R.4
Description:
Students will interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
Maps to Reading Plus skills:
4B, 4C, 5A, 6A, 6C, 6C
Exemplars
5A: Examining Text Structure
5A: Examining Text Structure
Description:
Examining Text Structure
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
G-8
G-8
Grade level: 7
Word count: 1746 words
Author: Anonymous
Synopsis: Can young Arthur pull the sword from the stone?
Excerpt:
"I am not your father nor related to you," said Sir Hector. "I must now reveal the secret I long have kept. You were brought to me in infancy, and I and my wife have raised you as our own son. Who you truly are I cannot say. Only Merlin the magician knows, but I feel certain you are of nobler blood than I can boast."
Question:
Which quote represents an important change in the plot?
- "I am not your father nor related to you."
- "My brother Kay shall not be without a sword."
- "There is fraud or magic in this."
- "Rise, I pray. It pains me deeply to see you like that."
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
Explain an author's use of description in a selection, and how the description shaped the way you viewed and understood the person, object, or event described.
Evaluator
Organization:
Certica Solutions
6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone
6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone
Description:
Recognizing Mood and Tone
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
G-9
G-9
Grade level: 7
Word count: 1662 words
Author: Anonymous
Synopsis: Will a plan to fly out of prison be successful?
Excerpt:
That was a joyous day for father and son. The father had never before drunk deeper of the intoxicating wine of Success. For the lad it was all pure joy. Never before had he known freedom and power so utterly glorious. As a little child he had watched birds fly far away over the blue hills to where the sun was setting. He had longed for wings that he might follow them in their flight.
Question:
In this excerpt, the author creates a mood of
- jubilation.
- nervousness.
- outrage.
- suspicion.
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
4B: Interpreting Analogies
4B: Interpreting Analogies
Description:
Interpreting Analogies
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
G-42
G-42
Grade level: 7
Word count: 1959 words
Author: Diane Lang
Synopsis: A "philosopher" inspires a community project to restore courage and kindness to the school.
Excerpt:
I told Mr. Matas about my desire to be a doctor and repair deformities like mine, so other kids wouldn't be ridiculed or beaten like me. Mr. Matas inquired about my schoolwork and then asked about the boys who taunted me. Because he was so kind, I described my dismal situation, but admitted I was reluctant to request assistance from my parents and teachers.
"Stay strong," he urged. "Withered plants will eventually revive with sufficient watering."
"Stay strong," he urged. "Withered plants will eventually revive with sufficient watering."
Question:
In this excerpt, when Mr. Matas uses the phrase "withered plants," he is really talking about the
- bullies at Jordi's school.
- parents in Mamelodi.
- flowers in his employer's garden.
- teachers at Jordi's school.
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
Write short paragraphs that demonstrate use of simile, metaphor, idiom, and hyperbole.
Evaluator
Organization:
Certica Solutions
4C: Visualizing
4C: Visualizing
Description:
Visualizing
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
G-25
G-25
Grade level: 7
Word count: 1587 words
Author: Kathryn Oliva
Synopsis: When car shopping, it's good to research your options.
Excerpt:
How does a hybrid-electric car work? A hybrid-electric car is partly powered by a gasoline engine that is both lighter in weight and smaller in size than a standard gasoline engine. It also is partly powered by an electric motor and a battery. These power sources run at the same time, but not equally.
Question:
If you saw two engines, one from a hybrid car and one from a standard car, how could you tell which one belonged to the hybrid?
- The hybrid car engine would be smaller.
- The hybrid car engine would be heavier.
- The standard car engine would be lighter.
- The standard car engine would be smaller.
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
6A: Recognizing Author's Intent
6A: Recognizing Author's Intent
Description:
Recognizing Author's Purpose
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
G-6
G-6
Grade level: 7
Word count: 1606 words
Author: Peter Kupfer
Synopsis: The African Americans who served as Tuskegee airmen deserve our respect and thanks.
Excerpt:
When Thomas Mayfield returned to his base in Kentucky, for example, he and the other African American pilots were barred from mixing with the white officers. The pilots were even denied access to the areas where the German prisoners were allowed to walk freely.
"It hurt. We had done our jobs," Mayfield recalled. "The thing is, we had faced discrimination for years during the war. Then we came back and the people we were fighting got more privileges than we had."
"It hurt. We had done our jobs," Mayfield recalled. "The thing is, we had faced discrimination for years during the war. Then we came back and the people we were fighting got more privileges than we had."
Question:
Why does the author include these quotes by Thomas Mayfield?
- to highlight the unfair treatment of a man who had served his country
- to show that German soldiers were treated fairly as prisoners of war
- to promote the need for the Civil Rights Movement in the South
- to defend the actions of soldiers who protested racial segregation
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
How effective were the words and writing style used by the author of a selection? Explain why.
Evaluator
Organization:
Certica Solutions
6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone
6C: Recognizing Mood/Tone
Description:
Recognizing Mood and Tone
SeeReader
✓ standard met
Selection:
G-15
G-15
Grade level: 7
Word count: 1597 words
Author: Nancy McCloskey
Synopsis: Young people take their good ideas and make them a reality.
Excerpt:
Chester's hometown has earned the title "Ear Muff Capital of the World." It celebrates the birthday of the inventor and his invention every December with a parade. Most of the parade watchers are probably wearing ear muffs.
Question:
The author probably added the last sentence to this paragraph to insert some
- humor.
- confusion.
- patriotism.
- mockery.
Writing
✓ standard met
Writing prompt:
What kinds of language or other text structure elements (tone) are used to create a dramatic or fearful mood? Use details from a selection you have read to illustrate and explain your answer.
Evaluator
Organization:
Certica Solutions