RL.6.10
Description:
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when reading to improve comprehension.
Maps to Reading Plus skills:
5C, 6A
Exemplars
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.
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
- historical fiction.
- contemporary fiction.
- science fiction.
- 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
6A: Recognizing Author's Intent
6A: Recognizing Author's Intent
Description:
Recognizing Author's Purpose
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
F-7
F-7
Grade level: 6
Word count: 1795 words
Author: Adapted from a story by O. Henry
Synopsis: A wise couple gives each other the greatest gift.
Excerpt:
Della's beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown silk. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly.
"Jim will think I look like a chorus girl!" she said to herself. "But what could I possibly have done with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?"
"Don't make any mistake about me, Della," he said, "because there's not anything in the way of a haircut or shave or shampoo that could make me love my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package, you may see why you had me going a while at first."
They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply longed for them without the least hope of ever owning them. And yet now, they were hers, but the silky, long hair that should have held the beautiful combs was gone.
"Jim will think I look like a chorus girl!" she said to herself. "But what could I possibly have done with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?"
"Don't make any mistake about me, Della," he said, "because there's not anything in the way of a haircut or shave or shampoo that could make me love my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package, you may see why you had me going a while at first."
They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply longed for them without the least hope of ever owning them. And yet now, they were hers, but the silky, long hair that should have held the beautiful combs was gone.
Question:
The author breaks some formal grammar rules, using incomplete sentences and starting other sentences with "but," "and," and "or." How does this affect the selection?
- It sounds more like speech, making the story feel as if it is being spoken by a person.
- It suggests the author may not know what the formal grammar rules are.
- It causes the selection to sound snobbish, making it more confusing to understand.
- It makes the narrator sound unfriendly, and indicates he does not like the characters.
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
Choose a fictional selection you read and rewrite it from the antagonist's point of view.
Evaluator
Organization:
Certica Solutions