NNPS PK-12 Literacy

All children communicate in meaningful social contexts with purpose. Children communicate using facial expressions, gestures, eye gaze, body movements, signs, and language to initiate interactions and respond to others. It is important to remember that text is just another form of communication. Just as young children must engage in meaningful exchanges and conversations to build language, they must engage with books, writing and drawing, and print in their everyday lives as part of building a strong foundation. These essential experiences create opportunities for children to further explore the connections among letters, sounds, and words and how they work together to create meaning. For this reason, emphasizing language, communication, and emergent literacy together is critical. Support to basic communication and support to literacy can reinforce each other.

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At the kindergarten level, students will develop their understanding of language and enhance their ability to communicate effectively. Emphasis will be placed on having the students build and use listening and speaking vocabularies through participation in oral language activities employing poems, rhymes, songs, and stories. Students will learn rules for conversation, and skills for participation in discussions, and how to work respectfully with others. Teachers will encourage the development of interpersonal skills that are foundational to effective communication and collaboration. These skills are essential for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

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At the first-grade level, students will further develop their understanding of language and enhance their ability to communicate effectively. The student will use listening and speaking skills to participate in classroom discussions and work respectfully with others. They will also begin to use their oral language skills to gain and explain information. Students will build and use listening and speaking vocabularies to tell and retell stories and participate in choral speaking, recitation, and creative dramatics.

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The student will use listening and speaking skills to participate in classroom discussions, work respectfully with others, and develop simple presentations using multimodal tools. Students will create oral stories and participate in choral speaking, recitation, and creative dramatics. Students will take turns in different roles during collaborative activities. Teachers will encourage the development of interpersonal skills that are foundational to effective communication and collaboration. These skills are essential for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

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The student will use communication skills to participate in classroom discussions, work respectfully with others in a variety of situations, and develop presentations using multimodal tools. Students will develop specific skills for organizing, expressing, and presenting ideas or information. Teachers will encourage the development of interpersonal skills that are foundational to effective communication and collaboration. These skills are essential for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

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At the fourth-grade level, the student will continue to increase communication and collaboration skills by working in diverse teams. In order to be contributing participants in discussions, students will apply skills to effectively communicate ideas and opinions, while showing value for others' contributions. Students will deliver interactive multimodal presentations and begin to examine media messages. Teachers will encourage the development of effective interpersonal communication and collaboration skills that are essential for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the fifth-grade level, students will demonstrate the ability to collaborate with diverse teams by working respectfully with others, using active listening skills, and showing value for individual contributions. Students will create and deliver interactive multimodal presentations. Students will compare/contrast a variety of techniques used in media messages. Teachers will encourage the development of effective interpersonal communication and collaboration skills that are essential for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the sixth-grade level, students will demonstrate the ability to work with diverse teams working respectfully with others, participating both as a facilitator and as a contributor. Small-group analysis and self-analysis of the effectiveness of communication will be introduced. Students will continue to deliver multimodal presentations individually and in collaborative groups. Students will also interpret information presented in diverse media formats. Teachers will emphasize the importance of effective interpersonal communication and collaboration skills that are essential for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the seventh-grade level, students will continue to deliver multimodal presentations individually and in collaborative groups. Students will also interpret information presented in diverse media formats. Students share responsibility for collaborative work, as both a contributor and a facilitator, while working for consensus to accomplish goals. Teachers will emphasize the importance of effective interpersonal communication and collaboration skills that are essential for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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In eighth-grade, students will evaluate, analyze, develop, and produce media messages. Students will create multimodal presentations that include different points-of-view, and collaborate with others to exchange ideas, make decisions, and solve problems. Teachers will emphasize the importance of effective interpersonal communication and collaboration skills that are essential for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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Students will analyze and interpret the social, commercial, and/or political motives behind media messages. Students will use multimodal tools to create presentations both independently and in small groups. Teachers will emphasize the importance of effective interpersonal communication and collaboration skills that are essential for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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The student will create media messages and analyze the cause and effect relationships between mass media coverage and public opinion trends. Students will continue to use multimodal tools to create presentations both independently and in small groups. The tenth-grade student will continue to become a skilled communicator, working both independently and in collaborative groups while presenting alternate views and working toward common goals. Teachers will emphasize the importance of effective interpersonal communication and collaboration skills that are essential for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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The student will create media messages and analyze the cause and effect relationships between mass media coverage and public opinion trends. Students will create persuasive multimodal presentations that address alternative perspectives. The eleventh-grade student continues to build communication skills working both independently and in collaborative groups. Students will continue to demonstrate the ability to work within collaborative groups while presenting alternate views and working toward common goals. Teachers will emphasize the importance of effective interpersonal communication and collaboration skills that are essential for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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The student will create media messages and analyze the cause and effect relationships between mass media coverage and public opinion trends. Students will create persuasive/argumentative multimodal presentations both independently and in collaborative groups. Students will continue to demonstrate the ability to work within diverse teams and collaborative groups working toward common goals. Teachers will emphasize the importance of effective interpersonal communication and collaboration skills that are essential for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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All children communicate in meaningful social contexts with purpose. Children communicate using facial expressions, gestures, eye gaze, body movements, signs, and language to initiate interactions and respond to others. It is important to remember that text is just another form of communication. Just as young children must engage in meaningful exchanges and conversations to build language, they must engage with books, writing and drawing, and print in their everyday lives as part of building a strong foundation. These essential experiences create opportunities for children to further explore the connections among letters, sounds, and words and how they work together to create meaning. For this reason, emphasizing language, communication, and emergent literacy together is critical. Support to basic communication and support to literacy can reinforce each other.

View Grade Level Standards:

The kindergarten student will be immersed in a text-rich environment to develop phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, and an appreciation for reading. The exposure to fiction and nonfiction texts will enable students to develop an awareness of reading materials as sources of information and enjoyment. Students will learn to identify and name the capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet, understand that letters represent sounds, and identify initial and final consonant sounds in one syllable words The kindergarten student will expand both listening and speaking vocabularies. They will also learn to comprehend and think creatively as they relate stories through drama, retelling, drawing, and their own writing. Teachers will encourage the development of reading skills that are foundational to effective comprehension and critical thinking. These skills are essential for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

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The student will be immersed in a text-rich environment to develop phonological awareness, phonetic skills, vocabulary, comprehension and to use reading materials as sources of information and enjoyment. Having developed a concept of word and letter-sound correspondence, students will now concentrate on learning and integrating basic phonetic principles, decoding words in isolation and in context, using meaning clues, and employing language and sentence structure to read and substantially increase their sight-word vocabulary. The student will use a variety of strategies to read new words and will read familiar selections with fluency, accuracy, and expression. The student will continue to develop an understanding of fiction and nonfiction texts and respond to readings through group discussions and writing. The student will increase vocabulary and comprehension strategies through cross-content reading. Teachers will encourage the development of reading skills that are foundational to effective comprehension and critical thinking. These skills are essential for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

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Developing literacy skills continues to be a priority in the second grade. The student will be immersed in an environment filled with fiction and nonfiction texts, which relate to all content areas and personal interests. The student will expand vocabulary, use a combination of strategies when reading, and read familiar selections with fluency, accuracy, and expression. Students will identify story elements including plot, characters, setting, theme, conflict, and resolution. The student will demonstrate comprehension skills by identifying main ideas, making and confirming predictions, questioning, summarizing, and drawing conclusions. Students will learn and apply comprehension strategies while reading cross-content materials. Teachers will encourage the development of reading skills that are foundational to effective comprehension and critical thinking. These skills are essential for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

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The student will read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts, which relate to all content areas and personal interests. Students will continue to develop strategic reading skills, such as word analysis and construction of meaning from text. Students will continue to use comprehension strategies to compare and contrast story elements and differentiate between fiction and nonfiction. Teachers will encourage the development of reading skills that are foundational to effective comprehension and critical thinking. These skills are essential for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

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In fourth grade, there is an increased emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing fiction and nonfiction texts, identifying cause and effect relationships, and differentiating between fact and opinion. The student will expand vocabulary using knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones. Teachers will encourage the development of reading skills that are foundational to effective comprehension and critical thinking. These skills are essential for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

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The student will continue to expand vocabulary using knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones. In fifth grade, there is an emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing fiction and nonfiction texts. In fiction texts, students will explain plot development and conflict resolution and differentiate between first and third person points of view. Fifth grade students will have an increased emphasis on nonfiction reading by identifying authors' organizational patterns, and using the text to support opinions and conclusions. Teachers will encourage the development of reading skills that are foundational to effective comprehension and critical thinking. These skills are essential for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

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The student will begin the study of word origins and continue vocabulary development. There is a continued emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing fiction and nonfiction texts. In fiction texts, students will identify elements of narrative structure including identifying theme and analyzing figurative language. In sixth grade, there is an increased emphasis on nonfiction reading by creating objective summaries and drawing inferences using textual evidence. These critical thinking skills are foundational to technical reading and writing and are transferable across content areas.

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The student will continue the study of word origins and roots and begin identifying connotations. There is a continued emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing fiction and nonfiction texts. In fiction texts, students will identify elements of a variety of genres while focusing on an author's style. In seventh grade, there is an increased emphasis on nonfiction reading, and students will identify the source, point-of-view, and purpose of texts. These critical thinking skills are foundational to technical reading and writing and are transferable across content areas.

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The student will continue the study of word origins, roots, connotations, and denotations. There is a continued emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing fiction and nonfiction texts. In fiction texts, students will explain the development of theme(s), and compare/contrast authors' styles. There will be an increased emphasis on nonfiction reading, and students will analyze authors' qualifications, point-of-view, and style. These critical thinking skills are foundational to technical reading and writing and are transferable across all content areas.

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The student will continue to expand vocabulary using the structural analysis of roots and affixes to understand complex words. There is a continued emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing fiction and nonfiction texts. In fiction texts, students will apply knowledge of literary terms and analyze a variety of genres. In ninth grade there will be an increased emphasis on nonfiction reading, and students will make inferences and draw conclusions using explicit and implied textual evidence. These critical thinking skills are foundational to technical reading and writing and are transferable across all content areas.

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The student will continue development of vocabulary, with attention to connotations, idioms, classical allusions, and figurative language. There is a sustained emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing fiction and nonfiction texts. Students will analyze the cultural and social function and universal themes of fictional texts from different cultures. Tenth grade students will analyze and synthesize information from nonfiction texts to solve problems, answer questions, and generate new knowledge. These critical thinking skills are foundational to technical reading and writing and are transferable across all content areas. *The bodies of literature for grades 10, 11, and 12 are interchangeable and may be taught in any of these grades.

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The student will continue development of vocabulary, with attention to connotations, idioms, classical allusions, and figurative language. In eleventh grade, there is a sustained emphasis on reading comprehension of fiction and nonfiction texts. Students will conduct comparative analyses of multiple texts that address the same topic to determine how authors reach similar or different conclusions. The students will examine and analyze fiction texts by American authors describing the contributions of other cultures and identifying prevalent themes and characterizations, which are reflective of American history and culture.

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The student will continue development of vocabulary, with attention to connotations, idioms, classical allusions, and figurative language. There is a sustained emphasis on reading comprehension of fiction and nonfiction texts. Students will review multiple texts to identify and evaluate resources to make decisions and solve problems. The students will examine and analyze fiction texts by British authors evaluating how authors use key elements to contribute to meaning and interpreting how themes are connected across texts.

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All children communicate in meaningful social contexts with purpose. Children communicate using facial expressions, gestures, eye gaze, body movements, signs, and language to initiate interactions and respond to others. It is important to remember that text is just another form of communication. Just as young children must engage in meaningful exchanges and conversations to build language, they must engage with books, writing and drawing, and print in their everyday lives as part of building a strong foundation. These essential experiences create opportunities for children to further explore the connections among letters, sounds, and words and how they work together to create meaning. For this reason, emphasizing language, communication, and emergent literacy together is critical. Support to basic communication and support to literacy can reinforce each other.

View Grade Level Standards:

At the kindergarten level, students will begin to build a connection between oral and written language. Awareness that spoken language can be written and written language can be read is a fundamental concept in communicating ideas. Students will learn to print the capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet as well as their first and last names. Kindergarten writing reflects the students' oral language, and students will communicate their ideas through pictures and writing. Teachers will encourage the development of writing skills that are foundational to effective written communication and critical thinking. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary and workplace environments.

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At the first-grade level, reading and writing will develop together. Students will be given daily opportunities to write and read their writing. The student will write in a variety of forms to communicate ideas. As their knowledge of letter-sound correspondence and their sight-word vocabulary increases, they will be able to use these skills to put their ideas and thoughts on paper. With teacher guidance and support, they will also begin to revise and edit selected pieces of their writing for a specific audience. Teachers will encourage the development of writing skills that are foundational to effective written communication and critical thinking. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and in the workplace.

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At the second-grade level, students will continue to develop reading and writing together. They will be given daily opportunities to write and will be expected to revise selected pieces and share them with others. Students will begin to make the transition to cursive handwriting. The student will understand writing as a process and will write in a variety of form. Students will organize writing according to type and purpose and will elaborate to provide support and detail. They will also begin to apply written communication skills across all content areas. Teachers will encourage the development of writing skills that are foundational to effective written communication and critical thinking. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary and workplace environments.

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At the third-grade level, students will continue to develop reading and writing together. Students will use the writing process to plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in a variety of forms. Student writing will become more complex, and they students will learn to select details to elaborate the main idea of a paragraph. They will use their written communication skills across content areas. Students also will write legibly in cursive. Teachers will encourage the development of writing skills that are foundational to effective written communication and critical thinking. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary and workplace environments.

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At the fourth-grade level, students will develop and build their reading and writing skills together. The student will use the writing process to plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in a variety of forms to include narrative, descriptive, opinion, and expository. They will use the writing skills of selecting and narrowing a topic, developing a plan for writing, and organizing information into several paragraphs with a central idea and supporting details. The instructional focus will include an emphasis on composing and written expression. Revising writing for clarity and editing for usage and mechanics will continue to be important skills at this grade level. Teachers will encourage the development of writing skills that are foundational to effective written communication and critical thinking. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary and workplace environments.

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At the fifth-grade level, students will continue to develop as readers and writers as they write in a variety of forms including narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive. Students will write multiparagraph compositions including evidence to inform or persuade an audience. Precise and descriptive vocabulary and varied sentence structure will become important tools for creating tone and voice within a text. Students will be expected to have greater control over the conventions of writing. Teachers will encourage the development of writing skills that are foundational to effective written communication and critical thinking. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the sixth-grade level, students will continue to develop as readers and writers. The student will also plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on narrative and reflective writing. Students will write multiparagraph compositions with an emphasis on the development of elaboration and unity. Additionally, students will be introduced to writing thesis statements. Students will be expected to have greater control over the conventions of writing. Teachers will emphasize the importance of effective critical thinking skills that lead to success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the seventh-grade level, students will continue to develop as readers and writers. The student will also plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on expository and persuasive writing. Students will write to develop and modify a central idea, tone, and voice to fit the audience and purpose. Students will write multiparagraph compositions with an emphasis on organization. Additionally, students will write thesis statements that clearly state a position. Students will be expected to have greater control over the conventions of writing. Teachers will emphasize the importance of effective critical thinking skills that lead to success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the eighth-grade level, students will continue to develop as readers and writers. The student will also plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on expository and persuasive writing. Students will write persuasively and use claims, evidence, and counterclaims to advocate and support a position to fit the audience and purpose. Students will be expected to have greater control over the conventions of writing. Teachers will emphasize the importance of effective critical thinking skills that lead to success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the ninth-grade level, students will continue to develop as readers and writers. The student will use the recursive writing process while writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on analysis and persuasion. Students will write persuasively and analytically using evidence from credible sources and organizational patterns to effectively match the intended audience and purpose. Students will be expected to have greater control over the conventions of writing.

