List of Benchmarks for Language Arts | | Standard 7. | Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts | | | Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K) | | | 1. | Not appropriate for this level | | | Level I (Grades K-2) | | | 1. | Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts (e.g., written directions, signs, captions, warning labels, informational books) | | | 2. | Understands the main idea and supporting details of simple expository information | | | 3. | Summarizes information found in texts (e.g., retells in own words) | | | 4. | Relates new information to prior knowledge and experience | | | Level II (Grades 3-5) | | | 1. | Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts (e.g., textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines) | | | 2. | Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of informational texts (e.g., textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines) | | | 3. | Uses text organizers (e.g., headings, topic and summary sentences, graphic features, typeface, chapter titles) to determine the main ideas and to locate information in a text A | | | 4. | Uses the various parts of a book (e.g., index, table of contents, glossary, appendix, preface) to locate information | | | 5. | Summarizes and paraphrases information in texts (e.g., includes the main idea and significant supporting details of a reading selection) A | | | 6. | Uses prior knowledge and experience to understand and respond to new information | | | 7. | Understands structural patterns or organization in informational texts (e.g., chronological, logical, or sequential order; compare-and-contrast; cause-and-effect; proposition and support) | | | Level III (Grades 6-8) | | | 1. | Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts (e.g., electronic texts; textbooks; biographical sketches; directions; essays; primary source historical documents, including letters and diaries; print media, including editorials, news stories, periodicals, and magazines; consumer, workplace, and public documents, including catalogs,technical directions, procedures, and bus routes) A | | | 2. | Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of informational texts (e.g., electronic texts; textbooks; biographical sketches; letters; diaries; directions; procedures; magazines; essays; primary source historical documents; editorials; news stories; periodicals; bus routes; catalogs; technical directions; consumer, workplace, and public documents) A | | | 3. | Summarizes and paraphrases information in texts (e.g., arranges information in chronological or sequential order; conveys main ideas, critical details, and underlying meaning; uses own words or quoted materials; preserves author’s perspective and voice) A | | | 4. | Uses new information to adjust and extend personal knowledge base | | | 5. | Draws conclusions and makes inferences based on explicit and implicit information in texts A | | | 6. | Differentiates between fact and opinion in informational texts | | | Level IV (Grades 9-12) | | | 1. | Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts (e.g., textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines, essays, primary source historical documents, editorials, news stories, periodicals, catalogs, job-related materials, schedules, speeches, memoranda, public documents, maps) A | | | 2. | Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of informational texts (e.g., textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines, essays, primary source historical documents, editorials, news stories, periodicals, catalogs, job-related materials, schedules, speeches, memoranda, public documents, maps) | | | 3. | Summarizes and paraphrases complex, implicit hierarchic structures in informational texts, including the relationships among the concepts and details in those structures | | | 4. | Uses a variety of criteria to evaluate the clarity and accuracy of information (e.g., author’s bias, use of persuasive strategies, consistency, clarity of purpose, effectiveness of organizational pattern, logic of arguments, reasoning, expertise of author, propaganda techniques, authenticity, appeal to friendly or hostile audience, faulty modes of persuasion) A | | | 5. | Uses text features and elements to support inferences and generalizations about information (e.g., vocabulary, structure, evidence, expository structure, format, use of language, arguments used) A | | | |
A = Assessment items available |
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