What does a student learn in StateAlabama,GradeGrade 12,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students read and examine British stories, poems, and historical writing, looking at how an author's background and culture shape what they say and how they say it.

Students read and analyze a Shakespeare play, looking at how it shaped the English language and influenced writers who came after him.

Students compare two or more charts, maps, or infographics to build an argument or reach a conclusion. They use what each graphic shows to support a claim or make a decision.

Students read a text and explain how the author's background and worldview shape the word choices, tone, and ideas on the page.

Students read a story or essay and judge how the author's choices, like whose voice tells it and what comparisons they use, shape what the piece actually means. They explain what those choices do, not just what they are.

Students read closely to figure out why an author organized a piece the way they did, including when the real message is hidden in irony or satire. The structure itself is part of the argument.

Students read a text closely enough to pick up on what it states directly and what it quietly implies, then use both to figure out the author's deeper message and reason for writing.

Students read texts from different time periods, cultures, and countries, then explain how the viewpoints behind those texts agree or push against each other. The writing can be a novel, an article, a website, or a video.

Students read science and history texts side by side, then explain how each field uses its own terms and structures its information differently. Think lab reports versus historical arguments.

Students read step-by-step instructions, like a manual or how-to guide, and carry them out to complete a real task. The focus is on reading carefully enough to actually get the job done.

Students listen to a speech or presentation and judge whether the speaker is credible, organized, and honest. They spot misleading arguments, twisted facts, and body language that contradicts the words.

Students write and revise their own pieces, making sure the structure, tone, and word choices fit the actual topic and the people who will read it. Short pieces and longer ones both get the same careful attention.

Students borrow storytelling moves, like a vivid scene or a character's voice, to strengthen a persuasive essay or research piece. The narrative detail makes the writing more specific and harder to ignore.

Seniors write detailed explanatory pieces that break down complex topics using credible sources, purposeful transitions between ideas, and precise word choices to keep a clear, well-organized structure throughout.

Students write a formal argument on a serious topic, backing each claim with solid evidence and reasoning. Word choices, transitions, and the conclusion are all intentional, working together to leave the reader with a clear sense of why the topic matters.

Students work in writing groups to reach shared goals, which means adjusting their own ideas when needed, splitting up the work fairly, and taking each person's contributions seriously.

Students judge whether a source is trustworthy and accurate, then pull from several reliable sources to build or support an argument. This applies to anything from a news article to a podcast to a chart.

Students practice talking through ideas with classmates by sharing their own thinking, asking real questions, and building on what others say. This happens in small groups and full-class conversations.

Students read online articles, videos, or social media posts and judge whether the source is trustworthy, who it was written for, and whether it actually does what it set out to do.

Students listen to podcasts, speeches, or other recorded content and judge whether the source is trustworthy, the tone fits the audience, and the message actually achieves what it set out to do.

Students combine images, sound, and animation to build digital projects that fit the audience and moment. A campaign video, a podcast, a visual presentation: the choices about format and tone match the goal.

Students work with a group to build and deliver a spoken presentation, matching the tone and content to the room they're presenting in. Each person contributes their own part before the group shapes it into one cohesive talk.

Students study how an author's sentence choices and word patterns shape meaning in novels, poems, and real-world documents like speeches or business writing. The goal is reading the craft behind the words, not just the words themselves.

Students listen to speeches, interviews, podcasts, and other recordings and judge how formal or casual the language is. That judgment shapes how they understand the message and how they respond to it.

Students listen to or read a speech and examine how the speaker's word choice, structure, and style work together to reveal what the speaker believes, why they're saying it, and whether it lands.

Students adjust their word choice and sentence structure to fit the audience, whether that means writing formally for a college essay or conversationally for a blog post. Grammar and punctuation follow the same logic: match the writing to the moment.

Students vary sentence length, word choice, and tone on purpose, holding that style steady across the whole piece. Good writing at this level has a distinct voice that fits the audience and never feels accidental.

Students write and deliver a formal speech aimed at a real audience: a college admissions panel, a workplace team, or a similar professional group. The language, tone, and structure all meet the standard that audience expects.

Students examine who wrote a source, how current and accurate the information is, and why the source was created. The goal is to judge whether a source is trustworthy enough to support a research argument.

Students judge whether a source actually helps answer their research question or just sounds relevant. They check if the information is specific enough, current enough, and aimed at the right audience to be worth using.

Students practice finding reliable information by using search engines, databases, and library tools to track down sources that actually support their research question.

Students listen to podcasts, interviews, speeches, or recorded sources to find information that answers a question or backs up an argument. They judge whether what they hear is trustworthy and actually relevant before using it.

Students pull together findings from multiple sources into a single, well-written piece. The writing is clear, honest about where the information came from, and shaped for the specific audience reading it.

Students pull facts, quotes, and data from at least three different kinds of sources, including a chart, graph, or table, then weave them together into a research paper using proper citations that follow one style guide consistently.

Students pull from multiple sources, both academic and everyday, to write a focused paper that argues a clear position, answers a research question, or proposes a solution to a real problem.

Students pull findings from multiple sources into a single, well-organized research project, then present it aloud to an audience. The writing and speaking both fit the purpose, and sources are credited honestly.