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R.9.5.d

Description: Recognize an author’s intended purpose for writing and identify the main idea.
Maps to Reading Plus skills: 1A, 2A, 2C, 6A, 6B

Exemplars

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

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

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: I-1

I-1

Grade level: 9
Word count: 1740 words
Author: Peter Kupfer
Synopsis: Many bright minds came together to make the new Bay Bridge in San Francisco a technological wonder.
Excerpt: The idea of building a bridge between San Francisco and Oakland had been discussed since the California Gold Rush in the 1840s, but because the water separating the two cities was so wide (more than four miles) and so deep (more than 100 feet in some places), many people thought it would be too challenging and too costly to build. Finally, in 1926, the state of California set up a special commission to plan and build a bridge connecting the two cities. The commission decided that the most suitable solution was to build two separate bridges linked by Yerba Buena Island.

Question: Why did people think it would be too difficult to build the original Bay Bridge?
  1. The water at the building site was so wide and deep.
  2. Steel would have to be shipped from the East Coast.
  3. No suitable locations could be found on each shore.
  4. A special commission said there was no money to pay for it.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Create a website for a non-fiction selection you read. Include the main idea and supporting details. Include images that would help viewers of your website better understand the topic.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

2A: Determining Main Idea

2A: Determining Main Idea

Description: Determining Main Idea and Themes

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: I-9

I-9

Grade level: 9
Word count: 1814 words
Author: Tamara Smith
Synopsis: Want to change the world? Then do what Wangari did: plant a tree.
Excerpt: No excerpt is available for this question.
Question: This selection is mainly about Wangari Maathai and how
  1. she was instrumental in transforming both environmental policies and human rights issues.
  2. her Green Belt movement came under constant attack by government officials who thought it was too radical.
  3. her political success paved the way for other women to obtain high-ranking government positions.
  4. she helped end gender discrimination when she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Using the Internet or other research tools, find three additional pieces of information that support the main idea stated in the selection.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

2C: Summarizing

2C: Summarizing

Description: Summarizing

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: I-4

I-4

Grade level: 9
Word count: 1787 words
Author: Patrick Henry
Synopsis: A passionate speaker stirs his audience to make a historical decision.
Excerpt: Henry's speech had stirred up the patriotism of the people, and George Mason, one of the "Founding Fathers" of the United States, was very impressed with the young lawyer's skill as a public speaker. He said about Henry, "He is by far the most powerful speaker I ever heard. Every word he says not only engages but commands the attention, and your passions are no longer your own when he addresses them."

Question: In this excerpt, what is Mason really saying about Henry?
  1. His words aroused feelings that inspired people to take action.
  2. His words commanded people to do something they didn't want to do.
  3. His words were too powerful for the people to understand.
  4. His words angered those people who did not agree with him.

Writing
✓ standard met

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

6A: Recognizing Author's Intent

6A: Recognizing Author's Intent

Description: Recognizing Author's Purpose

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: I-43

I-43

Grade level: 9
Word count: 1906 words
Author: Katherine Menard
Synopsis: During these events each team, called a "colla," builds and dismantles its own human tower.
Excerpt: These human towers, called castells, are a longstanding and beloved tradition of Catalonia, a region in easternmost Spain. The art and craft of assembling (and instantly disassembling) castells dates back to the early 1700s, but has grown enormously in popularity in recent years. Castells are featured at special festivals, most of which are held in the vicinity of Barcelona, the largest city in Catalonia.

Question: What is the author's purpose in describing other towers in the beginning of this selection?
  1. to highlight the cultural significance of the castells
  2. to demonstrate how much more difficult it is to build physical towers than castells
  3. to suggest that the castelliers should invest their energy and talent in more permanent structures
  4. to show that large cities have erected significant structures

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe how the author of an argument tries to prove that he or she is right.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

6B: Recognizing Persuasion

6B: Recognizing Persuasion

Description: Recognizing Persuasive Devices

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: I-6

I-6

Grade level: 9
Word count: 1546 words
Author: Henry David Thoreau
Synopsis: Have you ever felt that life is just work, work, work? That's just what Thoreau felt too, over 150 years ago.
Excerpt: Imagine a man was tossed out of a window when he was an infant, and so made paralyzed for life. Or imagine he was scared out of his wits by an unexpected attack, bound to an inability to think or reason. To most men today, either of these unfortunate events is regrettable chiefly because the man was incapacitated for business! I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, to life itself, than this incessant business.

Question: How is this part of the selection written?
  1. as an emotional appeal to connect with readers on a personal level
  2. as a presentation of facts that are supported by extensive research
  3. as an analysis of historical events that explains why certain problems repeat
  4. as a sentimental flashback that shows how much people have in common

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Imagine you want to make a documentary about a non-fiction selection you read. Describe the steps you would need to take to make your documentary as accurate and unbiased as possible.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions