Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Getting Started
Essential Curriculum
Assessments
Literary Genres
History of Literature
Literary Elements
Author’s Study
Language Usage
Research Methods
How To Use This Curriculum Guide:
At the front of the guide, you will find the essential curriculum and other resource materials
to help you get started in teaching English Language Arts. Teachers are expected to instruct
students such that all students are able to meet all grade level indicators by the end of the
academic year. These indicators represent the scope of instruction for all students in the
Frederick County Public Schools. At each grade level, indicators have been designated to
build on prior knowledge and to lead naturally to the indicators for the next grade level.
Students able to meet these indicators will be prepared for local, state, and national
examinations.
In addition to the essential curriculum, supplemental materials have been provided to help
teachers plan appropriate lessons. Among the materials provided, teachers will find the
following:
a. A suggested set of units that represent the national standards in English. These units are
designed to help students understand both the depth and breadth of the content of
English and Reading. Too, they provide a framework for authentic study of our content.
b. Sample assessments, scoring tools, and lessons.
c. Other resources that teachers should find useful in the teaching of English and Reading
at the designated grade level.
Getting Started
Good Instruction
The learners should be the primary teachers of the new information so that they may
determine how to- best acquire the knowledge so that they may connect the new information
in some meaningful and useful ways to what they already know. The teacher should be the
primary facilitator of Instruction and should provide the resources needed to acquire the new
knowledge or should make the resources available to the learners so they may access the
information for themselves.
All Information taught should improve the knowledge students have already acquired and
should connect in some meaningful and useful way so that learners may use the new knowledge
to acquire more knowledge through other new Information. Knowledge should always build
upon prior knowledge to expand what learners already know, need to know, and will be able
to use.
WHAT IS GOOD INSTRUCTION?
Good instruction is the connection of new information to prior knowledge, with a clearly
communicated purpose for needing to know the new information. Connections to real life
situations should occur so that learners may develop a better understanding of how to use
what is being taught to improve their abilities to do something. The something may range from
accessing information to applying the knowledge in some meaningful way.
Teachers who practice good instruction engage students as participants, rather than as
observers, throughout the lesson. The teacher should be, primarily, the facilitator of instruction
and should make available the resources students need to acquire the new knowledge.
Opportunities to access information for themselves should be provided to the learners whenever
possible. By the conclusion of an episode of good instruction, it is evident that learning has
taken place and that students understand the target concepts and skills. Students who are the
beneficiaries of good instruction are able to articulate what they have learned and can, in turn,
teach it to others.
Over the years, good instruction has been described in a variety of ways, using a multitude
of labels. Regardless of the package, “good instruction” results in deep understanding.
What distinguishes instruction that is good is its premise, that the lesson evolves from the
question, “What do I want students to learn ?’ and not, “What do I want students to do ?”
(Note: What do I want students to do ? is vastly different than What do I want students to
learn to do [or be able to do]?)
More Ideas for Getting Started
3 Essential Documents:
Middle School Essential Curriculum
Middle School Resource Guide
LA Clarification Handbook
Essential Curriculum
• Show students the whole LA curriculum for their grade level. This is to be done
upfront at the beginning of the year. Give them a copy of their curriculum. Have
the students keep a binder similar to the teacher’s binder. Have them place
assignments and “Everyday Sheets” (See “Everyday Sheet” section) behind the
divider for the indicator being addressed for the particular assignment. This
keeps kids focused. It has them track their use of indicators.
• Quote to remember for use with parents and administrators: “I am doing this
because it is right for the students.” “I am making choices because these choices
are right for my students.”
• If there is help you need and you are unable to get help from your mentor or
department chair, call or email Bonnie.
• If you are being asked to do something by administrators that is not in sync with
what Bonnie has told you and administrators are aware of this and they are still
insist you do what they are asking, call or email Bonnie.
During the first couple of weeks at the very beginning of the semester, the teacher needs
to find out what students already know. Give assignments that will help you to determine
the indicators that students already know and those that they need to work on.
Create a checklist/key that has a place for student names and a place for the LA indicators
and numbers. See the example below. Check off what students already know. This will
provide the teacher with a concrete way of looking at what they need to concentrate on
with their planning. This pre-assessment will help the teacher plan the whole year.
Modifications may be made as you go.
Example:
Reading for Literary Experience
Names GU 1 GU 2 DI 3 DI 4 DI 5 PR 6 PR 7 CR 8 CR 9
Plot a timeline – Fill in a calendar for the year. Bonnie will provide a sketch of the year
for each grade level. The classroom teacher will need to determine for their students how
long they will spend on each area. If pre-assessments have been made the teacher will
know where they need to spend lots of time and where they can do a quick review.
Planning focus should be the 3 Reading Outcomes and the 3 Writing Outcomes.
Listening, Speaking and Language Usage should be covered in the context of the Reading
and Writing Outcomes. They should NEVER be taught in isolation. If time is needed, cut
these three parts (listening, speaking, and language usage) of the curriculum.
2. Then--- Got to the Clarification Handbook to look at what students need to know
to meet the indicator.
3. Make a list of objectives that need work on in order to reach the indicator. This
may include some of the objectives listed in the Clarification Handbook and it
may include some that the teacher determines are needed.
5. Select and Create a Summative Assessment for the indicator. What will be the
assessment activity? Example: Explain how the theme of
_____________represents a view or comment on life. (This would be an
appropriate assessment for the indicator Grade 7 – Reading for Literary
Experience - GU 2.)
Students need to know upfront what the assessment will be and how it will be
scored. The summative assessment and scoring tool can be sent home with
students for parents to see at the beginning of the unit. This is like their “Study
Guide.” Students may receive a study guide in social studies and science, but not
in language arts.
6. Create a scoring tool for the assessment. How will the assessment be scored?
(See section on Scoring)
7. Start lesson plans. One lesson plan should be created for each objective. If the
teacher has decided on 8 objectives there should be 8 separate lesson plans. (See
section on Lesson Planning) (Short term lesson planning should be done in 3-
week segments and at least three weeks in advance.)
8. Provide each student each day with an “Everyday Sheet.” (See the Everyday
Sheet section)
**Directed, Merit, and Honors use the same indicators. Teachers may find that they need
to teach the Directed and Merit more objectives.
*** Directed and Merit may take longer in reaching the indicator.
****Directed, Merit, and Honors may use different materials.
1. Identify the indicator(s) you plan to teach and assess the student needs with regard to the indicator(s)
Indicator(s):
Assessment:
Scoring Tool:
1. Identify the indicator(s) you plan to teach and assess the student needs with regard to the indicator(s)
Indicator(s) Indicator(s): Explain how literary elements create meaning for readers:
Assessment: You are the editor of the school literary magazine. Your job is to find appropriate short stories and
poems to publish in the quarterly magazine. You are to create a magazine issue that will teach others in the school how
literary elements create meaning. For the issue, identify, excellent examples of previously published works. Write a brief
annotation for each selection to explain how the chosen work demonstrates a literary element and how that element
may create meaning for the reader.
Scoring Tool: This response gives evidence of the reader’s ability to explain how literary elements create meaning
when reading for literary experience.
Author’s Study
In this unit, students learn to recognize and evaluate a specific author‘s craft. Students read multiple
texts by the same author to determine how this author utilizes literary techniques across texts.
Genre Study
In this unit, students learn to recognize and evaluate the organizational patterns of a specific genre.
Students read multiple texts in this genre, and then utilize this knowledge to create an original work in
the genre studied.
Period Study
In this unit, students learn to recognize and evaluate how history and culture transform literature.
Students read multiple texts from a single, historical period.
Thematic Study
In this unit, students learn to recognize and evaluate how ideas permeate a literary text to create
themes. Students read multiple texts with similar themes to evaluate how individual texts create theme.
Research Component
In this unit, students learn to gather information and to analyze its relevance to prior knowledge.
Information gathered is then synthesized and shared with others in the community of learners.
In this unit, students learn to self-select reading materials and writing topics. After self-selecting both
a short and longer prose work to read, students choose a topic to share ideas learned or appreciated
as a result of the reading. This sharing should produce both a written product of the student’s own
selection as well as an oral presentation product. As students actively listen to each other‘s
presentations, active listening skills may be taught, practiced, and evaluated. This unit also offers an
opportunity to reinforce oral presentation skills.
Critical Perspective
In this unit, students learn how a specific critical perspective shapes literary thought. Students read
several texts using the perspective tinder study to develop a greater awareness of the criteria by which
we may evaluate literary texts.
Reading in the Content Areas
In this unit, students learn how to construct, extend, and examine meaning when reading to be
informed and when reading to perform a task in specific content areas. Students acquire discipline-
specific vocabulary knowledge of text structures and features, and the ability to evaluate the quality’
of informational and directional texts.
In this unit, students learn the history of English as a language. Students study the historical
development of language and how that history has determined the structure and rules of semantics and
syntax.
Writer’s Workshop
In this unit, students learn to compose in a variety of forms. Students study how they can effectively
convey thoughts, ideas, and deeds through prose and poetry Skills in development, organization,
audience awareness, and language usage are all practiced to further student achievement in writing.
Scoring Tool for Summative Assessment
To determine elements of the scoring tool, go back to the Clarification Handbook and to
the objectives you determined were necessary to reach the indicator. The objectives
become the elements of the scoring tool. The suggested levels of the scoring tool
include:
Scoring Tool
A (90-100) Include all the objectives. Use descriptive terms such as- thorough, complete,
fully, consistently, highly effective, etc.
B (80-89) Include all the objectives. Use descriptive terms such as- substantial, adequate,
frequently, effective, etc.
C (70-79) Include all the objectives. Use descriptive terms such as- partial, incomplete,
limited, sometimes, moderately effective, etc.
D (60-69) Include all the objectives. Use descriptive terms such as- misunderstanding,
serious misconception, little, no, rarely, never, ineffective, etc.
COMMENTS:
Checking Papers
Remember you have a life! And Planning should be exhaustive, not grading.
Determine the number of minutes you have for checking papers. For example, say you
have 90 minutes and you have 100 papers to grade. You would spend only a minute and
a half on each paper. When that time is up, determine the grade and place it in you’re A,
B, C, D, or F pile. So you have five piles. When the total time is up and you have put
all the papers into one of the five piles, go through the piles, stapling the scoring tool on
the paper and circling the grade earned. If you would like to indicate a number grade,
write that next to the letter. Write comments only if you have time.
Determine those students that need extra help. DO NOT reteach right away. Wait. Let
them experience success and you experience success ---Then reteach.
*If students have questions as to the reason they earned the grade they did, tell them to
take the scoring tool and have them determine the reasons for the grade earned.
**If students ask to redo an assignment or assessment, make them aware of your grading
weekends. “These are the days/weekends that I do grading. If you elect to redo this, your
paper will not be graded until that day/weekend. “
This is a letter to be used for students who are not being responsible for their work.
Create a form letter to be sent home and signed by parents. Something like -----
“We have been working on ________________________. Your student has not been
meeting our daily objectives. _____________needs to come to a help session on
__________________ at ________ in Room _____.”
Every week towards the end of the week determine who receives a Parent
Communication Letter.
Objective: Use one of these sheets for each objective. If you have determined 8 objectives for the
indicator, you will need 8 sheets.
Warm-up: (Function= Pre-assessment – What students know about the lesson for the
day.)
Plan the activities (direct instruction, guided practice, independent practice, independent
assessment, summary) for the lesson
Direct Instruction: How am I going to show the students? Modeling. Model how they will be
assessed. Show it! NOT longer than 15 minutes. If you can’t do it in 15 minutes, you must break
it down. Put it in smaller chunks.
Guided Practice: Do with someone else – partners, triads, group. NOT longer than 15 minutes. If
you can’t do it in 15 minutes, you must break it down. Put it in smaller chunks.
Summary Activity for Daily Lesson: Review of assessment. Go back to the objective. Go back to
the warm-up. Point to it and talk about it. What did you learn? How do you know….? Learning
Log, Exit Ticket, Oral Discussion. Think/Pair/Share, etc.
Objective:
Warm-up:
Plan the activities (direct instruction, guided practice, independent practice, independent
assessment, summary) for the lesson
Direct Instruction:
Guided Practice:
Independent Practice:
• Students do this on the back of the paper or attach the papers needed to this paper.
Scoring Tool for Daily Assessment: The student will be able to name a theme of a passage from their
reading .
Daily assessment may be written or oral. A good balance would be 2 written assessments a week and 3 oral
assessments a week. For oral assessments use a laminated seating chart and a washable marker to mark
students that need help.
Agenda:
Time
1. Warm-up 7 miii.
2. Teacher Models Theme in Popular Culture Example 10 mm
3. Groups Practice Determining Theme in Popular Culture Example 10 miii.
4. Individuals Determine Theme in Popular Culture Example 10 mm.
5. Teacher Models Theme in Short Passage 10mm.
6. Partners Practice Determining Theme in Short Passage 10 mm.
7. Individuals Determine Theme in Short Passage (Assessment) 10 mm.
8. Summary Activity 10 mm.
• Indicate planned activities with approximate times for each activity for that class period. Appoint a
student to be time keeper. Each day a person needs to be appointed in charge of collecting materials for
absent students. These materials are to be put in a folder and located and labeled so returning students
know where to pick up the materials they missed while being absent.
• Students are to keep these papers in their binder. Students have a visual reminder of the objectives
covered in class.
• Teachers keep a binder. This sheet attached to their lesson is placed behind the appropriate indicator in
their binder.
What is the
Essential Curriculum
How?
How should you write an objective?
Write objectives using action verbs that are observable and measurable. The objective expresses
the “what’ of learning; the activity description expresses a procedural step in the lesson.
Objectives should build towards students demonstrating achievement of indicators, which
leads to the desired learning goals.
Clear, daily objectives provide the basis for ongoing formative assessment. By assessing
how well students meet behavioral objectives, the teacher gains information for adapting
and supplementing planned instruction. Such constant monitoring and adjustment raises
students’ achievement levels.
QUESTIONS FOR GUIDED THINKING
ABOUT LESSONS
To establish the value of the lesson, we focus entirely on the quality and quantity of the
students’ learning. To assess the effectiveness of teacher behaviors, we focus on the cause
and effect relationship between those behaviors and the students’ learning.
How did I arrive at this conclusion? What did students say or do that served as
evidence of learning?
Comprehension – ability to grasp the meaning of material; the person “knows” the material and can use it but cannot relate it to other
material or see its broader implications.
alter discover manage relate express restate interpret describe illustrate
change explain rephrase substitute identify review paraphrase reword vary
convert give examples represent summarize indicate select classify recognize
depict give main idea restate translate locate discuss report
• In one sentence explain the main idea of a written passage
• Describe in prose what is shown in paragraph form
• Translate the following passage from The Iliad into English
Application – ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations; the use of abstractions (e.g., principals, ideas, theories)
apply discover manage relate interpret operate practice demonstrate manifest
classify employ predict show schedule sketch use present utilize
compute evidence prepare solve write direct choose dramatize illustrate
Answers: how many? which? what is? write an example.
• Using principles of operant conditioning, train a rat to press a bar
• Apply shading to produce depth in drawing
• Derive a kinetic model from experimental data
Analysis – ability to break down material into its component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood, or such that
the relations among the ideas is made explicit.
ascertain diagnose distinguish outline appraise calculate categorize determine
analyze diagram divide point out compare contrast criticize
associate differentiate examine reduce experiment question test
conclude discriminate find separate designate dissect infer
Answers: why? questions
• Compare and contrast the major assumptions underlying psychoanalytic and humanistic approaches to psychology
• Identify supporting evidence to support the interpretation of a literary passage
• Analyze an oscillator circuit and determine the frequency of oscillation
Synthesis – ability to put parts together to form a new whole; working with parts and combining to constitute a structure
combine devise originate revise arrange assemble collect compose construct
compile expand plan rewrite formulate manage organize prepare set up
compose extend pose synthesize develop modify design invent rearrange
conceive generalize propose theorize create integrate project write
Answers how can we improve? what would happen if? how can we solve questions?
• Write a logically organized essay in favor of euthanasia
• Develop an individualized nutrition program for a diabetic patient
• Compose a choral work using four-part harmony for men’s and women’s voices
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Your behavior and efforts Your behavior and efforts Your behavior and efforts
have eraned you a smile! have eraned you a smile! have eraned you a smile!
Your behavior and efforts Your behavior and efforts Your behavior and efforts
have eraned you a smile! have eraned you a smile! have eraned you a smile!
Your behavior and efforts Your behavior and efforts Your behavior and efforts
have eraned you a smile! have eraned you a smile! have eraned you a smile!
Your behavior and efforts Your behavior and efforts Your behavior and efforts
have eraned you a smile! have eraned you a smile! have eraned you a smile!
Essential Curriculum
Middle School
Essential Curriculum
2001-2002
Language Arts
6-8
u OUTCOME #1: Students will demonstrate their ability to READ FOR LITERARY EXPERIENCE by constructing, extending, and examining
meaning from stories, plays, poems, and other works of fiction.
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at
earlier grades, use text support, and read for: earlier grades, use text support, and read for: earlier grades, use text support, and read for:
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features o f the indicators which should be focused on at that specific grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
u OUTCOME #2: Students will demonstrate their ability to READ FOR INFORMATION by constructing, extending, and examining meaning from
articles, editorials, content texts, and other expository materials related to the content areas.
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at
earlier grades, use text support, and read for: earlier grades, use text support, and read for: earlier grades, use text support, and read for:
Global Understanding when they: Global Understanding when they: Global Understanding when they:
1. Summarize text in a manner that 1. Determine the author’s purpose. 1. Determine the author’s purpose.
reflects the main ideas, significant Developing Interpretation when they: Developing Interpretation when they:
details, and its underlying meaning. 2. Compare and contrast information 2. Draw inferences, conclusions, or
Developing Interpretation when they: from different articles or procedures generalizations about text and support
2. Compare and contrast information on the same topic. them with textual evidence and
from different articles or procedures 3. Draw inferences, conclusions, or experience.
on the same topic. generalizations about text and support Personal Response when they:
3. Draw inferences, conclusions, or them with textual evidence and 3. Connect and clarify main ideas and
generalizations about text and experiences. concepts and identify their
support them with textual evidence Personal Response when they: relationship to other sources, related
and experience. 4. Connect and clarify main ideas and topics, or prior experiences.
Personal Response when they: concepts and identify their Critical Response when they:
4. Connect and clarify main ideas and relationship to other sources, related 4. Recognize instances of propaganda
concepts and identify their topics, or prior experiences. and persuasive techniques.
relationship to other sources, related 5. Explain the usefulness of text. 5. Identify and trace the development
topics, or prior experiences. Critical Response when they: of an author’s argument, viewpoint,
5. Explain the usefulness of text. 6. Recognize instances of propaganda or perspective in text.
Critical Response when they: and persuasive techniques. 6. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity, and
6. Analyze the structure and features of 7. Identify and trace the development of internal consistency of the text’s
functional workplace documents, an author’s argument, viewpoint, or organizational structure.
including format, graphics, sequence, perspective in text. 7. Assess the adequacy, accuracy, and
and headers and how authors use 8. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity , and appropriateness of an author’s details
these features to achieve their internal consistency of the text’s to support claims and assertions,
purposes and to make information organizational structure. noting instances of bias and
accessible and useable. 9. Evaluate text features to gain stereotyping.
7. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity, and meaning. 8. Evaluate text features to gain
internal consistency of the text’s meaning.
organizational structure.
8. Evaluate text features to gain
meaning.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at that specific grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
u OUTCOME #3: Students will demonstrate their ability to READ TO PERFORM A TASK by constructing, extending, and examining meaning from
investigations or other sets of directions.
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at
earlier grades, use text support, and read for: earlier grades, use text support, and read for: earlier grades, use text support, and read for:
Global Understanding when they: Global Understanding when they: Global Understanding when they:
1. Identify how someone would use 1. Identify how someone would use 1. Identify how someone would use
the text. the text. the text.
Developing Interpretation when they: Developing Interpretation when they: Developing Interpretation when they:
2. Compare and contrast information 2. Compare and contrast information 2. Compare and contrast information
from different articles or from different articles or from different articles or
procedures on the same topic. procedures on the same topic. procedures on the same topic.
3. Draw inferences, conclusions, or 3. Draw inferences, conclusions or 3. Draw inferences, conclusions or
generalizations about text and generalizations about text and generalizations about text and
support them with textual support them with textual support them with textual
evidence and experience. evidence and experience. evidence and experience.
Personal Response when they: 4. Reorganize information from 4. Reorganize information from
4. Connect and clarify main ideas different articles or procedures on different articles or procedures on
and concepts and identify their the same topic. the same topic.
relationship to other sources, Personal Response when they: Personal Response when they:
related topics, or prior 5. Connect and clarify main ideas 5. Connect and clarify main ideas
experiences. and concepts and identify their and concepts and identify their
5. Compare and contrast information relationship to other sources, relationship to other sources,
with prior knowledge. related topics, or prior related topics, or prior
Critical Response when they: experiences. experiences.
6. Analyze the structure and features 6. Compare and contrast information 6. Compare and contrast information
of functional workplace with prior knowledge. with prior knowledge.
documents, including format, Critical Response when they: Critical Response when they:
graphics, sequence and headers 7. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity, 7. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity,
and how authors use these and internal consistency of the and internal consistency of the
features to achieve their purposes text’s organizational structure. text’s organizational structure.
and to make information
accessible and useable.
7. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity,
and internal consistency of the
text’s organizational structure.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at that specific grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
u S OUTCOME #4: Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO INFORM by developing and organizing facts to convey information.
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do ever ything required at
earlier grades, and: earlier grades, and:
earlier grades and:
1. Create an organizing structure that balances 1. Create an organizing structure that balances
1. Create an organizing structure that all aspects of the piece and makes effective all aspects of the piece and makes effective
balances all aspects of the piece and transitions between sentences and descriptions transitions between sentences and descriptions
makes effective transitions between to unify key ideas and make the message or to unify key ideas and make the message or
sentences and descriptions to unify key theme clear to the reader . theme clear to the reader .
ideas and make the message or theme 2. Reinforce coherence within and across 2. Reinforce coherence within and across
clear to the reader. paragraphs paragraphs
2. Reinforce coherence within and across 3. Use precise language, action verbs, sensory 3. Use precise language, action verbs, sensory
details, colorful modifiers, and active rather details, colorful modifiers, and active rather
paragraphs
than passive voice to enliven written than passive voice to enliven written
3. Use precise language, action verbs, presentations. presentations.
sensory details, colorful modifiers, and 4. Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and 4. Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice,
active rather than passive voice to enliven transitions among paragraphs, passages, and and transitions among paragraphs, passages,
written presentations. ideas by revising writing based on given or self- and ideas by revising writing based on given or
4. Improve the logic of the ideas, word generated criteria and others’ responses. self-generated criteria and others’ responses.
choice, and transitions among paragraphs, 5. Support all statements and claims with 5. Support all statements and claims with
passages, and ideas by revising writing relevant anecdotes, descriptions, facts, relevant anecdotes, descriptions, facts,
statistics, and/or specific information. statistics, and/or specific information.
based on given or self-generated criteria
6. Write letters that address audience needs, 6. Write letters that address audience needs,
and others’ responses.
stated purpose, and context in a clear and stated purpose, and context in a clear and
5. Support all statements and claims with efficient manner, and adhere to stated efficient manner, and adhere to stated
relevant anecdotes, descriptions, facts, purposes. purposes.
statistics, and/or specific information. 7. Write reports for an intended audience and 7. Write reports for an intended audience and
6. Write letters that address audience needs, purpose that conveys a clear and accurate purpose that conveys a clear and accurate
stated purpose, and context in a clear and perspective on the subject, and that supports perspective on the subject, and that supports
efficient manner, and adhere to stated the main ideas with facts, details, examples, the main ideas with facts, details, examples,
purposes. and explanations. and explanations.
8. Write essays for an intended audience and 8. Write essays for an intended audience and
purpose that state the thesis or purpose of the purpose that state the thesis or purpose of the
paper, that follow an organizational pattern, paper, that follow an organizational pattern,
and that offer compelling evidence in the form and that offer compelling evidence in the form
of facts and details to support the thesis. of facts and details to support the thesis.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at that specific grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
S Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
u S OUTCOME # 5: Students will demonstrate ability to WRITE TO PERSUADE by selecting and organizing relevant information, establishing an
argumentative purpose, and by designing an appropriate strategy for an identified audience.
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at
earlier grades and: earlier grades and: earlier grades, use text support, and read for:
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at that specific grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
S Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
u S OUTCOME #6: Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO EXPRESS PERSONAL IDEAS by selecting a form and its appropriate
elements (e.g., plot, dialogue, rhyme scheme, etc.).
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at
earlier grades and: earlier grades, and: earlier grades, and:
1. Create an organizing structure that 1. Create an organizing structure that 1. Create an organizing structure that
balances all aspects of the piece and balances all aspects of the piece and balances all aspects of the piece and
makes effective transitions between makes effective transitions between makes effective transitions between
sentences and descriptions to unify key sentences and descriptions to unify key sentences and descriptions to unify key
ideas and make the message or theme ideas and make the message or theme ideas and make the message or theme
clear to the reader. clear to the reader. clear to the reader.
2. Use precise language, action verbs, 2. Use precise language, action verbs, 2. Use precise language, action verbs,
sensory details, colorful modifiers, and sensory details, colorful modifiers, and sensory details, colorful modifiers, and
active rather than passive voice to enliven active rather than passive voice to enliven active rather than passive voice to
written presentations. written presentations. enliven written presentations.
3. Improve the logic of the ideas, word 3. Improve the logic of the ideas, word 3. Improve the logic of the ideas, word
choice, and transitions among paragraphs, choice, and transitions among paragraphs, choice, and transitions among paragraphs,
passages, and ideas by revising writing passages, and ideas by revising writing passages, and ideas by revising writing
based on given or self-generated criteria based on given or self-generated criteria based on given or self-generated criteria
and others’ responses. and others’ responses. and others’ responses.
4. Write to express personal ideas that 4. Write to express personal ideas that relate 4. Write to express personal ideas that
relate a clear, coherent event, a clear, coherent event, situation, and/or relate a clear, coherent event, situation,
situation, and/or storyline by using storyline by using well-chosen details, and/or storyline by using well-chosen
well-chosen details, that reveal the that reveal the significance of, or the details, that reveal the significance of, or
significance of, or the writer’s attitude writer’s attitude about the subject, and the writer’s attitude about the subject,
about the subject, and that purposefully that purposefully include rhetorical and that purposefully include
include rhetorical elements, such as elements, such as figurative language, rhetorical elements, such as figurative
figurative language, description, description, foreshadowing, and language, description, foreshadowing,
foreshadowing, and symbolism. symbolism. and symbolism.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at that specific grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
S Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
OUTCOME #7: Students will demonstrate their ability to USE THE STRUCTURES AND CONVENTIONS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE in
their written communication.
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at
earlier grades and: earlier grades and: earlier grades and:
1. Use standard English language 1. Use standard English language 1. Use standard English language
conventions correctly to communicate conventions correctly to communicate conventions correctly to communicate
clearly, including clearly, including clearly, including
• Sentence structure • Sentence structure • Sentence structure
• Punctuation • Punctuation • Punctuation
• Capitalization • Capitalization • Capitalization
• Grammar and usage • Grammar and usage • Grammar and usage
2. Use language fluently and appropriately 2. Use language fluently and appropriately 2. Use language fluently and appropriately
for a variety of contexts, purposes, and for a variety of contexts, purposes, and for a variety of contexts, purposes, and
audiences. audiences. audiences.
3. Use conventional spelling in their own 3. Use conventional spelling in their own 3. Use conventional spelling in their own
writing. writing. writing.
4. Expand vocabulary through organized and 4. Expand vocabulary through organized and 4. Expand vocabulary through organized and
systematic study. systematic study. systematic study.
5. Explain how words are classified 5. Explain how words are classified. 5. Explain how words are classified
grammatically. grammatically.
u OUTCOME # 8: Students will demonstrate their ability TO LISTEN by comprehending and analyzing information through a variety of mediums.
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at
earlier grades and: earlier grades and: earlier grades and:
1. Select a purpose for listening and 1. Select a purpose for listening and 1. Select a purpose for listening and
summarize material heard. summarize material heard. summarize material heard.
2. Comprehend the content of messages by 2. Comprehend the content of messages by 2. Comprehend the content of messages by
listening. listening. listening.
3. Comprehend the intent of speakers by 3. Comprehend the intent of speakers by 3. Comprehend the intent of speakers by
listening. listening. listening.
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at
earlier grades and: earlier grades and: earlier grades and:
1. Prepare a narrative and informative oral 1. Prepare an informative oral presentation. 1. Self-select a topic, and choose an
presentation. appropriate form: narrative, persuasive, or
2. Prepare a persuasive oral presentation. informative, for an oral presentation.
OUTCOME #1: Read for Literary Experience OUTCOME #1: Read for Literary Experience OUTCOME #1: Read for Literary Experience
v Read and comprehend at grade level v Read and comprehend at grade level v Read and comprehend at grade level
OUTCOME # 2: Read for Information OUTCOME #2: Read for Information v Paraphrase material read or heard
v Read and comprehend at grade level v Read and comprehend at grade level OUTCOME #2: Read for Information
OUTCOME #3: Read to Perform a Task v Recognize fact and opinion in fiction v Read and comprehend at grade level
v Read and comprehend at grade level and nonfiction v Paraphrase material read or heard
OUTCOME #4: Write to Inform OUTCOME #3: Read to Perform a Task OUTCOME #3: Read to Perform a Task
v Identify and write narrative and v Read and comprehend at grade level v Read and comprehend at grade level
explanatory paragraphs using the OUTCOME #4: Write to Inform v Paraphrase material read or heard
writing process v Select supporting evidence and OUTCOME #4: Write to Inform
OUTCOME #5: Write to Persuade expand content during the writing v Develop narrative and explanatory
v Identify and write narrative and stage paragraphs and multi-paragraph
explanatory paragraphs using the v Develop narrative and explanatory essays using the writing process to
writing process paragraphs using the writing process inform
OUTCOME #6: Write to Express Personal to entertain and inform OUTCOME #5: Write to Persuade
Ideas OUTCOME #5: Write to Persuade v Develop narrative and explanatory
v Identify and write narrative and v Select supporting evidence and paragraphs and multi-paragraph
explanatory paragraphs using the expand content during the writing essays using the writing process to
writing process stage inform.
OUTCOME #7: Use the Structures and OUTCOME #6: Write to Express Personal OUTCOME #6: Write to Express Personal
Conventions of the English Language Ideas Ideas
OUTCOME #8: Listen v Develop narrative and explanatory OUTCOME #7: Use the Structures and
v Select a purpose for listening paragraphs using the writing process Conventions of the Englis h Language
v Summarize material heard to entertain and inform OUTCOME #8: Listen
OUTCOME #9: Communicate Orally OUTCOME #7: Use the Structures and v Listen to comprehend the intent of
v Prepare and deliver an oral narrative Conventions of the English Language speakers
presentation OUTCOME #8: Listen v Paraphrase material read or heard
v Listen to comprehend the content of OUTCOME #9: Communicate Orally
messages v Prepare and deliver a persuasive oral
v Summarize material read or heard to presentation
reflect main ideas, significant details,
and underlying meaning
OUTCOME #9: Communicate Orally
v Prepare and deliver an informative
oral presentation
Sixth Grade Language Arts Curriculum
2001-2002
u OUTCOME #1: Students will demonstrate their u OUTCOME #2: Students will demonstrate their u OUTCOM E #3: Students will demonstrate their
ability to READ FOR LITERARY ability to READ FOR INFORMATION by ability to READ TO PERFORM A TASK by
EXPERIENCE by constructing, extending, and constructing, extending, and examining meaning constructing, extending, and examining meaning
examining meaning from stories, plays, poems, and from articles, editorial, content texts, and other from investigations or other sets of directions.
other works of fiction. expository materials related to the content areas.
Students are able to do everything required at
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at earlier grades, use text support, and read for:
earlier grades, use text support, and read for: earlier grades, use text support, and read for:
Global Understanding when they:
Global Understanding when they: Global Understanding when they: 1. Identify how someone would use the
1. Summarize the text. 1. Summarize the text in a manner that text.
2. Identify the author’s message. reflects the main ideas, significant Developing Interpretation when they:
Developing Interpretation when they: details, and its underlying meaning. 2. Compare and contrast information
3. Identify elements of plot and Developing Interpretation when they: from different articles or procedures
characterization and analyze how the 2. Compare and contrast information on the same topic.
qualities of the central characters from different articles or procedures 3. Draw inferences, conclusions, or
determine resolution of the conflict. on the same topic. generalizations about text and
4. Analyze characterization as 3. Draw inferences, conclusions, or support them with textual evidence
delineated through a character’s generalizations about text and and experience.
thoughts, words, speech patterns, and support them with textual evidence Personal Response when they:
deeds. and experience. 4. Connect and clarify main ideas and
5. Evaluate the influence of culture, Personal Response when they: concepts and identify their
ethnicity, and historical eras on the 4. Connect and clarify main ideas and relationship to other sources, related
themes and issues of literary texts. concepts and identify their topics, or prior experiences.
Personal Response when they: relationship to other sources, related 5. Compare and contrast information
6. Compare and contrast one’s personal topics, or prior experiences. with prior knowledge.
view with the author’s view of human 5. Explain the usefulness of text. Critical Response when they:
experience and character. Critical Response when they: 6. Analyze the structure and features of
Critical Response when they: 6. Analyze the structure and features of functional workplace documents,
7. Explain how literary elements create functional workplace documents, including format, graphics, sequence
meaning for readers. including format, graphics, sequence, and headers and how authors use
and headers and how authors use these features to achieve their
these features to achieve their purposes and to make information
purposes and to make information accessible and useable.
accessible and useable. 7. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity, and
7. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity, and internal consistency of the text’s
internal consistency of the text’s organizational structure.
organizational structure.
8. Evaluate text features to gain
meaning.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at the sixth grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
S Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
Sixth Grade Language Arts Curriculum
2001-2002
u S OUTCOME #4: Students will demonstrate u S OUTCOME #5: Students will demonstrate u S OUTCOME #6: Students will demonstrate
their ability to WRITE TO INFORM by their ability to WRITE TO PERSUADE by their ability to WRITE TO EXPRESS
developing and organizing facts to convey selecting and organizing relevant information, PERSONAL IDEAS by selecting a form and its
information. establishing an argumentative purpose, and by appropriate elements (e.g. plot, dialogue, rhyme
designing an appropriate strategy for an identified scheme, et cetera)
Students are able to do everything required at audience.
earlier grades and: Students are able to do everything required at
Students are able to do everything required at earlier grades and:
1. Create an organizing structure that balances all earlier grades and:
aspects of the piece and makes effective 1. Create an organizing structure that balances all
transitions between sentences and descriptions 1. Write letters that address audience needs, stated aspects of the piece and makes effective
to unify key ideas and make the message or purpose, and context in a clear and efficient transitions between sentences and descriptions
theme clear to the reader. manner, and adhere to stated purposes. to unify key ideas and make the message or
2. Reinforce coherence within and across 2. Write to persuade an intended audience by theme clear to the reader.
paragraphs. selecting an appropriate form that makes a clear 2. Use precise language, action verbs, sensory
3. Use precise language, action verbs, sensory and knowledgeable judgment and supports details, colorful modifiers, and active rather
details, colorful modifiers, and active rather arguments with detailed evidence, examples, than passive voice to enliven written
than passive voice to enliven written and reasoning. presentations.
presentations. 3. Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and
4. Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and transitions among paragraphs, passages, and
transitions among paragraphs, passages, and ideas by revising writing based on given or self-
ideas by revising writing based on given or self- generated criteria and others’ responses.
generated criteria and others’ responses. 4. Write to express personal ideas that relate a
5. Support all statements and claims with relevant clear, coherent event, situation, and/or
anecdotes, descriptions, facts, statistics, and/or storyline by using well-chosen details, that
specific information. reveal the significance of, or the writer’s
6. Write letters that address audience needs, stated attitude about the subject, and that purposefully
purpose, and context in a clear and efficient include rhetorical elements, such as figurative
manner, and adhere to stated purposes. language, description, foreshadowing, and
symbolism.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at the sixth grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
S Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
Sixth Grade Language Arts Curriculum
2001-2002
OUTCOME #7: Students will demonstrate their u OUTCOME #8 Students will demonstrate their u S OUTCOME #9: Students will demonstrate
ability to USE THE STRUCTURES AND ability to LISTEN by comprehending and analyzing their ability to COMMUNICATE ORALLY
CONVENTIONS OF THE ENGLISH information through a variety of mediums. through a variety o f mediums.
LANGUAGE in their written communication.
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at
Students are able to do everything required at earlier grades and: earlier grades and:
earlier grades and:
1. Select a purpose for listening and summarize 1. Prepare a narrative and informative oral
1. Use standard English language conventions material heard. presentation.
correctly to communicate clearly, including 2. Comprehend the content of messages by
• Sentence structure listening.
• Punctuation 3. Comprehend the intent of speakers by listening.
• Capitalization
• Grammar and Usage
2. Use language fluently and appropriately for a
variety of contexts, purposes, and audiences.
3. Use conventional spelling in their own writing.
4. Expand vocabulary through organized and
systematic study.
5. Explain how words are classified
grammatically.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at the sixth grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
S Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
Seventh Grade Language Arts Curriculum
2001-2002
u OUTCOME #1: Students will demonstrate their u OUTCOME #2: Students will demonstrate their u OUTCOME #3: Students will demonstrate their
ability to READ FOR LITERARY ability to READ FOR INFORMATION by ability to READ TO PERFORM A TASK by
EXPERIENCE by constructing, extending, and constructing, extending, and examining meaning constructing, extending, and examining meaning
examining meaning from stories, plays, poems, and from articles, editorials, content texts, and other from investig ations or other sets of directions.
other works of fiction. expository materials related to the content areas.
Students are able to do everything required at
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at earlier grades, use text support, and read for:
earlier grades, use text support, and read for: earlier grades, use text support, and read for:
Global Understanding when they:
Global Understanding when they: Global Understanding when they: 1. Identify how someone would use the
1. Identify the author’s message. 1. Determine the author’s purpose. text.
2. Explain how the theme represents a Developing Interpretation when they: Developing Interpretation when they:
view or comment on life. 2. Compare and contrast information 2. Compare and contrast information
Developing Interpretation when they: from different articles or procedures from different articles or procedures
3. Compare and contrast the ways on the same topic. on the same topic.
similar themes are expressed in 3. Draw inferences, conclusions, or 3. Draw inferences, conclusions or
multiple literary works. generalizations about text and support generalizations about text and support
4. Compare works that express a them with textual evidence and them with textual evidence and
universal theme, providing evidence experiences. experience.
to support the ideas. Personal Response when they: 4. Reorganize information from
5. Evaluate the influence of culture, 4. Connect and clarify main ideas and different articles or procedures on the
ethnicity, and historical eras on the concepts and identify their same topic.
themes and issues of literary texts. relationship to other sources, related Personal Response when they:
Personal Response when they: topics, or prior experiences. 5. Connect and clarify main ideas and
6. Compare and contrast one’s personal 5. Explain the usefulness of text. concepts and identify their
view with the author’s view of human Critical Response when they: relationship to other sources, related
experience and character. 6. Recognize instances of propaganda topics, or prior experiences.
7. Compare and contrast the motivations and persuasive techniques. 6. Compare and contrast information
and reactions of characters from 7. Identify, and trace the development of with prior knowledge.
different historical eras who confront an author’s argument, viewpoint, or Critical Response when they:
similar challenges and situations and perspective in text. 7. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity, and
connect them to prior knowledge or 8. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity, and internal consistency of the text’s
the experience of others. internal consistency of the text’s organizational structure.
Critical Response when they: organizational structure.
8. Explain how literary elements create 9. Evaluate text features to gain
meaning for readers. meaning.
9. Identify, and trace the development of
an author’s argument, viewpoint, or
perspective in text.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at the seventh grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
S Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
Seventh Grade Language Arts Curriculum
2001-2002
u S OUTCOME #4: Students will demonstrate u S OUTCOME #5: Students will demonstrate u S OUTCOME #6: Students will demonstrate
their ability to WRITE TO INFORM by their ability to WRITE TO PERSUADE by their ability to WRITE TO EXPRESS
developing organizing facts to convey information. selecting and organizing relevant information, PERSONAL IDEAS by selecting a form and its
establishing an argumentative purpose, and by appropriate elements (e.g., plot, dialogue, rhyme
Students are able to do everything required at designing an appropriate strategy for an identified scheme, etc.)
earlier grades, and: audience.
Students are able to do everything required at
1. Create an organizing structure that balances all Students are able to do everything required at earlier grades and:
aspects of the piece and makes effective earlier and:
transactions between sentences and descriptions 1. Create an organizing structure that balances all
to unify key ideas and make the message or 1. Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes effective
theme clear to the reader. aspects of the piece and makes effective transitions between sentences and descriptions
2. Reinforce coherence within and across transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and make the message or
paragraphs. to unify key ideas and make the message or theme clear to the reader.
3. Use precise language, action verbs, sensory theme cle ar to the reader. 2. Use precise language, action verbs, sensory
details, colorful modifiers, and active rather 2. Reinforce coherence within and across details, colorful modifiers, and active rather
than passive voice to enliven written paragraphs. than passive voice to enliven written
presentations. 3. Use precise language, action verbs, sensory presentations.
4. Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and details, colorful modifiers, and active rather 3. Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and
transitions among paragraphs, passages, and than passive voice to enliven written transitions among paragraphs, passages, and
ideas by revising writing based on given or self- presentations. ideas by revising writing based on given or self-
generated criteria and others’ responses. 4. Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and generated criteria and others’ responses.
5. Support all statements and claims with relevant transitions among paragraphs, passages, and 4. Write to express personal ideas that relate a
anecdotes, descriptions, facts, statistics, and/or ideas by revising writing based on given or self- clear, coherent event, situation, and/or storyline
specific information. generated criteria and others’ responses. by using well-chosen details, that reveal the
6. Write letters that address audience needs, stated 5. Write letters that address audience needs, stated significance of, or the writer’s attitude about
purpose, and context in a clear and efficient purpose, and context in a clear and efficient the subject, and that purposefully include
manner, and adhere to stated purposes. manner, and adhere to stated purposes. rhetorical elements, such as figurative language,
7. Write reports for an intended audience and 6. Write to persuade an intended audience by descriptions, foreshadowing, and symbolism.
purpose that conveys a clear and accurate selecting an appropriate form that makes a clear
perspective on the subject, and that supports the and knowledgeable judgment and supports
main ideas with facts, details, examples, and arguments with detailed evidence, examples,
explanations. and reasoning.
8. Write essays for an intended audience that state 7. Support all statements and claims with relevant
the thesis or purpose of the paper, that follow an anecdotes, descriptions, facts, statistics, and/or
organizational pattern, and that offer specific examples.
compelling evidence in the form of facts and
details to support the thesis.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at the seventh grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
S Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
Seventh Grade Language Arts Curriculum
2001-2002
OUTCOME #7: Students will demonstrate their u OUTCOME #8: Students will demonstrate their u S OUTCOME #9: Students will demonstrate
ability to USE THE STRUCTURES AND ability to LISTEN by comprehending and analyzing their ability to COMMUNICATE ORALLY
CONVENTIONS OF THE ENGLISH information through a variety of mediums. through a variety of mediums.
LANGUAGE in their written communication.
Students are able to do everything required at Students are able to do everything required at
Students are able to do everything required at earlier grades, and: earlier grades, and:
earlier grades, and:
1. Select a purpose for listening and summarize 1. Prepare an informative oral presentation.
1. Use standard English language conventions material heard. 2. Prepare a persuasive oral presentation.
correctly to communicate clearly, including 2. Comprehend the content of messages by
• Sentence structure listening.
• Punctuation 3. Comprehend the intent of speakers by listening.
• Capitalization
• Grammar and usage
2. Use language fluently and appropriately for a
variety of contexts, purposes, and audiences.
3. Use conventional spelling in their own writing.
4. Expand vocabulary through organized an
systematic study.
5. Explain how words are classified
grammatically.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at the seventh grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
S Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
Eighth Grade Language Arts Curriculum
2001-2002
u OUTCOME #1: Students will demonstrate their u OUTCOME #2: Students will demonstrate their u OUTCOME #3: Students will demonstrate their
ability to READ FOR LITERARY EXPERIENCE ability to READ FOR INFORMATION by ability to READ TO PERFORM A TASK by
by constructing, extending, and examining meaning constructing, extending, and examining meaning constructing, extending, and examining meaning
from stories, plays, poems, and other works of fiction. from articles, editorials, content texts, and other from investigations or other sets of directions.
expository materials related to the content areas.
Students are able to do everything require at earlier Students are able to do everything require at earlier
grades, use text support, and read for: Students are able to do everything require at earlier grades, use text support, and read for:
grades, use text support, and read for:
Global Understanding when they:
Global Understanding when they:
1. Explain how the theme represents a
Global Understanding when they: 1. Identify how someone would use the
view or comment on life.
Developing Interpretation when they: 1. Determine the author’s purpose. text.
2. Compare and contrast the ways similar Developing Interpretation when they: Developing Interpretation when they:
themes are expressed in multiple 2. Draw inferences, conclusions, or 2. Compare and contrast information
literary works. generalizations about text and support from different articles or procedures
3. Compare works that express a universal them with textual evidence and on the same topic.
theme, providing evidence to support experience. 3. Draw inferences, conclusions or
the ideas. Personal Response when they: generalizations about text and support
4. Evaluate the influence of culture, , 3. Connect and clarify main ideas and them with textual evidence and
ethnicity, and historical eras on the concepts and identify their experience.
themes and issues of literary texts. relationship to other sources, related 4. Reorganize information from
Personal Response when they: topics, or prior experiences. different articles or procedures on the
5. Compare and contrast one’s personal Critical Response when they: same topic.
view with the author’s view of human 4. Recognize instances of propaganda Personal Response when they:
experience and character. 5. Connect and clarify main ideas and
and persuasive techniques.
6. Compare and contrast the motivations concepts and identify their
5. Identify and trace the development of
and reactions of characters from
an author’s argument, viewpoint, or relationship to other sources, related
different historical eras who confront
perspective in text. topics, or prior experiences.
similar challenges and situations and
connect them to prior knowledge or the 6. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity, and 6. Compare and contrast information
experiences of others. internal consistency of the text’s with prior knowledge.
Critical Response when they: organizational structure. Critical Response when they:
7. Identify and trace the development of 7. Assess the adequacy, accuracy, and 7. Evaluate the usefulness, clarity, and
an author’s argument, viewpoint, or appropriateness of an author’s details internal consistency of the text’s
perspective in text. to support claims and assertions, organizational structure.
8. Assess the adequacy, accuracy, and noting instances of bias and
appropriateness of an author’s details to stereotyping.
support claims and assertions, noting 8. Evaluate text features to gain
instances of bias and stereotyping. meaning.
9. Explain how literary elements create
meaning for readers.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at the eighth grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
T Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
Eighth Grade Language Arts Curriculum
2001-2002
u S OUTCOME #4: Students will demonstrate u S OUTCOME #5: Students will demonstrate u S OUTCOME #6: Students will demonstrate
their ability to WRITE TO INFORM by their ability to WRITE TO PERS UADE by their ability to WRITE TO EXPRESS
developing and organizing facts to convey selecting and organizing relevant information, PERSONAL IDEAS by selecting a form and its
information. establishing an argumentative purpose, and by appropriate elements (e.g., plot, dialogue, rhyme
designing an appropriate strategy for an identified scheme, etc.)
Students are able to do everything required at audience.
earlier grades and: Students are able to do everything require at earlier
Students are able to do everything require at earlier grades, and:
1. Create an organizing structure that balances all grades, and:
aspects of the piece and makes effective 1. Create an organizing structure that balances all
transitions between sentences and descriptions 1. Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes effective
to unify key ideas and make the message or aspects of the piece and makes effective transitions between sentences and descriptions
theme clear to the reader. transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and make the message or
2. Reinforce coherence within and across to unify key ideas and make the message or theme clear to the reader.
paragraphs. theme clear to the reader. 2. Use precise language, action verbs, sensory
3. Use precise language, action verbs, sensory 2. Reinforce coherence within and across details, colorful modifiers, and active rather
details, colorful modifiers, and active rather paragraphs. than passive voice to enliven written
than passive voice to enliven written 3. Use precise language, a ction verbs, sensory presentations.
presentations. details, colorful modifiers, and active rather 3. Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice,
4. Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, than passive voice to enliven written and transitions among paragraphs, passages,
and transitions among paragraphs, passages, presentations. and ideas by revising writing based on given or
and ideas by revising writing based on given or 4. Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, self-generated criteria and others’ responses.
self-generated criteria and others’ experiences. and transitions among paragraphs, passages, 4. Write to express personal ideas that relate a
5. Support all statements and claims with relevant and ideas by revising writing based on given o r clear, coherent event, situation, and/or storyline
anecdotes, descriptions, facts, statistics, and/or self-generated criteria and others’ responses. by using well-chosen details, that reveal the
specific information. 5. Write letters that address audience needs, stated significance of, or the writer’s attitude about the
6. Write letters that address audience needs, purpose, and context in a clear and efficient subject, and that purposefully include
stated purpose, and context in a clear and manner, and adhere to stated purposes. rhetorical elements, such as figurative
efficient manner, and adhere to state purposes. 6. Write to persuade an intended audience by language, description, foreshadowing, and
7. Write reports for an intended audience and selecting an appropriate form that makes a clear symbolism.
purpose that conveys a clear and accurate and knowledgeable judgment and supports
perspective on the subject, and that supports arguments with detailed evidence, examples,
the main ideas with facts, details, examples, and reasoning.
and explanations. 7. Support all statements and claims with relevant
8. Write essays for an intended audience and anecdotes, descriptions, facts, statistics, and/or
purpose that state the thesis or purpose of the specific examples.
paper, that follow an organizational pattern,
and that offer compelling evidence in the form
of facts and details to support the thesis.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at the eighth grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
T Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
Eighth Grade Language Arts Curriculum
2001-2002
OUTCOME #7: Students will demonstrate their u OUTCOME #8: Students will demonstrate their u S OUTCOME #9: Students will demonstrate
ability to USE THE STRUCTURES AND ability to LISTEN by comprehending and analyzing their ability to COMMUNICATE ORALLY
CONVENTIONS OF THE ENGLISH information through a variety of mediums. through a variety of mediums.
LANGUAGE in their written communication.
Students are able to do everything require at earlier Students are able to do everything require at earlier
Students are able to do everything require at earlier grades, and: grades, and:
grades, and:
1. Select a purpose for listening and summarize 1. Self-select a topic, and choose an appropriate
1. Use standard English language conventions material heard. form: narrative, persuasive, or informative, for
correctly to communicate clearly, including 2. Comprehend the content of messages by an oral presentation.
• Sentence structure listening.
• Punctuation 3. Comprehend the intent of speakers by listening.
• Capitalization
• Grammar and usage
2. Use language fluently and appropriately for a
variety of contexts, purposes, and audiences.
3. Use conventional spelling in their own writing.
4. Expand vocabulary through organized and
systematic study.
5. Explain how words are classified
grammatically.
Ø Items in Boldface type denote features of the indicators which should be focused on at the eighth grade level.
u Meets Service Learning Standards
T Use of technology based on availability of hardware and software
Essential Curriculum
Language Arts - Grade 6M
Note: All items labeled M.L.O. (Maryland Learning Outcomes) are tested on the MSPAP at the 8th grade
level.
LA.600.10 Students will demonstrate their ability to READ FOR LITERARY EXPERIENCE by
constructing, extending, and examining meaning from stories, plays, poems, and other
works of fiction. (M.L.O. Reading 1)
LA.600.10.05 Evaluate the influence of culture, ethnicity, and historical eras on the themes and
issues of literary texts. (M.L.O. 1.2.5)
LA.600.20 Students will demonstrate their ability to READ FOR INFORMATION by constructing,
extending, and examining meaning from articles, editorial, content texts, and other
expository materials related to the content areas. (M.L.O. Reading 2)
LA.600.20.03 Draw inferences, conclusions, or generalizations about text and support them
with textual evidence and experience. (M.L.O. 2.2.2)
LA.600.20.07 Evaluate the usefulness, clarity, and internal consistency of the text's
organizational structure. (M.L.O. 2.4.4)
LA.600.30.03 Draw inferences, conclusions, or generalizations about text and support them
with textual evidence and experience. (M.L.O. 3.2.2)
LA.600.30.05 Compare and contrast information with prior knowledge. (M.L.O. 3.3.2)
LA.600.40 Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO INFORM by developing and
organizing facts to convey information. (M.L.O. Writing 1)
LA.600.40.01 Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes
effective transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and
make the message or theme clear to the reader. (M.L.O. 1.1)
LA.600.40.02 Reinforce coherence within and across paragraphs. (M.L.O. 1.2)
LA.600.40.03 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, and
active rather than passive voice to enliven written presentations. (M.L.O. 1.3)
LA.600.40.04 Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and transitions among paragraphs,
passages, and ideas by revising writing based on given or self-generated criteria
and others' responses . (M.L.O. 1.4)
LA.600.40.05 Support all statements and claims with relevant anecdotes, descriptions, facts,
statistics, and/or specific information. (M.L.O. 1.5)
LA.600.40.06 Write letters that address audience needs, stated purpose, and context in a clear
and efficient manner, and adhere to stated purposes. (M.L.O. 1.6)
LA.600.50 Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO PERSUADE by selecting and
organizing relevant information, establishing an argumentative purpose, and by designing
an appropriate strategy for an identified audience. (M.L.O. Writing 2)
LA.600.50.01 Write letters that address audience needs, stated purpose, and context in a clear
and efficient manner, and adhere to stated purposes. (M.L.O. 2.5)
LA.600.50.02 Write to persuade an intended audience by selecting an appropriate form that
makes a clear and knowledgeable judgment and supports arguments with
detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning. (M.L.O. 2.6)
LA.600.60 Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO EXPRESS PERSONAL IDEAS by
selecting a form and its appropriate elements (e.g. plot, dialogue, rhyme scheme, et
cetera) (M.L.O. Writing 3)
LA.600.60.01 Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes
effective transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and
make the message or theme clear to the reader. (M.L.O. 3.1)
LA.600.60.02 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, and
active rather than passive voice to enliven written presentations. (M.L.O. 3.2)
LA.600.60.03 Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and transitions among paragraphs,
passages, and ideas by revising writing based on given or self-generated criteria
and others' responses. (M.L.O. 3.3)
LA.600.60.04 Write to express personal ideas that relate a clear, coherent event, situation,
and/or storyline by using well-chosen details, that reveal the significance of, or
the writer's attitude about the subject, and that purposefully include rhetorical
elements, such as figurative language, description, foreshadowing, and
symbolism. (M.L.O. 3.4)
LA.600.70 Students will demonstrate their ability to USE THE STRUCTURES AND
CONVENTIONS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE in their written communication.
(M.L.O. Language Usage)
LA.600.70.01 Use English language conventions correctly to communicate clearly, including
• Sentence structure
• Punctuation
• Capitalization
• Grammar and Usage (M.L.O. 1.1)
LA.600.70.02 Use language fluently and appropriately for a variety of contexts, purposes, and
audiences. (M.L.O. 1.2)
LA.600.70.03 Use conventional spelling in their own writing. (M.L.O. 1.3)
LA.600.70.04 Expand vocabulary through organized and systematic study.
LA.600.70.05 Explain how words are classified grammatically.
LA.600.80 Students will demonstrate their ability to LISTEN by comprehending and analyzing
information through a variety of mediums.
LA.600.80.01 Select a purpose for listening and summarize material heard.
LA.600.80.02 Comprehend the content of messages by listening.
LA.600.80.03 Comprehend the intent of speakers by listening.
LA.600.90 Students will demonstrate their ability to COMMUNICATE ORALLY through a variety
of mediums.
LA.600.90.01 Prepare a narrative and informative oral presentation.
Essential Curriculum
Language Arts - Grade 7
Note: All items labeled M.L.O. (Maryland Learning Outcomes) are tested on the MSPAP at the 8th grade
level.
LA.700.10 Students will demonstrate their ability to READ FOR LITERARY EXPERIENCE by
constructing, extending, and examining meaning from stories, plays, poems, and other
works of fiction. (M.L.O. Reading 1)
LA.700.20 Students will demonstrate their ability to READ FOR INFORMATION by constructing,
extending, and examining meaning from articles, editorials, content texts, and other
expository materials related to the content areas. (M.L.O. Reading 2)
LA.700.40 Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO INFORM by developing organizing
facts to convey information. (M.L.O. Writing 1)
LA.700.40.01 Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes
effective transactions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and
make the message or theme clear to the reader. (M.L.O. 1.1)
LA.700.40.02 Reinforce coherence within and across paragraphs. (M.L.O. 1.2)
LA.700.40.03 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, and active
rather than passive voice to enliven written presentations. (M.L.O. 1.3)
LA.700.40.04 Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and transitions among paragraphs,
passages, and ideas by revising writing based on given or self-generated criteria and
others' responses. (M.L.O. 1.4)
LA.700.40.05 Support all statements and claims with relevant anecdotes, descriptions, facts,
statistics, and/or specific information. (M.L.O. 1.5)
LA.700.40.06 Write letters that address audience needs, stated purpose, and context in a clear and
efficient manner, and adhere to stated purposes. (M.L.O. 1.6)
LA.700.40.07 Write reports for an intended audience and purpose that conveys a clear and accurate
perspective on the subject, and that supports the main ideas with facts, details,
examples, and explanations. (M.L.O. 1.7)
LA.700.40.08 Write essays for an intended audience that state the thesis or purpose of the paper,
that follow an organizational pattern, and that offer compelling evidence in the form
of facts and details to support the thesis. (M.L.O. 1.8)
LA.700.50 Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO PERSUADE by selecting and
organizing relevant information, establishing an argumentative purpose, and by designing
an appropriate strategy for an identified audience. (M.L.O. Writing 2)
LA.700.50.01 Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes
effective transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and make
the message or theme clear to the reader. (M.L.O. 2.1)
LA.700.50.02 Reinforce coherence within and across paragraphs. (M.L.O. 2.2)
LA.700.50.03 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, and active
rather than passive voice to enliven written presentations. (M.L.O. 2.3)
LA.700.50.04 Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and transitions among paragraphs,
passages, and ideas by revising writing based on given or self-generated criteria and
others' responses. (M.L.O. 2.4)
LA.700.50.05 Write letters that address audience needs, stated purpose, and context in a clear and
efficient manner, and adhere to stated purposes. (M.L.O. 2.5)
LA.700.50.06 Write to persuade an intended audience by selecting an appropriate form that makes
a clear and knowledgeable judgment and supports arguments with detailed evidence,
examples, and reasoning. (M.L.O. 2.6)
LA.700.50.07 Support all statements and claims with relevant anecdotes, descriptions, facts,
statistics, and/or specific examples. (M.L.O. 2.7)
LA.700.60 Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO EXPRESS PERSONAL IDEAS by
selecting a form and its appropriate elements (e.g., plot, dialogue, rhyme scheme, etc.)
(M.L.O. Writing 3)
LA.700.60.01 Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes
effective transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and make
the message or theme clear to the reader. (M.L.O. 3.1)
LA.700.60.02 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, and active
rather than passive voice to enliven written presentations. (M.L.O. 3.2)
LA.700.60.03 Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and transitions among paragraphs,
passages, and ideas by revising writing based on given or self-generated criteria and
others' responses. (M.L.O. 3.3)
LA.700.60.04 Write to express personal ideas that relate a clear, coherent event, situation, and/or
storyline by using well-chosen details, that reveal the significance of, or the writer's
attitude about the subject, and that purposefully include rhetorical elements, such as
figurative language, descriptions, foreshadowing, and symbolism. (M.L.O. 3.4)
LA.700.70 Students will demonstrate their ability to USE THE STRUCTURES AND
CONVENTIONS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE in their written communication.
(M.L.O. Language Usage)
LA.700.70.01 Use English language conventions correctly to communicate clearly, including
Sentence structure
Punctuation
Capitalization
Grammar and usage (M.L.O. 1.1)
LA.700.70.02 Use language fluently and appropriately for a variety of contexts, purposes, and
audiences. (M.L.O. 1.2)
LA.700.70.03 Use conventional spelling in their own writing. (M.L.O. 1.3)
LA.700.70.04 Expand vocabulary through organized an systematic study.
LA.700.70.05 Explain how words are classified grammatically.
LA.700.80 Students will demonstrate their ability to LISTEN by comprehending and analyzing
information through a variety of mediums.
LA.700.80.01 Select a purpose for listening and summarize material heard.
LA.700.80.02 Comprehend the content of messages by listening.
LA.700.80.03 Comprehend the intent of speakers by listening.
LA.700.90 Students will demonstrate their ability to COMMUNICATE ORALLY through a variety of
mediums.
LA.700.90.01 Prepare an informative oral presentation.
LA.700.90.02 Prepare a persuasive oral presentation.
Essential Curriculum
Language Arts for Grade 8
Note: All items labeled M.L.O. (Maryland Learning Outcomes) are tested on the MSPAP at the 8th grade
level.
LA.800.10 Students will demonstrate their ability to READ FOR LITERARY EXPERIENCE by
constructing, extending, and examining meaning from stories, plays, poems, and other
works of fiction. (M.L.O. Reading 1)
LA.800.20 Students will demonstrate their ability to READ FOR INFORMATION by constructing,
extending, and examining meaning from articles, editorials, content texts, and other
expository materials related to the content areas. (M.L.O. Reading 2)
LA.800.40 Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO INFORM by developing and
organizing facts to convey information. (M.L.O. Writing 1)
LA.800.40.01 Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes
effective transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and make
the message or theme clear to the reader. (M.L.O. 1.1)
LA.800.40.02 Reinforce coherence within and across paragraphs. (M.L.O. 1.2)
LA.800.40.03 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, and active
rather than passive voice to enliven written presentations. (M.L.O. 1.3)
LA.800.40.04 Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and transitions among paragraphs,
passages, and ideas by revising writing based on given or self-generated criteria and
others' experiences. (M.L.O. 1.4)
LA.800.40.05 Support all statements and claims with relevant anecdotes, descriptions, facts,
statistics, and/or specific information. (M.L.O. 1.5)
LA.800.40.06 Write letters that address audience needs, stated purpose, and context in a clear and
efficient manner, and adhere to state purposes. (M.L.O. 1.6)
LA.800.40.07 Write reports for an intended audience and purpose that conveys a clear and accurate
perspective on the subject, and that supports the main ideas with facts, details,
examples, and explanations. (M.L.O. 1.7)
LA.800.40.08 Write essays for an intended audience and purpose that state the thesis or purp ose of
the paper, that follow an organizational pattern, and that offer compelling evidence
in the form of facts and details to support the thesis. (M.L.O. 1.8)
LA.800.50 Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO PERSUADE by selecting and
organizing relevant information, establishing an argumentative purpose, and by designing
an appropriate strategy for an identified audience. (M.L.O. Writing 2)
LA.800.50.01 Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes
effective transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and make
the message or theme clear to the reader. (M.L.O. 2.1)
LA.800.50.02 Reinforce coherence within and across paragraphs. (M.L.O. 2.2)
LA.800.50.03 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, and active
rather than passive voice to enliven written presentations. (M.L.O. 2.3)
LA.800.50.04 Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and transitions among paragraphs,
passages, and ideas by revising writing based on given or self-generated criteria and
others' responses. (M.L.O. 2.4)
LA.800.50.05 Write letters that address audience needs, stated purpose, and context in a clear and
efficient manner, and adhere to stated purposes. (M.L.O. 2.5)
LA.800.50.06 Write to persuade an intended audience by selecting an appropriate form that makes
a clear and knowledgeable judgment and supports arguments with detailed evidence,
examples, and reasoning. (M.L.O. 2.6)
LA.800.50.07 Support all statements and claims with relevant anecdotes, descriptions, facts,
statistics, and/or specific examples. (M.L.O. 2.7)
LA.800.60 Students will demonstrate their ability to WRITE TO EXPRESS PERSONAL IDEAS by
selecting a form and its appropriate elements (e.g., plot, dialogue, rhyme scheme, etc.)
(M.L.O. Language Usage)
LA.800.60.01 Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes
effective transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and make
the message or theme clear to the reader. (M.L.O. 1.1)
LA.800.60.02 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, and active
rather than passive voice to enliven written presentations. (M.L.O. 1.2)
LA.800.60.03 Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and transitions amo ng paragraphs,
passages, and ideas by revising writing based on given or self-generated criteria and
others' responses. (M.L.O. 1.3)
LA.800.60.04 Write to express personal ideas that relate a clear, coherent event, situation, and/or
storyline by using well-chosen details, that reveal the significance of, or the writer's
attitude about the subject, and that purposefully include rhetorical elements, such as
figurative language, description, foreshadowing, and symbolism.
LA.800.70 Students will demonstrate their ability to USE THE STRUCTURES AND
CONVENTIONS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE in their written communication.
LA.800.70.01 Use English language conventions correctly to communicate clearly, including
• Sentence structure
• Punctuation
• Capitalization
• Grammar and usage
LA.800.70.02 Use language fluently and appropriately for a variety of contexts, purposes, and
audiences.
LA.800.70.03 Use conventional spelling in their own writing.
LA.800.70.04 Expand vocabulary through organized and systematic study.
LA.800.70.05 Explain how words are classified grammatically.
LA.800.80 Students will demonstrate their ability to LISTEN by comprehending and analyzing
information through a variety of mediums.
LA.800.80.01 Select a purpose for listening and summarize material heard.
LA.800.80.02 Comprehend the content of messages by listening.
LA.800.80.03 Comprehend the intent of speakers by listening.
LA.800.90 Students will demonstrate their ability to COMMUNICATE ORALLY through a variety
of mediums.
LA.800.90.01 Self-select a topic, and choose an appropriate form: narrative, persuasive, or
informative, for an oral presentation.
Unit Focus: Appropriate Choices for English Language Arts
Educational research has shown clearly that student learning increases when indicators are taught
within the framework of a unit focus. Below, are sample types of units that constitute the essence of
the study of English. Teachers may wish to incorporate each of the units below in the annual
instructional plan.
Author’s Study
In this unit, students learn to recognize and evaluate a specific author’s craft. Students read multiple
texts by the same author to determine how this author utilizes literary techniques across texts.
Genre Study
In this unit, students learn to recognize and evaluate the organizational patterns of a speczfic genre.
Students read multiple texts in this genre, and then utilize this knowledge to create an original work in
the genre studied.
Period Study
In this unit, students learn to recognize and evaluate how history and culture transform literature.
Students read multiple texts from a single, historical period.
Thematic Study
In this unit, students learn to recognize and evaluate how ideas permeate a literary text to create themes.
Students read multiple texts with similar themes to evaluate how individual texts create theme.
Research Component
In this unit, students learn to gather information and to analyze its relevance to prior knowledge.
Information gathered is then synthesized and shared with others in the community of learners.
In this unit, students learn to self-select reading materials and writing topics. After self-selecting both a
short and longer prose work to read, students choose a topic to share ideas learned or appreciated as a
result of the reading. This sharing should produce both a written product of the student’s own selection
as well as an oral presentation product. As students actively listen to each other’s presentations, active
listening skills may be taught, practiced, and evaluated. This unit also offers an opportunity to reinforce
oral presentation skills.
Critical Perspective
In this unit, students learn how a specific critical perspective shapes literary thought. Students read several
texts using the perspective tinder study to develop a greater awareness of the criteria by which we may
evaluate literary texts.
Reading in the Content Areas
In this unit, students learn how to construct, extend, and examine meaning when reading to be informed
and when reading to perform a task in specific content areas. Students acquire discipline-specific vocabulary,
knowledge of text structures and features, and the ability to evaluate the quality’ of informational and
directional texts.
In this unit, students learn the history of English as a language. Students study the historical development
of language and how that history has determined the structure and rules of semantics and syntax.
Writer’s Workshop
In this unit, students learn to compose in a variety of forms. Students study how they can effectively convey thoughts,
ideas, and deeds through prose and poetry. Skills in development, organization, audience awareness, and language usage
are all practiced to further student achievement in writing.
The Language of Standards in Maryland
MSDE
FCPS
Classroom
Lesson Objective:
A statement of what students will learn in a lesson
and how thy will demonstrate that learning.
Reading for Literary Experience Grade: 6
Indicator: Summarize the text.
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
• Describe character
• Differentiate between major and minor characters
• Analyze character waits
• Describe major characters’ speech and behavior
• Describe major characters though opinions and reactions of others
• Identify flat/round characters
• Identify static/dynamic characters
• Identify plot elements (introduction, rising action, climax, failing action,
resolution or denouement)
• Determine conflicts and resolutions in a narrative
• Determine types of conflicts
• Identify and locate plot elements
• Distinguish between significant and insignificant events
• Identify and describe setting
• Define setting as time, place, and mood
• Identify character traits
• Describe physical appearance and personality
• Identify character’s motivations and reactions
• Identify point of view
• Recognize first person narration
Reading for Literary Experience Grade: 6
Indicator: Analyze characterization
as delineated through a character’s
thoughts, words, speech patterns, and
deeds
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
• Describe character
• Differentiate between major and minor characters
• Differentiate between the protagonist and the antagonist
• Describe a character’s ideas
• Describe major characters’ speech and behavior
• Describe major characters though opinions and reactions of others
• Identify character traits
• Describe physical appearance and personality
• Identify characters’ motivations and reactions
• Identify point of view
• Identify characters as flat or round or static or dynamic
Reading for Literary Experience Grade: 6, 7, 8
Indicator: Evaluate the influence of
culture, ethnicity, and historical eras
on the themes and issues of literary
texts.
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Judge how the culture, ethnicity, and history of the reader may influence the
reader’s interpretation of a literary text
• Point out the culture ethnicity or history of written text
• Find universal themes
• Judge how the culture, ethnicity, and history of the author may have influenced
the text
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Tell the similarities and differences between the way one as an individual sees
a human experience, and the way an author saw the same experience
• Use prior knowledge to make a personal response/connection
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
• Identify the following elements and explain how each creates meaning:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• using tow or more texts, explain the similarities and differences of how a theme
is presented in those texts
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• After identifying a universal theme, explain how two or more texts treat that
theme (tell what is similar and what is different)
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Distinguish the similarities and differences between how two or more characters
act and work within their settings Connect prior knowledge (reader’s own and
other’s experiences) to the actions of characters and to the characters’ settings.
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Write a passage that is smaller than the original text, in your own words,
including the main idea and significant details from the beginning, middle, and
end of the original text to capture the important information conveyed in the
text
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Use prior knowledge and the ideas in the text to support a synthesis of ideas or
an analysis of a text
• Form and support an opinion
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Find the main idea and connect and relate it to something else that is already
known
• Explain the relationship between the topic you are currently discussing or
studying and the text selection provided
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
• Identify and explain how the following types of structure make meaning:
• Identify and explain how the following types of text features make
information accessible and useable:
Titles, sub-titles, pictures, captions, graphs, tables, maps, charts, underlining, bold-face,
italics, use of all capital letters
Reading for Information Grade: 6, 7, 8
Indicator: Evaluate the usefulness,
clarity, and internal consistency of the
text’s organizational structure
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Judge the efficacy or text features (i.e. pictures, title, graphs, etc.) in creating
meaning for a reader
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Discover the reason that the author wrote the article or procedures, what the
intent of the author was, or what was the main idea the author wished to convey
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Analyze a text to determine how the author has used bias, stereotypes, logical,
ethnical, and emotional rhetoric to persuade the reader
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Explain the argument, viewpoint, and perspective that the author uses in a text
to create meaning
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Tell how to use the text by explaining what the task is to be performed and why
someone would want to perform that task
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Explain the similarities and differences of the details or two or more articles
that are designed to get the reader to perform the same task
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Form and support an opinion about a text or synthesize ideas from a text and
prior knowledge or experiences and support the synthesis with text-based or
text-referential support
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Explain how one set of directions is similar to or different from other sets of
directions previously encountered
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Analyze the organization and text features used in a set of directions that could
be used in the workplace
• Determine how the author used the organization and text features to make it
easier for the reader to perform a task
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
• Analyze different sets of directions that ask a reader to perform the same task
and determine how to reformat the procedures to greater advantage for the
reader
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
• Identify and write narrative and explanatory paragraphs using the writing process
• Generate and explore ideas for writing
• Employ an organizational plan such as webbing or outlining
• Use transitions
• Identify time order words in a paragraph
• Use correct spelling, capitalization and punctuation
• Capitalize first word of a sentence, pronoun I, proper names, proper adjectives,
titles
• Use end marks in a series and in letters during the writing process
• Recognize and apply rules for grammar, usage, and mechanics
• Use quotation marks with other punctuation
Writing to Inform Grade: 6, 7, 8
Indicator: Reinforce coherence within
and across paragraphs
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Sample Objectives:
• Identify and write narrative and explanatory paragraphs using the writing
process.
• Distinguish between passages of directions and reasons
• Use transitions
• Edit text
• Identify parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs)
• use subject-verb agreement with simple subjects during the writing process.
• Identify appropriate language choices.
• Expand vocabulary through organized and systematic study.
• Revise for word choice
• Recognize and apply rules for grammar, usage, and mechanics
• Use correct spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
• Use pronoun-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
• Use relevant personal and/or factual information.
Writing for Personal Expression Grade: 6, 7, 8
Indicator: Write to express personal
ideas that relate a clear, coherent event
situation, and/or storyline by using well-
chosen details, that reveal the signifi-
cance of, or the writer’s attitude about
hte subject, and that purposefully include
rhetorical elements, such as figurative
language, description, foreshadowing,
and symbolism.
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
Paraphrase/Restatement:
Sample Objectives:
1. Identify the indicator(s) you plan to teach and assess the student needs with regard to the
indicator(s)
Indicator(s):
Unit Focus:
Assessment:
Scoring Tool:
7. Plan the activities (direct instruction, guided practice. independent practice, independent assessment, summary)
for the lesson
Direct
Instruction:
Guided
Practice:
Independent
Practice:
Independent Assessment (see box #5 for daily lessons; box # 3 for end of unit)
1. Identify the indicator(s) you plan to teach and assess the student needs with regard to the
indicator(s)
Assessment: You are the editor of the school literary magazine. Your job is to find appropriate short
stories and poems to publish in the quarterly magazine. You are to create a magazine issue that will teach
others in the school how literary elements create meaning. For the issue, identify, excellent examples of
previously published works. Write a brief annotation for each selection to explain how the chosen work
demonstrates a literary element and how that element may create meaning for the reader.
Scoring Tool: This response gives evidence of the reader’s ability to explain how literary elements create
meaning when reading for literary experience.
This response gives evidence of the reader’s ability to explain how the literary element, setting creates
meaning when reading for literary experience.
Preview poetry
Identify text features in poetry (e.g. stanzas, verses)
Define setting using a literary dictionary
7. Plan the activities (direct instruction, guided practice. independent practice, independent assessment,
summary) for the lesson
Direct Instruction: Preview a few poems that create setting of summer. Identify text features ul poetry.
Define setting. Gather ideas on types of words that would be used to create setting. Demonstrate how a
single poem creates the setting of summer and explain how setting creates meaning.
Guided Practice Students work in teams of three to analyze additional poems that create setting of summer.
Each team finds one poem that they believe captures the setting of summer and writes how setting of
summer creates meaning of the poem. Teams pair with other ream and share.
Independent Assessment (see box #5 for daily lessons; box # 3 for end of unit)
Summary Activity for Daily Lesson: Choose three students to state how setting in poetry creates meaning
For readers.
Reading in the Content Area II:
Indicator Language
11. reorganize the information... take apart the procedure and critically analyze
the steps and how they have been formed
12. text features... title, material list, short, detailed , numbered steps, step by
step pictures, finished product...
13. text’s organizational structure.... more informal than the informational
suggestions— top to bottom, easy to follow, in steps, pictures near
appropriate step..
Sample Units
and Lessons
SUGGESTED 90 MINUTE LESSON MENU
• Engage students
• Develop skills/concepts
• Practice/shape/reinforce
• Provide closure
WHAT WE DID IN 45 MINUTES WHAT WE DO IN 90 MINUTES
! Room environment:
! visuals, lighting, temperature
! friendly bulletin boards
! display of student work
! music
! Room arrangement
! Positive reinforcements
! Classroom procedures
• Talk time
• Connection to prior knowledge (KWL)
• Motivation (warm-up activities)
• Demonstration to arouse curiosity
• “What’s in the bag?” What’s my name? (20 questions)
• Skits
• Show and tell
• News articles
• Drill and review
• “Hands on” activities
a. Manipulatives
b. Technological devices
• Video
• Concept attainment - Miss McGillicuddee (find a pattern)
• Thinking skill game (Creative Growth Games - see Works Cited page)
• Energizers and Icebreakers - (see Works Cited page)
• Homework review
• “What if …?”
• Presentation of problem to be solved
• Mnemonics (e.g. Roy G Biv - colors of the spectrum)
• Students paraphrase the drill
• Pair/share
• Listening activity
• Procedural discovery
• Sell critique
Gallery Walk Four Corners
Topics are placed around the classroom. The class is broken down into Each corner of the room is labeled (e.g. Characters from
equal numbered groups. Each group will it spend a given time at each To Kill A Mockingbird Addicus Finch, Boo Radley, Scout, Jem).
topic adding to that list. Students brainstorm in order to create lists
Students are asked a question (e.g. Which —character best
which will advance an Idea/topic. Within groups students are able to
analyze what other groups have done as well as discuss and develop
represents your altitudes towards prejudice?) Reflect, then move
ideas of their own.
to the corner that most accurately reflects the answer/belief/
opinion/stance. Students list reasons for their choices, then share
After each group has been given a chance to add to each topic, the class
as a whole will took at and discuss the final products.
Each group records its sentences. The large group chooses the statements
which best reflect the concept.
NOTES:
Diversity
Groups can be set up to reinforce advantages of diversity
Jigsaw Balloon Activity
Students are assigned to groups and given individual and group All students receive a balloon. They blow it up and write a
assignments. They work independently or with members from word or statement reflecting what they learned that day. Bal-
other teams to master the topic. Students do a round robin loons are tossed and batted around. Upon a signal, students
within the teams to share/teach the new knowledge with their catch a balloon. Catcher reads the word/statement and the
teammates. writer explains it.
Use tongue depressors coded on both sides to divide the class Students stand in two concentric circles. The inside cirle faces
into groups. out; the outside circle faces in. Each student gets a flash card.
on the front is a question, on the back is the answer. The
SHAPE HAPPY/SAD COLOR students ask the person across from them the question. After
students have had sufficient time to answer, the circles rotate in
the opposite directions until the teacher signals to stop. The
questioning process is repeated.
A 5
Students form relay teams and are given index cards, pictures, The teacher makes a statement, then draws a number line from
etc. that need to be classified. Rules should be established e.g., (1-6) somewhere in the roon, explaining that 1 represents
walking, hopping, etc. Students will race the clock to place “agrees stongly” and 6 represents “disagrees stongly.”Studetns
their cards in the receptacles that have been labeled with the walk to the location along the number line that best represents
classification titles, e.g., food groups, geometry angles/shapes, their feelings. Students on the ends try to convice students in
parts of speech, elements of design, etc. the middle to move to their sides. If students change opinions,
they may move their position in the continuum.
Students make appointments with classmates and record those Teacher should observe that each student listens and follows
appointments on a clock graphic. At the signal, students meet directions. Teacher may observe that students are in their corrct
with their appointments to discuss and compete a given task, places in the line. Teacher asks students to expalin the process
discus collabooratively, and then move to the next appointment. they used to determine their place in line using “think aloud”
Each subsequent appointment may extend and refine knowl- process. Teacher should assess students interacting successfully.
edge.
Dimensions of Learning
2 - Acquiring and Integrating Knowledge
3 - Extending and refining Knowledge
NOTES:
Include Opportunities for Internalizing and Reflecting
! Think/pair share
! Graphic organizer
! Creation of an analogy
! Concept map
! Illustration
! Sponge activity
2) FCPS Indicators:
Outcome # 1.1
Outcome #1.6
Compare and contrast your personal view of injustice with the view of injustice as
described in the story.
3) Unit Focus
Use the theme of injustices to develop student’s ability to properly read for the literary
experience.
4) Summative Assessment
• Compare and contrast your personal view of injustice with the view of injustice as
described in the story.
“Thanksgiving the day when snobby Aunt Rhea and her goody-goody family come to
visit is always a trial for Missy’s family. This year
Missy’s mother is so nervous that she snaps at Missy, who hides in her parent’s
bedroom and plans to escape to Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Just as Missy is leaving
through the window, the doorknob turns. She hides under the bed and watches her
brother come in and start to crawl out of the same window. When the doorknob turns
again, he joins Missy under the bed. This time their mother is the one trying to escape.
She lies down on the bed until ... the door opens again! Now their father comes in and
discovers his wife biding in the closet. As she complains about her awful day, the
children speak up from their hiding place. Desperate, the family considers a mass escape
from Aunt Rhea but instead settles for another Thanksgiving with her.”
Compare and contrast your personal view of injustice with the view of injustice as
described in the story. Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
In the short story, “Thanksgiving in Polynesia”, the main character, Missy, was
treated unfairly by her mother, Sara. Like Missy, I’ve had to accept the injustice of
my mom when she was mad at me for no good reason. The same sort of thing has
happened at school in one of my other classes when I got in trouble for something I
didn’t do.
Missy got in trouble because her mom didn’t like the way she cleaned her room. Do
I know how that feels? My mom is always on my case about cleaning my room and
making my bed. If it’s not perfect I have to do it, “until you get it right.” When I tell
her that, ‘You don’t have to sleep in my room, so what’s the big deal anyway?” She
gets really mad and grounds me for talking back. That’s one thing Missy and I do
differently I talk back a lot to my mom, so when I get in trouble I sometime deserve
it.
However, Missy shouldn’t have gotten in so much trouble. Her mom was mad at
Aunt Rhea and took it out on Missy. Missy’s mom even admits that she was too
strict on page 308 when she said, “‘Plus, I’ve been yelling at the kids for nothing.
Well not nothing...’ “Getting yelled at unjustly will happen to me when my mom is
angry with my dad. My parents and divorced and don’t always get along. Sometimes
my dad will drive my mom crazy with things he says. Then my mom will be upset
with me for something like not cleaning the dishes right away. The same sort of thing
happens in school too. This teacher I have won’t let kids go
sharpen their pencil if you break it. She says, “You should have come
prepared for class.” Then, if you ask someone else for a pencil so you can do
her stupid work, she makes you stay in for lunch detention for talking.
In the story, Missy faced injustice because her mom took out her anger on her. I’ve faced
the injustice of being treated unfairly at home and at school. Injustice stinks.
RLE Score: 2
LU Score: 2
6) Scoring Tool
0 Rarely or never uses word and sentence order and language choices to express
meaning with style and tone. Text appears error-ridden.
0 Other
7) Daily Objectives
• Students will construct, extend, and examine meaning when reading for
literary experience.
• Students will draw conclusions and generalizations about injustice and support
them with textual evidence and their own experience.
Name:
Date:
Period:
Teacher:
Examining Injustice:
by
a. You will have ____ days from the start to finish not including weekends.
a) To study the theme of injustice you will read a total of three pieces of literature.
Read
a) You will write three sets of responses that proves you have
i) Read for Information
ii) Read for Literary Experience
c) You will have the chance to rewrite all of your Reading for Information, arid Reading
for Literary Experience responses once we have checked them in class.
d) After you have completed all of the practice responses, you can choose one response
you would like to have graded. If you fail to complete at lease one draft of all three
of the responses, you will automatically receive a “D” for your practice work and
will not be able to earn more than “B” on the test.
5) What is my homework?
a) No, you do not need to type your answers. You will not be given extra credit for
typing.
b) You must write your answers in your best cursive unless given permission to the
contrary,
a) You can have a peer, or an adult, or your teacher double-check what you have
written before you turn it in.
c) If you follow the rubric and seriously check your work instead of looking at it
and saying to yourself, “Yea, I checked it,” you should earn a very high mark.
a) You will earn two grades for this unit. One test grade and one notebook grade.
b) If you properly use the attached rubrics and scoring tools for each graded assignment,
you should earn two very high grades.
a) After reading “Abd al-Rahaman Ibrahima”, from Now Is Your Time (p. 257)
complete these Reading for Information activities:
i) Outcome #2.1
Summarize the story “Abd al-Rahaman Ibrahima”, from Now Is Your Time
and the story from A Long hard Journey.
b) After reading two of the following fictional stories: “Eleven,” “User Friendly,” or
“The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse” complete these Reading for Literary
Experience activities for each story.
i) Outcome # 1.1
Summarize the story.
ii) Outcome #1.6
Compare and contrast your personal view of fairness with the stories view
of injustice. For “Eleven” think about Rachel’s feeling about becoming
eleven. For “User Friendly” think about which character experiences the
most injustice. For “The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse” think
about why John Byro does not take away the horse when he recognizes it.
c) For your test complete these Reading for Literary Experience activities for
“Thanksgiving in Polynesia.”
i) Outcome # 1.1
Compare and contrast your personal view of injustice with the view of
injustice as described in the story.
Complete Activiy 1.
Activity 1 45 Minutes
Read and then summarize the passage “Abd al-Rahaman Ibrahima”, from Now Is Your
Time and the story from A Long Hard Journey. (p.257).
Activity 2 45 Minutes
• Review the passage “Abd al-Rahaman Ibrahima”, from Now Is Your Time and the
story from A Long Hard Journey. (p.257).
Rewrite Activity 2
Task B
Directions
Complete Activiy 4.
Activity 4 45 Minutes
• Compare and contrast your personal view of fairness with the story’s view of injustice.
Think about Rachel’s feeling about becoming eleven.
Activity 6 (Optional)
Rewrite Activity 5
Task C
Directions
Complete Activiy 7.
Activity 7 45 Minutes
• Compare and contrast your personal view of fairness with the story’s view of injustice.
Think about which character experiences the most injustice.
Activity 9 (Optional)
Rewrite Activity 8
Task D
Directions
Activity 10 45 Minutes
Read and then summarize the story “The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse” (p.291).
Activity 11 45 Minutes
• Compare and contrast your personal view of fairness with the story’s view of injustice.
Think about why John Boro does not take away the horse when he recognizes it.
Activity 12 (Optional)
Rewrite Activity 11
Examining Injustice
2. Compare and contrast your personal view of injustice with the view of
injustice as described in the story.
Paper Folding Center
by
1) FCPS Indicator
2) Lesson Focus
Introduction:
We will be working on a paper folding center in our classroom. When students have free
time, they will be able to go to this center on their own. Your teacher would like your help
in choosing which type of paper folding activity your class will do. You can choose
between origami or paper airplane folding. First, you will preview two activities from each
unit. Then you will complete one of the activities to help you decide whether your class will
contain an origami center or in a paper airplane folding center. Finally, you will write a
letter to persuade your teacher to agree with your choice.
Task A
Directions:
Today you will be reading to perform a task. When you read to perform a task, you will
read to compare and contrast information from different directions on the same topic, and
clarify main ideas about those topics. Take three minutes to preview, look over, the two sets
of directions you may choose from. You will not have time to complete more than one
activity today and may not change activities in the middle of the task, so choose wisely.
When you have finished your preview, complete Activity 1. After completing Activity 1,
stop and wait for further directions.
Activity 1 3 Minutes
Write the name of the activity you will complete today on the line below:
Task B
Directions:
You will have 8 minutes to read the directions you chose in Activity 1. When you have
finished, stop and wait for further directions.
Activity 2 8 Minutes
Circle: Yes No
Directions
You will now have 16 minutes to complete Activity 2 and Activity 3.
What conclusions or generalizations about the art of paper folding from the directions can
you make? Support them with textual evidence.
Directions
You will now have 10 minutes to complete Activity 5. use an illustration and words to
share your thoughts about what you have read.
Create a sketch or picture to clarify the directions. Be sure your illustration is different
from the one(s) included in the directions you read. Label your drawing.
Directions
You will now have eight minutes to build the object you selected in Activity 1 and com-
plete Activity 5. Everyone will start at the same time. When your teacher tells you start,
begin.
Activity 6 8 Minutes
Where you able to successfully complete the paper folding activity you choose?
Circle: Yes No
TASK F
Directions
Now you have had a chance to think a bit about the activity you completed. it is time to
dexide if we should have as a paper folding center in our class. Think about whether or not
you liked or did not like the activity you competed and why. Think about why others in the
class might want to do this and similar activities as a center.
Activity 7A 1 Minute
Do you think that the activity you completed should be placed in the class as part of a
center for other students in the class to do?
Circle: Yes No
Activity 7B [5.2] 23 Minutes
Now you will write to persuade. Write a letter to your teacher to persuade him/her whether
to include a paper folding center in your class. Be sure to use detailed evidence and ex-
amples from the directions, along with well-developed reasoning to persuade your teacher
to agree with your choice.
You may not go back.
Optional Organizer
Activity 3 [3.7]
• A set of directions is clear, if you can complete them independently. Did you finish
making the paper airplane or the water bomb?
Circle: Yes No
Activity 4 [3.3]
• Think about paper folding as an activity. What can you say about paper folding in
general?
• Using your text, find an example of your generalization about paper folding.
Activity 7B [5.2]
Reason
Reason
Reason
Example
Example
4) Expected Student Response
a) Activity 1
b) Activity 2
c) Activity 3
The directions were awful! I was so mad. The first five steps were easy. Number
six was so confusing. Why should you have to go back to page 12? The author
should have just put steps six to nine where step six is and labeled them 6a, 6b, 6c,
and 6d. This would have made more sense.
Anyway, step six on page twelve is confusing. The directions are clear but the
picture doesn’t make any sense. Why is that star sign, *, there and how did the
author get the paper to look like the picture? It took forever to figure out that I had to
turn the paper over and to the right. And that star doesn’t seem to mean anything!
Plus the picture on step eight of page twelve has an extra line on the bottom.
Why? The whole “unfold” direction in step nine is weird. Unfold what? The picture
could be better. There could be a drawing of what to unfold. Overall, the directions
were not clear.
RPT Score: 2
d) Activity 4
Paper folding is not as easy as it appears. I like to make paper airplanes and I
thought reading these directions would be easy. I got stuck and couldn’t understand
everything. This never happens to me. I got in trouble in Science class last week
because I was making a paper airplane instead of doing my work. I though I
wouldn’t get caught because I can make airplanes quickly, but that didn’t happen.
When you are making paper airplanes for the first time it really does take much
longer than you think, especially if the directions are lousy like these. If we had a
paper folding center in our class people might not get finished and throw away their
work because they get frustrated.
Basically, the directions could have been written more dearly. I got very confused
with step six and eight on page twelve. If we have a paper folding center in class we
should have a better book to work from or two different books so that we could see
the same type of plane explained two different ways. Also. kids should have to make
two planes. one that they get to keep and one that they leave at the center soother
kids have one to look at while they are building them.
Finally, kids should not get punished for paper folding. If they bring their airplane
to another class, teachers shouldn’t tell them to throw them away if they made them
as part of class. That wouldn’t be fair.
RPT Score: 2
e) Activity 5
f) Activity 6
Yes
g) Activity 7A
h) Activity 7B
I think that we should have a paper airplane folding center In our classroom,
People don’t always want to read after they finish their work, especially in Language
Arts where our work might be reading. Kids who don’t really like to read boring
chapter books might like to read books where you make things. Kids would still be
reading even thought it’s not a library book. Also, an airplane paper folding center
would be a great incentive for kids to get their work finished. I know that I would
work better if I could make a paper airplane ~f I finished my class work before it
was due.
If we have a paper airplane folding center, we should make sure that there are enough
materials for everyone. More importantly, kids should have two sets of directions for the
same airplane to choose from. Sometimes the directions for different airplanes aren’t clear.
The plane I tried to make was difficult. First, I didn’t have a model to look at and move
around to see where I might be making a mistake. Second. the directions were poorly
written in a few places. In step six I had to go to a different page with a different set of
numbers. Plus, the picture for step eight on page twelve had a line on it that didn’t make
any sense whatsoever. If I had two sets of directions to look at. I might have been able to
figure out what I was doing. Having a second set of directions may have made finishing the
airplane easier,
Kids should be able to take home the directions from their paper folding activity if they
didn’t get finished. My mom is always telling me that I don’t work hard enough in
Language Arts. If my homework were to make a paper airplane, I would never give up. I
wouldn’t even mind answer a few questions about what I did.
So we should have a paper airplane folding center in our classroom so that kids could
have a choice different kinds of reading to do in their free time, have a fun incentive, and
practice reading directions outside of class.
Sincerely,
Over Achiever
Score: 3 WP Rubric
2 LU Rubric
Name:
5) Scoring Tool Date:
Period:
Teacher:
Scoring Tool
Activity 1 Do not score.
The response demonstrates the readers ability to evaluate the clarity of the text.
0 Other
Activity 4 [3.3]
The response demonstrates the reader’s ability to draw conclusions and generalizations
about the an of paper folding, and support them with textual evidence and experience.
0 Other
Activity 5 [3.4]
The response demonstrates the reader’s ability to clarify concepts in the text,
3 The response demonstrates an understanding of the text with full and developed
evidence of connections, extensions, and/or examinations of meaning. The reader used
text support to provide full and developed evidence when clarifying concepts in the text.
The response is text-based and/or text referential.
0 Other
3 Points
Development:
The writer identifies a clear position, and fully supports or refutes that position with an
argument that incorporates relevant personal and/or factual information that is
consistently purposeful.
Organization:
The writer establishes an organizational plan that is logical and is consistently
maintained.
Attention to Audience:
The writer clearly and effectively addresses the needs and characteristics of the
audience
Language:
The writer consistently uses language choices to enhance the text.
2 Points
Development:
The writer identifies a clear position, and supports or refutes that position with relevant
personal and/or factual information that is usually purposeful.
Organization:
The writer establishes an organizational plan that is logical and maintained. The plan may
have some minor flaws.
Attention to Audience:
The writer clearly addresses the needs and characteristics of the audience.
Language:
The writer frequently uses language choices to enhance the text.
1 Point
Development:
The writer identifies a position that may or may not lack clarity. The writer minimally
supports or refutes that position with an argument that incorporates personal and/or factual
information that is sometimes purposeful or relevant. The position may be implicit or
explicit.
Organization:
The writer attempts to establishes and organizational plan that is generally maintained.
The plan includes some flaws.
Attention to Audience:
The writer attempts to address the needs and characteristics of the audience.
Language:
The writer sometimes uses language choice to enrich the text.
0 Points
Development:
The writer identifies an ambiguous position with irrelevant personal and/or factual
information to support that position; or, the writer fails to identify a position, either implicitly
or explicitly; or, the writer presents inadequate information to support a clear position.
Organization:
The writer does not establish an organizational plan or minimally maintains an established
organizational plan.
Attention to Audience:
The writer does not address the needs of the audience.
Language:
The writer seldom, if ever, uses language choices to enhance the text.
2 points
Consistently uses word and sentence order and language choices to express meaning
with style and tone. Text conveys uniform impression of correctness and any errors that
are present represent risk-taking.
1 point
Sometimes uses word and sentence order and language choices to express meaning with
style and tone. Text generally conveys impression of correctness and errors may or may
not represent risk-taking.
0 points
Rarely or never uses word and sentence order and language choices to express meaning
with style and tone. Text appears error-ridden.
a) Students will construct, extend, and examine meaning when reading to perform a
task. (Task C, Activity 3 and 4, Graded)
b) Students will accurately reorganize the information from a text using an illustration
with labels. (Task D, Activity 5, Graded)
c) Students will write to persuade (take a position and accurately defend it). (Task F,
Activity 7B, Graded)
Greek and Latin Roots
A. Indicator:
Outcome #2
Students will demonstrate their ability to READ FOR
INFORMATION by construction, extending, and examining meaning
from articles, editorials, content texts, and other expository materials
related to the content areas,
Grade 6:
4. Connect and clarify main ideas and concepts and identify their
relationship and ether sources, related topics, or prior experience.
Outcome #7:
Students will demonstrate their ability to USE THE
STRUCTURE AND CONVENTIONS OF THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE in their written communication.
Grade 6:
B. Unit Focus:
C. Summative Assessment:
Students will complete a cloze activity to demonstrate their ability to use language
fluently and appropriately using a variety of context clues,
Name:________________________________
Date: ________________________________
Vocabulary Quiz
My parents own part of a company or something called a share. Once a year their
share pays them an ________________________. Of course they would like to be paid
more often, perhaps a ________________________ payment or twice in one year. I
know that this would make them happy because that way they could afford to plant
more pansies, an ______________ flower they love to plant every year. To save money
though, they are always planting flowers, or ones that come up year after year. I End this
odd because they do it on their wedding ____________, which is June 15, 1964
_______________________ or AD.
I prefer the _____________________ sale, or the twice a year sale at J.C. Penny’s.
My mom always takes me shopping there and I buy lots of clothes. Once I even got a
television. My brother is always making the mistake of saying that this is a sale once
every two years or a ____________________________ sale. Sometimes, I don’t think
he’ll ever learn. He has a mind that only works every one hundred and fifty years, or
what I call a _______________________ brain. His thought are so spread out, I wonder
if he ever thinks at all.
D. Expected Student Response See attached activity page.
F. Scoring Tool
Spelling Counts!
Answer Key:
1. annuity
2. biannual
3. annual
4. perennial
5. anniversary
6. anno Domini
7. bicentennial
8. millennium
9. quadrennial
10. semiannual
11. biennial
12. semi-centennial
• Students will have the opportunity to correctly use a dictionary to accurately locate
information.
• Students will have the opportunity to accurately break words into roots and syllable
parts.
A LESSON IN THEME
Sara Thorburn
Mansfield Senior High — Cline Avenue Campus
314 Cline Avenue
Mansfield. OH 44907
WK: (419) 529-6347
Email: scteach20@aol.com
This is one of my favorite assignments. I use it at the beginning of the year during my short
story unit. I teach freshman, and sometimes they have a hard time grasping the concept of
theme but they always do outstanding on this activity.
After we think of some examples together as a class and discuss them, they have to think of
a movie or a book that demonstrates the listed theme. They then have to choose three or
five of the examples and write paragraphs explaining how the theme fits in that movie or
book (sometimes they also list TV shows).
I hope that you can get as much use out of it as Ida. Please let t me know how it goes for
you!
THEME ASSIGNMENT
Directions: After each theme word, write in a movie you have seen or a book or story you
have read, that could be used as an example of that theme. For example — If the theme
word would be Fate, you could put the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” as your example.
After you complete your list, choose three themes/examples and write a paragraph for each,
explaining how that movie or book fits that theme. Use specific examples, so even If I
haven’t seen the movie or read the book, I will still understand why it fits that theme.
Anger Need
Beauty Obedience
Contentedness Prejudice
Death Questioning
Education Responsibility
Friendship Separation
Grief Teen-agers
Handicap Underdog
Individuality Values
Jealousy Wealth
Kindness Excellence
Love Youth
Music Zealousness
Connects to Indicators: 1.6.3, 1.6.4, 1.6.6, 1.7.6, 1.7.7, 1.8.5, 1.8.6
Course: English 2
Unit/Literature: The Immigrant Experience/The Broad Givers
Component: Character Wheel
Standards to be met:
2.2 Problem Solving Process
Students use reasoning strategies, knowledge, and common sense to solve complex
problems related to all fields of knowledge.
Evidences a., b., c., d., f., g., aa., cc., dd., aaa.
2.6 Application
Students apply prior knowledge, curiosity, imagination, and creativity to solve
problems.
2.7 Information
Students respond to new information by reflecting on experience and reconsidering
their opinions and sources of information.
2.10 Fluency
Students generate several ideas using a variety of approaches.
2.11 Elaboration
Students represent their ideas and/or the ideas of others in detailed form.
2.12 Flexibility
Students modify or change their original ideas and/or the ideas of others to generate
innovative solutions.
Instructional Strategies:
Students are seated in small groups, and each group is given a large piece of poster paper or newsprint
and a few markers. The instructions for completing a Character Wheel or Pie Chart are displayed on
the overhead projector. Each group (there arc 6 or 7 groups in this case) is given an index card with a
character’s name printed on it.
Students are asked to complete a Character Wheel for their assigned character. Students work
cooperatively, taking turns recording information. One student acts as timekeeper and another as
spokesperson when the posters arc shared in a whole group environment.
Students need to describe, apply, compare, analyze, associate, and argue. Please Sec attached.
Describe
Argue
Apply
Associate Compare
Analyze
5. associate - who or what does this character make you think of?
What do you like about this character or what would you criticize?
(Writing for personal expression.)
CREATING METAPHORS
This is one of my favorite lessons and normally takes a full period to complete.
Now think about what machine you are most like and why. It’s very important to write win.
For instance, someone said they felt like a dryer because all they did all day was go around
and around and never got anywhere.
What fruit are you most like and why? Someone said they are like a pineapple because they
are spikey on the outside but sweet on the inside.
What animal? Someone said they are like a cat walking the halls of school, so quiet that no
one notices them but missing nothing.
What color? Someone said they are the color red because they arc so filled with anger.
Another person said they are the color red because they are fill with excitement
What number? Someone said they felt like the number 3 because they’re odd.
Now write a second paragraph describing yourself using the above metaphors.
If time allowed, I’ve collected the papers and read the metaphors aloud without
identifying the student. Last spring, I asked my students to use their metaphÒs to develop
a 7-paragraph essay about themselves, followed by a three-day visit to the computer lab. I
also told them to pick one a/their metaphors/or a bulletin board display. Their metaphors
were amazing.
Lynda Daleo
914-339-4571
(Towncrier@aol.com)
Saugerties high School
Saugerties, NY 12477
(Writing for personal expression.)
Teacher: Jennifer Kuchar
Grade Level: 7th
School: Doherty Middle School
Town, State: Andover, MA
Genre: Poetry
Purpose: lf you are looking for an interesting activity to teach students how to write poetry that
demonstrates their understanding of sensory language and simile, you will have seine flu with this one.
Objectives:
• Students will be able to identify sensory language in poetry
• Students will be able to define and identify a simile
• Students will be able to generate a sensory language chart in an attempt to describe an inanimate
object
• Students will be able to write a poem that includes both sensory language and similes
Materials:
> “Making Pies with Grandfather” (poem by Donald Graves)
> One pie (or other food item) per two students
> Forks and Knives
> Sensory Language Chart
Procedure:
1. Read the poem “Making Pies with Grandfather” orally, having the students circle any sensory
language that they see.
2. Students should share their findings and determine which of the five senses each phrase or image
appeals to. Then, they should discuss the role that sensory language plays in conveying the
meaning of a poem.
3. Students should divide a piece of notebook paper into five columns
4. Students should place their pie on their desk and record what they see in the “see” column. Have
them make some comparisons using metaphors and similes (ex. The crust rolls up and down like
the brown rolling hills of the desert)
5. Students should then cut the pie and record everything they hear and fell In the appropriate
columns.
6. Students should then put a slice of pie on their plate and record what they see on the inside of the
pie in the “see” column
7. Students should then touch the pie and record what the feel in the “feel” column
8. Students should then smell the pie and record any fragrances in the “smell” column. Encouraging
them to associate memories, people or places with the aromas helps to extend their descriptions
beyond the literal realm.
9. The students should then taste the pie and record the sound of their mouths eating in the “hear”
column, as well as the texture and flavor of the pie in the “taste’ column
10. Finally, the students should take all of their similes and sensory details and turn them into a poem.
Although this can be a loud and messy activity, the kids love having the opportunity to eat in class and
produce some wonderful poems as a result!
(Writing for personal expression.)
Level: Secondary
General Description: I developed the following activity for teaching descriptive ~citing after reading too
many creative stories that listed a chain of events. The students’ stories lacked a sense of place. While I
alter the specifics of the directions (often including other senses), the activity always asks students to
change their focus as they detail a setting.
Classroom Implementation: (30 minutes) This lesson can be used to develop purely creative settings or
to practice observation of an actual location—the classroom for example. I start with the classroom first
and proceed to imaginary settings the next day.
1) Provide approximately 5 minutes for each step, or extend writing time as each step is completed.
2) Students should write in their notebooks. For their imaginary settings, I ask them to make certain all
observations are in complete sentences. Then, they trade papers when finished to see —if their partners
can guess the location and a possible resident of the setting.
Step II: flow does your setting look from the outside? Describe the office, apartment building, or
the house. Could you describe the outside of you’re setting by comparing it to something else?
Ex The cheap stucco chipped from walls, leaving a perimeter of chalky dust on the grass. Up the front,
the windows arrange themselves in a three by three pattern, like the builder rolled the dice and this
building landed on six.
Step III: What is the first thing you notice when you enter the room?
Ex An ancient pizza box entering its third week smolders on the floor.
OBJECTIVES: The students will compile collections of “themed” words, categorize words
(cool to hot) along an emotional continuum, connect words to symbols and real-life examples,
demonstrate understanding using textual evidence.
PROCEDURE: Select a key word (such as “lynching,” “anger”). Brainstorm for other
words that would form a collection of similar concepts (for “lynching” the list might include
hanging murder, punishment, discipline, retribution, penalty). Arrange each word along a
“vocabometer” (a thermometer-like scale rating the emotional temperature or connotations
from “cool” to “hot” of each item in the collection). Discuss symbols or icons that represent
the collection (for example, a gun, a ruler or switch, a sad face); people who may demonstrate
the word in action (a drunk driver, KKK member, parent); reasons for.. (to right a wrong, to
scare into submission, to keep order). Moving into the literature, students find passages!
scenes in which selected words from the collection are demonstrated or played out. Have
students analyze the causes and effects, the emotional intensity of the scene, or the significance
of the scene in relation to the author’s craft. (For example, in ROLL OF THUNDER, Stacey
Logan is disciplined/whipped by his teacher-mother for cheating on a test. This scene is ripe
with emotional intensity and demonstrates the values of the Logan clan.)
OVERALL VALUE: Not only will students expand their vocabularies as they hunt for
related concepts for their word collections, but they will engage in close re-reading and
analysis of text, internalize the strategies needed for developing a critical stance, and
experience the power of language.
Submitted by: Grace Polivka, North Branford Intermediate School, 654 Foxon Road,
North Branford, CT 06471
Connects to Indicators: 2.6.4, 2.6.3, 2.7.3, 2.7.4, 2.8.2
PROJECT:
HOW DO JOURNALISTS AND THE PRESS INFLUENCE OUR PERCEPTIONS?
Materials: a variety of daily newspapers for a week or so. scissors, individual folders,
highlighters
Summary: Once a week, students look through the newspapers and cut out articles that
cover a particular individually pre-chosen topic. After they have collected articles and dated
them for a period of time (3-4 weeks), they analyze by date, tone, point of view, how our
thinking is influenced by the press.
Procedure: Brainstorm with your students topics that are in the news that are of interest to
them. Each one chooses a topic.
Students break into groups to facilitate use of the newspapers. (They should know each
other’s topics so they can be “on the lookout.’)
They identify articles by title and 1st few paragraphs. When appropriate, cut out the articles,
including citations, and put in folder. Try to amass many articles...set a minimum for them
from each source. Repeat this for about 3-4 weeks until students have amassed +/- 20
articles.
Arrange articles chronologically and by newspaper. Read each article carefully, underlining
key ideas. Highlight key words that suggest point of view (of course, this can be subtle)
WHAT DOES THE JOURNALIST THINK? STUDENT GUIDELINES:
Note where in the newspaper the article is located and what this says about the editorial
policy.
Do different papers perceive this topic differently? And how can you tell?
Cite explanatory language In each article, then defend your thesis. (‘Newspapers and the
press do/do not influence out perceptions about _______”)
Write an essay defending your thesis with citations from a wide variety of articles.
CULMINATING ACTIVITIES: Essay with citations from articles supporting student’s
thesis
Graphic illustrations depicting point of view
Presentation to other students
Debate proposal: Journalists do/do not influence public perception
Sample Unit: Courage
A. Indicator (s):
6.1.3—Identify elements of plot and characterization and analyze how the qualities
of the central characters determine resolution of the conflict.
6.1.6—Compare and contrast ones personal view with the author’s view of human
experience and character.
6.4.1—Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and
makes effective transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas
and make the message or theme clear to the reader,
C. Summative Assessment:
Imagine you are a newspaper reporter assigned to do an investigative article on
Courage in Our Lives’. Your article should compare and contrast your personal view of
courage with that of a character you have read about. In the stories “Erne from the Coast”
and “Luke Baldwin’s Vow” both main characters portray courage in different ways. Choose
one of the characters to write about in your informative article. Be sure to:
D. Expected Student Response: Students should have a clear definition of their own
idea with examples. They should also include the characters view of courage. Then they
need to compare and contrast these views. The whole writing piece needs to have the text
features and structure of an article.
F. Daily Objectives:
• Identify the authors message.
• Determine conflicts and resolutions in a narrative.
• Analyze character traits.
• Identify characters’ motivations and reactions.
• Analyze the text features of an informative article.
Write to Inform
A. Indicators:
4.5 Support all statements and claims with relevant anecdotes, descriptions,
facts, statistics and/or specific information.
4.6 Write letters that address audience needs. stated purpose, and context in a
clear and efficient manner, and adhere to stated purpose.
C. Summative Assessment:
Imagine that you are one of the Titanic passengers who managed to survive the
sinking. Write a journal entry describing what happened during the last hours
aboard ship, the rescue and how the personal probably felt about their
experience.
Refer to fact sheets and the article for supporting details. Use dialogue to keep the
story moving and to entertain the reader.
D. Expected Student Response:
• Create an extended response
• Clear sequence of events; however; the emphasis should be on the number of
details from the nonfiction reading piece.
• For lower achieving students, it might be helpful to set a definite number of
details to he included.
Prewriting/Prethinking
Read over your poem a few times. Each time you read the poem, jot down a few notes about how you
felt while reading , what it reminded you of, what it was about, and anything else that comes to your mind
while reading. This will be helpful when writing your paper about your observations on the poem.
In the computer lab, we will be working with Inspiration to help you analyze the poem better. in the lab
you will critique each line of the poem. This is where you include some observations on the poetic
devices used, what each line is about, and how each line contributes to the poem in some way.
Alliteration
Metaphors
Similes
Personification
Onomatopoeia
Rhyme Scheme
Tone
Mood
Imagery
Questions
Think about how each of the poetic devices contributes to the poem. Why did the poet use that specific
device? What is he/she trying to illustrate? how does the poetic device contribute to the poem’s tone,
rhythm, and style?
Using the internet and the library, research background information on your author and/or poem. Find out
some brief interesting information that may contribute to the meaning and/or significance of your poem.
What motivated them to write the poem? Does their background information affect their poetic style? Do
they interpret the poem differently than you do? What do others say about your poem? Is the poem well
known? What for?
Writing the Paper
Your paper should fully analyze the entire poem, including all the poetic devices mentioned above. Your
prewriting with Inspiration will be very helpful with organizing your critique of the poem. Talk about
how the poem makes you feel and the hidden meanings behind the words. Remember that everyone has
different interpretations and no one interpretation is correct. I want to know what you think the poem is
about and how you feel while reading it. Use quotes and examples from the poem to support your
statements.
After you have fully analyzed the poem, mention some brief background information on the poet and/or
their particular style. Discuss things about the poet that can be related to the actual poem. Include any
information you gathered while researching the lab and the library.
Presenting
Practice reading your poem to your friends, parents, siblings. Use proper voice inflections while reading
the poem. The more you practice, the better you will present. It doesn’t have to be memorized; it does
have to be read properly.
After you have read your poem, you will explain it’s meaning. Pick one or two poetic devices to discuss,
but concentrate on the actual hidden meanings of the poem. If you found something very interesting on
the poet you may include that also. it will be a very brief presentation.
Resources to use:
www.britannica.com
www.biography.com
www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites
www.bartleby.com
www.poets.org/poets/index.cfm or www.poets.org
Encylopedias
Grolier Encyclopedia online
OPAC – look up books/reviews on your poem
Reading for Literary Experience
A Indicator: compare and contrast the motivations and reactions of characters from
different historical eras who confront similar challenges and situations and connect
them to prior knowledge or the experiences of others when reading for literary
experience.
C. Summative Assessment:
Imagine that you are Jimmy Valentine Write a letter to Ernie the main character in
Crush in which you compare arid contrast your experience of falling in love with
Annabel Adams to Ernie’s experience of falling in love with Dolores.
Be sure to fell how you and Ernie both changed as a result of falling in love- describe
any challenges and situations that you both experienced which affected the outcome.
A. Indicator 1.6 Compare and contrast ones personal view with the author’s view of
human experience and character
C. Summative Assessment
Budge Wilson has written about her reasons for writing “Waiting”: “I have often
been interested in bullies - adult bullies as well as ones who are children. Why do
they behave the way they do?” Write a letter to Budge Wilson, comparing and
contrasting your personal view with the author’s view of his human experience
and character(s).
C. Summative Assessment:
According to Eric de Armas, a seventh-grade member of our student board, the main
message of this story is that everybody is equal, and nobody should be discriminated
against because of something they cannot help< how would you express the main
message of this story?
Students may paraphrase the seventh grader’s statement, or formulate their own
version of author’s message. All responses should give several supporting details that
are text-based or text referential.
• Summarize material read or heard to reflect main ideas, significant details and
underlying meaning.
A. Indicator(s)
1.7 Compare and contrast the motivations and reactions of characters from
different historical eras who confront similar challenges and situations and
connect them to prior knowledge or the experience of others.
1.3 Compare and contrast the ways similar themes are expressed in multiple
literary works.
1.4 Compare works that express a universal theme, providing evidence to support
the ideas.
1.5 Evaluate the influence of culture, ethnicity and historical eras on the themes
and issues of literary texts.
E. Scoring Tool: Use generic reading rubric – reading for literary experience
Responses to this activity demonstrate the ability to compare arid contrast the
motivations and reactions of characters from different historical eras who confront
similar challenges and situations and connect them to prior knowledge or the
experience of others.
Students learn about the earliest history of comic characteristics in ancient and medieval
entertainment and to see how current comedy characters embody some of the traits
found in historic characters.
Getting Started
This activity includes a two-page reading on Activity Sheet 2.1 (A) and (B) and a page with
questions for students to answer on Activity Sheet 2.1 (C). Students will need all three
pages to complete this activity.
Show the video marked 2.1 to introduce students to the importance of physical comedy as
part of storytelling traditions. Ask students if they can identify alt the actors and names of
films and TV shows included in the video montage. You may be surprised at how many of
these images are familiar to them.
Pass out copies of the reading. Ask students to read the first page, including the boxed text.
Take time to explore the meaning of the short anecdote about the village idiot in England,
described in the text box. Discuss students’ reactions to this story.
Invite students to continue reading page two. You may want to have students complete the
questions as part of individual student seatwork. Or you may prefer to use the questions as
a small-group activity, to stimulate large-group discussion, or as a homework activity.
2. What does the author mean when she writes “buffoon was the foot’s first name”?
Fools and jesters are not a Jim Carrey or an Adam Sandier invention. The Greco-
Roman theater featured fools, called buffoons, who amused audiences with their
physical humor and clever practical jokes.
3. What medieval superstition surrounded jesters? Jesters, because they brought
laughter, were ouch Luck and could possibly prevent misfortune.
4. How did the word ‘slapstick” come into use? The word derives from Harlequin’s
prop, the wooden paddle made of two slats of wood, which the character used to
pretend to whack his adversaries.
6. What common character trait or behavior do most “fools” share; whether they are
Greek buffoons, court jesters, village idiots, or a cartoon coyote? They use their
apparent mental or physical deficiencies to get what they want.
7. Explain the meaning of the last sentence. How is Wile E. Like the Coventry idiot?
The idiot always takes the Larger but Lesser-valued coin because he knows he’ll get
more of them. The joke is on the townsfolk who continue to bring people to him with
money. The coyote fails every time but that ensures that he’ll be given another
chance to try again.
8. Create a timeline showing the history of slapstick. The timeline should include these
elements:
• Greco-Roman Theater (buffoons)
• Medieval England (court jesters and village idiots)
• Commedia dell’Arte, Italy (harlequin, pantalone)
• Slapstick in vaudeville
• Three Stooges
• Abbot and Costello
• Charlie Chaplin
• Wile E. Coyote
Extensions
Ask students to bring in examples of modern-day stars of physical humor who exemplify
the characteristics of the buffoon.
Name:_________________________ Class:________________ Date:___________
UNIT 2 | ACTIVITY 2.1 (A)
He sometimes wears a court jester’s hat with bells In the 1200s, jesters appeared in England.
or a patchwork costume of Loud colors. Or the Many were clever an intelligent; using wit and
fool may wear baggy-legged trousers, floppy word play not only to amuse but also to advise
shoes, and a derby too small (or too big) for the kings and other nobility. Some were musicians and
head. The fool may not even be human—rather a acrobats who performed pratfalls and juggling.
skinny coyote who pins a sheriff’s badge to his But others jesters were disabled or deformed and
furry chest and mail-orders ACME demolition kits treated cruelly by villagers—ridiculed, prodded, or
and rockets in an attempt to capture the fastest splatted with rotten fruit. Playing the village idiot
bird in the desert, the Road Runner. often was the only way to earn a meal.
No matter the costume or the prop, the fool has Even so, a widespread belief during these medieval
performed buffoonery since the days of the ancient times was that good-humored joking protected a
Greeks and Romans. In fact, buffoon was the person from misfortune Jesters, therefore, were
fool’s first name. good Luck pieces who might spread their good
fortune to those who were their masters.
In an ancient Greece, “buffoons” traveled about
the count/side, telling stoles and playing tricks, Of course if the king were having a bad day or a
cleverly stealing a coin from an unknowing person run of bad luck, he might order the court jester
in the audience. Buffoons also performed in the beheaded, according to Daniel Achterman from
theater, wearing heavily padded costumes and Princeton University. Was the fool dim-witted or
boisterously boxing each other on the head belly, witty? Mocked or the mocker? Read the jest
and buttocks. The mock violence was exaggerated below and decide.
and silly and apparently very
The village idiot provided meat amusement to the townsfolk of Coventry They liked
nothing better than bringing every visitor to town to see the foot. They told the visitor to
place two coins on the ground before him—a sixpence and a pence. Now, every’ one knew
the sixpence had greater value than the pence. Ah, but the pence was larger in size. The
idiot snatched the pence white the townsfolk laughed at his stupidity.
One day, the townsfolk were amusing themselves at this game once again. The
newcomer placed the two coins on the ground. As always, the idiot chose the pence. The
townsfolk wandered away, stilt guffawing. The newcomer squatted, stared the idiot in the
eyes, and scolded him. “Don’t be a fool! The sixpence is worth more! Next time show them
you aren’t stupid and choose the sixpence!”
The idiot grinned. “And would I be getting all these pennies if I carried on like that?
—page 2 The Three Stooges bake a cake but Curly gets the
ingredients wrong and adds bubble gum—an
Like a jack-in-the-box, a new kind of fool—and entire box of gum—to the mixture. In Stooge-
comedy—sprang up in the 1500s during what fashion, he tries to correct the situation but fails.
historians all the Italian Renaissance. (that’s just a When the wealthy socialite lady bites into her
fancy word for revival of the arts.) The art of cake, suddenly—to her embarrassment and the
comedy, called Commedia dell’Arte in Italy, audience’s hilarity—she blows bubbles each time
featured two contrasting characters: Harlequin she tries to speak!
and Pantalone.
Even in slapstick the wealthy, the greedy, the
Harlequin was poor and stitched his patched tights arrogant, and the powerful get their
and tunic from colorful bits of material. He didn’t comeuppance—often a cream pie in the face.
wear the court jester’s hat with jingling bells but
rather a mask. harlequin also carried a paddle Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Fatty
made of two slats of wood that he pretended to Arbuckle, and Charlie Chaplin were the masters of
wield as a weapon. The slats slapped together slapstick. The costume and the props had changed,
startlingly. It was just more mock violence, but the exaggerated violence and the triumph of
however. Like the buffoons and fools who had the quick-witted underdog—the fool—were still
come before him, Harlequin appeared simple and part of the jest.
stupid but really wasn’t. His wit—not his
slapstick—always got the better of those who In 1949, an artist names Chuck Jones created a
were greedy and arrogant. scrawny cartoon coyote. Wile E. hardly spoke a
word but often introduced himself with a business
Pantalone was one of the arrogant. This wealthy card that read: WILE E. COYOTE, GENIUS. No
merchant constantly looked over his shoulder lest matter what method he tried—tying a boulder to
someone rob him of his gold. The old man was a his feet to gain speed on the Road Runner,
stereotype and no match for Harlequin. painting false tunnels on granite cliffs, strapping
Theatergoers of the 1500s loved harlequin’s zany himself onto a rocket and lighting the fuse—he
antics and for three hundred years they never tired failed every time.
of watching Pantalone get his comeuppance.
Harlequin’s character, not to mention his wooden So much for genius.
paddle, inspired still another form of comedy in
the 1900s…slapstick. And yet, like the village idiot of Coventry, maybe
Wile E. Coyote wasn’t so stupid after all. Think
Slapstick was more than just telling jokes. The about it. If he had caught the Road Runner, would
humor often developed from an unexpected he still be a cartoon celebrity fifty years later?
situation that suddenly arose (also called
improvisation), or an ordinary activity that
suddenly went wrong.
Name:_________________________ Class:________________ Date:___________
UNIT 1 | ACTIVITY 2.1 (C)
Instructions: Answer the questions below using what you learned from the reading.
Questions:
2. What does the author mean when she writes “buffoon was the fool’s first name”?______
_________________________________________________________________________
6. What common character trait or behavior do most “fools” share, whether they are Greek
buffoons, court jesters, village idiots, or a cartoon coyote?___________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
7. Explain the meaning of the last sentence. how is Wile E. like the Conventry idiot?______
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
8. On the back of this page, create a timeline shouing the history of slapstick humor, using the
information you learned from this article._________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
UNIT 2 | ACTIVITY 2.4 | THE UNDERDOG
This activity involves students in a critical reading activity that generates opportunities for
discussion about bullying, violence, and social relationships.
This activity provides a reading excerpt from another of his novels, Crash. In Crash, the
serious subject is bullying. Crash is a seventh grade football hero. Physically, he’s big.
Behavior-wise, he gets what he wants mostly by running people over or knocking them
down. It is, in fact, how he got his nickname. Penn Webb, however, is Crash’s opposite.
He’s a Quaker. He doesn’t believe in violence. He wears peace buttons. And more than
anything else, he wants to he Crash’s best friend,
When read aloud, these selected passages WILL trigger Laughter. Spinelli wrote them with
that goal in mind. But he also had an ulterior motive, to sensitize kids to the stings of
bullying. In the final scene, Penn—the underdog, the Harlequin—wins. Crash gets his
comeuppance but he brings it on himself. He stomps his water pistol into pieces.
Getting started
Pass out the two-page a Activity Sheet 2.4 (A) and (B). You might want to begin by reading
scene one aloud to motivate student interest, or you may prefer to have students read
silently.
The questions at the bottom of activity sheets (a) and (b) can be used ,n a number of ways.
You may prefer to use the questions as an in-class writing activity with students completing
the questions by answering on a separate piece of paper. Or you may prefer to use some of
the questions as a small group discussion, with students discussing answers as a small
group. You may also want to use the questions as part of a large-group discussion. Finally
you may want to assign the questions as a homework activity
Conclude the activity by asking students to use the character wheel presented in activity 2.3
to explore the characters of Crash or Penn. Students can find specific words or phrases
from the worksheet to fit each spoke of the wheel.
1. What specific words or information suggests Crash’s age? “Little red shovel”
“digging a hole” plus the response “Poop State” suggest he’s five, six, or seven.
2. What information suggests Penn is new in town? He doesn’t know Crash. He’s
wearing a button that he explains is about North Dakota.
3. On what does Crash form his first opinion of Penn? Penn’s physical appearance (the
button) and his behavior— wanting to shake hands, not fighting back when Crash steals the
button.
4. Why does Crash make up a name for Pennsylvania and why does he steal and
bury Penn’s button? He’s trying to be funny but he’s also trying to bait or tease Penn.
5. Why does Crash think Penn is pitiful? His house is small; even though he has lots of
toys, none of them are guns or soldiers.
6. At what points in the scenes did you laugh? Discuss student answers. It’s ok for them
to laugh. Spinelli wants them to. But the value comes in analyzing why.
Questions and Answers:
Scene 2: Water Pistols
2. What serious message is Spinelli sending to his readers? Crash has never
encountered someone who chooses not to be violent. Spinelli is making a comment on
the society in which kids grow up, including media blitzes that feature violent characters
and violent situations. Crash’s reaction to his frustration is to become violent himself.
3. Explain the ages of the kids who might read this and enjoy it. Then explain why
humor is an important toot in constructing a serious message for this age group.
Discuss student a answers. Typically, this book is read by students in upper elementary
grades, ages 8 through 12. Spinelli succeeds at crawling inside the heads of kids and
seeing life through their eyes. Often, it’s a funny picture.
4. Who is the victor in this scene—Penn, with water dripping oft his nose or Crash?
Penn is the victor. Crash destroys his own guns—throwing one away and stomping the
other, If they were Penn’s guns, of course, the effect wouldn’t be funny and Spinelli’s
point would not be made
Name________________________ Class____________________ Date_______________
UNIT 2 | Activity 2.4 (A)
THE UNDERDOG
The story below is an excerpt from the novel Crash written by Newberry Award author Jerry Spinelli. It
is told from the point of view of John “Crash” Cogan, a seventh grade football wonder. Penn Webb is
Crash’s opposite. In these scenes, John remembers how he first met Penn.
Questions:
1. In Scene One, seventh-grader John “Crash” Cogan is remembering the day he first met Penn.
What specific words or information suggest Crash’s age at the time?
2. What information suggests Penn is new in town?
3. On what does Crash form his first opinion of Penn?
4. Why does Crash make up a name for Pennsylvania and why does he steal and bury Penn’s button?
5. In Scene Two, why does Crash think Penn is pitiful?
6. At what points in the scenes did you laugh and what was funny about the scene:
Name________________________ Class____________________ Date_______________
UNIT 2 | Activity 2.4 (B)
THE UNDERDOG
Scene Three: WATER PISTOLS I shot him right between the eyes with my
I ran to my room. I got two water pistols, water gun. He didn’t move. Water trickled down
loaded them at the bathroom sink and brought his nose.
them out. I gave him one. “Here’s yours. Stick it That was crazy. Whoever heard of a kid who
in your pocket like this. We stand five steps didn’t shoot back? Then all of the sudden I got it.
apart. At the count of three, draw and fire. Got “Hah!” I sneered. “You’re trying to trick me!”
it?” I fired three quick shots. He didn’t move
He didn’t say anything for a long time. The except to blink when water hit his eyes. I was
grin was gone. He just stared at the green plastic laughing so hard I thought I’d bust a gut. he held
gun in his hand. He wasn’t even holding it right. out the water gun I’d given him. His loaded
Finally he looked up at me. “I can’t.” He looked weapon. I stopped laughing.
me dead in the eye. “I’m a Quaker,” he said. “You’re supposed to shot back, hambone!”
“A Quaker?” I screeched. “What’s a Iwound up and whipped his gun over the roof of
Quaker?” our house. “Dummkopf!”
“It’s somebody who doesn’t believe in I slammed my own gun to the ground. I
violence.” stomped and stomed on it till it was green plastic
“Who says you have to believe in it? You just splinters.
do it.” ...I took a deep breath. I got up in face. I
“I don’t fight in wars. stared. I dared him to blink first. I wanted to hate
I Laughed. “You hambone, this ain’t war. him. I wanted to stay mad, but I was having
This is water guns. problems.
Questions:
1. How does Spinelli use humor to construct this scene? What is funny here?
3. The book from which these passages come are written for a young adult audience. Explain the ages
of the kids who might read this and enoy it. Then explain why humor is an important tool in con-
structing a serious message for this age group.
4. Who is the victor in this scene-Penn, with water dripping off his nose? Or Crash? Gvie reasons for
your choice.
5. Work with a partner to create a character wheel for either Penn or Crash, using examples from the
three passages to fill in the six spokes of the wheel.
Name________________________ Class____________________ Date_______________
UNIT 2 | Activity 2.3
THE CHARACTER WHEEL:
A GRAPHIC ORGANIZER FOR DEVELOPING
CHARACTERIZATION
THOUGHTS PHYSICAL
APPEARANCE
REACTIONS
OF OTHERS
SETTING
SPEECH/
DIALOGUE BEHAVIOR/
ACTIONS
Physical Description: Describe the physical appearance of the character using words that appeal to one of
the five senses.
Setting: Describe particular place and a time inhabited by your character, such as a city, a
cave, a bedroom, or a school gymnasium. The time could be the future, the present, or
the past.
Reaction of Others: Describe your character through the eyes of another character, capturing that person’s
attitude.
Invent a comedic character and use the character wheel to write a character
sketch, a short descriptive writing that gives a vivid picture of a character.
Evaluation
use the Evaluation Rubric provided to give students feedback about their writing. You
might also want students to evaluate each other’s work using this evaluation sheet.
• Spoke 1: Physical description. Write about what the character Looks Like. You don’t
have to describe everything, Consider: face (lips, eyes, hair); physique; clothing; hands,
feet.
• Spoke 2: Setting. Write about where your character is Located right now—at school, at
home, at a sports game, at the mall, at a Lake, in a dark alley? What’s in your characters
Locker? Gym bag? Pockets?
• Spoke 3: Behavior. Make your character do something. Don’t use spoken dialogue yet,
just focus on action. Think of vivid verbs to make the action come alive.
• Spoke 4: Speech. Create two or three Lines of dialogue, but Let it grow out of the
behavior established on spoke 3.
• Spoke 5: Reaction of others. On this spoke, create a second character who observes or
interacts in some way with your character. Who is that person and what is his or her
reaction?
• Spoke 6: Thoughts. What memory does your character suddenly recall? OR what wish
does he or she make? Revealing something private about your character, something only
you, the character, and the reader know, can create suspense, but it can also help the
reader to relate to your character.
Students Name:
4 The character sketch includes a rich description of the physical characteristics, the
setting, the character’s behavior and actions, their speech, the reaction of others, and
their thoughts. Language choice is effective and communicates rich detail.
3 The character sketch includes a physical description, the setting, the character’s
behavior and actions, their speech, the reaction of others, and their thoughts, but
language choice does not communicate rich detail.
2 Some of the components of the character wheel are not included.
1 Many of the components of the character wheel are not included.
4 The character, setting, behavior, and speech are original and imaginative. This
character is a “one-of-a-kind.”
2 The character, setting, behavior, or speech are reminiscent of other characters in
media or literature. This character does not seem “one-of-a-kind.”
4 Sentences are written in complete sentence form with no spelling or usage errors.
3 Sentences have some spelling or usage errors.
2 Sentences are not written in complete sentence form.
1 Sentences are not written in complete sentence form and have spelling or usage
errors.
Comments: Grade:
Assessment
SCORING RUBRIC: WRITING TO PERSUADE
3 Points
Development: The writer identifies a clear position1, and fully supports or refutes that position with a
detailed argument that incorporates relevant personal and/or factual information that is consistently
purposeful.
Organizational: The writer establishes an organizational plan that is logical and is consistently
maintained throughout.
Attention to Audience: The writer clearly and effectively addresses the needs and characteristics of
the audience.
Language: The writer consistently uses language choices to enhance the text.
2 Points
Development: The writer identifies a clear position1, and supports or refutes that position with an
argument that incorporates relevant personal and/or factual information that is usually purposeful.
Organization: The writer establishes an organizational plan that is logical and maintained. The plan
may have some minor flaws that do not affect the persuasiveness of the argument.
Attention to Audience: The writer clearly addresses the needs and characteristics of the audience.
Language: The writer frequently uses language choices to enhance the text.
1 Point
Development: The writer identifies a position1 that may lack clarity, and minimally supports or refutes
that position with an argument that incorporates personal and/or factual information that is sometimes
purposeful.
Organization: The writer attempts to establish an organizational plan that is generally maintained.
The plan includes some flaws that affect the persuasiveness of the argument.
Attention to Audience: The writer attempts to address the needs and characteristics of the audience.
Language: The writer sometimes uses language choices to enhance the text.
0 Points
Development: The writer identifies an ambiguous position1 with irrelevant personal and/or factual
information to support that position; or, the writer fails to identify a position, either implicitly or
explicitly; or the writer presents inadequate information to support a clear position.
Organization: The writer establishes a weak organizational plan that is minimally maintained. The
lack of organization makes the argument non-persuasive.
Attention to Audience: The writer does not address the needs of the audience.
Language: The writer seldom, if ever, uses language choices to enhance the text
1
The writer may identify a position explicitly; or when feasible, it is possible for the writer to clearly identify a
position implicitly.
SCORING RUBRIC: WRITING TO EXPRESS PERSONAL IDEAS
3 Points
Development The writer consistently develops the ideas into a complete, Lily developed piece.
Organization: The writer establishes an order of ideas that is purposeful and is consistently and
logically maintained.
Attention to Audience: The writer fully anticipates and clearly answers the audience’s needs
(audience may include self).
Language: The writer consistently uses language to enhance the text and in a manner appropriate
to the literary form.
2 Points
Development: The writer develops the ideas into a complete developed piece.
Organization: The writer establishes an order of ideas that is purposeful and is maintained. The
ordering of ideas may be interrupted with some minor flaws in the logical flow.
Attention to Audience: The writer anticipates and clearly answers the audience’s needs (audience
may include self)
Language: The writer frequently uses language choices to enhance the text and in a manner
appropriate to the literary form.
1 Point
Development: The writer minimally develops the ideas, but the response may or may not be a
complete piece.
Organization: The writer attempts to establish an order of ideas that is generally maintained. The
ordering of ideas is interrupted with flaws in the logical flow.
Attention to Audience: The writer attempts to anticipate and answer the audience’s needs (the
audience may include self).
Language: The writer sometimes uses language choices to enhance the text and in a manner
appropriate to the literary form.
0 Points
Development The writer insufficiently develops the ideas,
Organization: The writer establishes an order of ideas that is random or not purposeful. The
ordering of ideas is interrupted with flaws that hinder the logical flow.
Attention to Audience: The writer has not anticipated and/or answered the audience’s needs
(audience may include self).
Language: The writer seldom, if ever, uses language choices to enhance the text and in a manner
appropriate to the literary form.
SCORING RUBRIC: WRITING TO INFORM
3 Points
Development: The writer incorporates specific relevant information that is extended and
expanded to fully explain the topic. The information is consistently purposeful.
Organization: The writer establishes an organizational plan that is consistently and logically
maintained.
Attention to Audience: The writer incorporates information that clearly and effectively addresses
the needs of the audience.
Language: The writer consistently uses language choices to enhance the text.
2 Points
Development: The writer incorporates relevant information with some extension of ideas that
explains the topic. The information is usually purposeful.
Organization: The writer establishes an organizational plan that is maintained. The plan may have
some minor flaws in the logical flow.
Attention to Audience: The writer incorporates information that addresses the needs of the
audience.
Language: The writer frequently uses language choices to enhance the text.
1 Point
Development: The writer incorporates information that minimally explains the topic. The
information may be general and/or extraneous, and may or may not be purposeful.
Organization: The writer attempts to establish an organizational plan that is generally
maintained. The plan includes some flaws in the logical flow.
Attention to Audience: The writer attempts to address the needs of the audience.
Language: The writer sometimes uses language choices to enhance the text.
0 Points
Development: The writer incorporates insufficient relevant information to explain the topic. The
information provided may be overly general and/or not purposeful.
Organization: The writer establishes a weak organizational plan that is minimally maintained,
The ordering of information is interrupted with flaws that hinder the logical flow.
Attention to Audience: The writer does not incorporate information relevant to the needs of the
audience.
Language: The writer seldom, if ever, uses language choices to enhance the text.
Reading Scoring Tools
O= Others
Reading Scoring Tools
O= Others
Reading Scoring Tools
O= Others
Reading Scoring Tools
O= Others
Reading Scoring Tools
0= Other.
Reading Scoring Tools
0= Other.
Reading Scoring Tools
0= Other.
Possible Products for Performance
Assessment Tasks
Writing Process
Anchor – the representative products or performance used to illustrate each point on a scoring scale. The top anchor is
sometimes called the exemplar.
Assessment – continuous process of measuring what students know and are able to do
Benchmark – a description of where students should be at certain point in their educational progress Constructed
Response Items - assessment items that require students to create short responses (fill-in the blank)
Criteria – guidelines, rules, characteristics, or principles by which student responses, products, or performances are
assessed.
Dimensions of Learning (Dot) – an instructional framework that is based on research to help teachers better plan
curriculum and instruction; the Dimensions of Learning instructional model is based on the premise that
five types of thinking (dimensions) are essential to successful learning (1) positive attitudes and
perceptions about learning. (2) thinking involved in acquiring and integrating knowledge, (3) thinking
involved in extending and refining knowledge, (4) thinking involved in sing knowledge meaningfully,
and (5) productive habits of mind.
Goal/Outcome – the required, non-negotiable curriculum that must be consistent throughout the Frederick County Public
Schools
Evaluation – judgments regarding quality, value, or worth based upon criteria measured through assessment Formative
Assessment - diagnostic, ongoing assessment used to determine instructional needs Coal/Outcome - a
broad statement of what students art expected to know and be able to do
Indicator – a demonstration of progress at the program or course level toward attainment of a goal (written in the to know
and to do format)
Indicators
• are measurable
• identify the core knowledge of the subject area
• reflect higher order thinking
• reflect knowledge of content
• reflect skills needed in that content
Integrated Instruction – instruction in which boundaries among subject areas are not identifiable
Interdisciplinary Instruction – instruction that connects discrete, identifiable content of more than one subject area
MSDE Indicator – a demonstration of student progress toward attainment of Maryland (MSDE) Outcomes
Continued…
GLOSSARY (continued)
MSDE Performance – Based School Improvement Exemplar - a model lesson intended to provide teachers with examples
of performance-based instruction and assessment that emulate the kinds of tasks included in MSPAP.
Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) – annual statewide test that require students in grades 3, 5,
and 8 to apply what they know in reading, rnathematics, science, social studies, writing and language
usage. It evaluates the effectiveness of a schools’ or systems’ instructional program.
MSPAP Public Release Task – “retired” task from grade 3, 5, or S of the Maryland School Performance Assessment to be
used to train educators and familiarize students and parents with MSPAP
Maryland School Performance Program (MSPP) – a dab-based program for measuring how well schools, school systems,
and the state prepare each student for higher education and successful careers. The databased areas
provide information regarding how students are performing and help to guide decisions about improving
schools.
Objective – a description of what students will That-n in a lesson and how they will demonstrate that learning
Performance Task – an activity that requires students to demonstrate what they know and can do by constructing a
response, readng a product, or doing a presentation. A performance task may be used for either
instructional or assessment purposes:
• Performance instruction involves the teacher as the facilitator to provide feedback throughout
• Performance assessment places the responsibility on the students to demonstrate what they know and
are able to do (Examples: MSPAP tasks, products, performances, exhibitions)
Portfolio – a collection of work selected using established criteria and that gives evidence of performance over time. The
process of developing a portfolio involves student collection, selection, evaluation, and reflection.
Resource Documents – materials used to plan for implementation of curriculum including curriculum guides and other
materials such as textbooks, teacher’s guides, software, and visuals
Rubric – a scoring tool with a set of general criteria used to assess a student’s level of performance. Rubrics consist of a
fixed measurement scale (e.g.. 4 point), a list of criteria that describe the characteristics of produce or
performances for each score point, and sample responses (anchors), which illustrate the various score
points on the scale.
Scoring Tools – instruments that assess a student’s performance. Scoring tools may include checklists, rating scales,
rubrics, keys, and other scoring guides for specific activities.
Selected Response Items – assessment items that require students to select from among given items.
Examples: multiple choice, true/false, matching
Summative Assessment – culminating assessment used to measure student achievement at the conclusion of the learning
cycle
Teaching for Understanding – the ability to: use the concept, information, or skill in new or unfamiliar contexts; talk
about it intelligently; explain it to others; answer challenging questions about it; teach it
1996
add plan
analyze predict
change proofread
chart recommend
choose record
circle report
compare/contrast review
complete review the dare
complete the chart revise
complete the map study
convince support the prediction
copy support your ideas
create a design take out
create a pattern with triangles tell why/why not
create a table think
decide underline
demonstrate use a protractor
describe use examples to describe
display write a conclusion
draw/label write a letter to a friend
estimate write a letter to an artist
evaluate write a letter to your principal
explain write a number sentence
figure out write a question
fill in the pyramid write a speech
find the mean write a summary
gather data write an article
highlight write an equation
identify write an explanation
illustrate write instructions
list write support for
measure
observe
organize
persuade
Mar land School Performance Assessment Program
1995
calculate organize
chart persuade
choose plot the lines
compare read
complete read aloud
contrast record
create select
create a box and whisker plot sketch
decide study/explain
describe summarize
design survey
detail tell
determine think/pick
diagram think/tell
discuss use details
draw/label use the alphanumeric code
estimate use the protractor
explain web
explain a mathematical process write
explain in geographic terms write a number sentence
explain patterns write a speech
find write/support your point of view
follow instructions
give examples
graph
identify
illustrate
include
interpret
judge
justify
match
measure
name
organize
Performance Task Assessment List Skit
Total:
Assessment Reviewed:
Content Area: Grade Level:
Questions/Comments/Recommendations:
QUESTIONING FOR QUALITY THINKING
STEP I: Select an MDSE Learning Outcome (reading, writing, language usage, math
process, math product, science, social studies).
LEARNING OUTCOME
STEP II: Brainstorm possible meaningful activities to meet the requirements of the Learn-
ing Outcome. Consider some of the different products, audiences, and purposes
listed in the other pages of this section. use this information to create your task.
TOPIC: PURPOSE:
FORM: AUDIENCE:
STEP III: Before continuing generate a brief list of activities leading to the finished
product. Try to limit yourself to three or four.
Activities:
1. _______________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________
STEP IV: Now create the directions for your final task.
PARAGRAPH ONE
Topic, Purpose, Form, Audience
PARAGRAPH TWO
Requirements
STEP V: Consider what kinds of thinking and organizing students should do in order to
complete your task satisfactorily. Make certain that your prewriting activities
(Step III) and final task (Step IV) reflect the kind of thinking and organizing
you expect students to practices and master.
STEP VI: Think of measurable outcomes that will show whether or not a student has
successfully completed the common task. Use these to generate your rubric.
"
The “3” should be
A 3 product will
•
•
•
evidence of attain- •
ment of the re-
quirements of
common task. A 2 product will
A “2” exhibits
•
partial attainment •
of the requirements •
of the common •
task. Each of the
requirements is
attempted, but at A 1 product will
least one is done
poorly.
•
•
A “1” product is •
deficient by omit- •
ting certain basic
requirements or
skills.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR USING APPLICATION STRATEGIES
Construct
Calculate
Show
Tally
Compare
Include
POSSIBLE AUDIENCE TO OBSERVE/RECEIVE PERFORMANCE TASKS
Classmates candidates
younger students department chairs
older students board members
student government representatives
student assemble senators
students at another site PTA
adults customers
parents senior citizens
decision makers politicians
newspaper readers community groups
local business executives grants
decision makers principal
committee members chairperson
superintendent editor
siblings grandparents
judge jury
funding agency
Creative Alternatives
2= Consistently addresses audience’s needs by using purposeful and specific information to fully explain
the topic. Text is uniformly organized, and language choices often enhance the text.
1= Sometimes addresses audience’s needs by using purposeful and mostly specific information to
accurately explain the topic. Text is generally organized, and language choices sometimes enhance
the text.
o= Rarely or never addresses audience’s needs by using purposeful or specific information to explain
the topic. Text lacks organization, and language choices seldom, if ever, enhance the text.
2= Consistently addresses audience’s needs by identifying a clear position and fully supporting or
refuting a position with relevant information. Text is uniformly organized, and language choices often
enhance the text.
1= Sometimes addresses audience’s needs by identifying a somewhat clear position and partially
supporting or refuting that position with relevant information. Text is generally organized, and
language choices sometimes enhance the text.
o= Rarely or never addresses audience’s needs by failing to identify a clear position or failing to
accurately support or refute a position that has been identified. Text lacks organization, and language
choices seldom, if ever, enhance the text.
o= Rarely or never addresses audience’s needs by failing to present personal ideas in a complete, well-
developed whole. Text is often disorganized, and language choices seldom, if ever, enhance the text
and are often inappropriate to the literary form.
LANGUAGE IN USE RULE
2 points
??????Consistently uses word and sentence order and language choices to express meaning with style and
tone. Text conveys uniform impression of correctness and any errors that are present represent risk-
taking.
1 point
??????Sometimes uses word and sentence order and language choices to express meaning with style and
tone. Text generally conveys impression of correctness* and errors may or may not represent risk-
taking.
0 points
??????Rarely or never uses word and sentence order and language choices to express meaning with style
and tone. Text appears error-ridden.
1. Who ?
2. What ?
3. Where ?
4. When ?
5. How ?
6. Why ?
7. ?
2. What if ?
5. How come ?
7. ?
Lenore Abraham
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
Potomac, MD 20S54
This is a method of quizzing (when I want to be sure students know the material before we move
into discussion or a project on it) which I have used successfully on a novel and on short stories,
but could be adapted to any discipline. It has the following advantages:
a. It makes students review the material thoughtfully and carefully.
b. It gives them a vested interest in learning it.
c. Students do all the work of preparing the quiz. taking it and evaluating the results.
d. Students love every step of the process.
Materials needed:
3 x 5 cards, preferably of 3 different colors
library card-pockets — handy, but not required
a small plastic bowl (or equivalent container) for each group
red and black checkers or 1-inch circular ‘removable labels’ of two different colors
(2 labels stuck together back-to-back), at least 6 per group
a small bell or other attention-getter can be helpful with a large group
2. Each group then prepares quiz questions on the whole book (in the case of the novel) or their
section of it (2 short stories, in our case). For lengthy material — the novel — we used 3 easy
questions, 4 medium difficulty, 4 challenging; for briefer material (the 2 short stories): 2 easy
questions. 3 medium and 3 challenging. Questions should be clearly worded and fair. Each question
is written on a 3 x 5 card and the answer written on the back. The set of cards can then be handily
slipped into a library card-pocket, if available, or rubber band if not. Each card should be labeled
with author and title (of stories), and the set should be marked with the names of the group. My
groups enjoyed color-coding the cards like traffic lights: green for easy, yellow (caution) for
medium, red for challenging questions. Teacher keeps the card sets in the classroom.
3. Next day students sit in their groups, each group as far removed from the others as possible (to
eliminate overhearing of questions). For a small class with groups of 3, 2 of the group ask
questions, I travels with ‘begging-bowl’ to the other groups. each in turn, to answer an agreed
number of questions (I easy, I medium, I hard, for short material; or I easy, I or 2 medium, I or 2
hard, for long material). Right answers receive a black checker, wrong answers receive a red. The
traveler then takes his/her bowl to the scorekeeper to have score recorded, then returns the
checkers to the group that awarded them. Having made the entire circuit, traveling clockwise, the
traveler becomes questioner and someone else from the group becomes traveler, until all have had
their turn. The teacher or score-keeper then adds the scores of all participants and awards prizes
to the group with the highest score. Or the teacher can award grades for the scores, as desired.
NINTENDO PROJECT: SELF-EVALUATION
Nintendo, Inc., is looking to develop a new game. Your group is in charge of designing one,
sketching it, describing it in an essay, preparing an advertisement for a print medium, and
presenting the idea orally to the Board of Directors (your classmates).
NAME(S):
SCREEN(S):
Does the screen illustrate what the game will look like?
Is the visual portion of the project clear enough theta player could understand from the
drawing(s) an essential part of the game?
TEXT:
Does the text include a narrative that introduces the scenario of the game and the
characters included?
Does the text include a detailed description of how the game is played? Could
someone “complete” the game using the instructions you have given?
Does the text include a description of the various levels of the game? Does each level
have a different “look” with different challenges?
Is the text in final draft form? Have you corrected all spelling and grammatical errors?
Have you followed the basic rules of composition?
Does the text “catch” the audience’s attention? Is the text interesting?
ADVERTISEMENT:
Does the ad follow the suggestions discussed in class about composing headlines and
body copy?
The headline should introduce an idea or intriguing.
The headline should incorporate “announcement” words.
The headline should address each individual.
The body copy should follow the primary recommendation-Keep it SHORT...short
words, short sentences, short paragraphs.
Group Members:
The following are the tasks necessary for the completion of this project. Beside each, record
the names of the group members working on this task (place a by the name of the person in
charge). In the far right column, write the date the task is completed.
Game Coordination
Game Text
Coordination for Ad
Copy for Ad
Sales Coordination
Sales Analysis
Visual Aids
Sales Presentation
Performance Assessment (Problem of the Day)
Sample 1:
Objective: Students will interpret and explain data from a scatter plot that they have constructed
themselves.
Problem of the Day: Derek Jeter has signed a contract with the Yankees that pays him 117 million dollars.
Dr. Ham thinks this is more money than most baseball players earn. Using the data provided, construct a
scatter plot. Interpret the data to decide if Derek Jeter’s salary is or is not higher than that of most baseball
players. Write a brief note to inform Dr. Ham why you decided Derek Jeter’s salary is or is not higher than
that of most baseball players. In your note, he sure to include the scatter plot you drew and to use the
language of mathematics.
Sample 2:
Objective: Students will analyze and explain the economic and/or social factors that caused the rise in
female employment in the United States from 1940 to 1970.
Problem of the Day: Yesterday we read about the scarcity of human resources during WWII and the
consequential rise in women’s employment. We analyzed how the laws of supply and demand created the
need for women to work. We decided that without women workers, the Allies would not have won the war
because there would not have been enough capital resources to fund a winning campaign.
Some economists have claimed that the economies of the era of 1940-1970 demanded a greater female
presence in the work place. Others have claimed that social factors, rather than economic ones, caused the
upswing in female employment from 1950-1970. Today you will enter the debate. We are going to read
about the rise of women workers from 1950-1970 in the United States. We are going to study some
primary documents from the Office of the Budget. We will read a short selection - the social factors that
some historians believe influenced the rise of female employment from 1940-1970. You will use the
information gathered to decide if the increase in women workers is best explained using economic or social
factors. To help you make your decision, you wili draw a detailed time line with economic and social factors
listed. Then, beneath your time line, you wili write a caption using the language of economies to capture your
opinion in the debate.
Sample 3:
Objective: Students will analyze acidity levels in soil to discover and explain the properties of acids and
bases.
Problem of the Day: Ms. Henke’s family is having a reunion October 21st this year. Ms. Henke., who
lives in Baltimore, and her sister, who lives in Baton Rouge, each plan to bring a sweet potato pie made
from fresh sweet potatoes grown in their gardens this year. Mr. Bond has decided to send each of the
women the seeds for this year’s sweet potato crop, but there are two varieties to choose from, and Mr.
Bond is unsure which one to send to each of the Henke sisters. Today, you will analyze the soil from each of
the women’s gardens. You will determine which type of sweet potato would grow best in each garden based
on the acidity levels of the soil. Then, you will write a letter to Mr. Bond to explain which seeds to send to
each sister. Since Mr. Bond is not a gardener himself~, you will need to explain the properties of acids and
bases and why some plants require more acidic soil than others.
Sample 4:
Objective: Students will increase hand-eye coordination and use an appropriate technique to serve and
bump a volleyball
Problem of the Day: The annual faculty-student volleyball game is coming up, mud yon may be called on
to play for the students. To help the team win, yon need to be able to serve and bump the volleyball.
Sample 5:
Objective: Students will use shading to create perspective (dimensionality) urn a pencil-drawing.
Problem of the Day: When we look at objects in a still life drawn by professional artists, we see that these
objects appear to be three-dimensional Today, we will learn how shading can be used to create this
appearance. Then, we will redraw the basket of apples we drew last week using shading to add perspective
to our drawing)
Processes of
Reading/
Reading Strategies
When Reading for Literary Experience
Use questions to help students construct meaning
when reading for literary experience.
· What part of the selection best expresses the author’s message and
why? (Critical stance)
When Reading to Be Informed
Use questions to help students construct meaning
when reading to be informed.
· Predict the steps in the activities that you think may cause problems for a person who was not
present when the directions were distributed. In your own words, explain the steps to this person.
(Global, personal stances)
· What information did you learn in the procedure and when would you use it? (Personal stance)
· What directions might you change or add to the ones already given to make them better? (Critical
stance)
· Evaluate how well the author wrote the steps to perform a task of .
Decide if you could perform the task according to the author’s directions. Use examples from the
material to provde feedback to the author. (Critical stance)
Reading and Writing/Language Usage Strategies
The use of mnemonic devices helps students recall good readin2 and writing techniques. The CUCC
Strategy helps students to follow all directions in a multi-pan question or activity. When answering questions
about reading, the Comma-Quote Strategy helps students to be sure to include evidence from the text to
support their answer~ .~long with the Comma-Quote Strategy, the ACE Strategy reminds students to cite
evidence from the text to support their answer and then extend or explain their answer. The DOAL and
CUPS Strategies are to be used to reinforce good writing techniques.
CUCC Comma - Quote Strategy
C = Circle the direction
• Cite specific words and phrases from the text.
words. • Cite a passage from the text, using quotation marks to
U = Underline key words show that it is a direct quote.
> On page 12, the author said, “Xxxxx.”
after the direction words.
> I agree with the author when he/she wrote, “Xxxxx.
C = Count the number of > An example from the text is on page 2, where it says,
direction words. “Xxxxx.”
• Be sure to explain how the evidence you chose supports
C = Check off/complete the your answer.
steps.
S trategic readers actively construct meaning as they read, interacting with the text. They set
purposes for reading, select methods of accomplishing these purposes, monitor and repair their own
comprehension as they read. and evaluate the completed task. A strategic reader constructs. examines, and
extends meaning before, during, and after reading for a variety of texts.
‘Teachers who understand that reading is a strategic process establish environments that provide
opportunities for children to learn language and learn about language while they are using language for real
purposes.” (Halliday)
There are a number of differences between strategic readers and poor readers during all phases of the
reading process.
How Do Strategic Readers Differ from Poor
Readers?
F.E.A.T
3
“THE TEXT SAYS”
3 An understanding of the text with full and developed evidence of connections, extensions, and/or
examinations of meaning. The reader uses multiple text supports to provide full and developed evidence of
2 = An understanding of the text with sufficient evidence of connections, extensions, and/or examinations of
meaning. The reader uses multiple text supports to provide sufficient evidence of
1 = An understanding of the text with limited evidence of connections, extensions, and/or examinations of
meaning. The reader uses text support to provide limited
evidence of . The
support may be overly general or overly specific and may contain some indefensible as well as defensible
information. This response is text based and/ or text referential.
Student Checklist
F.E.A.T. - USE
FOR EXAMPLE &
ACCORDING TO
IN YOUR ANSWER!
Resource Sheet
Step 1
What is the title?
Step 2
Who is the artist or photographer?
Step 3
What information is presented in the caption?
Step 4
What kind of a picture is it? Is it a photograph, a painting, a
drawing?
Step 5
Ask yourself what is the main idea of the picture?
Step6
What additional information is provided in the detail?
Step 7
How is the picture used to enhance the text?
Reading to Perform a Task
Useful to You?
Text Title
Title of selection
Reader’s Purpose
Author’s Purpose
Intended Audience
• Text Features
• Title
• Subtitles
• Pictures
• Diagrams
• Drawings
• Captions
• Bold Text
• Text organization
• Details/Examples
Is this text useful for your purpose? Explain why it is or is not? Use examples from the text to support
your recommendation.
Echo Reading
Use:
Procedure:
2. The fluent reader sits slightly behind the emergent reader and
both readers read the passage at a normal rate with no hesitations.
The fluent reader moves his/her finger under each word. (The
emergent reader may miss words and not keep up but the fluent
reader continues.)
1. Discussion Director: Develops a list of 5 questions the group might want to discuss. Keeps the
group on task and calls on other members to present their parts.
2. Literary Luminary: Locates five interesting, powerful, puzzling, important sections of the text to read
aloud and discuss. (Either Copy directly from book, or include page references. Include a brief explana-
tion as to why you chose each one.)
3. Connector: Finds three connections between the reading and the world outside, the reading and
personal life and/or yourself, the reading and other pieces of literature you have read previously, etc.
4. Character Commentator: Choose a character with a major role in the section of the book you have
Just read. Comment on any outstanding aspects of their personality, as well as any changes they have
provoked in the plot, conflict, etc.
5. Predictor: Will make predictions about what will happen next to the characters, plot, etc. (Don’t give
anything away if you read ahead!)
6. Summarizer: will write a brief summary of the assigned pages. This should 1-2 paragraphs long.
Those groups containing seven people only will have the seventh person also performing the responder/
reactor role.
7. Reactor/Responder: React/ respond to two section of the text about which you had a strong feeling
(either in a positive way or a negative way). Eg: Did you agree/disagree with something which occurred?
Do you parti6ularly like/dislike the author’s style of writing/use of symbolism/theme/setting, etc.?
Those groups containing five people will take out the role of the summarizer and just do roles 1 -5!
The breakdown of the pages is as follows:
The Girl Who Walk Two Moons The View from That was Then.
Owned the City Saturday This is Now
Fri., 3/10: pgs. 1-60 pgs. 1-69 pgs. 1-57 pgs. 1-35
Mon., 3/13: pgs. 61-97 pgs l 70-141 pgs. 58-93 pgs. 36-81
Wed., 3/15: pgs. 9 9-l46 pgs. 142-204 pgs. 94-125 pgs. 82-111
Fri., 3/1 7: pgs. 149-end pgs. 205-end pgs. 126-end pgs. 112 end
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Sheri Federici
Central Middle School
Findlay, Ohio
sfederic @Findlay.k12.oh.us
*As you read your mystery book, keep track of vocabulary words, using your yellow
card to record them. Also, as you come to a colored card, respond to it on the index
card, and hand it in no later than the due date. Take your time and be thorough with your
responses since each card is worth 15 points.
Materials: Story, a list of 15+ words sequentially chosen from the story,
and an overhead projector/chalkboard
Procedure.: Model this first with the whole class! Before making the word
list available, place the wards up where they’ll be visible by all students
(see below) to activate prior knowledge and articulate word meaning and
usage.
This is not an original idea, but one of those that Just exists!
Tru Dee Griffin Kinnikinnick Middle School
5410 Pine Lane
Roscoe, IL. 61913 815-623-2166
Reading and Writing Survey
NAME: AGE: GRADE
Do you feel uncomfortable having someone read what you have written?
Do you have difficulty thinking of topics to write about if they aren’t specified?
Do you have difficulty finding the appropriate words for expressing your ideas?
Do you feel confident about your ability to use correct punctuation? yes no.
Would you write more if you weren’t graded on it? yes no.
1. Before I read, I
3. is a good reader.
5. Do you think that ever comes to word he/she does not know?
7. What do you do when you come to a word. that you don’t know while you are reading?
8. What would the teacher do to help someone who doesn’t know a word while he/she is
reading?
9. What do you do to help yourself understand and/or remember a story after you have read it.
Each term students are asked to complete reading outside the classroom and to share
their results with classmates. Added to this is research on an internet site. By reporting on
various works both orally and in writing, students develop a culture of outside reading in the
classroom. Students become eager to share books, films, and internet sites. I keep a library of
books in my classroom; the students have access to our Media Center, and they have access
through the internet of the card catalogs of local libraries. I help students keep track of work
they have done by listing their books/site! films next to their names on a poster on the wall.
Janet S. Schwartz
Avon Middle School
Avon, CT 06013
janetsschwartz@yahoo.com
www.geocities.com/jonathanrschwartz
Share and Tell
Your oral presentation must be between 2 and 3 minutes long - no longer! You will hold a note card with
some notes on it. You may not read a prepared statement. Please hand in the notecards after the
presentation. Each presentation should have an introduction and a conclusion. The following information
should also be evident:
Book:
· Intro-includes title and author, type of book
· Rating of book Use language to tell how much you liked the book and how challenging the book was to
you.
· A short summary explaining who, what, when, where, and a little bit of why or how. This should not be
more than one minute long.
· Personal connection with book (comparison w. book, movie, experience, person you know; empathy
for characters)
· Conclusion
Movie:
· Intro-includes title and stars or director
· Rating of movie. Use language to tell how much you enjoyed the film and how challenging the film was
to understand or what made this a well-made film.
· A short summary explaining who, what, when, where, and a little bit of why or how. This should not be
more than one minute long.
· personal connection with movie (comparison with book, movie, experience)
· Conclusion
Internet Site:
In addition you will submit a written summary of an internet site you have visited. This site may be connected
with a topic you have studied in another class. Search for sites on the internet using a good search engine.
(What topic associated with school do you want to learn about?) Go there! Read it, study it, then review it
Intro: title of site, author, address of site, the main point of the site
Next paragraph: a summary of the site-(what is there?)Do not tell facts you learned, just the type of
information available.
Next paragraph: How you connected to the Site, why did you choose this site. What did you
expect? Was it there?
Next paragraph: Why others might want to visit the site, how useful it is, and a closing
Again, the rules of Share and Tell will change slightly. Here are the requirements of this term
· An oral on a Free Choice book
· An oral on a book of mystery or horror.
· An oral on a film which has been nominated for an academy award for make-up or costumes.
Report on how the make-up or the costumes help us understand the character in at least two
instances. Remember Major Braun in Miracle at MoreauX? The dark circles under his eyes and
his wan complexion made the audience feel that this was a death-like appearance. We did not
trust him as much as we did the tanned, older, pudgy Sargeant Schlimmer.
As always, you will be required to have an introduction and a conclusion to your presentation. When you
rate the books and the film, remember that you are rating not only how much you liked it, but you are rating
the art and the skill that went into this work. Why has this film, for example, withstood the test of time?
What do you respect about the art of this work? What is your personal connection? Maybe you haven’t
done what this person has done, but you understand the emotions involved. Remember that you are to
connect your experience with the work. You can’t expect the audience to do your thinking for you. Your
note cards will remind you of this. I have the note cards for you to use. Remember, with note cards, you are
expected to have eye contact with your audience; it is expected that you will deliver your presentation, not
read it.
· Find a recommended book from the BLACK BOX on the bock counter! Take a look at the books that
real kids around the country are recommending to you. Choose one based on the recommendation. Write a
letter to this person doing the following:
Thank for recommendation
Talk about your favorite part of the plot
Talk about you favorite character
Talk about what you thought the main idea of the book was
Talk about your personal connection
Conclusion
· You will submit a review of an internet site. This site (remember, this means the whole site, not just one
page from the site!) will be on science. Go to www.geocities.com/jonathanrschwartz and find a site here!
(Don’t tell me that you couldn’t find one!)
For your final term, you are now old hands at oral presentations.
The note cards will continue. Here are the types of works you will be reading:
The following are oral:
1. A free choice book
2. A film which either won or was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. I suggest that
you go to the internet to www.oscar.com. Or check the list in the room
4. You will submit a review of an internet site. This site (remember, this means the whole site, not
just one page from the site!) will be on science. Go to www.geocities.com/jonathanrschwarrz
and find a site here! (Don’t tell me that you couldn’t find one!)
5. Write a letter to a person in class about a book or a film that you have read or seen based upon
this students recommendation. Remember to write in ink and in paragraphs. Remember your
audience; he/she has read the book! Please express your ideas about the book.
Possible form:
Paragraph Intro-tide, author, rating
Paragraph- Favorite character and support (why is this a favorite character?) Paragraph- Favorite
event and support (why is this a favorite event?) Paragraph- Theme or Main idea and support(
What is the purpose of this book? What idea is being explored?)
Paragraph-Personal connection (Remember to connect your experience to the book, do not expect
the experience to speak for itself)
Paragraph- Conclusion, thank you for recommendation, further thoughts
Book List
As a member of the audience, you too have a responsibility. Your responsibility is to take notes on each
presentation. You are to write the following information:
Title of work
Author or stars of movie
Rating given by speaker
Type of work
A few words about plot, character, theme, or setting
This information will be collected at the end of the term and will be placed into your writing folder. Keep
your notes clean, legible, accurate. Keep types of books together on a page
For the first term you are to report on the following works:
· A book about a different culture, your summer reading book. This will not be an oral. You will
create a book jacket for this book. Title, author, and an appropriate cover will be on the front of
the jacket. Do not copy the cover of the book. A summary of the bookll be written on the inside
flap of the jacket. Please submit to me also two paragraphs explaining what your cover is
illustrating and your personal connection to the book.
