Course Content
A. Main Idea
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A.01. Identify the central idea presented in a text.
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A.02. Summarize a passage in a concise, accurate way.
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A.03. Distinguish between the main idea and supporting details.
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A.04. Analyze how the main idea is developed throughout a passage.
B. Audience, Purpose, and Tone
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B.01. Identify the intended audience of a given text.
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B.02. Determine the primary purpose (e.g., to inform, persuade, entertain) of a text.
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B.03. Compare and contrast passages based on their tone (e.g., formal, informal, objective, subjective).
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B.04. Analyze how word choice and sentence structure contribute to a text’s tone.
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B.05. Evaluate how audience and purpose influence a text’s tone.
C. Literary Devices
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C.01. Identify the narrative point of view (e.g., first person, third person).
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C.02. Interpret the meaning of an allusion within a text.
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C.03. Recognize and recall the source of a given allusion.
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C.04. Analyze how the narrative point of view impacts the story.
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C.05. Define and identify figures of speech, including euphemism, hyperbole, oxymoron, and paradox.
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C.06. Define and identify figures of speech, including anaphora, antithesis, apostrophe, assonance, chiasmus, and understatement.
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C.07. Review and classify a variety of figures of speech.
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C.08. Analyze the effects of figures of speech on meaning and tone in a text.
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C.09. Evaluate the effectiveness of different figures of speech in conveying a specific message.
D. Analyzing Literature
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D.01. Analyze the themes, characters, and plot of short stories (Set 1).
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D.02. Analyze the themes, characters, and plot of short stories (Set 2).
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D.03. Compare and contrast different literary works based on their use of literary devices.
E. Analyzing Informational Texts
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E.01. Analyze the development of ideas and arguments in informational passages (Set 1).
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E.02. Analyze the development of ideas and arguments in informational passages (Set 2).
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E.03. Trace the progression of an argument within an informational text (Set 1).
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E.04. Trace the progression of an argument within an informational text (Set 2).
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E.05. Analyze rhetorical strategies used in historical texts (Set 1).
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E.06. Analyze rhetorical strategies used in historical texts (Set 2).
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E.07. Evaluate the credibility and validity of claims and evidence in informational texts.
F. Organizing Writing
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F.01. Order topics from broadest to most specific.
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F.02. Organize information logically within a topic or paragraph.
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F.03. Create an outline for a given writing prompt.
G. Topic Sentences and Thesis Statements
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G.01. Select the topic sentence that best captures the main idea of a paragraph.
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G.02. Identify effective thesis statements within an essay.
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G.03. Write clear and concise topic sentences and thesis statements.
H. Developing and Supporting Arguments
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H.01. Distinguish between facts and opinions in a text.
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H.02. Identify stronger and weaker forms of evidence to support a claim.
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H.03. Choose the most relevant evidence to support a given claim.
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H.04. Identify supporting evidence within a provided text.
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H.05. Evaluate counterclaims and their supporting evidence.
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H.06. Choose the best analysis that logically connects the evidence to the claim.
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H.07. Transition logically between claims, evidence, analysis, and counterclaims.
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H.08. Recognize and avoid logical fallacies in arguments.
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H.09. Assess the overall strength and persuasiveness of an argument.
I. Persuasive Strategies
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I.01. Identify appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos in advertisements.
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I.02. Use appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos effectively in persuasive writing.
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I.03. Evaluate the effectiveness of different persuasive techniques.
J. Writing Clearly and Concisely
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J.01. Use transitional words and phrases, including conjunctive adverbs.
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J.02. Avoid double, illogical, and unclear comparisons.
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J.03. Identify sentences with parallel structure.
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J.04. Use parallel structure correctly to improve clarity.
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J.05. Remove redundant words or phrases to enhance conciseness.
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J.06. Revise sentences for clarity, precision, and impact.
K. Editing and Revising
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K.01. Use the correct form of frequently confused words.
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K.02. Identify and correct errors with frequently confused words.
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K.03. Identify and correct errors with frequently confused pronouns and contractions.
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K.04. Correct errors with commonly misspelled words.
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K.05. Correct errors with signs, symbols and abbreviations.
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K.06. Correct errors in everyday language use and grammar.
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K.07. Suggest appropriate revisions to improve a piece of writing.
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K.08. Apply proofreading techniques to ensure accuracy.
L. Research Skills
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L.01. Understand the structure and components of a Works Cited entry (MLA 8th–9th editions).
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L.02. Recognize the individual parts of a Works Cited entry (MLA 8th edition).
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L.03. Use in-text citations (MLA 8th–9th editions) correctly.
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L.04. Identify and understand plagiarism.
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L.05. Synthesize information from multiple sources in a research paper.
M. Prefixes and Suffixes
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M.01. Define and identify common prefixes.
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M.02. Define and identify common suffixes.
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M.03. Analyze and complete word pattern analogies.
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M.04. Write sentences using words with specific prefixes and suffixes.
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M.05. Determine how prefixes and suffixes affect a word’s meaning.
N. Greek and Latin Roots
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N.01. Sort words based on their shared Greek or Latin roots.
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N.02. Use Greek and Latin roots to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words.
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N.03. Use the meanings of words to infer the meanings of Greek and Latin roots.
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N.04. Determine the specific meanings of Greek and Latin roots.
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N.05. Determine the meanings of words containing Greek and Latin roots.
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N.06. Analyze the etymology of words to understand their evolution and meaning.
O. Homophones
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O.01. Use the correct homophone in a sentence.
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O.02. Identify and correct errors involving homophones.
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O.03. Create sentences to demonstrate the correct usage of various homophones.
P. Foreign Words and Expressions
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P.01. Use etymologies to determine the meanings of words.
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P.02. Use context as a clue to the meanings of foreign expressions.
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P.03. Use the correct foreign expression in a sentence.
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P.04. Identify and explain the cultural context of foreign words and expressions.
Q. Word Usage and Nuance
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Q.04. Replace words using a thesaurus to enhance variety and precision.
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Q.05. Use dictionary entries to determine correct word usage, including definitions, parts of speech, and example sentences.
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Q.06. Explore words with new or contested usages, understanding evolving language.
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Q.07. Analyze the subtle differences between synonyms and antonyms.
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Q.01. Describe the difference in meaning between related words.
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Q.02. Choose the word whose connotation and denotation best match the sentence.
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Q.03. Use words accurately and precisely to convey a specific meaning.
R. Analogies
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R.01. Complete analogies, identifying the relationship between the word pairs.
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R.02. Complete challenging analogies, requiring deeper understanding of relationships.
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R.03. Explain the reasoning behind an analogy’s correct answer.
S. Context Clues
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S.01. Determine the meaning of words using synonyms within the context of a sentence or passage.
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S.02. Determine the meaning of words using antonyms within the context of a sentence or passage.
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S.03. Use context clues to identify the meaning of an unknown word.
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S.04. Determine the meaning of domain-specific vocabulary within scientific and technical texts.
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S.05. Apply multiple context clues to infer the meaning of a word.
T. Sentences, Fragments, and Run-ons
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T.01. Identify sentence fragments.
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T.02. Identify run-on sentences.
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T.03. Choose the correct punctuation to avoid sentence fragments and run-ons.
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T.04. Revise fragments and run-on sentences to create complete, grammatically correct sentences.
U. Phrases and Clauses
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U.01. Determine whether a word group is a phrase or a clause.
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U.02. Identify prepositional phrases.
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U.03. Identify appositives and appositive phrases.
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U.04. Identify dependent and independent clauses.
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U.05. Determine if a sentence is simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.
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U.06. Combine sentences using relative clauses to create more complex sentences.
V. Pronouns
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V.01. Identify and correct errors with subject and object pronouns.
