LAFS.1112.RL.1.3
Description:
Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
Maps to Reading Plus skills:
3A, 3B, 3C
Exemplars
3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect
3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect
Description:
Analyzing Cause and Effect
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
K-11
K-11
Grade level: 11
Word count: 2375 words
Author: Diane Lang
Synopsis: Acceptance and compassion go a long way in helping people with Tourette Syndrome.
Excerpt:
While my parents were compassionate and concerned, they were deficient in knowledge about Tourette Syndrome and the symptomatic obsessive-compulsiveness that accompanies the complex disorder, reasoning that if they consulted the right specialist, this healer would rid me of my affliction and transform me into a "normal" kid. Ever since my diagnosis at age seven, they were persistent in dragging me to clinics for neuroimaging studies, such as magnetic resonance or computerized tomography, electroencephalogram studies, and blood tests, unknowingly chipping away at my self-worth.
Question:
Maddie's parents took her to many clinics for tests so that she could be like a "normal" child. How did these visits make Maddie feel?
- lacking in her capacity as a person
- more comfortable about her disorder
- appreciative of her parent's concern
- fearful of doctors and medical tests
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
Give an example of how recognizing cause and effect helped you better understand the plot development of a selection.
Evaluator
Organization:
Curriculum Design Institute
3B: Analyzing Plot/Character
3B: Analyzing Plot/Character
Description:
Analyzing setting, plot, and character
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
K-23
K-23
Grade level: 11
Word count: 2412 words
Author: Anton Chekhov
Synopsis: A wager between a banker and a lawyer yields an unexpected result.
Excerpt:
"That cursed bet!" murmured the old man, clutching his head in despair. "He's only forty years old, he will deprive me of my last penny, marry, enjoy life, and I will look on like an envious beggar and hear the same dreaded words from him every day: 'I'm obliged to you for my life's happiness.' No, no, it's too much -- the only escape from bankruptcy and disgrace is that the man should die."
Question:
Based on this excerpt, what conclusion can be made about the banker's motivations?
- His greed drove him to consider committing a terrible crime.
- His jealousy caused him to feign friendship while plotting revenge.
- His selfishness drove him to lie about the original wager.
- His pride caused him to openly reject his wealth while secretly hiding it.
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
Imagine you are the main character in a selection you read. Would your emotional reactions to events in the selection be the same as those of the actual character? Explain why or why not.
Evaluator
Organization:
Curriculum Design Institute
3A: Predicting Outcomes
3A: Predicting Outcomes
Description:
Predicting Outcomes
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
K-4
K-4
Grade level: 11
Word count: 2496 words
Author: Diane Lang
Synopsis: A skilled snowboarder takes a big chance when he cruises the slopes in avalanche territory.
Excerpt:
Even if the victim can draw a breath, his exhalations will begin to make any available air less accessible by coating the snow surface around his mouth with ice.
Poisoned by carbon dioxide emissions, most victims begin to lose consciousness within four minutes, which is a good thing, as they will use air at a slower rate. Brain damage may set in after eight minutes. Within 25 minutes, half of buried victims will die. If Jake were buried within the ice, the chances that he was alive were non-existent.
Poisoned by carbon dioxide emissions, most victims begin to lose consciousness within four minutes, which is a good thing, as they will use air at a slower rate. Brain damage may set in after eight minutes. Within 25 minutes, half of buried victims will die. If Jake were buried within the ice, the chances that he was alive were non-existent.
Question:
According to this selection, if Jake was buried beneath the avalanche, he
- would have only the slightest chance of survival.
- would survive if his exhalations were slow and measured.
- would need a pocket of air to remain alive for a day.
- would be better off if he became unconscious for a few hours.
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
Based on the selection's conclusion, what other sequence of events could have generated the same outcome? Demonstrate how these interactions, while different from the author's original plan, make the same conclusion feasible.
Evaluator
Organization:
Curriculum Design Institute