covers the following Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. (This chart shows the general standards for middle school, omitting the grade-specific requirements for 6, 7, and 8. Where the general standards differ by grade, the 8th grade standard is shown.)
promotes these standards through skills instruction, the inquiry process, and project-based learning.
Writing Standards (6-8) |
Relevant Chapters from Inquire |
Text Types and Purposes
- Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
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Part I:
- Communicating
- Building Arguments
- Reading to Learn
Part II:
- Questioning
- Planning
- Conducting Basic Research
- Conducting Advanced Research
- Creating
- Improving
- Presenting
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Part III:
- Basic Writing Projects
- Advanced Writing Projects
- Graphing Projects
- Web Projects
- Audio-Visual Projects
- Performing Projects
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Production and Distribution of Writing
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
- Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
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Part I:
- Communicating
- Collaborating
- Understanding Media
- Using Social Media
- Following Basic Conventions
- Improving Study Skills
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Part II:
- Questioning
- Planning
- Conducting Basic Research
- Conducting Advanced Research
- Creating
- Improving
- Presenting
Part III (All):
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Research to Build and Present Knowledge
- Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
- Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
- Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
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Part I:
- Critical Thinking
- Creative Thinking
- Problem Solving
- Communicating
- Understanding Media
- Using Social Media
- Reading to Learn
- Improving Study Skills
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Part II:
- Questioning
- Planning
- Conducting Basic Research
- Conducting Advanced Research
- Creating
Part III:
- Basic Writing Projects
- Advanced Writing Projects
- Graphing Projects
- Web Projects
- Audio-Visual Projects
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Range of Writing
- 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 discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
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Part I (All):
Part II (All):
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Part III (All):
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Speaking and Listening Standards (6-8) |
Relevant Chapters from Inquire |
Comprehension and Collaboration
- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade appropriate topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
- Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
- Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
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Part I:
- Communicating
- Collaborating
- Building Arguments
- Understanding Media
- Reading to Learn
- Improving Study Skills
- Succeeding in School
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Part II:
- Conducting Basic Research
- Conducting Advanced Research
- Improving
Part III:
- Performing Projects
- Community Projects
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Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
- Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
- Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.
- Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
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Part I:
- Communicating
- Building Arguments
- Understanding Media
Part II:
- Conducting Basic Research
- Conducting Advanced Research
- Creating
- Improving
- Presenting
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Part III:
- Basic Writing Projects
- Advanced Writing Projects
- Graphing Projects
- Web Projects
- Audio-Visual Projects
- Design Projects
- Performing Projects
- Community Projects
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Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (6-8) |
Relevant Chapters from Inquire |
Text Types and Purposes
- Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
- Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
- Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
- Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
- Establish and maintain a formal style.
- Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
- Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
- Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
- Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
- Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
- Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
- Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
- Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
- Special Note: Incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.
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Part I:
- Overview of 21st Century Skills
- Critical Thinking
- Creative Thinking
- Problem Solving
- Communicating
- Building Arguments
- Understanding Media
- Using Social Media
- Reading to Learn
- Following Basic Conventions
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Part II:
- Questioning
- Planning
- Conducting Basic Research
- Conducting Advanced Research
- Creating
- Improving
- Presenting
Part III:
- Basic Writing Projects
- Advanced Writing Projects
- Graphing Projects
- Web Projects
- Audio-Visual Projects
- Performing Projects
|
Production and Distribution of Writing
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
- Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.
|
|
Part I:
- Communicating
- Collaborating
- Understanding Media
- Using Social Media
- Following Basic Conventions
- Improving Study Skills
|
Part II:
- Questioning
- Planning
- Conducting Basic Research
- Conducting Advanced Research
- Creating
- Improving
- Presenting
Part III (All):
|
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
- Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
- Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
- Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.
|
|
Part I:
- Critical Thinking
- Creative Thinking
- Problem Solving
- Communicating
- Understanding Media
- Using Social Media
- Reading to Learn
- Improving Study Skills
|
Part II:
- Questioning
- Planning
- Conducting Basic Research
- Conducting Advanced Research
- Creating
Part III:
- Basic Writing Projects
- Advanced Writing Projects
- Graphing Projects
- Web Projects
- Audio-Visual Projects
|
Range of Writing
- Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
|
|
Part I (All):
Part II (All):
|
Part III (All):
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