State Curriculum - Reading

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Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6
Standard 4.0 Writing: Students will compose in a variety of modes by developing content, employing specific forms, and selecting language appropriate for a particular audience and purpose. Standard 4.0 Writing: Students will compose in a variety of modes by developing content, employing specific forms, and selecting language appropriate for a particular audience and purpose. Standard 4.0 Writing: Students will compose in a variety of modes by developing content, employing specific forms, and selecting language appropriate for a particular audience and purpose.
A. Writing A. Writing A. Writing
1. Compose texts using the prewriting and drafting strategies of effective writers and speakers
1. Compose texts using the prewriting and drafting strategies of effective writers and speakers
1. Compose texts using the prewriting and drafting strategies of effective writers and speakers
a. Generate and select topics using techniques such as graphic organizers, journal writing, free writing, listing, webbing, and discussion of prior experiences
a. Generate, select, and narrow topics, collectively and independently, using graphic organizers, prior writing, and/or prior experiences
a. Use a variety of self-selected prewriting strategies to generate, select, narrow, and develop ideas
  • Evaluate topics for personal relevance, scope, and feasibility
  • Begin a coherent plan for developing ideas
  • Explore and evaluate relevant sources of information
b. Plan and organize ideas for writing by using an appropriate organizational structure such as chronological or sequential order, comparison and contrast, cause and effect
  • Complete an idea by providing topic, support and concluding sentences
b. Select and use appropriate organizational structures such as narrative, chronological or sequential order, description, main idea and detail, problem/solution, question/answer, comparison and contrast, cause and effect
  • Complete an idea by providing topic, support, and concluding sentences
b. Select, organize, and develop ideas appropriate to topic, audience, and purpose
  • Organize information logically
  • Use effective organizational structures
  • Select or eliminate information as appropriate
  • Verify the effectiveness of paragraph development by modifying topic, support, and concluding sentences as necessary
2. Compose oral, written, and visual presentations that express personal ideas, inform, and persuade
2. Compose oral, written, and visual presentations that express personal ideas, inform, and persuade
2. Compose oral, written, and visual presentations that express personal ideas, inform, and persuade
a. Compose to express personal ideas to develop fluency using a variety of forms suited to topic, audience, and purpose
a. Compose to express personal ideas by experimenting with a variety of forms and techniques suited to topic, audience, and purpose
a. Compose to express personal ideas by experimenting with a variety of forms and techniques suited to topic, audience, and purpose to develop an awareness of voice and tone
b. Describe in prose and poetry by using purposeful imagery and sensory details with active verbs and colorful adjectives
b. Describe in prose and/or poetic forms to clarify, extend, or elaborate on ideas by using vivid language such as imagery and figurative language
b. Describe in prose and/or poetic forms to clarify, extend, or elaborate on ideas by using vivid language such as imagery, figurative language, and sound elements
c. Compose to inform using a structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end and a selection of major points, examples, and facts to support a main idea
c. Compose to inform using relevant support and a variety of appropriate organizational structures and signal words within a paragraph
c. Compose to inform using relevant support and a variety of appropriate organizational structures and signal words within a paragraph
d. Compose to persuade using significant reasons and relevant support
  • Agree or disagree with an idea and generate convincing reasons with relevant support
  • Consider effective forms and word choice
d. Compose to persuade using significant reasons and relevant support to agree or disagree with an idea
  • Take a position and generate convincing reasons to support it
  • Consider the effectiveness of form, diction, audience appeal, and organization
d. Compose to persuade by supporting, modifying, or disagreeing with a position, using effective rhetorical strategies
  • Support, modify, or disagree with a position and generate convincing evidence to support it
  • Consider the effectiveness of diction, audience appeal, and organization
  • Use connotation, repetition, and figurative language to control audience emotion and reaction
  • Use authoritative citations
e. Use writing-to-learn strategies such as diagrams, flow charts, freewriting, learning logs, and "think-aloud's on paper" to connect ideas and thinking about lesson content
e. Use writing-to-learn strategies such as learning logs, dialogue journals, and quickwrites to connect ideas and thinking about lesson content
e. Use writing-to-learn strategies such as dialect journals, quickwrites, and mindmaps to make connections between learning and prior knowledge
f. Manage time and process when writing for a given purpose
f. Manage time and process when writing for a given purpose
f. Manage time and process when writing for a given purpose
3. Compose texts using the revising and editing strategies of effective writers and speakers
3. Compose texts using the revising and editing strategies of effective writers and speakers
3. Compose texts using the revising and editing strategies of effective writers and speakers
a. Revise texts for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness
  • Eliminate words and ideas that do not support the main idea
  • Clarify meaning by adding modifiers and sensory words within a sentence
  • Clarify meaning by rearranging sentences within a text for a clear beginning, middle, and end
  • Provide sentence variety and length by combining sentences and correcting rambling sentences
a. Revise texts for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness
  • Eliminate words and ideas that do not support the main idea
  • Clarify meaning by adding modifiers and sensory words within a sentence
  • Clarify meaning by rearranging sentences within a text
  • Provide sentence variety and length by combining sentences and correcting rambling sentences
a. Revise texts for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness
  • Eliminate redundant and irrelevant words and ideas
  • Clarify meaning through the placement of antecedents, modifiers, connectors, and transitional devices
  • Coordinate equal ideas within a sentence
  • Subordinate less important ideas within a sentence using phrases and clauses
  • Maintain consistent person, number and tense
  • Modify sentences from passive to active voice
  • Vary sentence types and lengths to clarify and extend meaning and to develop style
b. Use suitable traditional and electronic resources to edit final copies of text for correctness in language usage and conventions such as capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
