identify such rhetorical fallacies as ad hominem, exaggeration, stereotyping, or categorical claims in persuasive texts
analyze the structure of the central argument in contemporary policy speeches (e.g., argument by cause and effect, analogy, authority) and identify the different types of evidence used to support the argument
use a dictionary, a glossary, or a thesaurus (printed or electronic) to determine the meanings, syllabication, pronunciations, alternate word choices, and parts of speech of words
explain the difference between the theme of a literary work and the author's purpose in an expository text
explain the function of the graphical components of a text
synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts representing similar or different genres, and support those findings with textual evidence
evaluate a summary of the original text for accuracy of the main ideas, supporting details, and overall meaning
evaluate various ways media influences and informs audiences
distinguish factual claims from commonplace assertions and opinions
identify, use, and understand the function of the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing, and speaking: (i) verbs (perfect and progressive tenses) and participles, (ii) appositive phrases, (iii) adverbial and adjectival phrases and clauses, (iv) conjunctive adverbs (e.g., consequently, furthermore, indeed), (v) prepositions and prepositional phrases and their influence on subject-verb agreement, (vi) relative pronouns (e.g., whose, that, which), (vii) subordinating conjunctions (e.g., because, since), (viii) transitions for sentence to sentence or paragraph to paragraph coherence
analyze the importance of graphical elements (e.g., capital letters, line length, word position) on the meaning of a poem.
determine the figurative meaning of phrases and analyze how an author's use of language creates imagery, appeals to the senses, and suggests mood
use context (within a sentence and in larger sections of text) to determine or clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or ambiguous words
determine the meaning of grade-level academic English words derived from Latin, Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes
assess the correct level of formality and tone for successful participation in various digital media
describe the structural and substantive differences between an autobiography or a diary and a fictional adaptation of it
analyze how place and time influence the theme or message of a literary work
Track each student's skills and progress in your Mastery dashboards
