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RL.6.4

Description: Craft and Structure Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and/or tone.
Maps to Reading Plus skills: 2C, 4A, 5C

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

5C: Examining Genre

5C: Examining Genre

Description: Examining Genre

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: This is a fictional story, but it is based on facts about immigrants' experiences at Ellis Island, the port of entry for those arriving by ship in New York.

With as many of their belongings as they could stuff into satchels and suitcases, the Palmieri family took a seven-hour train ride to the port city of Palermo. There, they boarded the ship, called the "Sicilian Prince," that would take them to America.

Question: The genre of this selection could be described as
  1. historical fiction.
  2. contemporary fiction.
  3. science fiction.
  4. classical fiction.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Choose a narrative text. Describe how the author uses language and dialogue to relay information about characters and events.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions