Grades 11 – 12 (view pdf of this grade span)

A.1.4.2.11-12.b

For example, analyze how plot developments interact with the characters’ conflicts in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.

A.1.4.2.9-12.c

A.1.4.2.9-12.d

A.1.4.2.9-12.e

For example, what are Arthur’s moral dilemmas regarding returning the sword in Le Morte D’Arthur? Does Odysseus procrastinate on his way home from Troy? Why or why not? Does he experience any moral dilemmas regarding his return home?

A.1.4.2.9-12.f

A.1.4.2.11-12.g

For example, explain the effect that shifts in time have on the reader’s perception of the characters in Faulkner’s "A Rose for Emily."

A.1.4.2.11-12.h

For example, consider the narrator in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

A.1.4.2.11-12.i

For example, consider the omniscient narrator in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

Communicate Information (C)

NOTE: See also the collection of short stories entitled Point of View, edited by James Moffett and Kenneth McElheny, for examples of texts to teach the element of point of view.

A.1.4.3.11-12.a Consider genre characteristics when interpreting complex texts. (ADP H3)
A.1.4.3.11-12.b Demonstrate understanding that form relates to meaning. For example, describe the differences in effect on the reader between a poem and an essay on the same topic, such as Frost’s "Design" or Hardy’s "Nature’s Questioning" and a Stephen J. Gould essay on evolutionary biology. (ADP H3)
A.1.4.3.11-12.c Identify, analyze and evaluate the effect and use of metrics, rhyme scheme (e.g., end, internal, slant, eye), rhythm, alliteration and other conventions of verse in complex poetry (including poetic forms such as lyric, blank verse, epic, sonnet, dramatic poetry). For example, poetry in grades 11 – 12 may include selections from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Dante’s epics; sonnets from William Shakespeare; works from Romantic poets such as Keats, Shelley and Wordsworth; and works from 20th century poets such as Auden and Yeats. (ADP H5)

NOTE: For a more extensive list of poems and authors, please see the Core Knowledge Sequence or click to access the Indiana Reading List (pdf) and the Massachusetts Reading List (pdf).

A.1.4.3.11-12.d Identify elements of dramatic literature (for example, dramatic irony, soliloquy, stage direction and dialogue) in complex plays. For example, analyze the development of characters through the dialogue in the plays of Tennessee Williams. (ADP H6)
A.1.4.3.11-12.e Evaluate how the elements of dramatic literature articulate a playwright’s vision. (ADP H6)
A.1.4.4.11-12.a Identify, analyze and explain the multiple levels of theme(s) of a complex literary text. (ADP H4 and ADP H9)
A.1.4.4.11-12.b Identify, analyze and evaluate the development of similar or contrasting themes across two or more literary texts of varying complexity. For example, consider T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Shakespeare’s Hamlet. (ADP H4 and ADP H9)
A.1.4.4.11-12.c Analyze works of literature for what they suggest about the historical period in which they were written. For example, analyze what themes and characters' actions in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace or Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary suggest about the historical period. (ADP H7)
A.1.4.4.11-12.d Analyze texts to identify the author’s attitudes, viewpoints and beliefs and to critique how these relate to the larger historical, social and cultural context of the texts. (ADP H7)

LISTENING (A.2)
(view entire Listening strand for grades 4 – 12)

As students progress through the grade levels, they should use more attentive and sophisticated listening skills to comprehend complex oral communications. In addition to those skills explicitly stated below, students may be expected to apply the benchmarks for specific reading skills, from the Reading strand, to listening situations.

The benchmarks for effective listening progresses across grades 11 – 12 in the following area:

A.2.1 Listening Skills

These benchmarks are described in greater detail below.

A.2.1 Listening Skills

A.2.1.1.11-12

ADP B1

A.2.1.2.9-12

For example, Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death," George Washington's "Farewell Address," Mahatma Gandhi's "Quit India speech" or Nelson Mandela's "I am prepared to die."

