Maryland State Standards for Language Arts: Grade 6

MD.1.0. General Reading Processes: Fluency: Students will read orally with accuracy and expression at a rate that sounds like speech.

1.C.1. Fluency: Read orally at an appropriate rate

1.C.1.a. Read familiar text at a rate that is conversational and consistent

1.C.2. Fluency: Read grade-level text with both high accuracy and appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression

1.C.2.a. Apply knowledge of word structures and patterns to read with automaticity

1.C.2.b.1. Demonstrate appropriate use of phrasing: Use punctuation cues to guide meaning and expression

1.C.2.b.2. Demonstrate appropriate use of phrasing: Use pacing and intonation (emphasis on certain words) to convey meaning and expression

1.C.2.b.3. Demonstrate appropriate use of phrasing: Adjust intonation and pitch (rise and fall of spoken voice) appropriately

1.C.2.b.4. Demonstrate appropriate use of phrasing: Attend to sentence patterns and structures that signal meaning in text

1.C.2.c. Increase sight words read fluently

1.D.1. Vocabulary: Develop and apply vocabulary through exposure to a variety of texts

1.D.1.a. Acquire new vocabulary through listening to, independently reading, and discussing a variety of literary and informational texts

1.D.1.b. Discuss words and word meanings daily as they are encountered in text, instruction, and conversation

1.D.2. Vocabulary: Apply a conceptual understanding of new words

1.D.2.a. Classify and categorize increasingly complex words into sets and groups

1.D.2.b. Explain relationships between and among words (Assessment limits: Antonyms and synonyms; Concept hierarchies; Multiple meaning words; Specialized use of vocabulary in specific content areas)

1.D.3. Vocabulary: Understand, acquire, and use new vocabulary

1.D.3.a. Use context to determine the meanings of words (Assessment limits: Above grade-level words used in context; Words with multiple meanings; Connotations versus denotations; Grade-appropriate idioms, colloquialisms, and figurative expressions)

1.D.3.b. Use word structure to determine the meaning of words (Assessment limits: Prefixes and suffixes; Grade-appropriate roots and base words; Grade-appropriate compound words; Grade-appropriate inflectional endings)

1.D.3.c. Use resources to confirm definitions and gather further information about words (Assessment limits: Electronic and/or print dictionaries; Thesauruses; Other grade-appropriate resources)

1.D.3.d. Use new vocabulary in speaking and writing to gain and extend content knowledge and clarify expression

1.E.1. General Reading Comprehension: Develop and apply comprehension skills through exposure to a variety of texts, including traditional print and electronic texts

1.E.1.a. Listen to critically, read, and discuss texts representing diversity in content, culture, authorship, and perspective, including areas, such as race, gender, disability, religion, and socio-economic background

1.E.1.b. Read a minimum of 25 self-selected and/or assigned books or book equivalents representing various genres

1.E.1.c. Discuss reactions to and ideas/information gained from reading experiences with adults and peers in both formal and informal situations

1.E.2. General Reading Comprehension: Use strategies to prepare for reading (before reading)

1.E.2.a. Survey and preview the text

1.E.2.b. Set a purpose for reading the text

1.E.2.c. Make predictions and ask questions about the text

1.E.2.d. Make connections to the text from prior knowledge and experiences

1.E.3. General Reading Comprehension: Use strategies to make meaning from text (during reading)

1.E.3.a. Reread the difficult parts slowly and carefully

1.E.3.b. Use own words to restate the difficult part

1.E.3.c. Read on and revisit the difficult part

1.E.3.d. Skim the text to search for connections between and among ideas

1.E.3.e. Make, confirm, or adjust predictions

1.E.3.f. Periodically summarize while reading

1.E.3.g. Periodically paraphrase important ideas or information

1.E.3.h. Visualize what was read for deeper understanding

1.E.3.i. Use a graphic organizer or another note-taking technique to record important ideas or information

1.E.3.j. Explain personal connections to the ideas or information in the text

1.E.4. General Reading Comprehension: Use strategies to demonstrate understanding of the text (after reading)

1.E.4.a. Identify and explain the main idea (Assessment limit: In the text or a portion of the text)