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At the tenth-grade level, students will continue to develop as readers and writers. The student will use the recursive writing process while writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on analysis and persuasion. Students will write persuasively and analytically synthesizing evidence from credible sources and use organizational patterns to effectively match the intended audience and purpose. Students will be expected to have greater control over the conventions of writing and write and revise to a standard acceptable both in the workplace and postsecondary education.

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At the eleventh-grade level, students will continue to develop as writers using the recursive writing process while writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on persuasion and argumentation. They will write for multiple purposes and audiences to create focused, organized, and coherent writing. Students will be expected to have greater control over the conventions of writing and write and revise to a standard acceptable both in the workplace and postsecondary education. They will produce arguments in writing that demonstrate knowledgeable judgments and address counterclaims. Students will use their knowledge of genres, formats, purposes, audiences, and situations to produce clear and effective products that reflect use of all stages of the writing process.

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At the twelfth-grade level, students will continue to develop as readers and writers. The student will use the recursive writing process while writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on persuasion and argumentation for multiple purposes and audiences to create focused, organized, and coherent writing. Students will be expected to write and revise to a standard acceptable both in the workplace and postsecondary education.

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The student will be introduced to the research process by asking investigative questions, which will be used to solve problems. Research in kindergarten prepares students for more formalized research in subsequent grades.

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The student will continue to research to answer questions and solve problems by using available resources. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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The student will conduct research by generating topics of interest, asking questions, identifying sources, and finding and organizing information. Students will complete an oral, written, or visual research product collaboratively or individually. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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The student will conduct research by generating topics of interest, asking questions, identifying sources, and finding and organizing information. Students will complete an oral, written, or visual research product collaboratively or individually. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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The student will demonstrate comprehension of the research process by evaluating the relevance and reliability of information collected to create a research product. Additionally, students will integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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The student will demonstrate comprehension of the research process by evaluating the relevance, reliability, and credibility of information collected. Students will learn to evaluate and synthesize information to use in their oral, visual, written, or multimodal research product. The student will understand there are consequences of plagiarism. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the sixth-grade level, students will find, evaluate, and select appropriate resources for an oral, visual, written, or multimodal research product. They will evaluate the validity and authenticity of texts, and they will research, organize, evaluate, and communicate information. In addition, they will learn to cite both primary and secondary and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the seventh-grade level, students will find, evaluate, and select appropriate resources for an oral, visual, written, or multimodal research product. They will evaluate the validity and authenticity of sources, and they will apply research techniques to quote, summarize, and paraphrase findings. In addition, they will learn to cite both primary and secondary sources and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the eighth-grade level, students will apply research techniques to analyze information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions and possible bias. They will evaluate the validity and credibility of sources, and they will apply research techniques to quote, summarize, and paraphrase findings. In addition, they will learn to cite sources using either MLA or APA style sheet and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the ninth-grade level, students will apply research techniques to analyze information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions and possible bias. Students will evaluate the validity and authenticity of sources, and students will apply research techniques to quote, summarize, paraphrase, and embed findings. In addition, students will learn to cite sources using either MLA or APA style sheet and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the tenth-grade level, students will apply research techniques to analyze information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions and possible bias. They will evaluate the validity and authenticity of sources, and they will apply research techniques to quote, summarize, paraphrase, and embed findings. In addition, they will cite sources using either MLA or APA style sheet and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the eleventh-grade level, students will apply research techniques to synthesize information from primary and secondary sources to produce a research product. They will evaluate the validity and authenticity of sources and will apply research techniques to quote, summarize, paraphrase, and embed findings. In addition, they will cite sources using either MLA or APA style sheet and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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At the twelfth-grade level, students will apply research techniques to synthesize information to produce a research product. They will evaluate the validity and authenticity of sources and will apply research techniques to quote, summarize, paraphrase, and embed findings. In addition, they will cite sources using either MLA or APA style sheet and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

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