Read, interpret, and summarize grade-appropriate literary and informational texts that address identity, social responsibility, and social action (agency) by First Nations, Métis, Saskatchewan, Canadian, and international authors from various cultural communities.

Select, use, and evaluate critically a variety of before (page 19), during (page 20), and after (page 21) strategies to construct meaning when reading.

Use language cues and conventions (page 17) of a variety of informational and literary texts to construct and confirm meaning when reading.

Demonstrate critical reading behaviours including:

• establishing a purpose for reading such as to learn, to interpret, and to enjoy
• skimming, scanning, and reading closely
• identifying the main ideas of informational text, determining the essential elements that elaborate on those ideas, and evaluating the texts for their clarity, simplicity, and coherence as well as appropriateness of graphics and visual appeal
• identifying and analyzing explicit and implicit messages, viewpoints, and concepts
• recognizing the use or abuse of rhetorical devices, ambiguity, contradictions, paradox, irony, incongruities, overstatement, and understatement in text, and explain their effect on the reader
• identifying the ways in which a text's organizational structure and elements support or confound its purpose
• relating understanding of a range of texts to personal experience, purposes, audience, and other texts
• identifying and analyzing persuasive techniques
• evaluating credibility, logic, truthfulness, trust, and validity
• differentiating fact from opinion; differentiating between literal and figurative statements
• testing own ideas, values, and opinions against those of characters in First Nations, Métis, Saskatchewan, Canadian, and international texts
• recognizing and comprehending allusions and symbols (including iconography) from various cultures
• constructing images based on text descriptions
• discussing meanings, ideas, language, and literary quality in a range of First Nations, Métis, Saskatchewan, Canadian, and international contemporary and historical texts
• using note making and outlining to improve understanding of texts
• paraphrasing and précising literary and informational texts.

Follow instructions and procedures in informational texts to perform specific tasks, answer questions, or solve problems.

Read and demonstrate an understanding of the main ideas, events, or themes of a variety of increasingly complex literary and informational First Nations, Métis, Saskatchewan, Canadian, and international texts (including stories, novels, essays, scripts, poetry, research, procedures, websites, blogs, email, message boards); identify and assess the author's purpose, ideas, point of view, tone, techniques, and overall theme or message.

Identify the interrelationships (such as cause-and-effect) between and among ideas and concepts within the texts.

Read, analyze, and compare different points of view from First Nations, Métis, Saskatchewan, Canadian, and international print texts (literary and informational) about the same ideas, themes, and issues.

Analyze the setting, plot, themes, characterization (including moral dilemmas as revealed by characters' motivation and behaviour), and narration of classic and contemporary literary texts, and consider what the texts suggest about the historical period in which they were written.

Demonstrate knowledge of poetry (metre, rhyme scheme, rhythm, alliteration, and other conventions).

Identify how elements of plays (e.g., soliloquy, direction, dialogue) articulate a playwright's vision.