• Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of and inferences drawn from the text 
• Analyze the impact of setting on character development and plot in a literary text
• Compare two or more themes and their development throughout a text
• Explain how an author establishes and achieves purpose through diction and syntax
• Paraphrase content from grade-level texts

Spelling & Grammar: 

• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
• Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize reasons and evidence logically
• Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
• Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence
• Establish and maintain a formal style. 
• Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content 
• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences
• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
• Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation 
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking
• Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences
• Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas
• Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings