Utah State Standards for Language Arts: Grade 7

UT.1. Reading: Students will use vocabulary development and an understanding of text elements and structures to comprehend literary and informational grade level text.

1.1. Word Analysis, Vocabulary Development: Determine word meaning through word parts, definitions, and context clues.

1.1.a. Identify common prefixes and suffixes to determine meanings of words.

1.1.b. Identify the literal meanings and shades of meaning of words.

1.1.c. Determine word meaning through definition or explanation context clues.

1.1.d. Distinguish between commonly confused words (i.e., a lot/allot; board/bored; brake/break; desert/ dessert; hear/here; its/it's; led/lead; lie/lay; right/write/rite; to/too/two; your/you're).

1.2. Comprehension of Informational Text: Comprehend and evaluate informational text (i.e., textbooks, advertisements, posters).

1.2.a. Identify external text features to enhance comprehension (i.e., headings, subheadings, pictures, captions, bolded words, graphs, charts, and tables of contents).

1.2.b. Comprehend text using internal text structures and their appropriate cue words and phrases (i.e., chronological, sequence, and description).

1.2.c. Retell, paraphrase and summarize from informational text.

1.2.d. Distinguish main idea and supporting details in text.

1.3. Comprehension of Literary Text: Comprehend literature using elements of narrative and poetic text.

1.3.a. Identify narrative plot structure (e.g., exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution).

1.3.b. Describe a character's traits as revealed by the narrator (e.g., thoughts, words, speech patterns, and actions).

1.3.c. Distinguish topic from theme in literature.

1.3.d. Identify descriptive details and imagery that establish setting.

1.3.e. Identify figurative language (i.e., simile and metaphor).

1.3.f. Identify main ideas and/or emotions in a wide range of poetry.

UT.2 Writing: Students will write informational and literary text to reflect on and recreate experiences, report observations, and persuade others.

2.1. Writing to Learn: Retell or summarize and make connections to clarify thinking through writing.

2.1.a. Retell significant events in sequence.

2.1.b. Summarize essential information from literary or informational text.

2.1.c. Connect text to self.

2.2. Extended Writing: Write to identify and reflect on feelings to recreate experiences.

2.2.a. Determine audience and purpose for extended writing.

2.2.b. Relate a clear, coherent, chronologically-sequenced incident, event, or situation with simple reflection.

2.2.c. Use sensory details.

2.3. Revision and Editing: Revise and edit to strengthen ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions.

2.3.a. Traits of Writing.

2.3.a.1. Ideas: Evaluate and revise for use of a unifying idea or topic.

2.3.a.2. Organization: Evaluate and revise for a clear beginning, middle, and end, with sequential transitions.

2.3.a.3. Voice: Evaluate and revise for appropriate tone and voice.

2.3.a.4. Word Choice: Evaluate and revise for appropriate word choice for topic.

2.3.a.5. Sentence Variety: Evaluate and revise for varied sentence beginnings and sentence length.

2.3.b. Editing.

2.3.b.1. Edit for correct grade level spelling.

2.3.b.2. Edit for correct use of commas in a series.

2.3.b.3. Edit for correct subject-verb agreement.

2.3.b.4. Edit for correct use of possessives.

2.3.b.5. Edit for correct capitalization of sentence beginnings or proper nouns.

2.3.b.6. Edit for correct end punctuation on simple and compound sentences.

UT.3. Inquiry/Research/Oral Presentation: Students will understand the process of seeking and giving information in conversations, group discussions, written reports, and oral presentations.

3.1. Processes of Inquiry: Use the process of inquiry to formulate questions and engage in gathering information.

3.1.a. Establish a purpose for inquiry.

3.1.b. Gather relevant information to answer questions.

3.1.c. Validate the accuracy and relevance of information, discriminating between fact and opinion.

3.1.d. Distinguish paraphrasing and summarizing from plagiarizing.

3.2. Written Communication of Inquiry: Write to report information gathered from the process of inquiry.

3.2.a. Select an appropriate format to report information.

3.2.b. Gather information on an idea or concept.

3.2.c. Report information using summarization.

3.2.d. Use informal contextual citation. (Example: 'Gary Paulsen says he gets his ideas from . . . ')

3.3. Oral Communication of Inquiry: Communicate ideas and information appropriately in classroom settings.

3.3.a. Determine the purpose for communication (e.g., to respond to writing, to obtain a result, to convey ideas or information, to seek validation).

3.3.b. Use appropriate protocol for asking questions (e.g., turn taking, staying on topic, projecting adequately).

3.3.c. Use appropriate protocol for responding to questions (e.g., respecting others' contributions, staying on topic, projecting adequately).

3.3.d. Contribute constructively in classroom settings.