New Mexico State Standards for Language Arts: Grade 7

NM.I: Reading and Listening for Comprehension. Students will apply strategies and skills to comprehend information that is read, heard, and viewed.

I-A: Listen to, read, react to, and interpret information

I-A:1. Narrate an account (e.g., news story, historical episode) that creates a coherent organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context and that orients and engages the reader.

I-A:2. Respond to informational materials that are read, heard, or viewed by:

I-A:2.a. summarizing the information;

I-A:2.b. determining the importance of the information;

I-A:2.c. making connections to related topics/information;

I-A:2.d. monitoring comprehension;

I-A:2.e. drawing inferences; and

I-A:2.f. generating questions.

I-A:3. Identify the effect of literary devices such as figurative language, diction, dialogue, and description.

I-B: Gather and use information for research and other purposes

I-B:1. Use a variety of resources to express individual perspectives in response to personal, social, cultural, and historical issues.

I-B:2. Interpret and synthesize information by responding to information that is read, heard, or viewed.

I-B:3. Develop informational products and/or presentations that cite multiple print and non-print sources by:

I-B:3.a. identifying and using appropriate primary and secondary sources;

I-B:3.b. comparing, contrasting, and evaluating information from different sources about the same topic; and

I-B:3.c. evaluating information for extraneous details, inconsistencies, relevant facts, and organization.

I-B:4. Examine critical relationships between and among elements of a research topic.

I-C: Apply critical thinking skills to analyze information

I-C:1. Use the problem-solving process to refine understanding by:

I-C:1.a. analyzing problems and solutions within various texts and situations;

I-C:1.b. utilizing the problem-solving process within various contexts and situations; and

I-C:1.c. constructing essays and presentations that respond to a given problem by proposing a solution that includes relevant details.

I-C:2. Refine critical thinking skills and develop criteria that evaluate arguments and judgments by:

I-C:2.a. stating a firm judgment;

I-C:2.b. justifying the judgment with logical, relevant reasons, clear examples, and supporting details; and

I-C:2.c. creating an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.

I-C:3. Determine how the use of literary devices, such as personification, metaphor, simile, and alliteration, convey the author's intent.

I-C:4. Interpret universal themes, values, and conflicts in a selection.

I-D: Demonstrate competence in the skills and strategies of the reading process

I-D:1. Respond to various texts and literary selections using interpretive and evaluative reading processes by:

I-D:1.a. reading a variety of literary and other texts (e.g., mysteries, novels, science fiction, historical documents, newspapers, skits, lyric poems);

I-D:1.b. analyzing what specific characteristics of literary works (fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry) have on the meaning of the work; and

I-D:1.c. analyzing what impact literary elements have on the meaning of the text, such as the influence of setting on the problem and its resolution.

I-D:2. Understand stories and expository texts from the perspective of the attitudes and values of the time period in which they were written.

I-D:3. Accurately identify author's purpose and perspective.

I-D:4. Use knowledge of context and vocabulary to understand informational text.

NM.II: Writing and Speaking for Expression. Students will communicate effectively through speaking and writing.

II-A: Use speaking as an interpersonal communication tool

II-A:1. Choose precise and engaging language, well suited to the topic and audience.

II-A:2. Use figurative language and a variety of speech patterns.

II-A:3. Choose between standard and non-standard English dialects as appropriate for the topic, purpose, and audience.

II-A:4. Interact in group discussions by:

II-A:4.a. offering personal opinions confidently without dominating;

II-A:4.b. giving valid reasons that support opinions; and

II-A:4.c. soliciting and considering others' opinions.

II-A:5. Express individual perspective in response to personal, social, cultural, and historical issues.

II-B: Apply grammatical and language conventions to communicate

II-B:1. Place modifiers properly and use the active voice.

II-B:2. Identify and use infinitives and participles and make clear references between pronouns and antecedents.

II-B:3. Identify all parts of speech and types and structure of sentences.

II-B:4. Punctuate by correctly using hyphens, dashes, brackets, and semicolons.

II-B:5. Spell derivatives correctly by applying the spellings of bases and affixes.

II-B:6. Use a variety of sentences correctly by punctuating them properly and avoiding fragments and run-ons.

II-B:7. Apply the parts of speech to clarify language usage.

II-B:8. Choose language that is precise, engaging, and well suited to the topic and audience in a variety of oral presentations.

II-B:9. Use figurative language and varying speech patterns to convey meaning.

II-B:10. Analyze the effect on the viewer of images, text, and sound in electronic journalism.

II-B:11. Provide constructive feedback to a speaker concerning a speech's content, delivery, and overall impact.

II-B:12. Proofread, listen to, and monitor self to correct errors.

II-C: Demonstrate competence in the skills and strategies of the writing process

II-C:1. Express individual perspectives in written response to personal, social, cultural, and historical issues.

II-C:2. Differentiate shades of meaning and multiple meanings of words.

II-C:3. Produce research reports and technical writings that communicate information effectively to a specific audience.

II-C:4. Compose a variety of writings that develop sentence fluency to communicate ideas and information clearly using a variety of multimedia technologies.

NM.III: Literature and Media. Students will use literature and media to develop an understanding of people, societies, and the self.

III-A: Use language, literature, and media to understand various social and cultural perspectives

III-A:1. Identify and analyze recurring themes (e.g., value of bravery, loyalty, friendship) across works from a variety of cultures.

III-A:2. Analyze themes and central ideas in literature and media in relation to personal issues and experiences.

III-A:3. Analyze a range of responses to literary works and determine the extent to which the literary characteristics of a society/culture shaped those responses.

III-B: Identify ideas and make connections among literary works

III-B:1. Identify examples of distortion and stereotype in literary works.

III-B:2. Identify recurring themes in literary works.

III-B:3. Critique the credibility of characterization and the degree to which a plot is contrived or realistic.