New York State Standards for Language Arts: Grade 9

NY.1. Reading: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

1.1. Locate and use school and public library resources for information and research (define a purpose for reading by asking questions about what they need to know for their research)

1.2. Use specialized reference sources, such as glossaries and directories

1.3. Read and follow written, complex directions and procedures to solve problems and accomplish tasks (demonstrate task awareness by employing flexible strategies)

1.4. Skim texts to gain an overall impression and scan texts for particular information (focus on key words and phrases to generate research questions)

1.5. Recognize the defining features and structures of informational texts

1.6. Interpret and evaluate data, facts, and ideas in informational texts, such as national newspapers, online and electronic databases, and websites

1.7. Identify and evaluate the validity of informational sources, with assistance

1.8. Distinguish verifiable statement from hypothesis, and assumption and facts from opinion, with assistance

1.9. Analyze information from different sources by making connections and showing relationships to other texts, such as biographies and autobiographies (employ a range of post-reading practices)

NY.2. Reading: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.

2.1. Read, view, and interpret texts and performances in every medium from a wide variety of authors, subjects, and genres; e.g., short stories, novels, plays, film and video productions, poems, and essays (build background by activating prior knowledge through questioning what they already know about the form in which the story is presented and the period in which it was written)

2.2. Read, view, and respond independently to literary works that represent a range of social, historical, and cultural perspectives

2.3. Recognize a range of literary elements and techniques, such as figurative language, allegory, irony, symbolism, and stream of consciousness, and use these elements to interpret the work (check for understanding of texts by engaging in oral reading activities, such as read-arounds, to identify and provide effective examples of literary elements)

2.4. Distinguish between different forms of poetry, such as sonnet, lyric, elegy, narrative, epic, and ode

2.5. Compare a film, video, or stage version of a literary work with the written version

2.6. Read literary texts aloud to convey an interpretation of the work (engage in a variety of shared reading experiences, such as choral reading and reader's theatre)

2.7. Read works with a common theme and compare the treatment of that theme by different authors

2.8. Interpret multiple levels of meaning in text

2.9. Recognize relevance of literature to personal events and situations

NY.3. Reading: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

3.1. Form opinions and make judgments about the accuracy of information and personal texts

3.2. Generate a list of significant questions to assist with analysis of text

3.3. Analyze and evaluate nonfiction texts (determine the significance and reliability of information)

3.4. Analyze and evaluate nonfiction texts (focus on key words/phrases that signal that the text is heading in a particular direction)

3.5. Analyze and evaluate poetry to recognize the use and effect of rhythm, rhyme, and sound pattern

3.6. Analyze and evaluate poetry to recognize the use and effect of repetition

3.7. Analyze and evaluate poetry to recognize the use and effect of differences between language of the poem and everyday language of readers

3.8. Engage in oral reading activities, such as read-arounds, to identify and provide effective examples of poetic elements

3.9. Analyze and evaluate fiction, including the development of a central idea or theme

3.10. Analyze and evaluate fiction, including the development of characters and their actions

3.11. Analyze and evaluate fiction, including the elements of the plot, such as conflict, climax, and resolution

3.12. Analyze and evaluate fiction, including the significance of the title

3.13. Form opinions and make judgments about literary works, by analyzing and evaluating texts from a critical perspective

3.14. Select, reject, and reconcile ideas and information in light of prior knowledge and experiences

NY.4. Reading: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.

4.1. Share reading experiences with a peer or adult; for example, read together silently or aloud or discuss reactions to texts

4.2. Consider the age, gender, social position, and cultural traditions of the writer

4.3. Recognize the types of language (e.g., informal vocabulary, culture-specific terminology, jargon, colloquialisms, email conventions) that are appropriate to social communication

1.10. Use charts, graphs, or diagrams to illustrate informational text

1.11. Use the language of research, such as documentation, source, note, paraphrase, citation, and bibliography

1.12. Maintain a portfolio that includes informational writing

4.4. Identify and model the social communication techniques of published authors

4.5. Distinguish between the conventions of academic writing and the conventions of email

4.6. Maintain a portfolio that includes writing for social interaction

4.7. Adopt the conventions of email to establish friendly tone in electronic-based social communication

4.8. Respond respectfully