A.2.1.3.9-12

A.2.1.4.9-12

A.2.1.5.11-12

A.2.1.6.9-12

VIEWING (A.3)
(view entire Viewing strand for grades 4 – 12)

As students progress across the grade levels, they should view TV, film, the Internet, billboards, advertisements, newspapers and magazines in increasingly critical ways. Students should apply more attentive and analytical viewing skills to comprehend and evaluate complex media communications. In addition to those skills explicitly stated below, students may be expected to apply the expectations for specific reading skills, from the Reading strand, to viewing situations.

The benchmarks for effective viewing progress across grades 11 – 12 in the following area:

A.3.1 Viewing Skills

These benchmarks are described in greater detail below.

A.3.1 Viewing Skills

A.3.1.1.11-12

For example, consider a comparison of media attempts at propaganda in World War II as presented in an interactive media situation online.

ADP G1

A.3.1.2.11-12

ADP G2

A.3.1.3.11-12

ADP G3

Whether they Work in Teams (W) or individually, students have three ways to

C.1

Writing

C.2

Speaking

C.3

Producing Digital Media

WRITING (C.1)
(view entire Writing strand for grades 4 – 12)

As students progress through the grade levels, they should write a variety of texts and communicate ideas that are increasingly complex. They should also develop in their ability to make effective choices in their writing. These benchmarks are relevant for all types of writing and should be used along with the benchmarks for Informational/Explanatory Essays, Literary Analysis Essays, Argumentative Essays, Research Essays and Work-Related Texts. These benchmarks are also applicable to and should be used alongside the benchmarks for the other modes of communicating: Speaking and Producing Digital Media. A reference source that may be useful for teachers of writing is the Alliance for Excellent Education report, Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High School (pdf), by Steve Graham and Dolores Perin.

It is worth noting that ADP does not specify personal or creative writing as a writing product necessary for workplace and college success. Expressing oneself in a personal way in writing, however, can be an important way to develop students’ writing and thinking and may support the more formal types of performances provided in these benchmarks.

The benchmarks for effective writing progress across grades 11 – 12 in the following areas:

C.1.1 Topics, Development and Focus

C.1.2 Coherence and Cohesion

C.1.3 Language and Technical Facility

C.1.4 Writing Process: Planning, Editing, Revising and Using Technology

NOTE: The ADP benchmarks emphasize measurable outcomes and products, as opposed to those parts of process which are less measurable, or those strategies students and teachers might use to achieve the measurable outcome, including some aspects of planning and pre-writing and certain aspects of drafting (such as strategies to develop ideas by consulting with peers). These are important to student success in writing, but the ADP focus is on measurable outcomes rather than instructional or learning processes. Drafting is addressed within the sections above on Topics, Development and Focus; Coherence and Cohesion; and Language and Technical Facility.

These benchmarks are described in greater detail below.
NOTE: The progression provided by ACT in Reading between the Lines: What the ACT Reveals about College Readiness (pdf), January 2006 was used as a resource in the development of these benchmarks. In addition, a draft of the 2011 NAEP Writing Framework (doc) was referenced as a resource. The College Board Standards for College Success were also used as a source, specifically for the progression of developing skills across the grade bands. The District of Columbia Reading/English Language Arts Pre-K through Grade 12 Standards were used as another source in the development of these benchmarks.

C.1.1 Writing: Topics, Development and Focus

C.1.1.1.11-12

For example, write a literary analysis essay on societal pressures as they affect a particular character in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; a research essay on women as portrayed in Chinese immigrant poetry; an informational essay on various theories regarding the collapse of the Mayan civilization.

ADP C4

NOTE: See strands on ADP Products (Informational/Explanatory Essays, Literary Analysis Essays, Argumentative Essays, Research Essays and Work-Related Texts) for more specific examples.

C.1.1.2.9-12 Use a variety of strategies when appropriate (such as comparisons, anecdotes or detailed descriptions) to provide specific facts, concrete details, reasons and examples that support and amplify the thesis. (ADP C4)
C.1.1.3.11-12.a Develop and elaborate on ideas as appropriate to audience, and anticipate and respond to readers’ potential questions and counterarguments. (ADP C9, ADP C10 and ADP E9)
C.1.1.3.11-12.b Include substantive, relevant, specific and compelling details to meet the needs of the audience and purpose. For example, determine which is most important, informing or persuading; decide how much to feature counter-argument in the essay. (ADP C9, ADP C10 and ADP E9)

C.1.2 Writing: Coherence and Cohesion

C.1.2.1.11-12.a

For example, beginning an analysis of an abstract concept such as tone in a short story with an example of text that exemplifies a strong tone that is returned to at relevant times within the body of the paper might effectively move the discussion of the topic.

C.1.2.1.11-12.b

C.1.2.1.9-12.c

C.1.2.2.11-12

C.1.3 Writing: Language and Technical Facility

C.1.3.1.11-12.a

For example, in her poem "The Fish," Elizabeth Bishop begins with the phrase, "I caught a tremendous fish"—a description that denotes the size but also other amazing qualities that support the poem’s focus.

C.1.3.1.11-12.b

C.1.3.1.11-12.c

C.1.3.2.11-12.a

C.1.3.2.11-12.b

C.1.3.3.11-12.a

C.1.3.3.11-12.b

C.1.3.4.11-12.a

For example, show increased variety of sentence structures, show increased variety and effectiveness of organizational patterns.

ADP A1

C.1.3.4.11-12.b

For example, utilize short sentences or fragments for effect or have a single sentence paragraph for effect.

ADP A1

C.1.3.5.11-12

Skillfully acknowledge source material (create a reliable bibliography, list of works cited and/or works consulted);
Cite sources using a standard format appropriate to the discipline (such as MLA or APA), with a high degree of accuracy;
Skillfully and strategically quote; paraphrase; or summarize text, ideas or other information taken from print or other electronic sources;
Incorporate ideas and quotations effectively and correctly within text;
Accurately and skillfully embed quotations from other sources; and,
Accurately and skillfully embed graphics, when appropriate. (ADP C6)

C.1.4 Writing Process: Planning, Editing, Revising and Using Technology

C.1.4.1.9-12.a

ADP C1

C.1.4.1.9-12.b

ADP C1

NOTE: See the ADP benchmarks for Research and the strand for Research Essays for more specifics on planning research.

C.1.4.2.11-12 Edit complex writing for mechanics (punctuation, capitalization), spelling, grammar (e.g., pronoun-antecedent relationship, use of modifying phrases), style (e.g., eliminating verbiage) and tone as appropriate to audience, purpose and context. (ADP C5)
C.1.4.3.9-12 Drawing on reader’s comments, revise papers to:

Ensure the thesis or research question is the focus of the paper;
Develop or support ideas more fully;
Address potential objections;
Ensure effective and varied transitions between ideas and paragraphs;
Ensure that the paper has an effective, clear beginning and ending;
Correct errors in logic; and,
Identify areas for further development or questions that remain. (ADP C4)

C.1.4.4.11-12.a Use more specialized software (e.g., Photoshop, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Pagemaker) and basic software programs for written drafts and finished products; to incorporate visual and other graphics into basic text; and to create special formatting and effects to communicate ideas and information. (ADP C7 and ADP C8)
C.1.4.4.11-12.b Determine how, when and whether to employ technology instead of, or in addition to, written communication to most effectively convey complex ideas. (ADP C7 and ADP C8)

SPEAKING (C.2)
(view entire Speaking strand for grades 4 – 12)

As students progress across the grade levels, they should voice increasingly complex ideas in increasingly sophisticated ways. The benchmarks for Writing are relevant to many aspects of oral presentations and should be considered along with this progression.

The benchmarks for effective speaking progress across grades 11 – 12 in the following areas:

C.2.1 Development of Ideas

C.2.1.1 supporting the topic with relevant, reliable details, examples and anecdotes

C.2.2 Coherence and Cohesion

C.2.3 Rhetorical Devices

C.2.3.1 using a range of strategies and varied rhetorical devices to elaborate and persuade

C.2.4 Speaking Facility

C.2.4.1 using eye contact, gestures and speaking rate, volume and pitch effectively and appropriately to support the audience, context and purpose

These benchmarks are described in greater detail below.

C.2.1 Speaking: Development of Ideas

C.2.1.1.11-12

C.2.2 Speaking: Coherence and Cohesion

C.2.2.1.11-12

C.2.2.2.9-12

C.2.2.3.9-12

For example, use repeated language from previous point when introducing a new point, using signposts, such as "My third reason for believing as I do is ....."

C.2.2.4.11-12

Create ADP Products (P)

C.2.3 Speaking: Rhetorical Devices

C.2.3.1.11-12

Rhetorical questions to engage the audience;
Parallelism and repetition to reinforce ideas;
Analogies to convey complex ideas;
Metaphors and similes to develop ideas on multiple levels;
Alliteration to call attention to ideas and fix them in the audience’s mind;
Hyperbole or understatement for humor or impact;
Antithesis to establish contrasting relationships; and,
Personification to make an abstract element concrete. (ADP B6)

C.2.4 Speaking Facility

C.2.4.1.11-12

Make eye contact to engage listeners;
Enunciate words clearly;
Adjust speaking rate and use pauses for effect;
Adjust speaking volume and pitch (inflection) for effect.; and,
Vary gestures skillfully and purposefully to support the message of the oral presentation. (ADP B6)

PRODUCING DIGITAL MEDIA (C.3)
(view entire Producing Digital Media strand for grades 4 – 12)

As students progress across the grade levels, they should communicate increasingly complex ideas in increasingly sophisticated ways. ADP G4 suggests that students apply and adapt the principles of written composition to create coherent media productions. The benchmarks for Writing are relevant to many aspects of digital media production and should be considered along with these benchmarks.

The benchmarks for effectively producing digital media progress across grades 11 – 12 in the following areas:

C.3.1 Topics, Development and Focus

C.3.2 Coherence and Cohesion

C.1.2

Writing

C.3.3 Technical Facility and Control

C.3.3.1 using varied visual images, text, graphics, music and/or sound effects to control the implicit and explicit messages conveyed

These benchmarks are described in greater detail below.

C.3.1 Producing Digital Media: Topics, Development and Focus

C.3.1.1.11-12

For example, students may create an interactive Web site that incorporates audio and/or video on a chosen aspect of a literary work studied.

ADP G4

C.3.1.2.9-12.a

NOTE: There is no single benchmark that relates to this benchmark, but the expectation crosses types of writing and the principles are referred to in:

ADP C9

ADP C10

and

ADP E9

C.3.1.2.9-12.b

NOTE: There is no single benchmark that relates to this benchmark, but the expectation crosses types of writing and the principles are referred to in:

ADP C9

ADP C10

and

ADP E9

C.3.2 Producing Digital Media: Coherence and Cohesion

Writing

C.1.2

C.3.3 Producing Digital Media: Technical Facility and Control

C.3.3.1.11-12

For example, a video presentation on career choices may include excerpts that range from job interviews to on-the-job scenes to explanations of the kinds of preparation needed for various careers.

