Grade 9

Language

Reading Literature

Reading Informational Text

Speaking and Listening

Writing

Conventions of Standard English

Knowledge of Language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Key Ideas and Details

Craft and Structure

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Key Ideas and Details

Craft and Structure

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Comprehension and Collaboration

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Text Types and Protocol

Production and Distribution of Writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Range of Writing

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

Read closely to determine what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of a text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches an author takes.

Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Read closely to determine what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of a text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches an author takes.

Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media formats, such as visual, quantitative, and oral formats.

Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with varied partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning; the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

Adapt speech to a variety of contents and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focus questions, demonstrating new understanding of the subject under investigation.

Integrate relevant and credible information from multiple print and digital sources while avoiding plagiarism.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; use effective parallel structure and various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meaning and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; when reading and writing, explain the functions of semicolons and colons to separate related ideas and use them correctly to do so; write and edit work so that it conforms to a style guide appropriate for the discipline and writing type.

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on 9th -10th grade-level text by choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings in grades 9-10 reading and content; interpret figures of speech in context and analyze their role in a text; analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the post-secondary and workforce level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Acquire and accurately use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the post-secondary and workforce readiness level; demonstrate independence in building vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw inferences; cite the strongest, most compelling textual evidence to support conclusions.

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development; provide an objective or critical summary.

Analyze how complex characters, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text to impact meaning.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, such as how language evokes a sense of time and place, and how it communicates an informal or formal tone.

Analyze how an author's choices concerning text structure, plot structure, and/or time manipulation create effects such as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Analyze how point of view and/or author purpose shapes the content and style of diverse texts.

Evaluate the topic, subject, and/or theme in two diverse formats or media.

Analyze a variety of related literary texts and evaluate how an author draws on, alludes to, or transforms source material to provide a deeper and more thorough interpretation of the text.

Read and comprehend a variety of literature throughout the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with a gradual release of scaffolding at the higher end as needed.

Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw inferences; cite the strongest, most compelling textual evidence to support conclusions.

Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development; provide an objective or critical summary.

Analyze how an author presents and develops key ideas and events to impact meaning.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.

Analyze how an author's ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text.

Determine an author's point of view or purpose and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

Evaluate the topic or subject in two diverse formats or media.

Evaluate how reasoning and evidence affects the argument and specific claims in a text.

Analyze a variety of thematically-related texts of historical and literary significance for the way they address related topics, facts, and concepts.

Read and comprehend a variety of literary nonfiction throughout the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with a gradual release of scaffolding at the higher end as needed.

Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media formats; evaluate the credibility and accuracy of each source.

Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric; identify any fallacious reasoning and/or exaggerated or distorted evidence.

Initiate and participate effectively with varied partners in a range of collaborative discussions on appropriate 9th-10th grade topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing one's own clearly and persuasively.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically, so that listeners can follow the line of reasoning; ensure the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning supported by relevant and sufficient evidence.

Write informative/explanatory texts to analyze and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection and organization of content.

Write narrative fiction or literary nonfiction to convey experiences and/or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Foundational Literacy standard 6 and Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 9-10.)

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

Conduct and write short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem by narrowing or broadening the inquiry when appropriate, synthesizing multiple sources on the subject, and demonstrating a new understanding of the subject under investigation.

Use multiple search terms to generate a variety of print and digital sources; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Support and defend interpretations, analyses, reflections, or research with evidence found in literature or informational texts, applying grade band 9-10 standards for reading to source material.

Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or a phrase.

Use common grade-appropriate morphological elements as clues to the meaning of a word or a phrase.

Consult reference materials, both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or phrase.

Use etymological patterns in spelling as clues to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Introduce precise claim(s).

Develop claim(s) and counterclaim(s) fairly, supplying evidence for each claim and counterclaim while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns.

Create an organization that establishes cohesion and clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaim(s), reasons, and evidence.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.

Provide an introduction that is relevant to the rest of the text and effectively engages the audience.

Organize ideas to create cohesion and clarify relationships among ideas and concepts, including but not limited to use of appropriate and varied transitions.

Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

Use appropriate formatting, graphics, and multimedia to aid comprehension.

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.

Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing point of view, and introducing a narrator/speaker and/or characters.

Sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.

Create a smooth progression of experiences or events.

Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines to convey experiences, events, and/or characters.

Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

Establish and maintain an appropriate style and tone.