9-10.RL.2.C

Description: Craft and Meaning Analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices and syntax on meaning and tone.
Maps to Reading Plus skills: 6A

Exemplars

6A: Recognizing Author's Intent

6A: Recognizing Author's Intent

Description: Recognizing Author's Purpose

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: J-37

J-37

Grade level: 10
Word count: 2283 words
Author: Diane Lang
Synopsis: A mentee turns his life around and eventually becomes a mentor to help others find their passion in life.
Excerpt: In the studio that day, James rapped out the uttermost parts of his heart and soul, the background music giving him the impetus to express his songs fully and without restraint. For that period of time, James was so swept up in his music and the meaning of his words that the rest of the world faded away, and I saw a young man transformed by passion, beauty, meaning, and hope. In James, I saw the faces of thousands of kids who also could be transformed by that same euphoric rush of passion, that same door opening up to a bright future.

Question: What is the author's purpose in writing this selection?
  1. to inspire others to become mentors for troubled kids
  2. to demonstrate how tough it is for kids in the inner city
  3. to highlight the beauty and the magic of the arts
  4. to persuade educators to teach in a more creative way

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Assess the value or importance of an author's choice of prose, setting, or characterization in a selection.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions