All States » NJ » Grade 5 » Reading » NJSLSA.R1

NJSLSA.R1

Description: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences and relevant connections from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Maps to Reading Plus skills: 1A, 1A, 1B, 1B, 2B, 3A, 3A, 3C, 3C, 4C, 5A, 6B, 8A, 9A, 9B

Exemplars

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

Description: Identifying explicit details including character, time, setting and speaker

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: E-18

E-18

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1705 words
Author: Anonymous
Synopsis: In this classic myth, the gods need someone to build a strong stone fortress. A very strong stranger says he'll do the job.
Excerpt: The glory of Odin's house was its wondrous hall, Valhalla. This was the Hall of Heroes. The hall was where Odin received those brave warriors who had died in battle on the earth below. A happy life it was for the heroes, and for all who dwelt in the city. This was before trouble had come among the gods.

Question: What does the name "Valhalla" mean?
  1. "Hall of Heroes"
  2. "Book of the Gods"
  3. "Place of Power"
  4. "Castle of Crime"

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Imagine you are a character in a selection you read. What are some things you might say as that character?

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

Description: Drawing Conclusions, Making Inferences from information in text

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-7

HiE-7

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1571 words
Author: W. W. Jacobs
Synopsis: A man gets a mysterious object that can make wishes come true. Will it bring him everything he ever hoped for?
Excerpt: Mr. White examined his new possession closely, asking, "How does it work?"

"Hold it in your right hand and wish aloud," said Sergeant-Major Morris, "but I warn you of the consequences."

Mr. White dropped the talisman back in his pocket, where it stayed throughout the duration of the visit and was thus forgotten.

Question: Reread this excerpt. What does the word "talisman" mean?
  1. an object thought to have magic powers
  2. a person who warns others of danger
  3. a pocket sewn into the front of a coat or jacket
  4. an idea that leads to an experiment

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Choose a selection you have read. Who is telling the story? What clues helped you identify who is speaking?

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

3A: Predicting Outcomes

3A: Predicting Outcomes

Description: Predicting Outcomes

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-18

HiE-18

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1708 words
Author: Anonymous
Synopsis: A Knight of the Round Table sets off on an adventure that will change his life.
Excerpt: Among King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table was one who was a mixture of good and evil, as indeed most people are. His name was Sir Ivaine. He was a brave, kind-hearted, and merry knight. But he also had a fickle manner about him, was sometimes forgetful of his promises, and was inclined to make light of serious matters.

"This ring," she said, "is the one Sir Ivaine gave my lady on the day they wed. She returns it now, vowing never to see him again because he has broken his promise to her." The first day of the tournament had fallen on the first day of the spring season. His year and a day had more than passed. He had forgotten his promise!

Question: The knowledge that Sir Ivaine is "fickle...and sometimes forgetful" is important because it gives the idea that he will, at some point,
  1. act in a careless way.
  2. be praised for his bravery.
  3. think of a clever plan.
  4. lose his courage.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Tell about two clues in the selection that helped you figure out the ending.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect

3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect

Description: Analyzing Cause and Effect

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-24

HiE-24

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1707 words
Author: Anonymous
Synopsis: In this classic Norse myth, the gods need someone to build a strong stone fortress. Out of nowhere, a very strong stranger says he'll do the job. Sounds good -- right?
Excerpt: "I ask but a small price," the stranger replied. "I ask you to give me Freia for my wife, and those two sparkling jewels, the Sun and Moon."

At this demand the gods looked grave. Freia was their dearest treasure. She was the most beloved maid, the light and life of heaven. If she should leave their beautiful city, joy would go with her. And the Sun and Moon were the light and life of the men who lived in the world below.

Question: Why were the gods doubtful about agreeing to the stranger's price to build the fortress?
  1. They were afraid they might lose Freia, the Sun, and the Moon.
  2. They were afraid that they would have no money left after they paid the stranger.
  3. They thought the stranger might know other people who could help him build.
  4. They thought the fortress, even though it was going to be huge, should not cost that much.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Write a new, different ending for a selection that changes the lesson (or theme) of the selection.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4C: Visualizing

4C: Visualizing

Description: Visualizing

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-35

HiE-35

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1620 words
Author: Anton Chekov
Synopsis: Winning the lottery may bring financial security to a family, but it can also damage personal relationships.
Excerpt: Ivan Dmitritch remembered his own relatives, and their faces, at which he had looked impartially in the past, struck him now as repulsive and hateful.

"They are such reptiles!" he thought.

Question: Ivan describes the faces of his relatives as "repulsive and hateful." He sees his relatives as
  1. reptiles.
  2. monkeys.
  3. squirrels.
  4. fish.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Draw a picture of something that happened in a selection.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

6B: Recognizing Persuasion

6B: Recognizing Persuasion

Description: Recognizing Persuasive Devices

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-7

HiE-7

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1571 words
Author: W. W. Jacobs
Synopsis: A man gets a mysterious object that can make wishes come true. Will it bring him everything he ever hoped for?
Excerpt: Mr. White examined his new possession closely, asking, "How does it work?"

"Hold it in your right hand and wish aloud," said Sergeant-Major Morris, "but I warn you of the consequences."

Question: What does Sergeant-Major Morris say to discourage the Whites from using the monkey's paw?
  1. "I warn you of the consequences."
  2. "It looks like an ordinary little paw."
  3. "An old holy man in India put a spell on it."
  4. "I once thought of selling it."

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Do your personal interests help you decide which selections to read? Describe three selections you liked because they discussed your special interest.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

9A: Comparing/Contrasting

9A: Comparing/Contrasting

Description: Compare, Contrast, and/or Integrate

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: E-55

E-55

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1842 words
Author: Mike Ciecierski
Synopsis: When it's time to think about a career, follow your interests. Work is more pleasant if you get to do something you enjoy.
Excerpt: However, when she was not talking on the phone, Nick's mom always talked to him about school and careers. She wanted him to become a doctor. She said Nick had a talent for science, so a career in medicine was the right one for him. He had something else he wanted to do.

Although his mom wanted him to be a doctor, Nick thought the career he would really want was to make movies.

As he passed the coffee shop, he recognized his neighbor, a man who sat at the corner table and drew in a sketch book. Nick knew that the man was a successful artist. One time when Nick and his mom were in the coffee shop, the man talked to them about his work. He had said, "When I was young I had a real talent for art. But my father wanted me to be a bus driver, so that's what I did. After many unhappy years in that career, I decided that art was what I was supposed to do. So I corrected the mistake I made. Now I do the kind of work I love."

Question: Read these two excerpts from the selection. In what way are Nick and the man in the coffee shop alike?
  1. They both wanted to pursue a career that was different from the one a parent suggested.
  2. They were both interested in making movies.
  3. They both followed a parent's advice and pursued careers they did not like.
  4. They both had a parent who was a doctor.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: How is the life of a character in a selection similar to (or different from) your own life?

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

Description: Identifying explicit details including character, time, setting and speaker

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-2

HiE-2

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1606 words
Author: Randi Bender
Synopsis: When will an earthquake strike? We really don't know. But we do know why they happen.
Excerpt: Earthquakes are measured using the Richter Scale. This is a system that assigns a number based on how much power an earthquake has. Special instruments measure the energy in an earthquake, which is then assigned a number on the scale.

Question: The Richter Scale measures
  1. the energy of an earthquake.
  2. the level of noise created by an earthquake.
  3. the size of the sea waves in earthquakes that happen under water.
  4. the location of an earthquake.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Create a diagram that lists the following information about a selection: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

Description: Drawing Conclusions, Making Inferences from information in text

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: E-2

E-2

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1433 words
Author: Nancy McConnell
Synopsis: The Hubble telescope is our doorway to the wonders of the universe.
Excerpt: The Hubble also has taken pictures that may show how a new planet is born. These pictures show that dust, in the shape of a disk, forms around stars. Scientists believe these disks may become planets. Because of the Hubble's data, scientists think that new planets may form in many parts of the universe. Hubble also has sent us images of new stars being born.

Question: Based on what you read in this selection, which is correct?
  1. Hubble has confirmed that the universe is always growing and changing.
  2. Hubble has shown us water exists on many other planets in the universe.
  3. Hubble has warned us that the universe will soon be too crowded.
  4. Hubble has proven that Earth is the only planet in the universe.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe the clues in a selection that helped you determine the selection's main idea.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

3A: Predicting Outcomes

3A: Predicting Outcomes

Description: Predicting Outcomes

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-11

HiE-11

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1713 words
Author: Dustin Rowland
Synopsis: In some parts of the world, animals are built to survive in temperatures that humans could not bear.
Excerpt: Because it does not mind the heat, the silver ant will actually choose the hottest time of day to search for food. In fact, the silver ant becomes active only when temperatures reach at least 115 degrees. Although they can survive for only eight to ten minutes in that heat without burning up, they choose this time for a reason.

Question: According to the selection, if the silver ant takes longer than ten minutes to search for food, it will
  1. burn up and die.
  2. starve to death.
  3. freeze to death.
  4. change its color.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Use a selection you have read to finish this statement: "If only (a character) had done (this action) instead of (this action), then (make a prediction about what might have happened)." Use details from the selection to explain and support your prediction.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect

3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect

Description: Analyzing Cause and Effect

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-3

HiE-3

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1582 words
Author: Ben Robinson
Synopsis: Tony Hawk is a skateboarding legend. He is known for his fearless, record-breaking skating as well as his business success.
Excerpt: Because skating is such a risky sport, the skate parks needed to have insurance. The parks had to pay money to insurance companies in case a skater was injured. If the number of skaters increased, then the insurance costs increased. High insurance costs forced many skate parks to close, so skaters did not have a place to enjoy their sport.

Question: According to the selection, high insurance costs led to
  1. skate park closures.
  2. new rules about skateboard safety.
  3. some sponsors paying Tony Hawk more money.
  4. the creation of new skate parks.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Create a "chain of events" diagram for a selection.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

5A: Examining Text Structure

5A: Examining Text Structure

Description: Examining Text Structure

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-30

HiE-30

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1520 words
Author: Phyllis Wilner
Synopsis: Two organizations, MADD and SADD, continue to lead the fight against drunk driving.
Excerpt: Together with a group of high school students, Robert formed a group called Students Against Drunk Driving, or SADD. SADD's goal was to make the kids themselves face up to the dangers of drunk driving, and to do something about it.

Today, SADD stands for Student Against Destructive Decisions. It addresses other important issues such as drug use and peer pressure in addition to teenage drinking and driving. There are now more than 10,000 chapters in middle schools, high schools, and colleges throughout the country. The students organize and run each new SADD chapter. They get help from an adult adviser.

Question: SADD was originally formed to help students understand the dangers of drunk driving. Which two sentences in this excerpt best explain the change and growth in the ongoing mission of SADD?

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe an author's use of symbols in a selection that you have read. Explain what the symbols mean and how they connect to the characters and events in the selection.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

8A: Judging Validity

8A: Judging Validity

Description: Judge Validity

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: HiE-38

HiE-38

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1581 words
Author: Courtney Triola
Synopsis: There are many sphinxes in the world. You might even know a few.
Excerpt: Although most scientists believe King Khafre was responsible for building the Great Sphinx, there are those who argue against this view. Some believe the Great Sphinx was built by Khufu, King Khafre's father. Khufu had built the first Great Pyramid. Others believe the Great Sphinx is older than both Khafre and Khufu. Researchers who worked at the Giza site in the 1850s unearthed an ancient text. This ancient text told how Khufu found the Great Sphinx buried in the sand.

Question: This excerpt explains that some scientists think the Great Sphinx at Giza is older than both Kings Khufu and Khafre. Choose the sentence that gives evidence to support this.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe at least five ways you can tell if a selection is true or not true. Use examples from selections you have read to support your statements.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

9B: Classifying

9B: Classifying

Description: Classify

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: E-56

E-56

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1276 words
Author: Pauline Bartel
Synopsis: During the 1800s, hundreds of thousands of people risked their lives to create a new home in the West.
Excerpt: Why would people want to go to the West? Many headed there for the opportunity to farm on good land. Some had heard that there was less risk of disease in the West. And some went there for religious freedom.

Question: Three of the following describe reasons why people chose to travel to the West. Which one of the following was NOT a reason?
  1. People wanted to live in a warmer climate
  2. People wanted freedom of religion.
  3. People wanted opportunities to farm good land.
  4. People wanted payment from the government.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: After reading a non-fiction selection, group facts from the selection under appropriate headings.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

Description: Determining Relative Importance

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: E-43

E-43

Grade level: 5
Word count: 1419 words
Author: Erica Cirino
Synopsis: Swamps, mangroves, and alligators are all part of the Florida Everglades. In some ways this wetland environment has changed over time, but in other ways it has not.
Excerpt: One kind of tree you would see in Ten Thousand Islands is the mangrove. The mangrove tree has long roots that look like skinny legs. The roots stick up high above the land. If the land is covered with water, a little section of the root can stick out of the water.

These long roots help the tree to live in a place where there is a blend of ocean water and fresh water. The roots take in ocean water and fresh water from the swamp. Then, they get rid of much of the salt in the ocean water. The roots get rid of the salt so it does not hurt other sections of the tree.

Mangrove trees grow near one another and the roots from different mangrove trees twist together. The roots twist together so much that they form a thick wall. The wall of twisted roots is so thick that you would have a hard time walking through a mangrove forest.

Question: Three of these statements about mangrove trees are correct. Which one is NOT correct?
  1. Mangrove tree roots never touch one another.
  2. Mangrove trees have roots that are long and thin.
  3. Mangrove tree roots stick up above the land.
  4. Mangrove tree roots take in fresh and ocean water.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe two important details that support the main idea of a selection and two other details that are not important to the main idea.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions