Identify and explain recurrent themes in world literature

Analyze in oral and written responses distinctive elements (including theme, structure, characterization) of a variety of literary forms and types, including: essays by early and modern writers, epic poetry such as The Odyssey, forms of lyric and narrative poetry such as ballads and sonnets, drama, including ancient, Renaissance, and modern, short stories and novels, and biographies and autobiographies

Demonstrate understanding of information in grade-appropriate texts using a variety of strategies, including: summarizing and paraphrasing information and story elements, comparing and contrasting information in texts, including televised news, news magazines, documentaries, and online information, comparing and contrasting complex literary elements, devices, and ideas within and across texts, examining the sequence of information and procedures in order to critique the logic or development of ideas in texts, making inferences and drawing conclusions, and making predictions and generalizations

Develop organized, coherent paragraphs that include the following: topic sentences, logical sequence, transitional words and phrases, appropriate closing sentences, and parallel construction where appropriate

Develop multiparagraph compositions organized with the following: a clearly stated central idea or thesis statement, a clear, overall structure that includes an introduction, a body, and an appropriate conclusion, supporting paragraphs appropriate to the topic organized in a logical sequence (e.g., spatial order, order of importance, ascending/descending order, chronological order, parallel construction), and transitional words and phrases that unify throughout

Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited to an identified audience and purpose and that include the following: word choices appropriate to the identified audience and/or purpose, vocabulary selected to clarify meaning, create images, and set a tone, information/ideas selected to engage the interest of the reader, and clear voice (individual personality)

Develop complex compositions using writing processes, including: selecting topic and form (e.g., determining a purpose and audience), prewriting (e.g., brainstorming, clustering, outlining, generating main idea/thesis statements), drafting, conferencing (e.g., peer and teacher), revising for content and structure based on feedback, proofreading/editing to improve conventions of language, and publishing using technology

Write for various purposes, including: formal and business letters, such as letters of complaint and requests for information, letters to the editor, job applications, and text-supported interpretations that connect life experiences to works of literature

Apply standard rules of sentence formation, avoiding common errors, such as: fragments, run-on sentences, and syntax problems

Apply standard rules of usage, including: making subjects and verbs agree, using verbs in appropriate tenses, making pronouns agree with antecedents, using pronouns appropriately in nominative, objective, and possessive cases, using adjectives in comparative and superlative degrees and adverbs correctly, avoiding double negatives, using all parts of speech appropriately

Apply standard rules of mechanics, including: using commas to set off appositives or parenthetical phrases, using quotation marks to set off titles of short works, using colons preceding a list and after a salutation in a business letter, and using standard capitalization for names of political and ethnic groups, religions, and continents

Use correct spelling conventions when writing and editing

Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences when speaking, including: delivering informational/book reports in class, conducting interviews/surveys of classmates or the general public, and participating in class discussions

Use active listening strategies, including: monitoring messages for clarity, selecting and organizing essential information, noting cues such as changes in pace, and generating and asking questions concerning a speaker's content, delivery, and attitude toward the subject

Participate in group and panel discussions, including: identifying the strengths and talents of other participants, acting as facilitator, recorder, leader, listener, or mediator, and evaluating the effectiveness of participant's performance

Identify and use organizational features to locate relevant information for research projects using a variety of resources, including: print resources (e.g., prefaces, appendices, annotations, citations, bibliographic references) and electronic texts (e.g., database keyword searches, search engines, e-mail addresses)

Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of grade-appropriate resources, including: multiple printed texts (e.g., encyclopedias, atlases, library catalogs, specialized dictionaries, almanacs, technical encyclopedias, and periodicals), electronic sources (e.g., Web sites, databases), and other media sources (e.g., community and government data, television and radio resources, and other audio and visual materials)

Write a variety of research reports, which include the following: research supporting the main ideas, facts, details, examples, and explanations from sources, graphics when appropriate, and complete documentation (e.g., endnotes, parenthetical citations, works cited lists or bibliographies)