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6.2.B

Description: Use context such as definition, analogy, and examples to clarify the meaning of words.
Maps to Reading Plus skills: 2C, 4A, 4A

Exemplars

2C: Summarizing

2C: Summarizing

Description: Summarizing

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: F-51

F-51

Grade level: 6
Word count: 1334 words
Author: Barbara D. Krasner
Synopsis: Immigrants to the United States had to pass physical examinations, and a chalk mark on the shoulder indicated their result.
Excerpt: After several hours, the Palmieris approached the inspectors' desks at the back of the Great Hall. A man checked their tags and spoke to Mama in Italian.

The inspector checked her responses against the information on the ship's manifest. He seemed to be satisfied. One official handed "landing cards" to Mama, Angelina, and her sisters. Feeling relief and excitement, they made their way back downstairs and collected their bags.

Question: According to this part in the selection, what is a "landing card"?
  1. a document permitting entry into the United States
  2. a notation in the passenger list of a ship's manifest
  3. a ticket needed to board the ferry to Ellis Island
  4. an indication that an immigrant was in good health

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Imagine you are an attorney. Prepare a summation of a selection you have read to present to a jury for deliberation.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

Description: Interpreting Word Meaning

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: F-12

F-12

Grade level: 6
Word count: 1756 words
Author: Mike Buchanan and Diane Lang
Synopsis: A lost pet uses every ounce of his energy to find his way home.
Excerpt: I read that some experts believe dogs have their own kind of system to find their way home again. It's like a map in their heads and kind of works like the Global Positioning System, or GPS, that's used to direct satellites in space. It's believed the dogs use not only their senses of smell but also their memories of home and comfort to help them return, which is why it was nicknamed "emotional GPS."

Question: Based on this excerpt, why is the word "emotional" used in the nickname "emotional GPS"?
  1. to show that dogs use their feelings rather than their knowledge
  2. to demonstrate that dogs cannot be trusted with their navigation skills
  3. to contrast it with scientific GPS systems that use satellites
  4. to describe the sensitivity of a dog's sense of smell

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Explain how a character's actions or attitude can change the meaning of a word or phrase.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

Description: Interpreting Word Meaning

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: F-17

F-17

Grade level: 6
Word count: 1710 words
Author: Randi Bender
Synopsis: At the U.S. Space Camp, campers find out what it is like to work and travel in space.
Excerpt: The sky is not the limit for the thousands of people who go to space camps. At space camp, children, teenagers, and adults can experience the closest thing to space travel on Earth. A week at space camp can be the first small step in a longer journey that may well take campers into deep space.

Question: In this excerpt, what does the author mean by, "The sky is not the limit for thousands of people who go to space camp"?
  1. Space campers have many opportunities to learn about different aspects of space.
  2. Space campers are limited in what they can learn about space.
  3. Space campers become qualified to travel on a real space mission.
  4. Space campers leave Earth's atmosphere during their week at camp.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe how the knowledge of another language can help you understand a new word or phrase you read in English.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions