Shifting to the Common Core English/Language Arts (Grades 6-8)

Shifting to the Common Core provides teachers with classroom strategies and activities to help students achieve greater depths of knowledge, including how to . . .

1. analyze what they read, see, and hear;
2. evaluate information and test it for reliability;
3. synthesize arguments by drawing evidence from texts and using it in new forms.

Rubrics, standards correlations, and model responses help teachers assess students’ comprehension of these important deeper-thinking skills.

Students in grades 6–8 will learn to . . .

• use close-reading strategies to capture the meaning of complex texts;
• quickly outline complex texts, summarizing main points;
• cite textual evidence in a variety of forms;
• use STRAP analysis to fully understand writing prompts;
• evaluate and critique logical arguments within texts;
• weigh the effectiveness of support;
• evaluate the use of literary devices;
• evaluate arguments and sources of information;
• construct logical arguments, drawing evidence from texts;
• synthesize information from multiple sources to build meaning;
• create effective informational and persuasive writing;
• write effective responses to on-demand prompts.

By developing these deeper-thinking skills, students improve their comprehension across the curriculum, raise their grades, and increase their success on Common Core assessments.