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V.02. Review the use of subject and object pronouns.
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V.03. Use the correct pronoun after “than” and “as.”
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V.04. Identify and correct pronoun errors involving “who” and “whom”.
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V.05. Use relative pronouns “who” and “whom” correctly.
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V.06. Use all relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, and that.
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V.07. Identify vague pronoun references.
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V.08. Identify all possible antecedents for pronouns.
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V.09. Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.
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V.10. Write sentences using a variety of pronouns correctly.
W. Verb Types
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W.01. Identify transitive and intransitive verbs.
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W.02. Identify linking verbs, predicate adjectives, and predicate nouns.
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W.03. Identify participles and what they modify.
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W.04. Identify gerunds and their functions within sentences.
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W.05. Identify infinitives and infinitive phrases.
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W.06. Analyze how different verb types contribute to the meaning of a sentence.
X. Subject-Verb Agreement
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X.01. Identify and correct errors with subject-verb agreement.
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X.02. Identify and correct errors with indefinite pronoun-verb agreement.
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X.03. Identify and correct verb agreement errors with compound subjects.
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X.04. Apply the rules of subject-verb agreement in complex sentences.
Y. Verb Tense
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Y.01. Form the progressive verb tenses (present, past, future).
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Y.02. Form the perfect verb tenses (present, past, future).
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Y.03. Identify and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense within a text.
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Y.04. Use different verb tenses to express nuances in time and action.
Z. Adjectives and Adverbs
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Z.01. Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives correctly.
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Z.02. Understand and correctly use “good, better, best” and “bad, worse, worst.”
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Z.03. Form and use comparative and superlative adverbs correctly.
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Z.04. Understand and correctly use “well, better, best” and “badly, worse, worst.”
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Z.05. Analyze the effects of adjectives and adverbs on sentence meaning and style.
AA. Misplaced Modifiers
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AA.01. Identify misplaced modifiers in sentences with visual aids.
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AA.02. Select and identify misplaced or dangling modifiers.
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AA.03. Determine whether modifiers are used correctly.
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AA.04. Correct sentences containing misplaced or dangling modifiers to improve clarity.
BB. Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Elements
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BB.01. Determine how punctuation (commas) suggests the function of a phrase or clause (restrictive or nonrestrictive).
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BB.02. Use commas correctly with nonrestrictive elements.
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BB.03. Distinguish between restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses and phrases.
CC. Commas
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CC.01. Use commas correctly with direct addresses, introductory elements, absolute phrases, interjections, interrupters, and antithetical phrases.
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CC.02. Use commas correctly in compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.
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CC.03. Use commas correctly with coordinate adjectives.
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CC.04. Review comma usage rules.
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CC.05. Apply comma rules correctly in various writing contexts.
DD. Semicolons, Colons, and Commas
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DD.01. Join sentences correctly using semicolons, colons, and commas.
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DD.02. Use colons and commas to introduce lists, quotations, and appositives.
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DD.03. Use semicolons and commas to separate items in a series.
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DD.04. Review the use of semicolons, colons, and commas.
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DD.05. Use semicolons, colons, and commas to create more sophisticated sentence structures.
EE. Dashes, Hyphens, and Ellipses
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EE.01. Use dashes correctly to indicate emphasis or abrupt shifts.
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EE.02. Use hyphens correctly in compound adjectives.
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EE.03. Decide whether ellipses are used appropriately to indicate omissions.
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EE.04. Understand the purpose of dashes, hyphens, and ellipses.
FF. Apostrophes
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FF.01. Identify and correct errors with plural and possessive nouns.
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FF.02. Identify and correct errors with compound and joint possession.
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FF.03. Use apostrophes correctly in various grammatical contexts.
GG. Capitalization
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GG.01. Correct capitalization errors.
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GG.02. Apply the rules of capitalization consistently.
HH. Formatting
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HH.01. Format quotations and dialogue correctly.
