ELA Competencies

Profile English Department Competencies

Revised on November 5, 2014

By the end of their junior year, Profile students will be able to...

WRITING

1. Process Competency: Students will demonstrate the writing process.

Process Performance Indicators:

1) Choose and develop appropriate thoughts and information to produce clear and coherent writing.*

2) Use appropriate voice, words and style based on task, audience and purpose.*

3) Organize and format writing based on task, audience, purpose in order to aid in understanding.*

4) Practice effective editing techniques.*

5) Practice effective revision techniques, including revision based on feedback.*

6) Show growth and development from year to year as a reader, writer, speaker and listener.*

2. Writing Arguments Competency: Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze and critique written or spoken arguments and write arguments that support claims with reasoning and sufficient evidence.

Writing Arguments Performance Indicators:

1) Use valid reasoning and evidence to support claims.*

2) Use persuasive techniques and strategies effectively such as ethos, pathos and logos.*

3) Find reliable resources that support claim.*

4) Cite sources if used.*

5) Show growth and development from year to year as a reader, writer, speaker and listener.*

3. Informative/Explanatory Writing Competency: Write informative/explanatory pieces to convey information and ideas accurately and clearly.

Informative/Explanatory Writing Performance Indicators:

1) Write informative/explanatory pieces to convey information and ideas accurately and clearly.*

2) Show growth and development from year to year as a reader, writer, speaker and listener.*

4. Narrative Writing Competency: Students will write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.

Narrative Writing Performance Indicators:

1) Use effective techniques to write narratives such as appropriate details, plot structure, style and voice.

2) Express the human experience through a narrative (universal themes).

3) Show growth and development from year to year as a reader, writer, speaker and listener.*

5. Research Writing Competency: Students will engage in research to investigate topics and to analyze, integrate, and present information.

Research Writing Performance Indicators:

1) Create authentic questions to focus research.*

2) Find and evaluate sources from diverse media and formats for reliability and accuracy.*

3) Recognize bias in a source.*

4) Cite sources to avoid plagiarism.*

5) Synthesize information from research to create understanding.*

6) Show growth and development from year to year as a reader, writer, speaker and listener.*

6. Analysis Competency: Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze a variety of print and nonprint literary and informational pieces.

Analysis Performance Indicators:

1) Analyze how author's choices impact meaning of a text.

2) Connect the piece to its historical and social context.

3) Examine persuasive strategies used to formulate an argument.*

4) Use evidence in the text to support ideas.*

5) Show growth and development from year to year as a reader, writer, speaker and listener.*

7. Conventions Competency: Students will be able to apply Standard English rules to communicate effectively.

Conventions Performance Indicators:

1) Demonstrate command of grammar such as writing in complete sentences, not using run-on sentences, verb tense, subject/verb agreement, pronoun agreement, etc.*

2) Demonstrate command of mechanics such as capitalization, punctuation, etc.*

3) Demonstrate command of spelling and usage.*

4) Choose effective sentence structure to convey meaning.*

5) Show growth and development from year to year as a reader, writer, speaker and listener.*

VOCABULARY

8. Vocabulary Competency: Students will apply and acquire vocabulary through speaking, listening, reading, writing, and the use of vocabulary strategies.

Vocabulary Performance Indicators:

1) Use context clues to define unfamiliar vocabulary.*

2) Apply knowledge of word parts to an unfamiliar word.*

3) Choose effective words to convey meaning through recognizing connotations of a word and/or different degrees of meaning.*

4) Apply and acquire vocabulary through speaking, listening, reading and writing.*

5) Show growth and development from year to year as a reader, writer, speaker and listener.*

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

9. Speaking & Listening Competency: Students will demonstrate the ability to speak, listen and view effectively for a variety of purposes.

Speaking and Listening Performance Indicators:

1) Collaborate effectively, actively listen and participate.*

2) Effectively express your own ideas.*

3) Choose the most effective method to organize, develop and present knowledge and information for a specific task, purpose and audience.*

4) Use effective nonverbal and verbal communication.*

5) Show growth and development from year to year as a reader, writer, speaker and listener.*

READING

10. Reading Literacy Competency: Students will demonstrate the ability to comprehend, analyze, and critique a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print literary texts.

11. Reading Informational Texts Competency: Students will demonstrate the ability to comprehend, analyze, and critique a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print informational texts, including texts for science, social studies, and technical subjects.

Reading Performance Indicators:

1) Apply active reading strategies.*

2) Increase your knowledge and comprehension through reading.*

3) Establish independent reading habits.

4) Show growth and development from year to year as a reader, writer, speaker and listener.*

*Denotes a basic competency required for graduation