1. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.
2. Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
3. Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
4. Establish and maintain a formal style.
5. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.

The content should include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Injury Prevention and Safety
• Internet Safety
• Nutrition
• Personal Health
• Prevention and Control of Disease
• Substance Use and Abuse Prevention
• Resiliency Education
• Awareness of the Benefits of Abstinence

The content should include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Injury Prevention and Safety
• Internet Safety
• Nutrition
• Personal Health
• Prevention and Control of Disease
• Substance Use and Abuse Prevention
• Resiliency Education
• Awareness of the Benefits of Abstinence

 This course defines what students should understand and be able to do by the end of 6th grade. Knowledge acquisition should be the primary purpose of any reading approach as the systematic building of a wide range of knowledge across domains is a prerequisite to higher literacy. At this grade level, students are building their facility with rhetoric, the craft of using language in writing and speaking, using classic literature, essays, and speeches as mentor texts.  

The benchmarks in this course are mastery goals that students are expected to attain by the end of the year. To build mastery, students will continue to review and apply earlier grade-level benchmarks and expectations. 

 This course defines what students should understand and be able to do by the end of 6th grade. Knowledge acquisition should be the primary purpose of any reading approach as the systematic building of a wide range of knowledge across domains is a prerequisite to higher literacy. At this grade level, students are building their facility with rhetoric, the craft of using language in writing and speaking, using classic literature, essays, and speeches as mentor texts.  

The benchmarks in this course are mastery goals that students are expected to attain by the end of the year. To build mastery, students will continue to review and apply earlier grade-level benchmarks and expectations. 

• grade-level content
• proficiency level in English
• instructional needs

This course should be tailored to meet the needs of the individual student.  

In grades 6-8, analysis and writing are the primary foci. Rhetoric is introduced in 6th grade. In this grade band, students go from explaining theme to analyzing it. Students progress from examining character perspective to working with complex narrator types. Students are also being introduced to literature from historic time periods. This framework should help students in building a body of knowledge useful in being able to interpret multiple layers of meaning. 

Access courses are for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Access courses are designed to provide students access to grade-level general curriculum. Access points are alternate academic achievement standards included in access courses that target the salient content of Florida’s standards. Access points are intentionally designed to academically challenge students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. 

• Core Concepts (dimensions of health, environmental health, illnesses and healthy behaviors)
• Accessing Information (family and friend influences, disease prevention, reproductive health, medical resources, school and community health)
• Internal and External Influences (available resources, seeking help, technology, products and services)
• Interpersonal Communication (healthy alternatives, conflict resolution, verbal and non-verbal, active listening and refusal skills)
• Decision Making (individual and group decisions, and positive/negative healthy options)
• Goal Setting (short and long term health strategies, personal health and small groups)
• Self Management (personal health practices and internet safety)
• Advocacy (positive promotion and accurate information sharing) 

Instructional Practices: Teaching from a well-written, grade-level textbook enhances students’ content area knowledge and also strengthens their ability to comprehend longer, complex reading passages on any topic for any reason. Using the following instructional practices also helps student learning: 

1. Reading assignments from longer text passages as well as shorter ones when text is extremely complex.
2. Making close reading and rereading of texts central to lessons.
3. Asking high-level, text-specific questions and requiring high-level, complex tasks and assignments.
4. Requiring students to support answers with evidence from the text.
5. Providing extensive text-based research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).

Any student whose parent makes written request to the school principal shall be exempted from the teaching of reproductive health or any disease, including HIV/AIDS, its symptoms, development, and treatment. A student so exempted may not be penalized by reason of that exemption. 

The following standards focus on yearly instruction to ensure that students gain adequate exposure to health information and practices. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade specific benchmarks and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. 

Career and Education Planning – Per section 1003.4156, Florida Statutes, the Career and Education Planning course must result in a completed, personalized academic and career plan for the student, that may be revised as the student progresses through middle and high school; must emphasize the importance of entrepreneurship and employability skills; and must include information from the Department of Economic Opportunity’s economic security report as described in Section 445.07, Florida Statutes.  The required, personalized academic and career plan must inform students of high school graduation requirements, including diploma designations (Section 1003.4285, Florida Statutes); requirements for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship; state university and Florida College System institution admission requirements; and, available opportunities to earn college credit in high school utilizing acceleration mechanisms.  For additional information on the Middle School Career and Education Planning courses, visit http://www.fldoe.org/academics/college-career-planning/educators-toolkit/index.stml.

Career and Education Planning Course Standards – Students will:

1.0               Describe the influences that societal, economic, and technological changes have on employment trends and future training.

2.0               Develop skills to locate, evaluate, and interpret career information.

3.0               Identify and demonstrate processes for making short and long term goals.

4.0               Demonstrate employability skills such as working in a group, problem-solving and organizational skills, and the importance of entrepreneurship.

5.0               Understand the relationship between educational achievement and career choices/postsecondary options.

6.0               Identify a career cluster and related pathways through an interest assessment that match career and education goals.

7.0               Develop a career and education plan that includes short and long-term goals, high school program of study, and postsecondary/career goals.

8.0               Demonstrate knowledge of technology and its application in career fields/clusters.

Florida’s Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards:

This course includes Florida’s B.E.S.T. ELA Expectations (EE) and Mathematical Thinking and Reasoning Standards (MTRs) for students. Florida educators should intentionally embed these standards within the content and their instruction as applicable. For guidance on the implementation of the EEs and MTRs, please visit https://www.cpalms.org/Standards/BEST_Standards.aspx and select the appropriate B.E.S.T. Standards package.

English Language Development ELD Standards Special Notes Section:

Teachers are required to provide listening, speaking, reading and writing instruction that allows English language learners (ELL) to communicate for social and instructional purposes within the school setting. For the given level of English language proficiency and with visual, graphic, or interactive support, students will interact with grade level words, expressions, sentences and discourse to process or produce language necessary for academic success. The ELD standard should specify a relevant content area concept or topic of study chosen by curriculum developers and teachers which maximizes an ELL’s need for communication and social skills. To access an ELL supporting document which delineates performance definitions and descriptors, please click on the following link: {{AzureStorageLink}}/uploads/docs/standards/eld/si.pdf