English Language Arts Standards by Grade

Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.

Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

Recognize and produce rhyming words.

Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.

Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds in three-phoneme words.

Add or substitute individual sounds in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.

Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound for many consonants.

Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings for the five major vowels.

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally by asking and answering questions about key details.

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.

Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds, including consonant blends.

Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression.

Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding.

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

With guidance and support, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions, and add details to strengthen writing.

Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.

Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.

Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.

Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.

Know and use various text features to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.

Explain how specific images contribute to and clarify a text.

Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.

Recount stories and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

Describe the overall structure of a story, including how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

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

Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of an informational text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.

Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths, and determine the central message, lesson, or moral.

Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

With guidance and support, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

Describe the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic.

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

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

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

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.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

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

Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).

Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters respond to challenges; summarize the text.

Compare and contrast stories in the same genre on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

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

With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

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

Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

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

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

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.

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

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

Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

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

Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.

Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.

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

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

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

Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others.

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

Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.

Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient.

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

Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.

Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader create effects such as suspense or humor.

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.

Conduct short research projects to answer a 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, 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.