  • Self edit
  • Peer edit
  • Dictionary
  • Thesaurus
  • Spell checker
  • Language handbook
b. Use suitable traditional and electronic resources to refine presentations and edit texts for effective and appropriate use of language and conventions such as capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and pronunciation
  • Self edit
  • Peer edit
  • Dictionary
  • Thesaurus
  • Spell checker
  • Language handbook
  • Grammar checker
b. Use suitable traditional and electronic resources to refine presentations and edit texts for effective and appropriate and conventions such as capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and pronunciation
  • Self edit
  • Peer edit
  • Dictionary
  • Thesaurus
  • Spell checker
  • Language handbook
  • Grammar checker
c. Prepare the final product for presentation to an audience
c. Prepare the final product for presentation to an audience
c. Prepare the final product for presentation to an audience
4. Identify how language choices in writing and speaking affect thoughts and feelings
4. Identify how language choices in writing and speaking affect thoughts and feelings
4. Identify how language choices in writing and speaking affect thoughts and feelings
a. Select words appropriate for audience, situation, or purpose
a. Select words appropriate for audience, situation, or purpose
a. Use precise word choice, formal to informal, based on audience, situation, or purpose
b. Describe how listeners might respond differently to similar words such as nightmare/dream, loud/deafening, cute/gorgeous
b. Describe how listeners might respond differently to similar words such as nightmare/dream, loud/deafening, cute/gorgeous
b. Consider the connotative and/or denotative meanings of words when selecting vocabulary
c. Consider the effect of word choices on the audience
c. Consider how word choices affect the audience
c. Consider how word choices affect the audience
5. Assess the effectiveness of choice of details, organizational pattern, word choice, and use of figurative language in the student's own composing
5. Assess the effectiveness of choice of details, organizational pattern, word choice, syntax, use of figurative language, and rhetorical devices in the student's own composing
5. Assess the effectiveness of choice of details, organizational pattern, word choice, syntax, use of figurative language, and rhetorical devices in the student's own composing
a. Assess the effectiveness of word choice in student's own composing
  • Language suitable for a given purpose
  • Words/phrases that extend meaning
a. Assess the effectiveness of word choice that reveals a student's purpose for writing
  • Language appropriate for a particular audience
  • Language suitable for a given purpose
  • Words/phrases/sentences that extend meaning in a given context
a. Assess the effectiveness of diction that reveals his or her purpose
  • Language appropriate for a particular audience
  • Language suitable for a given purpose
  • Words/phrases/sentences that extend meaning in a given context
b. Explain how specific words/phrases used by the writer affects reader response
b. Explain how specific words/phrases/sentences affect reader/listener response
b. Explain how the specific language and expression used by the writer or speaker affects reader/listener response
c. Examine and use spatial transitions such as "near," "far," "on the left," and "in the distance"
c. Examine and use transitions showing importance and relation such as "because," "additionally," "unless," "although," and "so"
c. Evaluate the use of transitions in a text
6. Explain how textual changes in a work clarify meaning, address a particular audience, or fulfill a purpose
6. Explain how textual changes in a work enhance tone, clarify meaning, address a particular audience, or fulfill a purpose
6. Explain how textual changes alter tone, clarify meaning, address a particular audience, or fulfill a purpose
a. Revise own text for word choice
a. Identify the tone of one's own writing, and revise word choice to modify tone in order to address a given purpose and/or audience
a. Identify the tone of one's own writing, and revise word choice to modify tone in order to address a given purpose and/or audience
b. Explain how revisions in word choice affect meaning
b. Explain how revisions in word choice and syntax affect meaning
b. Justify revisions in syntax and diction from a previous draft of his or her same text by explaining how the change affects meaning
7. Locate, retrieve, and use information from various sources to accomplish a purpose
7. Locate, retrieve, and use information from various sources to accomplish a purpose
7. Locate, retrieve and use information from various sources to accomplish a purpose
a. Identify and use sources of information on a topic
a. Identify, evaluate, and use sources of information on a self-selected and/or given topic
a. Identify, evaluate, and use sources of information on a self-selected and/or given topic
b. Use various information retrieval sources (traditional and/or electronic) to obtain information on a topic
b. Use various information retrieval sources (traditional and/or electronic) to obtain information on a self-selected and/or given topic
b. Use various information retrieval sources (traditional and/or electronic) to obtain information on a self-selected and/or given topic
c. Use note taking, organizational strategies, and simple documentation of information to record and organize information
  • Participate in teacher-directed note-taking and organization of information
c. Select appropriate information for note taking and organizing information
  • Practice appropriate strategies for organizing information and/or taking notes
c. Use appropriate note taking procedures, organizational strategies, and proper documentation of sources of information
  • Appropriate strategies for taking notes
    • Appropriate strategies for organizing source information or notes
    • Information to include or exclude when using a note taking method
    • Advantages, disadvantages, or limitations of a given strategy or procedure for recording or organizing information
    • Advantages, disadvantages, or limitations of asources of information such as bias, accuracy, availability, variety currency
    • Use a recognized format for documentation such as MLA
d. Use information to fulfill a given purpose
d. Use information from two or more sources to fulfill a given purpose
d. Synthesize information from two or more sources to fulfill a self-selected or given purpose
e. Credit sources when paraphrasing and quoting to avoid plagiarism
e. Credit sources when paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting to avoid plagiarism
e. Use a recognized format to credit sources when paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting to avoid plagiarism
 

Indicators/objectives that include assessment limits are assessed on MSA *New Standards identifies the need for students to process 1 million words per year to maintain academic progress.

 

MSDE has developed a toolkit for these standards which can be found online at: http://mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/reading/vsc_toolkit.html.

 

11/15/07