What does a student learn in StateNew Hampshire,GradeGrade 9,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students back up their ideas with direct quotes or details pulled from the story or passage. Reading closely means noticing what the text says outright and drawing reasonable conclusions from what it implies.

Students identify the main message or theme of a story and trace how it builds across the text. They also summarize the key details and ideas that support it.

Students trace how characters, conflicts, and turning points build on each other across a story or play. The focus is on why things unfold the way they do, not just what happens.

Students figure out what a word actually means in context, including when it carries a hidden feeling, a technical sense, or a figurative twist. Then they look at why the author chose that word and what it does to the mood of the passage.

Students look at how a story or poem is built, tracing how individual sentences and paragraphs connect to shape the full piece. The goal is to see why the author arranged things in that order.

Students figure out who is telling the story and why, then explain how that choice changes what gets included, what gets left out, and how the writing itself sounds.

Students compare how a story or idea comes across in different formats, like a film, a podcast, or a chart, and explain what each version shows or leaves out.

Students read a nonfiction or persuasive passage and decide whether the author's argument holds up. They check if the reasoning makes sense and if the evidence actually supports the claim being made.

Students read two texts on the same theme and compare how each author handles it. The focus is on what each writer chooses to emphasize, leave out, or approach differently.

Students read full-length novels, stories, and poems on their own without needing a teacher to walk them through each page. The goal is handling challenging texts independently by the end of tenth grade.

Students read a nonfiction passage closely, then back up every conclusion with a direct quote or specific detail from the text. The evidence has to match the point, whether students are writing a response or explaining their thinking out loud.

Students find the main point of a nonfiction text and track how it builds across paragraphs. Then they summarize the details that support it, in their own words.

Students trace how a person, event, or idea changes across an article or essay, and explain what drives those changes. The focus is on connection: how one part of the text shapes what comes next.

Students figure out what words mean in context, including jargon, implied feelings, and figurative language. Then they look at why the author chose those words and what effect the choice has on the overall meaning or mood.

Students look at how a paragraph, section, or single sentence fits into the larger article or essay and why the author placed it there. That choice in structure shapes the meaning of the whole piece.

Students figure out who wrote a piece, why they wrote it, and how that goal shapes what details the author included and how formal or informal the writing sounds.

Students read the same topic across different formats, such as a news article, a chart, and a video clip, then judge which sources add something useful and which ones don't.

Students read an argument and judge whether the reasoning holds up and whether the evidence actually supports the claim. They look for gaps, weak logic, or proof that doesn't fit.

Students read two texts on the same topic and compare how each author approaches it. The goal is to notice what each writer emphasizes, what they leave out, and how those choices shape what a reader learns.

Students read full-length articles, essays, and nonfiction books on their own, without help decoding or following the ideas. The texts are challenging by design.

Students write a paper that argues a clear position on a real topic or text. They back every claim with solid reasoning and specific evidence drawn from sources, not just opinion.

Students write essays or reports that explain complex ideas clearly, using well-organized evidence and accurate details. The goal is to inform the reader, not persuade them.

Students write a story, real or invented, with a clear sequence of events and details that make the experience feel specific and alive. The focus is on technique: how the story is built, not just what happens.

Writing fits the assignment. Students match how they organize and phrase their work to what the task asks for and who will read it.

Students revise their drafts by rereading, editing, and reworking weak sections until the writing says what they mean. That might mean small edits or starting a section over.

Students use word processors, websites, and online tools to write, publish, and share their work with an audience beyond the classroom.

Students pick a focused question and research it, using what they find to show real understanding of the topic. This covers both quick one-day investigations and longer multi-week projects.

Students pull information from books, websites, and other sources, then check whether each source can be trusted before weaving the facts into their writing. They credit the original authors rather than passing the words off as their own.

Students pull quotes and details from novels, articles, or research sources to back up their own analysis or argument. The evidence has to connect clearly to the point they're making.

Students practice writing in many different situations: quick in-class responses, longer research pieces, personal reflections. The goal is to build the habit of writing for different purposes and different readers.

Students come to discussions prepared, listen to what classmates say, and build on those ideas with their own clear, well-reasoned responses. The goal is a real back-and-forth, not just waiting for a turn to talk.

Students pull together information from sources like videos, charts, and spoken presentations, then judge how well each source supports the topic at hand.

Students listen to a speech or presentation and decide whether the speaker's argument holds up: Is the reasoning sound? Is the evidence real? Are persuasion tactics being used honestly?

Students organize a speech or presentation so listeners can follow the argument from start to finish, choosing a structure and tone that fits the audience and the point being made.

Students choose charts, images, or video clips to support a presentation, not just decorate it. Each visual should make a key point clearer than words alone could.

Students adjust how they speak depending on the situation, using formal English for class presentations or serious discussions and a more casual tone when the setting calls for it.

Students write and speak using correct grammar: complete sentences, proper verb forms, and consistent pronoun use. This standard covers the grammar rules that make writing clear and speech easy to follow.

Students apply correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in their writing. This standard covers the mechanical side of writing, from where a capital letter goes to how a comma works inside a sentence.

Students practice choosing words and sentence structures that fit the situation, whether writing a formal essay or a casual message. Reading closely, they notice how other writers make the same choices.

When students hit an unfamiliar word, they figure out its meaning by reading the surrounding sentences, breaking the word into roots and prefixes, or looking it up in a dictionary or glossary.

Students read sentences and explain what figurative language means, why two words relate to each other, and how similar words carry different shades of meaning. Think "angry" versus "furious," or what a metaphor is actually saying.

Students build a working vocabulary of precise, subject-specific words and use them correctly in writing, discussion, and reading. The goal is the level of language expected in college or a first job.