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R.ELA.8.2

Description: Determine a theme or central idea of a literary text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
Maps to Reading Plus skills: 2A, 2B

Exemplars

2A: Determining Main Idea

2A: Determining Main Idea

Description: Determining Main Idea and Themes

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: H-3

H-3

Grade level: 8
Word count: 1920 words
Author: Mary R. Dunn
Synopsis: Scientists hope to uncover buried secrets about dinosaurs.
Excerpt: No excerpt is available for this question.
Question: This selection is mainly about dinosaurs and
  1. what scientists are doing to learn more about them.
  2. how they roamed Earth during the Cretaceous Period.
  3. why they disappeared from the face of Earth.
  4. where exhibits of their skeletal remains can be seen.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: (Theme: change) Describe a character who underwent a major change and what happened as a result.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

Description: Determining Relative Importance

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: H-4

H-4

Grade level: 8
Word count: 1968 words
Author: Anonymous
Synopsis: Things go wrong when Cupid wounds himself with his own arrow.
Excerpt: Cupid prepared to obey his mother's orders. There were two fountains in Venus' garden, one of sweet waters, another of bitter. Cupid filled two vases, one from each fountain, and rushed to the chamber of Psyche, whom he found asleep. He shed a few drops from the bitter fountain over her lips, and then touched her side with the point of his arrow. At the touch she opened her eyes upon Cupid (himself invisible), who was so startled in his confusion that he wounded himself with his own arrow.

Question: The main reason Cupid falls in love with Psyche is he
  1. wounded himself with his own arrow.
  2. was obeying his mother's orders.
  3. mixed up the bitter and sweet water.
  4. was charmed by her golden locks.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Have you ever read a selection in which you felt the author "got off the track"? Describe parts of the selection that could be eliminated without affecting the overall plot.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions