Standards+and+benchmarks

toc  =**Standards and Benchmarks**= Grade 8 Humanities**
 * Shanghai American School

In this unit, Humanities blends the following standards and benchmarks into this project.
 * Theme 4: Culture**

**Standard I**

 * Writing Process: Use the skills and strategies of the writing process**

1.1 Apply the following traits to the writing process
 * Ideas
 * Organization
 * Voice

1.2 Create expository and persuasive compositions with appropriate structure that have a coherent thesis and make clear and well-supported conclusions

1.3 Write processed compositions and narratives of varied genres and establish coherence within and among paragraphs through effective transitions, parallel structures, and similar writing techniques

1.5 Regularly use a thesaurus and other tools to choose effective wording

1.7 Use a variety of prewriting strategies (e.g., makes outlines, uses published pieces as writing models, constructs critical standards, brainstorms, builds background knowledge)

1.8 Use a variety of strategies to draft and revise written work (e.g., analyzes and clarifies meaning, makes structural and syntactical changes, uses an organizational scheme, uses sensory words and figurative language, rethinks and rewrites for different audiences and purposes, checks for a consistent point of view and for transitions between paragraphs, uses direct feedback to revise compositions)

1.9 Use a variety of strategies to edit and publish written work (e.g., eliminates slang; edits for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling at a developmentally appropriate level; proofreads using reference materials, word processor, and other resources; edits for clarity, word choice, and language usage; uses a word processor or other technology to publish written work)

1.10 Evaluate own and others’ writing (e.g., applies criteria generated by self and others, uses self-assessment to set and achieve goals as a writer, participates in peer response groups)

**Standard II**
2.2 Use formal and informal language appropriate to a clearly identified purpose, audience and circumstance to demonstrate personal style and voice 2.3 Support ideas with analogies, paraphrases, quotations and/or opinions from authorities, comparisons, and similar devices 2.4 Establish coherence within and among paragraphs through effective transitions, parallel structures and similar writing techniques
 * Style/Rhetorical Techniques: Use stylistic and rhetorical techniques in a variety of written genre**

**Standard III**

 * Grammar and Mechanics: Use grammatical and mechanical conventions in a variety of written genre**

3.1 Identify and use correctly: a variety of sentence structures including varying the use of simple, complex, compound and compound-complex sentences in written compositions, a variety of sentence openings to reinforce the presentation of a lively and effective personal style …. 3.2 Identify and have proper usage of the eight parts of speech and edit written work to reflect appropriate and effective grammar (e.g., verb tense, pronoun antecedent, run-on sentences, fragments, etc.) 3.3 Use correct spelling conventions 3.4 Use correct punctuation and capitalization 3.5 Produce correctly formatted work that follows the conventional style for the type of document (e.g., personal, business or memorandum)

**Standard IV**
Use the skills and strategies of the research process - Gather - Analyze and interpret - Respond
 * Research**

4.1 Plan and conduct a multiple-step research process using print and multimedia resources a) Include a well defined thesis (one that makes a clear and knowledgeable judgment) b) Use a variety of primary and secondary sources, determining the nature and usefulness of each c) Evaluate accuracy and validity of information (e.g., identifying the web address, date of publication, author, target audience, purpose) d) Use the structure and organization of …search engines and directories, and web reference sites e) Exhibit careful reading and insight in interpretations f) Draw supported inferences and judgments through references to the source g) Use research information, sources, etc. to substantiate original thought (personal thesis, claims, conclusions, etc.)

4.2 Record important ideas, concepts, and direct quotations from significant information sources a) Paraphrase and summarize all perspectives on the topic as appropriate b) Use appropriate methods to cite and document reference sources including a bibliography in MLA format. Avoid plagiarism and use citing sources both for quotes and ideas

4.3 c) Organize and convey information in an appropriate way d) Present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between facts and opinion e) Provide details, reasons, and examples arranging them effectively by anticipating and answering audience concerns and counterarguments f) Present information purposefully and succinctly and meet the needs of the intended audience

**Standard V**
Use the skills and strategies of the reading process across a variety of genres
 * Reading Process**
 * Word analysis
 * Fluency
 * Vocabulary development

5.1 Interpret meaning from a variety of texts
 * Use idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes to infer the literal and figurative meanings of phrases
 * Use knowledge of word relationships, as well as word roots and context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to determine the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate words
 * Use word meanings within the appropriate context and be able to verify those meanings by definition, restatement, example, comparison, or contrast

5.2 Describe conventions and devices used by the author to accomplish his or her purpose
 * Identify idioms, analogies, metaphors and similes in prose and poetry

5.3 Reflect on reading and form personal responses which demonstrate understanding of the text and relevance to self and the world

5.4 Establish and adjust purposes for reading

**Standard VI**

 * Interpret Literature**
 * Use reading skills and strategies to comprehend and interpret a variety of genres**

6.1 Develop strategies to interpret a variety of texts, for example
 * Make inferences and draw conclusions based on implicit and explicit information
 * Make connections between essential ideas, arguments, and perspectives of an informational text
 * Use reading strategies, such as predictions, text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world connections to interpret written pieces
 * Evaluate the proposition-and-support patterns in persuasive text
 * Analyze how a work of literature reflects the heritage, traditions, attitudes, and beliefs of its author (biographical approach)

6.2 Identify significant literary devices that define a writer’s style (e.g., metaphor, symbolism, alliteration) and use those elements to interpret the work

6.3 Explain connections among essential ideas, arguments, and perspectives of literary text

6.4 Write personal responses to literature that develop interpretations, exhibit careful reading and insight (e.g., connect the student’s own responses to specific textual references; draw supported inferences about the effects of a literary work on its audience), and support judgments through references to the text, other works, other authors, or to personal knowledge

6.5 Recognize and interpret the structure of a variety of texts
 * Name the structural elements of the plot (e.g., exposition, rising action, climax), the plot’s development, and explain the extent to which conflicts are addressed and resolved
 * Evaluate the unity, coherence, logic, internal consistency, and structural patterns of the text
 * Determine and articulate the relationship among the purposes and characteristics of different forms of poetry (e.g., ballad, lyric, couplet, epic, elegy, ode and/or sonnet.)

6.6 Interpret elements of the text, for example:
 * Explain the relevance of setting (place, time, and customs) to the mood, tone, and meaning of text
 * Identify and analyze recurring comparative themes (e.g., good and evil, heroism, appearance v. reality) across works
 * Compare and contrast motivations and reactions of literary characters from different historical eras confronting similar situations or conflicts

**Standard I**
1.2 Examine the social contract between citizens and their governments 1.4 Examine ongoing issues involving the rights, roles and status of the individual in relation to the general welfare
 * Analyze how individuals, groups, and institutions create and change structures of power, authority, and governance**

**Standard II**
2.1 Explain and give examples of voluntary and involuntary movement of humans 2.2 Describe how people create places and institutions that reflect cultural values and ideals 2.3 Use demographic information to analyze and make inferences relative to the characteristics of different populations
 * Explore and apply geographic knowledge and skills**

**Standard III**
3.1 Analyze multiple interpretations of an historical or current event or issue 3.2 Examine historic and current resources including propaganda, editorials, other primary sources for a point of view (i.e., gender, race, immigrant) 3.4 Understand how knowledge of the past and its trends can help explain current events
 * Recognize how time, continuity, and change affect perspectives and relationships**

**Standard V**
5.2 Analyze examples of tension between expressions of individuality and forces of social conformity 5.3 Examine how information and experiences may be interpreted by people from diverse cultural perspectives and frames of reference
 * Examines cultural practices and human interactions**

**National Educational Technology Standards**
In keeping with Shanghai American School's push towards embedding technology within the curriculum, this unit has incorporated specific standards outlined by the ISTE NETS Project into the unit design. To read more about the project, visit the [|ISTE] site and download the National Educational Technology Standards 2007.

Our unit makes use of, teaches, consolidates and/or explores elements from Standards 2 - 5

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