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RI.8.4

Description: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
Maps to Reading Plus skills: 4A, 4B, 4C, 5A, 6C

Exemplars

4C: Visualizing

4C: Visualizing

Description: Visualizing

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: H-11

H-11

Grade level: 8
Word count: 1765 words
Author: Ben Robinson
Synopsis: On a memorable night in Florida, Cassius Clay faces Sonny Liston, the world champion.
Excerpt: Swiftness and mobility are not generally the calling cards of a heavyweight, but Clay had both. His fights were like ballet performances, as he danced around his opponents instead of standing close and firing punches as most heavyweights do. Because of this, he was tough to catch. His quick hands allowed him to burst into collisions, and then his equally swift feet enabled him to back out before opponents knew what had happened.

Question: If you were watching a Clay boxing match, you most likely would see Clay
  1. dancing around his opponent.
  2. protecting his face with his hands.
  3. firing punch after punch at his opponent.
  4. never backing away from his opponent.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe an example of a particularly vivid scene from a selection. Explain what technique the author used to create such a clear picture of the setting or event you found memorable.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

Description: Interpreting Word Meaning

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: H-19

H-19

Grade level: 8
Word count: 1703 words
Author: Claire O'Connell
Synopsis: People from many cultures adorn their bodies for different reasons.
Excerpt: Tattooing and body piercing spread among the upper classes in Europe in the 19th century, most widely in Great Britain. There was a rumor that even Queen Victoria had a small tattoo. Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II, discovered that his mother had a tattoo of a snake around her wrist. She covered her tattoo with a diamond bracelet when she was in "polite" company.

Question: In this excerpt, what does the author mean by the phrase "polite company"?
  1. the well-bred class
  2. the knighted class
  3. the religious class
  4. the merchant class

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe three or more words that you learned recently by reading Non-fiction texts about a certain topic. Explain why knowing these words has helped you better understand the topic.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4B: Interpreting Analogies

4B: Interpreting Analogies

Description: Interpreting Analogies

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: H-20

H-20

Grade level: 8
Word count: 1811 words
Author: Diane Lang
Synopsis: It wasn't easy for Jackie Robinson to keep his cool in response to offensive racial comments.
Excerpt: Robinson broke the color barrier in sports and paved the way for generations of African American athletes. While his efforts did not eradicate racism in the nation, he was instrumental in bringing an end to racial segregation in professional baseball. Baseball might be only a game, but in the area of racial equality, baseball was a leader.

Question: In this excerpt, what is meant by the phrase, "baseball was a leader"?
  1. It accepted African Americans before many other more important institutions practiced racial equality.
  2. It was the first sport to attract fans from all races and religions.
  3. It recruited African American players who were groomed to become leaders on their teams.
  4. It enabled African American players to get leadership jobs after retiring from baseball.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Draw five columns and label each one with one of your five senses. Find examples of figurative language from selections you have read that relate to each sense.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

5A: Examining Text Structure

5A: Examining Text Structure

Description: Examining Text Structure

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: H-24

H-24

Grade level: 8
Word count: 1674 words
Author: Travis J. Best
Synopsis: Jesse Ventura launched himself from the wrestling ring to the governor's mansion.
Excerpt: Without wrestling he never would have had the notoriety to run for office, or possibly even be in movies. Without holding the prestigious office of mayor he never could have hoped to successfully run for the even more prestigious one as governor.

Question: Based on this excerpt, which two answers describe the relationship between these two sentences?
  1. cause and effect
  2. chronological order
  3. problem and solution
  4. main idea and supporting detail
  5. right and wrong

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Explain an author's use of description in a selection, and how the description shaped the way you viewed and understood the person, object, or event described.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone

6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone

Description: Recognizing Mood and Tone

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: H-30

H-30

Grade level: 8
Word count: 1737 words
Author: Tuck Danbridge
Synopsis: Jim Thorpe's tribal name, meaning "bright path," reflected his journey to fame.
Excerpt: Eventually Thorpe convinced his coach to let him give the pigskin a shot. Warner figured that as soon as Thorpe took a strong hit, he would just give up and return to contact-free track. But Jim was far too good at football for that to hold true. He "ran around past and through them not once, but twice," and proved that his athletic skills could translate to any sport. He walked over to his coach, tossed him the ball, and said "nobody is going to tackle Jim."

Question: In this excerpt, Thorpe's comment to his coach was probably spoken in a tone of
  1. confidence.
  2. appreciation.
  3. uncertainty.
  4. sympathy.

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