THE STATE EDUCATI ON DEPARTMENT
English Language Arts
LEARNING STANDARDS
Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding
Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression
Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction
For more information: http://www.nysed.gov
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In this section I have chosen to include only information relating to the Commencement Level Standards as stated in the Official NYS Department of Education Standards document. This information explains the criteria used in creating classroom units of study and in evaluating student work. Please see the State Education website (above ) for more detailed information.
- Ms. Z.
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Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding
Listening and Reading: to acquire information and understanding involves collecting daia, facts, and ideas;discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written and electronic sources.
COMMENCEMENT STANDARD:
- interpret and analyze complex informational texts and presentations, including textual manuals, professional journals, newspaper and broadcast editorials, electronic networks, political speeches and debates, and primary source material in their subject area courses
- synthesize information from diverse sources and identify complexities and discrepencies in the information
- use a combination of techniques (e.g., previewing, use of advanced organizers, structural cues) to extract salient information from texts
- make distinctions about the relative value and significance of specific data, facts, ideas
- make perceptive and well developed connections to prior knowledge
- evaluate writing strategies and presentational features that affect interpretation of the information
SPEAKING & WRITING to acquire and transmit information requires asking probing and clarifying questions, interpreting information in one's own words, applying information from one context to another, and presenting the information and interpretation clearly, concisely, and comprehensibly.
COMMENCEMENT STANDARD:
· write and present research reports, feature articles, and thesis/support papers on a variety of topics related to all school subjects
· present a controlling idea that con-veys an individual perspective and insight into the topic
· use a wide range of organizational patterns such as chronological, logical (both deductive and inductive), cause and effect, and compare/contrast
· support interpretations and decisions about relative significance of information with explicit statement, evidence, and appropriate argument
· revise and improve early drafts by restructuring, correcting errors, and revising for clarity and effect
· use standard English skillfully, applying established rules and conventions for presenting information and making use of a wide range of grammatical constructions and vocabulary to achieve an individual style that communicates effectively
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Standard 2 : Language for Literary Response and Expression:
LISTENING & READING for literary response involves comprehending, interpreting, and critiquing imaginative texts in every medium, drawing on personal experiences and knowledge to understand the text, and recognizing the social, historical and cultural features of the text.
COMMENCEMENT STANDARD:
· read and view independently and fluently across many genres of literature from many cultures and historical periods
· identify the distinguishing features of different literary genres, periods, and traditions and use those fea-tures to interpret the work
· recognize and understand the significance of a wide range of literary elements and techniques, (including figurative language, imagery, allegory, irony, blank verse, symbolism, stream-of-consciousness) and use those elements to interpret the work
· understand how multiple levels of meaning are conveyed in a text
· read aloud expressively to convey a clear interpretation of the work
· evaluate literary merit based on an understanding of the genre, the literary elements, and the literary period and tradition students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
- Students will read and listen to oral, written and electronically produced texts and performances, relate texts and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language for self-expression and artistic creation.
Click here for a list of recommended reading materials
SPEAKING & WRITING for literary response involves presenting interpretations, analysis, and reactions to the content and language of a text. Speaking and writing for literary expression involves producing imaginative texts that use language and text structures that are inventive and often multilayered.
COMMENCEMENT STANDARD:
· present responses to and interpretations of works of recognized literary merit with references to the principal features of the genre, the period, and literary tradition, and drawing on their personal experiences and knowledge
· produce literary interpretations that explicate the multiple layers of meaning
· write original pieces in a variety of literary forms, correctly using the conventions of the genre and using structure and vocabulary to achieve an effect
· use standard English skillfully and with an individual style
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Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
LISTENING & READING to analyze and evaluate experiences, ideas, information, and issues requires using evaluative criteria from a variety of perspectives and recognizing the difference in evaluations based on different sets of criteria.
COMMENCEMENT STANDARD:
· analyze, interpret, and evaluate ideas, information, organization, and language of a wide range of general and technical texts and presentations across subject areas, including technical manuals, professional journals, political speeches, and literary criticism
· evaluate the quality of the texts and presentations from a variety of critical perspectives within the field of study (e.g., using both Poe's elements of a short story and the elements of "naturalist fiction" to evaluate a modern story)
· make precise determinations about the perspective of a particular writer or speaker by recognizing the relative weight he/she places on particular arguments and criteria (e.g., one critic condemns a biography as too long and rambling; another praises it for its accuracy and never mentions its length)
· evaluate and compare their own and others' work with regard to different criteria and recognize the change in evaluations when different criteria are considered to be more important students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
Speaking and Writing: for critical analysis and evaluation requires presenting opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information, and issues clearly, logically, and persua-sively with reference to specific criteria on which the opinion or judgment is based.
COMMENCEMENT STANDARD:
· present orally and in writing well-developed analysis of issues, ideas, and texts, explaining the rationale for their positions and analyzing their positions from a variety of perspectives in such forms as formal speeches, debates, thesis/support papers, literary critiques, and issues analysis
· make effective use of details, evidence, and arguments and of presentational strategies to influence an audience to adopt their position
· monitor and adjust their own oral and written presentations to have the greatest influence on a particular audience
· use standard English, a broad and precise vocabulary, and the conventions of formal oratory and debate
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Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction:
LISTENING & SPEAKING Oral communication in formal and informal settings requires the ability to talk with people of different ages, genders, and cultures, to adapt presentations to different audiences, and to reflect on how talk varies in different situations.
COMMENCEMENT STANDARDS:
· engage in conversations and discussions on academic, technical, and community subjects, anticipating listeners' needs and skillfully addressing them
· express their thoughts and views clearly with attention to the perspectives and voiced concerns of the others in the conversation
· use appropriately the language conventions for a wide variety of social situations, such as informal conversations, first meetings with peers or adults, and more formal situations such as job interviews or customer service students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.
- students will use oral and written language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.
READING & WRITING Written communication for social inter-action requires using written messages to establish, maintain, and enhance personal relationships with others.
COMMENCEMENT STANDARDS:
· use a variety of print and electronic forms for social communication with peers and adults
· make effective use of language and style to connect the message with the audience and context
· study the social conventions and language conventions of writers from other groups and cultures and use those conventions to communicate with members of those groups