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RL.5.4

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, recognizing specific word choices that contribute to meaning and tone.
Maps to Reading Plus skills: 4A, 4C, 6A, 6C, 6C

Exemplars

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

Description: Interpreting Word Meaning

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-36

HiE-36

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1658 words
Author: Horace E. Scudder
Synopsis: This classic legend tells about Dutch sailors who must spend eternity sailing the ocean.
Excerpt: The next day, as the ship drew near the Cape of Good Hope, the captain walked the deck with Otto. As they talked, they were grabbed from behind. Members of the crew tightly bound the captain and Otto. At the same instant, other sailors grabbed the ship's two officers and they too were bound. Now the ship was in the hands of the crew.

These wicked men made short work. They threw the captain, Otto, and the two mates into the sea. "Dead men tell no tales," said the man at the wheel.

Question: Read this excerpt. The man at the ship's wheel said, "Dead men tell no tales." What does this mean?
  1. Those who are no longer living cannot tell others what really happened.
  2. Those who help others will always receive help themselves.
  3. Those who spend many years on the sea often have lonely lives.
  4. Those who work only for money will not find true love or happiness.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Find examples in five selections of words that describe things you can hear, see, or touch.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

6A: Recognizing Author's Intent

6A: Recognizing Author's Intent

Description: Recognizing Author's Purpose

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-58

HiE-58

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1062 words
Author: Joanne Lukens
Synopsis: While a young girl dances at a festival, her mother is far away in another country. Will the mother get to see her daughter's special dance?
Excerpt: As she reached to shake the hand of the American president, there was a sudden click, click, click of photographers' cameras.

Question: Read this part from the selection. Why does the author include the words "click, click, click"?
  1. to demonstrate that there were many cameras taking pictures
  2. to prove that the president liked to have his picture taken
  3. to explain why Margarita was afraid to meet the president
  4. to show that cameras make a sound when they are working properly

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Write a letter to the author of a selection you really enjoyed. Suggests ideas for similar selections the the author should write.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone

6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone

Description: Recognizing Mood and Tone

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-69

HiE-69

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1316 words
Author: Judy Dodge Cummings
Synopsis: A contest between tribes is important in more than one way.
Excerpt: Dyami's chest rose rapidly as he struggled to calm his frustration and fear. Aystan would not allow his dream to happen! His responsibilities to the tribe and fear for his son's safety were too strong. "But will the Creator be satisfied with Aystan, instead of me?" Dyami whispered.

Question: The mood in this excerpt can best be described as
  1. worried and nervous.
  2. excited and joyous.
  3. lonely and afraid.
  4. tired and uninterested.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Give examples of words from a selection that made the selection seem funny. Explain how these words help you know the selection is meant to be funny.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4C: Visualizing

4C: Visualizing

Description: Visualizing

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-20

HiE-20

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1417 words
Author: Kate Carter
Synopsis: There's a festival for just about every occasion you can imagine (and some you can't).
Excerpt: Every December in Oaxaca, Spain, there's the Night of the Radishes, which features animals, dancers, kings, and just about everything else you can think of, all carved from the small red vegetable. Before the event, each radish artist will spend three days at work on the vegetables, and all the vegetable art will compete for the top prize.

Question: Based on this excerpt, which of the following best describes the Night of the Radishes festival?
  1. creative and artistic
  2. loud and energetic
  3. chaotic and exhausting
  4. serious and intense

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: List words and phrases in a selection that helped you form a picture of a place, object, or event in a selection.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone

6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone

Description: Recognizing Mood and Tone

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-8

HiE-8

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1459 words
Author: Catherine Ferguson
Synopsis: Mae Jemison, an African American woman born in a time of segregation, accomplished some amazing things.
Excerpt: Dr. Mae Jemison is an African American woman who was born during a time of segregation. However, she never let that hold her back from having very high goals. Dr. Jemison excelled at everything she set out to do. She became a doctor, a scientist, a businesswoman, and an astronaut. She not only reached for the stars, but also got to visit them.

Question: By the end, what is the overall tone, or "feeling," of this selection?
  1. confident
  2. unsure
  3. dreamy
  4. bossy

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: What words does an author use to create an excited or adventurous mood? Use details from a selection you have read to support and explain your answer.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions