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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.4

Description: Craft and Structure Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
Maps to Reading Plus skills: 4A, 4A, 4B, 4C, 5C, 6B, 6C

Exemplars

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

Description: Interpreting Word Meaning

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: I-25

I-25

Grade level: 9
Word count: 2014 words
Author: Ellen Weitzenhofer
Synopsis: A caring person who enjoys helping people solve their problems might be interested in becoming a social worker.
Excerpt: I was naturally drawn to working at a summer camp for the disabled, to befriending a classmate who was often the object of ridicule, and to identifying elderly customers who needed additional assistance when I worked part-time jobs.

Do you notice when your parents are not feeling their best, when your friends are not getting along, or when your teachers seem to have something on their minds? If so, you have empathy, the ability to identify with and understand another's situation, feelings, and motives.

Question: Which sentence helps to explain the meaning of the word "empathy"?
  1. I was naturally drawn to befriending a classmate who was often the object of ridicule.
  2. I worked for the Department of Health, where I set up programs for providing care.
  3. During my teenage years I babysat for a family with a boy, named Derrick.
  4. I would arrange transportation for residents to local shopping areas.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Explain how the context of a selection helped you to understand a word or phrase you did not know.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

4A: Interpreting Word Meaning

Description: Interpreting Word Meaning

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: Wangari devoted much of her time to the progression of democracy, human rights (particularly women's rights), and environmental issues. She served on many boards, contributing her expertise and perceptive genius about the intersection of poverty reduction and environmentalism. She spoke at the United Nations a number of times, addressing women's issues within the specific context of environmentalism at special sessions of the U.N.'s General Assembly.

Question: In this excerpt, the word "intersection" refers to
  1. the connection between two seemingly unrelated issues.
  2. the social gathering place where two or more village roads meet.
  3. the group of scientific elements that two or more sets have in common.
  4. the points at which two or more rivers cross one another.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Explain how the context of a selection helped you to understand a word or phrase you did not know.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4B: Interpreting Analogies

4B: Interpreting Analogies

Description: Interpreting Analogies

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: This world is a place of business. What an infinite bustle! Almost every night I am awakened by the panting of the locomotive. It interrupts my dreams. There is no Sabbath. It would be glorious to see mankind at leisure for once. It is nothing but work, work, work.

Question: Reread this excerpt. What does the image of "the panting of the locomotive" symbolize?
  1. the constant motion of work and business
  2. the increased speed of modern transportation
  3. the ongoing support of technological advances
  4. the steady progression of scientific knowledge

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe how metaphor, simile, hyperbole, or personification is used in a selection and explain how it enhances or distracts from the selection.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

4C: Visualizing

4C: Visualizing

Description: Visualizing

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: I-12

I-12

Grade level: 9
Word count: 2083 words
Author: Jake Gibson
Synopsis: The term avatar and the concept behind its use in video games have roots in Hindu mythology.
Excerpt: The prophecy continues with Vishnu incarnating as Kalki, a warrior similar in appearance to the Rama avatar. Kalki is supposed to enter India bearing weapons and riding on a white horse. This final avatar is considered god-like, possessing unlimited power and singlehandedly defeating the invaders in India.

Question: According to the prophecy, what will the people expect to see when the avatar Kalki arrives in India to defeat the foreign invaders?
  1. a warrior bearing weapons on a white horse
  2. a gold-skinned god descending from heaven
  3. a wild animal carrying a demon in its teeth
  4. a monster ascending from the seafloor

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe an example of a particularly vivid scene from a selection. Explain what technique the author used to create such a clear picture of the setting or event you found memorable.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

5C: Examining Genre

5C: Examining Genre

Description: Examining Genre

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: I-42

I-42

Grade level: 9
Word count: 2284 words
Author: James Herbert Walker
Synopsis: The Johnstown Flood was one of the worst calamities in American history. More than 2,000 people were killed in this tragic event.
Excerpt: No excerpt is available for this question.
Question: This selection is best described as
  1. narrative nonfiction.
  2. an autobiography.
  3. a speech.
  4. science fiction.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Choose an expository piece, such as a speech or an essay. Describe how the author uses language to relay information, or make (or respond) to an argument.

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

6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone

6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone

Description: Recognizing Mood and Tone

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: She founded her own organization called Envirocare, a business dedicated to the empowerment and independence of women through the planting of trees. This opportunity gave many women the confidence and agency to direct not only their own lives but also the future of their country. Envirocare unfortunately ran into many financial problems and ultimately failed. But Wangari knew she had created an important model and was determined to find new solutions.

Question: The primary tone in this part of the selection is one of
  1. persistence.
  2. jubilation.
  3. hesitation.
  4. impatience.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: What kinds of language or other text structure elements (tone) are used to create an excited or adventurous mood? Use details from a selection you have read to illustrate and explain your answer.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions