New Colorado P-12 Academic Standards

Current Display Filter: Reading, Writing and Communicating - Seventh Grade

Content Area: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Grade Level Expectations: Seventh Grade
Standard: 1. Oral Expression and Listening

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

1. Formal presentations require preparation and effective delivery
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. (CCSS: SL.7.4)
  2. Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points. (CCSS: SL.7.5)
  3. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (CCSS: SL.7.6)
  4. Prepare for audience and purpose by ensuring proper length of presentation, suitable mode of dress, appropriate topic, and engaging content
  5. Implement strategies to rehearse presentation (such as memorizing key phrases, creating note cards, practicing with friends, etc.)

Inquiry Questions:

  1. What background knowledge can presenters apply to their research?
  2. Why is it important to use good research strategies when finding information on a topic?
  3. How do I know if a source is trustworthy?
  4. How does the lack of a component (introduction, main idea, supporting details, and conclusion) change the intent of a presentation?

Relevance & Application:

  1. Learning to paraphrase is a skill that is used daily when summarizing.
  2. Parents often ensure the well-being of their children by asking who, what, when, where, why, and how questions.
  3. Online resources offer access to a variety of primary and secondary resources.
  4. Electronic presentation tools can enhance oral presentations.
  5. Online resources can be used to offer examples of quality presentations.

Nature Of:

  1. Skilled communicators use a variety of ways to present research, which continues to build their intellectual fluency.
  2. Skilled communicators thoroughly review their research findings before presenting to an audience.

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

2. Small and large group discussions rely on active listening and the effective contributions of all participants
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. (CCSS: SL.7.1)
    • Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion. (CCSS: SL.7.1a)
    • Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. (CCSS: SL.7.1b)
    • Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed. (CCSS: SL.7.1c)
    • Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views. (CCSS: SL.7.1d)
  2. Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study. (CCSS: SL.7.2)
  3. Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. (CCSS: SL.7.3)

Inquiry Questions:

  1. What makes an effective discussion?
  2. How can everyone contribute without a few people dominating the discussion?
  3. What strategies do effective communicators use to involve other people in the discussion?

Relevance & Application:

  1. Journalists summarize complex issues for the general public.
  2. Political representatives integrate the needs and wants of a community into new policy recommendations.
  3. Real-time feedback technologies rely on the active participation of all members to have a successful discussion.
  4. Musical ensembles require the cooperation of all players to produce the desired sound.

Nature Of:

  1. Skilled communicators demonstrate a balance between listening and sharing.
  2. Skilled listeners recognize that others have important ideas.

Content Area: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Grade Level Expectations: Seventh Grade
Standard: 2. Reading for All Purposes

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

1. Literary elements, characteristics, and ideas are interrelated and guide the comprehension of literary and fictional texts
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Use Key Ideas and Details to:
    • Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. (CCSS: RL.7.1)
    • Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text. (CCSS: RL.7.2)
    • Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot). (CCSS: RL.7.3)
    • Recognize the influence of setting on other narrative elements
  2. Use Craft and Structure to:
    • Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. (CCSS: RL.7.4)
    • Analyze how a drama's or poem's form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning. (CCSS: RL.7.5)
    • Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text. (CCSS: RL.7.6)
  3. Use Integration of Knowledge and Ideas to:
    • Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film). (CCSS: RL.7.7)
    • Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history. (CCSS: RL.7.9)
  4. Use Range of Reading and Complexity of Text to:
    • By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. (CCSS: RL.7.10)

Inquiry Questions:

  1. How would changing the setting, character, plot, or point of view affect the outcome of a story?
  2. How do authors appeal to the reader's emotions and beliefs?
  3. What makes characters come alive?
  4. What creates conflict? What resolves it?

Relevance & Application:

  1. Exposure to literary text allows readers to connect to possibilities, points of view, and opportunities in the world.
  2. Digital storytelling introduces visual and multimedia elements that can enhance student understanding of literary texts.

