Colorado State Standards for Language Arts: Grade 9

CO.1. Oral Expression and Listening

1.1. Oral presentations require effective preparation strategies. Students can:

1.1.a. Give formal and informal talks to various audiences for various purposes using appropriate level of formality and rhetorical devices

1.1.b. Use verbal and nonverbal techniques to communicate information

1.1.c. Define a position and select evidence to support that position

1.1.d. Develop a well-organized presentation to defend a position

1.1.e. Use effective audience and oral delivery skills to persuade an audience

1.2. Listening critically to comprehend a speaker's message requires mental and physical strategies to direct and maintain attention. Students can:

1.2.a. Follow the speaker's arguments as they develop; take notes when appropriate

1.2.b. Give verbal and nonverbal feedback to the speaker

1.2.c. Ask clarifying questions

1.2.d. Evaluate arguments and evidence

1.2.e. Explain how variables such as background knowledge, experiences, values, and beliefs can affect communication

CO.2. Reading for All Purposes

2.1. Increasingly complex literary elements in traditional and contemporary works of literature require scrutiny and comparison. Students can:

2.1.a. Analyze character types, including dynamic/round character, static/flat character, stereotype, and caricature

2.1.b. Explain the relationships among elements of literature: characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme

2.1.c. Identify the characteristics that distinguish literary forms and genres

2.1.d. Examine the ways in which works of literature are related to the issues and themes of their historical periods

2.1.e. Use literary terms to describe and analyze selections

2.2. Increasingly complex informational texts require mature interpretation and study. Students can:

2.2.a. Identify the intended effects of rhetorical strategies the author uses to influence readers' perspectives

2.2.b. Evaluate clarity and accuracy of information through close text study and investigation via other sources

2.2.c. Describe how the organizational structure and text features support the meaning and purpose of the text

2.2.d. Use flexible reading and note-taking strategies (outlining, mapping systems, skimming, scanning, key word search) to organize information and make connections within and across informational texts

2.2.e. Critique author's choice of expository, narrative, persuasive, or descriptive modes to convey a message

CO.3. Writing and Composition

3.1. Literary and narrative texts develop a controlling idea or theme with descriptive and expressive language. Students can:

3.1.a. Write well-focused texts with an explicit or implicit theme and details that contribute to a definite point of view and tone

3.1.b. Organize paragraphs or stanzas to present ideas clearly and purposefully for a specific audience

3.1.c. Write literary and narrative texts using a range of poetic techniques, figurative language, and graphic elements to engage or entertain the intended audience

3.1.d. Refine the expression of voice and tone in a text by selecting and using appropriate vocabulary, sentence structure, and sentence organization

3.1.e. Review and revise ideas and development in substantive ways to improve the depth of ideas and vividness of supporting details

3.1.f. Explain strengths and weaknesses of own writing and the writing of others using criteria (e.g., checklists, scoring guides)

3.2. Informational and persuasive texts develop a topic and establish a controlling idea or thesis with relevant support. Students can:

3.2.a. Develop texts that define or classify a topic

3.2.b. Use appropriate rhetorical appeals and genre to engage and guide the intended audience

3.2.c. Arrange paragraphs into a logical progression

3.2.d. Anticipate and address readers' biases and expectations

3.2.e. Revise ideas and structure to improve depth of information and logic of organization

3.2.f. Explain and imitate emotional, logical, and ethical appeals used by writers who are trying to persuade an audience

3.3. Writing for grammar, usage, mechanics, and clarity requires ongoing refinements and revisions. Students can:

3.3.a. Use punctuation correctly (semi-colons with conjunctive adverbs to combine clauses; colons for emphasis and to introduce a list).

3.3.b. Identify comma splices and fused sentences in writing and revise to eliminate them

3.3.c. Distinguish between phrases and clauses and use this knowledge to write varied, strong, correct, complete sentences

3.3.d. Use various reference tools to vary word choice and make sure words are spelled correctly

CO.4. Research and Reasoning

4.1. Informational materials, including electronic sources, need to be collected, evaluated, and analyzed for accuracy, relevance, and effectiveness for answering research questions. Students can:

4.1.a. Integrate information from different sources to research and complete a project

4.1.b. Integrate information from different sources to form conclusions about an author's assumptions, biases, credibility, cultural and social perspectives, or world views

4.1.c. Judge the usefulness of information based on relevance to purpose, source, objectivity, copyright date, cultural and world perspective (such as editorials), and support the decision

4.1.d. Examine materials to determine appropriate primary and secondary sources to use for investigating a question, topic, or issue (e.g., library databases, print and electronic encyclopedia and other reference materials, pamphlets, book excerpts, online and print newspaper and magazine articles, letters to an editor, digital forums, oral records, research summaries, scientific and trade journals)

4.2. Effective problem-solving strategies require high-quality reasoning. Students can:

4.2.a. Analyze the purpose, question at issue, information, points of view, implications and consequences, inferences, assumptions and concepts inherent in thinking

4.2.b. Assess strengths and weaknesses of their thinking and thinking of others by using criteria including relevance, clarity, accuracy, fairness, significance, depth, breadth, logic and precision

4.2.c. Implement a purposeful and articulated process to solve a problem

4.2.d. Monitor and reflect on the rationale for, and effectiveness of, choices made throughout the problem-solving process

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