The standards we will be following this year can be found here: https://www.uen.org/core/core.do?courseNum=4280
The 8 Power Standards we will be focusing on are: 
Reading: Informational Text Standard 1 
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Reading: Informational Text Standard 2 
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.

Writing Standard 1 
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

a. 
Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

 

b. 
Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

 

c. 
Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

 

d. 
Establish and maintain a formal style.

e. 
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

 

Writing Standard 2 
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

a. 
Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

b. 
Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

c. 
Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

d. 
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

e. 
Establish and maintain a formal style.

f. 
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

Writing Standard 6 
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Writing Standard 9 
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

 

a. 
Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new”).

b. 
Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced”).