a topic with a clear preview of what is to follow.</li><li>Organize ideas, concepts, and information, using major sections</li><li>Select well-chosen facts, extended definitions, quotations, commentary, and/or examples, making connections and distinctions when appropriate.</li><li>Maintain a cohesive informational structure, clarifying the relationships among ideas, concepts, and information.</li></ul>

Write to express real or imagined experiences and/or events:<ul><li>Develop the topic, context, narrative elements, and point of view and/or perspective.</li><li>Select well-chosen, descriptive details, sensory language, and precise language, conveying a detailed picture of conflict, setting, and/or characters.</li><li>Develop a well-structured event sequence and plot line to enhance the relationships among ideas and experiences.</li><li>Use narrative techniques effectively.</li></ul>

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

Organize writing logically, composing an introduction, body, conclusion, and/or purposeful reflection when appropriate.

Use a variety of sentence types effectively.

Choose precise words, phrases, and clauses to clarify relationships among ideas, claims, counterclaims, reasons, and/or evidence.

Choose a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses effectively to connect ideas.

Write with stamina during single sessions and over extended periods of time.