selects and uses prereading strategies that are appropriate to the text, such as discussion, making predictions, brainstorming, generating questions, and previewing, to anticipate content, purpose, and organization of a reading selection.

selects and uses strategies to understand words and text, and to make and confirm inferences from what is read, including interpreting diagrams, graphs, and statistical illustrations.

refines vocabulary for interpersonal, academic, and workplace situations, including figurative, idiomatic, and technical meanings.

applies a variety of response strategies, including rereading, note taking, summarizing, outlining, writing a formal report, and relating what is read to his or her own experiences and feelings.

determines the main idea and identifies relevant details, methods of development, and their effectiveness in a variety of types of written material.

determines the author's purpose and point of view and their effects on the text.

describes and evaluates personal preferences regarding fiction and nonfiction.

locates, gathers, analyzes, and evaluates written information for a variety of purposes, including research projects, real-world tasks, and self-improvement.

identifies devices of persuasion and methods of appeal and their effectiveness.

selects and uses appropriate study and research skills and tools according to the type of information being gathered or organized, including almanacs, government publications, microfiche, news sources, and information services.

analyzes the validity and reliability of primary source information and uses the information appropriately.

synthesizes information from multiple sources to draw conclusions.

selects and uses appropriate prewriting strategies, such as brainstorming, graphic organizers, and outlines.

drafts and revises writing that:

produces final documents that have been edited for:

writes text, notes, outlines, comments, and observations that demonstrate comprehension and synthesis of content, processes, and experiences from a variety of media.

organizes information using appropriate systems.

writes fluently for a variety of occasions, audiences, and purposes, making appropriate choices regarding style, tone, level of detail, and organization.

selects and uses a variety of electronic media, such as the Internet, information services, and desktop publishing software programs, to create, revise, retrieve, and verify information.

selects and uses appropriate listening strategies according to the intended purpose, such as solving problems, interpreting and evaluating the techniques and intent of a presentation, and taking action in career-related situations.

describes, evaluates, and expands personal preferences in listening to fiction, drama, literary nonfiction, and informational presentations.

identifies bias, prejudice, or propaganda in oral messages.

determines main concept and supporting details in order to analyze and evaluate nonprint media messages.

understands factors that influence the effectiveness of nonverbal cues used in nonprint media, such as the viewer's past experiences and preferences, and the context in which the cues are presented.

uses volume, stress, pacing, enunciation, eye contact, and gestures that meet the needs of the audience and topic.

selects and uses a variety of speaking strategies to clarify meaning and to reflect understanding, interpretation, application, and evaluation of content, processes, or experiences, including asking relevant questions when necessary, making appropriate and meaningful comments, and making insightful observations.

uses details, illustrations, analogies, and visual aids to make oral presentations that inform, persuade, or entertain.

applies oral communication skills to interviews, group presentations, formal presentations, and impromptu situations.

develops and sustains a line of argument and provides appropriate support.

applies an understanding that language and literature are primary means by which culture is transmitted.

makes appropriate adjustments in language use for social, academic, and life situations, demonstrating sensitivity to gender and cultural bias.

understands that there are differences among various dialects of English.

understands specific ways in which language has shaped the reactions, perceptions, and beliefs of the local, national, and global communities.

understands the subtleties of literary devices and techniques in the comprehension and creation of communication.

recognizes production elements that contribute to the effectiveness of a specific medium.

effectively integrates multimedia and technology into presentations.

critically analyzes specific elements of mass media with regard to the extent to which they enhance or manipulate information.

identifies the characteristics that distinguish literary forms.

understands why certain literary works are considered classics.

identifies universal themes prevalent in the literature of all cultures.

understands the characteristics of major types of drama.

understands the different stylistic, thematic, and technical qualities present in the literature of different cultures and historical periods.

analyzes the effectiveness of complex elements of plot, such as setting, major events, problems, conflicts, and resolutions.

understands the relationships between and among elements of literature, including characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme.

analyzes poetry for the ways in which poets inspire the reader to share emotions, such as the use of imagery, personification, and figures of speech, including simile and metaphor; and the use of sound, such as rhyme, rhythm, repetition, and alliteration.

understands the use of images and sounds to elicit the reader's emotions in both fiction and nonfiction.

analyzes the relationships among author's style, literary form, and intended impact on the reader.

recognizes and explains those elements in texts that prompt a personal response, such as connections between one’s own life and the characters, events, motives, and causes of conflict in texts.

examines a literary selection from several critical perspectives.

knows that people respond differently to texts based on their background knowledge, purpose, and point of view.