ADP G4

For future success in postsecondary education and work, students in grades 11 – 12 will need to

P.1

Product 1: Informational/Explanatory Essay

P.2

Product 2: Literary Analysis Essay

P.3

Product 3: Argumentative Essay

P.4

Product 4: Research Essay

P.5

Product 5: Work-Related Texts

PRODUCT 1: INFORMATIONAL/EXPLANATORY ESSAY (P.1)
(view entire Informational/Explanatory Essay strand for grades 4 – 12)

As students progress across the grade levels, they should draft informational or explanatory essays on topics that are increasingly complex. The draft of the NAEP 2011 Writing Framework (doc) defines writing to explain as writing that is:

… designed to present information and ideas to others in a manner that aids understanding of the subject. Writing to explain commands a large portion of the K – 12 curriculum (Graham & Perin, 2006) where students write summaries, research reports and other explanatory tasks in all of their school subjects. Writing to explain is an everyday occurrence in the workplace and the adult world as well, where millions write informative e-mail messages, fill out applications and write instructions.

(NOTE: Achieve's English and Communication Benchmarks include separate strands for Research Essay and Work-Related Texts.)

The Writing strand describes the development of general writing skills and abilities; please use these benchmarks in connection with those below. Also, please note that while the benchmarks below are specific to writing, students can also convey information via Speaking or Producing Digital Media. The benchmark criteria below can be modified accordingly.

The benchmarks for an effective informational essay progress across grades 11 – 12 in the following areas:

P.1.1 Topics, Development and Focus

P.1.2 Coherence and Cohesion

These benchmarks are described in greater detail below.

P.1.1 Informational/Explanatory Essay: Topics, Development and Focus

P.1.1.1.11-12.a

For example, compare the descriptions of the causes of pioneer travel from a variety of primary and secondary sources and account for any variances in the materials. (NAEP grade 12 example: A grade 12 NAEP explanatory task might require students to analyze the causes of a problem, analyze similarities and differences between two events, or analyze data in a simple figure.)

ADP C9

P.1.1.1.11-12.b

For example, "According to two critical sources on Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa’s transformation into a large bug stems from deep and longstanding problems with his father."

P.1.1.2.9-12

P.1.1.3.9-12.a

P.1.1.3.9-12.b

P.1.2 Informational/Explanatory Essay: Coherence and Cohesion

P.1.2.1.9-12

P.1.2.2.9-12.a

ADP C9

P.1.2.2.9-12.b

similar to

subsequently

perhaps most importantly

P.1.2.2.9-12.c

P.1.2.3.9-12

Purposefully and effectively re-emphasizes the thesis and main points; and,
Presents in a new light the analysis of information. (ADP C9 and ADP C3)

PRODUCT 2: LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY (P.2)
(view entire Literary Analysis Essay strand for grades 4 – 12)

As students progress across the grade levels, they should draft literary analysis essays on topics and literary works that are increasingly complex. The Writing strand describes the development of general writing skills and abilities; please use these benchmarks in connection with those below. Also, please note that while the benchmarks below are specific to writing, students can also convey literary analyses via Speaking or Producing Digital Media; the benchmark criteria below can be modified accordingly.

The Reading strand describes the progression of expectations for skills in reading; please see these benchmarks for additional information on reading literary texts, as much of the content of students’ literary analysis essays will be a demonstration of their achievement of these literary-text reading skills.

The benchmarks for an effective literary analysis essay progress across grades 11 – 12 in the following areas:

P.2.1 Topics, Development and Focus

P.2.2 Coherence and Cohesion

These benchmarks are described in greater detail below.

P.2.1 Literary Analysis Essay: Topics, Development and Focus

P.2.1.1.11-12.a

ADP H9

P.2.1.1.11-12.b

Focus on a topic which allows for capable analysis of the ways in which themes and ideas are developed in one or in more than one more complex literary work(s).

ADP H9

P.2.1.2.11-12

ADP C9

NOTE: See the scale for

Text Complexity

, specifically

T.1.3

Literary Text, for literary works and a description of the characteristics of relatively uncomplicated, more challenging, somewhat complex and complex literary works.

