Evaluating how well writers & speakers use language to support ideas & opinions with details or reasons depending on modality, text, type, purpose, audience, topic & content area.

Describe the language writers or speakers use to support an opinion or present an idea (e.g., by identifying the phrases or words in the text that provide evidence), with prompting and substantial support.

Describe the specific language writers or speakers use to present or support an idea (e.g., the specific vocabulary or phrasing used to provide evidence), with prompting and moderate support.

Describe how well writers or speakers use specific language resources to support an opinion or present an idea (e.g., whether the vocabulary or phrasing used to provide evidence is strong enough), with light support.

Reading closely literary & informational texts & viewing multimedia to determine how meaning is conveyed explicitly & implicitly through language.

Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., insect metamorphosis), and text elements (e.g., main idea, characters, setting) based on understanding of a select set of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with substantial support.

Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., how cows digest food), and text elements (e.g., main idea, characters, events) in greater detail based on understanding of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with moderate support.

Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., volcanic eruptions), and text elements (e.g., central message, character traits, major events) using key details based on understanding of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with light support.

Listening actively to spoken English in a range of social & academic contexts.

Demonstrate active listening to read-alouds and oral presentations by asking and answering basic questions, with prompting and substantial support.

Demonstrate active listening to read-alouds and oral presentations by asking and answering detailed questions, with occasional prompting and moderate support.

Demonstrate active listening to read-alouds and oral presentations by asking and answering detailed questions, with minimal prompting and light support.

Adapting language choices to various contexts (based on task, purpose, audience, & text type).

Recognize that language choices (e.g., vocabulary) vary according to social setting (e.g., playground versus classroom), with substantial support from peers or adults.

Adjust language choices (e.g., vocabulary, use of dialogue, and the like) according to purpose (e.g., persuading, entertaining), social setting, and audience (e.g., peers versus adults), with moderate support from peers or adults.

Adjust language choices according to purpose e.g., persuading, entertaining), task, and audience (e.g., peer-to-peer versus peer-to-teacher), with light support from peers or adults.

Offering & supporting opinions & negotiating with others in communicative exchanges.

Offer opinions and negotiate with others in conversations using basic learned phrases (e.g., I think . . .), as well as open responses in order to gain and/or hold the floor.

Offer opinions and negotiate with others in conversations using an expanded set of learned phrases (e.g., I agree with X, and . . .), as well as open responses in order to gain and/or hold the floor, provide counter arguments, and the like.

Offer opinions and negotiate with others in conversations using a variety of learned phrases (e.g., That's a good idea, but . . .), as well as open responses in order to gain and/or hold the floor, provide counterarguments, elaborate on an idea, and the like.

Interacting with others in written English in various communicative forms (print, communicative technology, & multimedia).

Collaborate with peers on joint writing projects of short informational and literary texts, using technology where appropriate for publishing, graphics, and the like.

Collaborate with peers on joint writing projects of longer informational and literary texts, using technology where appropriate for publishing, graphics, and the like.

Collaborate with peers on joint writing projects of a variety of longer informational and literary texts, using technology where appropriate for publishing, graphics, and the like.

Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative discussions on a range of social & academic topics.

Contribute to conversations and express ideas by asking and answering yes-no and wh- questions and responding using short phrases.

Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions, including sustained dialogue, by following turn-taking rules, asking relevant questions, affirming others, and adding relevant information.

Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions, including sustained dialogue, by following turn-taking rules, asking relevant questions, affirming others, adding relevant information, building on responses, and providing useful feedback.

Condensing ideas within sentences using a variety of language resources.

Condensing clauses in simple ways (e.g., changing: It's green. It's red. -> It's green and red) to create precise and detailed sentences in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Condense clauses in simple ways (e.g., changing: It's green. It's red. -> It's green and red) to create precise and detailed sentences in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Condense clauses in a variety of ways (e.g., through embedded clauses and other condensing as in, It's a plant. It's green and red. It's found in the tropical rainforest. -> It's a green and red plant that's found in the tropical rainforest) to create precise and detailed sentences independently.

Connecting ideas within sentences by combining clauses.

Combine clauses in a few basic ways to make connections between and to join ideas (e.g., creating compound sentences using and, but, so) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Combine clauses in an increasing variety of ways to make connections between and to join ideas, for example, to express cause/effect (e.g., She jumped because the dog barked) with increasing independence.

Combine clauses in a wide variety of ways (e.g., rearranging complete simple to form compound sentences) to make connections between and to join ideas (e.g., The boy was hungry. The boy ate a sandwich. -> The boy was hungry so he ate a sandwich) independently.

Modifying to add details to provide more information and create precision.

Expand sentences with frequently used adverbials (e.g., prepositional phrases, such as at school, with my friend) to provide details e.g., time, manner, place, cause) about a familiar activity or process in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Expand sentences with a growing number of adverbials (e.g., adverbs, prepositional phrases) to provide details (e.g., time, manner, place, cause) about a familiar or new activity or process with increasing independence.

Expand sentences with a variety of adverbials (e.g., adverbs, adverb phrases, prepositional phrases) to provide details (e.g., time, manner, place, cause) independently.