·        Determine meaning of a word with context and structure clues, reference books (dictionaries and glossaries), and word origins/structure (roots and affixes)

·        Uses context clues to determine the meaning of jargon

·        Identify the contextual meaning of a word that has multiple meanings

·        Readily use textbooks, dictionary, atlas, encyclopedia, and thesaurus to understand unknown words

·        Gain an appreciation for connotation and subtlety in language

·        Develop and explain your system for learning vocabulary in all subject areas

·        Continually expand vocabulary and concept knowledge through reading and listening

DISCUSSION AND ORAL PRESENTATION

·        Communicate ideas and information orally in an organized and succinct manner (prepare and use brief notes, summarize main points before and after presentations, introduction, body, review)

·        Ask probing questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas

·        Make supportive statements to communicate agreement, disagreement, or acceptance of others’ ideas

·        Develop and articulate personal opinions

·        Demonstrate oral communication skills (e.g. oral interviews, short presentations, or debate)

·        Identify the relationship between a speaker’s verbal and nonverbal messages

·        Verbal communication: word choice, pitch, feeling, tone, and voice

·        Nonverbal communication: eye contact, posture, and gesture

·        Identify persuasive techniques

·        Distinguish from fact/opinion (cite information in presentations)

·        Use statistics, quotations, examples, stories, analogies and graphics, or visual aids as support

·        Evaluate student’s own contribution to discussions

LISTENING SKILLS

·        Demonstrate the social skills of audience behavior (eye contact, without interrupting, attentive, supportive)

·        Listen with an open mind (wait until all information has been received to form an opinion)

·        Listen to learn: develop and explain your own method of taking, keeping and reviewing notes on key points

·        Listen, draw conclusions, and share responses in subject related group learning activities across content areas

·        Listen to and correctly apply oral instructions

USING READING STRATEGIES

·        Identify and practice comprehensive reading strategies

·        Consulting reference materials

·        Alphabetize, use guide words and entry words, pronunciation key, choose appropriate word meaning, note word origin, use information on the spine to locate appropriate volume, use index, use thesaurus, almanac, and atlas

·        Heading and subheadings

·        Context clues, prefixes, and suffixes

·        Develop and explain your system for marking written material (underline, highlight, margin notes, stickies)

·        Use a variety of note-taking skills: outlining, bubbling, mapping, flow charts, spreadsheets

·        Identify and use skim, scan, and study sections, organizational pattern, format, graphic elements, and visual keys for all textbooks

·        Explain how you have adapted reading strategies to different subjects for different purposes

·        Demonstrate purpose of reading by explaining, interviewing, conducting research, debating, collaborating, writing, and speaking

·        Construct meaning from print, based on prior knowledge, past experiences, and readers’ and authors’ purpose

INCREASING COMPREHENSION

·        Summarizing and analyzing materials from the text

·         Read and summarize self-selected, group-selected, and teacher-selected materials

·        Write and verbalize a summary of information from a variety of reading materials

·        Respond to literature through individual and group projects (time writing, playwriting, writer’s notebook, storytelling, dramatic performances, artistic projects)

·        Read, understand and apply multi-step directions to complete a project with varying degrees of instruction

·        Follows simple directions to determine what information is asked for on a simple form

·        Identifies where information belongs on a simple form

·        Understands terminology needed to complete an application form

·        Analyze and evaluate narrative elements

·        Recognize how the elements of literature (character, setting, plot, theme, voice, tone, point of view, and poetic devices) function in written work and determine their importance to the story

·        Identify the elements of literature that work to create an author’s style

·        Figurative language (simile, metaphor, alliteration)

·        Role of characters (protagonist and antagonist)

·        Compares characters in a play

·        Identify irony in literature

·        Retells a story from a different point of view using more than one supporting detail

·        Draws a conclusion about a person based on a statement made in an interview

·        Demonstrate comprehension by stating main idea, retelling the sequence of events, comparing/contrasting to relate works, etc. and prior knowledge or experiences

·        Read for information, appreciation and pleasure by reading poetry, short stories, speeches, novels, nonfiction, newspaper/magazine, biography, autobiography, science fiction, letters, diaries, journals, and drama

·        Analyze the basic rules (conventions) of the four genres of fiction (short story, drama, novel, and poetry)

·        Demonstrate an understanding of narrative structure in various forms of literature (i.e., exposition, development of conflict, rising action, climax, and resolution)

·        Read with the rhythm, punctuation and line breaks in poetry

·        Discriminate between main plot and subplots, main and minor characters, and elements of a setting in a written selection

·        Understand and express the main idea in an expository text and list supporting details of the main idea

·        Use quotations from the text to support their understanding of the text’s message

·        Comprehend by summarizing major events, restating and sequencing events, predicating, drawing conclusions, making inferences, forming opinions, cause/effect, and asking critical questions

·        Analyze author’s purpose

·        Identifies an implied opinion

·        Identifies the cause of a change in tone

·        Interprets a complex phrase

·        Interprets complex sentences to support theme

·        Analyzes an author’s technique to determine the author’s purpose

COMMUNICATE THROUGH WRITING

·        Use legible and cursive writing to produce legible documents

·        Demonstrate the use of writing strategies and process when writing expressive, informational, persuasive, and research based writing assignments

·        Write an effective response to material

·        Identify audience in a piece of writing

·        Identify purpose in a piece of writing: inform, clarify, question, persuade, or entertain

·        Write essay answers, learning logs, letters, descriptions, personal narratives, written responses to literature, short stories, poetry, journals, non-fiction reports, and essays based on supporting evidence

·        Write directions or instructions

·        Analyze the writing of peers and model the writing of authors

·        Use a word processor to plan, draft, revise, and publish writings

·        Write compositions with well developed paragraphs and effective transitions between ideas, phrases, and paragraphs

·        Apply knowledge of prewriting strategies for various purposes and audiences: brainstorming, mapping, clustering, webbing, bubbling, graphic organizers, fast writing, simple note taking skills, interviewing, making lists, conducting interviews

·        Choose vocabulary that conveys imagery, tone, voice, and purpose (including some figurative language)

·        Expand vocabulary and spelling skills

·        State the main idea of the paragraph in one sentence and fully develop the idea in a logical sequence

·        Writes a composition with a clear main idea and well-developed support

·        Uses relevant supporting details

·        Uses thoughtful transitions to connect ideas

·        Logical, sequential organization (beginning, middle, end)

·        Chooses the appropriate form of writing (persuasion, information, description) to respond to the promp

·        Organizes the ideas to flow smoothly with an inviting introduction, satisfying conclusion, and appropriate use of occasional moments that surprise, amuse or move the reader

·        Displays a keen awareness of audience

·        Use the conventions of standard English including grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, punctuation, spelling, and usage

·        Identifies and corrects errors in:

o       Punctuation (comma placement, end marks, colons, semi-colons, and parentheses)

o       Spelling (contractions, homophones)

o       Grammar (e.g. subject/verb agreement, verb tense consistency, uses adverbs of comparison, possession, run-on sentences, transition words, pronouns referring to antecedents, and homonyms)

·        Combines sentences using conjunctions to make writing concise

·        Identifies and combines complex sentences, simples sentences, and clauses

·        Corrects sentence structure errors, including misplaced modifiers and lack of internal consistency

·        Use Library: use electronic card catalog (title, author, subject searches), locate information using (call number on spine, table of contents, glossary, publisher, place of publication, copyright date)

·        List and document sources using a given format

·        Write a bibliography

·        Apply research skills evaluating the validity, objectivity, reliability, and quality of information read, heard, and seen

·        Revise writing to improve organization, word choice, and paragraph development, voice appropriate to the purpose

·        Organizes a paragraph by:

o       Placing sentences in logical order

o       Eliminating sentences that are off-topic

o       Combining short, simple sentences into a single sentence to eliminate redundancy and make writing smoother

o       Identifying the most relevant sentence to add to a paragraph

o       Selecting appropriate details to support a topic sentence

NUMERATION

·        Use number properties to solve equations

·        Understand place value in a different base system (model counting)

·        Simplify variable expressions

·        Recognize and combine like terms

·        Apply properties, especially distributive

·        Use and explain the order of operations

·        Exponents and square roots

·        Use manipulatives or diagrams to explain how to approximate a square root

·        Explain absolute value

·        Use inverse operations and the properties of zero and 1 to solve problems with variables and rational numbers

·        Use and explain prime factorization

MEASUREMENT

·        Use a variety of methods, tools, and technology to measure and make geometric models

·        Use draw software

·        Select the appropriate tools for measuring

·        Show an understanding of significant digit concept

·        Construct a scale model (apply the concepts of ration, proportion and scale)

·        Use, compare, and convert between units in the metric system for length, mass, area , and volume

·        Use compare, and convert between units in the standard system for length, time, weight, area, and volume

·        Use indirect measurement to solve problems

·        Explain what happens to ratios when changes are made to one or more dimensions of a figure

·        Use manipulatives or diagrams to explain the Pythagorean Theorem

·        Solve practical problems involving proportions, the Pythagorean Theorem

·        Apply information about time zones and elapsed time to solve problems

ESTIMATION and COMPUTATION

·        Use estimation in

·         Computation

·         Problem solving

·         Predicting results

·         Checking reasonableness of answers

·        Use paper and pencil, mental math, or a calculator to efficiently and accurately solve problems with real numbers (calculators are not permitted on Benchmark Exams)

·        Add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions, decimals, and integers with and without a calculator

·        Understand, compute, and solve problems with real numbers

·        Decimals-non-repeating decimals, irrational numbers, decimals and scientific notation, use decimals in equations

·        Fractions – use fractions in equations

·        Integers- graph coordinates in all four quadrants, use integers in equations

·        Approximations or exact irrational numbers, including pi and square roots

·        Ratio, proportion, and percent- 

·        Use an equation to find a percent or to find a percent of a number

·        Use a ration and proportion to solve percent problems and to make scale drawings

·        Convert numbers between standard form and scientific notation using both positive and negative exponents

·        Organize data in matrices (rectangular array of numerical or algebraic quantities treated as an algebraic entity

FUNCTIONS and RELATIONSHIPS

·        Understand and use a calculator to solve problems: square roots, powers (calculators can not be used on the Benchmark Exam)

·        Recognize, describe, and predict patterns from various data sources

·        Using geometric or arithmetic sequences, write expression for the nth term

·        Using formulas

·        Using graphs

·        Using tables or charts to represent a linear function

·        Solve equations, including formulas and inequalities

·        Rational, including integers

·        Graph two-step equations and inequalities

·        Use commutative, associative, and distributive properties of 0 and 1 to solve two-step equations and check the solution

·        Manipulate linear equations as tools to represent and analyze patterns

·        Graph on coordinate plane using a table of ordered pairs

·        Translate from ordered pairs to graphs

·        Solve by creating a table of ordered pairs

·        Graph solutions from a table

·        Predict the graph of each function

GEOMETRY

·        Construct, draw, measure, compare, transform, label, visualize, analyze, and classify relationships among geometric figures

·        Label figures using symbols

·        Derive angle sums in plane figures

·        Define: concave, convex

·        Construct or draw geometric figures in three dimensions including tetrahedrons, dodecahedrons, triangular prisms, and rectangular prisms

·        Use geometric knowledge (words and symbols) to solve problems involving perimeters, shapes, areas, surface areas, angle relationships, similarity, congruency, transformations, scale, Pythagorean theorem, and volumes

·        Define: hypotenuse, leg, radicals, square root, rotation, reflections, translations, dilation, symmetry, tessellation (Escher drawing), polyhedron, interior and exterior angles

·        In formulas, the relations and an effect of one variable on the other values

·        Model and apply pi and Pythagorean theorem

·        Draw polygons using coordinate pairs, given lists or a pattern

·        Draw a polygon that will not tessellate and explain why

·        Estimate and measure areas and volumes using manipulatives and formulas

·        Irregular shapes (polygons)

·        Convert to other units in the same system

·        Identify corresponding parts in similar and congruent geometric figures using a scale factor

STATISITICS/PROBABILITY

·        Collect, organize, and display data using

·        Scatter plot, stem and leaf, circle graph, line graph, histogram, box and whiskers, and bar graph; make an argument for which best represents the data

·        Interpret and compare data, look for patterns, and make inferences and predictions from graphic displays

·        Use tree diagrams and samples spaces to make predictions about independent events

·        From equations, formulas, and graphs

·        From graphs of inequalities

·        Using line of best fit or trend line to predict future outcomes

·        Use patterns or trends and make decisions or defend a conclusion

·        Analyze real world statistics for accuracy and misleading information (newspapers, magazines, and graphical displays)

·        Check for reasonability

·        Understand compilation and sampling methods

·        Understand factors influencing real world data

·        Understand decision-making processes using statistics and probability

·        Determine probability and make predictions from real world data

·        Multiple (compound) events

·        Use permutations, combinations, counting principle, and factorials

·        Translate real world problems into mathematical expressions, equations, and inequalities with variables

·        Compute and understand the concept of average with respect to mean, median, mode, and range for a given set of data and justify one as the best representation of the data

PROBLEM SOLVING, COMMUNICATION, REASONING, CONNECTIONS

·        Analyze problems, then choose and apply appropriate strategies to solve increasingly complex problems

·        Represent situations verbally, geometrically, graphically, symbolically, numerically and translate between these alternative representations

·        Apply in consumer, content area, and practical problems

·        Generalize solutions from familiar patterns

·        Evaluate, interpret, and justify solutions to problems

·        Defend solutions to mathematical problems, orally, in writing and by using a variety of strategies to solve the same problem

·        Use math vocabulary, symbols, and notation to explain, justify, and defend mathematical ideas from one area of mathematics to another area (e.g., algebra to geometry)

·        Recognize and use inductive and deductive reasoning in both concrete and abstract contexts

·        Use examples and counterexamples (to disprove statements)

NUMERATION, NUMBER SENSE, NUMERICAL OPERATIONS

·        Read, write, model, and order real numbers, explaining scientific notation, exponents, and percents

·        Convert between fractions, decimals, and percents

·        Write and solve proportions

·        Know and use scientific notation (converting)

·        Write the prime factorization of a number using exponents

·        Know and use multiples, primes, and factors

·        Rename and compute with simple powers

·        Know and use the order of operations

·        Compare and order real numbers using >, “greater than or equal to”, <, “less than or equal to”, =, and “not equal to”

·        Simplify expressions using rules of divisibility

·        Find greatest common factors (GCF) and least common multiples (LCM) using prime factorization

·        Solve problems using ratio, proportion, percent, and unit pricing

·        Solve problems using equivalent fractions, decimals, or percents

·        Perform simple operations in other number systems and bases

·        Explain absolute value

·        Use inverse operations and the properties of zero and 1 to solve problems with variables and rational numbers

MEASUREMENT

·        Use, compare, and convert between units in metric system for length, mass, area, and volume

·        Use, compare, and convert between units in the standard system for length, time, weight, area, and volume

·        Compare units of measurement in the metric system to similar units of measurement in the standard system

·        Apply multiple strategies, including formulas and manipulatives, to find area, perimeter, surface area, and volume, and include labels in appropriate units

·        Solve practical problems involving proportion and scale

·        Solve practical problems involving conversion between degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit

·        Solve practical problems involving rate, time, and distance

ESTIMATION and COMPUTATION

·        Use formula to solve problems

·        Recognize and combine like terms

·        Use estimation to check the reasonableness of answers involving real numbers

·        Explain when an estimate is appropriate and when an exact answer is needed

·        Use estimation to check calculator or computer accuracy

·        Estimate the square root of a number

·        Select appropriate scales or graphing windows for graphing data

·        Add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions, decimals and integers with and without a calculator

·        Write and solve problems involving order of operations

·        Use identity and inverse properties of addition and multiplication to solve problems

·        Use commutative and associative properties of addition and multiplication to solve problems

·        Use the distributive property of multiplication over addition to solve problems

·        Solve problems using percent of increase and decrease

·        Perform basic operations on expressions involving exponents and square roots

·        Simplify expressions involving absolute value of real numbers

·        Convert between standard and scientific notation using both negative and positive exponents

·        Solve problems with real numbers using paper and pencil, mental math, and a calculator (calculators are not permitted on Benchmark or Exit exams)

FUNCTIONS and REALTIONSHIPS

·        Identify and expand classic patterns such as primes, square and triangular numbers, and Pascal’s Triangle

·        Express an arithmetic pattern as a rule and determine the nth term

·        Apply patterns as a strategy for solving problems

·        Apply properties of real numbers especially the distributive property

·        Use proper algebraic terminology in both written and oral communication

·        Present work in an organized and orderly fashion

·        Simplify expressions using the properties of real numbers

·        Solve and graph one- and two-step inequalities

·        Graph linear equations and inequality solutions on a number line

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