Louisiana Standards
Louisiana 7th Grade ELA Standards
All 41 Louisiana English language arts standards for 7th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Louisiana Department of Education's document, linked at the end of this page.
41 standards
Reading Standards for Literature
9 standardsRL.7.1
Back up an analysis of a story or play with several pieces of relevant evidence, covering what it says outright and what it implies.
RL.7.2
Name a story's or poem's theme, follow how it grows from the opening to the ending, and summarize the text without your own opinions.
RL.7.3
Explain how the parts of a story or play act on each other, like how a setting such as a snowbound cabin shapes what the characters do.
RL.7.4
Work out figurative and emotional meanings of words in a poem or story, and explain what rhyme or repeated sounds like alliteration add to a stanza or scene.
RL.7.5
Analyze how the form or structure of a whole text, like a drama, poem, narrative or short story, adds to its meaning.
RL.7.6
Explain how an author builds the differing points of view of two or more characters or narrators and plays them against each other.
RL.7.7
Compare a story, play or poem with its film, stage or audio version, and explain how tools the page lacks, like lighting, music or camera angles, change the effect.
RL.7.9
Set a historical novel or story beside a factual account of the same time or person, and show where the fiction keeps the history and where it changes it.
RL.7.10
Read and understand stories, plays and poems written for grades 6 to 8 by the end of the year, with help on the hardest ones.
Reading Standards for Informational Text
10 standardsRI.7.1
Support an analysis of an informational text with several pieces of relevant evidence, showing both what it states and what can be inferred.
RI.7.2
Find two or more central ideas in a nonfiction text, trace how each one develops from start to finish, and give a neutral summary of the text.
RI.7.3
Explain how the people, events and ideas in a nonfiction text act on one another, like how a new idea changed what a leader did or how one person shifted an event.
RI.7.4
Work out figurative, emotional and technical meanings of words in an article, and explain how one chosen word, like calling a crowd a mob, shifts the meaning and tone.
RI.7.5
Map how a nonfiction text is organized and explain what each major section contributes to the whole and to the way the ideas build.
RI.7.6
Find an author's stance or purpose in a nonfiction text and explain how the author sets that position apart from what other people think.
RI.7.7
Compare the written text of a speech or article with an audio or video version of it, and explain how the delivery changes the force of the words.
RI.7.8
Follow an author's argument claim by claim and judge whether the reasoning makes sense and whether the evidence is on point and enough to support each claim.
RI.7.9
Compare two or more authors on the same topic and show how each stresses different evidence or reads the same facts differently.
RI.7.10
Read and understand literary nonfiction such as memoirs, essays and speeches written for grades 6 to 8 by the end of the year, with help on the hardest ones.
Writing Standards
10 standardsW.7.1
Write an argument with a clear claim, reasons and evidence from credible sources, linking words, a formal style and a conclusion that follows from it.
W.7.2
Write an informative piece that introduces a topic, organizes facts, definitions and examples under headings or charts where they help, and ends with a conclusion.
W.7.3
Write a true or made-up story that sets the scene, uses dialogue, pacing and sensory detail, moves clearly through time and ends with a fitting conclusion.
W.7.4
Shape a lab report, history essay or technical write-up so its organization and style fit the assignment, its purpose and its readers.
W.7.5
Improve drafts with some help from peers and adults by planning, revising, editing, rewriting or trying a new approach, checking how well they fit purpose and audience.
W.7.6
Write and publish online, add links to and citations for the sources you used, and use shared documents or comments to work with classmates.
W.7.7
Research a question across several sources in a short project, and let what you find spark new related questions worth looking into next.
W.7.8
Pick good search terms to find print and online sources, check each for accuracy and reliability, and quote or paraphrase it with a citation in a format like MLA.
W.7.9
Use evidence from seventh grade literature and literary nonfiction to support analysis, reflection and research, like comparing a novel's version of an era with history.
W.7.10
Write regularly, from a report built over several days to a journal entry finished in one class, for different subjects, purposes and readers.
Speaking and Listening Standards
6 standardsSL.7.1
Discuss 7th-grade texts having done the reading, cite evidence, keep the group on its goals and deadlines, draw others out, and change your mind when warranted.
SL.7.2
Pick out the main ideas and supporting details in a chart, podcast, video or speech, and explain how they shed light on the topic or text the class is studying.
SL.7.3
Outline a speaker's argument and each claim in it, then judge whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is both on point and enough to prove the claim.
SL.7.4
Present your claims and findings in a focused way, spotlighting the key points with fitting facts and examples, with eye contact, enough volume and clear speech.
SL.7.5
Use slides, charts, images or short clips in a presentation to make your claims and findings clearer and to drive home the most important points.
SL.7.6
Change how you speak for different settings, audiences and tasks, using formal English well when needed, like in a debate or interview.
Language Standards
6 standardsL.7.1
Print many letters, use everyday nouns, verbs and little words like in and on, make plurals like dogs and wishes, ask with who and where, and speak in full sentences.
L.7.2
Capitalize the first word of a sentence and the word I, name the period and question mark, and spell simple words the way they sound, like kat for cat.
L.7.3
Notice the difference between formal and casual English, like Good morning, Mrs. Lee versus Hey, and choose which fits the moment.
L.7.4
Work out an unfamiliar 7th-grade word from its sentence, from Latin roots like bell in belligerent and rebel, or from a dictionary, then confirm the meaning.
L.7.5
Explain a nonliteral phrase like take steps, name someone who is friendly to link a word to real life, and rank knew, believed and suspected by how sure they are.
L.7.6
Learn and use grade-level academic and subject words, and look up any word that matters to understanding or expressing an idea.
The official Louisiana documents
- K-12 Louisiana Student Standards for English Language Arts · adopted March 2016, revised 2019 · since 2016-17, through 2026-27
- 2026 K-12 Louisiana Student Standards for English Language Arts · coming next · adopted 2026 · from 2027-28
The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Louisiana's standards, not the official wording, which Louisiana Department of Education publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.