Middle School Language Arts

Grade 6

 READING

Vocabulary and Concept Development

• Distinguish and interpret figurative language and multiple-meaning words (e.g., colloquial expression, idioms, metaphors)
• Use context clues to choose the correct meaning for given words or phrases
• Use root words to help define words in context

 Comprehension

• Develop a statement that best indicates the main idea of the reading selection
• Cite supporting details in text and provide information about characters and setting
• Examine explicit relationships such as cause and effect, sequence-time relationships, comparisons, classifications, and generalizations
• Identify an author’s point of view or perspective in text
• Determine whether there is support in the passage to draw a particular conclusion
• Determine if biases or stereotypes have influenced the conclusion
• Distinguish where an identified portion of a reading is fact or opinion

WRITING

Ideas and Content

• Provide a clear and identifiable purpose and main idea in writing
• Provides relevant supporting details
• Provides content and selected details that considers audience and purpose
• Uses resources, when appropriate, to provide accurate support

 Organization

• Develops a recognizable beginning that contains a clearly stated topic
• Develops a clearly sequenced body that is easy to follow with accurate placement of supporting details
• Develops a conclusion (end) that summarizes or retells and communicates a planned ending
• Uses transitional words or phrases that are clear

 Sentence Fluency

• Develops sentences that vary in length and beginnings
• Creates sentences that flow together and sound natural

 Word Choice

• Uses a variety of words that seem to fit the topic, audience, and purpose
• Experiments with new words and attempts to use language that interests the audience

 Writing Conventions

• Identify and use prepositional phrases as sentence expanders
• Recognize and avoid run-ons and fragments
• Identify and use quotes, commas, capitals, and semicolons
• Use grade appropriate spelling

 Forms of Writing (Modes)

• Use the writing process to write a story (e.g., apply process steps in writing: pre-write, write, revise, publish)
• Understands the six writing traits used by the State of Oregon to assess student writing (e.g., ideas and content, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, writing conventions, and voice)

 
LITERATURE

Literary Elements/Devices

• Recognize and examine how character, plot, setting, and theme contribute to the meaning of a literary selection
• Examine the uses and effects of literary devices such as figurative language, allusion, dialect, and dialogue in a literary selection

 Literary Forms

• Identify characteristics of literary forms (e.g., poem, rhyme, repetition of sounds, fewer words than prose)
• Distinguish between various literary forms (e.g., biography versus autobiography)

 
SPEAKING

• Convey clear, focused main ideas with accurate, relevant supporting details, including documentation of sources, appropriate to audience and purpose
• Demonstrate organization by developing a beginning, middle, and end and by providing clear sequencing of ideas and transitions
• Use descriptive and accurate words appropriate to audience and purpose
• Demonstrate control of eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, and gestures appropriate to audience and purpose

 Grade 7

 READING

Vocabulary and Concept Development

• Infer word meanings through identification and analysis of analogies and other word relationships (e.g., colloquial expressions, idioms, metaphors)
• Use knowledge of root words to understand content area vocabulary
• Use context clues to chose the correct meaning for given words or phrases

 Comprehension

• Identify the order of events form a specific event and/or a sequence of events
• Develop a statement that best indicates the main idea of the reading selection
• Determine and paraphrase details such as key words,  phrases, or sentences that explicitly state important  characteristics, circumstances or similarities and differences in characters, times or places
• Determine fact from opinion
• Identify and trace the development of an author’s argument, point of view or perspective in text
• Examine explicit relationships such as cause and effect, sequence-time relationships, comparison, classifications, and generalizations

 
WRITING

Ideas and Content

• Provide a clear and identifiable purpose and main idea in writing
• Provides relevant supporting details
• Provides content and selected details that considers audience and purpose
• Uses resources, when appropriate, to provide accurate support

Organization

• Develops a recognizable beginning that contains a clearly stated topic
• Develops a clearly sequenced body that is easy to follow with accurate placement of supporting details
• Develops a conclusion (end) that summarizes or retells and communicates a planned ending
• Uses transitional words or phrases that are clear

 Sentence Fluency

• Develops sentences that vary in length and beginnings ·  Creates sentences that flow together and sound natural
• Experiments with new words and attempts to use language that interests the audience
• Attempts to include originality, liveliness, and humor

 Conventions

• Identify and use prepositional phrases as sentence expanders
• Recognize and avoid run-ons and fragments
• Use consistent point of view (first, second, or third person)
• Identify and use transitional devices
• Identify and use quotes, commas, capitals, and semicolons
• Use grade appropriate spelling

 Forms of Writing (Modes)

• Use the writing process to write a story (e.g., apply process steps in writing: pre-write, write, revise, publish)
• Understands the six writing traits used by the State of Oregon to assess student writing (e.g., ideas and content, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, writing conventions, and voice)
• Write using expository (giving information), imaginative (presenting an inventive story or information), and persuasive (convincing the reader of a point of view or to take a specific action) modes

 
LITERATURE

Literary Elements/Devices

• Recognize and examine how character, plot, setting, and theme contribute to the meaning of a literary selection
• Examine the uses and effects of literary devices such as figurative language, allusion, dialect, and dialogue in a literary selection

 Literary Forms

• Identify characteristics of literary forms (e.g., poem, rhyme, repetition of sounds, fewer words than prose)
• Distinguish between various literary forms (e.g., biography versus autobiography)

 
SPEAKING

• Convey clear, focused main ideas with accurate, relevant supporting details, including documentation of sources, appropriate to audience and purpose
• Demonstrate organization by developing a beginning, middle, and end and by providing clear sequencing of ideas and transitions 
• Use descriptive and accurate words appropriate to audience and purpose
• Demonstrate control of eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, and gestures appropriate to audience and purpose

Grade 8

 READING

Vocabulary and Concept Development

• Use idioms, analogies, metaphors and similes to infer the literal and figurative meanings of phrases (colloquial expressions, idioms, metaphors)
• Use root words to choose the correct meaning for given words or phrases

 Comprehension

• Identify the order of events from a specific event and/or a sequence of events
• Develop a thesis statement that best indicates the main idea of the reading selection
• Determine fact from opinion text
• Identify and trace the development of an author’s argument, point of view or perspective in text
• Examine explicit relationships such as cause and effect, sequence-time relationships, comparison, classifications, and generalizations
• Predict probable future outcomes or actions in reading selections
• Determine whether the information used to draw the conclusion is accurate
• Determine whether biases or stereotypes influenced the conclusion
• Evaluate the coherence, logic, internal consistency and organizational patterns of text
• Determine fact from opinion in text
• Determine if the conclusion can be related to other issues or situations

 
WRITING

Ideas and Content

• Provide a clear and identifiable purpose and main idea in writing
• Provides relevant supporting details
• Provides content and selected details that considers audience and purpose
• Uses resources, when appropriate, to provide accurate support

 Organization

• Develops a recognizable beginning that contains a clearly stated topic 
• Develops a clearly sequenced body that is easy to follow with accurate placement of supporting details
• Develops a conclusion (end) that summarizes or retells and communicates a planned ending
• Uses transitional words or phrases that are clear

 Sentence Fluency

• Develops sentences that vary in length and beginnings
• Creates sentences that flow together and sound natural

 Word Choice

• Uses a variety of words that seem to fit the topic, audience, and purpose
• Experiments with new words and attempts to use language that interests the audience

 Voice

• Attempts to include originality, liveliness, and humor

 Writing Conventions

• Uses consistent verb tenses
• Identify and use prepositional phrases as sentence expanders
• Recognize and avoid run-ons and fragments
• Use consistent point of view (first, second, or third person)
• Identify and use transitional devices
• Use grade appropriate spelling
• Identify and use possessives
• Use apostrophes appropriately
• Identify dependent and independent clauses

 Forms of Writing (Modes)

• Use the writing process to write a story (e.g., apply process steps in writing: pre-write, write, revise, publish)
• Understands the six writing traits used by the State of Oregon to assess student writing (e.g., ideas and content, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, writing conventions, and voice)
• Write using expository (giving information), imaginative (presenting an inventive story or information), and persuasive (convincing the reader of a point of view or to take a specific action) modes

 
LITERATURE

Literary Elements/Devices

• Recognize and examine how character, plot, setting, and theme contribute to the meaning of a literary selection
• Examine the uses and effects of literary devices such as figurative language, allusion, dialect, and dialogue in a literary selection
• Examine how stylistic decisions (e.g., structure, point of view, word choice, exaggerations) contribute to the impact of a literary selection

 Literary Forms

• Identify characteristics of literary forms (e.g., poem, rhyme, repetition of sounds, fewer words than prose)
• Distinguish between various literary forms (e.g., biography versus autobiography)

 Locating Information

• Use tables of contents and indexes to locate specific information
• Use information in illustrations, charts, graphs, and diagrams to help understand a reading passage
• Use a glossary to locate words and/or help clarify word meaning
• Use headings to locate where needed information is likely to be found

 
SPEAKING

• Convey clear, focused main ideas with accurate, relevant supporting details, including documentation of sources, appropriate to audience and purpose
• Demonstrate organization by developing a beginning, middle, and end and by providing clear sequencing of ideas and transitions
• Use descriptive and accurate words appropriate to audience and purpose
• Demonstrate control of eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, and gestures appropriate to audience and purpose

• Pre-K
• Kindergarten
• 1st Grade
• 2nd Grade
• 3rd Grade
• 4th Grade
• 5th Grade
• 6th-8th Social Studies
• 6th-8th Math
• 6th-8th Science
• 6th-8th Language Arts
• 6th-8th Religion