Ninth - Twelfth Grade
Excerpted from the Alabama Course of Study
Language Arts 1999

 


Student Characteristics

High school students experience significant growth and development as they assume more complex responsibilities such as working and making career choices. They are defining their unique voices and making important life decisions. These students are developing and practicing leadership and interpersonal communication skills in their schools and communities that will facilitate their entrance into adulthood. They continue to experience physical and emotional change as well as to seek opportunities to develop their independence and individuality.

Because of the cultural and ideological diversity in a technologically advanced global society, many students have opportunities to interact with others whose backgrounds are different from their own. Students need to develop their ability to respect differences and to develop literacy skills necessary for becoming productive adults.

Instructional Environment

When high school teachers create classroom communities defined by equity and excellence for all students, all students learn. These conditions are achieved when teachers hold high expectations for all students regardless of their linguistic, religious, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds and create authentic learning activities that integrate literacy skills. Effective teachers use a variety of teaching strategies to accommodate individual learning styles. Projects, mini-lectures, demonstrations, and cooperative small groups are some of the strategies that best facilitate students' acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to become lifelong learners and effective communicators. In addition to traditional assessment tools, English teachers use current research-based methods to measure authentically what students know and are able to do. These methods include informal and formal observations, performance assessments, and student portfolios.

Scope of Content

High school students use literacy skills as tools for learning across all content areas. The content of this document calls for ample opportunities for students to become effective language users by developing a knowledge base, building a repertoire of strategies, and applying these strategies in various contexts. Integrating the strands of listening, reading, viewing, writing, speaking, and presenting into meaningful activities provides opportunities for students to obtain and communicate information, to respond to literature, to use language for learning and reflecting, and to apply critical and creative thinking as they solve problems.

The division of the content into standards that support the comprehension goal, the expression goal, and both goals should provide assistance to English teachers as they plan literacy activities that develop expression and comprehension skills and as they assess student progress. Key components of the senior high curriculum are knowing and applying language concepts and conventions, reading and writing for a variety of purposes, and using technology in the research process.

Literature

Literature studied in Grades 9-12 represents rich literature traditions around the world. This literature provides both mirrors from which students can see their life experiences reflected and windows through which they can see and understand the lives of people different and distant from themselves. Reading a broad range of texts from different genres, from various time periods, and from diverse perspectives allows students to build a better understanding of themselves, of others, and of the world in which they live.

To ensure that students experience high-quality representative literature, the following sequence is provided: ninth-graders study a broad range of multicultural world literature; tenth-graders study early American literature to 1900 and related world literature; eleventh-graders study American literature from 1900 to the present; and twelfth-graders study British literature.
 
Literature
Social Studies Courses

World literature

A Shakespearean drama, usually 
Romeo and Juliet

9th

World History and Geography 
Since 1500

American literature to 1900

Related world literature

A Shakespearean drama, usually 
Julius Caesar

10th

United States 

History and Geography:
Beginnings to 1900

American literature, 
1900 to the present

11th

United States

History and Geography: 
1900 to the Present

British literature

A Shakespearean drama, usually Macbeth

12th

American Government 
and Principles of Economics

Ninth Grade

Ninth-graders are moving from an environment that is exploratory in nature to one that requires them to approximate more closely adult behaviors and perspectives. They require assistance in making this adjustment that includes developing a more precise vocabulary for effective speaking and

writing. High school freshmen, as comprehenders of language, may at times prefer literature that primarily provides entertainment. These same students may also seek texts that challenge them and extend their critical thinking skills. While these young readers are capable of literary criticism, they need teacher assistance in moving from purely personal reactions to those based on critical principles. Mastery of basic literary vocabulary and repeated focus on critical principles are essential as students gain author control when writing responses to serious literature.

In expressing themselves through language, students continue to use simple, well-practiced patterns or modes and gain experience in more complex and less familiar forms. The teacher of such students must be sensitive to their need for encouragement and coaching in exploring mature means of expression appropriate for adult-level writing, speaking, and presenting. The experiences that teachers provide greatly influence student progress toward becoming lifelong readers and appreciators of language and literature.

MINIMUM REQUIRED CONTENT

Students will
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 1. Apply strategies to interpret textual, functional, and recreational written materials.

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Examples: applying prior knowledge, noting organizational pattern, determining sequence of events, determining cause and effect, noting important details, drawing conclusions about main idea
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 2. Exhibit the habit of reading for a substantial amount of time daily, including assigned and self-selected materials at their independent and instructional levels.

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 3. Demonstrate reading improvement gained through substantial amounts of daily reading.

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 4. Recognize cultures and genres represented in selections from world literature.

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Example: Japanese poetry identified by characteristics
 
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 5. Recognize the styles of commonly anthologized authors of world literature.

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Standard usage versus dialect

Length and complexity of sentences

Diction

Literary devices

Examples: personification, onomatopoeia, flashbacks
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 6. Determine the literary elements in specific works.

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 7. Critique literature, student writing, and various presentations.

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 8. Determine when argument and propaganda are used in written, oral, and visual forms.

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Fact versus opinion

Appeal to emotion
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 9. Determine levels of usage.

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Formal

Informal
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 10. Recognize that language changes and develops.

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Etymology

Connotation

Technology

Multicultural contexts
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 11. Select and indicate preferences for various forms of communication.

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Examples: magazines, Internet, movies, how-to books and videos, drama, biographies, documentaries
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 12. Practice listening and viewing skills in a variety of situations.

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Interpersonal communications

Lectures

Small- and large-group settings

Multimedia presentations
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 13. Employ study skills effectively.

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Taking accurate notes

Transferring and correlating information

Using table of contents and index

Using mnemonic devices

Skimming and scanning

Outlining

Using graphic organizers
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 14. Ask appropriate questions in search of information.

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 15. Synthesize information for reports.

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Taking notes

Matching ideas

Contrasting ideas

Paraphrasing

Summarizing
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 16. Synthesize information from a variety of sources.

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Examples: dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, almanac, cataloging systems, reader's guide, encyclopedia, vertical file, reference books, computerized data, electronic text
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 17. Conduct individual research using all aspects of the research process.

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Managing information

Examples: locating, selecting, retrieving, evaluating

Documenting information

Example: correct use of copyrighted materials

Organizing information

Examples: choosing presentation method, following a style sheet

Presenting information

Examples: formal written reports, projects
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 18. Demonstrate responsible use of others' ideas.

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 19. Demonstrate proficiency with available technology and software in the oral communication, research, and writing processes.

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Examples: word processors, facsimile machines
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 20. Evaluate personal style in approaching the reading and writing processes using teacher and peer feedback.

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P
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 21. Write using the principal characteristics of an author's style.

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Example: organizing an original poem with Emily Dickinson's simplicity
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 22. Demonstrate personal style and voice through writing poetry and prose.

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 23. Write in a variety of modes for different purposes and audiences.

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Modes

- Description

- Narration

- Exposition

- Persuasion

Purposes

- Entertainment

- Information

- Persuasion

Audiences

Examples: peers, teachers, parents, local organizations, prospective employers
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 24. Use a variety of sentence structures in writing.

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Example: combinations of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex
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 25. Organize paragraphs in a variety of patterns.

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Examples: chronological order, cause and effect, order of importance
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 26. Write to clarify ideas and organize thinking.

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Example: spontaneous response writing
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 27. Respond to argument.

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Examples: informal debate, letters to the editor
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 28. Produce a final draft by using the writing process with peer and teacher assistance.

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Prewriting

Drafting

Revising

Editing*

Publishing

*See content standard 29 for specific concepts.
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 29. Demonstrate understanding of language terms and ability to apply the concepts to writing.

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Capitalization

- Proper nouns and adjectives

- Regions of the country

- Courtesy titles

- Videos, paintings, and other works of art

Punctuation

- Commas for items in a series, direct address, compound sentences, friendly letter salutations, addresses, nonrestrictive appositives and phrases, introductory adverb clauses, and direct quotations

- Periods for abbreviations

- Underlining or italicizing for certain titles

- Quotation marks for certain titles

- Quotation marks with direct quotations

- Colons

- Semicolons

- Apostrophe for possession and contractions

Grammar, usage, and spelling

- Singular, plural, and possessive noun forms

- Singular and plural verb forms

- Subject-verb agreement

- Pronoun-antecedent agreement

- Avoidance of double negatives, fragments, run-ons, on-and-ons, comma splices, and homonym confusion

- Appropriate subordination

- Placement of modifiers

- Pronoun case, number, and gender

- Tense

- Parallel structure
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 30. Discuss approaches to grammar and conventions as used in literature.

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 31. Produce effective oral presentations through use of tone, inflections, and tempo.

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Examples: recitations, book reports, debates, summaries
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 32. Vary the formality and precision of spoken language to suit different situations.

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Examples: formal class discussions, prepared presentations, impromptu speeches, informal small-group interaction
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 33. Display self-confidence in speaking.

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Examples: answering questions when called upon, voluntarily asking and answering questions, reading one's own writing to peers, presenting results from research
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  1. Display an extended vocabulary in writing, speaking, and presenting.

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Tenth Grade
Tenth-grade students are exploring potential careers and continuing to establish values and form cultural and personal identities. At this age, students' experiences broaden to include new activities such as working and driving.

Classrooms that are rich in many kinds of activities encourage the growth students need and seek. Such activities include using audiovisual media and computer technology, making dramatic presentations, writing creatively, and working cooperatively. These activities emphasize vocabulary development, critical thinking, reading and writing for various purposes, study skills, research, and appropriate language usage.

Students study American literature to 1900 and world literature that influenced the development of American literature. The study of American writing and its background helps students relate the literature to the historical period being studied in social studies. Biographies, autobiographies, historical novels, short stories, and poetry are read as classroom or independent-study activities that familiarize students with the authors and literary development while reinforcing reading skills.

MINIMUM REQUIRED CONTENT

Students will
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 1. Apply appropriate strategies to interpret various types of reading materials.

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Textual

Functional

Recreational

Examples: recognizing symbolism, using context clues, following directions, recognizing cause and effect, identifying sequence
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E

 2. Exhibit the habit of reading for a substantial amount of time daily, including assigned and self-selected materials at their independent and instructional levels.

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 3. Read for a variety of purposes.

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Practical information

Examples: newspapers, catalogs, directions

Survival

Examples: weather reports, posted warnings

Pleasure

Examples: short stories, novels, magazines
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 4. Demonstrate reading improvement gained through substantial amounts of daily reading.

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 5. Exhibit familiarity with American literature to 1900 and related world literature representing a variety of cultures.

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P
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 6. Identify examples of differences in language usage among several authors.

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Examples: Phyllis Wheatley, William Cullen Bryant, William Bradford
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 7. Recognize characterization as a means of expressing various ideas and ways of interacting.

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 8. Determine how authors use imagery, symbolism, dialogue, and plot to express meaning.

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Examples: stereotypes, archetypes
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 9. Recognize elements of plot in print form as well as in movies and plays.

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Exposition

Conflict

Rising action

Climax

Denouement
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 10. Recognize fallacies of logic in written, oral, and visual presentations.

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Example: appeal to emotion or authority
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 11. Read and view nonprint and print media critically and selectively.

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Examples: applying a personal criterion to use of television, discerning the reliability of Internet information
C

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 12. Examine and report others' ideas as represented in literature including dramatic productions.

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Summary

Paraphrase

Review
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 13. Identify main ideas and supporting details from non-fictional reading.

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 14. Write in response to literature.

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Examples: response journals, critical analyses
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 15. Demonstrate listening skills.

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Standard English recognition

Vocabulary development

Dialects, slang, and jargon
 
C

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 16. Interact effectively in group situations.

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Examples: phrasing of questions, respecting the rights of others, rephrasing for clarification
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 17. Apply personal study skills.

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Predicting

Summarizing

Skimming and scanning

Underlining

Notetaking

Outlining

Classifying

Listening actively

Reviewing with partner

Recognizing genre

Recognizing author style
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 18. Apply the principles of standard English by adjusting vocabulary and style to suit the occasion.

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Formal

Informal

- Slang

- Dialect

- Jargon

Tone

Tempo

Nonverbal behaviors

- Eye contact

- Gestures
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 19. Produce thoughtful compositions through improved use of phases in the writing process.

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*See content standard 20 for specific concepts.
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 20. Demonstrate knowledge of language terminology and application of the concepts.

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Capitalization

- Proper nouns and adjectives

- Regions of the country

- Books, works of art, videos, ships, buildings

- Courtesy titles

Punctuation

- Commas for items in a series, compound sentences, friendly letter salutation, direct address, introductory adverb clauses, nonrestrictive appositives and phrases including parenthetical expressions, and with dialogue

- Apostrophes for possession (singular and plural)

- Periods for abbreviations

- Underlining or italicizing for certain titles

- Quotation marks for certain titles and for dialogue

- Ellipses

- Parentheses

- Hyphens

- Colons

- Semicolons

Grammar, usage, and spelling

- Subject-verb agreement

- Noun and verb forms

- Pronoun-antecedent agreement

- Avoidance of double negatives, fragments, run-ons, comma splices, shifts in verb tense (all)

- Phrases and clauses

- Appropriate subordination

- Placement of modifiers

- Pronoun case, number, and gender

- Parallel structure in lists or series, clauses, phrases

- Word choice for vividness and clarity

- Preference for active voice

- Spelling of commonly confused words
C

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 21. Conduct individual research using all aspects of the research process.

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W

S

P

Managing information

Examples: locating, selecting, retrieving, evaluating

Documenting information

Example: correct use of copyrighted materials

Organizing information

Examples: presentation method, following a style sheet

Presenting information

Examples: the I-Search paper, a career-search paper
C

E

 22. Use available technology related to English language arts.

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P
C

E

 23. Write in a variety of modes for many purposes and audiences.
L V

W

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P

Modes

- Description

- Narration

- Exposition

- Persuasion

Purposes

- Entertainment

- Information

- Persuasion

Audiences

Examples: peers, parents, local organizations, prospective employers
C

E

 24. Demonstrate a mastery of paragraph structures.
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W

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P

Examples: comparison and contrast, persuasion, explanation
C

E

 25. Write to clarify and to organize thoughts and ideas.

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P
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 26. Speak successfully in a variety of situations.

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Controlling anxiety

Clarifying through word choice

Examples: telling personal anecdotes, reporting on current events, reading personal poems
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 27. Organize for orderly informal debates.

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Example: transplanted Europeans versus Native Americans
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 28. Participate in dramatic activities as a means of sharing ideas and feelings.

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 29. Display an extended vocabulary.

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 30. Use audiovisual aids in presentations.

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Eleventh Grade

    Eleventh Grade

Students in the eleventh grade are making important life decisions. Many of them make career decisions such as obtaining jobs, joining the military, or choosing either university study or technical and/or vocational training. They take various examinations such as required state tests

and college entrance examinations. The language arts teacher plays an important role in helping students prepare for these and other challenges through building on skills and concepts that students have acquired and helping students mature in the various language skills.

In the typical classroom, students may be involved in varied activities: reading from primarily twentieth-century American literature; writing responses to ideas, characters, and author style; and discussing in small and large groups. Students read novels and biographies chosen with teacher guidance; short stories, plays, poetry, and prose from an anthology; and sometimes a novel assigned for all students. At various times groups of students may be making impromptu speeches, editing in pairs, viewing a film, practicing interview skills with a local employer, locating information on the Internet, or researching a topic in American literature or history.

These activities assist the students in becoming more effective communicators who enjoy and appreciate language. Through much of their reading, writing, viewing, and discussing, students examine unique qualities of the American democratic way of life. These activities increase their awareness of America's diverse cultures and heritage brought together by common bonds.

MINIMUM REQUIRED CONTENT

Students will
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 1. Read for a variety of purposes using appropriate strategies to comprehend.

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Examples: identifying themes or main idea, outlining, drawing conclusions, determining cause and effect, using context clues, following directions, identifying sequence
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E

 2. Exhibit the habit of reading for a substantial amount of time daily, including assigned and self-selected materials at their independent and instructional levels.

R
L
V

W

S

P
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E

 3. Demonstrate reading improvement gained through substantial amounts of daily reading.

R
L
V

W

S

P
C

E

 4. Recognize masterful use of language.

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P

Examples: word choice, parallelism in structure
C

E

 5. Read selections by American authors and secondary sources by literary critics (1900 to the present).

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P
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 6. Evaluate effectiveness of literary devices in poetry and prose.

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P
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 7. Recognize the style of selected American authors (1900 to the present).

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Examples: Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, Alice Walker, Amy Tan
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 8. Apply critical reading skills with expository, editorial, and narrative materials recognizing aspects that affect meaning.

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P

Propaganda

Bias

Tone

Mood

Logical fallacies
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 9. Differentiate points of view.

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Examples: respecting opposing opinions, recognizing implied meanings, making group decisions in an orderly fashion
C

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 10. Compare content and literary form among several selections of anthologized literature and among selected student writings.

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Examples: poetic form, novel structure, point of view
C

E

 11. Apply critical reading and viewing skills to analysis of print and nonprint media.

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Universal interest

Artistic value and literary elements

Propaganda content

Audience appropriateness
C

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 12. Employ critical listening skills in class discussions, lectures, and speeches-noting aspects that affect meaning.

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P

C

E

 13. Discern the organizational patterns and transitional devices in written materials and in oral or visual presentations.

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P
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 14. Exhibit an effective personal study style.

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Examples: previewing, predicting, taking notes, summarizing
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 15. Justify personal opinions about authors, issues, styles, and trends in American literature.

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P
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 16. Explain personal selections in reading material by describing preferences in authors' styles.

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P
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 17. Describe the general development of American literature emphasizing twentieth-century writings.

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Examples: chronology, genre, style, theme
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 18. Demonstrate vocabulary development in reading comprehension, writing, and speaking.

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P
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 19. Produce an essay or speech imitating the style of a successful author or public figure.

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Examples: descriptive passages by Annie Dillard; parallel sentence structures of Martin L. King, Jr.; personal point of view of
Henry D. Thoreau
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 20. Apply specific evaluation procedures to one's own reading, studying, and writing*.

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Examples: using a teacher-developed checklist, responding to teacher's comments in a response journal
C

E

 21. Demonstrate proficiency in using language terminology and in applying language concepts.

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P

Capitalization

Punctuation

- Commas for items in a series, direct address, nonrestrictive appositives and phrases including parenthetical expressions, introductory adverb clauses, nominative absolutes, and direct quotations

- Apostrophe for possessives

- Periods for abbreviations

- Underlining or italicizing certain titles

- Quotation marks for direct quotation and for certain titles

- Ellipses

- Parentheses

- Hyphens including suspended hyphens

- Slashes

- Colons

- Semicolons

Grammar, usage, and spelling

- Subject-verb agreement including in subjunctive mood and with noun clause as subject

- Noun and verb forms

- Pronoun-antecedent agreement

- Avoidance of double negatives, fragments, run-ons, comma splices, shifts in verb tense, passive voice, redundancy, ambiguity, stilted or artificial language, and homonym confusion

- Appropriate subordination

- Placement of modifiers

- Pronoun case, number, and gender

- Parallelism of all types

- Use of numerals or words

*See content standard 21 for specific concepts.
C

E

 22. Conduct individual research using all aspects of the research process.

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W

S

P

Managing information

Examples: locating, selecting, retrieving, evaluating

Documenting information

Example: correct use of copyrighted materials

Organizing information

Examples: supporting a thesis, following a style sheet, selecting a presentation method

Presenting information

Examples: literary topic, career study, historical research
C

E

 23. Demonstrate proficiency in using available technology for expression and learning.

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W

S

P
C

E

 24. Participate constructively in classroom and small-group discussion.

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W

S

P

C

E

 25. Participate in informal debate.

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W

S

P
C

E

 26. Demonstrate appropriate interview skills.

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W

S

P
C

E

 27. Write for a variety of purposes, audiences, and occasions both formal and informal.

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W

S

P
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 28. Write for practical and personal purposes.

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Examples: rÈsumÈs, applications, forms, editorials, speeches, advertisements, business and friendly letters, essays, journals, diaries
C

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 29. Write creatively in a variety of genres.

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Examples: poetry, prose, drama
C

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 30. Use literary devices in poetry, narratives, and exposition.

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Figurative language

Analogy
C

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 31. Adjust tone, word choice, and content when participating in interviews for various purposes.

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Examples: job interviews, research interviews
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 32. Produce effective, planned oral presentations.

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Examples: book reports, oral interpretations, reports on events, critiques of television documentaries
 
 

Twelfth Grade

The twelfth grade is a transitional point in students' lives. They are beginning to realize both the pleasure and value in writing and speaking well, in reading a variety of printed materials, and in becoming selective viewers of electronic media and film. They are maturing and developing an

aesthetic appreciation for literature and discovering their cultural and personal identities. The twelfth-grade language arts program enhances appreciation for literature and prepares students for futures as lifelong learners.

The importance of comprehending on many levels is a focus for the students. Although few new skills are introduced at this level, students engage in critical listening, viewing, and reading activities designed to integrate the strands of the language arts and further develop their thinking and problem-solving abilities. They improve their speaking, writing, and presenting skills. Students analyze and evaluate British literature to gain insight into English language cultures and to understand further literary art.

This grade's content focuses on students' preparations for adulthood and the refinement of their communication skills. English teachers are encouraged to work with social studies teachers on common writing assignments. As a culmination of K-12 language arts growth, a major objective of this year's study is that students become self-directed, independent lifelong learners. Whether students plan to enter the world of work or to continue formal education, the program provides both practical and aesthetic experiences.

MINIMUM REQUIRED CONTENT

Students will
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E

 1. Comprehend a variety of reading materials by applying appropriate strategies.

R

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W

S

P

Examples: identifying the tone, mood, theme or main idea, and supporting details; representing organizational structure with a graphic organizer; noting figurative language
C

E

 2. Exhibit the habit of reading for a substantial amount of time daily, including assigned and self-selected materials at their independent and instructional levels.

R
L
V

W

S

P
C

E

 3. Demonstrate reading improvement gained through substantial amounts of daily reading.

R
L
V

W

S

P
C

E

 4. Read for pleasure and research selections from British literature.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 5. Recognize tone, diction, imagery, figurative language, and mood through inferential and interpretive reading, listening, and viewing.

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W

S

P
C

E

 6. Characterize the styles of selected authors.

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S

P

Examples: use of figures of speech, literary devices
C

E

 7. Evaluate literature for its historical significance, moral significance, and universality.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 8. Apply critical and creative thinking when selecting nonprint or print media for viewing or reading.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 9. Recall the general historical development of language and literature in the British Isles.

R

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W

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P

Anglo-Saxon

Middle English

Modern English

Example: explaining the etymology of wyrd in the context of Beowulf
C

E

 10. Listen effectively in a wide range of circumstances.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 11. Formulate strategies to locate, select, and evaluate research materials.

R

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W

S

P

Primary and secondary sources

Library research

Examples: computerized data, cataloging systems, Reader's Guide, reference books

Databases
C

E

 12. Demonstrate mastery of effective study skills.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 13. Synthesize information from primary and secondary sources for research.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 14. Interpret and evaluate oral and written material.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 15. Express effectively opinions about literary topics in group discussions.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 16. Articulate others' positions as expressed in lecture, speech, film, informal debate, and group discussion.

R

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W

S

P

Examples: identifying tone, mood, and implied meaning; understanding body language; exhibiting body language of an active listener; applying appropriate strategies of one's learning style
C

E

 17. Respond critically to argument.

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W

S

P

Examples: group discussion, conferences, debates, media advertisements, editorials
C

E

 18. Employ the research process to support a thesis.

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W

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P

Managing information

Examples: locating, selecting, retrieving, evaluating

Documenting information

Example: correct use of copyrighted materials

Organizing information

Examples: selecting a presentation method, following a style sheet

Presenting information

Example: literature-based research paper
C

E

 19. Use available modern technology for a variety of communication purposes.

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W

S

P

Examples: e-mail, Internet, databases, multimedia presentation programs
C

E

 20. Ask and answer questions coherently and concisely.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 21. Write for a variety of purposes.

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W

S

P

Examples: editorials, reports, poetry, critical essays, advertisements, rÈsumÈs, creative writing, personal writing
C

E

 22. Write for specific audiences.

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W

S

P

Examples: prospective employers, peers, community
C

E

 23. Demonstrate mastery of language terms and applications of concepts.

R

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W

S

P

Capitalization and spelling

Punctuation

- Commas for items in a series, direct address, nonrestrictive appositives and phrases, introductory adverb clauses, nominative absolutes, and direct quotations

- Periods for abbreviations

- Underlining or italicizing of certain titles

- Quotation marks for direct quotation and for certain titles

- Ellipses

- Parentheses

- Hyphens including suspended hyphens

- Slashes

- Colons

- Semicolons

Grammar and usage

- Subject-verb agreement with compound subject, with intervening phrases, with noun clause as subject, and in subjunctive mood

- Noun and verb forms

- Pronoun-antecedent agreement

- Avoidance of double negatives, fragments, run-ons, comma splices, shifts in verb tense, passive voice, redundancy, ambiguity, and stilted or artificial language

- Appropriate subordination

- Placement of modifiers

- Pronoun case, number, and gender

- Parallelism of all types

- Use of numerals or words

- Hyphenation of number and noun modifiers

Example: two-piece suit
C

E

 24. Revise and edit written drafts applying conventions of standard English.*

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W

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P
C

E

 25. Write to clarify opinions and interpretations.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 26. Use precise vocabulary in writing and speaking.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 27. Apply conventions of standard English, appropriate diction, and proper tone in class discussions.

R

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W

S

P
C

E

 28. Produce formal oral presentations for a variety of purposes.

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W

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P

Examples: persuading, entertaining, informing, explaining

*See content standard 23 for specific concepts.