Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types and Narrative Techniques.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types and Elaborative Techniques.

Clarification 2: The tone should be both formal and objective, relying more on argument and rhetorical appeals rather than on propaganda techniques. Use narrative techniques to strengthen writing where appropriate.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: At this grade level, the emphasis is on the content, but students are still expected to follow earlier expectations: volume, pronunciation, and pacing. A clear perspective is the through-line that unites the elements of the presentation.

Clarification 2: For further guidance, see the Secondary Oral Communication Rubric.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Skills to be mastered at this grade level are as follows:

• Add variety to writing or presentations by using parallel structure and various types of phrases and clauses. 

Skills to be implemented but not yet mastered are as follows:

• Use knowledge of usage rules to create flow in writing and presenting. 

Clarification 2: See Convention Progression by Grade Level for more information. 

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Key elements of a literary text are setting, plot, characterization, conflict, point of view, theme, and tone.

Clarification 2: For layers of meaning, any methodology or model may be used as long as students understand that text may have multiple layers and that authors use techniques to achieve those layers. A very workable model for looking at layers of meaning is that of I.A. Richards:
Layer 1) the literal level, what the words actually mean
Layer 2) mood, those feelings that are evoked in the reader
Layer 3) tone, the author’s attitude
Layer 4) author’s purpose (interpretation of author’s purpose as it is often inferred).

Clarification 3: Style is the way in which the writer uses techniques for effect. It is distinct from meaning but can be used to make the author’s message more effective. The components of style are diction, syntax, grammar, and use of figurative language. Style helps to create the author’s voice.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include but are not limited to an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: For more information, see Literary Periods.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: For more information, see Literary Periods.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Students will evaluate the use of the following structures: description, problem/solution, chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and sequence.

Clarification 2: Students will evaluate the use of the following features: table of contents, headings, captions, photographs, graphs, charts, illustrations, glossary, footnotes, annotations, and appendix.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: In this grade level, students are using and responsible for the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos.

Clarification 2: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Validity refers to the soundness of the arguments.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.

Clarification 2: See Secondary Figurative Language.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Most grade-level texts are appropriate for this benchmark.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: The classical source texts for this benchmark should be from ancient Greece or Rome’s Classical period (1200 BCE–455 CE). Mythical texts for this benchmark can be from any civilization’s early history. Religious texts for this benchmark include works such as the Bible.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Students will analyze the appropriateness of appeals and the effectiveness of devices. In this grade level, students are using and responsible for the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos.

Clarification 2: Rhetorical devices for the purposes of this benchmark are the figurative language devices from 10.R.3.1 with the addition of irony, rhetorical question, antithesis, zeugma, metonymy, synecdoche, and asyndeton.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: To integrate vocabulary, students will apply the vocabulary they have learned to authentic speaking and writing tasks independently. This use should be intentional, beyond responding to a prompt to use a word in a sentence.

Clarification 2: Academic vocabulary appropriate to grade level refers to words that are likely to appear across subject areas for the current grade level and beyond, vital to comprehension, critical for academic discussions and writing, and usually require explicit instruction.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Etymology refers to the study of word origins and the ways that words have changed over time.

Clarification 2: Derivation refers to making new words from an existing word by adding affixes.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Review of words learned in this way is critical to building background knowledge and related vocabulary.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types and Narrative Techniques.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types and Elaborative Techniques.
Clarification 2: Appropriate tone is expected to continue from 9th and 10th. Use narrative techniques to strengthen argument writing where appropriate.
Clarification 3: These written works will take longer and are meant to reflect thorough research and analysis.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: At this grade level, the emphasis is on the content, but students are still expected to follow earlier expectations: appropriate volume, pronunciation, and pacing. This benchmark introduces rhetorical devices to the benchmark, building on what students have learned in R.3.2 and giving them a chance to apply it.

Clarification 2: For further guidance, see the Secondary Oral Communication Rubric.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Skills to be mastered at this grade level are as follows:

• Use knowledge of usage rules to create flow in writing and presenting. 

Clarification 2: See Convention Progression by Grade Level for more information. 

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Key elements of a literary text are setting, plot, characterization, conflict, point of view, theme, and tone.
Clarification 2: For layers of meaning, any methodology or model may be used as long as students understand that text may have multiple layers and that authors use techniques to achieve those layers. A very workable model for looking at layers of meaning is that of I. A. Richards: 

Layer 1) the literal level, what the words actually mean
Layer 2) mood, those feelings that are evoked in the reader
Layer 3) tone, the author’s attitude
Layer 4) author’s purpose (interpretation of author’s purpose as it is often inferred)
Clarification 3: Style is the way in which the writer uses techniques for effect. It is distinct from meaning but can be used to make the author’s message more effective. The components of style are diction, syntax, grammar, and use of figurative language. Style helps to create the author’s voice.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include but are not limited to an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Juxtaposition is the technique of putting two or more elements side by side to invite comparison or contrast.

Clarification 2: The term perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.”

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Poetry for this benchmark should be selected from one of the following literary periods. 

• Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE) 
• Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE)  
• Renaissance Period (130–1600) 
• Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature  
• Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature 
• Romantic Period (1790–1870)  
• Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930) 
• Modernist Period (1910–1945)  
• Contemporary Period (1945–present) 

Clarification 2: For more information, see Literary Periods. 

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Students will evaluate the use of the following structures: description, problem/solution, chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and sequence.

Clarification 2: Students will evaluate the use of the following features: table of contents, headings, captions, photographs, graphs, charts, illustrations, glossary, footnotes, annotations, and appendix.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Validity refers to the soundness of the arguments.

Clarification 2: For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Examples of allegory should be taken from the following periods: 

• Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE) 
• Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE)  
• Renaissance Period (1300–1600) 
• Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature
• Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature 
• Romantic Period (1790–1870)
• Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930)
• Modernist Period (1910–1945) 

Clarification 2: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 3: See Secondary Figurative Language. 

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Most grade-level texts are appropriate for this benchmark.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Contemporaneous authors here refers to authors who are contemporaries of each other writing within any of the following literary periods:

• Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE)
• Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE)
• Renaissance Period (1300–1600)
• Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature
• Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature
• Romantic Period (1790–1870)
• Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930)
• Modernist Period (1910–1945) 

Clarification 2: For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning. 

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Students will evaluate the appropriateness of appeals and the effectiveness of devices. In this grade level, students are using and responsible for all four appeals; kairos is added at this grade level.

Clarification 2: Rhetorical devices for the purposes of this benchmark are the figurative language devices from 11.R.3.1 with the addition of irony, rhetorical question, antithesis, zeugma, metonymy, synecdoche, asyndeton, and chiasmus. 

Clarification 3: See Secondary Figurative Language.

Clarification 4: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: To integrate vocabulary, students will apply the vocabulary they have learned to authentic speaking and writing tasks independently. This use should be intentional, beyond responding to a prompt to use a word in a sentence.

Clarification 2: Academic vocabulary appropriate to grade level refers to words that are likely to appear across subject areas for the current grade level and beyond, vital to comprehension, critical for academic discussions and writing, and usually require explicit instruction.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Etymology refers to the study of word origins and the ways that words have changed over time.

Clarification 2: Derivation refers to making new words from an existing word by adding affixes.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Review of words learned in this way is critical to building background knowledge and related vocabulary.

Clarification 2: See Context Clues and Word Relationships.

Clarification 3: See ELA.11.R.3.1 and Secondary Figurative Language.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types and Narrative Techniques.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types and Elaborative Techniques.

Clarification 2: These written works will take longer and are meant to reflect thorough research and analysis.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: At this grade level, the emphasis is on the content, but students are still expected to follow earlier expectations: appropriate volume, pronunciation, and pacing. Students will be using rhetorical devices as introduced in the 11th grade benchmark. Added to this grade level is a responsiveness to the needs of the audience and adapting to audience response. Students will read the nonverbal cues of the audience to do this. Students first learned nonverbal cues in elementary for this benchmark.

Clarification 2: For further guidance, see the Secondary Oral Communication Rubric.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Convention Progression by Grade Level for more information.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Key elements of a literary text are setting, plot, characterization, conflict, point of view, theme, and tone.

Clarification 2: For layers of meaning, any methodology or model may be used as long as students understand that text may have multiple layers and that authors use techniques to achieve those layers. A very workable model for looking at layers of meaning is that of I.A. Richards:
Layer 1) the literal level, what the words actually mean
Layer 2) mood, those feelings that are evoked in the reader
Layer 3) tone, the author’s attitude
Layer 4) author’s purpose (interpretation of author’s purpose as it is often inferred)

Clarification 3: Style is the way in which the writer uses techniques for effect. It is distinct from meaning, but can be used to make the author’s message more effective. The components of style are diction, syntax, grammar, and use of figurative language. Style helps to create the author’s voice.

Clarification 4: Functional significance refers to the role each element plays in creating meaning or effect for the reader.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: For the purposes of this benchmark, theme is not a one- or two-word topic, but a complete thought that communicates the author’s message.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: The term perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.” The term point of view is used when referring to the person of the narrator. This is to prevent confusion and conflation.

Clarifications:
Sample poets for this benchmark include:

• Emily Dickinson
• Langston Hughes
• Robert Frost
• Phillis Wheatley
• Edna St. Vincent Millay
• Countee Cullen
• Robert Burns
• Percy Bysshe Shelley 

Clarification 1: A poet’s historical context is the period in which the writing occurred, not when it was discovered or became resurgent.

Clarification 2: Evaluation of a poet in context may include similarity to or differences from the work of contemporaries and the literary period, critical reception at the time, and scope of work. 

Clarification 3: For more information, see Literary Periods. 

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Students will evaluate the use of the following structures: description, problem/solution, chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and sequence.

Clarification 2: Students will evaluate the use of the following features: table of contents, headings, captions, photographs, graphs, charts, illustrations, glossary, footnotes, annotations, and appendix.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning.

Clarification 2: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will evaluate are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.

Clarification 2: See Secondary Figurative Language.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Most grade-level texts are appropriate for this benchmark.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Classic literature for this benchmark should be drawn from and representative of the following periods: 

• Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE)
• Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE) 
• Renaissance Period (1300–1600)
• Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature  
• Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature 
• Romantic Period (1790–1870)
• Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930)
• Modernist Period (1910–1945)

Clarification 2: Contemporary world texts are those written after World War II that, through quality of form and expression, convey ideas of permanent or universal interest. 

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Students will evaluate the appropriateness of appeals and the effectiveness of devices. In this grade level, students are using and responsible for all four appeals; kairos was added in 11th grade. This differs from the 11th grade benchmark in that it is comparing the effectiveness of multiple texts.

Clarification 2: Rhetorical devices for the purposes of this benchmark are the figurative language devices from 11.R.3.1 with the addition of irony, rhetorical question, antithesis, zeugma, metonymy, synecdoche, asyndeton, and chiasmus.

Clarification 3: See Secondary Figurative Language.

Clarification 4: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: To integrate vocabulary, students will apply the vocabulary they have learned to authentic speaking and writing tasks independently. This use should be intentional, beyond responding to a prompt to use a word in a sentence.

Clarification 2: Academic vocabulary appropriate to grade level refers to words that are likely to appear across subject areas for the current grade level and beyond, vital to comprehension, critical for academic discussions and writing, and usually require explicit instruction.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Etymology refers to the study of word origins and the ways that words have changed over time.

Clarification 2: Derivation refers to making new words from an existing word by adding affixes. 

Clarification 3: See Foreign Words and Phrases for a list of commonly used foreign phrases.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Review of words learned in this way is critical to building background knowledge and related vocabulary.

Clarification 2: See Context Clues and Word Relationships.

Clarification 3: See ELA.12.R.3.1 and Secondary Figurative Language.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Phonological awareness only refers to what can be done orally at both the sound and syllabic level. This includes isolating sounds, blending sounds, and orally segmenting words based on syllables. It does not involve print or letter knowledge. 

1. Orally combine c-a-t to make cat/ orally combine trou-ser to make trouser. 
2. Orally break cat into c-a-t/ orally break trouser into trou-ser.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Phonics refers to the relationship between graphemes (letters or letter combinations) and phonemes (speech sounds). Since morphemes represent the smallest unit of language with meaning, morphology refers to the skill of recognizing morphemes as a unit when decoding and determining meaning.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Encoding refers to using the written word in order to communicate. It combines the skills of phonological awareness, phonics, and morphology to move from the oral to the written word. 

1. The process of encoding sounds through letters (s, r), consonant blends (sh, sk), digraphs (ay, ew), or trigraphs (sch, thr) using conventional spelling patterns to form words.
2. The process of adding single units of sound with meaning to existing word parts to encode a given word. 

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types and Narrative Techniques.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types and Elaborative Techniques.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Writing Types.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: At this grade level, the emphasis is on the content, but students are still expected to follow earlier expectations: volume, pronunciation, and pacing. A clear perspective is the through-line that unites the elements of the presentation.

Clarification 2: For further guidance, see the Secondary Oral Communication Rubric.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Skills to be implemented but not yet mastered are as follows:

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Key elements of a literary text are setting, plot, characterization, conflict, point of view, theme, and tone.

