Colorado State Standards for Language Arts: Grade 7

CO.1. Oral Expression and Listening

1.1. Formal presentations require preparation and effective delivery. Students can:

1.1.a. Prepare for audience and purpose by ensuring proper length of presentation, suitable mode of dress, appropriate topic, and engaging content

1.1.b. Use visual aids to enhance presentation (such as charts, graphs, pictures, video, and electronic tools)

1.1.c. Apply effective speaking techniques such as eye contact, inflection, posture, appropriate gestures, tone, fluency, and facial expressions.

1.1.d. Implement strategies to rehearse presentation (such as memorizing key phrases, creating note cards, practicing with friends, etc.)

1.2. Small and large group discussions rely on active listening and the effective contributions of all participants. Students can:

1.2.a. Contribute ideas, listen respectfully, and consider the views of all participants

1.2.b. Ask probing questions to seek further elaboration and clarification of ideas

1.2.c. Paraphrase, summarize, or integrate ideas heard to answer questions or propose solutions

CO.2. Reading for All Purposes

2.1. Literary elements, characteristics, and ideas are interrelated and guide the comprehension of literary and fictional texts. Students can:

2.1.a. Identify and describe exposition, conflict, rising and falling action, climax and resolution within plot

2.1.b. Recognize the influence of setting on other narrative elements

2.1.c. Interpret characterization to describe nuances of character and how characters change in response to events in the plot

2.1.d. Identify concrete and abstract themes and describe connection to setting, character development and plot.

2.1.e. Interpret the meaning and describe the effects of literary devices and figurative language (sensory details, symbolism, foreshadowing, metaphor, hyperbole)

2.1.f. Make inferences and draw conclusions based on explicit and implied information

2.1.g. Provide relevant details to support the connections or judgments made about multiple texts (interpretive, analytical, or reflective)

2.1.h. Identify an author's use of specific genre elements and relate them to conventional characteristics of a variety of genres (such as science fiction, myths, poetry, and drama)

2.2. Informational and persuasive texts are summarized and evaluated. Students can:

2.2.a. Interpret a variety of graphical representations and connect them to information in the text

2.2.b. Organize and synthesize information from multiple sources, determining the relevance of information

2.2.c. Identify and paraphrase themes, key ideas, main ideas, and supporting ideas in texts

2.2.d. Analyze and explain the ways in which word choice and language structure convey an author's viewpoint

2.2.e. Distinguish fact from opinion in print and non-print media and provide supporting evidence for judgments made about multiple texts

2.2.f. Explain the way in which authors support messages and purposes in different texts

2.2.g. Evaluate informational and persuasive text

2.3. Purpose, tone, and meaning in word choices influence literary, persuasive, and informational texts. Students can:

2.3.a. Understand that language represents and constructs how readers perceive events, people, groups, and ideas; recognize positive and negative implications of language and identify how it can affect readers in different ways

2.3.b. Use the tone of a passage to determine an approximate meaning of a word

2.3.c. Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using knowledge of common Greek and Latin roots, suffixes, and prefixes

2.3.d. Differentiate between primary and secondary meanings of words

2.3.e. Determine pronunciations, meanings, alternate word choices, and parts of speech of words using dictionaries and thesauruses

CO.3. Writing and Composition

3.1. Composing literary and narrative texts that incorporate a range of stylistic devices demonstrates knowledge of genre features. Students can:

3.1.a. Use a variety of planning strategies to generate and organize ideas (such as brainstorming, mapping, graphic organizers)

3.1.b. Write using poetic techniques (alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme scheme, repetition); figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification); and graphic elements (capital letters, line length, word position) typical of the chosen genre

3.1.c. Use a range of appropriate genre features (engaging plot, dialogue, stanza breaks) to develop and organize texts

3.1.d. Establish a central idea, define a clear focus for each section of the text (paragraphs, verses), and use transitional words and phrases to link ideas and sections

3.1.e. Decide on the content and placement of descriptive and sensory details within the text to address the targeted audience and purpose

3.1.f. Revise writing to strengthen the clarity and vividness of voice, tone, and ideas

3.2. Organization is used when composing informational and persuasive texts. Students can:

3.2.a. Develop texts that explain a process; define a problem and offer a solution; or support an opinion

3.2.b. Generate support from a variety of primary or secondary sources, such as interviews, electronic resources, periodicals, and literary texts

3.2.c. Revise writing for a central idea, coherent supporting paragraphs, transitions, and an effective conclusion

3.2.d. Reach an authentic audience with a piece of informational or persuasive writing

3.2.e. Explain and imitate emotional appeals used by writers who are trying to persuade an audience

3.3. Editing writing for proper grammar, usage, mechanics, and clarity improves written work. Students can:

3.3.a. Use punctuation correctly (commas and parentheses to offset parenthetical elements; colons to introduce a list; and hyphens)

3.3.b. Write and punctuate compound and complex sentences correctly

3.3.c. Vary sentences using prepositional phrases, ensuring that subjects and verbs agree in the presence of intervening phrases

3.3.d. Use pronoun-antecedent agreement including indefinite pronouns

3.3.e. Write with consistent verb tense across paragraphs

3.3.f. Use adjectives and adverbs correctly in sentences to describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs

3.3.g. Combine sentences with coordinate conjunctions

3.3.h. Improve word choice by using a variety of references, such as a thesaurus

CO.4. Research and Reasoning

4.1. Answering a research question logically begins with obtaining and analyzing information from a variety of sources. Students can:

4.1.a. Identify a topic for research, developing the central idea or focus

4.1.b. Formulate open-ended research questions and identify potential sources of information (such as reference materials, electronic media), differentiating between primary and secondary source materials

4.1.c. Use organizational features of electronic text (bulletin boards, search engines, databases) to locate information

4.1.d. Evaluate accuracy and usefulness of information, and the credibility of the sources used

4.1.e. Collect, interpret, and analyze relevant information; identify direct quotes for use in the report and information to summarize or paraphrase that will support the thesis or research question

4.2. Logical information requires documented sources. Students can:

4.2.a. Synthesize information from multiple sources using logical organization, effective supporting evidence, and variety in sentence structure

4.2.b. Write reports based on research that includes quotations, footnotes, or endnotes, and use standard bibliographic format to document sources or a works cited page

4.2.c. Prepare presentation of research findings (written, oral, or a visual product) for clarity of content and effect, and grammatically correct use of language, spelling, and mechanics

4.3. Reasoned material is evaluated for its quality using both its logic and its use of a medium. Students can:

4.3.a. Identify low-credibility stories by noticing vested interests or passion associated with content

4.3.b. Obtain useful information from standard news stories

4.3.c. Identify the purpose(s) or agenda of media presentations

4.3.d. Consider alternative perspectives of media presentations

CO.5. Prepared Graduate Competencies in Reading, Writing, and Communicating: The preschool through twelfth-grade concepts and skills that all students who complete the Colorado education system must master to ensure their success in a postsecondary and workforce setting.

5.1. Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others, and contribute ideas to further the group's attainment of an objective

5.2. Deliver organized and effective oral presentations for diverse audiences and varied purposes

5.3. Use language appropriate for purpose and audience

5.4. Demonstrate skill in inferential and evaluative listening

5.5. Interpret how the structure of written English contributes to the pronunciation and meaning of complex vocabulary

5.6. Demonstrate comprehension of a variety of informational, literary, and persuasive texts

5.7. Evaluate how an author uses words to create mental imagery, suggest mood, and set tone

5.8. Read a wide range of literature (American and world literature) to understand important universal themes and the human experience

5.9. Seek feedback, self-assess, and reflect on personal learning while engaging with increasingly more difficult texts

5.10. Engage in a wide range of nonfiction and real-life reading experiences to solve problems, judge the quality of ideas, or complete daily tasks

5.11. Write with a clear focus, coherent organization, sufficient elaboration, and detail

5.12. Effectively use content-specific language, style, tone, and text structure to compose or adapt writing for different audiences and purposes

5.13. Apply standard English conventions to effectively communicate with written language

5.14. Implement the writing process successfully to plan, revise, and edit written work

5.15. Master the techniques of effective informational, literary, and persuasive writing

5.16. Discriminate and justify a position using traditional lines of rhetorical argument and reasoning

5.17. Articulate the position of self and others using experiential and material logic

5.18. Gather information from a variety of sources; analyze and evaluate the quality and relevance of the source; and use it to answer complex questions

5.19. Use primary, secondary, and tertiary written sources to generate and answer research questions

5.20. Evaluate explicit and implicit viewpoints, values, attitudes, and assumptions concealed in speech, writing, and illustration

5.21. Demonstrate the use of a range of strategies, research techniques, and persistence when engaging with difficult texts or examining complex problems or issues

5.22. Exercise ethical conduct when writing, researching, and documenting sources