· An animal or sports book
· A free choice book
· An Internet site: Go to http//rnembers.home.net/jonanschwartz Find an interesting site to report
on. Don’t report on the information, talk about the site!
· A movie which was nominated or which won an academy award for either special, visual or
sound effects. Go to www.oscar.orgClick on the Academy awards database. Ask for all
nominees, you will find the list. (Or check the cupboard doors for the list!)
One choice for a choice book could be a book recommended by someone in the class. If the book has
already been reported, please make reference to the other report Did you agree or disagree with the rating?
Please voice your appreciation or dissatisfaction in receiving this recommendation. Be sure to support your
views with details from the work.
Possible boks:
Second Term
For this term, the rules of Share and Tell will change slightly. This term you will be required to read or see
the following:
· A books of choice
· A fiction or non-fiction book about World War II
· A new internet site from Schwartz’s home page or a new one that can help you with Social
Studies work.. Remember this is the SITE. not just one page of info.
· A movie which was nominated for its musical score before you were born!— NO R rated
movies!
Book or Film:
Intro-includes title and author, type of book
Rating in own language. Why rated this way
Plot-short synopsis-who, what, when, where, why, how
Include when the movie was nominated and whether or not it won. Discuss at least two parts of
the movie where the music adds to the emotion. What is the setting, and what emotions are
highlighted?
Include when it was nominated for musical score and whether or not it won
Personal connection (comparison w. book, movie, experience, understanding of character, theme)
Conclusion
Now READ this:
Instead of presenting an oral on the classic book, you will create a poster which advertises this book which
has been made into a film..
Include the following:
Name at least three stars in the movie plus the part each plays
Use at least three images from the book on the poster
You will then write a letter to a fictional producer, explaining how this film will work so well. Include the
following information:
Why would this book make a great film?
Why would (choose one of your stars) be great in this film?
Why use these images on the poster to sell the film?
This letter should be at least 5 paragraphs long. Don’t forget the introduction and conclusion.
In addition to the content of your Share and Tell presentations, I will also be looking at your delivery. You
are to be poised, have eye contact with your audience, and speak loudly and clearly so that your
audience can easily understand you. Crutch words and ugly words are not to be used. If conclusions are
lacking, you will not earn above a C. A conclusion summarizes your comments. A conclusion to your
presentation is not a conclusion to the plot of your book or movie! You might want to tell us where to find
this book or movie. You might say that you are looking for other books like this one.
Yes, you will continue to keep a book list. Clean papers for this term!
Movie Work Sheet
Title
Director:
Starring:
When
Where
Personal Connection
Book Review Work sheet
Title:
Author:
Who:
When:
Where:
Why?
Personal Connection
Reading for Information
I read
and
KNOW YOUR PURPOSES FOR READING
Before
• Predict
• Envision
• Preview
During
• Revisit text
• Question
•
After
• Summarize
• Evaluate
• Retell
Directions: In each of the following cases, decide whether you would be reading To Perform
a Task (TPT), For Information (Fl), or For Literary Experience (FLE). Put your answers on
the lines provided.
1. Your teacher asks you to find in the dictionary the meaning of the word
“conundrum.”
2. A friend suggests a book called First Blood and says you should read It because
it’s action-packed and a good story.
3. You buy your little sister a doll house for Christmas and now must put It together
for her using the Assembly Instructions.
4. You’re into reading science fiction and a new bestseller comes out!
5. You consult a book of road maps to determine the shortest route to take between
Baltimore and St Louis, Missouri.
6. Your mother gives you a recipe to make her famous apple pie.
7. You refer to the owner’s manual for your VOR to learn how to program It to record
a television show.
10. You consult the entertainment section of the newspaper to find out when the new
Jackie Chan movie is showing.
11. You can’t afford karate school, so you get a how-to book on martial arts and
practice all the steps page by page.
12. You want to find out what the state bird of Maryland is and you get an
encyclopedia.
13. You find a section In the encyclopedia article about how to make a bird house for
orioles.
14. You’re a big fan of birdwatching and you love to read about rare bird sightings.
15. You read your textbook to find out when World War I started.
A Reader’s Checklist for Success in
• Skim to find out how the author has chosen to present the material.
• Determine if the directions are organized in a way that would be easy for you to follow.
As you read...
• Read all of the directions once to get a general sense of the task you are being asked to perform.
• Pause after each direction you read, and make a picture in your mind of what you are sup, posed
to do.
• Pay close attention to the illustrations or diagrams the author has provided. Do they reflect the
directions accurately?
Summarize each direction on paper in your own words, or highlight key words in the directions.
• When you come to something important that you don’t understand, try rereading it, or ask
• Use resources such as a dictionary to look up important words that you don’t understand.
• Think ahead about any difficulty you might have in being able to perform the task.
• Skim to find out how the author has chosen to present the material.
• Ask yourself what you already know about the topics the author will cover.
• Jot some predictions on paper about what you expect to learn from the text.
As you read...
• Underline, highlight, or take notes to help you construct meaning and recall important infor-mation.
• Ask yourself continually, “Do I understand what I just read and see how it fits?” Pay attention to titles,
• Examine any tables, illustrations, bold-face print, underlining, colored print, captions, glossa-ries, and
• Pause during your reading to organize new information and link it to what you already know. When
you don’t understand something, review your notes to see where you got off track, reread the
• Apply new ideas from the text to broader situations to extend thinking.
• Use study strategies for notetaking, locating, and remembering to improve your learning in the subject
area.
1. READ THE QUESTION
PLACE (location?)
The PEP talk strategy. Note. From “The PEP Strategy.” Copyright 1997 by David S. Katims and Janis M. Harmon.
Reprinted with permission.
Reading Name
Map Skills Class
Date
Part A; Pre-assessment identify die statement to be T or F in the Before column to show what yOU
know about the following map topics.
Before
Maps use the ????? talking about directions.
Maps have only words on them. in order to show locations and roadways.
Part B: (1) Create five statements about what you observe while looking at the map of the state
Futura. (2) Then, “dig” to give a detail about that statement to show more elaboration about that
observation.
Ex. Obs. There is a key in the bottom left hand side of the map.
Det. The key has 9 symbols represented in it.
1. O-
D-
2. O-
D-
3. O-
D-
4. O-
D-
5. O-
D-
Part C: Answer the questions that are connected to the packet. Be sure to check your answers out
with the map thoroughly.
ADMIT ONE
Admit Slips
What is it?
• A warm-up activity used to access prior knowledge or review material from a previous class or activity
• Collect cards from students and share several responses at the start of class
KWL Know - Want to Know - Learn
What is it?
A way to list what you Know. What you Want to know, and wha you have Leqrned about a given topic
To develop questions
K W L
What I want
What I know to know What I learned
· Have students brainstorm what they already know about the concept and record under K
· Have students develop a list of questions about what they want to know and record under W
· After reading, have students record new information they learned under L (see sample on following
page)
Anticipation Guides
What is it?
• Clears up misconceptions
• Discuss each statement briefly.. sttudents agree or disagree and record their response
• After reading, conduct follow-up discussions by returning to the anticipation guide to clarify under-
Direct students to rewrite any statement that needs to be altered based on the selection they have read. (see
sample on following page)
Anticipation Guide
Read each statement and decide if you think its more like true or false. Put a + if you think it is correct. Put
an 0 if you think it is wrong. After we read, you can go back and check what you have learned
PUMPKINS
2. The first pumpkins have been traced to South Asia. Traders brought them to Europe and then
to america.
3. Pumpkin plants have two kinds of flowers. The pollen from the male flower must be carried
to the female flower in order for pumpkins to grow.
4. Pumpkin flowers bloom in the night and close up during the day
5. Some pumpkins have grown to over 900 pounds. Some are very tiny
6. Zucchini squash and watermelon are in the same family as pumpkins.
7. ?????
8. In some towns, there are contests for catapulting pumpkins and in others, for rolling them the
fastest with a bat.
9. The state that grows the most pumpkins is Pennsylvania.
10. Pumpkins play a role in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Cinderella”
WHALES
1. Whales are mammals.
Look through the chapter / article. Put an X next to any of these you find:
???????
Colors Maps
Boxes Photographs
Bullets/Steps Underlining
•
•
•
Captions This is a square. It has
Bold print 4 equal sides
Arrows
Big letters
Diagrams
Embedded Questions
DURING READING STRATEGY
Used to:
See example…
Fix-Up Good readers use some strategies to monitor their comprehension when the meaning
Strategies is lost. When necessary, they integrate semantic, syntactic and graphophonic cues
to construct meanings for unknown words.
Often however, self monitoring uncovers comprehension break-downs beyond the
word level. To teach fix-up strategies for comprehension at this level, teachers must
help students generate and post for future reference a list of strategies to use when
comprehension breaks down for any reason. As students discover new fix-up strategies
they should discuss and add them to the list. Oral reading by the teacher or students
provide opportuniti\y to monito reading and apply fix-up strategies.
A class list may include, but not be limited to. the following fix-up strategies. Teachers are
encouraged to duplicate the list below as a bookmark. mini-poster, or notebook page for students.
Teachers might also encourage students to add strategies to the list as they discover them.
• Look at the word pairs if the problem involves only one word.
• Locate and read less difficult material dealing with the sample concept.
A restating of the text in reader’s own words which captures the authors meaning.
· To increase reading comprehension ability by taking the mystery out of comprehending text
· To model thinking strategies for students to use on their own
· To enable students to become metacognitive
NOTE: While reading, teacher simultaneously verbalizes the thinking process involved. After modeling
strategies. the teacher guides students in identifying and discussing use of the strategy. Strategies
can be charted to future use. After guided practice. students can be paired to practice “think-
aloud” with each other.
Frayer Model
Pre-reading Strategy for Content area text
*taken from Reading in the Content Area: If Not Me. Then Who? by R. Billrneyer
What is it?
“The Frayer Model is a word categorization activity, developed to analyze and test the
attainment of concepts important to develop understanding around ESSENTIAL AND NON-
ESSENTIAL CATEGORIES.
HOW TO D0 IT:
3. Complete a sample model(s) with the students until they appear to be confident.
4, Have the students work in pairs or groups to complete assigned concepts.
5. Once the models are complete, have the students share their maps aloud. Using
crayons, marker. etc/ and hanging the posters until the end of the unit will assist those
“forgotten” concepts.
See Model:
WORD
Examples Non-examples
Definition Characteristics
A mathematical shape that * closed
that is a closed plane * plane figured
figure bounded by 3 or more * more than 2 straight sides
line segments * 2 dimensional
* made of line segments
POLYGON
Examples Non-Examples
* pentagon * circle
* hexagon * cube
* square * sphere
* trapezoid * cylinder
* rhombus * cone
C.O.N.C.E.P.T. MAP
Post Reading Organizer
Overall Concept
Concept Concept
Summary
Now, in review of the article, you can be questioned with 4 different types of .????
1.Global- information that can be retrieved from the text to simply answer a question.
This is done by simply identifying general information.
3. Critical- questioning the author’s writing /ideas; looking at the author’s craft;
reflecting on the experience, judging it, and connecting to other texts.
ex. Why did the author provide both information from readers that agree and
disagree with the article?
How does the format of the article allow you to move through the
information easily?
How did the author make it easier to distinguish between headings,
subheadings, and the actual reading?
4. Personal- answering “what you think” kind of questions, your opinions, and how it
affects you as a person....
ex. What is your opinion on using a dogs fur for a coat? Do you like dogs as a
pet or for commercial use?
Do you think there too many dogs in this country?
SUMMARIZING
What is it?
· as a response to reading
· after viewing or listening to a selection
· identify the most important information in the passage middle. and an end
· organize information into a beginning, a middle. and an end
· write the essential information in as few words as possible
· check that extraneous information is not included
The Summarization Process
During, Post Reading Strategy
Sample:
2-7 Estimating products and quotients pg. 94 of Middle School Math, Course1
Summary:
While we are learning how to estimate products and quotients in multiplication and division in Ch.
2, we need to remember to round numbers and use compatible numbers. After getting the product
or quotient, we need to look at the end number and round up or down based upon the number to
the right of the identified place value. We can even round so that only one place value is a non-
zero number.
Questioning the Authorr
What ids it?
· To notice that the author’s style of presenting information can impede or enhance the reader’s com-
prehension.
· Teacher creates prompts to enable students to critically evaluate the passage. (See example on
following page.)
· Teacher models how these questions should be applied using read-aloud and think-aloud strategies.
· Students are moved to guided practice in pairs or small groups led by the teacher.
Questioning the Author
What ids the author trying to tell?
Is it said clearly?
What is it?
A 3x5 card given to each student at the end of an instructional activity. discussion, demonstration, or
reading of a text. On one side of the card, students write one thing they learned: on the other side. they
write one question they still have.
· Provide a 3x5 card for each student at the end of a learning experience. a class, or end of the day.
· Direct students to write one thing they learned on one side of the card, and one question they still have
on the other side.
· Collect cards for review and select several questions to use during the next lesson.
NOTE: During the next session, questions can be answered directly by the teacher (orally or in writing or
students can be invited to respond. Selected questions may be put aside for future study. Modifica-
tion: Rather than writing one thing learned, students can respond to questions such as: What was
surprising for you? What were you thinking about the most? What is one idea you are excited
about?
Connecting Reading and Writing
1. Exit Slips
2. Free Writing- focused, non-focused
3. Journals
4. Stance Questions
5. Authentic Prompt Writing
6. Dialectical Journals
7. Response Journals- I think, I feel
Stages of Reading
Emergent Literacy
? discover that writing is talk written down
Beginning Reading
?realize that words have meaning
? recognize sight words
Building FLuency
? word recognition and comprehension become more automatic
? read at a faster rate (chunking words and phrases)
Mature Reading
Content area texts are written to inform. Their primary purpose is to tell, show, describe or explain. Text
patterns represent the different types of logical connections among important and less important ideas in this
material. There are five text patterns that seem to predominate:
However, authors do not always write texts in neat, easily recognized patterns. They often use more than
one pattern to make a point or convey an idea.
1. Description. Listing information about a topic, event, object, person, idea, etc. (facts, characteristics,
traits, features ), usually qualifying the listing by criteria such as size or importance.
2. Sequence. Putting facts, events, or concepts into a sequence. An author will trace the development of
the topic or give steps in the process. Time reference may be explicit or implicit, but a sequence is evident in
the pattern.
3. Comparison-contrast. Pointing out likenesses (comparison) and/or differences (contrast) among facts,
people, events, concepts, etc.
4. Cause-effect. Showing how facts, events, or concepts (effects) happen or come into being because of
other facts, events, or concepts (causes).
5. Problem-solution. Showing the development of a problem(s) and the solution(s) to the problem.
Reading Signals
Signals
Stance Questions
Part I
For quality written stance questions:
?Make sure the reading material that you have selected will allow for
stance questioning. (the text is long enough...)
?When writing stance questions, always write your answer using the
text for support before giving the students the actual questions. (so
that you know the answer can be found in the text... work ahead!)
?Have someone who has not read the text answer your question; if
they can answer the question, you need to re-write it.
?Cue students to use text-based support in their responses. (... refer to the
text, provide evidence, Include text-based details...)
Global:
In my head from what
I’ve read.
Interpretation:
Into the book for a better look.
Personal Reflection:
The book and me, connect you see.
Critical:
A critical note about how the author
wrote.
The Reading-Writing Connection
Drafting writing a first draft...getting your ideas down on paper...not worrying about
mistakes...usually in pencil and skipping every other line
Revising reading your drafts thoughtfully to define your ideas. add details, check the
order and include STRONG words...at this stage we may meet with the teacher to discuss our
ideas or communicate as a group in order to make sure that we are on the right track...- BUT
it is done by the writer only!
Publishing/Final Draft writing a final draft for assessment or sharing... this should be a
clean copy free of marks/mistakes and normally written in ink...
Now, think about how these steps in the writing process connect with the following steps in the
READING PROCESS.........
THE READING PROCESS
Previewing
viewing or looking over the entire text by recognizing the text
features and format of the text
Pre - reading
recognizing the topic, setting the purpose, and making predictions
about the text- building background knowledge
Initial Reading
first time reading of the text so that construction of meaning can
be made - identifying first thoughts about the reading
Revisiting going back into the text to develop a deeper understanding of the
text - a possible second reading - visiting from a personal, interpretive, or critical
standpoint- re-organizing your thoughts
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Strategies That Might Be Taught
when reading for a particular purpose:
?Skim to find out how the author has chosen to present the material.
?Determine if the directions are organized in a way that would be easy for you to follow.
2. As you read:
?Read all of the directions once to get a general sense of the task you are being asked to perform.
?Pay close attention to the illustrations or diagrams the author has provided.
?Pause after each direction you reads and make a picture in your mind of what you are supposed to do.
?When you come to something important that you don’t understand, try rereading it, or ask someone else
for help if you can.
?Use resources such as a dictionary to look up important words that you don’t understand.
?Think ahead about any difficulty you might have in being able to perform a task.
? Determine what you want to learn or find out from the material.
? Look over what you will read.
? Skim to find out how the author has chosen to present the material.
? Ask yourself what you already know about the topics the author will cover.
? Jot some predictions on paper about what you expect to learn from the text.
2. As you read:
? Underline, highlight, or take notes to help you construct meaning and recall important information.
? Ask yourself continually, “Do I understand what I just read and see how it fits?”
? Pay attention to titles, chapters, and subheadings.
? Examine any tables, illustrations, bold-face print, underlining, colored print, captions, glossaries, and
other aids the author has provided. Pause during your reading to organize new information and link it
to what you already know.
? When you don’t understand something, review your notes to see where you got off track, reread the
passage, talk to another person, or consult such resources as a dictionary.
? Summarize what you have read by restating main ideas from the text.
? Evaluate your notes and understanding.
? Reread any passages that you did not understand.
? Apply new ideas from the text to broader situations to extend thinking.
? Evaluate the ideas presented in the text.
? Jot any questions you still have about the topic.
? Use study strategies for notetaking, locating, and remembering to improve your learning in the subject
area.
A Reader’s Checklist for Success in Reading for Literary Experience
2. As you read:
? Stop and retell the main events to see if you understand what has happened.
? See if you can answer any of the questions you asked before you started to read.
? Continue to predict the outcome of the reading as you move through the material. Reread some parts
or read ahead to see if you can figure out what is happening if things aren’t making sense.
? Think about how the author used special words or phrases to communicate.
? Use context clues or a dictionary to help you determine the meaning qf unknown words.
Think about how your own experience compares to the characters’ experiences.
S trategic readers actively construct meaning as they read, interacting with the text. They set
purposes for reading, select methods of accomplishing these purposes, monitor and repair their own
comprehension as they read. and evaluate the completed task. A strategic reader constructs. examines, and
extends meaning before, during, and after reading for a variety of texts.
‘Teachers who understand that reading is a strategic process establish environments that provide
opportunities for children to learn language and learn about language while they are using language for real
purposes.” (Halliday)
There are a number of differences between strategic readers and poor readers during all phases of the
reading process.
How Do Strategic Readers Differ from Poor
Readers?
A good, strategic reader constructs, examines, and extends meaning before, during, and after reading.
The teacher of strategic reading continually introduces, models, explains, reinforces, and evaluates reading
strategies as students read various texts for diverse purposes. Thus, the teacher of strategic reading
develops and follows an organized plan in promoting student growth in use of the strategies. See “Strategies
of Effective Readers,” Teacher Resources Section for a summary of strategies.
“A strategy is a plan of action for bringing about a desired product such as comprehension or
independence. Strategies require the use of more than one skill simultaneously when reading sen-tences,
paragraphs, and longer passages.”
Edith Buckingham
“Strategies are plans readers use flexibly and adaptively, depending upon the situation. Skills, in contrast,
are procedures readers overlearn through repetition so that speed and accuracy are assured every time the
response is called for.
The differences influence instruction and learning. In teaching skills, the object is to create automatized
accuracy through drill and practice activities (such as worksheets) which call repeatedly for the same
response. Students who receive skills instruction learn to answer isolated exercises quickly and accurately.
In teaching strategies, on the other hand, the object is to develop thoughtful and conscientious reasoning
about problems encountered in real text (such as trade books or magazines) where each situation demands
a slightly different response. Students who receive strategy instruction learn to reason adaptively with their
own knowledge about how reading works.”
What Are the Steps Teachers Should Follow in Planning and Providing Strategic Reading
Instruction?
Planning
Focusing Instruction
Guiding Practice
· BEFORE-READING activities should emphasize methods of merging reader, text, and content. thereby
enabling students to set appropriate reading purposes, recall related prior knowledge. preview and predict
what the text will be about, and select reading methods to suit their purposes and the text. Included in
these considerations may be readers’ decisions to expand their back-ground knowledge through related
discussion, exploration of key concepts, or related reading.
· DURING-READING activities should enable students to monitor their comprehension through a variety
of strategies and experiences and acquire diverse fix-up strategies to improve their understanding where
necessary.
· AFTER-READING activities should teach students to review their understanding of text, relate new
ideas to their background knowledge, revisit the text to clarify and extend meanings, make responsible
interpretations and criticisms of ideas from the text, revise their thinking, apply the information to other
texts and disciplines, and remember crucial learnings for future application.
The following strategies can be used to assist students before they read the text. They enable the students
to become actively engaged in metacognitive processes in preparation for reading.
Previewing •· Recall and consider prior personal experiences that are relevant to the text.
• Build the necessary background knowledge for the text.
• Observe how the text is organized.
• Reflect on personal purposes for reading.
Example: When previewing Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt, for example, the teacher might share a map
that delineates Northern and Southern states of slavery. The teacher might read to the students Pink and
Say ( a picture book which describes the friendship and perspectives of two Union soldiers during the Civil
War) by Patricia Polacco. The students might share their knowledge about Civil War events and local battle
sites and then examine the textual elements of Across Five Aprils in order to predict novel events. After
reading the front and back covers, copyright page, and dedication, the students use a visual organizer to
predict novel events. The teacher might then save the organizer for later review and give a copy to each
student, asking each to record a personal purpose for reading the novel on the prediction sheet.
Survey Technique This technique is a whole-class adaptation of SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read,
Recite, Review) study method. Steps include:
· Analyze the chapter title, subtitles, and visual aids.
· Read the introductory and closing paragraphs.
· Identify the main idea of the passage.
Prereading Plan This technique enables students to use and analyze their prior knowledge
about the subject of a reading. Steps include:
• Phase 1: Discuss key aspects of a topic according to the teacher’s purposes.
• Initiate associations to help students elaborate on what they know about the
topic.
• Reflect on the associations to clarify prior knowledge.
• Reformulate knowledge; develop new insight; and add, delete, or modify
ideas.
Phase 2: The teacher analyzes individual student responses to assess the prior
knowledge of the class before presenting the content.
Directed · Survey the title, subheadings. and illustrations.
Inquiry · Predict responses to these questions: Who? What? Where? Why? and How?
Activity ~DIA) · After predicting, read the text to evaluate the predictions.
· Analyze the predictions using the given information.
· Modify understandings of the content under the points of inquiry.
Directed The DRTA allows students to take an active role in setting their own purposes
Reading- for reading. It includes these steps:
Thinking · Survey the title, subheadings, and illustrations, and make predictions about
Activity the content.
(DRTA) · Read the text.
· Examine the text in light of predictions and evaluate the predictions.
· Continue reading and reflecting until finished with the text.
What Teaching Techniques Help Students Learn Self-Monitoring Strategies During Reading?
Self-monitoring is the active awareness strategic readers have of their own understanding and
control over that understanding while reading. It enables readers to measure their comprehension
and take steps to enhance it. When students become conscious of their thinking and comprehension, they
can deliberately apply different fix-up strategies when comprehension breaks down. A major goal of reading
instruction for students is to expose and equip them with productive self-monitoring strategies. Several of the
following techniques are useful to this end.
(continued) · Model how to generate text-specific questions based on the general questions
while reading a text.
· Generate questions about a text together.
· Generate individual story-specific Questions.
The following general-questions (GQ) and story-specific questions (SQ) for The Outsiders, by S.E.
Hinton, show how this process may be applied in the classroom.
A class list may include, but not be limited to, the following fix-up strategies. Teachers are encouraged to
duplicate the list below as a bookmark, mini-poster, or notebook page for students. Teachers might also
encourage students to add strategies to the list as they discover them.
FIX-UP STRATEGIES
· Look at the word parts if the problem involves only one word.
· Locate and read less difficult material dealing with the sample concept.
· Read the selected description aloud, stopping as details are added to have
students describe, draw, or diagram (depending on the nature of the
description) what they imagine from the description.
· Discuss strategies students may use while reading to improve their own
visualization. Have them consider which strategies are most useful for various
kinds of descriptions. For example, students may choose to sketch maps of
the scene of the crime in the Sherlock Holmes story to help them follow the
plot; they may draw a floor plan to help them imagine the location of clues at
the scene of a crime; and they may sketch a stick figure or “gingerbread man”
to help them record and pay attention to important details of a person’s
appearance as described by the detective.
· Use imagistic poems - especially short ones, such as haiku - to have students
picture and appreciate visual descriptions. Ask students to describe what a
poet is observing when describing a scene or object.
The INSERT strategy is a marking system students use to record their reactions on the text.
as they read. It helps students become more involved in their reading. make decisions as
INSERT
they read. and clarify :heir own reading. It helps teachers know what parts students find
confusion: and plan accord-ingly.
I agree
X I disagree/I thought differently
+ New information
! Wow
? I wonder.
?? Don’t understand
Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers provide the means for students to think about interrelationships in various elements of a
text. Graphic organizers of various forms are available in a variety of locations (in-cluding most recently the
1996 Grade 7 English guide) and can be adapted to many reading purposes. Their uses include story maps,
plot or character flowcharts, timelines, pyramid designs, outlines, feature analysis charts, and semantic or
chapter mapping charts. Such visual organizers support before, during, and after reading strategies, but
when used during the reading process, they provide exceptional methods for students to monitor their own
understanding. It is important for teachers to convey to students that they use graphic organizers as a means
of visualizing their thinking to understand a concept. These organizers are a means to an end, and not the
end product. Students should never think that their objective is to complete a graphic organizer.
The K-W-L chart and variations are illustrated on the next page. This is just one example of a graphic
organizer that is useful during reading.
This framework helps students build background knowledge through a
prediction chart that asks:
KWL KWLS
and Variations • K: What do I know?
• W: What do I want to know?
• L: What have I learned?
• S: What do I still need to know?
KWHL
• K: What do I know?
• W: What do I want to know?
• H: How will I learn it?
• L: What have I learned?
Reciprocal teaching involves four processes in which students and teachers
take turns being the teacher and eliciting responses from students. (See
Teacher Resources Section for a teaching model.)
Reciprocal Teaching
1. Summarize the section in a sentence or paragraph.
2. Ask one to two high-level questions to focus on the major concepts of the
text.
3. Identify a difficult part of the text and clarify it by explaining, giving
examples, or making analogies.
4. Predict what the next paragraph or segment will discuss.
Teachers and students will take turns asking each other questions about
ReQuest
common portions of a text. Steps include:
Procedure
· The teacher prepares students with new vocabulary and any initial back -
ground necessary for the text.
(Reciprocal
· While reading, students ask the teacher questions about the text.
Questioning)
· The teacher redefines and develops the questions to redirect to students.
· Students continue reading to the end of the text.
· The class responds to the questions to verify, predict, and justify text
inter-pretations.
· Final discussion helps students to summarize and justify their predictions.
What Are Some Techniques for Teaching After-Reading Strategies?
Teachers may use several techniques to present, model, and help students apply after-reading strategies:
Retelling is a very simple activity that can be used for diagnosis or to help
Retelling students reorganize and recall important information. It can be done in pairs,
small groups, or individually. Steps include:
Oral-to-Oral Retelling: The student listens to a selection and retells it orally. This approach may be most
appropriate with fables or folktales.
Oral-to-Written Retelling: The student listens to a selection but retells it in writing. A difficult chapter of a
“whole class” novel might be read aloud and then retold individually.
Reading-To-Oral Retelling: The student reads a selection silently and retells it orally. This is a
diagnostic component of many published inforn4U r~4ing inventories.
Reading-To-Written Retelling: The student reads a selection silently and retells it in writing. This method
is easily practiced in a Reading Workshop environment.
Summarizing Summarizing fosters understanding and remembering as well as develops
interpretations of texts. Proficiency in summarizing involves steps that grow in
complexity and that require varying degrees of practice. The following
summarizing procedures include suggestions from the basic to complex:
· Delete trivial information.
· Delete redundant information.
· Generate general terms to encompass groups of less important ideas (for
example, food for cereal, pizza, hot dogs, etc.).
· Locate topic sentences and other key statements and use them in the
summary when appropriate.
· Compose statements of main ideas when none appear in the text.
The Pyramid Strategy assists students in selecting the most essential informa-tion
Pyramid Strategy from a reading selection to compose a “bare-bones’ summary. See Teacher
Resources Section for teacher explanation and Student Resources Section for
the pyramid graphic organizer.
What are Some Techniques for Responding to Reading through
Writing?
Exit Slips
At the end of class, hand out index cards or slips of paper and have students summarize
what they have learned from, and any questions they still have about the reading. A
completed slip is each student’s ticket out the door. This helps the teacher monitor their
understanding and determine where to begin the next lesson. This type of informal writing
should be non-graded.
Freewriting
Have students respond to a question or a reading by writing non-stop for a specific
number of minutes. This enables them to discover what they know and understand about
a topic. This informal writing should be non-graded.
Round Robin
This technique is used for brainstorming or reviewing. Have students seated in groups
around a table with one pencil and one piece of paper. A question is posed, and students
take turns recording answers on the paper as it is passed around the table. The question
should be carefully chosen. It should elicit multiple answers. Groups’ answers should be
shared and validated by the entire class.
Journals
Response journals are places where students reflect on their readings indepen-dently,
with the teacher, or with other students. Journals allow students to take control of their
own learning. In journals students respond to what they have experienced and learned,
how it relates to them personally, how they learned it, how they used it, what still needs
to be learned and clarified, as well as other things. Once students are aware of their own
learning, they become able to select, implement, and evaluate strategies that are effective
for them. Read-ing journals in particular enable students to see what sorts of responses
they make (that is, to inspect the stances from which they respond), to reflect on their
own reading and on literature, and to set goals for their own reading growth.
Teachers who include journals in their reading classes should be careful to structure the
experience to ensure that it is productive. They may require student to make entries
before, during, or after reading. Generally, they should require brief entries at first, and
then be sure to integrate the writings with other important class activities. At key points,
students should share entries with (he class, the teacher, or another student. Everyone
must understand that journals, unlike diaries, should include only thoughts that the student
writer is willing to share with the teacher or class.
Entries could include attempted reading strategies, reading problems, things students
feel they do well as readers, questions they have about themselves as readers, when
they may apply a strategy in the future, and what made them attempt a particular
strategy. Students should also respond to what they read by reflecting, first on that
which seems important to them, and then on such considerations as plot, literary
technique, and author’s purpose. Response journals will only be effective if the
teacher continually demonstrates the many ways that the journals can be used.
· Dialectical Journals: Have students take and respond to their reading notes by
using a two-column chart. In the left column, they record notes from the reading; in
the right, they list comments or questions about the material read. This informal
writing should be non-graded.
· Response Journals: Response journals are places where students reflect on their
readings independently with the teacher, or with other students. (See Student
Resources Section for a complete list of questions.)
Possible questions about process include:
· What do I notice about my reading?
· Next time I read, I will try to...
· Something I do better now than before is...
Possible questions about content include:
· What do I notice about the plot?
· Did the information in this text answer my questions?
· Do I enjoy the author’s style? Why?
One of the most important events of chapter six and seven is when he names his puppies. “Your name is
Dan. I’ll call you old Dan. Your name little girl, is Ann. I’ll call you little Ann.”
One of the most important events of chapter six and seven is when Bill chooses the names for his puppies.
“Your name is Dan. I’ll call you old Dan. Your name little girl, is Ann. I’ll call you little Ann.” This quote is
the most important part because...
We are comparing Manisha to Billy. We have gathered two things about their lifestyles and animals. Well,
Manisha is always grounded, and Billy never gets in trouble. For example Manshia is grounded til spring,
(for confidential reasons) and Billy never got in trouble for going miles into town without letting his parents
know. Another differences is
We are comparing Manisha to Billy’s lifestyles and animals. We have gathered two things about their
lifestyles and animal. Well, One difference is that Manisha is always grounded, and Billy never gets in
trouble. For example Manshia is grounded until spring, for confidential reasons, and Billy never got in
trouble for going miles into town without letting his parents know. On page Rawls writes: ....
Another differences is that Manisha does not own any animals. Also, she hates hunting and would
never kill an animal On page____ Wilson Rawis writes that Billy has a “dog wanting disease.”
This quote is important because it proves that Billy is different than Manisha..
Q: Compare the setting in the story to the community you live in.
Our community is a rather large city called Frederick, it is in the state of Maryland. I will be comparing this
to the community in the Ozarks, that Billy Coleman lives in.
The setting in the story is both similar and different to the where we live. Our community is a rather
large city called Frederick, which it is in the state of Maryland. Frederick is very different than the I will
be comparing this to the community in the Ozarks, where that Billy Coleman lives in.
In the Ozarks of Illinois where Billy lives, there are in a beautiful valley ies and wonderful river
bottoms. On page___ Wilson Rawls describes the mountains as...
Frederick, Maryland is a city, which is surrounded by mountains and farms. Billy lives in the
mountains. Most people in my community have to drive to Thurmont to get to the mountains.
Also, in the city of Frederick, there are many roads and the houses are really close together. Billy
has to walk overnight to get to the nearest town, Telaquah. Clearly Frederick is a much different
community than the one Billy lives in.
· Q: Identify a lesson or moral of the story so far.
We think the moral of the story is that Billy should follow his dreams. and even though he doe’s not listen to
his mom all the time we thinke he should follow his dreams. we think it was good that telliqua
We think the moral of the story is that Billy should follow his dreams. and Even though he Billy doe’s does
not listen to his mom all the time, we thinke he should does follow his dreams. we think it was good that
telligua Billy has a “dog wanting disease” as Wilson Rawls describes on page He loves his
dream so much he leaves his house without telling his parents to get his dogs. On page he is
described as...
Using ACE In My Writing
? When you answer the question restate the question in your answer.
· If the question is:
? You write:
The passage above proves that...
or
This quote explains why...
Question:
What conclusions can you draw about Mama’s character?
A
Mama’s character in the novel Where the Red Fern Grows is that of a worrier. Often Wilson Rawls
writes about how concerned Mama is for Billy.
C
For example, on page 49 when Billy came from his trip to Tahleguah, Rawls wrote, “She
looked up. I saw all the worry and grief leave her eyes.”
E
The quote above proves that mom was worried because Billy sees the “worry” in his
mother’s face. Mama is described as “worried.”
CE
Also, on page 89 Wilson Rawls writes, “After Mama saw that there were no broken homes, or
legs chopped off, she smiled andsaid, ‘I never know anymore’.”
In this quote Mama is speaking to Billy after he returns from trying to chop down the big sycamore. I chose
this quote because it proves that Mama is always thinking that Billy might get hurt when he is by himself. She
never says “I’m sure Billy’s fine.” or anything like that. In short, Mama’s character is that of a worrier.
Mama’s character in the novel Where the Red Fern Grows is that of a worrier. Often Wilson Rawls writes
about how concerned Mama is for Billy. For example, on page 49 when Billy came back from his trip to
Tahlequah, Rawls wrote, “She looked up. I saw all the ‘worry’ and grief leave her eyes.” The quote above
proves that mom was worried because Billy sees the worry in his mother’s face. Mama is described as
“worried.” Also, on page 89 Wilson Rawls writes, “After Mama saw that there were no broken bones, or
legs chopped off, she smiled and said, ‘I never know anymore’.” In this quote Mama is speaking to Billy
after he returns from trying to chop down the big sycamore. I chose this quote because it proves to me that
Mama is always thinking that Billy might get hurt when he is by himself. She never says,” I’m sure that Billy
is fine,” or anything like that In short, Mama’s character is that of a worrier.
ACE Strategy Checklist
* SO, when your students are writing to answer a particular question, insist
that they Q.A.D.
** This writing strategy is used when we are preparing our students for the
Maryland Functional Writing lest or a writing prompt as a
performance assessment!!
Usage:
Q Identifying the questions that the prompt
is asking for... there may be more than
one.
- restating the question from the writing prompt in order to
develop the answer
DIRECTIONS
• Listen as your partner reads aloud the draft.
• Discuss the draft with your partner
• Complete the sentence starters below.
• Share your revision ideas with your partner
1. Some ideas or information you might want to add to your draft are
2. Some ideas or information you might want to take out of your draft are
3. Some things you might want change about your draft are
4. Some ideas, information, or words you might want to move in your draft are
DIRECTIONS
• Listen as your partner reads aloud the draft.
• Discuss the draft with your partner
• Complete the sentence starters below.
• Share your revision ideas with your partner
1. Some ideas, facts, reasons, or supporting details you might add to strengthen your position are
2. Some ideas, facts, reasons, or supporting details you might want to take out of your draft are
3. Some things you might want change about your draft are
4. Some ideas, facts, reasons, or supporting details you might want to move in your draft are
DIRECTIONS
• Listen as your partner reads aloud the draft.
• Discuss the draft with your partner
• Complete the sentence starters below.
• Share your revision ideas with your partner
1. Some ideas, descriptive words or phrases or details you might want to add to your draft are
2. Some ideas, descriptive words or phrases or details you might want to change about your draft are
3. Some ideas, words, phrases, or details you might want to move in your draft are
4. Some ideas, words, phrases, or details you might want to take out of your draft are
Source: MSDE
“author’s craft” -devices used by writers including-. length of se~itences, use of humor, tone, variance of sentence
complexity, development of character, use of dialog, etc.
literary elements’ - plot, character, setting, theme, point of view, foreshadowing, tone, dialog, poetic elements
(alliteration, imagery, personificatianma±anhor, onomatopoeia. etc.)
3 - Point Paragraph Outline
Topic:
1.
2.
3.
Sentence #1 Topic Sentence (Use words in the topic and tell how many points will be
made.)
The language is the basis of argument and persuasion that influences our actions and beliefs. Some
of the ways that language can be used to persuade and manipulate are listed in the chart below.
Metaphor He is a star!
NO RESPONDING: Read your paper out loud to a When you do not want criticism.
SHARING listener. Listener gives no When you want to celebrate your
response. finished piece.
SAYBACK Say to your listener, “Say back to When you hear what you
me in your own words what you thought you said, you know that
think I said in my writing. you got your message across.
Invite me to figure out better When you don’t hear what you
what I really want to say.” thought you said, you know you
need to make changes.
POINTING Ask your listener, “Which When you want to know what
words or phrases stick in your is getting through.
mind?”
SUMMARIZING Ask your listener, “What do When you want to know what
you hear as my main point or is getting through. Make
idea (or event or feeling)? What changes if the listener mixes up
are the minor ones?” your main point and your minor
ones.
WHAT IS ALMOST SAID Ask your listener, “What do I When you need new ideas or
OR IMPLIED almost say? Would you like to need to expand or develop what
hear more about this?” you have written.
CENTER OF GRAVITY Ask your listener, “What do When you want to develop your
you think is the focal point of ideas more and want to make
my writing? The center may not sure you stick to your focus.
be the main point; it might be
an image, phrase or detail for
example.”
The ideas listed here are paraphrased material from Elbow, Peter
and Pat Belanoff. Sharing and ResDondin~. (New York: Random
House, 1989). This short, readable text will give you lots of
ideas on how to make peer response work in your classroom.
WRITING PROCESS ACTIVITIES
Teachers across the curriculum know that they need to information on prewriting, see Gefvert, Constance J.
teach writing and language usage, and many are The Confident Writer: A Norton Handbook 2nd ed.
familiar with the notion of the writing process (the New York:
use of a series of strategic activities meant to help a Norton, 1988 or Kemper, Nathan, & Sebranek.
writer develop a polished piece of writing). Yet, Writer’s Express: A Handbook for Young. Writers.
teachers may be unfamiliar with the variety of Thinkers. & Learners. Wisconsin: Write Source,
strategic activities designated by the term “writing 1995.
process.” Below is a List of the primary types of
activities writers engage in as they create a written
packet along with tips on how teachers can implement Drafting Activities
these activities in the classroom. When teachers ask students to draft, there are several
assignment constraints that should be determined
prior to giving the assignment
Prewriting Activities
Brainstorming, clustering, webbing, tagnemics,
questioning, the pentad, and freewriting are all Considerations
popular prewriting activities. Writers use these a. Timed or untimed writing—How much time a child
activities to generate a mass of ideas from which to has to do a piece of writing often affects the quality
initiate a developed first draft Students must be taught of the written product To prepare children for the
to do more than one type of prewriting activity for world of work and for large-scale assessments, it is
each first draft, since a single type of prewriting important to vary the time limits you assign for
seldom provides a writer with enough generated writings over the school year. Sometimes a quick
material to write that first draft Too; teachers can write of 5-20 minutes is all that is needed. Sometimes
show students that after a first draft is completed. a child will need several class periods to do a good
students should review the prewriting to check that all first draft.
relevant material generated in the prewritng activities b. Noise levels —Some children like to write with the
actually made its way into the draft Teachers should radio blasting. Others do best with absolute quiet So
use student prewriting pieces and drafts to show that children become comfortable with real world
students the relationship between prewriting material writing situations, the teacher should vary the noise
and the first drafts related to them. Teachers should level in the writing classroom.
choose prewriting materials/drafts that show c. Where to write —In most schools, children write
prewriting that is too vague and the consequent first only at their desks. Teachers can vary the locations
draft that is too vague, as well as demonstrate how where children can write, so children become com-
detailed prewriting has lead to detailed drafts. Though fortable writing anywhere. Take the children outside,
teachers should review prewriting with their students and let them write out in the fresh air. Move the
to help them develop it better, they should not grade children to the library or to the gymnasium, and let
prewriting because prewriting is not an authentic them write there. Each change in locale will bring
product itself, merely a means to an end. For more new, pleasant writing experiences for your students.
The Literacy Express
Volume I Issue 2 MSDE—ELA Section
June 6, 1996
d. Self-Evaluation Activities —The purpose of self- Row, 1985. Teachers can learn more about how to use
evaluation activities is to make students reflect on the conferences effectively in Hams, Muriel, Teaching
strengths and weaknesses in a written piece before the One-To-One The Writing Conference Urbana, Ill.:
student gets comment and response from another NCTE, 1986.
person. Teachers can write questions which the g. Revision Activities —It isn’t enough to tell children
student can use to prompt self-evaluation. In addition, “revise.” Teachers need to guide children through the
children can describe the process used to produce the revision process. The generally accepted order of
writing in order to help recall ideas/stages that were revision activities is (1) content and development; (2)
missed or that need more work. Self-evaluation style and tone; (3) organization of paragraphs; (4)
activities should lead to revision of a draft and should organization of sentences; (5) word choices.
never be graded. If students know that seal-evalua-
tions will be graded, then they do them for the Content and Development
teacher, not for themselves.
There are many ways to revise for content and
e. Peer Response Work—When students are trained development. Here axe two quick activities that are
well on how to give and receive feedback on their tried and true.
writings, children become better speakers, readers,
listeners, and writers. Thus, instructional time spent a. Ask children to add adjectives before each noun
on peer response activities is time well spent. Many without one. Point out how adjectives can help attract
excellent books and articles are available on how and the 5 senses of a reader. When the words added create
why to teach children to use peer response activities. awkward sentences, teach students how to vary
One of the best is Elbow, Peter and Belanoff, Pat. sentence structure to accommodate the new concepts.
Sharing and Resvonding. New York: Random House,
1989. E.g.
Sentence combining exercises, as advocated by The picture book as defined within the scope of this
William Strong, provided the sentences come from work is a fiction or nonfiction title with illustrations
the students’ own writings, really help children learn that occupy as much as or more space than the text
how to organize their sentences. Also, older children and with vocabulary or concepts appropriate from
can be introduced to formal paragraph organizers preschool to grade two. A to ZOO is organized to be
(e.g. inverted, summative, etc.) and can try a variety used in two ways. It can be used to locate the tides,
of paragraph patterns within real working drafts. authors, and illustrators of books on a given subject,
such as “farms” or “bedtime,” or it can be used to
Word Choice determine the subject of a given title. For example, it
would enable the reader to realize that Northern
To revise for word choice, children should first Lullaby is written by Nancy White and concerns the
remind themselves of the purpose and audience for subjects “bedtime,” “eskimos,” “lullabies,” “nature,”
the writing. Then children should check to make sure and “poetry”
that the words used can be understood and appreci-
ated by their audience. Too, students can be prompted Written by Carolyn W. and John A. Lima, A to Zoo:
to look for places to add descriptive words to create Subject Access to Children’s Picture Books is readily
more precise images. available in the reference collections of school library
media centers and public libraries. So the next time
Proofreading and Languaue Usage Activities -The you need a book to satisfy a child’s interest or to
most important instructional methodologies to teach enrich that special unit, visit a zoo full of books and
authors and illustrators, and see what you discover.
The Literacy Express
Volume I Issue 2 MSDE—ELA Section
June 6, 1996
A READING OVERVIEW if students have a basic understanding already or if
students need to revisit the text to obtain that basic
understanding. If students demonstrate good global
As part of the Maryland Outcomes in Reading, understanding, the teacher should consider asking
students are measured on how well they are able to questions using the other stances to help model ways
construct, extend, and examine meaning when students can enhance their comprehension. There is
reading a variety of materials using their knowledge no formula for the number of each type of stance
about reading and their background knowledge. In
order to measure construction, extension, and exami- question that should be asked. The type of stance
nation of meaning, the state of Maryland has adapted questions asked should be based on what types of
Judith Langer’s reader-response theory. Langer’s enhanced meanings the students need to develop.
theory implies that through responses to carefully
crafted questions, students can develop a more Developing Interpretation
meaningful understanding of what they read.
If students need to verify, revise, or clarify their
Stances meaning, asking developing interpretation questions
will help them revisit the text to extend their meaning.
One way to apply this reader-response theory is to The important point to stress is how revisiting or
think of the different stances one takes as one reads. It extending the text has helped enhance their initial
is not necessary to ask a question from each stance understanding.
for each time the students is assigned a reading.
However, it is important to move children through the Personal Response
stances so that children can enhance their understand-
ing of what they read. Moving through the stances Personal response questions help students examine
should become automatic, so as students read, they their meaning in relationship to the world around
use the teacher-directed questions as self-directed them. These questions require students to revisit the
ideas. Stance questions can often include multiple text to connect what they have read to their back-
stances, requiring the reader to revisit the text with ground of experience and knowledge.
more than one question in mind. An example of this
is that critical stance is often paired with personal Critical Stance
response which helps students examine their meaning
using their personal ideas and analyzing the author’s Critical stance questions help students examine their
craft. Keep in mind, refining understanding of what meaning as they revisit the text by getting students to
we read is a higher-level thinking skill and requires look closely at the author’s craft and style. As stu-
constant modeling and monitoring. It is important not dents evaluate the author’s use of technique, students
to spend too much time on any one piece, but to be are able to discover latent meaning in the text studied.
diagnostic in knowing what skills certain students
need in order to examine and extend their initial
meaning.
BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR
Global Understanding
I. SOUND DEV1CES
1. Alliteration- repetition of initial letters or sounds
Seven ships sailed at sea
My Madeline, my Madeline
Mark my melodious midnight moans.
2. Assonance- repetition of vowel sounds How much wood could a wood chuck
chuck
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purp1e curtain
These 4 sound devices are found in the Edgar Allan Poe poem, “The Raven” and
the first 3 devices are found in Sidney Lanier poem “Song of the Chattahoochee.”
Hmwk:
Finish finding all the examples of the above sound devices in the 2 poems Find an
example using at least two of the five sound devices in a poem or song
-Write out the title, author, and lyrics that contain the device
-Then underline key words or phrases and tell me which device is being used
II. Literary Devices/ Figures of Speech
4. Hyperbole- exaggeration
Rivers of blood
He called me a million times that day
5. Symbolism- words that stand for something else; when one object represents
a deeper meaning or idea
I take the Cross upon me.
EX: Flowers
Yellow, dark red
Waving in the morning
Their fragrance brings me happiness
Roses
2. Couplets- a pair of lines that rhyme EX: A zealous locksmith died of late,
And did arrive at heaven’s gate.
3. Haiku! Senryu- This Japanese form has three lines and seventeen syllables.
The haiku is usually unrhymed and deals with nature. The senryn is about topics
other than nature. Word choice is especially important since there are so few
words.
Line 1 5 syllables
Line 2 7 syllables
Line 3 5 syllables
4. Limerick- a five line poem that tells a humorous story. It has a required rhythm
and a required rhyme scheme.
Line 1- three accented syllables- a
Line 2- three accented syllables- a
Line 3-two accented syllables- b
Line 4-two accented syllables- b
Line 5- three accented syllables- a
1. Think of a very short story (no more than 8 sentences) illustrating the mean-
ing of one of your vocabulary words.
EXAMPLE:
Greg worked with a friendly and social group. Every week the group
met for lunch or had a pot luck where everyone brought something.
Greg never tipped the waitress even if she/her did an outstanding
job. When there was a pot luck, Greg only brought 10 napkins. He
never chipped in when someone had a birthday. Greg liked to brag
that he had the first nickel he had ever earned.
2. Write the story and have your teacher check it for accuracy.
4. When the students think they have the meaning of the work, ask them to
write the definition on a note card or post-it note.
5. Before showing the last sentence, have partners share their definitions.
6. Call on several students to share their definitions and discuss what sentence
helped them the most.
TO THE TEACHER SPATIAL DESCRIPTIONS
.My colleague Paul O’Brien uses the following method to teach spatial development in descriptive
paragraphs.
DAY 1:
1. Have the students look a: the front of the classroom and make a list of 7-10 things that they see.
2. Then have them rearrange their lists so that they follow a definite order. At this point, it is not
necessary to mention Spatial order. One or two students may arrange their items idiosyncratically
(psychologically, or according to color, size); such order can be briefly discussed.
3. Have volunteers read their ordered lists while other students try to determine the order. The idea of
spatial order should emerge during this process.
4. Explain spatial order and its many possibilities: left to right, foreground to background, clockwise,
top to bottom, etc.
5. Discuss the importance of transitional words and prepositional phrases in describing something
spatially. Remind students that this is a perfect chance to use strong, graphic verbs instead of weak,
overused expressions such as: T~PE IS/A~ and HAVE/HAS.
Illustrate, using the part of the room that students have been focusing on.
E.g., The Lake Placid poster rests comfortably under a mimeographed sheet of fire regulations.
6. ASSIGNMENT
A) Choose a place to describe spatially (not too complex - like the control panel of a DC-7!), study it
carefully to deter-mine a spatial and logical, order, and then write a spatial description. The first
sentence can establish the site for the leader, or the writer can build up to the site in the conclusion.
DAY 2:
Ask for a volunteer to go to the board. While another volunteer slowly reads his/her spatial
description aloud, the student at the board sketches what is being described. At the end of the
descrip-tion, the students can compare what was said with the visual on the board. Discussion, and
then more volunteers.
NOTE: The teacher should also do the assignment; just be sure to choose an outstanding artist to go
to the board!
SPATIAL DESCRIPTION and SKETCH
by Paul O’Brien
From where I relax in my overstuffed chair, - gaze a: a living room wall in our
apartment. To the right I see two shoes slightly turned in towards each other resting on
the floor. To their left and towering above the shoes is a frail, antique magazine stand.
Magazines in a slightly diagonal position lean out from the right side of the stand. A
glass vase filled with purple and white carna-tions poses at the front of the old table, and
a Tiffany lamp, its shade three hues of blue, radiates light from the back of the ancient
table. To the left and dominating the side of the room, sits a large, well-worn, plaid sofa.
Just past the midpoint of the top of the sofa, a tired-looking magenta pillow dozes. A
painting, behind and centered above the sofa, depicts a little girl looking at three ducks
that appear to be swimming toward her. Adjacent to the sofa, a large glass bookcase
filled with delicate-looking souvenirs and mementos rises toward the ceiling. On the top
left of the bookcase, a large plant profusely displays its innumerable leaves. To the right
of the plant and partially camouflaged by leaves, rests a Bible. A few more inches to the
right stands a wooden statue of a monk in a prayerful pose. He appears to be reflecting
on the room I have just described.
Topic Letter writing with a purpose!
Grade Middle and Secondary
Idea: A few months ago I asked my students to write in their journals about a
commercial product they had bought which did not live up to their expectations. After
the students shared their experiences, we talked about the power a consumer has to
change the policies and practices of a manufacturer. Eventually, we came to the
realization that consumers can write to manufacturers and express their displeasure in a
business letter. I also mentioned that manufacturers often respond to consumer
complaints and that a great many of the students would receive free coupons and other
goodies. After teaching my students the elements of a business letter, they wrote draft
letters, I proof read them and made suggestions, and then they typed their final drafts. I
required each letter to be flawless before it could be mailed. I also insisted that the
return address be in care of me at the school address. A week after all the letters were
mailed, I started getting mail from around the country. Kraft apologized for a macaroni
product which was not as cheesy as the student had hoped and gave my student a
coupon for free box. Another manufacturer apologized for the strength of their
deodorant to deodorize underarms and also sent a coupon. The most successful letter
was from a manufacturer of scented lemon trees many people place in their cars. She
got a box filled with a forest of trees, smelly grape scented feet, and a strawberry
smelling plastic mushroom! So, if you want a lesson that has some real world value and
is fun, try this idea.
Please note that I am not going to give you my address because I do not want to receive
mail from you if this lesson flops!
Gregory Greenleaf
Winslow High School
Winslow, Maine
Kathleen Rauch
Rose Tree Media School District
Media, Pa.
(adapted from Old Faithful Geof Hewitt —Teacher’s & ‘Writer’s Collaborative)
Objective: Students develop a broader awareness of poetic strategies, the benefits of speaking
distinctly with feeling, and of a variety of approaches to revision.
Ask students to write a phrase—not a complete sentence, just a phrase—from some observation they
experienced between waking this morning and arriving at your class.
(You have 22 seconds. Pencils up, get set.. .write!
(Apply your own pencil to the page, writing whatever phrase you can.)
At random, call on students to read their phrases, making sure they read directly from their page.
Write the phrases on an overhead as students read them. Have students copy them down as you
write each phrase. (new line for each phrase.)
Somewhere in the process write your own phrase.
Read the responses out aloud, carefully and slowly, using your voice to smooth over the rough spots,
running the end of one phrase into the beginning of another to create unforeseen sentences. Make
sure to mention that almost any piece of writing can be made to sound pretty good if it is read well.
The reader’s attention to speaking skills enhances the audience’s response to a piece of writing.
Ask students to use the copied lines as a first draft, and revise it into a poem. Try to demonstrate as
many strategies for revision as you can. Tell the students they may delete only four phrases, but then
they may rearrange as they will.
Here are suggestions for students who may feel stuck in their approach to revision:
Count the syllables in each line and create a “syllabic poem,” in which the lines have the same
number of syllables.
Rewrite the piece from the point of view and with the speech patterns of someone who is different
from you.
Start this writing exercise without a hint that the end product may be a poem.
Writing a Personal Narrative from a Different
Perspective and Time
Using Interviews and Orai Histox7
Grade Level: M - S
You can put a new twist on personal narratives and preserve oral stories by combining
the two into the following project. Instead of writing a personal narrative from the
writer’s experience and point of view, the writer will conduct an interview with an older
member of his/her family, or if that is not possible, an older friend or neighbor. Then,
the interviewer will pretend to be the interviewee and write a personal narrative from the
interviewee’s point of view.
Interviewing Process
1. The person. being interviewed should be a relative and elderly as possible.
Writing Process
1. The interviewer/writer should pick the most interesting story from the interview.
2. The interviewer/writer should write the story as if it happened to him/her.
Birthplace
Occupation Employer
Nickname
Mother’s Name
Birthplace
Father’s Name
Birthplace
Sibling’s Names
Childhood
5. A typical day:
3. Special friends:
5. A typical day
8. Your responsibilities:
4. Special friends:
9. A great joy:
12. Advice you have for living the best life a person can:
ANCESTORS
1. Your ancestor’s names:
2. Their homeland:
8. Their home:
9. Their talents:
MILITARY LIFE
1. Your years in the service:
• your time with your family • what you did for fun
~Ancestors~
Tell me about • their homes
• your ancestors names • their talents
• their homeland • their religions
• the reason for coming to • their traditions & celebrations
America
• their trip to America • their struggles
• the date and place of their • their disappointments
arrival
• their ages and occupations • their dreams
~Military Life~
Tell me about • where you were first stationed
• your years in the service • your favorite assignment
• why you joined • your combat duty, if any
• the branch you joined • your injuries, if any
•your initial rank and final rank • your most vivid memory
Idea Exchange
NCTE Spring. NYC
RESPONSE TO FIRST DRAFTS
Rebecca Sanchez
Curriculum Specialist
Riverview Intermediate Unit
880 Greencrest Dr.
Shippenville, PA 16254
1. Seat students in a circle with their first drafts. give each a fine tip colored marker.
2. The teacher also brings a first draft and sits in the circle.
3. Pass your draft to the right.
4. Read the draft as quickly as possible. Place a star beside one effective thing the
writer has done such as an image, a nice intro, great dialogue, etc. Place a question
mark beside an area where the reader is confused or where the writer needs to
work for improvement.
5. As soon as you are done reading a draft, pass it to the right. In this way everyone is
reading at the same time with little lapsing between drafts.
6. At the conclusion of class, everyone has read all the drafts, including the teacher.
All writers have feedback about areas that are working in the draft and areas of
weakness. All writers get ideas from reading other drafts. The teacher can assign
Draft 2 for the next day with revisions made based on today’s feedback
Creative Writing With Poetry
In my senior level Writing class, I have found that some of my students are hesitant to
come up with their own creative stories. Often times they feel that they are not creative
enough or they simply do not have the desire to begin a story from scratch. To solve this
problem I caine up with an exercise based on the art of compromise. I supply them with
one sentence, which they must use somewhere in their paper, while they furnish the
story that surrounds the sentence.
Rather than spend hours trying to write inspiring sentences, I have found lines of poetry
work quite well. A few examples:
I select more lines than I have students in the class for a couple of reasons: a few
students find some sentences too intimidating to try their hand at the first time; others
want more than one line to incorporate into their stories. (I have, in the past, had
students who have used four or five poetry sentences in their work and we have both
benefited from the challenge.)
All sentences are placed in a tiat and the students draw in random order. When they
submit their work for evaluation, they are required to underline or highlight the sentence
in their story so that I may remember which one they choose.
Overall, I have found this to be a rewarding and enjoyable activity. Many of my more
reluctant writers have really found their voice with this assignment.
Kathy Lamb
St.Teresa’s Academy
Kansas City, Missouri
Literary Genres
History of Literature
Literary Elements
Literary Elements - The language of literature
Character:
Plot:
Freitag’s Pyramid Threat Final Confrontation
Climax Denuement Problem/Solution
Setting:
Mood:
Tone:
Theme:
Poetry:
Drama:
Dialogue Acts Scenes
Lines Props Lighting
Scenery Blocking Sound
Film:
able, ible [able, can do] capable, agreeable, edible, hood [order, condition, quality] womanhood,
visible (can be seen) manhood, brotherhood
ado [result of actioni blockade (the result of a ic [nature of, like] metallic, heroic, poetic
blocking action), lemonade ice [condition, state, quality) justice, malice
age [act of, state of, collection of] salvage (act of id, ide [a thing connected with or belonging
saving), storage, forage to] fluid, fluoride
al [relating to] sensual, gradual, manual, natural ile [relating to, suited for, capable of] juve-nile, senile
(relating to nature) (related to being old), missile
a1gia [pain] neuralgia (nerve pain) ine [nature of] feminine, genuine, medicine
an, ian [native of, relating to] African, Canadian ion, sion, tion fact of, state of, result of] contagion,
ance, ancy [action, process, state] assistance, aversion, infection
allowance, defiance, truancy ish [origin, nature, resembling] foolish, Irish,
ant [agent, one who] assistant, servant clownish (resembling a clown)
ary, cry, cry [relating to, quality, place where] ism [system, manner, condition, character-istic]
dictionary; bravery; dormitory alcoholism, heroism, Communism
ate [cause, make] liquidate, segregate ist lone who, that which] violinist, artist, dentist
cian [having a certain skill or art] musician, ite [nature of, quality of, mineral product] Israelite,
beautician, magician, physician dynamite, graphite, sulfito
cule, ling [very small] molecule, ridicule, duckling, ity, ty [state of, quality] captivity, clarity
sapling ize [causing, making] abusive, exhaustive lao (make]
cy faction, function] hesitancy, prophecy, normalcy emphasize, publicize, idolize
(function in a normal way) less [withouti baseless, careless (without care),
dom [quality; realm, office] freedom, king-dom, artless, fearless, helpless
wisdom (quality of being wise) ly [like, manner of] carelessly, fearlessly, hopelessly,
ee [one who receives the action] employee, nominee shamelessly
(one who is nominated), refugee ment [act of, state of, result] contentment,
en [made of, make] silken, frozen, oaken (made of amendment (state of amending)
oak), wooden, lighten ness [state of] carelessness, restlessness
ence, ency [action, state of, quality] differ-’ence, oid [resembling] asteroid, spheroid, tabloid
conference, urgency ology [study, science, theory] biology, anthropology,
er, or [one who, that which] baker, miller, teacher, geology, neurology
racer, amplifier, doctor ous [full of, having] gracious, nervous, spa-cious,
escent [in the process of] adolescent (in the process vivacious (full of life)
of becoming an adult), obsolescent ship [offIce, state, quality, skill] friendship,
ese [a native of; the language of] Japanese, authorship, dictatorship
Vietnamese some [like, apt, tending to] lonesome, threesome,
esis, osis (action, process, condition] gene-sin, gruesome
hypnosis, neurosis, osmosis tude [state of, condition of] gratitude, apti-tude,
ess [female] actress, goddess, lioness multitude (condition of being many)
et, ette [a small one, group] midget, octet, baronet, ure [state of, act, process, rank] culture, lit-erature,
majorette rupture (state of being broken
fic [making, causing] scientific, specific ward (in the direction of] eastward, forward,
ful [full of] frightful, careful, helpful backward
fy (make] fortify, simplify, amplify y [inclined to. tend tol cheery, crafty, faulty
Prefixes
multi [many] multiply, multiform quint [five] quintuplet, quintuple, quintet,
neo [new] neopaganism, neoclassic, neologism, quintile
neophyte re [back, again] reclaim, revive, revoke,
non (not] nontaxable (not taxed), nontoxic, reju-venate, retard, reject, return
nonexistent, nonsense retro [backward] retrospective (looking
oh, of, op, oc [toward, against] obstruct, offend, back-ward), retroactive, retrorocket
oppose, occur se [aside] seduce (lead aside), secede, secrete,
oct [eight] octagon, octave, octopus, octane, segregate
octameter self (by oneself] self-dltermination, self-
paleo [ancient] paleoanthropology (pertaining to employed, self-service, selfish
ancient man), paleontology (study of ancient sesqui [one and a half] sesquicentennial (one and
life-forms) one-half centuries)
par [beside, almost] parasite (one who eats sex, sest [six] sexagenarian (sixty years old),
beside or at the table of another), paraphrase, sexennial, sextant, sextuplet, sestet
paramedic, parallel, parody sub [under] submerge (put under), submarine,
pent. [five] pentagon (figure or building having subhuman, substitute, subsoil
five angles or sides), pentameter, pentathlon suf, sug, sup, sus [from under] suffer, sufficient,
per [throughout, completely] pervert suggest, support, suspect, suspend
(com-pletely turn wrong, corrupt), perfect, super, supr [above, over, more] supervise,
perceive, permanent, persuade superman, supernatural, supreme
peri [around] perimeter (measurement around an syn, sym, sys, syl [with, together] synthe-sis,
area), periphery; periscope, peri-cardium, synchronize (time together\ synonym,
period sympathy, symphony, system, syllable
poly [many] polygon (figure having many angles trans, tra [across, beyond] transoceanic,
or sides), polygamy, polyglot, poly-chrome transmit (send across), transfusion, tradition,
post [after] postpone, postwar, postscript, transform
posterity tri [three] tricycle, triangle, tripod, tristate
pre [before] prewar, preview, precede, prevent, ultra [beyond, exceedingly] ultramodern,
premonition ultraviolet, ultraconservative
pro [forward, in favor of] project (throw un [not, release] unfair unnatural, unbutton
for-ward), progress, promote, prohibition under [beneath] underground, underlying
pseudo [false] pseudonym (false or assumed uni (one] unicycle, uniform, unify; universe,
name), pseudoscientific, pseudopodia unique (one of a kind)
quad [four] quadruple (four times as much), vice [in place of] vice president, vice admiral,
quadriplegic, quadratic, quadrant viceroy
Numerical Prefixes
TIME
month year season
time of day day of the week day or night
holiday decade century
past present future
PLACE
city urban/rural town
country continent planet
solar system climate land forms
street names buildings/
architecture
MOOD
calm peaceful cheerful
serene uncomfortable spooky
eerie anxious exciting
optimistic quiet pessimistic
cozy upsetting quiet
TRANSITION WORDS
Chronological Order
after finally next
afterward first now
at last formerly previously
before last soon
earlier later then
eventually meanwhile until
Spatial Order
above beneath in the distance
ahead beyond near
away in front of next to
behind inside outside
below in the center to the right
Order of Importance
3. Rising Action: refers to the events in a story that move the plot
forward.
4. Climax: the point of greatest interest; also called the turning point. At
the climax, the outcome of the story becomes clear.
10. Foreshadowing: a hint about an event that will occur later in a story;
this builds suspense.