P.2.1.3.11-12 Make valid inferences regarding complex literary work(s) based on evidence provided in the text, on prior knowledge of the context of the work’s setting or on its genre characteristics. For example, given knowledge of Dickensian novels, make inferences regarding the plot structure and the significance of this structure or discuss what can be inferred regarding justice in the time period described in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. (ADP C9)
P.2.1.4.11-12.a Fully and effectively support the thesis by including substantial, detailed textual support and text analysis and excluding extraneous information. (ADP C9)
P.2.1.4.11-12.b Firmly and effectively anchor the analysis with specific, relevant details and quotations from the literary work(s) and make comparisons to other relevant literary works. (ADP C9)
P.2.1.4.11-12.c Skillfully embed quotations and details from the literary work(s) within the context of a valid analysis of these examples. (ADP C9)
P.2.1.5.11-12.a Interpret the ideas, details and literary elements of works from various forms of literature (e.g., poetry, novel, biography, short story, essay, dramatic literature). (ADP H3)
P.2.1.5.11-12.b Accurately and critically analyze and interpret data. For example, select poems by T.S. Eliot or Pablo Neruda and use understanding of poetry techniques to interpret the poems, recognizing subtler and deeper interpretations. (ADP H3)
P.2.1.6.4-12 Demonstrate knowledge of foundational works of American literature and analyze foundational U.S. documents as they are relevant to the topic being developed in a literary analysis essay. (ADP H1)

For more discussion of students' skills in reading and analyzing foundational literary texts, please see the Reading strand.

P.2.2 Literary Analysis Essay: Coherence and Cohesion

P.2.2.1.11-12

P.2.2.2.11-12.a

P.2.2.2.11-12.b

P.2.2.3.11-12

PRODUCT 3: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY (P.3)
(view entire Argumentative Essay strand for grades 4 – 12)

As students progress across the grade levels, they should develop increasingly complex arguments. The Writing strand describes the development of general writing skills and abilities; please use these benchmarks in connection with those below. Also, please note that while the benchmarks below are specific to writing, students can also construct and convey arguments via Speaking or Producing Digital Media; the benchmark criteria below can be modified accordingly.

The Reading strand describes the progression of expectations for skills in reading; please see these benchmarks for additional, specific information on reading arguments. Some aspects of students’ argumentative essays will demonstrate their level of skill in reading arguments. A student’s ability to analyze arguments for such things as quality of the evidence, logical fallacies and devices used to persuade will be reflected in their ability to construct sound arguments.

The benchmarks for an effective argument progress across grades 11 – 12 in the following areas:

P.3.1 Topics, Development and Focus

P.3.2 Purpose and Audience

P.3.3 Coherence and Cohesion

These benchmarks are described in greater detail below.

P.3.1 Argumentative Essay: Topics, Development and Focus

P.3.1.1.11-12

For example, present arguments related to various search and seizure issues as they relate to students at school, such as drug testing and locker searches, discussing multiple claims connected with these arguments. NAEP Grade 12 Example: On the NAEP Writing assessment, persuasive writing tasks will ask writers to convince an audience to take action or change a viewpoint on a variety of topics important to others – e.g., peers, school, the nation. Grade 12 students will be expected to compose a response that demonstrates an understanding of other perspectives through its development and organization of ideas and its language use, and that supports a position with reasons and evidence.

P.3.1.2.11-12.a

P.3.1.2.11-12.b

argumentum ad misericordiam

argumentum ad hominem

argumentum ad populum

P.3.1.3.11-12

ADP E3

P.3.1.4.9-12

P.3.2 Argumentative Essay: Purpose and Audience

P.3.2.1.11-12

For example, in an argument on uses of a landfill, environmental terminology should be used appropriately; in a paper on the sickness imagery in Hamlet, the use of literary terminology is necessary.

ADP C2

P.3.2.2.11-12

P.3.3 Argumentative Essay: Coherence and Cohesion

P.3.3.1.9-12

P.3.3.2.9-12

P.3.3.3.11-12