Common Core State Standards

Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11-12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Resolve issues of complex or contested usage, consulting references (e.g., Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, Garner's Modern American Usage) as needed.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]).

Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics).

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.