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

Reading grade-level texts closely enough to understand what they say and what they mean. Students move past the surface of a story or article to figure out the ideas underneath.

Students read a story or article, then back up their ideas with specific lines from the text. They go beyond what the page says out loud, using details to support a conclusion the author left for readers to figure out.

Students read a nonfiction passage and back up every claim with specific lines from the text, whether the text states something outright or leaves students to figure it out.

Students figure out what unfamiliar or figurative words mean by using context clues, word parts, or a dictionary. This includes picking up on the emotional weight a word carries, not just its dictionary definition.

Students figure out what unfamiliar words mean in a nonfiction passage by reading the surrounding sentences, breaking apart the word's parts, or looking the word up.

Students find two or more themes in a story or novel, trace how each one builds from beginning to end, and connect those ideas to real life.

Students find two or more central ideas in a text, trace how each one builds from start to finish, and connect what the author is saying to real life.

Students read like writers, studying how an author chose to organize a piece, build an argument, or shape a scene. The goal is to understand not just what a text says, but why the author made those specific choices.

Students examine how a narrator's or character's perspective shapes what we see in a story: which details get highlighted, how the setting feels, and where the plot goes.

Rhetoric is how a writer chooses words, evidence, and emotional appeals to make a case. Students look at those choices in a nonfiction text and explain how each one pushes the author's argument forward.

Students examine how an author's word choices and sentence structure build up over a passage to shape its mood and meaning. Small decisions about language add up, and students track how that effect grows.

Students study how an author's word choices and sentence structures build up over a passage to shape the overall mood and message. Small decisions in language add up to a larger effect on how a reader feels and thinks.

Students trace how a main character changes from the first page to the last, then explain how those changes push the story's events forward and shape its deeper meaning.

Students read a nonfiction argument and judge whether the author's reasoning holds up: Is the evidence real and relevant? Are there gaps, false claims, or logical errors? Students name what works and what doesn't.

Students read two or more texts on the same topic and piece together what they have in common, where they disagree, and what the combination reveals that no single text could on its own.

Students read two or more informational texts on the same topic and judge how well each one develops its ideas. They consider which text makes a stronger case and why.

Before writing, students gather real evidence on their topic, the way a reporter would. The goal is to let the facts and sources drive the argument, not just opinion.

Students pick a question worth investigating, then search for real answers. If the topic is too broad or too narrow, they adjust the focus before writing.

Students search for trustworthy sources, judge whether each one actually answers their research question, and weave the most useful details into their writing without copying.

Students write with the choices a real author makes: deciding what to include, how to order it, and what tone fits the work. The goal is a finished piece that sounds like a person thought it through, not a checklist someone filled out.

Students plan, draft, and revise a piece of writing that fits its purpose and audience, drawing on storytelling, explanatory, and persuasive techniques they already know how to use.

Students step back from their own draft and read it the way a stranger would, checking whether the story or argument actually makes sense to someone who wasn't there when it was written.

Students open with a clear introduction, stay focused through the middle, and close with an ending that fits what they wrote. Every choice about what to include and how to order it keeps the audience in mind.

Students choose words and sentence structures on purpose, picking language that sharpens exactly what they mean rather than just getting the idea across.

Students write sentences that follow standard grammar rules, use correct punctuation, and spell words accurately. The goal is writing that a reader can follow without stumbling.

Students practice moving smoothly between ideas in an essay or story by choosing transition words and phrases that show how one point connects to the next, or that signal when time moves forward or backward.

Students hold a discussion with peers, building on each other's ideas with evidence from the text. They ask questions, respond thoughtfully, and help the group reach a stronger understanding together.

Students listen to a speaker, then break down the argument: what point the speaker is making, why they believe it, and whether the evidence actually holds up.

During class discussions, students listen to different viewpoints and sum up where the group agrees and disagrees. When two ideas conflict, they work to find common ground and name any questions that still need an answer.