ELA High School TWELFTH GRADE COMPOSITION, CONVENTIONS,
AND LISTENING, SPEAKING, AND VIEWING
WRITING
All modes or genres are practiced at each grade level; however, in order to achieve mastery each grade level has a particular writing focus. Continued development of expository writing is the focus for 12th grade; by the end of 12th grade, the student will demonstrate competency in expository writing. The student writes coherent and focused texts that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly-reasoned argument. The writing exhibits the student's awareness of audience and purpose. When appropriate, the texts contain introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions. The student regularly progresses through the stages of the writing process (i.e., prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing successive versions).
ELA12W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure. The student
a. Establishes a clear, distinctive, and coherent thesis or perspective and maintains a consistent tone and focus throughout.
b. Selects a focus, structure, and point of view relevant to the purpose, genre expectations, audience, length, and format requirements.
c. Constructs arguable topic sentences, when applicable, to guide unified paragraphs.
d. Uses precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate modifiers, and active rather than passive voice.
e. Writes texts of a length appropriate to address the topic or tell the story.
f. Uses traditional structures for conveying information (i.e., chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a question).
g. Supports statements and claims with anecdotes, descriptions, facts and statistics, and specific examples.
Sample Task for ELA12W1The student composes an essay that compares and contrasts the relative merits of different ideas or entities (e.g., the relative merits of two to three colleges or universities or two or more critical views on a work of literature [e.g., formalist, feminist, postcolonial, archetypal, Marxist, etc.]).
ELA12W2 The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.
The student produces narrative writing that applies polished narrative strategies acquired in previous grades, in other genres of writing such as reflective compositions, historical investigative reports, and literary analyses, by raising the level of critical thinking skills and rhetorical techniques.
The student produces expository (informational) writing to explain an idea or concept and/or convey information and ideas from primary and secondary sources accurately and coherently; the student:
a. Engages the interest of the reader.
b. Formulates a coherent thesis or controlling idea.
***Sample tasks are attached to specific standards; however, because of the interrelated nature of the standards and the strands, each task may provide evidence of learning for multiple standards in multiple strands.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools Page 1 of 6 All Rights Reserved ELA High Schoolc. Coherently develops the controlling idea and/or supports the thesis by incorporating evidence from both primary and secondary sources, as applicable.
d. Conveys information and ideas from primary and secondary sources, when applicable, accurately and coherently.
e. Includes a variety of information on relevant perspectives, as applicable.
f. Anticipates and addresses readers' potential misunderstandings, biases, and expectations.
g. Maintains coherence by relating all topic sentences to the thesis or controlling idea, as applicable.
h. Structures ideas and arguments effectively in a sustained way and follows an organizational pattern appropriate to the purpose and intended audience of the essay.
i. Demonstrates an understanding of the elements of expository discourse (i.e., purpose, speaker, audience, form).
j. Incorporates elements of discourse from other writing genres into exposition.
k. Enhances meaning by employing rhetorical devices, including the use of parallelism, repetition, analogy, and humor.
l. Varies language, point of view, characterization, style, and related elements effectively for different rhetorical and aesthetic purposes.
m. Attains closure (i.e., by including a detailed summary of the main points, restating the thesis, generalizing the thesis or controlling idea for additional purposes, or employing a significant quotation that brings the argument in the composition together).
The student produces persuasive writing that clearly, logically, and purposefully applies persuasive writing strategies acquired in previous grades in other genres of writing and in a variety of writing situations such as expository compositions, historical investigative reports, and literary analysis, by raising the level of critical thinking skills and rhetorical techniques and the sophistication of the language and style.
The student produces technical writing that clearly, logically, and purposefully applies technical writing strategies acquired in previous grades in other genres of writing and in a variety of writing situations such as expository compositions, historical investigative reports, and literary analyses, by raising the level of critical thinking skills and rhetorical techniques and the sophistication of the language and style.
Sample Task for ELA12W2 (see also ELA12W3)The student composes an essay that synthesizes information from a variety of writings in order to evaluate a specific person or group's stance on an issue (i.e., a specific economist's view on monetary policy or a specific country's economic policy).
ELA12W3 The student uses research and technology to support writing. The student
a. Formulates clear research questions and utilizes appropriate research venues (i.e., library, electronic media, personal interview, survey) to locate and incorporate evidence from primary and secondary sources.
***Sample tasks are attached to specific standards; however, because of the interrelated nature of the standards and the strands, each task may provide evidence of learning for multiple standards in multiple strands.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools Page 2 of 6 All Rights Reserved ELA High Schoolb. Uses supporting evidence from multiple sources to develop the main ideas within the body of a researched essay, a composition, or a technical document.
c. Synthesizes information from multiple sources and identifies complexities, discrepancies, and different perspectives found in a variety of media (i.e., almanacs, microfiche, news sources, in-depth field studies, speeches, journals, technical documents).
d. Integrates quotations and citations into a written text while maintaining the flow of ideas.
e. Uses appropriate conventions for documentation in the text, notes, and bibliographies by adhering to those in style manuals such as the
Modern Language Association Handbook, The Chicago Manual of Style, Turabian, American Psychological Association, etc.f. Uses systematic strategies to organize and record information (i.e., anecdotal scripting, annotated bibliographies).
g. Integrates databases, graphics, and spreadsheets into word-processed documents.
h. Designs and publishes documents
, using such aids as advanced publishing software and graphic programs.
Sample Task for ELA12W3 (see also ELA12W2)The student composes an essay that synthesizes information from a variety of writings in order to evaluate a specific person or group's stance on an issue (i.e., a specific economist's view on monetary policy or a specific country's economic policy).
ELA12W4 The student practices both timed and process writing and, when applicable, uses the writing process to develop, revise, and evaluate writing. The student
a. Plans and drafts independently and resourcefully.
b. Revises writing to improve the logic and coherence of the organization and controlling perspective.
c. Revises writing for specific audiences, purposes, and formality of the contexts.
d. Revises text to highlight the individual voice and to improve sentence variety and style.
e. Revises writing to enhance subtlety of meaning and tone in ways that are consistent with purpose, audience, and genre.
f. Edits writing to improve word choice, grammar, punctuation, etc.
Sample Task for ELA12W4The student composes an essay that explains and supports or refutes the strategies an author uses to make meaning in a literary text (e.g. diction, point of view, structure, figurative language, imagery, tone).
***Sample tasks are attached to specific standards; however, because of the interrelated nature of the standards and the strands, each task may provide evidence of learning for multiple standards in multiple strands.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools Page 3 of 6 All Rights Reserved ELA High SchoolCONVENTIONS
Conventions are essential for reading, writing, and speaking. Instruction in language conventions will, therefore, occur within the context of reading, writing, and speaking, rather than in isolation.
The student writes to make connections with the larger world. A student's ideas are more likely to be taken seriously when the words are spelled accurately and the sentences are grammatically correct. Use of standard English conventions helps readers understand and follow the student's meaning, while errors can be distracting and confusing. Standard English conventions are the "good manners" of writing and speaking that make communication fluid.ELA12C1 The student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats. The student
a. Demonstrates an understanding of proper English usage and control of grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, diction, and syntax.
b. Correctly uses clauses (i.e., main and subordinate), phrases (i.e., gerund, infinitive, and participial), and mechanics of punctuation (i.e., end marks, commas
, semicolons, quotation marks, colons, ellipses, hyphens).c. Demonstrates an understanding of sentence construction (i.e., subordination, proper placement of modifiers, parallel structure) and proper English usage (i.e., consistency of verb tense, agreement).
Sample Tasks for ConventionsBecause conventions are assessed within the context of the other strands, the sample tasks designed for those other strands also serve as sample tasks for conventions.
ELA12C2 The student demonstrates understanding of manuscript form, realizing that different forms of writing require different formats. The student
a. Produces writing that conforms to appropriate manuscript requirements.
b. Produces legible work that shows accurate spelling and correct use of the conventions of punctuation and capitalization. Produces writing that conforms to appropriate manuscript requirements.
c. Reflects appropriate format requirements, including pagination, spacing, and margins, and integration of source material with appropriate citations (i.e., in-text citations, use of direct quotations, paraphrase, and summary, and weaving of source and support materials with writer's own words, etc.).
d. Includes formal works cited or bibliography when applicable.
Sample Tasks for ConventionsBecause conventions are assessed within the context of the other strands, the sample tasks designed for those other strands also serve as sample tasks for conventions.
***Sample tasks are attached to specific standards; however, because of the interrelated nature of the standards and the strands, each task may provide evidence of learning for multiple standards in multiple strands.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools Page 4 of 6 All Rights Reserved ELA High SchoolLISTENING, SPEAKING, AND VIEWING
The student demonstrates an understanding of listening, speaking, and viewing skills for a variety of purposes. The student observes and listens critically and responds appropriately to written and oral communication in a variety of genres and media. The student speaks in a manner that guides the listener to understand important ideas.
ELA12LSV1 The student participates in student-to-teacher, student-to-student, and group verbal interactions. The student
a. Initiates new topics in addition to responding to adult-initiated topics.
b. Asks relevant questions.
c. Responds to questions with appropriate information.
d. Actively solicits another person's comments or opinion.
e. Offers own opinion forcefully without domineering.
f. Volunteers contributions and responds when directly solicited by teacher or discussion leader.
g. Gives reasons in support of opinions expressed.
h. Clarifies, illustrates, or expands on a response when asked to do so; asks classmates for similar expansions.
i. Employs group decision-making techniques such as brainstorming or a problem-solving sequence (i.e., recognizes problem, defines problem, identifies possible solutions, selects optimal solution, implements solution, evaluates solution).
j. Divides labor so as to achieve the overall group goal efficiently.
Sample Task for ELA12LSV1The student conferences with the teacher during the research and draft stages of various assignments.
ELA12LSV2 The student formulates reasoned judgments about written and oral communication in various media genres. The student delivers focused, coherent, and polished presentations that convey a clear and distinct perspective, demonstrate solid reasoning, and combine traditional rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description.
When responding to visual and oral texts and media (i.e., television, radio, film productions, and electronic media), the student:
a. Identifies and evaluates strategies used by the media to inform, persuade, entertain, and transmit culture (i.e., advertisements, perpetuation of stereotypes, use of visual representations, special effects, language).
b. Analyzes the impact of the media on the democratic process (i.e., exerting influence on elections, creating images of leaders, shaping attitudes) at the local, state, and national levels.
c. Identifies and evaluates the effect of media on the production and consumption of personal and societal values.
d. Interprets and evaluates the various ways in which local, national, and international events are presented and the ways information is communicated by visual image
***Sample tasks are attached to specific standards; however, because of the interrelated nature of the standards and the strands, each task may provide evidence of learning for multiple standards in multiple strands.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools Page 5 of 6 All Rights Reserved ELA High Schoolmakers (i.e., graphic artists, documentary filmmakers, illustrators, news photographers).
e. Critiques a speaker's diction and syntax in relation to the purpose of an oral communication and the impact the words may have on the audience.
f. Delivers oral presentations that incorporate the elements of narration, exposition, persuasion, and/or literary analysis.
When delivering and responding to presentations, the student:
a. Uses rhetorical questions, parallel structure, concrete images, figurative language, characterization, irony, and dialogue to achieve clarity, force, and aesthetic effect.
b. Distinguishes between and uses various forms of classical and contemporary logical arguments, including syllogisms and analogies.
c. Uses ethical and emotional appeals that enhance a specific tone and purpose.
d. Applies appropriate interviewing techniques (i.e., demonstrates knowledge of the subject and organization, compiles and reports responses, evaluates the effectiveness of the interview).
Sample Task for ELA12LSV2Working in small groups, students read and study selected texts concerning media literacy. Group members then select a particular program or type of program (e.g.,
Friends, pro-wrestling, plastic surgery TV) and prepare an investigative report on the effects of such media entities on personal and societal values. At the conclusion of the investigation, each group prepares a visual representation of the findings (e.g., a project board, a video, or a layout for a magazine exposé, etc.) to be displayed at a classroom "media literacy conference." At this conference, students have the opportunity to move around the room and peruse the displays before coming together to discuss the findings of each group.***Sample tasks are attached to specific standards; however, because of the interrelated nature of the standards and the strands, each task may provide evidence of learning for multiple standards in multiple strands.
Georgia Department of Education Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools Page 6 of 6 All Rights Reserved
