Chapter 16: English Language Arts, Literacy, and English Language Development in High School

RL/RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. SL.9-10.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.

• English language arts students in grades nine and ten are expected to conduct increasingly sophisticated analyses of the works they read and view. Students now delineate and evaluate arguments and specific claims, determine whether reasoning is valid, and identify false statements and fallacious reasoning (RI.9-10.8; SL.9-10.3). Students analyze the development of a central idea over the course of a text and how it is shaped by specific details (RL/RI.9-10.2); how complex characters develop and advance the plot or theme (RL.9-10.3); how an author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events (RI.9-10.3); how an author draws on and transforms source material (e.g., Shakespeare, Ovid) (RL.9-10.9); and seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (RI.9-10.9). To support meaning making, English language arts teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these complex processes with a range of text genres and disciplines. They look for opportunities to collaborate with librarians and teachers in other disciplines, particularly history-social studies. 
• Every student regularly engages with grade-level text with scaffolds (planned and “just-in-time”) provided and adjusted in accordance with the strengths and needs of the learner. 
• Text-dependent questions help students grapple with and investigate text at increasing levels of complexity. Thoughtfully prepared questions guide students to identify evidence in a text that reveals an author’s point of view or purpose and how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose (RI.9-10.6). Teachers and students analyze texts to create text-dependent questions that engage students’ motivations to read texts closely and that challenge and honor students’ thinking. Questions aimed solely at accountability for reading are minimized. 
• All students read a range of literary and informational texts both independently and collaboratively with their peers, and they discuss these texts with their peers and teachers. These include assigned texts and self-selected texts intended for in-depth study as well as independent reading texts designed to build reading enjoyment. Teachers confer with students individually or in small groups about their reading, and students share their reading with peers through book talks and other activities. 
• Teachers occasionally read aloud for specific, limited purposes. They read from selected passages of texts the class is studying to illustrate key points or to introduce new genres or beautiful language. 

RL/RI.9-10.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

• Students read and discuss increasingly complex texts of different types daily, with special attention given to books with appropriate complexity for grades nine and ten. Volume of reading is critical in building reading stamina, interest, and engagement. Teachers and librarians recommend books based on students’ current and potential interests. 
• Teachers support students in meaning making, teaching them how to navigate unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary and complex language structures (RL/RI.9-10.4; L.9-10.4-6; ELD.PI.9-10.12.Ex; ELD.PII.9-10.1-2.Ex). They guide the deconstruction of selected sentences and paragraphs to deepen students’ understanding of language structures, meaning making, and authors’ choices. 
• Teachers support students as they learn to analyze representations, scenes, or accounts in different mediums while considering emphases and omissions (RL/RI.9-10.7; SL.9-10.2). 
• Teachers create opportunities for all students to select the texts they read for study and enjoyment to capitalize on students’ increasing interest in novelty, exploration, and independence. Teachers and librarians acquire and recommend books that reflect the lives and languages of students—books that speak to the personal struggles and triumphs of all humanity. 

W.9-10.1-3 Write arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.

• All students write about the texts they read and view; writing helps students express, refine, and consolidate their understandings of new concepts and complex texts. Students use writing to capture specific text details and their reactions, interpretations, analyses, summaries, notes, outlines, and answers to questions about the text (RL/RI.9-10.1-3; RI.9-10.8; W.9-10.10). 

• Students become more skilled in conveying meaning by varying their writing according to their task, purpose, and audience (W.9-10.4). They write frequently and often combine argumentative, explanatory, or narrative forms according to their purpose, task, and audience (W.9-10.10). 

SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• Discussions are increasingly sophisticated in grades nine and ten, and students’ engagement with others enhances their understanding of complex ideas. Students now draw on textual or research evidence from their preparation to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas (SL.9-10.1a; RL/RI.9-10.9). Students actively incorporate others in the discussion; respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; summarize points of agreement or disagreement; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and, when warranted, qualify or justify their views in light of evidence and reasoning presented (SL.9-10.1c,d). 
• Teachers create opportunities for students to work in pairs and small groups to engage in discussions in virtual and in-class settings. Students participate in both informally and formally structured discussions. 
• Teachers consider the purpose of the task and the EL students’ proficiency levels and group them heterogeneously with Peers at more advanced levels of English proficiency for core tasks and consider homogeneous groups for identified language needs. 
• Students adapt their speech in discussions and presentations as needed to accomplish their purposes and convey meaning to their audience; they use formal English as appropriate to the task (SL.9-10.4,6). 

RL/RI.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. L.9-10.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words.

• Students continue to develop their understanding of figurative, connotative, and technical meanings of words and phrases in English language arts in grades nine and ten, now considering the cumulative impact of the choices of words and phrases in literary and informational texts (ELD.PI.9-10.8.Ex). English language arts teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) this process with a range of text types and topics. 
• Teachers employ strategies to develop students’ word consciousness and encourage students to be curious about new words and new meanings of known words that they encounter. They also encourage students to be curious about and analyze new grammatical and syntactical structures that they encounter in texts; teachers model their own processes for making sense of dense phrases and sentences (L.9-10.4-6). 
• Teachers leverage all students’ experiences and EL students’ native language where possible (e.g., highlighting cognates) to support vocabulary development. 

RL/RI.9-10.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

• Teachers support students to read complex texts by teaching text vocabulary explicitly, providing rich and engaging, as well as repeated, experiences with new words (L.9-10.4-6). Teachers select a limited number of words from the text that have high utility for text comprehension and use in other contexts. Teachers also model and encourage students to use strategies for independent word learning (ELD.PI.9-10.6c,8.Ex). 

W.9-10.1-3 Write arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.

• All students in grades nine and ten learn to use words, phrases, and clauses in increasingly powerful ways in their writing, including linking major sections of the text; clarifying complex relationships between claims, evidence, and counterclaims; and conveying a vivid picture of experiences, events, settings, or characters (W.9-10.1c,2c-d,3d; ELD.PI.9-10.12a.Ex). Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these processes and provide appropriate feedback as they practice. 

SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• All students have regular opportunities to engage in brief and extended conversations with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. These opportunities contribute to language development and are particularly important for EL students. Teachers encourage and support students to use target words and phrases in their discussions. 
• Students distinguish between formal and informal discourse and use formal English as appropriate to the task (SL.9-10.6). 

• Teachers support students to build their metacognitive awareness of their own and others’ language use in speaking and writing. Teachers create an environment that encourages students to experiment with language without being overly concerned with correctness. Teachers do focus students’ attention on correctness during the editing process. Teachers help students understand the impact of using powerful language correctly in formal settings, both on their audience and on their identities as writers and speakers. 
• Teachers model how they analyze complex sentences to understand their meanings, and they engage students in similar practices. Examining these language structures in the context of the texts the class is studying is more valuable than isolated grammar practice. It is helpful to all students, particularly EL students, to analyze or “unpack” complex sentences as examples of effective use of verb types and tenses, noun phrases, and adverbials to add and enrich details, and connect ideas (L.9-10.1-3; ELD.PII.9-10.3-6.Ex). 

RL/RI.9-10.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

• All students read daily in virtual and in-class English language arts settings—both independently and collaboratively. 
• Teachers support students to read increasingly complex text and engage students in examining passages that represent samples of effective expression. Students and their teachers work to uncover what makes passages effective or complex and, for the first time, consider rhetorical effects. 
• Students analyze how an author has structured a text for particular effects (RL/RI.9-10.5) or has used rhetoric to advance a point of view or purpose (RI.9-10.6). Students also consider a particular point of view or cultural experience when analyzing a work of literature from outside the U.S. (RL.9-10.6). 

W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.  W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

• All students increase their capacities to structure their writing and use language to effectively address their task, purpose, and audience. Students at grades nine and ten are expected to analyze substantive topics or texts and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information effectively in their writing. Teachers engage students in the analysis of a variety of mentor texts representing effective examples of text organization and language use and help students apply similar strategies to their own writing (ELD.PII.9-10.1-7.Ex). 
• In grades nine and ten, expectations are both more advanced and more nuanced. Students are expected to analyze substantive topics or texts, introduce precise claims, develop claims and counterclaims fairly, and point out strengths and limitations in a way that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns (W.9-10.1a,b). Teachers again use mentor texts and modeling to help students understand and practice these distinctions. 
• Teachers model and guide co-construction of increasingly effective text aligned to purpose and audience to build stronger coherence in writing. 
• All students write daily in virtual and in-class settings—both independently and collaboratively (W.9-10.10). 
• All students use technology to produce and publish writing and collaborate with others. In grades nine and ten, they are expected to use technology to display information flexibly and dynamically and link it to other information (W.9-10.6). 

• Teachers help students plan their writing by connecting the products of their reading (e.g., annotations, discussion notes, summaries, reflections, outlines, maps, responses to questions) to the writing task. 
• Students’ writing receives regular, specific feedback, so students become increasingly effective at expressing arguments, information, and narratives (W.9-10.8,9). Teachers and peers provide feedback on longer assignments early in the process so that students can set goals for improvement and make revisions. Feedback is focused on effective communication and selected features that have been the subject of instruction and classroom discussion. Teachers, rather than peers, offer feedback on correctness and form during the editing process (L.9-10.1-3). 
• Feedback is expressed in positive, encouraging ways that honor students’ efforts and acknowledge their progress. Teachers model and provide structures for constructive peer feedback, including opportunities for students to respond to the feedback they receive. Students regularly evaluate their own writing and identify progress they have made toward their own goals. 

SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• Teachers establish a climate that fosters trust, safety, equitable participation, and respect for individuals and multiple perspectives in both in-class and virtual settings. 

• Teachers engage students in using a variety of discussion structures and, together with students, develop norms of effective discussion. Teachers and students offer feedback on discussion processes and set goals for improving them (SL.9-10.1b-c; ELD.PI.9-10.5.Ex). 
• Students collaborate as partners and in small groups to plan their writing and oral presentations. They review one another’s writing or presentation plans at key points and provide feedback about its effectiveness. Teachers offer rubrics to focus feedback on important elements. 
• Teachers assess conversations for structure and language used and provide specific feedback aligned to academic language objectives. 

• Students use technology creatively (e.g., audio or video of reports, public service announcements, dramatic performances, spoken word) to present arguments, information, and narratives as individuals, partners, or small groups (SL.9-10.5). 
• As students plan and deliver oral presentations, they focus on communicating their ideas effectively to their audience and adapting their speech, as appropriate, to the task (SL.9-10.6). 
• Teachers provide mentor texts in the form of clips from podcasts, films, readings, or other performances to demonstrate powerful language and content, clear structure, and effective presentation techniques (SL.9-10.2,5). 

• Teachers accept and value students’ language varieties and establish an environment, both online and in class, that is respectful and safe for students to experiment with language.
•  Just as students set goals for improving the content and structure of their writing and oral presentations, they are guided in setting goals to improve their use of language conventions (L.9-10.1-3). 
• All students continue to adapt their use of informal and formal English according to the demands of the context, task, and audience (SL.9-10.6). 

RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. SL.9-10.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.

• Students in grades nine and ten are expected to conduct increasingly sophisticated analyses of the works they read and view in English language arts, delineating and evaluating arguments and specific claims, determining whether reasoning is valid, and identifying false statements and fallacious reasoning (RI.9-10.8; SL.9-10.3). Students now consider the rhetoric of written and spoken texts (RI.9-10.6; SL.9-10.3), and they understand more deeply how arguments and claims can be structured or expressed differently in various disciplines and genres (W.9-10.1; SL.9-10.3; ELD.PI.9-10.6a,11a.Ex). English language arts teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these processes and provide practice as needed. 
• Informational, as well as literary, texts are a crucial component of every grade level in English language arts—particularly in high school. Students read nonfiction and fiction texts to build knowledge, experience multiple perspectives, and gain fresh insights. Text selections are based on grade-level standards in different content areas (e.g., English language arts, science, social studies) and students’ interests and cultural experiences. 
• Informational and literary texts are read in combination in text sets and on their own. Students learn how text structures and evidence vary across genres and subgenres. Teachers look for opportunities to collaborate with librarians and teachers in other departments to integrate literacy across subject areas. 

RI.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.

• Teachers help students examine vocabulary, language structures, organizational structures, and use of media in literary and informational texts of different genres and disciplines (L.9-10.4-6; RL/RI.9-10.5,7; SL.9-10.2). Students expand their content knowledge as they attend to the language features unique to these genres and disciplines. 

RL/RI.9-10.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

• All students read broadly across text genres and disciplines in classroom and virtual settings and at home. They read to gain knowledge, to become inspired, and for pleasure. Teachers organize independent reading programs that expose students to a variety of text types and capitalize on students’ interests. 
• Students have access to informational text in their home languages to amplify content knowledge and support meaning making. 

W.9-10.1,2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts.

• All students write frequently to process information they learn through reading, viewing, and listening and to communicate their understandings and perspectives on what they have learned. As they write, students consolidate their existing and new content knowledge. 
• All students use technology to collaborate with classmates and to conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question or solve a problem (W.9-10.7; SL.9-10.5; ELD.PI.9-10.6b.Ex; ELD.PII.9-10.1.Ex). In grades nine and ten, students narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate and synthesize multiple sources on the topic (W.9-10.7). 
• Students now gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively. They integrate information into their text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation, including footnotes and endnotes (W.9-10.8; SL.9-10.3). Teachers and school librarians collaborate to help students use a standard citation format and advanced search terms effectively. 

SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• All students engage in discussions of what they have read and learned across genres and disciplines, contributing to their content knowledge. Students collaborate as partners or in small groups to conduct research and engage in other long-term projects based on their interests and areas of study (W.9-10.6,7; SL.9-10.5). 
• As students share their knowledge with others in formal presentations, they focus on communicating effectively with their audience and adapting their speech, as appropriate, to the task and the discipline (SL.9-10.5,6). 

• Ideally, students’ knowledge of foundational skills is well established by the time they enter grades nine and ten, and English language arts teachers continue to support students’ reading fluency to aid comprehension. 
• Support for students who lag significantly behind in foundational reading skills is provided strategically and effectively to allow for accelerated progress and full participation in core instruction. 
• Teachers provide EL students targeted instruction in foundational literacy skills based on students’ spoken English proficiency, native language proficiency, prior schooling, and assessed needs. 

RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information. WHST.9-10.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

• History/social studies students in grades nine and ten are expected to conduct increasingly sophisticated analyses of the primary and secondary sources they read and view. Students now assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims (RH.9-10.8). Students analyze and summarize the development of key events or ideas over the course of a text (RH.9-10.2); determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them (RH.9-10.3); and compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources (RH.9-10.9). To support meaning making, history/social studies teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these complex processes with a range of sources. They look for opportunities to collaborate with librarians and English language arts teachers. 
• Every student regularly engages with grade-level text with scaffolds (planned and “just-in-time”) provided and adjusted in accordance with the strengths and needs of the learner. 
• Text-dependent questions help students grapple with and investigate text at increasing levels of complexity. Thoughtfully prepared questions guide students to identify evidence that reveals authors’ points of view and allows them to compare authors’ treatments of similar topics (RH.9-10.6). Teachers and students analyze texts to create text-dependent questions that engage students’ motivations to read texts closely and that challenge and honor students’ thinking. Questions aimed solely at accountability for reading are minimized. 
• All students read a range of primary and secondary sources both independently and collaboratively with their peers, and they discuss these texts with their peers and teachers. Teachers occasionally read aloud from selected passages of texts the class is studying to illustrate key points or to introduce new genres or powerful language. 
• Teachers consider the purpose of the task and the EL students’ proficiency levels and group them heterogeneously with Peers at more advanced levels of English proficiency for core tasks and consider homogeneous groups for identified language needs. 

RH.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• Students read and discuss increasingly complex texts in the discipline regularly, with special attention given to text with appropriate complexity for grades nine and ten. Volume of reading is critical in building reading stamina, interest, and engagement. 
• Teachers support students in meaning making, teaching them how to navigate unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary and complex language structures (RH.9-10.4; ELD.PI.9-10.12.Ex; ELD.PII.9-10.1,2.Ex). Teachers guide the deconstruction of complex sentences and paragraphs to deepen students’ understanding of language structures, meaning making, and authors’ choices. 
• Teachers support students as they learn to analyze how a text is structured to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis (RH.9-10.5); and to integrate quantitative or technical analysis with qualitative analysis in print or digital text (RH.9-10.7). 
• Teachers create opportunities for all students to select the texts they read for study to capitalize on students’ increasing interest in novelty, exploration, and independence. Teachers and librarians acquire and recommend texts that reflect the lives and languages of students—texts that speak to the personal struggles and triumphs of all humanity. 
• Students have many opportunities to discuss texts with peers in virtual and in-class settings (ELD.PI.9-10.1.Ex). Their engagement with others enhances their understanding of the discipline. Students prepare for discussions, drawing on the textual or research evidence to stimulate a well-reasoned exchange of ideas. They actively incorporate others in the discussion and respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives. Opportunities for extended discussions are especially important for EL students. 

WHST.9-10.1,2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts focused on discipline-specific content, including the narration of historical events.

• All students write about the texts they read; writing helps students express, refine, and consolidate their understandings of new concepts and complex texts. Students use writing to capture specific text details and their reactions, interpretations, analyses, summaries, notes, outlines, and answers to questions about the text (RH.9-10.1-3,8; WHST.9-10.10). 
• As they write, students convey meaning by varying their writing according to their task, purpose, and audience (WHST.9-10.4). They write frequently and may combine argumentative, explanatory, or narrative forms according to their purpose, task, and audience (WHST.9-10.10). 

RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social studies.

• Teachers support students to read complex disciplinary texts by teaching text vocabulary explicitly, providing rich and engaging, as well as repeated, experiences with new words (ELD.PI.9-10.8,12.Ex). Teachers select a limited number of words from the text that have high utility for text comprehension and use in other contexts (e.g., in several primary sources on the topic). Teachers also model strategies for independent word learning. 
• Students continue to develop their understanding of figurative, connotative, and technical meanings of words and phrases in grades nine and ten. History/social studies teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) this process with texts in the discipline (ELD.PI.9-10.8.Ex). 
• Teachers employ strategies to develop students’ word consciousness and encourage students to be curious about new words and new meanings of known words that they encounter. They also encourage students to be curious about new syntactical structures common to the discipline that they encounter in texts; teachers model their own processes for making sense of dense phrases and sentences. 
• All students have regular opportunities to engage in brief and extended conversations about texts with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. These opportunities contribute to language development and are particularly important for EL students (ELD.PI.9-10.1.Ex). Teachers encourage and support students in using target words and phrases in their discussions. 
• Teachers leverage all students’ experiences and ELs’ native language where possible (e.g., highlighting cognates) to support vocabulary development. 

RH.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students have regular opportunities to read and discuss history/social studies texts. Increasingly complex text and rich content curriculum provide opportunities to learn new words and phrases, thereby deepening students’ language development. 
• Teachers model how they analyze complex sentences to understand their meanings, and they engage students in similar practices. Examining these language structures in the context of the texts the class is studying is more valuable than isolated grammar practice. It is helpful to all students, particularly EL students, to analyze or “unpack” complex sentences as examples of effective use of verb types and tenses, noun phrases, and adverbials to add and enrich details, and connect ideas (ELD.PII.9-10.3-6.Ex). 

WHST.9-10.1-2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts.

• All students in grades nine and ten learn to use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claims, reasons, evidence, and counterclaims; students use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and likely readers (WHST.9-10.1c,2d; ELD.PI.9-10.12a.Ex). Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these processes and support students as they practice. 

RH.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students read texts in the discipline regularly in virtual and in-class history/social studies settings—both independently and collaboratively. They discuss texts with one another, articulating their ideas clearly, and drawing on evidence from the text (WHST.9-10.9). 
• Teachers establish a climate that fosters trust, safety, equitable participation, and respect for individuals and multiple perspectives in both in-class and virtual settings. 
• Teachers support students to read increasingly complex text and engage students in examining passages that represent samples of effective expression. Students and their teachers work to uncover what makes passages effective or complex, considering how a text is structured to emphasize key points or how two or more authors treat the same or similar topics (RH.9-10.5,6). 
• Students use technology creatively (e.g., audio or video of reports, public service announcements, dramatic performances, spoken word) to present arguments, information, and narratives as individuals, partners, or small groups (WHST.9-10.6). 
• Teachers provide mentor texts in the form of clips from podcasts, films, readings, or other performances to demonstrate powerful language and content, clear structure, and effective presentation techniques. 

WHST.9-10.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. WHST.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events.

• All students learn that the structure and use of language in their writing varies according to the task, purpose, and audience. Teachers engage students in the analysis of a variety of mentor texts representing effective examples of text organization and language use and help students apply similar strategies to their own writing (ELD.PII.9-10.1-7.Ex). 
• Teachers model and guide co-construction of increasingly effective text aligned to purpose and audience. 
• All students organize their writing in increasingly effective ways. Students introduce precise claims or topics; create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence or among ideas, concepts, and information; and provide a concluding statement that follows from and supports the argument or information (WHST.9-10.1a,1e,2a,2e). 
• All students write regularly in virtual and in-class settings—both independently and collaboratively (WHST.9-10.10). They use technology to produce and publish writing, collaborate with others, and display information flexibly and dynamically link it to other information (WHST.9-10.6). 
• Teachers support students in building their metacognitive awareness of their own and others’ language use in writing (and speaking). Teachers create an environment that encourages students to experiment with language without being overly concerned with correctness. 
• Teachers accept and value students’ language varieties and establish an environment, both online and in class, that is respectful and safe for students to experiment with language. 

• Teachers help students plan their writing by connecting the products of their reading (e.g., annotations, discussion notes, summaries, reflections, outlines, maps, responses to questions) to the writing task. 
• Students’ writing receives regular, specific feedback, so students become increasingly effective at expressing arguments and information. Teachers and peers provide feedback on longer assignments early in the process so that students can set goals for improvement and make revisions. Feedback is focused on effective communication in the discipline and selected features that have been the subject of instruction and classroom discussion. Teachers, rather than peers, offer feedback on correctness and form during the editing process. 
• Feedback is expressed in positive, encouraging ways to ensure motivation and enthusiasm for creating written work are maintained. Teachers engage students in evaluating their own writing and identifying progress they have made toward their own goals. 

RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information. WHST.9-10.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

• Students assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a history/social studies text support the author’s claims, and history/social studies teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) this process and provide practice as needed (RH.9-10.8). Students practice identifying, evaluating, and expressing arguments (ELD.PI.9-10.6a,11a.Ex). 
• Teachers integrate history/social studies and literacy using text sets on a given topic. They look for opportunities to collaborate with librarians and teachers in other departments to integrate literacy across subject areas. 

RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social studies.

• Teachers help students examine vocabulary, language structures, organizational structures, and use of graphics and media in print and digital historical and social studies texts. Students identify features unique to the discipline and consider their impact on text meaning (RH.9-10.5,7). 

RH.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students read broadly in the discipline. Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) as needed to help students read grade-level texts, including primary source documents. The use of text complements and contributes to content instruction; it does not replace inquiry and other content approaches. 
• All students read widely in classroom and virtual settings and at home. They read to gain knowledge, to become inspired, and for pleasure. 
• All students have frequent opportunities to discuss the content of the texts they read (ELD.PI.9-10.1.Ex); these discussions enhance students’ content knowledge. 
• Students have access to informational text in their home languages to amplify content knowledge and support meaning making. 

WHST.9-10.1,2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts.

• All students write frequently to process information they learn through reading, viewing, and listening and to communicate their understandings and perspectives on what they have learned. As they write, students consolidate their existing and new content knowledge. 

• All students use technology to collaborate with classmates, produce and publish writing, and gather information (WHST.9-10.6,8). 

• All students conduct short as well as more sustained research projects on topics of interest and to answer a question or solve a problem. They narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate and synthesize multiple sources on the subject (WHST.9-10.7; ELD.PI.9-10.6b.Ex; ELD.PII.9-10.1.Ex). 

• Students gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; and integrate information into the text, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation (WHST.9-10.8). Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) increasingly sophisticated processes as needed. Teachers and school librarians collaborate to help students learn to locate and evaluate sources and understand plagiarism. 

• Ideally, students’ knowledge of foundational skills is well established by the time they enter grades nine and ten, and history/social studies teachers continue to support students’ developing reading fluency to aid comprehension. 
• Support for students who lag significantly behind in foundational reading skills is provided strategically and effectively to allow for accelerated progress and full participation in core instruction. 

RST.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. WHST.9-10.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

• Students in grades nine and ten are expected to conduct increasingly sophisticated analyses of the texts they read and view in science and technical subjects. Students now assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims or recommendations for solving a scientific or technical problem (RST.9-10.8). Students determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process; and summarize the text accurately (RST.9-10.2). Students compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources, noting when findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts (RST.9-10.9). Science and technical subjects teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these complex processes with a range of scientific and technical texts and in collaboration with English language arts teachers. 
• Every student regularly engages with grade-level text with scaffolds (planned and “just-in-time”) provided and adjusted in accordance with the strengths and needs of the learner. 
• Text-dependent questions help students grapple with and investigate text at increasing levels of complexity. Thoughtfully prepared questions guide students to evidence that reveals the author’s purpose and defining the question the author seeks to address (RST.9-10.6). Teachers and students analyze texts to create text-dependent questions that engage students’ motivations to read texts closely and that challenge and honor students’ thinking. Questions aimed solely at accountability for reading are minimized. 
• All students read a range of scientific and technical texts both independently and collaboratively with their peers, and they discuss these texts with their peers and teachers. Teachers occasionally read aloud from selected passages of texts the class is studying to illustrate key points or to introduce new genres or specialized language. 
• Teachers consider the purpose of the task and the EL students’ proficiency levels and group them heterogeneously with Peers at more advanced levels of English proficiency for core tasks and consider homogeneous groups for identified language needs. 

RST.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• Students read and discuss increasingly complex texts in the discipline regularly, with special attention given to text with appropriate complexity for grades nine and ten. Volume of reading is critical in building reading stamina, interest, and engagement. 
• Teachers support students in meaning making with text, teaching them to follow precisely a complex multistep procedure (RST.9-10.3) and to navigate unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary, including the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases (RST.9-10.4; ELD.PI.9-10.12.Ex; ELD.PII.9-10.1,2.Ex). Teachers guide the deconstruction of complex sentences and paragraphs to deepen students’ understanding of language structures, meaning making, and authors’ choices. 
• Teachers support students as they learn to analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts and key terms (RST.9-10.5) and to translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words into visual form (e.g., chart) and translate information expressed visually (e.g., equation) into words (RST.9-10.7). 
• Teachers create opportunities for all students to select the texts they read for study to capitalize on students’ increasing interest in novelty, exploration, and independence. Teachers and librarians acquire and recommend texts that reflect the lives and languages of students. 
• Students have many opportunities to discuss texts with peers in virtual and in-class settings (ELD.PI.9-10.1.Ex). They prepare for discussions, drawing on the textual evidence or other sources of information to stimulate a well-reasoned exchange of ideas. Students actively incorporate others in the discussion and demonstrate understanding of and respect for others’ expression of growing knowledge. Opportunities for extended discussions are especially important for EL students. 

WHST.9-10.1,2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts focused on discipline-specific content, including the narration of historical events.

• All students write about the texts they read and the investigations in which they participate; writing helps students express, refine, and consolidate their understandings of new concepts, complex texts, and learning experiences. Students use writing to capture specific text details and their reactions, analyses, summaries, notes, and answers to questions (RST.9-10.1,2,8; WHST.9-10.10). 

• As they write, students convey meaning by varying their writing according to their task, purpose, and audience (WHST.9-10.4). They write frequently and may combine argumentative, explanatory, or narrative forms according to their purpose, task, and audience (WHST.9-10.10). 

RST.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a scientific or technical context.

• Teachers support students to read complex disciplinary texts by teaching text vocabulary explicitly, providing rich and engaging, as well as repeated, experiences with new words (ELD.PI.9-10.6c.Ex). Teachers select a limited number of words from the text that have high utility for text comprehension and use in other contexts (e.g., in several scientific and technical subjects). Teachers also model strategies for independent word learning. 
• Students continue to develop their understanding of figurative, connotative, and technical meanings of words and phrases in grades nine and ten. Science and technical subjects teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) this process with texts in the discipline (ELD.PI.9-10.8.Ex). 
• Teachers employ strategies to develop students’ word consciousness and encourage students to be curious about new words and new meanings of known words that they encounter. They also encourage students to be curious about new syntactical structures common to the discipline that they encounter in texts; teachers model their own processes for making sense of dense phrases and sentences. 
• All students have regular opportunities to engage in brief and extended conversations about texts with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. These opportunities contribute to language development and are particularly important for EL students. Teachers encourage and support students in using target words and phrases in their discussions. 
• Teachers leverage all students’ experiences and ELs’ native language where possible (e.g., highlighting cognates) to support vocabulary development. 

RST.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students have regular opportunities to read and discuss scientific and technical texts and learning experiences. Increasingly complex text and rich content curriculum provide opportunities to learn new words and phrases, thereby deepening students’ language development. 
• Teachers model how they analyze complex sentences to understand their meanings, and they engage students in similar practices. Examining these language structures in the context of the texts the class is studying is more valuable than isolated grammar practice. It is helpful to all students, particularly EL students, to analyze or “unpack” complex sentences as examples of effective use of verb types and tenses, noun phrases, and adverbials to add and enrich details, and connect ideas (ELD.PII.9-10.3-6.Ex). 

WHST.9-10.1,2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts.

• All students in grades nine and ten learn to use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claims, reasons, evidence, and counterclaims; students use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and likely readers (WHST.9-10.1c,2d; ELD.PI.9-10.12a.Ex). Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these processes and support students as they practice. 

RST.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students read texts in the discipline regularly in virtual and in-class science and technical subjects settings—both independently and collaboratively. They discuss texts and learning experiences with one another, articulating their ideas clearly, and drawing on evidence from the text (WHST.9-10.9). 
• Teachers establish a climate that fosters trust, safety, equitable participation, and respect for individuals and multiple perspectives in both in-class and virtual settings. 
• Teachers support students to read increasingly complex text and engage students in examining passages that represent samples of effective expression. Students and their teachers work to uncover what makes passages effective or complex, analyzing the structure of the relationships among concepts and key terms in a text (RST.9-10.5). Students also analyze the author’s purpose in providing an explanation or description and define the question the author seeks to address (RST.9-10.6). 
• Students use technology creatively (e.g., audio or video of reports, public service announcements, dramatic performances, spoken word) to present arguments and information as individuals, partners, or small groups (WHST.9-10.6). 
• Teachers provide mentor texts in the form of clips from podcasts, documentary films, panel discussions, or other presentations to demonstrate specialized language and content, clear structure, and effective presentation techniques. 

WHST.9-10.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. WHST.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of scientific procedures/experiments or technical processes.

• All students learn that the structure and use of language in their writing varies according to the task, purpose, and audience. Teachers engage students in the analysis of a variety of mentor texts representing effective examples of text organization and language use and help students apply similar strategies to their own writing (ELD.PII.9-10.1-7.Ex). 
• All students organize their writing in increasingly effective ways. Students introduce precise claims or topics; create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence or among ideas, concepts, and information; and provide a concluding statement that follows from and supports the argument or information (WHST.9-10.1a,1e,2a,2e). 
• Teachers model and guide co-construction of increasingly effective text aligned to purpose and audience. 
• All students write regularly in virtual and in-class settings—both independently and collaboratively (WHST.9-10.10). They use technology to produce and publish writing, collaborate with others, and display information flexibly and dynamically link it to other information (WHST.9-10.6). 
• Teachers support students in building their metacognitive awareness of their own and others’ language use in writing (and speaking). Teachers create an environment that encourages students to experiment with language without being overly concerned with correctness. 
• Teachers accept and value students’ language varieties and establish an environment, both online and in class, that is respectful and safe for students to experiment with language. 

• Teachers help students plan their writing by connecting the products of their reading (e.g., annotations, discussion notes, lab notes, summaries, reflections, outlines, maps, responses to questions) to the writing task. 
• Students’ writing receives regular, specific feedback, so students become increasingly effective at expressing arguments and information. Teachers and peers provide feedback on longer assignments early in the process so that students can set goals for improvement and make revisions. Feedback is focused on effective communication in the discipline and selected features that have been the subject of instruction and classroom discussion. Teachers, rather than peers, offer feedback on correctness and form during the editing process. 
• Feedback is expressed in positive, encouraging ways to ensure motivation and enthusiasm for creating written work are maintained. Teachers engage students in evaluating their own writing and identifying progress they have made toward their own goals. 

RST.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. WHST.9-10.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

• Students assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claim or recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem; science and technical subjects teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) this process and provide practice as needed (RST.9-10.8). Students practice identifying, evaluating, and expressing arguments and explanations (ELD.PI.9-10.6a,11a.Ex). 
• Teachers integrate science/technical subjects and literacy using text sets on a given topic. They look for opportunities to collaborate with librarians and teachers in other departments to integrate literacy across subject areas. 

RST.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a scientific or technical context.

• Teachers help students examine vocabulary, including technical terms, language structures, organizational structures, and use of symbols, graphics, and media in scientific and technical texts. Students identify features unique to the discipline and consider their impact on text meaning (RST.9-10.5,7). 

RST.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students read broadly in the discipline. Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) as needed to help students read grade-level texts, including accounts of experiments and technical processes. The use of text complements and contributes to content instruction; it does not replace inquiry and other content approaches. 
• All students read widely in classroom and virtual settings and at home. They read to gain knowledge, to become inspired, and for pleasure. 
• All students have frequent opportunities to discuss the content of the texts they read (ELD.PI.9-10.1.Ex); these discussions enhance students’ content knowledge. 

WHST.9-10.1-2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts.

• All students write frequently to process information they learn through reading, viewing, and listening and to communicate their understandings and perspectives on what they have learned. As they write, students consolidate their existing and new content knowledge. 

• All students use technology to collaborate with classmates, produce and publish writing, and gather information (WHST.9-10.6,8). 

• All students conduct short as well as more sustained research projects on topics of interest and to answer a question or solve a problem. They narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate and synthesize multiple sources on the subject (WHST.9-10.7; ELD.PI.9-10.6b.Ex; ELD.PII.9-10.1.Ex). 

• Students gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; and integrate information into the text, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation (WHST.9-10.8). Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these increasingly sophisticated processes as needed. Teachers and school librarians collaborate to help students learn to locate and evaluate sources and understand plagiarism. 
• Students have access to informational text in their home languages to amplify content knowledge and support meaning making. 

• Ideally, students’ knowledge of foundational skills is well established by the time they enter grades nine and ten, and science and technical subjects teachers continue to support students’ developing reading fluency to aid comprehension. 
• Support for students who lag significantly behind in foundational reading skills is provided strategically and effectively to allow for accelerated progress and full participation in core instruction. 

RL/RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

• English language arts students in grades eleven and twelve are expected to identify and analyze uncertainty and complex connections between themes, characters, events, and ideas within and across texts (RL/RI.11-12.1-3). Students delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including constitutional principles and legal reasoning, and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (RI.11-12.8; SL.11-12.3). They also analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (RI.11-12.9) and demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, and nineteenth-, and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature (RL.11-12.9). English language arts teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these complex processes with a range of text genres and disciplines. They look for opportunities to collaborate with librarians and teachers in other disciplines, particularly history-social studies. 
• In the last two years of secondary schooling, the expectations for students in grades eleven and twelve increase dramatically as students approach college and career readiness levels in their comprehension and analysis of texts. Every student regularly engages with grade-level text with scaffolds (planned and “just-in-time”) provided and adjusted in accordance with the strengths and needs of the learner. 
• Text-dependent questions help students grapple with and investigate text at increasing levels of complexity. Thoughtfully prepared questions guide students to evidence that reveals an author’s purpose or intended meaning in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective (RL/RI.11-12.6). Teachers and students analyze texts to create text-dependent questions that engage students’ motivations to read texts closely and that challenge and honor students’ thinking. Questions aimed solely at accountability for reading are minimized. 
• All students read a range of literary and informational texts both independently and collaboratively with their peers, and they discuss these texts with their peers and teachers. These include assigned texts and self-selected texts intended for in-depth study as well as independent reading texts designed to build reading enjoyment. Teachers confer with students individually or in small groups about their reading, and students share their reading with peers through book talks and other activities. 
• Teachers occasionally read aloud for specific, limited purposes. They read from selected passages of texts the class is studying to illustrate key points or to introduce new genres or beautiful language. 

RL/RI.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend texts at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• Students read and discuss complex texts of different types daily. Students are now expected to read independently and proficiently reading at levels that approach standards of college and career readiness. Sustaining reading volume is critical for students to maintain reading stamina, interest, and engagement. Teachers and librarians recommend books based on students’ current and potential interests. 
• Teachers support students in meaning making, teaching them how to navigate unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary and complex language structures (RL/RI.11-12.4; L.11-12.4-6; ELD.PI.11-12.12.Ex; ELD.PII.11-12.1,2.Ex). They guide the deconstruction of complex sentences and paragraphs for students’ understanding of language structures, meaning making, and authors’ choices. 
• Teachers support students as they learn to integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (RI.11-12.7; SL.11-12.2). Additionally, students analyze multiple interpretations of performances, including at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist (RL.11-12.7). 
• Teachers create opportunities for all students to select the texts they read for study and enjoyment to capitalize on students’ increasing interest in novelty, exploration, and independence. Teachers and librarians acquire and recommend books that reflect the lives and languages of students—books that speak to the personal struggles and triumphs of all humanity. 

W.11-12.1-3 Write arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.

• All students write about the texts they read and view; writing helps students express, refine, and consolidate their understandings of new concepts and complex texts. Students use writing to capture specific text details and their reactions, interpretations, analyses, summaries, notes, outlines, and answers to questions about the text (RL/RI.11-12.1-3; RI.11-12.8; W.11-12.10). 
• Students become skilled in conveying meaning by varying their writing according to their task, purpose, and audience (W.11-12.4). They write frequently and often combine argumentative, explanatory, or narrative forms according to their purpose, task, and audience (W.11-12.10). 

SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• Discussions are increasingly sophisticated in grades eleven and twelve, and students’ engagement with others enhances their understanding of complex ideas. Students continue to draw on textual or research evidence from their preparation to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas (SL.11-12.1a; RL/RI.11-12.9). Students are expected to ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; promote divergent and creative perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; and resolve contradictions when possible (SL.11-12.1c,d). 
• Teachers create opportunities for students to work in pairs and small groups to engage in discussions in virtual and in-class settings. Students participate in both informally and formally structured discussions. Teachers consider the purpose of the task and the EL students’ proficiency levels and group them heterogeneously with Peers at more advanced levels of English proficiency for core tasks and consider homogeneous groups for identified language needs. 
• Students adapt their speech in discussions and presentations as needed to accomplish their purposes and convey meaning to their audience; they use formal English as appropriate to the task (SL.11-12.4,6). 

RL/RI.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. L.11-12.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases.

• Students continue to develop their understanding of figurative, connotative, and technical meanings of words and phrases in English language arts in grades eleven and twelve, considering the quality of language use and its development over the course of literary and informational texts (ELD.PI.11-12.8.Ex). English language arts teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) this process with a range of text types and topics. 
• Teachers employ strategies to develop students’ word consciousness and encourage students to be curious about new words and new meanings of known words that they encounter. They also encourage students to be curious about and analyze new grammatical and syntactical structures that they encounter in texts; teachers model their own processes for making sense of dense phrases and sentences (L.11-12.4-6). 
• Teachers leverage all students’ experiences and EL students’ native language where possible (e.g., highlighting cognates) to support vocabulary development. 

RL/RI.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend texts at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• Teachers support students to read complex texts by teaching text vocabulary explicitly, providing rich and engaging, as well as repeated, experiences with new words (L.11-12.4-6). Teachers select a limited number of words from the text that have high utility for text comprehension and use in other contexts. Teachers also model and encourage students to use strategies for independent word learning (ELD.PI.11-12.6c,8.Ex). 

W.11-12.1-3 Write arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.

• All students in grades eleven and twelve use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax in increasingly powerful ways in their writing, including linking major sections of the text; clarifying relationships among complex arguments, ideas, and concepts; and conveying a vivid picture of experiences, events, settings, or characters (W.11-12.1c,2c-d,3d; ELD.PI.11-12.12a.Ex). Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these processes and provide appropriate feedback as they practice. 

SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• All students have regular opportunities to engage in brief and extended conversations with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. These opportunities contribute to language development and are particularly important for EL students. Teachers encourage and support students to use target words and phrases in their discussions. 
• Students distinguish between formal and informal discourse and use formal English as appropriate to the task (SL.11-12.6). 

• Teachers support students to build their metacognitive awareness of their own and others’ language use in speaking and writing. Teachers create an environment that encourages students to experiment with language without being overly concerned with correctness. Teachers do focus students’ attention on correctness during the editing process. Teachers help students understand the impact of using powerful language correctly in formal settings, both on their audience and on their identities as writers and speakers. 
• Teachers model how they analyze complex sentences to understand their meanings, and they engage students in similar practices. Examining these language structures in the context of the texts the class is studying is more valuable than isolated grammar practice. It is helpful to all students, particularly ELs, to analyze or “unpack” complex sentences as examples of effective use of verb types and tenses, noun phrases, and adverbials to add and enrich details, and connect ideas (L.11-12.1-3; ELD.PII.11-12.3-6.Ex). 

RL/RI.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend texts at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students read daily in virtual and in-class English language arts settings—both independently and collaboratively. 
• Teachers support students to read increasingly complex text and engage students in examining passages that represent samples of effective expression. Students and their teachers work to uncover what makes passages effective or complex and consider their aesthetic and rhetorical impacts. 
• Students analyze authors’ choices in structuring text that contribute to meaning and aesthetic impact and makes points clear, convincing, and engaging (RL/RI.11-12.5). They grasp point of view by distinguishing what is directly stated from what is really meant (e.g., satire, irony) (RL.11-12.6), and they determine an author’s purpose or point of view in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text (RI.11-12.6). 

W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. W.11-12.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

• All students increase their capacities to structure their writing and use language to effectively address their task, purpose, and audience. Students at grades eleven and twelve continue working to analyze substantive topics or texts and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information effectively in their writing. Teachers engage students in the analysis of a variety of mentor texts representing effective examples of text organization and language use and help students apply similar strategies to their own writing (ELD.PII.11-12.1-7.Ex). 
• In grades eleven and twelve, expectations for writing become yet more sophisticated. Students are expected to establish the significance of claims, develop claims and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, anticipate audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases, and use specific rhetorical devices to support assertions (W.11-12.1a-b,f). Teachers again use mentor texts and modeling to help students understand and practice these distinctions. 
• All students write daily in virtual and in-class settings—both independently and collaboratively (W.11-12.10). 
• Teachers model and guide co-construction of increasingly effective text aligned to purpose and audience. 
• All students use technology to produce and publish writing and collaborate with others. In grades eleven and twelve, they are expected to use technology to update projects in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information (W.11-12.6). 

• Teachers help students plan their writing by connecting the products of their reading (e.g., annotations, discussion notes, summaries, reflections, outlines, maps, responses to questions) to the writing task. 
• Students’ writing receives regular, specific feedback, so students become increasingly effective at expressing arguments, information, and narratives (W.11-12.8,9). Teachers and peers provide feedback on longer assignments early in the process so that students can set goals for improvement and make revisions. Feedback is focused on effective communication and selected features that have been the subject of instruction and classroom discussion. Teachers, rather than peers, offer feedback on correctness and form during the editing process (L.11-12.1-3). 
• Feedback is expressed in positive, encouraging ways that honor students’ efforts and acknowledge their progress. Teachers model and provide structures for constructive peer feedback, including opportunities for students to respond to the feedback they receive. Students regularly evaluate their own writing and identify progress they have made toward their own goals. 

SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• Teachers establish a climate that fosters trust, safety, equitable participation, and respect for individuals and multiple perspectives in both in-class and virtual settings. 

• Teachers engage students in using a variety of discussion structures and, together with students, develop norms of effective discussion. Students work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making. Teachers and students offer feedback on discussion processes and set goals for improving them (SL.11-12.1b,c; ELD.PI.11-12.5.Ex). 
• Students collaborate as partners and in small groups to plan their writing and oral presentations. They review one another’s writing or presentation plans at key points and provide feedback about its effectiveness. Teachers offer rubrics to focus feedback on important elements. 
• Teachers assess conversations and presentations for structure and language used and provide specific feedback aligned to academic language objectives. 

• Students use technology creatively (e.g., audio or video of reports, public service announcements, dramatic performances, spoken word) to present arguments, information, and narratives as individuals, partners, or small groups (SL.11-12.5). 
• As students plan and deliver oral presentations, they focus on communicating their ideas effectively to their audience and adapting their speech, as appropriate, to the task (SL.11-12.6). 
• Teachers provide mentor texts in the form of clips from podcasts, films, readings, or other performances to demonstrate powerful language and content, clear structure, and effective presentation techniques (SL.11-12.2,5). 

• Teachers accept and value students’ language varieties and establish an environment, both online and in class, that is respectful and safe for students to experiment with language. 
• Just as students set goals for improving the content and structure of their writing and oral presentations, they are guided in setting goals to improve their use of language conventions (L.11-12.1-3). 
• All students continue to adapt their use of informal and formal English according to the demands of the context, task, and audience (SL.11-12.6). 

RL/RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

• Students in grades 11-12 are expected to conduct increasingly sophisticated analyses of the works they read and view in English language arts, delineating and evaluating the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including constitutional principles and legal reasoning, and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (RI.11-12.8; SL.11-12.3). Students consider written and spoken texts in which the rhetoric is particularly effective (RI.11-12.6; SL.11-12.3), and they understand more deeply how arguments and claims can be structured or expressed differently in various disciplines and genres (W.11-12.1; SL.11-12.3; ELD.PI.11-12.6a,11a.Ex). English language arts teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these processes and provide practice as needed. 
• Informational, as well as literary, texts are a crucial component of every grade level in English language arts—particularly in high school. Students read informational and literary texts to build knowledge, experience multiple perspectives, and gain fresh insights. Text selections are based on grade-level standards in different content areas (e.g., English language arts, science, social studies) and students’ interests and cultural experiences. 
• Informational and literary texts are read in combination in text sets and on their own. Students learn how text structures and evidence vary across genres and subgenres. Teachers look for opportunities to collaborate with librarians and teachers in other departments to integrate literacy across subject areas. 

RL/RI.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.

• Teachers help students examine vocabulary, language structures, organizational structures, and use of media in literary and informational texts of different genres and disciplines (L.11-12.4-6; RL/RI.11-12.5,7; SL.11-12.2). Students expand their content knowledge as they attend to the language features unique to these genres and disciplines. 

RL/RI.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend texts at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students read broadly across text genres and disciplines in classroom and virtual settings and at home. They read to gain knowledge, to become inspired, and for pleasure. Teachers organize independent reading programs that expose students to a variety of text types and capitalize on students’ interests. 
• Students have access to informational text in their home languages to amplify content knowledge and support meaning making. 

W.11-12.1,2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts.

• All students write frequently to process information they learn through reading, viewing, and listening and to communicate their understandings and perspectives on what they have learned. As they write, students consolidate their existing and new content knowledge. 
• All students use technology to collaborate with classmates and to conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question or solve a problem (W.11-12.7; SL.11-12.5; ELD.PI.11-12.6b.Ex; ELD.PII.11-12.1.Ex). In grades eleven and twelve, students continue to narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate and synthesize multiple sources on the topic (W.11-12.7; SL.11-12.3). 
• Students continue to gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; and they continue to integrate information into their text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation, including footnotes and endnotes. Students now assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience (W.11-12.8). Teachers and school librarians collaborate to help students use a standard citation format and advanced search terms effectively. 

SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• All students engage in discussions of what they have read and learned across genres and disciplines, contributing to their content knowledge. Students collaborate as partners or in small groups to conduct research and engage in other long-term projects based on their interests and areas of study (W.11-12.6,7; SL.11-12.5). 
• As students share their knowledge with others in formal presentations, they focus on communicating effectively with their audience and adapting their speech, as appropriate, to the task and the discipline (SL.11-12.5,6). 

• Ideally, students’ knowledge of foundational skills is well established by the time they enter grades eleven and twelve, and English language arts teachers continue to support students’ reading fluency to aid comprehension. 
• Support for students who lag significantly behind in foundational reading skills is provided strategically and effectively to allow for accelerated progress and full participation in core instruction. 
• Teachers provide EL students targeted instruction in foundational literacy skills based on students’ spoken English proficiency, native language proficiency, prior schooling, and assessed needs. 

RH.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole. WHST.11-12.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

• History/social studies students in grades eleven and twelve are expected to conduct increasingly sophisticated analyses of the primary and secondary sources they read and view. Students now evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information (RH.11-12.8). Students provide summaries that make clear the relationships among the key details and ideas (RH.11-12.2); evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain (RH.11-12.3); and integrate information from diverse sources, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources (RH.11-12.9). History/social studies teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these complex processes with a range of sources and in collaboration with English language arts teachers. 
• Every student regularly engages with grade-level text with scaffolds (planned and “just-in-time”) provided and adjusted in accordance with the strengths and needs of the learner. 
• Text-dependent questions help students grapple with and investigate text at increasing levels of complexity. Thoughtfully prepared questions guide students to evidence that helps them evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same event or issue (RH.11-12.6). Teachers and students analyze texts to create text-dependent questions that engage students’ motivations to read texts closely and that challenge and honor students’ thinking. Questions aimed solely at accountability for reading are minimized. 
• All students read a range of primary and secondary sources both independently and collaboratively with their peers, and they discuss these texts with their peers and teachers. Teachers occasionally read aloud from selected passages of texts the class is studying to illustrate key points or to introduce new genres or powerful language. 
• Teachers consider the purpose of the task and the EL students’ proficiency levels and group them heterogeneously with Peers at more advanced levels of English proficiency for core tasks and consider homogeneous groups for identified language needs. 

RH.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• Students read and discuss increasingly complex texts in the discipline regularly, with special attention given to text with appropriate complexity for grades eleven and twelve. Volume of reading is critical in building reading stamina, interest, and engagement. 
• Teachers support students in meaning making, teaching them how to navigate unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary and complex language structures (RH.11-12.4; ELD.PI.11-12.12.Ex; ELD.PII.11-12.1,2.Ex). Teachers guide the deconstruction of complex sentences and paragraphs to deepen students’ understanding of language structures, meaning making, and authors’ choices. 
• Teachers support students as they learn to analyze how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions contribute to the whole (RH.11-12.5); and to integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (RH.11-12.7). 
• Teachers create opportunities for all students to select the texts they read for study to capitalize on students’ increasing interest in novelty, exploration, and independence. Teachers and librarians acquire and recommend texts that reflect the lives and languages of students—texts that speak to the personal struggles and triumphs of all humanity. 
• Students have many opportunities to discuss texts with peers in virtual and in-class settings (ELD.PI.11-12.1.Ex). They prepare for discussions, drawing on the textual or research evidence to stimulate a well-reasoned exchange of ideas. Students are expected to ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; promote divergent perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence; and resolve contradictions when possible. Opportunities for extended discussions are especially important for EL students. 

WHST.11-12.1,2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts focused on discipline-specific content, including the narration of historical events.

• All students write about the texts they read; writing helps students express, refine, and consolidate their understandings of new concepts and complex texts. Students use writing to capture specific text details and their reactions, interpretations, analyses, summaries, notes, outlines, and answers to questions about the text (RH.11-12.1-3,8; WHST.11-12.10). 

• As they write, students convey meaning by varying their writing according to their task, purpose, and audience (WHST.11-12.4). They write frequently and may combine argumentative, explanatory, or narrative forms according to their purpose, task, and audience (WHST.11-12.10). 

RH.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text.

• Teachers support students to read complex disciplinary texts by teaching text vocabulary explicitly, providing rich and engaging, as well as repeated, experiences with new words (RH.11-12.4). Teachers select a limited number of words from the text that have high utility for text comprehension and use in other contexts (e.g., in several primary sources on the topic). Teachers also model strategies for independent word learning (ELD.PI.11-12.6c,8.Ex). 
• Students continue to develop their understanding of figurative, connotative, and technical meanings of words and phrases in grades eleven and twelve. History/social studies teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) this process with texts in the discipline (ELD.PI.11-12.8.Ex). 
• Teachers employ strategies to develop students’ word consciousness and encourage students to be curious about new words and new meanings of known words that they encounter. They also encourage students to be curious about new syntactical structures common to the discipline that they encounter in texts; teachers model their own processes for making sense of dense phrases and sentences. 
• All students have regular opportunities to engage in brief and extended conversations about texts with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. These opportunities contribute to language development and are particularly important for EL students (ELD.PI.11-12.1.Ex). Teachers encourage and support students in using target words and phrases in their discussions. 
• Teachers leverage all students’ experiences and ELs’ native language where possible (e.g., highlighting cognates) to support vocabulary development. 

RH.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students have regular opportunities to read and discuss history/social studies texts. Increasingly complex text and rich content curriculum provide opportunities to learn new words and phrases, thereby deepening students’ language development. 
• Teachers model how they analyze complex sentences to understand their meanings, and they engage students in similar practices. Examining these language structures in the context of the texts the class is studying is more valuable than isolated grammar practice. It is helpful to all students, particularly EL students, to analyze or “unpack” complex sentences as examples of effective use of verb types and tenses, noun phrases, and adverbials to add and enrich details, and connect ideas (ELD.PII.11-12.3-6.Ex). 

WHST.11-12.1-2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts.

• All students learn to use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claims, reasons, evidence, and counterclaims; students use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a knowledgeable stance in a style appropriate to the discipline and the expertise of likely readers (WHST.11-12.1c,2d; ELD.PI.11-12.12a.Ex). Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these processes and support students as they practice. 

RH.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students read texts in the discipline regularly in virtual and in-class history/social studies settings—both independently and collaboratively. They discuss texts with one another, articulating their ideas clearly, and drawing on evidence from the text (WHST.11-12.9). 
• Teachers establish a climate that fosters trust, safety, equitable participation, and respect for individuals and multiple perspectives in both in-class and virtual settings. 
• Teachers support students to read increasingly complex text and engage students in examining passages that represent samples of effective expression. Students and their teachers work to uncover what makes passages effective or complex, considering how a complex text is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions contribute to the whole, and evaluating authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence (RH.11-12.5,6). 
• Students use technology creatively (e.g., audio or video of reports, public service announcements, dramatic performances, spoken word) to present arguments, information, and narratives as individuals, partners, or small groups (WHST.11-12.6). 
• Teachers provide mentor texts in the form of clips from podcasts, films, readings, or other performances to demonstrate powerful language and content, clear structure, and effective presentation techniques. 

WHST.11-12.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. WHST.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events.

• All students increase their capacities to structure their writing and use language to address their task, purpose, and audience. Teachers engage students in the analysis of a variety of mentor texts representing effective examples of text organization and language use and help students apply similar strategies to their own writing (ELD.PII.11-12.1-7.Ex). 
• Teachers model and guide co-construction of increasingly effective text aligned to purpose and audience. 
• All students organize their writing in increasingly effective ways. Students introduce precise, knowledgeable claims or topics; create an organization that logically sequences the claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence or ideas, concepts, and information; and provide a concluding statement that follows from and supports the argument or information (WHST.11-12.1a,1e,2a,2e). 
• All students write regularly in virtual and in-class settings—both independently and collaboratively (WHST.11-12.10). They use technology to produce and publish writing, collaborate with others, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information (WHST.11-12.6). 
• Teachers support students in building their metacognitive awareness of their own and others’ language use in writing (and speaking). Teachers create an environment that encourages students to experiment with language without being overly concerned with correctness. 
• Teachers accept and value students’ language varieties and establish an environment, both online and in class, that is respectful and safe for students to experiment with language. 

• Teachers help students plan their writing by connecting the products of their reading (e.g., annotations, discussion notes, summaries, reflections, outlines, maps, responses to questions) to the writing task. 
• Students’ writing receives regular, specific feedback, so students become increasingly effective at expressing arguments and information. Teachers and peers provide feedback on longer assignments early in the process so that students can set goals for improvement and make revisions. Feedback is focused on effective communication in the discipline and selected features that have been the subject of instruction and classroom discussion. Teachers, rather than peers, offer feedback on correctness and form during the editing process. 
• Feedback is expressed in positive, encouraging ways to ensure motivation and enthusiasm for creating written work are maintained. Teachers engage students in evaluating their own writing and identifying progress they have made toward their own goals. 

RH.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole. WHST.11-12.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

• Students evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence in a history/social studies text by corroborating or challenging them with other information, and history/social studies teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) this process and provide practice as needed (RH.11-12.8). Students practice identifying, evaluating, and expressing arguments (ELD.PI.11-12.6a,11a.Ex). 

• Teachers integrate history/social studies and literacy using text sets on a given topic. They look for opportunities to collaborate with librarians and teachers in other departments to integrate literacy across subject areas. 

RH.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text.

• Teachers help students examine vocabulary, language structures, organizational structures, and use of graphics, formats, and media in print and digital historical and social studies texts. Students identify features unique to the discipline and consider their impact on text meaning (RH.11-12.5,7). 

RH.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students read broadly in the discipline. Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) as needed to help students read grade-level texts, including primary source documents. The use of text complements and contributes to content instruction; it does not replace inquiry and other content approaches. 
• All students read widely in classroom and virtual settings and at home. They read to gain knowledge, to become inspired, and for pleasure. 
• All students have frequent opportunities to discuss the content of the texts they read (ELD.PI.11-12.1.Ex); these discussions enhance students’ content knowledge. 

• Students have access to informational text in their home languages to amplify content knowledge and support meaning making. 

WHST.11-12.1,2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts.

• All students write frequently to process information they learn through reading, viewing, and listening and to communicate their understandings and perspectives on what they have learned. As they write, students consolidate their existing and new content knowledge. 

• All students use technology to collaborate with classmates, produce and publish writing, and gather information (WHST.11-12.6,8). 
• All students conduct short as well as more sustained research projects on topics of interest and to answer a question or solve a problem. They narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate and synthesize multiple sources on the subject (WHST.11-12.7; ELD.PI.11-12.6b.Ex; ELD.PII.11-12.1.Ex). 
• Students continue to gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; and they continue to integrate information into their text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. Students now assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience and avoid overreliance on any one source (WHST.11-12.8). Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these increasingly sophisticated processes as needed. Teachers and school librarians collaborate to help students learn to locate and evaluate sources and avoid plagiarism. 

• Ideally, students’ knowledge of foundational skills is well established by the time they enter grades eleven and twelve, and history/social studies teachers continue to support students’ developing reading fluency to aid comprehension. 
• Support for students who lag significantly behind in foundational reading skills is provided strategically and effectively to allow for accelerated progress and full participation in core instruction. 

RST.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps of inconsistencies in the account. WHST.11-12.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

• Science and technical studies students in grades eleven and twelve are expected to conduct increasingly sophisticated analyses of the texts they read and view in science and technical subjects. Students now evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information (RST.11-12.8). Students summarize complex concepts, processes, or information in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms (RST.11-12.2). Students synthesize information from a range of sources into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible (RST.11-12.9). Science and technical studies teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these complex processes with a range of sources and in collaboration with English language arts teachers. 

• Every student regularly engages with grade-level text with scaffolds (planned and “just-in-time”) provided and adjusted in accordance with the strengths and needs of the learner. 
• Text-dependent questions help students grapple with and investigate text at increasing levels of complexity. Thoughtfully prepared questions guide students to evidence that helps them analyze the author’s purpose (RST.11-12.6). Teachers and students analyze texts to create text-dependent questions that engage students’ motivations to read texts closely and that challenge and honor students’ thinking. Questions aimed solely at accountability for reading are minimized. 

• All students read a range of scientific and technical texts both independently and collaboratively with their peers, and they discuss these texts with their peers and teachers. Teachers occasionally read aloud from selected passages of texts the class is studying to illustrate key points or to introduce new genres or specialized language. 
• Teachers consider the purpose of the task and the EL students’ proficiency levels and group them heterogeneously with Peers at more advanced levels of English proficiency for core tasks and consider homogeneous groups for identified language needs. 

RST.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• Students read and discuss increasingly complex texts in the discipline regularly, with special attention given to text with appropriate complexity for grades eleven and twelve. Volume of reading is critical in building reading stamina, interest, and engagement. 
• Teachers support students in meaning making, teaching them to follow precisely a complex multistep procedure and analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text (RST.11-12.3) and to navigate unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary, including the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases and complex language structures (RST.11-12.4; ELD.PI.11-12.12.Ex; ELD.PII.11-12.1,2.Ex). Teachers guide the deconstruction of complex sentences and paragraphs to deepen students’ understanding of language structures, meaning making, and authors’ choices. 
• Teachers support students as they learn to analyze how a text structures information or ideas into categories or hierarchies and demonstrate understanding of the information or ideas (RST.11-12.5) and to integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to address a question or solve a problem (RST.11-12.7). 
• Teachers create opportunities for all students to select the texts they read for study to capitalize on students’ increasing interest in novelty, exploration, and independence. Teachers and librarians acquire and recommend texts that reflect the lives and languages of students. 
• Students have many opportunities to discuss texts with peers in virtual and in-class settings (ELD.PI.11-12.1.Ex). They prepare for discussions, drawing on the textual evidence or other sources of information to stimulate a well-reasoned exchange of ideas. Students actively incorporate others in the discussion and demonstrate understanding of and respect for others’ expression of growing knowledge. Opportunities for extended discussions are especially important for EL students. 

WHST.11-12.1,2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts focused on discipline-specific content, including the narration of scientific procedures/experiments or technical processes.

• All students write about the texts they read and the investigations in which they participate; writing helps students express, refine, and consolidate their understandings of new concepts, complex texts, and learning experiences. Students use writing to capture specific details, including hypotheses and data, in a science or technical text and to record their reactions, analyses, summaries, notes, and answers to questions (RST.11-12.1-3,8; WHST.11-12.10). 

• As they write, students convey meaning by varying their writing according to their task, purpose, and audience (WHST.11-12.4). They write frequently and may combine argumentative, explanatory, or narrative forms according to their purpose, task, and audience (WHST.11-12.10). 

RST.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a scientific or technical context.

• Teachers support students to read complex disciplinary texts by teaching text vocabulary explicitly, providing rich and engaging, as well as repeated, experiences with new words (RST.11-12.4). Teachers select a limited number of words from the text that have high utility for text comprehension and use in other contexts (e.g., in several scientific and technical subjects). Teachers also model strategies for independent word learning (ELD.PI.11-12.6c,8.Ex). 
• Students continue to develop their understanding of figurative, connotative, and technical meanings of words and phrases in grades eleven and twelve. Science and technical studies teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) this process with texts in the discipline (ELD.PI.11-12.8.Ex). 
• Teachers employ strategies to develop students’ word consciousness and encourage students to be curious about new words and new meanings of known words that they encounter. They also encourage students to be curious about new syntactical structures common to the discipline that they encounter in texts; teachers model their own processes for making sense of dense phrases and sentences. 
• All students have regular opportunities to engage in brief and extended conversations about texts with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. These opportunities contribute to language development and are particularly important for EL students (ELD.PI.11-12.1.Ex). Teachers encourage and support students in using target words and phrases in their discussions. 
• Teachers leverage all students’ experiences and ELs’ native language where possible (e.g., highlighting cognates) to support vocabulary development. 

RST.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students have regular opportunities to read and discuss scientific and technical texts and learning experiences. Increasingly complex text and rich content curriculum provide opportunities to learn new words and phrases, thereby deepening students’ language development. 
• Teachers model how they analyze complex sentences to understand their meanings, and they engage students in similar practices. Examining these language structures in the context of the texts the class is studying is more valuable than isolated grammar practice. It is helpful to all students, particularly EL students, to analyze or “unpack” complex sentences as examples of effective use of verb types and tenses, noun phrases, and adverbials to add and enrich details, and connect ideas (ELD.PII.11-12.3-6.Ex). 

WHST.11-12.1-2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts.

• All students in grades eleven and twelve learn to use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claims, reasons, evidence, and counterclaims; students use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a knowledgeable stance in a style appropriate to the discipline and the expertise of likely readers (WHST.11-12.1c,2d; ELD.PI.11-12.12a.Ex). Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these processes and support students as they practice. 

RST.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students read texts in the discipline regularly in virtual and in-class science and technical studies settings—both independently and collaboratively. They discuss texts with one another, articulating their ideas clearly, and drawing on evidence from the text (WHST.11-12.9). 
• Teachers establish a climate that fosters trust, safety, equitable participation, and respect for individuals and multiple perspectives in both in-class and virtual settings. 
• Teachers model and guide co-construction of increasingly effective text aligned to purpose and audience 
• Teachers support students to read increasingly complex text and engage students in examining passages that represent samples of effective expression. Students and their teachers work to uncover what makes passages effective or complex, analyzing how a text structures information or ideas into categories or hierarchies (RST.11-12.5). Students also analyze the author’s purpose in providing an explanation or description and identify important issues that remain unresolved (RST.11-12.6). 
• Students use technology creatively (e.g., audio or video of reports, public service announcements, dramatic performances, spoken word) to present arguments and information as individuals, partners, or small groups (WHST.11-12.6). 
• Teachers provide mentor texts in the form of clips from podcasts, documentary films, panel discussions, or other presentations to demonstrate specialized language and content, clear structure, and effective presentation techniques. 

WHST.11-12.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. WHST.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of scientific procedures/experiments or technical processes.

• All students learn that the structure and use of language in their writing varies according to the task, purpose, and audience. Teachers engage students in the analysis of a variety of mentor texts representing effective examples of text organization and language use and help students apply similar strategies to their own writing (ELD.PII.11-12.1-7.Ex). 
• All students organize their writing in increasingly effective ways. Students introduce precise, knowledgeable claims or topics; create an organization that logically sequences the claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence or ideas, concepts, and information; and provide a concluding statement that follows from and supports the argument or information (WHST.11-12.1a,1e,2a,2e). 
• All students write regularly in virtual and in-class settings—both independently and collaboratively (WHST.11-12.10). They use technology to produce and publish writing, collaborate with others, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information (WHST.11-12.6). 
• Teachers support students in building their metacognitive awareness of their own and others’ language use in writing (and speaking). Teachers create an environment that encourages students to experiment with language without being overly concerned with correctness. 
• Teachers accept and value students’ language varieties and establish an environment, both online and in class, that is respectful and safe for students to experiment with language. 

• Teachers help students plan their writing by connecting the products of their reading (e.g., annotations, discussion notes, lab notes, summaries, reflections, outlines, maps, responses to questions) to the writing task. 
• Students’ writing receives regular, specific feedback, so students become increasingly effective at expressing arguments and information. Teachers and peers provide feedback on longer assignments early in the process so that students can set goals for improvement and make revisions. Feedback is focused on effective communication in the discipline and selected features that have been the subject of instruction and classroom discussion. Teachers, rather than peers, offer feedback on correctness and form during the editing process. 
• Feedback is expressed in positive, encouraging ways to ensure motivation and enthusiasm for creating written work are maintained. Teachers engage students in evaluating their own writing and identifying progress they have made toward their own goals. 

RST.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps of inconsistencies in the account. WHST.11-12.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

• Students evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information; science and technical subjects teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these processes and provide practice as needed (RST.11-12.8). Students practice identifying, evaluating, and expressing arguments and explanations (ELD.PI.11-12.6a,11a.Ex). 
• Teachers integrate science/technical subjects and literacy using text sets on a given topic. They look for opportunities to collaborate with librarians and teachers in other departments to integrate literacy across subject areas. 

RST.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a scientific or technical context.

• Teachers help students examine vocabulary, including technical terms, language structures, organizational structures, and use of symbols, graphics, formats, and media in scientific and technical texts. Students identify features unique to the discipline and consider their impact on text meaning (RST.11-12.5,7). 

RST.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

• All students read broadly in the discipline. Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) as needed to help students read grade-level texts, including accounts of experiments and technical processes. The use of text complements and contributes to content instruction; it does not replace inquiry and other content approaches. 
• All students read widely in classroom and virtual settings and at home. They read to gain knowledge, to become inspired, and for pleasure. 
• All students have frequent opportunities to discuss the content of the texts they read (ELD.PI.11-12.1.Ex); these discussions enhance students’ content knowledge. 
• Students have access to informational text in their home languages to amplify content knowledge and support meaning making. 

WHST.11-12.1,2 Write arguments and informative/explanatory texts.

• All students write frequently to process information they learn through reading, viewing, and listening and to communicate their understandings and perspectives on what they have learned. As they write, students consolidate their existing and new content knowledge. 
• All students use technology to collaborate with classmates, produce and publish writing, and gather information (WHST.11-12.6,8). 
• All students conduct short as well as more sustained research projects on topics of interest and to answer a question or solve a problem. They narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate and synthesize multiple sources on the subject (WHST.11-12.7; ELD.PI.11-12.6b.Ex; ELD.PII.11-12.1.Ex). 
• Students continue to gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; and they continue to integrate information into their text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. Students now assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience and avoid overreliance on any one source (WHST.11-12.8). Teachers model and scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”) these increasingly sophisticated processes as needed. Teachers and school librarians collaborate to help students learn to locate and evaluate sources and avoid plagiarism. 

• Ideally, students’ knowledge of foundational skills is well established by the time they enter grades eleven and twelve, and science and technical studies teachers continue to support students’ developing reading fluency to aid comprehension. 
• Support for students who lag significantly behind in foundational reading skills is provided strategically and effectively to allow for accelerated progress and full participation in core instruction.