Indiana State Standards for Language Arts: Grade 7

IN.1. Reading: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development: Students use their knowledge of word parts and word relationships, as well as context (the meaning of the text around a word), to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate words.

7.1.1. Vocabulary and Concept Development: Identify and understand idioms and comparisons - such as analogies, metaphors, and similes - in prose and poetry.

7.1.2. Vocabulary and Concept Development: Use knowledge of Greek, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon roots and word parts to understand subject-area vocabulary (science, social studies, and mathematics).

7.1.3. Vocabulary and Concept Development: Clarify word meanings through the use of definition, example, restatement, or through the use of contrast stated in the text.

IN.2. Reading: Comprehension and Analysis of Nonfiction and Informational Text: Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material.

7.2.1. Structural Features of Informational and Technical Materials: Understand and analyze the differences in structure and purpose between various categories of informational materials (such as textbooks, newspapers, and instructional or technical manuals).

7.2.2. Structural Features of Informational and Technical Materials: Locate information by using a variety of consumer and public documents.

7.2.3. Structural Features of Informational and Technical Materials: Analyze text that uses the cause-and-effect organizational pattern.

7.2.4. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Nonfiction and Informational Text: Identify and trace the development of an author's argument, point of view, or perspective in text.

7.2.5. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Nonfiction and Informational Text: Understand and explain the use of a simple mechanical device by following directions in a technical manual.

7.2.7. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Nonfiction and Informational Text: Draw conclusions and make reasonable statements about a text, supporting the conclusions and statements with evidence from the text.

7.2.8. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Nonfiction and Informational Text: Identify methods (such as repetition of words, biased or incomplete evidence) an author uses to persuade the reader.

7.2.9. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Nonfiction and Informational Text: Identify problems with an author's figures of speech and faulty logic or reasoning.

7.2.6. Expository (Informational) Critique: Assess the adequacy, accuracy, and appropriateness of the author's evidence to support claims and assertions, noting instances of bias and stereotyping.

7.2.10. Expository (Informational) Critique: Identify and explain instances of persuasion, propaganda, and faulty reasoning in text, such as unsupported or invalid premises or inferences and conclusions that do not follow the premise.

IN.3. Reading: Comprehension and Analysis of Literary Text: Students read and respond to grade-level-appropriate historically or culturally significant works of literature.

7.3.1. Structural Features of Literature: Discuss the purposes and characteristics of different forms of written text, such as the short story, the novel, the novella, and the essay.

7.3.2. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text: Identify events that advance the plot and determine how each event explains past or present action or foreshadows (provides clues to) future action.

7.3.3. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text: Analyze characterization as shown through a character's thoughts, words, speech patterns, and actions; the narrator's description; and the thoughts, words, and actions of other characters.

7.3.4. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text: Identify and analyze themes - such as bravery, loyalty, friendship, and loneliness - which appear in many different works.

7.3.5. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text: Contrast points of view - such as first person, third person, limited and omniscient, and subjective and objective - in a literary text and explain how they affect the overall theme of the work.

7.3.7. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text: Explain the effects of common literary devices, such as symbolism, imagery, or metaphor, in a variety of fictional texts.

7.3.8. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text: Analyze the influence of the setting on the problem and its resolution.

7.3.9. Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text: Analyze the relevance of setting (places, times, customs) to mood, tone, and meaning of text.

7.3.6. Literary Criticism: Compare reviews of literary works and determine what influenced the reviewer.

IN.4. Writing: Processes and Features: Students discuss, list, and graphically organize writing ideas. They write clear, coherent, and focused essays. Students progress through the stages of the writing process and proofread, edit, and revise writing.

7.4.1. Organization and Focus: Discuss ideas for writing, keep a list or notebook of ideas, and use graphic organizers to plan writing.

7.4.2. Organization and Focus: Create an organizational structure that balances all aspects of the composition and uses effective transitions between sentences to unify important ideas.

7.4.3. Organization and Focus: Support all statements and claims with anecdotes (first-person accounts), descriptions, facts and statistics, and specific examples.

7.4.4. Organization and Focus: Use strategies of note-taking, outlining, and summarizing to impose structure on composition drafts.

7.4.5. Research Process and Technology: Identify topics; ask and evaluate questions; and develop ideas leading to inquiry, investigation, and research.

7.4.6. Research Process and Technology: Give credit for both quoted and paraphrased information in a bibliography by using a consistent format for citations and understand the issues around copyright and plagiarism.

7.4.7. Research Process and Technology: Use a computer to create documents by using word-processing skills and publishing programs; develop simple databases and spreadsheets to manage information and prepare reports.

7.4.8. Evaluation and Revision: Review, evaluate, and revise writing for meaning and clarity.

7.4.9. Evaluation and Revision: Edit and proofread one's own writing, as well as that of others, using an editing checklist or set of rules, with specific examples of corrections of frequent errors.

7.4.10. Evaluation and Revision: Revise writing to improve organization and word choice after checking the logic of the ideas and the precision of the vocabulary.

IN.5. Writing: Applications (Different Types of Writing and Their Characteristics): At Grade 7 continue to write narrative, expository (informational), persuasive, and descriptive texts (research reports of 500 to 800 words or more). Students are introduced to biographical and autobiographical narratives and to writing summaries of grade-level-appropriate reading materials

7.5.1. Writing Processes and Features: Write biographical or autobiographical compositions that: develop a standard plot line - including a beginning, conflict, rising action, climax, and denouement (resolution) - and point of view; develop complex major and minor characters and a definite setting; use a range of appropriate strategies, such as dialogue; suspense; and the naming of specific narrative action, including movement, gestures, and expressions.

7.5.2. Writing Processes and Features: Write responses to literature that: develop interpretations that show careful reading, understanding, and insight; organize interpretations around several clear ideas, premises, or images from the literary work; support statements with evidence from the text.

7.5.4. Writing Processes and Features: Write persuasive compositions that: state a clear position or perspective in support of a proposition or proposal; describe the points in support of the proposition, employing well-articulated evidence and effective emotional appeals; anticipate and address reader concerns and counterarguments.

7.5.5. Writing Processes and Features: Write summaries of reading materials that: include the main ideas and most significant details; use the student's own words, except for quotations; reflect underlying meaning, not just the superficial details.

7.5.6. Writing Processes and Features: Use varied word choices to make writing interesting and more precise.

7.5.7. Writing Processes and Features: Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person, adjusting style and tone as necessary.

7.5.3. Research Application: Write or deliver a research report that has been developed using a systematic research process (defines the topic, gathers information, determines credibility, reports findings) and that: uses information from a variety of sources (books, technology, multimedia) and documents sources independently by using a consistent format for citations; demonstrates that information that has been gathered has been summarized and that the topic has been refined through this process; demonstrates that sources have been evaluated for accuracy, bias, and credibility; organizes information by categorizing and sequencing, and demonstrates the distinction between one's own ideas from the ideas of others, and includes a bibliography (Works Cited).

IN.6. Writing: English Language Conventions: Students write using Standard English conventions appropriate to the grade level.

7.6.1. Sentence Structure: Properly place modifiers (words or phrases that describe, limit, or qualify another word) and use the active voice (sentences in which the subject is doing the action) when wishing to convey a livelier effect.

7.6.10. Sentence Structure: Use simple, compound, and complex sentences; use effective coordination and subordination of ideas, including both main ideas and supporting ideas in single sentences, to express complete thoughts.

7.6.2. Grammar: Identify and use infinitives (the word to followed by the base form of a verb, such as to understand or to learn) and participles (made by adding -ing, -d, -ed, -n, -en, or -t to the base form of the verb, such as dreaming, chosen, built, and grown).

7.6.3. Grammar: Make clear references between pronouns and antecedents by placing the pronoun where it shows to what word it refers.

7.6.4. Grammar: Identify all parts of speech (verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections) and types and structure of sentences.

7.6.5. Grammar: Demonstrate appropriate English usage (such as pronoun reference).

7.6.6. Punctuation: Identify and correctly use hyphens (-), dashes (-), brackets ( [ ] ), and semicolons ( ; ).

7.6.7. Punctuation: Demonstrate the correct use of quotation marks and the use of commas with subordinate clauses.

7.6.8. Capitalization: Use correct capitalization.

7.6.9. Spelling: Spell correctly derivatives (words that come from a common base or root word) by applying the spellings of bases and affixes (prefixes and suffixes).

IN.7. Listening and Speaking: Skills, Strategies, and Applications: Deliver focused, coherent presentations that convey ideas clearly and relate to the background and interests of the audience.

7.7.1. Comprehension: Ask questions to elicit information, including evidence to support the speaker's claims and conclusions.

7.7.2. Comprehension: Determine the speaker's attitude toward the subject.

7.7.3. Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication: Organize information to achieve particular purposes and to appeal to the background and interests of the audience.

7.7.4. Arrange supporting details, reasons, descriptions, and examples effectively.

7.7.5. Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication: Use speaking techniques - including adjustments of tone, volume, and timing of speech; enunciation (clear speech); and eye contact - for effective presentations.

7.7.6. Analysis and Evaluation of Oral and Media Communications: Provide helpful feedback to speakers concerning the coherence and logic of a speech's content and delivery and its overall impact upon the listener.

7.7.7. Analysis and Evaluation of Oral and Media Communications: Analyze the effect on the viewer of images, text, and sound in electronic journalism; identify the techniques used to achieve the effects.

7.7.8. Speaking Applications: Deliver narrative presentations that: establish a context, standard plot line (with a beginning, conflict, rising action, climax, and resolution of the conflict), and point of view; describe major and minor characters and a definite setting; use a range of appropriate strategies to make the story engaging to the audience, including using dialogue and suspense and showing narrative action with movement, gestures, and expressions.

7.7.12. Speaking Applications: Deliver descriptive presentations that: establish a clear point of view on the subject of the presentation; establish the presenter's relationship with the subject of the presentation (whether the presentation is made as an uninvolved observer or by someone who is personally involved); contain effective, factual descriptions of appearance, concrete images, shifting perspectives, and sensory details.

7.7.9. Speaking Applications: Deliver oral summaries of articles and books that: include the main ideas and the most significant details; state ideas in own words, except for when quoted directly from sources; demonstrate a complete understanding of sources, not just superficial details.

7.7.10. Speaking Applications: Deliver research presentations that: pose relevant and concise questions about the topic; provide accurate information on the topic; include evidence generated through the formal research process, including the use of a card catalog, Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, computer databases, magazines, newspapers, and dictionaries; cite reference sources appropriately.

7.7.11. Speaking Applications: Deliver persuasive presentations that: state a clear position in support of an argument or proposal; describe the points in support of the proposal and include supporting evidence.