What does a student learn in StateAlaska,GradeGrade 7,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students find specific lines or passages from a story or novel that back up what they think the text means, including ideas the author implies but never states directly.

Students identify the big idea a story is built around and trace how it grows from beginning to end. They can also retell the key events in order.

Students look at how the parts of a story work together. They explain how the setting might change what a character does, or how one event pushes the plot in a new direction.

Students figure out what words mean in context, including when language is figurative or loaded with feeling. Then they look at why the author chose that specific word and how it shapes the mood of the whole passage.

Students look at how a poem or play is built, like whether it rhymes, repeats sounds, or uses a specific form, and explain how those choices shape what the piece means.

Students figure out why an author wrote a story and how the author shapes what each character knows, believes, or notices. They look at how two characters can experience the same event very differently.

Students read a story or poem, then watch or listen to a version of it, and explain how choices like lighting, camera angles, or sound change the experience. The words on a page and a film tell the same story differently.

This standard doesn't apply to literature. For fiction and poetry, the focus stays on story, character, and theme rather than evaluating an author's argument or evidence.

Students read a story and a historical account set in the same time or place, then explain what the author kept accurate and what was changed. This shows how fiction writers shape real events to serve a narrative.

Students read a wide range of stories, poems, and plays from different cultures throughout the year. Some texts are straightforward; some are challenging, with support available when the reading gets harder.

Students find specific lines or passages from a nonfiction text to back up what they think the text means, including ideas the author implies but doesn't say outright.

Students find the main point an author is making, trace how it builds across the article or chapter, and sum it up in their own words in the right order.

A person, a decision, or an idea in a nonfiction text rarely stands alone. Students trace how each one shapes or shifts the others, explaining what changed and why.

Students figure out what specific words mean in a nonfiction text, including slang, implied meanings, and specialized terms. Then they look at why the author chose those words and how that choice shapes the mood or message of the piece.

Students identify how an author breaks a text into sections and explain why that order matters. Each section should connect to the bigger point the whole piece is making.

Students figure out why an author wrote a piece and what the author actually believes. Then they look at how the author pushes back on, or distances themselves from, opinions that differ from their own.

Students read a text and then watch or listen to a version of the same material, looking at what each format adds or leaves out. A written speech and a recorded one, for example, can land very differently.

Students read an argument and decide whether the reasons behind it actually hold up. They check whether the proof the author gives is real, relevant, and enough to back the point being made.

Two articles can cover the same topic and tell very different stories. Students read side by side, looking at which facts each author chose to highlight and why those choices lead to different conclusions.

Students read real-world nonfiction, such as essays, memoirs, and news articles, at a level that challenges them without overwhelming them. Some texts will be harder and may come with extra teacher support.

Students write a paragraph or essay that takes a clear position on a topic and backs it up with reasons and specific evidence from sources or their reading.

Students write an argument by stating their position up front, noting what the other side might say, and arranging their reasons in a clear order.

Students back up their argument with reasons and facts pulled from trustworthy sources. The evidence has to actually connect to the point they're making, not just sound good.

Students practice stitching their argument together so each reason and piece of evidence connects clearly back to the main claim. Words like "because," "for example," and "as a result" do that connecting work.

Writing for school or an audience outside their friend group, students learn to drop casual language and keep a consistent, professional tone from the first sentence to the last.

Students write a closing paragraph that wraps up their argument, not just restates it. The conclusion draws on the reasoning already made, so the reader feels the case is complete.

Students pick a topic, gather the facts that matter most, and write an explanation that helps readers understand it. The focus is on organizing ideas clearly and showing what the evidence actually means, not just listing it.

The opening of an informational piece names the topic and signals where the writing is headed. Students organize what follows using strategies like comparison or cause and effect, and add headings, charts, or other visuals when those help readers follow along.

Students back up their main idea with facts, definitions, and direct quotes pulled from real sources. The goal is to give readers enough evidence to trust what the writing is saying.

Students learn to connect paragraphs and ideas with transition words and phrases so the writing flows from one point to the next without leaving readers lost or confused.

Students choose words that fit the topic exactly, including subject-specific terms a reader would expect to find. Vague words like "stuff" or "things" get replaced with specific ones that make the explanation clearer.

Writing for school or work calls for a different tone than texting a friend. Students practice dropping casual language and slang so their writing sounds clear and professional.

The final paragraph wraps up an informational or explanatory piece by connecting back to what was explained, not just stopping. Students don't simply repeat the intro; they close in a way that makes the whole piece feel finished.

Students write a story, real or made-up, with a clear sequence of events and specific details that bring the people and moments to life.

Students open a story by setting up where and when it happens, whose eyes readers see it through, and what order events follow. The setup pulls readers in and makes the sequence feel like it couldn't have happened any other way.

Students write fictional or personal narratives using dialogue, scene-pacing, and descriptive detail to make characters and events feel real on the page.

Students use words and phrases like "meanwhile," "the next morning," or "back in the kitchen" to move a story forward in time or shift the reader to a new place.

Students choose words carefully to make a story scene feel real. Strong verbs, specific details, and sensory language pull readers into the action instead of leaving them watching from a distance.

Students end a story or personal narrative with a closing that ties back to what happened, not just a summary. The ending shows what the experience meant.

Students match how they write to why they're writing and who will read it. A persuasive letter to a principal sounds different from a short story, and this standard is about making those choices on purpose.

Students revise and improve their writing with feedback from teachers and classmates, asking whether the piece says what they meant to say and actually works for the reader it was written for.

Students use computers and online tools to write, publish, and share their work, adding links to the sources they pulled information from.

Students pick a question, gather information from multiple sources, and write up what they found. Along the way, they come up with new questions that could push the research further.

Students search print and digital sources for reliable information, check whether each source can be trusted, and then quote or summarize what they find in their own words with proper credit given to the original author.

Students find specific quotes or details from a story or article and use them to back up a point they're making in writing. The evidence has to connect clearly to the argument or idea they're developing.

Students read a novel and a historical account of the same event or era, then write about how the author shaped, stretched, or changed the real history to tell the story.

Students read nonfiction, then write about whether the author's argument actually holds up. They point to specific evidence from the text to explain why the reasoning is strong or where it falls short.

Students practice writing regularly, both in quick single-sitting tasks and in longer projects that take days to research and revise. The goal is to write well across every subject and for different readers and purposes.

Students take part in classroom discussions by listening to what others say, building on those ideas, and sharing their own thinking clearly. This applies to partner conversations, small groups, and full-class discussions.

Students come to class discussions ready to talk, having read or researched the topic beforehand. When they speak, they back up their points with specific evidence from the text or their research.

Students follow agreed-on rules during group discussions, like taking turns and restating what others said. They also track whether the group is meeting its goals and decide who is responsible for what.

Students ask follow-up questions that push classmates to explain their thinking, then respond to questions and comments in a way that keeps the conversation focused on the topic at hand.

Students listen to what others say and, when it makes sense, change their own thinking based on it. It's the habit of updating a position when someone presents a good reason to.

Students watch, read, or listen to sources like videos, charts, and speeches, then explain how the details in each one help make the topic clearer.

Students listen to someone make an argument, then decide whether the reasons hold up and whether the evidence actually supports the point being made.

Students practice delivering a speech or presentation out loud, stressing the most important points and backing them up with relevant facts and examples. They also work on making eye contact, speaking at a volume the room can hear, and pronouncing words clearly.

Students add visuals, audio, or video to a presentation to make their key points clearer and easier to follow.

Students learn when to switch between casual speech and formal English, matching the way they talk to the situation, whether that's a class presentation or a conversation with a friend.

Students write and speak using correct grammar: complete sentences, proper verb tenses, and clear pronoun agreement. This standard covers the grammar rules that make writing easier to read and speech easier to follow.

Students identify what a phrase or clause does inside a sentence, then use that knowledge to write and punctuate sentences correctly.

Students learn when to use a simple sentence, when to combine two ideas into a compound sentence, and when to use a complex sentence to show that one idea depends on another. Sentence structure becomes a tool for showing how ideas connect.

Students learn to put describing phrases in the right spot so they clearly modify what they're meant to. A sentence like "Running down the street, my keys fell out" gets fixed so the runner is a person, not a set of keys.

Students apply standard capitalization, punctuation, and spelling rules in their own writing. That means knowing when to capitalize, where to place a comma or semicolon, and how to spell words correctly.

Students learn when to place a comma between two adjectives that each describe a noun separately, like "a cold, rainy afternoon." They test whether both adjectives independently modify the noun before adding the comma.

Students practice spelling words correctly in their writing, catching and fixing errors when they revise and edit their work.

Students choose words and sentence structures that fit the situation, whether they are writing a formal essay or speaking in a discussion. The goal is knowing when and how to adjust language for the task at hand.

Students learn to say what they mean in fewer words, cutting phrases that repeat or pad without adding anything. The goal is a sentence that does its job without extra weight.

Students figure out what unfamiliar words mean by using context clues, word roots, or a dictionary. They also recognize when a word has more than one meaning and choose the right one for the sentence they're reading.

Students figure out unfamiliar words by looking for clues in the sentence around the word and by breaking the word apart to spot familiar prefixes, suffixes, or roots.

Students use familiar Greek or Latin word parts, like roots and prefixes, to figure out what an unfamiliar word means. Knowing that "belli" means war helps decode words like "belligerent" or "rebel" without reaching for a dictionary.

Students look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary or glossary, print or online, to confirm spelling, pronunciation, exact meaning, or how the word functions in a sentence.

Students make a guess about what an unfamiliar word means, then check that guess in a dictionary or by rereading the sentence where the word appears.

Figurative language shows up in poems, stories, and everyday speech. Students learn to spot similes, metaphors, and other figures of speech, and to read the subtle differences in meaning between words that seem similar.

Students read a sentence and explain what a figure of speech really means, like recognizing that "Achilles heel" means a fatal weakness or that "passed away" softens the word death. Context clues help them work out the meaning.

Students practice understanding unfamiliar words by thinking about how those words relate to others. If two words mean nearly the same thing, or the opposite, that connection helps pin down what each word really means.

Words can share a basic meaning but feel very different. Students learn to tell apart words like "confident" and "arrogant", same core idea, but one sounds positive and the other doesn't.

Students learn the exact words a subject demands, from precise science terms to the formal phrases used in essays and discussions. When an unfamiliar word matters for understanding a text or making a point, students work to figure it out and use it correctly.