Search the California Content Standards

Standard:
Combine clauses in a wide variety of ways (e.g., creating compound and complex sentences) to make connections between and join ideas, for example, to express cause/effect (e.g., The deer ran because the mountain lion approached them), to make a concession (e.g., She studied all night even though she wasn’t feeling well), to link two ideas that happen at the same time (e.g., The cubs played while their mother hunted), or to provide reasons to support ideas (e.g., The author persuades the reader by _________ ).

Standard:
Condense clauses in a variety of ways (e.g., through various types of embedded clauses and some nominalizations as in, They were a very strong army. They had a lot of enemies. They crushed their enemies because they were strong. → Their strength helped them crush their numerous enemies) to create precise and detailed sentences.

Standard:
Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions by following turn-taking rules, asking relevant questions, affirming others, adding relevant information and evidence, paraphrasing key ideas, building on responses, and providing useful feedback.

Standard:
Write longer and more detailed literary and informational texts (e.g., an argument for protecting the rain forests) collaboratively (e.g., with peers) and independently using appropriate text organization and growing understanding of register.

Standard:
Write clear and coherent summaries of texts and experiences using complete and concise sentences and key words (e.g., from notes or graphic organizers).

Standard:
Justify opinions or persuade others by providing detailed and relevant textual evidence (e.g., quoting from the text directly or referring to specific textual evidence) or relevant background knowledge, with light support.

Standard:
Express attitude and opinions or temper statements with nuanced modal expressions (e.g., probably/certainly/definitely, should/would, might) and phrasing (e.g., In my opinion. . . ).

Standard:
Use an expanded set of general academic words (e.g., affect, evidence, demonstrate, reluctantly), domain-specific words (e.g., scene, setting, plot, point of view, fraction, cell membrane, democracy), synonyms, antonyms, and figurative language to create precision and shades of meaning while speaking and writing.

Standard:
Use knowledge of morphology to appropriately select affixes in a variety of ways to manipulate language (e.g., changing observe → observation, reluctant → reluctantly, produce → production, and so on).

Standard:
Engage in extended written exchanges with peers and collaborate on complex written texts on a variety of topics, using technology when appropriate.