What grade levels do these standards cover?

Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, and Grade 12

Where can I read the official document?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading - English II

K–12 Standards

Literary Magazine
English I
English I
English III
English IV
Literary Genres
Public Speaking I, II, III (One-Half to One Credit) (2020)
Creative Writing: Grades 10-12
English II

The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.9-12.1

A.
engage in meaningful and respectful discourse by listening actively, responding appropriately, and adjusting communication to audiences and purposes;9-12.1.A
B.
follow and give complex oral instructions to perform specific tasks, answer questions, or solve problems and complex processes;9-12.1.B
C.
give a formal presentation that incorporates a clear thesis and a logical progression of valid evidence from reliable sources and that employs eye contact, speaking rate such as pauses for effect, volume, enunciation, purposeful gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively; and9-12.1.C
D.
participate collaboratively, building on the ideas of others, contributing relevant information, developing a plan for consensus building, and setting ground rules for decision making.9-12.1.D

The student uses newly acquired vocabulary expressively.9-12.2

A.
use print or digital resources such as glossaries or technical dictionaries to clarify and validate understanding of the precise and appropriate meaning of technical or discipline-based vocabulary;9-12.2.A
B.
analyze context to distinguish among denotative, connotative, and figurative meanings of words; and9-12.2.B
C.
determine the meaning of foreign words or phrases used frequently in English such as pas de deux, status quo, déjà vu, avant-garde, and coup d'état.9-12.2.C

The student reads grade-appropriate texts independently. The student is expected to self-select text and read independently for a sustained period of time.9-12.3

3.
The student reads grade-appropriate texts independently. The student is expected to self-select text and read independently for a sustained period of time.9-12.3

The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.9-12.4

A.
establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected texts;9-12.4.A
B.
generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information;9-12.4.B
C.
make and correct or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures;9-12.4.C
D.
create mental images to deepen understanding;9-12.4.D
E.
make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society;9-12.4.E
F.
make inferences and use evidence to support understanding;9-12.4.F
G.
evaluate details read to determine key ideas;9-12.4.G
H.
synthesize information from multiple texts to create new understanding; and9-12.4.H
I.
monitor comprehension and make adjustments such as re-reading, using background knowledge, asking questions, and annotating when understanding breaks down.9-12.4.I

The student responds to an increasingly challenging variety of sources that are read, heard, or viewed.9-12.5

A.
describe personal connections to a variety of sources, including self-selected texts;9-12.5.A
B.
write responses that demonstrate understanding of texts, including comparing texts within and across genres;9-12.5.B
C.
use text evidence and original commentary to support an interpretive response;9-12.5.C
D.
paraphrase and summarize texts in ways that maintain meaning and logical order;9-12.5.D
E.
interact with sources in meaningful ways such as notetaking, annotating, freewriting, or illustrating;9-12.5.E
F.
respond using acquired content and academic vocabulary as appropriate;9-12.5.F
G.
discuss and write about the explicit or implicit meanings of text;9-12.5.G
H.
respond orally or in writing with appropriate register, vocabulary, tone, and voice;9-12.5.H
I.
reflect on and adjust responses when valid evidence warrants; and9-12.5.I
J.
defend or challenge the authors' claims using relevant text evidence.9-12.5.J

The student recognizes and analyzes literary elements within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary texts.9-12.6

A.
analyze how themes are developed through characterization and plot, including comparing similar themes in a variety of literary texts representing different cultures;9-12.6.A
B.
analyze how authors develop complex yet believable characters, including archetypes, through historical and cultural settings and events;9-12.6.B
C.
analyze isolated scenes and their contribution to the success of the plot as a whole; and9-12.6.C
D.
analyze how historical and cultural settings influence characterization, plot, and theme across texts.9-12.6.D

The student recognizes and analyzes genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts.9-12.7

A.
read and analyze world literature across literary periods;9-12.7.A
B.
analyze the effects of metrics; rhyme schemes; types of rhymes such as end, internal, slant, and eye; and other conventions in poems across a variety of poetic forms;9-12.7.B
C.
analyze the function of dramatic conventions such as asides, soliloquies, dramatic irony, and satire;9-12.7.C
D.
analyze characteristics and structural elements of informational texts such as:9-12.7.D
1. i.
  clear thesis, relevant supporting evidence, pertinent examples, and conclusion; and9-12.7.D.i
2. ii.
  the relationship between organizational design and thesis;9-12.7.D.ii
E.
analyze characteristics and structural elements of argumentative texts such as:9-12.7.E
1. i.
  clear arguable claim, appeals, and convincing conclusion;9-12.7.E.i
2. ii.
  various types of evidence and treatment of counterarguments, including concessions and rebuttals; and9-12.7.E.ii
3. iii.
  identifiable audience or reader; and9-12.7.E.iii
F.
analyze characteristics of multimodal and digital texts.9-12.7.F

The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors' choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances.9-12.8

A.
analyze the author's purpose, audience, and message within a text;9-12.8.A
B.
analyze use of text structure to achieve the author's purpose;9-12.8.B
C.
evaluate the author's use of print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes;9-12.8.C
D.
analyze how the author's use of language informs and shapes the perception of readers;9-12.8.D
E.
analyze the use of literary devices such as irony, sarcasm, and motif to achieve specific purposes;9-12.8.E
F.
analyze how the author's diction and syntax contribute to the mood, voice, and tone of a text; and9-12.8.F
G.
analyze the purpose of rhetorical devices such as appeals, antithesis, parallelism, and shifts and the effects of logical fallacies.9-12.8.G

The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and use appropriate conventions.9-12.9

A.
plan a piece of writing appropriate for various purposes and audiences by generating ideas through a range of strategies such as brainstorming, journaling, reading, or discussing;9-12.9.A
B.
develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing in timed and open-ended situations by:9-12.9.B
1. i.
  using an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, topic, and context; and9-12.9.B.i
2. ii.
  developing an engaging idea reflecting depth of thought with specific details, examples, and commentary;9-12.9.B.ii
C.
revise drafts to improve clarity, development, organization, style, diction, and sentence effectiveness, including use9-12.9.C
D.
edit drafts using standard English conventions, including:9-12.9.D
1. i.
  a variety of complete, controlled sentences and avoidance of unintentional splices, run-ons, and fragments;9-12.9.D.i
2. ii.
  consistent, appropriate use of verb tense and active and passive voice;9-12.9.D.ii
3. iii.
  pronoun-antecedent agreement;9-12.9.D.iii
4. iv.
  correct capitalization;9-12.9.D.iv
5. v.
  punctuation, including commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, and parentheses to set off phrases and clauses as appropriate; and9-12.9.D.v
6. vi.
  correct spelling; and9-12.9.D.vi
E.
publish written work for appropriate audiences.9-12.9.E

The student uses genre characteristics and craft to compose multiple texts that are meaningful.9-12.10

A.
compose literary texts such as fiction and poetry using genre characteristics and craft;9-12.10.A
B.
compose informational texts such as explanatory essays, reports, and personal essays using genre characteristics and craft;9-12.10.B
C.
compose argumentative texts using genre characteristics and craft; and9-12.10.C
D.
compose correspondence in a professional or friendly structure.9-12.10.D

The student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes.9-12.11

A.
develop questions for formal and informal inquiry;9-12.11.A
B.
critique the research process at each step to implement changes as needs occur and are identified;9-12.11.B
C.
develop and revise a plan;9-12.11.C
D.
modify the major research question as necessary to refocus the research plan;9-12.11.D
E.
locate relevant sources;9-12.11.E
F.
synthesize information from a variety of sources;9-12.11.F
G.
examine sources for:9-12.11.G
1. i.
  credibility and bias, including omission; and9-12.11.G.i
2. ii.
  faulty reasoning such as incorrect premise, hasty generalizations, and either-or;9-12.11.G.ii
H.
display academic citations, including for paraphrased and quoted text, and use source materials ethically to avoid plagiarism; and9-12.11.H
I.
use an appropriate mode of delivery, whether written, oral, or multimodal, to present results.9-12.11.I

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, and Grade 12
When were these standards adopted?: 2017
Where can I read the official document?: Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading - English II

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