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

Students find quotes and details directly from a story or poem to back up their ideas in writing or discussion. They also use clues in the text to figure out things the author doesn't say outright.

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

Students track how characters, events, and ideas change as a story unfolds, then explain why those changes happen. The focus is on cause and effect: what drives a character's choices or shapes the way the plot moves forward.

Students figure out what words really mean in context, including when an author uses figurative language or loaded word choices to set a mood. They also look at how swapping one word for another would change how a passage feels.

Students look at how a story or poem is built: how one paragraph sets up the next, how a single sentence can shift the whole mood, and how the pieces fit together into one complete work.

Students figure out who is telling the story and why it matters. They look at how that narrator's perspective changes what gets included, what gets left out, and how the writing sounds.

Students compare how a story or idea comes across differently in a book, a film, and a chart or graph. They explain what each format adds or leaves out.

Students read a nonfiction passage and decide whether the author's argument holds up. They check if the reasons make sense and if the facts and examples actually support the point being made.

Students read two texts on the same topic or theme, then explain how each author handles it differently. The focus is on what choices each author made and what those choices add up to.

Students read novels, short stories, and poems at a seventh-grade level on their own, without help. The focus is on understanding what they read, not just getting through the words.

Students read a nonfiction passage carefully, then back up every claim with a direct quote or specific detail from the text. They show exactly where in the reading they found support for what they think.

Students find the main point of a nonfiction article or passage, then trace how the author builds and supports that point with key details. They can also write a short, accurate summary without adding their own opinion.

Students trace how a person, event, or idea changes as a text unfolds, and explain why those changes happen. The focus is on connections: how one thing shapes another across the whole piece.

Students figure out what a word means by looking at how it's used in context, including whether it carries a technical meaning, an emotional charge, or a figurative sense. Then they explain how the author's word choices shift the mood or message of the piece.

Students examine how a paragraph connects to the rest of an article, or how one sentence sets up an idea that a later section explains. The goal is to see how the pieces of a nonfiction text fit together.

Students figure out who wrote a piece and why, then explain how that shapes what the author included and how they said it. A news article and an opinion column can cover the same topic but read very differently.

Students read the same topic across different formats, like a news article, a chart, and a video, then decide what each one adds and whether the information holds up.

Students read a nonfiction piece and decide whether the author's argument holds up. They check if the reasoning makes sense and if the facts and details actually support the point being made.

Students read two texts on the same topic and compare how each author frames the subject, what each one includes or leaves out, and what a reader learns by putting both together.

Students read full-length articles, essays, and nonfiction books on their own, without step-by-step help. The goal is handling real-world reading at a seventh-grade level with confidence.

Students write a paragraph or essay that takes a clear position on a topic, then back it up with solid reasoning and evidence pulled from a text or real-world source. The argument has to hold up, not just sound convincing.

Students write explanatory pieces that break down complicated ideas or topics so a reader can follow along clearly. The goal is accuracy and plain explanation, not opinion or argument.

Students write a story, real or invented, with a clear sequence of events. They choose details that make the scene and characters feel specific, not generic.

Students write paragraphs and essays that fit the assignment: the right structure, the right tone, and the right level of detail for whoever will read it.

Students learn to treat a first draft as a starting point, not a finished product. They plan, revise, and edit their writing, or scrap what isn't working and take a different angle.

Students use computers and the internet to write, finish, and share their work, and to give feedback to classmates on theirs.

Students pick a focused question and research it, reading enough sources to actually understand the topic. Short projects might take a day or two; longer ones build knowledge over several weeks.

Students pull information from several sources, print and digital, and check whether each one can be trusted. They weave what they find into their own writing without copying the original words.

Students pull quotes or details from a story, article, or other source to back up a point they're making in writing. The evidence has to actually support the argument, not just appear nearby.

Students write often, in both quick assignments and longer projects, for different reasons and different readers. The goal is to make writing feel like a normal part of school, not just something that happens before a test.

Students come to discussions ready to build on what others say, not just wait for their turn to talk. They listen, respond to real points made by classmates, and say what they think in a way that's clear and convincing.

Students listen to a speech, study a chart, or watch a video clip, then pull the information together to decide what it means and whether it holds up.

Students listen to a speaker and judge whether the argument holds up: Is the reasoning sound? Does the evidence actually support the point? Are they using language to persuade rather than prove?

Students organize a spoken presentation so listeners can follow the argument from start to finish, choosing details and a tone that fit the topic and the audience they're speaking to.

Students choose charts, images, or video clips to support a presentation, not just decorate it. Each visual ties directly to the point being made.

Students practice switching between formal and casual speech depending on the situation. A class presentation calls for different language than a small-group conversation, and students learn to read the room and adjust.

Students apply standard English grammar rules in their writing and speech. This includes using correct sentence structure, verb tense, and pronoun agreement in school assignments and class discussions.

Students use capital letters, commas, apostrophes, and correct spelling in their writing. By seventh grade, those rules should show up consistently without being prompted.

Students learn to notice how word choice and sentence structure shift depending on the situation, then apply that awareness to their own writing and to understanding what they read or hear.

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.

Figurative language shows up in poems, stories, and arguments. Students recognize and explain phrases like "the world is a stage" or "time flies," and notice how word choice shifts meaning or tone.

Students build a working vocabulary of precise, subject-specific words they can use in writing, discussion, and reading across all their classes. The goal is a broad enough word bank to handle complex texts and assignments without getting stuck.