What does a student learn in StateNew Mexico,GradeGrade 7,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students find specific lines or passages from a story or article that back up their thinking, including details the author states directly and conclusions students reasoned out on their own.

Students identify the central message of a story and track how it builds from beginning to end. They also summarize what happens without letting their own opinion get in the way.

Characters, settings, and plot events push and pull on each other in a story. Students look at how a character's choices change the plot, or how the time and place of a story shapes what characters do and want.

Students read a story, poem, or piece of oral tradition and explain how its themes or characters reflect or shaped the culture it came from. They also look at how the way the story is structured affects its meaning for readers today or in the past.

Students read stories and poems by Hispanic and Native American authors, then explain how the author's background and traditions shape the writing and what it says about the world beyond the page.

Students read stories and other texts from different cultures, then pull specific lines or details to support or challenge a claim about what that culture values.

Students read stories or speeches from different cultures and find specific lines from the text that back up (or challenge) what the story seems to value. They explain how that evidence connects to a cultural belief or practice.

Students figure out what words mean in context, including hidden emotions a word carries beyond its dictionary definition. In poems, they also notice how rhyme and repeated sounds shape the feeling of a passage.

A sonnet's 14 lines or a play's soliloquy isn't just a format choice. Students study how a poem's shape or a drama's structure changes what the piece actually means.

Students examine how an author shapes what each character knows, believes, or wants, and how those differences create tension or meaning in the story.

Students compare a written story or poem to a film, stage, or audio version of the same work. They examine how choices like lighting, camera angles, or sound shape the experience in ways the written words alone cannot.

Students read a novel and a history book covering the same event or era, then look at where the story matches the facts and where the author changed things to fit the fiction.

Students read grade-level novels, stories, and literary nonfiction by the end of seventh grade. Harder texts may come with some support, but the goal is steady, independent reading across the year.

Students back up their reading with proof. They pull quotes and details directly from the article or passage, then use those same details to explain ideas the author implies but never quite states.

Students find the two or three main points an author is making in an article or passage, then track how each point builds from start to finish. They also write a brief summary that sticks to what the text says, without adding their own opinion.

Reading a nonfiction text, students trace how a person, event, or idea shapes what comes next. They explain the cause-and-effect connections that move the piece forward.

Students figure out what specific words mean in a nonfiction passage, including slang, technical terms, and loaded language. Then they explain how the author's word choices shape the mood and message of the text.

Students look at how a nonfiction article or book is organized and explain why the author arranged it that way. They consider how each section builds on the ones before it to develop the main idea.

Students figure out what an author believes and why, then examine how the author pushes back against opposing views or distances their position from someone else's.

Students read a text, then watch or listen to a version of it, and explain what changes. A written speech and a recorded one can hit differently, and students say why.

Students read an argument and decide whether the reasons actually hold up. They check if the evidence fits the claim and if there's enough of it to be convincing.

Two articles can cover the same event and still tell different stories. Students read two pieces on the same topic and explain how each author chose different facts or angles to make a point.

Students read nonfiction books and articles written at a 6th-to-8th grade level, working up to harder texts by the end of 7th grade. A teacher may offer support when the reading gets tough.

Students write a paragraph or essay that takes a clear position on a topic and backs it up with reasons and evidence pulled from sources or their own reading. The goal is to convince a reader, not just to summarize.

Students open an argument by stating their position clearly, then acknowledge what the other side might say. They lay out their reasons in an order that makes sense.

Students back up their argument with reasons and facts pulled from trustworthy sources, showing they understand the topic well enough to explain why the evidence matters.

Students use connecting words and phrases like "because," "however," and "as a result" to show how each reason and piece of evidence ties back to the main argument. The goal is a paragraph that holds together, not one that just lists points.

Writing in a formal style means choosing words and sentences that fit a school essay, not a text message. Students stay consistent throughout, avoiding slang and casual phrasing from start to finish.

The final paragraph wraps up the argument by reminding readers of the main claim and leaving them with a clear sense of why it matters. Students don't just stop writing; they close with something that fits what they actually argued.

Students write a report or explanation that digs into a real topic, picking the most useful facts and details, organizing them clearly, and explaining what those facts actually mean.

Students open an informational piece with a clear introduction that tells readers what's coming, then organize the body using comparisons, causes and effects, or categories. Headings, charts, or tables help readers follow along.

Students back up their main idea with facts, definitions, and direct quotes pulled from sources. The details they choose should actually connect to the topic, not just pad the page.

Students learn to connect paragraphs and ideas with transition words and phrases so a reader can follow the logic from one point to the next without getting lost.

Word choice matters in explanatory writing. Students pick exact words and subject-specific terms to explain a topic clearly, swapping vague words like "thing" or "stuff" for precise ones that give readers the detail they need.

Writing calls for a different tone than texting or talking with friends. Students learn to keep that formal, objective tone steady from the first sentence to the last.

The final paragraph wraps up what students explained, not just stops the writing. It leaves the reader with a clear sense of why the information mattered.

Students write a story, real or made up, with a clear sequence of events and specific details that make scenes and characters feel vivid. The writing uses pacing and dialogue to bring the experience to life.

Students open a story by setting up who's telling it and where things stand, then arrange events in an order that makes sense as the story moves forward.

Students write stories using dialogue, pacing, and description to bring characters and events to life. That means characters speak in their own voices, scenes slow down or speed up on purpose, and details help readers picture what's happening.

Transition words guide readers through shifts in time or place in a story. Students practice using phrases like "the next morning" or "across town" to move the reader smoothly from one scene to the next.

Writers choose words that put the reader in the scene. Students pick specific nouns and verbs, add details that appeal to the senses, and show what an experience actually felt, sounded, or looked like instead of telling it in vague terms.

Students write a closing paragraph that looks back on what happened in the story and leaves the reader with a sense that the narrative is finished, not just stopped.

Students shape their writing to fit the situation: a lab report reads differently than a personal essay, and both read differently than a letter to the principal. The words, structure, and tone should match what the piece is for and who will read it.

Students revise and improve their writing with feedback from classmates and teachers, adjusting their word choice, structure, or approach based on who they're writing for and what the piece needs to do.

Students use a computer or tablet to write, publish, and share their work online. That includes adding links to sources and collaborating with classmates or other readers through digital tools.

Students pick a research question, gather information from several sources, and use what they find to ask sharper follow-up questions. It's focused, short-term research practice, not a full report.

Students find information from books and websites, check whether each source can be trusted, and then use quotes or reworded details in their writing with a citation so the original author gets credit.

Students practice pulling quotes and details from stories or nonfiction to back up their ideas in writing. The goal is to let the text do the proving, not just the student's opinion.

Students read a novel and a historical source about the same event or era, then write about how the fiction matches or differs from what actually happened.

Students read nonfiction like a fact-checker: they follow the author's argument, then decide whether the evidence actually holds up the claim.

Students write regularly across all their subjects, sometimes spending days researching and revising a piece, sometimes finishing in one sitting. The task, the purpose, and the audience change depending on the assignment.

Students practice talking through ideas with classmates and teachers, one-on-one and in groups. They listen well enough to build on what others say, then add their own thinking clearly.

Students show up to class discussions having already read or researched the topic, then use specific evidence from that material to push the conversation deeper.

Students run class discussions with real structure: they follow agreed-on rules, keep track of what the group needs to finish, and divide up responsibilities so the conversation actually moves forward.

Students ask follow-up questions that push classmates to say more, then respond to others with on-point ideas that keep the conversation focused.

Students listen to what others say in a discussion and update their own thinking when someone makes a good point. Changing your mind based on new information is part of the work, not a sign of weakness.

Students watch, listen to, or read something like a chart, video, or speech, then explain how the information connects to or sheds light on a topic the class is already studying.

Students listen to a speaker's argument and decide whether the reasoning holds up and whether the evidence actually supports the point being made.

Students stand up and speak to support a point, picking the details that actually matter and leaving the rest out. They make eye contact, speak loud enough to be heard, and pronounce words clearly.

Students add images, charts, or video clips to a presentation to make their key points clearer and easier to follow. The visuals support what they're saying, not just decorate the slides.

Students shift how they talk depending on the situation, using formal English for a class presentation or debate and more casual language in a small group discussion.

Students apply standard grammar rules in their writing and speech. That means using correct verb forms, pronouns, and sentence structure well enough that meaning comes through clearly.

Students learn to spot phrases and clauses inside a sentence and explain what job each one is doing, such as adding detail, showing time, or completing a thought.

Students practice picking the right sentence shape to show how ideas connect. A simple sentence stands alone; a compound or complex sentence shows that one idea depends on, contrasts with, or follows from another.

Students learn to fix sentences where a describing phrase is attached to the wrong word or to no word at all. A misplaced modifier makes the sentence say something unintended, and students practice spotting and correcting those errors.

Students apply the rules of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in their own writing. That means knowing when to use a capital letter, where a comma or period goes, and how to spell words correctly.

Students learn when to separate two adjectives with a comma. If each adjective describes the noun on its own and could swap order without sounding wrong, a comma goes between them.

Students spell words correctly in their writing, including tricky words that are easy to confuse or misspell. When a word looks wrong, students know how to check it and fix it.

Students choose words and sentence structures that fit the situation, whether they are writing a formal essay or speaking in a casual conversation. This standard is about recognizing that how you say something matters as much as what you say.

Students practice cutting words that repeat or add nothing, choosing the clearest, most direct way to say something. Tight sentences do more work than long ones.

When students hit an unfamiliar word, they figure out what it means using context clues, word roots, or a dictionary. The skill is knowing which tool to reach for.

Students use surrounding sentences and where a word sits in a sentence to figure out what an unfamiliar word means, without stopping to look it up.

Students use familiar Greek and Latin word parts, like roots and prefixes, to figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Knowing that "bell" means war, for example, helps unlock words like "belligerent" or "rebel."

Students look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary or thesaurus, print or online, to confirm spelling, meaning, or how the word functions in a sentence.

Students make a guess about what an unfamiliar word means, then check that guess by looking at the surrounding sentences or a dictionary to confirm they got it right.

Students recognize figurative language like similes and metaphors, understand how words relate to each other, and pick up on subtle differences in meaning between similar words.

Figures of speech like allusions borrow meaning from a story, myth, or text most people know. Students read a sentence and explain what the reference adds to the meaning.

Students figure out what a word means by comparing it to words they already know. Synonyms, antonyms, and analogies all work as clues.

Words like "confident" and "arrogant" mean nearly the same thing on paper but feel very different. Students learn to notice those emotional shades and choose words that say exactly what they mean.

Students learn and correctly use the kinds of words that show up in textbooks, essays, and subject-area discussions. When an unfamiliar word matters for understanding a passage or making a point, students look it up and put it to work.