Clarification 2: For layers of meaning, any methodology or model may be used as long as students understand that text may have multiple layers and that authors use techniques to achieve those layers. A very workable model for looking at layers of meaning is that of I.A. Richards: Layer 1) the literal level, what the words actually mean Layer 2) mood, those feelings that are evoked in the reader Layer 3) tone, the author’s attitude Layer 4) author’s purpose (interpretation of author’s purpose as it is often inferred)

Clarification 3: Style is the way in which the writer uses techniques for effect. It is distinct from meaning but can be used to make the author’s message more effective. The components of style are diction, syntax, grammar, and use of figurative language. Style helps to create the author’s voice.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include but are not limited to an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: See Rhetorical Devices for more information on irony.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: For more information, see Literary Periods.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Students will analyze the use of the following structures: description, problem/solution, chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and sequence.

 

Clarification 2: Students will evaluate the use of the following features: table of contents, headings, captions, photographs, graphs, charts, illustrations, glossary, footnotes, annotations, and appendix.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: In this grade level, students are using and responsible for the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos.

Clarification 2: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.

Clarification 2: Students will explain the appropriateness of appeals in achieving a purpose. In this grade level, students are using and responsible for the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos.

Clarification 3: See Secondary Figurative Language. 

Clarification 4: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Validity refers to the soundness of the arguments.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.

Clarification 2: See Secondary Figurative Language.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Most grade-level texts are appropriate for this benchmark.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: The classical source texts for this benchmark should be from ancient Greece or Rome’s Classical period (1200 BCE–455 CE). Mythical texts for this benchmark can be from any civilization’s early history. Religious texts for this benchmark include works such as the Bible.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Rhetorical devices for the purposes of this benchmark are the figurative language devices from 9.R.3.1 with the addition of irony, rhetorical question, antithesis, zeugma, metonymy, and synecdoche.

Clarification 2: See Secondary Figurative Language and Rhetorical Devices.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: To integrate vocabulary, students will apply the vocabulary they have learned to authentic speaking and writing tasks independently. This use should be intentional, beyond responding to a prompt to use a word in a sentence.

Clarification 2: Academic vocabulary appropriate to grade level refers to words that are likely to appear across subject areas for the current grade level and beyond, vital to comprehension, critical for academic discussions and writing, and usually require explicit instruction.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Etymology refers to the study of word origins and the ways that words have changed over time.

Clarification 2: Derivation refers to making new words from an existing word by adding affixes.

Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Review of words learned in this way is critical to building background knowledge and related vocabulary.
Clarification 2: See Context Clues and Word Relationships.
Clarification 3: See ELA.9.R.3.1 and Secondary Figurative Language.

Clarifications:
K-1 Students include textual evidence in their oral communication with guidance and support from adults. The evidence can consist of details from the text without naming the text. During 1st grade, students learn how to incorporate the evidence in their writing.

2-3 Students include relevant textual evidence in their written and oral communication. Students should name the text when they refer to it. In 3rd grade, students should use a combination of direct and indirect citations.

4-5 Students continue with previous skills and reference comments made by speakers and peers. Students cite texts that they’ve directly quoted, paraphrased, or used for information. When writing, students will use the form of citation dictated by the instructor or the style guide referenced by the instructor. 

6-8 Students continue with previous skills and use a style guide to create a proper citation.

9-12 Students continue with previous skills and should be aware of existing style guides and the ways in which they differ.

Clarifications:
See Text Complexity for grade-level complexity bands and a text complexity rubric.

Clarifications:
Students will make inferences before the words infer or inference are introduced. Kindergarten students will answer questions like “Why is the girl smiling?” or make predictions about what will happen based on the title page. Students will use the terms and apply them in 2nd grade and beyond.

Clarifications:
In kindergarten, students learn to listen to one another respectfully.

In grades 1-2, students build upon these skills by justifying what they are thinking. For example: “I think ________ because _______.” The collaborative conversations are becoming academic conversations.

In grades 3-12, students engage in academic conversations discussing claims and justifying their reasoning, refining and applying skills. Students build on ideas, propel the conversation, and support claims and counterclaims with evidence.

Clarifications:
Students will incorporate skills learned into work products to produce quality work. For students to incorporate these skills appropriately, they must receive instruction. A 3rd grade student creating a poster board display must have instruction in how to effectively present information to do quality work.

Clarifications:
In kindergarten and 1st grade, students learn the difference between formal and informal language. For example, the way we talk to our friends differs from the way we speak to adults. In 2nd grade and beyond, students practice appropriate social and academic language to discuss texts.