New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Grade 7

The standards define general, cross-disciplinary literacy expectations that must be met for students to be
prepared to enter college and workforce training programs ready to succeed. The K–12 grade-specific standards
define end-of-year expectations and a cumulative progression designed to enable students to meet college and
career readiness expectations no later than the end of high school.

Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards, retain or
further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades, and work steadily toward meeting the
more general expectations described by the standards.

Anchor Standards for Reading

NJSLSA.R1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences and relevant
connections from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from
the text.

NJSLSA.R2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key
supporting details and ideas.

NJSLSA.R3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Craft and Structure

NJSLSA.R4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical,
connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

NJSLSA.R5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of
the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

NJSLSA.R6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

NJSLSA.R7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in words.

NJSLSA.R8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the
reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

NJSLSA.R9 Analyze and reflect on how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build
knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

NJSLSA.R10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently
with scaffolding as needed.

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Note on range and content of student reading

To become college and career ready, students must grapple with works of exceptional craft and thought whose
range extends across genres, cultures, and centuries. Such works offer profound insights into the human
condition and serve as models for students’ own thinking and writing. Along with high-quality contemporary
works, these texts should be chosen from among seminal U.S. documents, the classics of American literature,
and the timeless dramas of Shakespeare. Through wide and deep reading of literature and literary nonfiction of
steadily increasing sophistication, students gain a reservoir of literary and cultural knowledge, references, and
images; the ability to evaluate intricate arguments; and the capacity to surmount the challenges posed by
complex texts.

Grade 7

Progress Indicators for Reading Literature

Key Ideas and Details

RL.7.1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence and make relevant connections to support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

RL.7.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text;
provide an objective summary of the text.

RL.7.3. Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters
or plot).

Craft and Structure

RL.7.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a
specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

RL.7.5. Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its
meaning.

RL.7.6. Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators
in a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RL.7.7. Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia
version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera
focus and angles in a film).

RL.7.8. (Not applicable to literature)

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

RL.7.9. Compare, contrast and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background
knowledge) a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a
means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

RL.7.10. By the end of the year read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems at grade
level text-complexity or above, scaffolding as needed.

Grade 7

Progress Indicators Informational Text

Key Ideas and Details

RI.7.1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence and make relevant connections to support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

RI.7.2. Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the
text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3. Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence
individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).

Craft and Structure

RI.7.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

RI.7.5. Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to
the whole and to the development of the ideas.

RI.7.6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his
or her position from that of others.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RI.7.7. Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each
medium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).

RI.7.8. Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is
sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
RI.7.9. Analyze and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background
knowledge) how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information
by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Anchor Standards for Writing

Text Types and Purposes

NJSLSA.W1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

NJSLSA.W2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information
clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

NJSLSA.W3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing

NJSLSA.W4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

NJSLSA.W5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a
new approach.

NJSLSA.W6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and
collaborate with others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

NJSLSA.W7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects, utilizing an inquiry-based research
process, based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

NJSLSA.W8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and
accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

NJSLSA.W9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

NJSLSA.W10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and
shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Note on range and content in student writing

To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students need to learn to use writing as a way of offering
and supporting opinions, demonstrating understanding of the subjects they are studying, and conveying real and
imagined experiences and events. They learn to appreciate that a key purpose of writing is to communicate
clearly to an external, sometimes unfamiliar audience, and they begin to adapt the form and content of their
writing to accomplish a particular task and purpose. They develop the capacity to build knowledge on a subject
through research projects and to respond analytically to literary and informational sources. To meet these goals,
students must devote significant time and effort to writing, producing numerous pieces over short and extended
time frames throughout the year.

Grade 7

Progress Indicators for Writing

Text Types and Purposes

W.7.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
A. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge 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),
reasons, and evidence.
D. Establish and maintain a formal style/academic style, approach, and form.
E. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

W.7.2. 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, using
text structures (e.g., definition, classification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, etc.) and text features
(e.g., headings, graphics, and multimedia).
B. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples.
C. Use appropriate 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 academic style, approach, and form.
F. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation
presented.

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

W.7.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant
descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
A. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator
and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
B. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events,
and/or characters.
C. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one
time frame or setting to another.
D. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action
and convey experiences and events.
E. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Production and Distribution of Writing

W.7.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in
standards 1–3 above.)

W.7.5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience
have been addressed.

W.7.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as
well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

W.7.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

W.7.8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively;
assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others
while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

W.7.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
A. Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a
time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how
authors of fiction use or alter history”).
B. Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g. “Trace and evaluate the argument and
specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and
sufficient to support the claims”).

Range of Writing

W.7.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction,
and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks,
purposes, and audiences.

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

Comprehension and Collaboration

NJSLSA.SL1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse
partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

NJSLSA.SL2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.

NJSLSA.SL3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

NJSLSA.SL4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of
reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

NJSLSA.SL5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and
enhance understanding of presentations.

NJSLSA.SL6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of
formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Note on range and content of student speaking and listening

To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must have ample opportunities to take part in a
variety of rich, structured conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partner. Being
productive members of these conversations requires that students contribute accurate, relevant information;
respond to and develop what others have said; make comparisons and contrasts; and analyze and synthesize a
multitude of ideas in various domains.

New technologies have broadened and expanded the role that speaking and listening play in acquiring and
sharing knowledge and have tightened their link to other forms of communication. Digital texts confront
students with the potential for continually updated content and dynamically changing combinations of words,
graphics, images, hyperlinks, and embedded video and audio.

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Grade 7

Progress Indicators for Speaking and Listening

Comprehension and Collaboration

SL.7.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led)
with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own
clearly.
A. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that
preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under
discussion.
B. Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define
individual roles as needed.
C. Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant
observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.
D. Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views.

SL.7.2. Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.

SL.7.3. Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the
relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

SL.7.4. Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent
descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear
pronunciation.

SL.7.5. Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and
emphasize salient points.

SL.7.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when
indicated or appropriate.

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Anchor Standards for Language

Conventions of Standard English

NJSLSA.L1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.

NJSLSA.L2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language

NJSLSA.L3. 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.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

NJSLSA.L4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using
context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as
appropriate.

NJSLSA.L5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

NJSLSA.L6. Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases
sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate
independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to
comprehension or expression.

Note on range and content of student language use

To build a foundation for college and career readiness in language, students must gain control over many
conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics as well as learn other ways to use language to
convey meaning effectively. They must also be able to determine or clarify the meaning of grade-appropriate
words encountered through listening, reading, and media use; come to appreciate that words have nonliteral
meanings, shades of meaning, and relationships to other words; and expand their vocabulary in the course of
studying content. The inclusion of Language standards in their own strand should not be taken as an indication
that skills related to conventions, effective language use, and vocabulary are unimportant to reading, writing,
speaking, and listening; indeed, they are inseparable from such contexts.

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Grade 7

Progress Indicators for Language

Conventions of Standard English

L.7.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
A. Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences.
B. Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing
relationships among ideas.
C. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling
modifiers.

L.7.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
when writing.
A. Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie but not He
wore an old[,] green shirt).
B. Spell correctly.

Knowledge of Language

L.7.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
A. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness
and redundancy.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

L.7.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade
7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
A. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a
sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
B. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word
(e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).
C. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find
the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
D. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the
inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

L.7.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
A. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.
B. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand
each of the words.
C. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions)
(e.g., refined, respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).

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 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts

L.7.6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and
phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or
expression.

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