CCR.L.3
Description:
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.
Maps to Reading Plus skills:
5C, 6B, 6C, 9A
Exemplars
5C: Examining Genre
5C: Examining Genre
Description:
Examining Genre
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
I-42
I-42
Grade level: 9
Word count: 2284 words
Author: James Herbert Walker
Synopsis: The Johnstown Flood was one of the worst calamities in American history. More than 2,000 people were killed in this tragic event.
Excerpt:
No excerpt is available for this question.
Question:
This selection is best described as
- narrative nonfiction.
- an autobiography.
- a speech.
- science fiction.
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
Choose an expository piece, such as a speech or an essay. Describe how the author uses language to relay information, or make (or respond) to an argument.
Evaluator
Organization:
Certica Solutions
6B: Recognizing Persuasion
6B: Recognizing Persuasion
Description:
Recognizing Persuasive Devices
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
I-6
I-6
Grade level: 9
Word count: 1546 words
Author: Henry David Thoreau
Synopsis: Have you ever felt that life is just work, work, work? That's just what Thoreau felt too, over 150 years ago.
Excerpt:
Imagine a man was tossed out of a window when he was an infant, and so made paralyzed for life. Or imagine he was scared out of his wits by an unexpected attack, bound to an inability to think or reason. To most men today, either of these unfortunate events is regrettable chiefly because the man was incapacitated for business! I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, to life itself, than this incessant business.
Question:
How is this part of the selection written?
- as an emotional appeal to connect with readers on a personal level
- as a presentation of facts that are supported by extensive research
- as an analysis of historical events that explains why certain problems repeat
- as a sentimental flashback that shows how much people have in common
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
Imagine you want to make a documentary about a non-fiction selection you read. Describe the steps you would need to take to make your documentary as accurate and unbiased as possible.
Evaluator
Organization:
Certica Solutions
6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone
6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone
Description:
Recognizing Mood and Tone
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
I-9
I-9
Grade level: 9
Word count: 1814 words
Author: Tamara Smith
Synopsis: Want to change the world? Then do what Wangari did: plant a tree.
Excerpt:
She founded her own organization called Envirocare, a business dedicated to the empowerment and independence of women through the planting of trees. This opportunity gave many women the confidence and agency to direct not only their own lives but also the future of their country. Envirocare unfortunately ran into many financial problems and ultimately failed. But Wangari knew she had created an important model and was determined to find new solutions.
Question:
The primary tone in this part of the selection is one of
- persistence.
- jubilation.
- hesitation.
- impatience.
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
What kinds of language or other text structure elements (tone) are used to create an excited or adventurous mood? Use details from a selection you have read to illustrate and explain your answer.
Evaluator
Organization:
Certica Solutions
9A: Comparing/Contrasting
9A: Comparing/Contrasting
Description:
Compare, Contrast, and/or Integrate
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
I-46
I-46
Grade level: 9
Word count: 2076 words
Author: Joe Novelli
Synopsis: Nive grew up surrounded by whales, icebergs, and the swirling northern lights, and was motivated to use her talents to create and explore.
Excerpt:
Greenland is known for its extreme seasons and the bizarre effects of being positioned so close to the North Pole. Notable among these is the daylight, with the summertime sun never fully disappearing, setting upon the horizon only to rise again a few hours later. The viewer's perception of this is a continuous transition between sunset and sunrise, causing brilliant swathes of color dancing over the sky for hours.
The extreme seasons' flip side is the impenetrable darkness of winter, lasting all day and night with only soft dusk for a few daytime hours. But this harsh period of perpetual night provides an utterly awe-inspiring experience: watching the Northern Lights sweep and spiral across the sky like a celestial ballet of greens and purples. The lights arc from horizon to horizon, bending and swirling around one another at alarming speeds. The motion of the spiraling lights in the center of the arc gives one the perception of a living sky, breathing and pulsing.
The extreme seasons' flip side is the impenetrable darkness of winter, lasting all day and night with only soft dusk for a few daytime hours. But this harsh period of perpetual night provides an utterly awe-inspiring experience: watching the Northern Lights sweep and spiral across the sky like a celestial ballet of greens and purples. The lights arc from horizon to horizon, bending and swirling around one another at alarming speeds. The motion of the spiraling lights in the center of the arc gives one the perception of a living sky, breathing and pulsing.
Question:
How do these two paragraphs work together?
- They both illustrate contrasting examples of the uniqueness of Greenland's extreme climate.
- They both illustrate similar climatic phenomena and how they effect Greenland's environment.
- They both illustrate how Greenland's environment affects its economy and cultural arts.
- They both illustrate the aesthetic influence Greenland's environment has on Nive's songwriting.
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
Use a Venn diagram to compare two non-fiction selections on the same topic.
Evaluator
Organization:
Certica Solutions