Reading Plus State Standards Alignment: Exemplars

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: F-6

Excerpt: "My husband has built at least five balloons of different sizes to use as observation posts," explained Mrs. Lowe. "Realizing the need to refuel the balloons frequently, he also invented and operated a portable gas generator that could be transported to positions near the battlefields."

The driver nodded and said, "What did I hear about your sending valuable intelligence reports about Falls Church?"

"That was an exciting encounter. I was in Arlington, Virginia, high above the countryside, and I was able to telegraph intelligence on the Confederate troops so that the Union soldiers could take aim at the enemy and maintain fire on them without even seeing them."

Question: Which two major contributions did Mr. Lowe make to the war effort?

He sent valuable information on enemy troop positions.
He invented a portable gas generator to fuel balloons.
He wounded his arm in a hot air balloon accident.
He fired on the enemy without even seeing them.
He spent most of his time on a barge in the river.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Create a new graphic organizer that indicates a selection's main idea, characters, and supporting details, and how these three areas intersect.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: F-7

Excerpt: There was clearly nothing to do but throw herself down on the shabby little couch and howl, so Della did. Her cries echoed off the bare walls of the tiny apartment, which was a furnished flat at $8 per week. "Furnished" is a questionable word here, since the apartment was nearly empty, holding only the shabby couch, a sagging bed, and a small dining table with two chairs, all equally worn down with age and use.

Question: From what you have read, you can tell that Della and Jim lived in

a small, worn-down apartment.
a comfortable country cottage.
a large townhouse in the city.
a small room in Della's parents' house.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe how you arrived at conclusions about a selection's main idea and characters if information about these text elements was not directly stated.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

SeeReader
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Selection: F-8

Excerpt: Now the Sheriff of Nottingham declared that he himself would bring this knave Robin Hood to justice, and for two reasons. First, he wanted the two hundred pounds. And second, the forester that Robin Hood had killed was of kin to him.

Question: The Sheriff of Nottingham planned to capture Robin because he wanted the

reward.
honor.
power.
deer.

Writing
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Writing prompt: Develop a survey that asks readers to rate different elements (characters, actions, events, motivations, etc.) in a selection according to their importance to the plot.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

3A: Predicting Outcomes

SeeReader
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Selection: F-26

Excerpt: Perhaps some day its mystery will be solved. The U.S. Geologic Survey decided to spend no more time on trying to uncover the mystery of the earth cookie, but the students at the Jefferson Elementary School may still be working on the case. We may be hearing from them yet!

Question: Based on this excerpt, what does the author think might be the outcome of the earth cookie mystery?

It may be solved one day.
It will always remain a mystery.
It will be forgotten by everyone.
It will be proved to have been a hoax.

Writing
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Writing prompt: Propose an alternative ending or conclusion to a selection and provide an argument why your new text is an improvement.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4C: Visualizing

SeeReader
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Selection: F-26

Excerpt: The "something" turned out to be a flat, right-side-up slab of earth. It was about two feet thick, with a pear-shaped crown of mowed grain and wild grass. It was ten feet long at its longest point and almost eight feet at its widest point. Its rim, Rick recalled, had a smooth wall, and it looked as if it had been cut by a giant pear-shaped cookie cutter.

Question: The slab of earth that Rick Timm found in the middle of the wheat field

looked like a giant pear-shaped cookie.
appeared to be made of solid rock.
consisted of a small patch of wild grass.
was shaped like a large dairy cow.

Writing
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Writing prompt: Describe how you relate scenes you visualize from reading with real life scenes. Give examples.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

7C: Interpreting Images

SeeReader
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Selection: F-18

Image:

Question: How would this image have looked different 250 million years ago?

Earth would have only one big landform.
The continents would be tiny islands.
There would be more than seven continents.
Earth's surface would be covered in lava.

Writing
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Writing prompt: Choose an image from a fictional selection you have read. Use the image as inspiration to write a new nonfiction piece on the same topic.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: F-1

Excerpt: The first shoe fad started in the 14th century in Europe. Both men and women wore slippers with long points at the front of the shoes. These slippers were called poulaines. Over time, poulaines were created with longer and longer points until they became a hazard. The wearers tripped over the points!

Question: Read this excerpt from the selection. This example of a shoe fad shows that

some shoes could cause injuries.
men had no interest in fancy footwear.
most people wore a wide-width shoe.
people preferred boots to slippers.

Writing
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Writing prompt: Explain how prior knowledge helped you infer information from a selection.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

SeeReader
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Selection: F-2

Excerpt: Greetings are universal customs, but they are given in many ways. In most major cities around the world, you would never say hello to strangers on the street. Greeting strangers is common in small towns, where not saying hello to everyone you pass might be considered rude. In Muslim countries, however, men and women do not speak unless they already know each other. To do so would be to commit a major etiquette mistake.

Question: Which of the following would be considered an etiquette mistake?

saying hello to strangers on the street in a Muslim country
accompanying a handshake with a smile in South Africa
shaking hands with everyone in the room in Cameroon
asking questions about a person's health in Kenya

Writing
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Writing prompt: List two to four supporting characters in a selection and explain their relationship to the selection's main protagonist.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

2C: Summarizing

SeeReader
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Selection: F-3

Excerpt: Gie-Ming would take Jeremy and his two brothers to the local YMCA to run drills every day after school. He made them practice the same things over and over to perfect them. Bird's picture-perfect jump shot. Magic's kickout passes. Kareem-Abdul Jabbar's famous overhead skyhook, something very rare for a guard to perfect. Gie-Ming pushed them hard, but the boys were game; they could not wait to hit the gym and keep getting better.

Question: Which saying characterized the training Lin received from his dad on the court?

Practice makes perfect.
First things first.
Nice guys finish last.
It's what on the inside that counts.

Writing
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Writing prompt: Create a news report based on a selection you have read. Report facts from the selection as well as additional facts you researched from reputable sources.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

SeeReader
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Selection: F-1

Excerpt: At that time, six people died while mountain climbing in the Swiss Alps, which was partly due to their improper footwear. This inspired a friend of the climbers to create a new shoe sole.

Two years later, he patented his invention of a rubber sole that resisted abrasion and provided superb traction on all sorts of surfaces. In 1954 the first successful climb of K2, the second highest mountain in the world, was made by hikers wearing shoes with these soles.

Question: Based on this selection, which shoe characteristic is most important for mountain-climbers?

traction
length
price
warmth

Writing
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Writing prompt: Create a Facebook fan page for a selection. Include the most important information to share with fans.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

3A: Predicting Outcomes

SeeReader
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Selection: F-4

Excerpt: There are many, many more exoplanets than the eight planets in our solar system. There are 760 so far, and scientists have only just begun to find them. It makes sense to assume that some of these far away planets might be very much like Earth. Some rocky planets probably have plenty of water on their surface, and stay at a temperature between freezing and boiling most of the time. These two conditions could make it possible for Earth-like life to exist.

Question: From what you have read, which of the following is most likely?

Some exoplanets could resemble Earth in their composition and climate.
There are not many more exoplanets than the eight planets in our solar system.
Astronauts are now training for missions to the farthest exoplanet.
We will never know whether exoplanets really exist in our solar system.

Writing
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Writing prompt: Describe three things that happened in a selection and how they foreshadowed subsequent events.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

3B: Analyzing Plot/Character

SeeReader
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Selection: F-5

Excerpt: Times were anything but easy for Keeth. With all the odds stacked against him and so much sadness in his life, he could have very well quit the sport of fencing, but he was not to be defeated. For Keeth, neither quitting nor failure was an option. He devoted himself to the sport of fencing more intensely than ever. He used the training and competitions to distract himself from his grief, and to prove that his parents were right to get him into the sport in the first place.

Question: Which two details contribute to the reader's understanding of Keeth Smart's character?

He never considered quitting or failing.
He put a lot of effort into his training.
He took a break from competitions.
He never was confident in his skills.
He was slow to recognize his potential.

Writing
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Writing prompt: Describe a character with whom you empathize, and explain why you feel this way.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect

SeeReader
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Selection: F-10

Excerpt: Ochoa's Hispanic roots come from her father's side of the family. His parents were Mexican, but he was born in the United States. Her father grew up speaking both Spanish and English, but he did not like to speak Spanish in front of his children. On speaking engagements, Ochoa tells audiences, "When I was growing up, my father believed, as many people did at the time, that there was prejudice against people speaking their native language. It's really too bad, and I'm glad that things have changed in recent years."

Question: Why did Ochoa say her father was reluctant to speak Spanish in front of his children?

He did not want to attract prejudice.
He spend most of his youth in Mexico.
He did not want them to make fun of him.
His children would not listen him.

Writing
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Writing prompt: Describe the cause and effect relationship in a selection you read.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4C: Visualizing

SeeReader
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Selection: F-19

Excerpt: Riding also helps improve a disabled person's confidence. It takes courage for Sarah to get up onto a 1,000-pound animal. Telling that big animal what to do, and then having him actually do it, is really satisfying for Sarah. In just about every other aspect of her life, people are directing Sarah, helping her make decisions, and telling her what she can and can't do.

Question: When Sarah sits up high in the saddle, what kind of expression would you see on her face?

one of confidence and control
one of boldness and self-importance
one of peace and calmness
one of shyness and caution

Writing
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Writing prompt: Pick an event from a selection and describe how you would make it into a scene for a movie.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4B: Interpreting Analogies

SeeReader
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Selection: F-20

Excerpt: As you can see, inspiration comes in many forms, and from many people. It can be the simple words that change the soul of a nation, a stirring song that brings our chin back up, or the actions of a heroic athlete who has chosen to overcome challenges. We are all fortunate that these words, songs, and people exist because they remind us of what individuals are all capable of doing, and that their triumph can become our own.

Question: Based on this excerpt, which sound does the author say can be a source of inspiration?

the singing of an uplifting song
the sound of a race's starting signal
the taunts of the opposing competitors
the rhythm of runners' feet on the track

Writing
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Writing prompt: Give three examples of how an author used analogies to explain confusing or complex ideas by comparing them to something familiar.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

6B: Recognizing Persuasion

SeeReader
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Selection: F-13

Excerpt: Only so much can be done about invader species as strong as kudzu and bamboo. It takes a lot of work to remove these plants from anywhere they have taken root. With species invasions this powerful, sometimes the only thing a person can do is learn to live with the invader.

Question: At the end of the selection, what does the author feel is a practical reaction to a strong kudzu invasion?

acceptance
anger
delight
relief

Writing
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Writing prompt: Write a newspaper editorial or blog post to support an opinion expressed in a selection you read.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

6A: Recognizing Author's Intent

SeeReader
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Selection: F-45

Excerpt: You also notice that there are very few old people. People do not live long lives. Half of the population is age 21 or younger. Many people die from disease. One of the worst of these, known as the Black Plague, swept across Europe in waves in the mid-1300s. This dreadful disease took the lives of half the population, including many children. Childbirth is also a serious health hazard, taking the lives of about one woman in five. A similar percent of babies do not live to see their first birthday.

Question: How does the author explain the small number of old people in the village?

by describing some diseases that caused people to die young
by stating that old people had to leave their homes to find work
by showing that the rich were treated better than the poor
by highlighting how villagers treated their oldest members with respect

Writing
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Writing prompt: What was the author's primary intent when he or she wrote a selection? What other objectives might the author have had in mind when writing the selection?

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

9A: Comparing/Contrasting

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Selection: F-43

Excerpt: The people of ancient China thought an eclipse was a dragon eating the sun. In fact, the ancient Chinese word for eclipse means, "to eat." They also thought this same dragon attacked the moon during a lunar eclipse.

The people of Korea had a myth about eclipses. In this myth, a king ordered two fire dogs to capture the sun or the moon. Each time they took a bite out of the sun or moon, an eclipse took place.

The ancient Vikings of northern Europe thought an eclipse happened when a pair of sky wolves took a bite out of the sun or moon. And the people of Vietnam once believed a similar story, but in their myth a frog or toad ate the moon.

Question: Ancient civilizations created stories to explain what happened to the sun during an eclipse. A common theme among these stories is

an animal ate the sun.
the sun grows stronger.
humans ran away from the sun.
a god scared away the sun.

Writing
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Writing prompt: Describe how the world today compares and contrasts with the setting of a selection that takes place in the past. Include at least three examples.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

9B: Classifying

SeeReader
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Selection: F-67

Excerpt: One of Babbage's marvels was the "Silver Dancer," a beautiful metal automaton (a doll moved by clockwork) that danced on a table holding a flapping metal bird. Visitors loved to watch it twirl, but Ada was more interested in the machinery inside.

People called his ideas "thinking machines," but few really understood how they would perform. Ada was an exception. She asked for copies of the plans so she could examine them. Babbage, in turn, was impressed by Ada, calling her "The Enchantress of Numbers." They took long walks together, discussing science and math.

Question: From these two excerpts, you could describe Ada and Charles Babbage in which two of the following ways?

inquisitive
analytical
unconcerned
traditional
unprolific

Writing
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Writing prompt: Make a list of selections you have read and classify them under the headings: Mystery, Nature, Sports, History.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

R.1

Exemplars

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

SeeReader ✓ standard met

F-6

Writing ✓ standard met

Evaluator

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

SeeReader ✓ standard met

F-7

Writing ✓ standard met

Evaluator

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

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F-8

Writing ✓ standard met

Evaluator

3A: Predicting Outcomes

3A: Predicting Outcomes

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F-26

Writing ✓ standard met

Evaluator

4C: Visualizing

4C: Visualizing

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F-26

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Evaluator

7C: Interpreting Images

7C: Interpreting Images

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F-18

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Evaluator

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

SeeReader ✓ standard met

F-1

Writing ✓ standard met

Evaluator

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

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F-2

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Evaluator

2C: Summarizing

2C: Summarizing

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F-3

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Evaluator

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

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F-1

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Evaluator

3A: Predicting Outcomes

3A: Predicting Outcomes

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F-4

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Evaluator

3B: Analyzing Plot/Character

3B: Analyzing Plot/Character

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F-5

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Evaluator

3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect

3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect

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F-10

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