ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1

Description: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Maps to Reading Plus skills: 1A, 1A, 1B, 1B, 2B, 3C, 8B

Exemplars

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

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

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: L-9

L-9

Grade level: 12
Word count: 2379 words
Author: Francois Coppee
Synopsis: A discarded crust of bread transforms the lives of two soldiers.
Excerpt: So much the worse for me! Now I am going to commence to be devoured by hunger again for, believe me friend, if you will, I have suffered from hunger all my life."

The words were startling, especially to a duke who had just been dreamily longing for the kitchen of the Cafe Anglais, and Henri de Hardimont regarded his companion in almost terrified amazement.

Question: What about Jean-Victor strikes Hardimont as "startling"?
  1. Jean-Victor's struggle with starvation
  2. Jean-Victor's obsession with war
  3. Jean-Victor's preoccupation with poverty
  4. Jean-Victor's fascination with history

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: What are some clues you found in a selection that let you know when and where the selection takes place even though the author does not overtly state this information?

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

Description: Drawing Conclusions, Making Inferences from information in text

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: L-23

L-23

Grade level: 12
Word count: 3221 words
Author: Stephen Crane
Synopsis: What will happen to the four men who have been shipwrecked for more than 30 hours?
Excerpt: The light in the north had mysteriously vanished, but the correspondent took his course from the wide-awake captain. Later in the night they took the boat farther out to sea, and the captain directed the cook to take one oar at the stern and keep the boat facing the seas. He was to call out if he should hear the thunder of the surf. This plan enabled the oiler and the correspondent to get respite together. "We'll give those boys a chance to get into shape again," said the captain. They curled down and, after a few preliminary chatterings and trembles, slept once more the dead sleep. Neither knew they had bequeathed to the cook the company of another shark, or perhaps the same shark.

Question: Read this excerpt. What two things does it tell you about the captain's perceptions of the men in the dinghy?
  1. The oiler and correspondent are seen as valuable resources by the captain because they are strong.
  2. The cook is seen as useful, but lacks considerable strength and skills.
  3. The oiler is by far the most diligent worker in the dinghy, but he isn't as strong as the correspondent.
  4. The correspondent is the strongest man in the dinghy, but is too lazy to be of much help.
  5. The cook should be largely responsible for navigating the dinghy because he is the most experienced sailor.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Describe how you arrived at conclusions about a selection's main idea and characters if information about these text elements was not directly stated.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

1A: Recalling Explicit Details

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

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: L-3

L-3

Grade level: 12
Word count: 2101 words
Author: Peter Kupfer
Synopsis: Over the years, mail has been delivered by pigeons, horses, balloons, and even rockets.
Excerpt: The first documented use of a postal system was in ancient Egypt, where pharaohs used couriers to send official decrees throughout the region. Other early postal systems were developed in Persia (present-day Iraq), India, China, and ancient Rome.

Question: The first documented use of a postal system was in
  1. Egypt.
  2. Persia.
  3. India.
  4. England.

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

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

1B: Analyzing Implicit Details

Description: Drawing Conclusions, Making Inferences from information in text

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: L-7

L-7

Grade level: 12
Word count: 2446 words
Author: R. Bender
Synopsis: The Soviets shot down an American pilot during the Cold War. What happened when it was revealed the pilot was on a spy mission?
Excerpt: "I replied by advising the Soviet leader that I had, during the previous week, stopped these flights and they would not be resumed. I offered also to discuss the matter with him in personal meetings, while the regular business of the summit might proceed. Obviously, I would not respond to his extreme demands. He knew, of course, by holding to those demands the Soviet Union was scuttling the summit conference.

Question: Choose the sentence in this excerpt that demonstrates Khrushchev knew ahead of time that his demands would be unacceptable to the United States.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Write a question about one additional fact you would have liked to learn from a selection you read. Answer the question by using the Internet or other research tools to find the necessary information.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

2B: Analyzing Relative Importance

Description: Determining Relative Importance

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: L-17

L-17

Grade level: 12
Word count: 2144 words
Author: Kate Scoville
Synopsis: There is no "typical" day at the office, and the job demands exhausting hours of difficult and sometimes downright dangerous work.
Excerpt: It is important that zoo vets give their patients a precise dose of anesthesia. Too much of the potent medicine could slow an animal's heart to the point that it stops beating. On the other hand, too small a dose could cause the animal to regain consciousness during the procedure. With their sharp claws and teeth, predator animals like Gahiji would be particularly dangerous if they were to wake up during a procedure.

Question: What is the most important reason zoo vets must administer the correct dose of anesthesia to their patients?
  1. Zoo animals could regain consciousness and injure themselves or the veterinarians.
  2. Anesthesia is an expensive drug and should not be wasted on unnecessary doses.
  3. An inadequate dose of anesthesia could cause an animal to stay unconscious too long.
  4. Too much anesthesia could cause an animal to feel additional pain during surgery.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: When reading for information, why is it important to concentrate on the most important facts? Give an example from your social studies or science textbook of how you would do this.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect

3C: Analyzing Cause/Effect

Description: Analyzing Cause and Effect

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: L-4

L-4

Grade level: 12
Word count: 2455 words
Author: Elizabeth Graziose
Synopsis: Therapy sessions have become more exciting and beneficial with the introduction of video games.
Excerpt: Although many systems are modified to meet specific therapeutic requirements, physical therapy can still be aided with the use of an unmodified gaming system. A popular virtual reality game system is being used in its unmodified form. This system requires the players to physically move their entire bodies while playing, therefore causing them to carry out some of the traditional exercises that are used in physical therapy. By taking part in the variety of games, patients are gaining strength and endurance without feeling as if they are in therapy.

Question: Choose the sentence in this excerpt that explains how an unmodified gaming system can be used in aiding physical therapy.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Using your science book, give three examples of each of the following: single cause--single effect, single cause--multiple effects, multiple causes--single effect.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions

8B: Reasoning

8B: Reasoning

Description: Reasoning

SeeReader
✓ standard met

Selection: L-2

L-2

Grade level: 12
Word count: 2262 words
Author: Beth Renaud
Synopsis: The Harlem Renaissance brought talented African American writers and artists into the mainstream of American culture.
Excerpt: The intention of artists, thinkers, and political activists during the Harlem Renaissance was partially to "uplift the race" -- to elevate black people's self-esteem by celebrating black history, culture, intellect, and talent. Naturally, a group of people inspired by these role models and armed with self-esteem would be more resistant to discrimination and more willing to confront the system than those who were demoralized.

Question: In the end, the Harlem Renaissance gave African Americans a sense of
  1. empowerment.
  2. futility.
  3. stoicism.
  4. entitlement.

Writing
✓ standard met

Writing prompt: Do people learn by studying the past? Use details from a selection you have read, as well as your reasoning skills, to support your answer.

Evaluator

Organization: Certica Solutions