Nature Of:

  1. Different readers respond differently to texts due to personal attitudes and beliefs about events, ideas, and themes. Readers may or may not like a particular text and they can explain why.
  2. Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects, Grades 6-8. (CCSS: RST.6-8.1-10)
  3. Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Grades 6-8. (CCSS: RH.6-8.1-10)

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

2. Informational and persuasive texts are summarized and evaluated
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Use Key Ideas and Details to:
    • Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. (CCSS: RI.7.1)
    • Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text. (CCSS: RI.7.2)
    • Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events). (CCSS: RI.7.3)
  2. Use Craft and Structure to:
    • Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. (CCSS: RI.7.4)
    • Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas. (CCSS: RI.7.5)
    • Interpret a variety of graphical representations and connect them to information in the text
    • Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others. (CCSS: RI.7.6)
  3. Use Integration of Knowledge and Ideas to:
    • Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium's portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words). (CCSS: RI.7.7)
    • Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims. (CCSS: RI.7.8)
    • Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts. (CCSS: RI.7.9)
    • Organize and synthesize information from multiple sources, determining the relevance of information
  4. Use Range of Reading and Complexity of Text to:
    • By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. (CCSS: RI.7.10)

Inquiry Questions:

  1. How does the author use language to convey his/her viewpoint? (For example, pro-slavery-the words used show a bias toward owning slaves.)
  2. How can readers distinguish between facts and an author's opinion? Why does this matter?
  3. How are multiple sources valuable when you are learning new information?

Relevance & Application:

  1. The massive amount of information on the Internet requires readers to distinguish accurate from inaccurate information.
  2. Using multiple sources is important to gather accurate information.
  3. When consumers are purchasing a product, they will be bombarded with information that must be sorted for accuracy, clarity, and organization to help guide their decisions.
  4. Sound, graphics, and multimedia combine with text to influence perception.

Nature Of:

  1. Readers think critically when they read to separate fact from opinion.
  2. Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects, Grades 6-8. (CCSS: RST.6-8.1-10)
  3. Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Grades 6-8. (CCSS: RH.6-8.1-10)

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

3. Purpose, tone, and meaning in word choices influence literary, persuasive, and informational texts
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. (CCSS: L.7.4)
    • Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. (CCSS: L.7.4a)
    • Use the tone of a passage to determine an approximate meaning of a word
    • Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel). (CCSS: L.7.4b)
    • Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech. (CCSS: L.7.4c)
    • Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary). (CCSS: L.7.4d)
    • Differentiate between primary and secondary meanings of words
  2. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. (CCCS: L.7.5)
    • Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context. (CCCS: L.7.5a)
    • Understand that language represents and constructs how readers perceive events, people, groups, and ideas; recognize positive and negative implications of language and identify how it can affect readers in different ways
    • Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand each of the words. (CCCS: L.7.5b)
    • Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined, respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending). (CCCS: L.7.5c)
  3. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. (CCSS: L.7.6)

Inquiry Questions:

  1. How is the use of the Greek root "thermo" significant in today's world?
  2. When a word has multiple meanings or pronunciations, how does a reader select the correct one? (For example, I want to contract with that person to detail my car. I hope I don't contract the flu.)
  3. What power do words have?
  4. How do people adjust the words they use in different contexts?

Relevance & Application:

  1. Prefixes from Greek and Latin are often found in words used in science and social studies books. Knowing the meaning of these roots and affixes will support strong vocabulary knowledge.
  2. People use words differently in different contexts (The word "he" is used to refer to women as well; we text people with different language than we use when we write a formal letter.)
  3. Online access to primary sources and historic newspaper collections allow one ample opportunity to apply understanding of word choice.

Nature Of:

  1. Readers infer meanings as well as understand words with multiple meanings by applying understanding of Greek and Latin roots.
  2. Readers adjust understanding when they consider historical or social contexts.

Content Area: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Grade Level Expectations: Seventh Grade
Standard: 3. Writing and Composition

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

1. Composing literary and narrative texts that incorporate a range of stylistic devices demonstrates knowledge of genre features
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. (CCSS: W.7.3)
    • Use a variety of planning strategies to generate and organize ideas (such as brainstorming, mapping, graphic organizers)
    • Write using poetic techniques (alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme scheme, repetition); figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification); and graphic elements (capital letters, line length, word position) typical of the chosen genre
    • Use a range of appropriate genre features (engaging plot, dialogue, stanza breaks) to develop and organize texts
    • Establish a central idea, define a clear focus for each section of the text (paragraphs, verses), and use transitional words and phrases to link ideas and sections
    • Decide on the content and placement of descriptive and sensory details within the text to address the targeted audience and purpose
    • Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. (CCSS: W.7.3a)
    • Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. (CCSS: W.7.3b)
    • Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another. (CCSS: W.7.3c)
    • Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events. (CCSS: W.7.3d)
    • Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events. (CCSS: W.7.3e)
  2. Revise writing to strengthen the clarity and vividness of voice, tone, and ideas

Inquiry Questions:

  1. In what ways does an author use the setting to create a mood for the story?
  2. What inferences can a reader make about different character types? What aids help make that inference?
  3. Why do organized events require a particular sequence?
  4. How might the outcome have been different if the character had made a different decision?
  5. What visual clues does a writer give about the setting of a story by using only the words of the text?

Relevance & Application:

  1. Readers who think about character traits make deeper connections to what they are reading.
  2. Magazines and comic books rely heavily on engaging plot, graphic elements, and poetic technique.

Nature Of:

  1. Writers know the story elements to help them organize thinking as they craft their own stories.
  2. Writers use figurative language, metaphor, and other techniques in their writing.
  3. Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects, Grades 6-8. (CCSS: WHST.6-8.1-6 and 10)

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

2. Organization is used when composing informational and persuasive texts
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. (CCSS: W.7.1)
    • Develop texts that explain a process; define a problem and offer a solution; or support an opinion
    • Generate support from a variety of primary or secondary sources, such as interviews, electronic resources, periodicals, and literary texts
    • Reach an authentic audience with a piece of informational or persuasive writing
    • Explain and imitate emotional appeals used by writers who are trying to persuade an audience
    • Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. (CCSS: W.7.1a)
    • Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. (CCSS: W.7.1b)
    • Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence. (CCSS: W.7.1c)
    • Establish and maintain a formal style. (CCSS: W.7.1d)
    • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. (CCSS: W.7.1e)
  2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. (CCSS: W.7.2)
    • Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. (CCSS: W.7.2a)
    • Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. (CCSS: W.7.2b)
    • Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. (CCSS: W.7.2c)
    • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. (CCSS: W.7.2d)
    • Establish and maintain a formal style. (CCSS: W.7.2e)
    • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. (CCSS: W.7.2f)

Inquiry Questions:

  1. How do different references enhance readers' thinking about writing?
  2. Why does word choice play such an important part in writing?
  3. How can a writer use his/her influence to persuade readers?

Relevance & Application:

  1. Hard-hitting and exciting television interviews always begin with well-thought out and organized questions.
  2. Electronic race tracks, video games, and search tools are written using adapted software systems.

Nature Of:

  1. Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects, Grades 6-8. (CCSS: WHST.6-8.1-6 and 10)

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

3. Editing writing for proper grammar, usage, mechanics, and clarity improves written work
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (CCSS: L.7.2)
    • Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie but not He wore an old[,] green shirt). (CCSS: L.7.2a)
    • Spell correctly. (CCSS: L.7.2b)
  2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. (CCSS: L.7.1)
    • Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. (CCSS: L.7.1a)
    • Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas. (CCSS: L.7.1b)
    • Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers. (CCSS: L.7.1c)
  3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. (CCSS: L.7.3)
  4. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy. (CCSS: L.7.3a)Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (CCSS: W.7.4)
  5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. (CCSS.W.7.5)
    • Use punctuation correctly (commas and parentheses to offset parenthetical elements; colons to introduce a list; and hyphens)
    • Write and punctuate compound and complex sentences correctly
    • Vary sentences using prepositional phrases, ensuring that subjects and verbs agree in the presence of intervening phrases
    • Use pronoun-antecedent agreement including indefinite pronouns
    • Write with consistent verb tense across paragraphs
    • Use adjectives and adverbs correctly in sentences to describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs
    • Combine sentences with coordinate conjunctions
    • Improve word choice by using a variety of references, such as a thesaurus
  6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources. (CCSS: W.7.6)

Inquiry Questions:

  1. How do transition words create fluency in writing?
  2. What are other purposes of transitions?
  3. How can use of vocabulary help or hinder a piece of writing?
  4. When does a writer know he/she has done enough editing?
  5. How does editing make someone a better writer?

Relevance & Application:

  1. Student council campaign speeches, posters, campaign buttons, and jingles take time and editing to build.
  2. The grit required in improving punctuation and word choice distinguishes an effective communicator from one who just uses ink.

Nature Of:

  1. Writers can connect prior knowledge with new information to help solve problems.

Content Area: Reading, Writing and Communicating
Grade Level Expectations: Seventh Grade
Standard: 4. Research and Reasoning

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

1. Answering a research question logically begins with obtaining and analyzing information from a variety of sources
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation. (CCSS: W.7.7)
    • Identify a topic for research, developing the central idea or focus
    • Formulate open-ended research questions and identify potential sources of information (such as reference materials, electronic media), differentiating between primary and secondary source materials
  2. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. (CCSS: W.7.8)
    • Use organizational features of electronic text (bulletin boards, search engines, databases) to locate information
    • Evaluate accuracy and usefulness of information, and the credibility of the sources used
    • Collect, interpret, and analyze relevant information; identify direct quotes for use in the report and information to summarize or paraphrase that will support the thesis or research question
  3. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (CCSS: W.7.9)
    • Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history"). (CCSS: W.7.9a)
    • Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g. "Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims"). (CCSS: W.7.9b)

Inquiry Questions:

  1. How do people use technology for accessing and recording information?
  2. What is the significance in using primary sources?
  3. When is a primary source unhelpful?

Relevance & Application:

  1. Inventors and scientist who create new technologies often use an inquiry-based process for understanding, drawing conclusions, and creating new knowledge.
  2. Writers follow ethical, legal, and copyright laws.
  3. Writers expand their competencies in using online or web-based resources to complement other written resources.
  4. Data organization is a skill that people use daily at home and at work.
  5. People who remain current with new resources successfully support their learning and application of new information.
  6. Use graphical organizers and other online tools to organize and analyze data.

Nature Of:

  1. Researchers are always summarizing and synthesizing information.
  2. Intelligent researchers are both consumers and generators of information.
  3. Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects, Grades 6-8. (CCSS: WHST.6-8.7-9)

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

2. Logical information requires documented sources
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Synthesize information from multiple sources using logical organization, effective supporting evidence, and variety in sentence structure
  2. Write reports based on research that includes quotations, footnotes, or endnotes, and use standard bibliographic format to document sources or a works cited page
  3. Prepare presentation of research findings (written, oral, or a visual product) for clarity of content and effect, and grammatically correct use of language, spelling, and mechanics

Inquiry Questions:

  1. How do writers summarize information in their own words?
  2. How do presenters determine if they will deliver their presentation in written, oral, or visual form?
  3. Which method is the most interesting to you when you are a member of the audience? Explain your thinking.
  4. Before beginning research, why is it important to organize and have a plan?
  5. How do you determine if your method of presentation is most effective?

Relevance & Application:

  1. Directional tools, manuals, and medical journals cite reference information accordingly.
  2. People judge others' work by what they write and what they say.
  3. Alternate means of copyrighting information are available online such as Creative Commons.
  4. When applying for jobs, applicants must use essential speaking and writing skills are for clear communication.

Nature Of:

  1. Researchers use proper documentation to give credit to the work of others.
  2. Researchers use effective organizational skills when planning reports and presentations.

Prepared Graduates: (Click on a Prepared Graduate Competency to View Articulated Expectations)

Concepts and skills students master:

3. Reasoned material is evaluated for its quality using both its logic and its use of a medium
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies

Students Can:

  1. Identify low-credibility stories by noticing vested interests or passion associated with content
  2. Obtain useful information from standard news stories
  3. Identify the purpose(s) or agenda of media presentations
  4. Consider alternative perspectives of media presentations

Inquiry Questions:

  1. What point(s) of view is (are) being dismissed or played down?
  2. How can people gain access to the point of view being negated (from those who most intelligently understand it)?
  3. How does using multiple perspectives and points of view expand people's thinking?
  4. What makes a story have low credibility?
  5. What makes a story or text have high credibility?
  6. What makes a presentation have clarity for the audience?
  7. How are people influenced by something in the news?
  8. What are the implications if people receive poor, unreliable information? How does that influence the quality of thinking?

Relevance & Application:

  1. Readers can identify low-credibility stories by noticing vested interests or passions associated with content experts.
  2. Consumers identify the purpose(s) or agenda of media presentations.
  3. Making fair-minded, informed decisions will help citizens contribute to society in a quality manner.
  4. Awards are given to a well-reasoned documentary about issues.
  5. Entertainment that is precise like judging games need legitimate processes to be seen as fun and credible.
  6. Voting booths, focus group tools, and electronic surveys take a reasoned series of questions and trap feedback, opinions, and choices.

Nature Of:

  1. The quality of thinking impacts people's lives.
  2. For thinking to improve, people must ask critical questions.
  3. Researchers ask themselves the questions, "What is the source for this information? Is it credible? How do I know that?"