1.E.4.b. Identify and explain what is directly stated in the text (Assessment limit: Main ideas, supporting details and other information stated in the text or a portion of the text)

1.E.4.c. Identify and explain what is not directly stated in the text by drawing inferences (Assessment limit: Implied information from the text or a portion of the text)

1.E.4.d. Draw conclusions or make generalizations about the text (Assessment limit: Stated or implied information from the text)

1.E.4.e. Confirm, refute, or make predictions and form new ideas (Assessment limit: Stated and/or implied information from the text)

1.E.4.f. Paraphrase the main idea (Assessment limit: Complete text or a portion of the text)

1.E.4.g. Summarize (Assessment limit: The text or a portion of the text)

1.E.4.h. Connect the text to prior knowledge or personal experience (Assessment limit: Prior knowledge or experience that clarifies, extends, or challenges the ideas and/or information in the text)

MD.2.0. Comprehension of Informational Text: Students will read, comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate informational text.

2.A.1. Comprehension of Informational Text: Develop and apply comprehension skills by reading a variety of self-selected and assigned print and electronic informational texts

2.A.1.a. Read, use, and identify the characteristics of nonfiction materials to gain information and content knowledge (Assessment limits: Textbooks; Appropriate reference materials; Research and historical documents; Personal narratives; Diaries and journals; Biographies; Newspapers; Letters; Articles; Web sites other online materials; Other appropriate content-specific texts)

2.A.1.b. Read, use, and identify the characteristics of functional documents (Assessment limits: Sets of directions; Science investigations; Atlases; Posters; Flyers; Forms; Instructional manuals; Menus; Pamphlets; Rules; Invitations; Recipes; Advertisements; Other functional documents)

2.A.1.c. Select and read to gain information from personal interest materials, such as brochures, books, magazines, cookbooks, catalogs, and web sites

2.A.2. Comprehension of Informational Text: Identify and use text features to facilitate understanding of informational texts

2.A.2.a. Use print features (Assessment limits: Large bold print; Font size/type; Italics; Colored print; Quotation marks; Underlining; Other print features encountered in informational texts)

2.A.2.b. Use graphic aids (Assessment limits: Illustrations; Photographs; Drawings; Sketches; Cartoons; Maps (key, scale, legend); Graphs; Charts/tables; Diagrams; Other graphic aids encountered in informational texts)

2.A.2.c. Use informational aids (Assessment limits: Introductions and overviews; Materials lists; Timelines; Captions; Glossed words; Labels; Numbered steps; Bulleted lists; Footnoted words; Pronunciation key; Transition words; End notes; Works cited; Other informational aids encountered in informational texts)

2.A.2.d. Use organizational aids (Assessment limits: Titles, chapter titles, and subtitles; Headings, subheadings; Tables of content; Numbered steps; Glossaries; Indices; Transition words; Other organizational aids encountered in informational texts)

2.A.2.e. Use online features (Assessment limits: URLs; Hypertext links; Sidebars; Drop down menus; Home pages; Site maps; Other features characteristic of online text)

2.A.2.f. Identify and explain the contributions of text features to supporting the main idea of the text (Assessment limit: Connections between text features and meaning)

2.A.3. Comprehension of Informational Text: Develop and apply knowledge of organizational structure of informational text to facilitate understanding

2.A.3.a. Identify and analyze the organizational patterns of texts (Assessment limits: Sequential and chronological order; Cause/effect; Problem/solution; Similarities/differences; Description; Main idea and supporting details; Transition or signal words and phrases that suggest a specific organizational pattern)

2.A.3.b. Explain the contribution of the organizational pattern (Assessment limits: Connections between the organizational pattern and meaning; Connections between the organizational pattern and the author's/text's purpose)

2.A.4. Comprehension of Informational Text: Determine and analyze important ideas and messages in informational texts

2.A.4.a. Identify and explain the author's/text's purpose and intended audience (Assessment limits: Purpose of the author or the text or a portion of the text; Connections between the text and the intended audience)

2.A.4.b. Identify and explain the author's opinion (Assessment limit: Texts or portions of texts in which the author's opinion is evident)

2.A.4.c. State and support main ideas and messages (Assessment limit: The whole text or a portion of the text)

2.A.4.d. Summarize or paraphrase (Assessment limit: The text or a portion of the text)

2.A.4.e. Identify and explain information not related to the main idea (Assessment limit: Information in the text that is peripheral to the main idea)

2.A.4.f. Explain relationships between and among ideas (Assessment limits: Comparison/contrast; Cause/effect; Sequence/chronology; Relationships between and among ideas in one or more texts; Relationships between and among ideas and prior knowledge in one or more texts)

2.A.4.g. Synthesize ideas from text (Assessment limit: From one text or across multiple texts)

2.A.4.h. Distinguish between a fact and an opinion (Assessment limit: In one or more texts)

2.A.4.i. Explain how someone might use the text (Assessment limit: Application of the text for personal use or content-specific use)

2.A.4.j. Connect the text to prior knowledge or experience (Assessment limit: Prior knowledge that clarifies, extends, or challenges the ideas in the text or a portion of the text)

2.A.5. Comprehension of Informational Text: Analyze purposeful use of language

2.A.5.a. Analyze specific words or phrases that contribute to the meaning of a text (Assessment limits: Significant words and phrases with a specific effect on meaning; Figurative language; Idioms; Connotations of grade-appropriate words; Technical or content vocabulary; Denotations of above-grade-level words in context)

2.A.5.b. Analyze specific language choices that create tone (Assessment limits: Specific words or phrases that create tone; Tone in the text or a portion of the text)

2.A.5.c. Analyze the effect of repetition of words and phrases on meaning (Assessment limits: Repetition used to emphasize important ideas or information in the text; Connections between repetition and meaning)

2.A.6. Comprehension of Informational Text: Read critically to evaluate informational text

2.A.6.a. Explain whether the text fulfills the reading purpose (Assessment limit: Connections between the content of the text and the purpose for reading)

2.A.6.b. Analyze changes or additions to the structure and features of the text that would make the text easier to understand (Assessment limits: Connections between effectiveness of format and text features in clarifying the main idea of the text; Connections between effectiveness of organizational pattern and clarity of the main idea)

2.A.6.c. Analyze the text and its information for reliability (Assessment limits: Connections between the credentials of the author and the information in the text; Factual basis of the information in the text; Currency of the information in the text

2.A.6.d. Determine and explain whether or not the author's argument or position is presented fairly (Assessment limits: Connections between the main idea and the reader's understanding; Evidence of equal treatment of opposing points of view)

2.A.6.e. Identify and explain information not included in the text (Assessment limits: Information that would enhance or clarify the reader's understanding of the main idea of the text or a portion of the text; Connections between the main idea and information not included in the text)

2.A.6.f. Identify and explain language and other techniques intended to persuade the reader (Assessment limits: Significant words and phrases that have an emotional appeal; Effectiveness of words and phrases used to persuade the reader)

MD.3.0. Comprehension of Literary Text: Students will read, comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate literary texts.

3.A.1. Comprehension of Literary Text: Develop and apply comprehension skills by reading and analyzing a variety of self-selected and assigned literary texts

3.A.1.a. Listen to critically, read, and discuss a variety of literary texts representing diverse cultures, perspectives, ethnicities, and time periods

3.A.1.b. Listen to critically, read, and discuss a variety of literary forms and genres

3.A.2. Comprehension of Literary Text: Analyze text features to facilitate understanding of literary texts

3.A.2.a. Identify and explain how organizational aids contribute to meaning (Assessment limits: Title of the book, story, poem, or play; Titles of chapters; Subtitles, subheadings)

3.A.2.b. Identify and explain how graphic aids contribute to meaning (Assessment limits: Illustrations; Punctuation; Print features)

3.A.2.c. Identify and explain how informational aids contribute to meaning (Assessment limits: Footnoted words and phrases; Biographical information about the author; Introductions, photographs, etc.)

3.A.3. Comprehension of Literary Text: Analyze elements of narrative texts to facilitate understanding and interpretation

3.A.3.a. Identify and distinguish among types of narrative texts (Assessment limits: Short stories, folklore, realistic fiction, science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, essays, biographies, autobiographies, personal narratives; Plays; Poetry)

3.A.3.b. Analyze the conflict and the events of the plot (Assessment limits: Narrative text with exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution; Internal and/or external conflicts or conflicts between characters and external forces)

3.A.3.c. Analyze details that provide information about the setting, the mood created by the setting, and ways in which the setting affects characters (Assessment limits: Immediate time and place of the action as well as its larger context; Connections among the characters, the setting, and the mood)

3.A.3.d. Analyze characterization (Assessment limits: What characters say, do, and think; Characters' motivations; What other characters say about them; How other characters react to them)

3.A.3.e. Analyze relationships between and among characters, setting, and events (Assessment limits: Connections between and among characters; Connections between and among situations; Cause/effect relationships between characters' actions and the results of those actions; Cause/effect relationships between and among situations and events)

3.A.3.f. Identify and explain how the actions of the character(s) affect the plot (Assessment limit: Connections between the actions of the characters and the outcome of the plot)

3.A.3.g. Analyze conflicts that motivate characters and those that advance the plot (Assessment limits: Conflicts that affect characters' actions; Conflicts that advance the action of the plot)

3.A.3.h. Identify and explain the author's approach to issues of time in a narrative (Assessment limit: Flashback)

3.A.3.i. Identify and explain the point of view (Assessment limits: Narrator of the story; speaker of the poem; Connections between point of view and meaning)

3.A.4. Comprehension of Literary Text: Analyze elements of poetry to facilitate understanding and interpretation

3.A.4.a. Use structural features to distinguish among types of poems (Assessment limit: Types of poems, such as haiku, form/shape poetry, cinquain, etc.)

3.A.4.b. Identify and explain the meaning of words, lines, and stanzas (Assessment limits: Specific meaning of words, lines and/or stanzas; Speaker versus the poet)

3.A.4.c. Identify and explain how sound elements of poetry contribute to meaning (Assessment limits: Rhyme, rhyme scheme; Rhythm; Alliteration, assonance, consonance; Onomatopoeia; Connections between sound elements and meaning)

3.A.4.d. Identify and explain other poetic elements, such as setting, mood, tone, etc. that contribute to meaning

3.A.5. Comprehension of Literary Text: Analyze elements of drama to facilitate understanding

3.A.5.a. Use structural features to distinguish among types of plays (Assessment limits: Cast, stage directions; Acts, scenes, prologues; Production notes)

3.A.5.b. Identify and explain the action of scenes and acts (Assessment limits: Specific actions and events that occur in one or more scenes; Interrelationships of scenes and acts to advance the action)

3.A.5.c. Identify and explain how stage directions create character and movement (Assessment limit: Connections between the stage directions and the physical movement of the characters)

3.A.5.d. Identify and explain stage directions and dialogue that help to create character (Assessment limit: Connections among the stage directions, the character's lines, and how the character delivers those lines)

3.A.6. Comprehension of Literary Text: Determine important ideas and messages in literary texts

3.A.6.a. Analyze main ideas and universal themes (Assessment limits: In the text or a portion of the text; Literal versus interpretive meanings of a text or a portion of text; Experiences, emotions, issues, and ideas in a text that give rise to universal themes; Message, moral, or lesson learned from the text)

3.A.6.b. Analyze similar themes across multiple texts (Assessment limit: Messages, morals, or lessons learned across texts)

3.A.6.c. Paraphrase the text (Assessment limit: Restatement of the text or a portion of the text in student's own words)

3.A.6.d. Summarize (Assessment limit: The text or a portion of the text)

3.A.6.e. Identify and explain personal connections to the text (Assessment limit: Connections between personal experiences and the theme or main ideas)

3.A.6.f. Explain the implications of the text for the reader and/or society (Assessment limit: Ideas and issues of a text that may have implications for the reader)

3.A.7. Comprehension of Literary Text: Analyze the author's purposeful use of language

3.A.7.a. Analyze specific words and phrases that contribute to meaning (Assessment limits: Significant words and phrases with a specific effect on meaning; Denotations of above grade-level words used in context; Connotations of grade-appropriate words and phrases in context; Multiple meaning words; Idioms and colloquialisms)

3.A.7.b. Analyze words and phrases that create tone (Assessment limits: Specific words and phrases that create tone; Tone in the text or a portion of the text)

3.A.7.c. Identify and explain figurative language that contributes to meaning (Assessment limits: Figurative language in increasingly complex text; Connections between figurative language and meaning)

3.A.7.d. Analyze how sensory language contributes to meaning (Assessment limits: Specific words and phrases that create sensory images; Connections among sensory language, images, and meaning)

3.A.7.e. Analyze how repetition and exaggeration contribute to meaning (Assessment limit: Connections between repetition and/or exaggeration and meaning)

3.A.8. Comprehension of Literary Text: Read critically to evaluate literary texts

3.A.8.a. Determine and explain the plausibility of the characters' actions and the plot (Assessment limits: Connections between how characters are portrayed and the plausibility of their actions; Connections among the plot, the characters, and the plausibility of the outcome)

3.A.8.b. Identify and explain questions left unanswered by the text (Assessment limit: Questions and predictions about events, situations, and conflicts that might occur if the text were continued)

3.A.8.c. Identify and explain the relationship between a literary text and its historical and/or social context (Assessment limits: Connections between the text and its historical setting; Connections between the text and its social context)

3.A.8.d. Identify and explain the relationship between the structure and the purpose of the text (Assessment limit: In the text or a portion of the text)

MD.4.0. Writing: Students will compose in a variety of modes by developing content, employing specific forms, and selecting language appropriate for a particular audience and purpose.

4.A.1. Writing: Compose texts using the prewriting and drafting strategies of effective writers and speakers

4.A.1.a.1. Use a variety of self-selected prewriting strategies to generate, select, narrow, and develop ideas: Evaluate topics for personal relevance, scope, and feasibility

4.A.1.a.2. Use a variety of self-selected prewriting strategies to generate, select, narrow, and develop ideas: Begin a coherent plan for developing ideas

4.A.1.a.3. Use a variety of self-selected prewriting strategies to generate, select, narrow, and develop ideas: Explore and evaluate relevant sources of information

4.A.1.b.1. Select, organize, and develop ideas appropriate to topic, audience, and purpose: Organize information logically

4.A.1.b.2. Select, organize, and develop ideas appropriate to topic, audience, and purpose: Use effective organizational structures

4.A.1.b.3. Select, organize, and develop ideas appropriate to topic, audience, and purpose: Select or eliminate information as appropriate

4.A.1.b.4. Select, organize, and develop ideas appropriate to topic, audience, and purpose: Verify the effectiveness of paragraph development by modifying topic, support, and concluding sentences as necessary

4.A.2. Writing: Compose oral, written, and visual presentations that express personal ideas, inform, and persuade

4.A.2.a. Compose to express personal ideas by experimenting with a variety of forms and techniques suited to topic, audience, and purpose to develop an awareness of voice and tone

4.A.2.b. Describe in prose and/or poetic forms to clarify, extend, or elaborate on ideas by using vivid language, such as imagery, figurative language, and sound elements

4.A.2.c. Compose to inform using relevant support and a variety of appropriate organizational structures and signal words within a paragraph

4.A.2.d.1. Compose to persuade by supporting, modifying, or disagreeing with a position, using effective rhetorical strategies: Support, modify, or disagree with a position and generate convincing evidence to support it

4.A.2.d.2. Compose to persuade by supporting, modifying, or disagreeing with a position, using effective rhetorical strategies: Consider the effectiveness of diction, audience appeal, and organization

4.A.2.d.3. Compose to persuade by supporting, modifying, or disagreeing with a position, using effective rhetorical strategies: Use connotation, repetition, and figurative language to control audience emotion and reaction

4.A.2.d.4. Compose to persuade by supporting, modifying, or disagreeing with a position, using effective rhetorical strategies: Use authoritative citations

4.A.2.e. Use writing-to-learn strategies, such as dialect journals, quickwrites, and mindmaps to make connections between learning and prior knowledge

4.A.2.f. Manage time and process when writing for a given purpose

4.A.3. Writing: Compose texts using the revising and editing strategies of effective writers and speakers

4.A.3.a.1. Revise texts for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness: Vary sentence types and lengths to clarify and extend meaning and to develop style

4.A.3.a.2. Revise texts for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness: Eliminate redundant and irrelevant words and ideas

4.A.3.a.3. Revise texts for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness: Clarify meaning through the placement of antecedents, modifiers, and transitional devices

4.A.3.a.4. Revise texts for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness: Coordinate equal ideas within a sentence

4.A.3.a.5. Revise texts for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness: Subordinate less important ideas within a sentence using phrases and clauses

4.A.3.a.6. Revise texts for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness: Maintain consistent person, number and tense

4.A.3.a.7. Revise texts for clarity, completeness, and effectiveness: Modify sentences from passive to active voice

4.A.3.b. Use suitable traditional and electronic resources to refine presentations and edit texts for effective and appropriate use of language and conventions, such as capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and pronunciation (Grammar checker; Self edit; Peer edit; Dictionary; Thesaurus; Spell checker; Language handbook)

4.A.3.c. Prepare the final product for presentation to an audience

4.A.4. Writing: Identify how language choices in writing and speaking affect thoughts and feelings

4.A.4.a. Use precise word choice, formal to informal, based on audience, situation, or purpose

4.A.4.b. Consider the connotative and/or denotative meanings of words when selecting vocabulary

4.A.4.c. Consider how word choices affect the audience

4.A.5. Writing: Assess the effectiveness of choice of details, organizational pattern, word choice, syntax, use of figurative language, and rhetorical devices in the student's own composing.

4.A.5.a.1. Assess the effectiveness of diction that reveals his or her purpose: Language appropriate for a particular audience

4.A.5.a.2. Assess the effectiveness of diction that reveals his or her purpose: Language suitable for a given purpose

4.A.5.a.3. Assess the effectiveness of diction that reveals his or her purpose: Words/phrases/sentences that extend meaning in a given context

4.A.5.b. Explain how the specific language and expression used by the writer or speaker affects reader/listener response

4.A.5.c. Evaluate the use of transitions in a text

4.A.6. Writing: Explain how textual changes alter tone, clarify meaning, address a particular audience, or fulfill a purpose

4.A.6.a. Identify the tone of one's own writing, and revise word choice to modify tone in order to address a given purpose and/or audience

4.A.6.b. Justify revisions in syntax and diction from a previous draft of his or her same text by explaining how the change affects meaning

4.A.7. Writing: Locate, retrieve and use information from various sources to accomplish a purpose

4.A.7.a. Identify, evaluate, and use sources of information on a self-selected and/or given topic

4.A.7.b. Use various information retrieval sources (traditional and/or electronic) to obtain information on a self-selected and/or given topic

4.A.7.c.1. Use appropriate note taking procedures, organizational strategies, and proper documentation of sources of information: Appropriate strategies for taking notes

4.A.7.c.2. Use appropriate note taking procedures, organizational strategies, and proper documentation of sources of information: Appropriate strategies for organizing source information or notes

4.A.7.c.3. Use appropriate note taking procedures, organizational strategies, and proper documentation of sources of information: Information to include or exclude when using a note taking method

4.A.7.c.4. Use appropriate note taking procedures, organizational strategies, and proper documentation of sources of information: Advantages, disadvantages, or limitations of a given strategy or procedure for recording or organizing information

4.A.7.c.5. Use appropriate note taking procedures, organizational strategies, and proper documentation of sources of information: Advantages, disadvantages, or limitations of sources of information, such as bias, accuracy, availability, variety, currency

4.A.7.c.6. Use appropriate note taking procedures, organizational strategies, and proper documentation of sources of information: Use a recognized format for documentation, such as MLA

4.A.7.d. Synthesize information from two or more sources to fulfill a self-selected or given purpose

4.A.7.e. Use a recognized format to credit sources when paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting to avoid plagiarism

MD.5.0. Controlling Language: Students will control language by applying the conventions of Standard English in speaking and writing.

5.A.1. Grammar: Recognize elements of grammar in personal and academic reading

5.A.2. Grammar: Recognize, recall, and use grammar concepts and skills to strengthen control of oral and written language

5.A.2.a. Recognize the meaning, position, form, and function of words when identifying grammatical concepts, such as indefinite pronouns, perfect verb tenses, conjunctive adverbs, and correlative conjunctions

5.A.2.b. Combine sentences using knowledge of subjects and predicates, logical placement of modifiers, and logical coordination, subordination, and sequencing of ideas

5.A.2.c. Differentiate grammatically complete sentences from non-sentences, including fused sentences

5.A.2.d. Compose simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences using independent and dependent clauses, transitions, conjunctions, and appropriate punctuation to connect ideas

5.B.1. Usage: Recognize examples of conventional usage in personal and academic reading

5.B.2. Usage: Comprehend and apply standard English usage in oral and written language

5.B.2.a. Apply appropriate subject/verb agreement, such as with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and inverted word order

5.B.2.b. Apply consistent and appropriate use of the principal parts of regular and irregular verbs; person, number, and case of pronouns; pronoun/antecedent agreement; and degrees of comparison of modifiers

5.B.2.c. Recognize and correct common usage errors, such as misplaced modifiers; incorrect use of verbs; double negatives; and commonly confused words, such as accept - except

5.B.2.d. Use available resources to correct or confirm editorial choices

5.B.2.e. Explain editorial choices

5.C.1. Mechanics: Explain and justify the purpose of mechanics to make and clarify meaning in academic and personal reading and writing

5.C.2. Mechanics: Apply standard English punctuation and capitalization in written language

5.C.2.a. Use commas and semicolons correctly, such as in a compound sentence

5.C.2.b. Use parentheses and dashes correctly

5.C.2.c. Use appropriate punctuation for special formats, such as e-mails, bulleted lists, letters, memos, citations, and outlines

5.C.2.d. Use a colon to introduce a list

5.C.3. Mechanics: Explain editorial choices involving mechanics

5.D.1. Spelling: Recognize conventional spelling in and through personal and academic reading

5.D.2. Spelling: Apply conventional spelling in written language

5.D.2.a. Use conventional spelling in personal writing

5.D.2.b. Develop self-monitoring strategies for frequently misspelled words

5.D.2.c. Use suitable traditional and electronic resources as a spelling aid

5.D.3. Spelling: Maintain a personal list of words to use in editing original writing

5.E.1. Handwriting: Produce writing that is legible to the audience

5.E.1.a. Write fluidly and legibly in manuscript and cursive

5.E.1.b. Use word processing technology when appropriate

MD.6.0. Listening: Students will demonstrate effective listening to learn, process, and analyze information.

6.A.1. Listening: Apply and demonstrate listening skills appropriately in a variety of settings and for a variety of purposes

6.A.1.a. Attend to the speaker

6.A.1.b. Ask appropriate questions

6.A.1.c. Contribute relevant comments

6.A.1.d. Relate prior knowledge

6.A.1.e. Use note-taking to assist listening when appropriate

6.A.1.f. Maintain visual contact with the speaker

6.A.1.g. Maintain focus by identifying and managing barriers to listening

6.A.2. Listening: Apply comprehension and literary analysis strategies and skills for a variety of listening purposes and settings

6.A.2.a. Elaborate on the information and ideas presented

6.A.2.b. Make inferences or draw conclusions based on the presentation

6.A.2.c. Determine a speaker's attitude through verbal and non-verbal cues, such as tone of voice, inflections, body language, facial expressions

6.A.2.d. Explain how the effects of language contribute to meaning

6.A.2.e. Provide constructive feedback to speakers concerning the delivery as well as its overall impact upon the listeners

MD.7.0. Speaking: Student will communicate effectively in a variety of situations with different audiences, purposes, and formats.

7.A.1. Speaking: Demonstrate appropriate organizational strategies and delivery techniques to plan for a variety of oral presentation purposes

7.A.1.a. Identify the purpose, audience, and setting for a presentation

7.A.1.b. Identify the needs and perspectives of the audience

7.A.1.c. Select and plan for appropriate use of visual aids

7.A.1.d. Select the topic of an oral presentation

7.A.1.e. Gather/construct adequate support

7.A.1.f. Identify and use a variety of organization structures, such as narrative, cause and effect, chronological order, description, main idea and detail, problem/solution, question/answer, comparison and contrast