11.Suspense: a feeling of growing tension and excitement that makes a
reader curious about the outcome of a story or an event within a story.
15.Third Person Point of View: the narrator is outside the story and uses
pronouns such as he, she and they.
Anger Need
Beauty Obedience
Contentedness Prejudice
Death Questioning
Education Responsibility
Friendship Separation
Handicap Underdog
IndividualIty Values
Jealousy Wealth
Kindness Excellence
Love Youth
Music Zealousness
Language Arts CRES Terms
Conflict: is the problem in the story. This may be external [outside of the
character with someone/something else] or internal [inside of the
character—a mental decision]. There are three types:
• Man vs. Man
• Man vs. Nature
• Man vs. Self
CLIMAX
(Turning Point)
FALLING ACTION
(Events)
RISING ACTION
(Events)
RESOLUTION
(Solution)
CONFLICT
(Problem)
Three Types:
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Self
Man vs. Nature
INTRODUCTION
CHARACTERS
SETTING: Time
Place
Mood
NAME:
PLOT QUIZ
a. f.
b. g.
c. h.
d. i.
/ /
e.
CLIMAX
FALLING ACTION
(Events)
RISING ACTION
(Events)
RESOLUTION:
CONFLICT
INTRODUCTION
CHARACTERS:
SETTING: Time:
Place:
Mood:
Word Bank
rising action resolution setting conflict
introduction time plot place
mood climax events(2) characters
turning point falling action
ELEMENTS OF
( )
( ) (
(problem) (solution)
:
CHART
( )
( )
( )
:
ELEMENTS OF PLOT DEFINITIONS
Plot
Setting
Character
Conflict
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
PLOT CHART
Title of the Story:
Introduction:
Setting: (place)
(time)
(mood)
Characters:
Elements of Plot:
1. Conflict:
2. Rising Action:
a.
b.
c.
d.
3. Climax:
4. Falling Action:
a.
b.
5. Resolution:
Resource Sheet
Propaganda Techniques
A claim that everybody is doing it, “Kids are standing in line at the
so you should too. book store to be the first to
Bandwagon purchase the latest Harry potter
book. Make sure you get your
copy!”
A famous person endorses a A famous person endorses a
product. People who admire the product. People who admire the
Testimonial celebrity may be influenced to
celebrity may be influenced to
purchase the product purchase the product
A claim thatthis is the very best Shiny Glow Dog Shampoo may
snd unusually very expensive, but cost a little more, but your dog
Snob appeal you are worth it. deserves the very best.
Bandwagon
Testimonial
Snob appeal
Transfer
Glittering Generalities
Name Calling
Card Stacking
Resource Sheet
Title of Article:
Sub Title:
Use of Propaganda
Emotional Words
Unsupported Conclusions
Illustrations
Limited Argument
Resource Sheet
Title of Article:
Sub Title:
Title of Article:
Sub Title:
Explain why writers use stereotyping in informational text. Support your answer
with evidence from the text.
Resource Sheet
Cartoon
Comic
Illustration
Advertisement
Resource Sheet
Title of Article:
Author:
Purpose of Article:
Examples of stereotyping
Read the following paragraph and, on a separate sheet of paper. list all the verbs you notice. Indicate
an A next to those verbs that seem to have someone
or something actually performing an activity.
At 1:00 P.M. the group met in the grand ballroom. Introductory remarks, which included a
review of last week’s meeting, were given by the chair-person. When the speaker from the
Zoning Commission was introduced, some people in the back of the room began to yell and
scream. Appar-ently, the speaker had not been told that several nearby residents of the
proposed nuclear plant site would attend the meeting. The speaker, obviously angry,
slammed his fist on the podium and walked off the stage, shaking his head in disgust.
There are a total of ten words used as verbs in the above paragraph. Did you find all ten? Seven of the
verbs are active words, where a person or thing actually performs the activity of the verb. Did you find
them? The other three verbs are passive: the person or thing receives the action. You will learn more
about active and passive verbs in this section.
There are two important sentence types that the effective writer should
know how to use: the active sentence and the passive sentence An
active sentence has a subject that acts upon a verb.
In this sentence. George (the subject) performs the action. Ate (the
verb) is the action. The dinner the direct object receives the action. In
grammar. we say that this sentence is in the active voice.
A passive sentence has a subject that is acted upon by a verb. The verb
always contains a form of be plus another verb form.
In the passive voice, there are two or more words in the verb. The first
verb form is always a form of be. and the word that follows it is the
past participle of a second verb. Here are examples: (For more
information on verb forms, refer to pages 255—272.)
(form of be) (past participle)
were followed
was given
are delivered
is played
be awarded
will have been finished
shall be saved
Notice that sentences in the passive voice frequently have verbs that
are followed by a group of words beginning with by: The fish was
caught by the little girl. Remember also that the subject receives the
action in a passive sentence.
A sentence can be active when the present participle (the form ending
in -ing) of a verb is used with a form of be. Here are examples:
Writing Active Sentences What does the word active mean? It means working” or
Operating effec-tively.” Some synonyms (words with similar
meanings) are alive. dynamic.
and functioning. Effective writers use active sentences that show
vitality and energy. They usually avoid making their thoughts appear
passive.
A verb in the active voice expresses an action done by its subject. A yerb in the passive
voice expresses an action done to its subject.
REFERENCE NOTE - Only transitive verbs (action verbs that take objects) have voice.
ACTIVE VOICE The coach instructed us. [The subject, coach, performs the action.]
PASSIVE VOICE I was instructed by the coach to bunt. The subject, I, receives the
action.]
As you can see, the object of the active sentence be-conies the subject of the passive one.
The subject of the ac-tive sentence becomes the object of the prepositional phrase. In some
sentences, such as this one, the phrase can even be omitted.
The verb in a passive sentence is always a verb phrase made up of a form of be and the
main verb’s past participle. Depending on the tense, other helping verbs may also be
included.
The following chart shows the conjugation of the verb give in the passive voice.
PRINCIPAL PARTS
PRESENT TENSE
SINGULAR PLURAL
I am given weare given
you are given you are given
he, she, it is given they are given
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB GIVE IN THE PASSIVE VOICE
PAST TENSE
SINGULAR PLURAL
I was given wewere given
you were given you were given
he, she, it was given they were given
FUTURE TENSE
SINGULAR PLURAL
SINGULAR PLURAL
I have been given we have been given
you have been given you have been given
he, she, it has been given they have been given
SINGULAR PLURAL
SINGULAR PLURAL
I will (shall) have been given we will (shall) have been given
you will have been given you will have been given
he, she, it will have been given they will have~been given
The progressive forms of the passive voice exist for the future, present perfect, past perfect,
and future perfect tenses. However, the use of be or been with being is extremely awkward
[give, for example, in the passive future perfect is will (shall) have been being given].
Consequently, the progressive form of the passive voice is usually used only in the present
and past tenses
The passive voice is not any less correct than the active voice, but it is less direct, less forceful, and less
concise. You shouId avoid overusing the passive voice for two reasons.
First, it generally requires more words than the active voice does, consequently, the passive voice can result
in awkward writing. Second, the performer of the action in a passive voice construction is revealed
indirectly or not at all. As a result, a sentence written in the passive voice can sound weak. compare the
following sentences.
AWKWARD PASSIVE The ball was hit over the outfield fence by Jody.
ACTIVE Jody hit the ball over the outfield fence.
The passive voice is useful in situations such as the following ones, however.
EXAMPLES Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.
The entire state has been declared a disaster area.
Computer Note: Some software programs can identify and highlight passive voice verbs. If you use
such a program, keep in mind that it can’t tell why you used the passive voice. If you did so for one of the
reasons just illustrated by the examples, you may want to leave the verb in the passive voice.
Shoe, by Jeff MacNelly, reprinted by permission; Tribune Media Services
These examples show how the verb lie is used. Notice that none of the examples contains an object.
EXAMPLES
I sometimes lie on the floor.
The bills are lying on the table.
Yesterday Lambert lay on the grass.
How long have the bills lain there?
The following examples show how the verb lay is used. Notice that each example contains an object.
When the subject of the sentence performs the action, the verb is active. When the subject of the sentence
receives the action expresses the result of the action, the verb is passive.
In addition to showing the time of an action, you can use this in still another way to express exactly what you
mean. Suppose oil has been leaked into the harbor. If you know who what did it, you can say something
like this:
Suppose that you do not know who or what leaked the oil or you do not want to say who or what did it.
You can say this:
In the first sentence, the subject says who or what performed action. The verb of this sentence is active. In
the second sen-tence, the subject says who or what received the action. The verb Ails sentence is passive.
The word passive means “acted upon.” The passive form of a verb consists of some form of be plus the
participle. Only transitive verbs, those that take objects. can changed from active to passive:
Active Passive
Beebe explored the sea. The sea was explored by Beebe.
The bathysphere helped him. He was helped by the bathysphere.
CONCEPT CHECK
Active and Passive Verb Forms Write the verbs from the fol-lowing sentences. Label each one
Active or Passive.
B. REVISION SKILL
Avoiding the Use of You In formal writing. the pronoun you should be used only to mean “you, the
reader.” In some cases changing a verb from the active to me passive will eliminate awkward you
constructions. Rewrite the following paragraph, using passive verbs in sentences 11. 13. and 14. In
sentences 12, 15, and 16. supply a new subject.
The bathysphere with the two sclentistss descends slowly into the depths of the sea. 11 You feel a gentle tug.
The cable has neared its end, and the bathysphere floats in an undersea world 12 At first. you can see only
blackness. 13 You might describe this darkness as “perpetual night.” However, the black world is not
completely without light. 14 You can observe hunureds of fish. Each glows with its own colored lights. 15 For
instance, nearby you notice a bright liquid discharge from a deep-sea shrimp. 16 Soon you can enjoy a
spectacular display of living fireworks.
C. REVISION SKILL
Using Active Verbs In the following paragraph, identify each of the italicized verbs as Active or Passive
Also make the writing stronger and more straightforward by changing passive verbs to active verbs.
17
Undersea exploration has come a long way. 18 Years ago, people could dive only about two hundred feet
underwater. 19 Diving suits with air hoses were used by them. 20 Then William Beebe went half a mile down in
his bathysphere. 21 However, cables always connected it to the surface. 22 Cables are not needed by a
newer invention, the bathyscaph. 23 Instead, when the craft must return to the surface, ballast is released by
24
the craft to make it lighter. The bathyscaph has reached depths of over six miles. 25 Still. it only can go
down or up.
CHECK POINT
A. Write each verb from the following sentences and identify the tense. Also state if the verb is in the
progressive form.
13
As we approach the Cape, we see again the rocket and its launching tower from far off over the
lagoon. 14 It is illumined with searchlights, the newest and most perfected creation of a scientific age—
hard, weighty metal.
15
We watch the launching with some of the astronauts and their families, from a site near the Vehicle
Assembly Building. 16 Our cars are parked on a slight rise of ground 17 A jet of steam shoots from the
pad below the rocket. 18 "Ahhhh!” The crowd gasps, almost in unison. 19 Now great flames spurt. leap,
belch out across the horizon. 20 Clouds of smoke billow up on either side of the rocket, completely
hiding its base. 21 From the midst of this holocaust, the rocket begins to rise... 22 as if the giant weight is
pulled by an invisible hand out of the atmosphere.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh,
Morning—The Bird Perched for Flight
1. Spending three hours on a review of chemistry, we then worked on irregular French verbs.
2. Tutankhamen, Helen of Troy, arid Shakespeare are the three people I would have most liked to have
met.
3 To have written about Pueblo ceremonies, I would have to do more research.
4. Flying from Missouri to California before, we remembered to set our watches back.
5. We wanted to have avoided any controversy.
6. Having attempted to travel across the African continent, the explorers encountered both vast deserts and
dense swamp forests.
7. Native Arctic peoples learned to have survived in a harsh environment.
8. They were hoping to have had a multiple-choice test in history instead of an essay exam.
9. If you want to go shopping, I would have driven you to the mall.
10. Standing in line for more than two hours, Tamisha finally got tickets to the hammer concert.
Voice is the form a transitive verb takes to indicate whether the subject of the verb
performs or receives the action.
ACTIVE VOICE Han took many of the photos in the yearbook. [Many is the direct object.]
PASSIVE VOICE Many of the photos in the yearbook were taken by Han.
ACTIVE VOICE The firefighters have extinguished the blazing fire. [Fire is the direct object.]
PASSIVE VOICE The blazing fire has been extinguished by the firefighters.
PASSIVE VOICE The fire has been extinguished.
From these examples, you can see how an active construction can become a passive construction
The object of the verb in the active voice becomes the subject of the verb in the passive voice. The subject
of the verb in the active voice becomes an object of the preposition by, (As the last example shows, this
prepositional phrase is riot always necessary;)
A verb in the passive voice always includes a form of be and the verb’s past participle. The form of be and the
helpirig verb, if any, indicate the tense of the verb phrase.
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB GIVE
IN THE PASSIVE VOICE
PRESENT TENSE
SINGULAR PLURAL
I am given we are given
you are given you are given
he, she, it is given they are given
Present progressive am, are, is being given
PAST TENSE
SINGULAR PLURAL
I was given we were given
you were given you were given
he, she, it was given they were given
Past Progressive was, were being given
SINGULAR PLURAL
I will (shall) be given we will (shall) be given
you will be given you will be given
he, she, it will be given they will be given
Future Progressive: will (shall) be being given
SINGULAR PLURAL
I have been given we have been given
you have been given you have been given
he, she, it has been given they have been given
SINGULAR PLURAL
I had been given we had been given
you had been given you had been given
he, she, it had been given they had been given
SINGULAR PLURAL
I will (shall) have been given we will (shall) have been given
you will have been given you will have been given
he, she, it will have been given they will have been given
The Uses of the Passive Voice
Choosing between the active voice and the passive voice is a matter of style, not correctness.
In general, however, the passive voice is less direct, less forceful, and less concise than the
active voice. In fact, the passive voice may produce an awkward effect.
STRING OF
PASSIVES
I was invited by Ms. Long to visit her animal shelter. Rows of cages had been
placed along two sides of a large storage shed. Dozens of cats, dogs,
hamsters, and guinea pigs were held in the cages. A large parrot was even
spotted by me. In one corner of the noisy building, a scrawny, brown puppy was
being hand-fed by an assistant. Ms. Long said so many unwanted pets had been
brought to her by people, homes could not be found for all of them. It was agreed
by us that the responsibility of owning a pet should be understood by people
before one is bought.
ACTIVE
Ms. Long invited me to visit her animal shelter. She had placed rows of cages
along two sides of a large storage shed. The cages held dozens of cats, dogs,
hamsters, and guinea pigs. I even spotted a large parrot. In one corner of the
noisy building, an assistant was hand-feeding a scrawny, brown puppy. Ms.
Long said people had brought her so many unwanted pets that she could not
find homes for all of them. We agreed that people should understand the
responsibility of owning a pet before they buy one.
Passive voice constructions are not always awkward. In fact, the passive voice is useful in the following
situations:
EXAMPLE All of the tickets had been sold weeks before the concert.
(2) when you do not want to reveal the performer
(3) when you want to emphasize the receiver of the action rather than the performer
Revise the following sentences by changing verbs in the pas-sive voice to active voice wherever you think the
change is desirable. If you think the passive is preferable, write C. For each sentence, be prepared to explain
why you kept or changed the passive voice verb.
1. After the new computers had been installed by the service reps, a training session was given to us by them.
2. If the children had been enchanted by Mr. Wright’s tales before, they would be even more enthralled by his
new story of a fantasy kingdom.
3. A community meeting was held by the area homeowners to discuss the landfill project, which had been
proposed by the City Council.
4. The value of storytelling is explained in an ancient Seneca myth.
5. While the decorations are being created by Clarence, the buffet will be prepared by Edna.
6. Potatoes had been cultivated by the Incas for more than twenty centuries before they were grown by
Europeans.
7. The 1539 expedition of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was guided by Estevanico, a well-known black
explorer.
8. The chapters on constitutional amendments, which had been assigned to us last week by Mrs. Robinson,
were reviewed by us before the test.
9. Shinae Chun is admired and respected by her colleagues.
10. If the practicality of home robots had been demonstrated by Mike Smith, his request for funding would not
have been rejected by the committee.
Mood
Mood is the form that a verb takes to indicate the attitude of the person using the verb. Verbs may be in one of
three moods: indicative, imperative, or subjunctive.
EXAMPLES Heitor Villa-Lobos was a composer who became known for his use of Brazilian
folk music.
Amy Tan is a gifted writer.
Can you tell me when the United States entered World War I?
A verb in the imperative mood has only one form. That form is the same as the verb’s infinitive form.
EXAMPLES Tell me when the United States entered World War I.
Please pass the salsa.
The subjunctive mood is used to express a suggestion, a necessity, a condition contrary to fact, or a wish.
In the subjunctive mood, only the present tense and the past tense have distinctive forms. The other tense
forms are the same as those in the indicative mood.
PARTS OF SPEECH
1. NOUN
2. VERB
3. ADJECTIVE
4. ADVERB
5. PRONOUN
6. CONJUNCTION
7. PREPOSITIONS
PREPOSITIONS
1. aboard 26. inside
2. about 27. into
3. above 28. like
4. across 29. near
5. after 30. of
6. against 31. off
7. along 32. on
8. among 33. out
9. around 34. outside
10. at 35. over
11. before 36. past
12. behind 37. since
13. below 38. through
14. beneath 39. throughout
15. beside 40. to
16. between 41. toward
17. beyond 42. under
18. but 43. underneath
19. by 44. until
20. down 45. up
21. during 46. upon
22. except 47. with
23. for 48. within
24. from 49. without
25. in
Proofreading Marks
= New Paragraph
= Insert a quotation
= Take out
= Insert period
= Small letter
= Big letter
= Spelling
Creating a Dialogue for Revision
Questions about Style/Format:
APPLICATIONS
· Give students one list of words such as SIZE.
Have them order the words in sequence.
· Adjective Game
Make one set of twenty cards with pictures of
people, animals or objects on them (cut
pictures from old workbooks or use stickers).
Make a second set with adjectives printed on
them. Lay out cards in Set 1 face-up on the
table. The student draws a card from Set 2 and finds a picture it describes. He uses the words in a
sentence and covers the picture.
Bring in an interesting object. The students brainstorm adjectives to describe it. List the words on a
chart and let students add to it during the day.
Have students write or tell a short story about the object using many of these words.
· Select one adjective. Have students think of all the words it could describe.
Quantity
abundant few heavy many
empty light numerous
Shape hollow round shallow
broad low square skinny
chubby narrow straight wide
deep crooked steep curved
flat
high
Time
brief old young ancient
early quick rapid modern
fast slow long old-fashioned
late swift short
Sound
hushed quiet soft purring
hissing silent squealing resonant
harsh shrill booming cooing
loud thundering crying deafening
mute voiceless screaming high-pitched
moaning faint whispering raspy
noisy screeching husky melodic
Touch
bumpy dry icy silky
broken damaged loose slimy
breezy dusty plastic solid
boiling fuzzy prickly steady
cool filthy rainy slushy
curly fluttering rough shaky
chilly fluffy shaggy tender
crooked flaky smooth tight
cuddly grubby sticky wooden
cold greasy shivering weak
creepy melted scattered wet
dirty hot sharp uneven
damp hard soft slippery
Appearance
adorable cloudy motionless shiny
alert crowded muddy sparkling
bright clean glamorous stormy
blonde dark graceful smoggy
bloody dull grotesque strange
clear distinct gleaming spotless
colorful elegant homely ugly
cute fancy light unsightly
beautiful filthy poised unusual
blushing misty quaint
Adjectives
(continued)
Compound Categories
B is of A B is from A B is for A
Ex: fishbone (the bone is a
part of the fish) E x: sunburn Ex: dishpan
(the burn is from the sun) (the pan is for the dishes)
doughnut (the nut is made of
dough) starlight fireplace
backbone
fingernail moonbeam sandbox
toenail bee sting icebox
weekend moonlight teacup
snowman pancake wallpaper
sunlight toothpaste c
ampfire
B is A B does A B is like A
Ex: blueprint (the print is blue) Ex: towtruck (the truck Ex: catfish
tows) (the fish is like a cat)
blueberry racehorse
blackberry workman boxcar
bluebird salesman sandpaper
blackbird driftwood starfish
tugboat dragonfly
EXAMPLES
Etymology Chart
Ladders of Abstraction
Meaning 1. shining
2. smart
3. cheerful
Outside/Inside
white black
white lie black market
white flag blackmail
yellow white shadow in the black
yellow fever blacksmith
yellow belly
yellow streak
green
green thumb
greenhorn
blue green with
blue blood envy
blue moon
true blue
red
red tape
red hot
red cap
pink
pink rose
pink nose
Word Map
The Word Map is a strategy for students to use context clues independently
to determine word meaning.
Use:
Procedure:
1. Teacher provides a word for students. The students write the word in the
appropriate place on the organizer.
2. Students locate the word in the dictionary. They write its definition and
give examples of its use on the organizer. Examples can be found in the
dictionary or obtained through personal experience. Finally the students
further describe the word.
Example:
definition
What is it like?
A round thin unleavened
cake folded over with Tortilla does not
a filling inside. have much taste
without the filing
Cheese tortilla
Vocabulary Builders
Use:
Procedure:
Example:
Acronyms
Colorful Words 1
Colorful Words 2
Compound Categories
Etymology Chart
Ladders of Abstraction
Multiple Meanings
Opposites and Inbetweens
Outside Inside
Overworked and Weary Words
Portmanteau Words
Tied Up in Nots”
Wackey Wordies.
What’s Not in a Word
Words of Interest
Word Thermometers
Word Twins. Triplets and Quadruplets
Analogy Model
Use:
Procedure:
2. Select key vocabulary words from reading selection and prepare graphic
organizer for student use.
A. C. A. C.
yellow red morning evening
B. = D. B. = D.
banana early
A. C. A. C.
rock cotton finger watch
B. hard = D. B. ring = D.
TRANSITIONAL DEVICES
1. Words that clarify:
in other words for instance put another way
Listed below are Latin and Greek prefixes and their meanings, together with
examples of English words in which they are used. Keep this page, since you
will need for all your work in vocabulary.
1. a- not apathy 19. micro- very small microscope
without
2. ab- from abdicate 20. mono- one monogram
away
3. ad- to adhesive 21. non- not nonsense
DEFINE AND GIVE ONE WORD FOR EACH ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER.
2. Students create flash cards on words they missed. On one side of the card they write the
vocabulary word, and on the other side they could write the definition, pronunciation, and a
sentence.
3. With a partner, they exchange cards and play a flash card game.
4. The flash card game can consist of one or more rounds. The partner can ask for the defini-
tion first round and a sentence second round or show the vocabulary word for the first round
and just say the word
for the next round. After one round with one partner, the other partner has a turn.
5. The game would be played daily until the final vocabulary test.
Three Alive Rule. If during the pretest, a student gets all the words right, he/she still makes at
least three flash cards. It is important that both the high and low achiever experience both roles
- tutor and tutee. The high achiever can have bonus words to draw from (all of us can increase
our vocabulary).
6. Storage A large envelope and two small envelopes can be used. The large envelope would
have the student name, and the two small would be marked mine” and “not yet” to separate
vocabulary words that have been memorized from those that have not yet been mastered.
Another possibility is a ring where cards can be placed after being punched.
ILLUSTRATED VOCABULARY
1. With a partner or individually, check the meaning of the vocabulary word you are assigned.
3. Illustrate the situation. You may use your own drawing or a magazine picture which matches
the situation or word in some way.
Tantalize: tease
torment
WORD THEATER
1. With a partner. check the meaning of the vocabulary word you are assigned.
2. Brainstorm situations where the word could be used.
3. Write a dialogue that uses the word and its definition and/or synonyms of the word.
4. Be prepared to present the skit.
EXAMPLES
Mindy: Jennifer, will you help me with this math story problem?
Jennifer: Sure, let me see It.
Mindy: I’ve been working on it for a long time, and I just can’t seem to get It.
Jennifer: Calm down. To solve this, you just have to ponder it a while.
Mlndy: What?
Jennifer:You need to consider all the information carefully. Look at It like a puzzle you
Holly: Well, cache, spelled c-a-c-h-c. means a hiding place and cash, spelled c-a-s-h,
means money.
Jamie: Wow, are you smart. O.K. Let’s put our cash in a cache.
LINK VOCABULARY
1. Look up the definitions and pronunciation of the vocabulary word or words you are
assigned.
2.Use the pronunciation to create a pun. This pun will help you link the new word to something
you already know.
Example:
evoke = eve’s oak
parity = pair of tees
superfluous = Sue purred for us
transcend = train’s end
3. Using this pun, create a sentence that has the definition of the new vocabulary word in it. DO
NOT use the original word in the sentence.
Example:
Eve’s oak was so thirsty that she called for some water.
Sue purred for us so often that it was unnecessary for her to do it again.
4. Draw a picture of the sentence you have created. Form as vivid a visual image as you can.
Use colored markers or crayons. Print your sentence somewhere on the page.
1. Rap/song - write a song with the new word in it. Make sure you include a
synonym for the word.
5. Vocabulary poems ( acrostics work well) that make use of the chosen vo-
cabulary words. This could be a group project.
7. Create and illustrate a cartoon strip or cartoon with the vocabulary word.
9. Set aside a corner of the room to display vocabulary words that show up in
print (magazine, newspapers, books read outside of class).
7. Give extra credit when the students hear the word spoken in another class.
8. Wear the word for one day. Tell everyone who asks you the definition of the
word.
10. Rewrite a fairy tale using vocabulary words(just the week’s words or
words from the whole year)(Ex.: “Little Red Riding Hood”)
Research Methods
Teacher Assessment Rubric
for Student Research Module
QUESTIONING
4 The question is clear, well-focused and requires high level thinking skills in order to research.
3 The question is clear and well focused. The question requires moderately high level thinking
skills.
2 The question is incomplete and unclear. The teacher needed to help form a question.
PLANNING
4 Made really good use of time. Was able to remain focused on the tasks and make changes
when needed. Was able to develop a clear method to organize the information. Was able to
make revisions in the plan when needed.
3 Was able to work within the time frame the teacher gave . Was able to develop a system to
organize information. Was able to make revisions with help from the teacher.
2 Needed teacher help to list and organize what was needed to do. There are some steps missing
in the planning. Made revisions with teacher help.
1 Was unable to come up with an organized plan and work within the time limits.
GATHERING
4 Used a variety of resources and carefully selected only the information that answered the
question. Was able to continually revise the search based on information found.
3 Used many resources to find information that answered the question. Tried revising the search,
but had some problems doing so.
2 Used 1 or more sources. Original question or focus guided the search, although should have
made revisions. Made errors in selection of references
1 Lost focus during the gathering process and therefore the information was not accurate and
complete.
SORTING
4 Thoroughly selected and organized information that answered the question in a organized way.
Selected information that was appropriate.
3 Sorted information and organized information that answered the question without too many
errors.
2 Tried to organize the information found, but made some mistakes. Wasn’t able to completely
stay focused on information that would answer the question.
1 Was unable to sort and organize the information found to answer the question.
SYNTHESIZING
4. Used the information found in a meaningful way to create an original product that clearly an-
swers the question with accuracy, detail and understanding.
3 The product answers the question in a way that reflects learning using some detail and accuracy.
2 The product is not complete and only answers part of the question.
1 The product is incomplete and contains missing details and it isn’t completely accurate.
TOTAL POINTS
COMMENTS
Student’s Name:
Teacher
Student Self-Assessment Rubric
for Research Module
QUESTIONING
4 My question is clear, well-focused and requires high level thinking skills in order to research.
3 My question is clear and well focused. My question requires moderately high level thinking skills.
PLANNING
I made really good use of my time. I was able to remain focused on the tasks and make
4 changes when I needed to. I was able to develop a clear method to organize my information. I
was able to make revisions in my plan when needed.
I was able to work within the time frame my teacher gave me. I was able to develop a system to
3
organize my information. Was able to make revisions with help from my teacher.
I needed teacher help to list and organize what I needed to do. There are some steps missing in
2
my 2 planning. I made revisions with teacher help.
1 I was unable to come up with an organized plan and work within the time limits.
GATHERING
4 I used a variety of resources and carefully selected only the information that answered my
question. I was able to continually revise my search based on information I found.
3 I used many resources to find information that answered my question. I tried revising my
search, but had some problems doing so.
2 I used one or more sources. Original question or focus guided my search, although I should
have made revisions. I made errors in selection of references.
1 I lost focus during the gathering process and therefore my information was not accurate and
Graphic Organizers
Name:
Character Web
Character’s Name
Setting:
Characters:
Problem:
Event 1:
Event 2:
Event 3:
Event 4:
Event 5:
Solution:
CHARACTER PIE CHART
DESCRIBE
ARGUE APPLY
ASSOCIATE COMPARE
ANALYZE
5. associate - Who or what does this character mke you think of?
A. C. A. C.
B. = D. B. = D.
A. C. A. C.
B. = D. B. = D.
Name
Column Notetaking Date
Period
Subject
After reading “Eros and Psyche” complete the graphic organizer to demonstrate your understanding
of how an author uses narrative elements to develop a character’s identity.
Controlling Question: How does an author use narrative elements to develop a character’s
identity?
Psyche’s
Identity
Relationships Values
TIME PLACE CHARACTER(S)
PROBLEM SOLUTION
Main Idea:
CHARACTER
TRAIT TRAIT
EVENT EVENT
STORY CHAIN
1 5
4
2 6
3
DETAILS
MAIN
IDEA
Cognitive Map
(Web)
FACTS OPINIONS
Topic
GENERAL ORGANIZER
Decision-Making Model
Problem Goal(s)
Decision(s) Reason(s)
K-W-W-L
I KNOW I WANT to know WHERE I can learn this I have LEARNED
Name
K-W-W-L-S
I KNOW I WANT to know WHERE I can learn this I have LEARNED What di I STILL need to learn
KWL
What I KNOW about: What I WANT to know What I LEARNED from the
about: text about:
Venn Diagram
Attribute Web
Multiple-Meaning Tree
Sentence:
Sentence:
WEB DIAGRAM
ARCH DIAGRAM:
ASSUMPTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
ASSUMPTIONS
ARCH DIAGRAM:
MAIN IDEA AND SUPPORTING DETAILS
MAIN IDEA
TOPIC
BRANCHING DIAGRAM - TWO DIVISIONS
CENTRAL IDEA GRAPHS
Title
Title
TARGET DIAGRAM - Includes or is included in
Summary
Article:
Summary
Inference Chart
Inference My Prior In the Text
(I read between the lines.) Knowledge
Model
Model
Guided Practice
Guided Practice
Formative Assessment
Formative Assessment
KWL
What I KNOW about: What I WANT to know What I LEARNED from the
about: text about:
P
HAMBURGER CHART: Follow the steps to create an answer to show that you understand what you read.
Step 1
Restate the
question in the
correct answer.
Step 2
Use cite refer-
ences from the
text to support
your answer.
Step 3
Comment or
explain your cite
reference in your
own words to
show that you
understand what
you read.
Step 4
Make a personal
connection to
what you have
read.
Storyboard
Name Date
1
5
2
6
3
Historical Timeline Planning Sheet
Name Date
After selecting one of the historical characters from the list, conduct research in the media center as
well as on the Internet. After completing research on your historical character, create a PowerPoint
presentation in the form of an interactive timeline detailing the life and times of your character.
Please include at least 10 significant dates in the life of your character. Use this planning sheet to
complete your research.
Locate Subtitles
Vocabulary 1.
4.
5.
Visual Aids: 1. 1.
Charts 2. 2.
Graphs 3. 3.
Lists 4. 4.
Steps 5. 5.
Pictures
Examples
Type of Organization
Information Provided
Type of Organization
COMPARE
CONTRAST
Inference, Conclusion, and Generalization Chart
Reading to Perform a Task
1.
2.
3.
4.
Comparison-contrast Matrix
Which set of directions would you recommend to someone who wanted to perform this task? Use
examples from both sets of directions to support you response.
Text Features Resource sheet
How It Helps Me
Text Feature Understand
Bold Print
Bulleting
Numbering
Sub-titles
Illustrations
Color-coded Text
Chart
Authentic Purpose
Title of Procedure
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
Purpose With Support
Purpose / Main Idea of Procedure Supporting details from Text / Text Features
Title:
Purpose:
Title:
Purpose:
Title:
Purpose:
Attribute Web
The attribute web below is designed to help you gaher clues the author pro-
vides about what a character is like. Fill in the blanks with words and phrases
which tell how the character acts and looks, as well as what the character says
and what others say about him or her.
Acts Feels
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
Character 4.
4.
Looks Says
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
TWO PARAGRAPH ORGANIZER
Topic of Entire Composition
Details Details
Word Map
definition
What is it like?
word
Examples
Topic
Topic:
Directions: Read the statement below carefully. Put an X beside “agree” or “disagree” to
show what you think. Be ready to defend your answers.
settings
problem
action
solution
Noting What I’ve Learned
Topic
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
Character Target Name
Kelly/English
Class / Category
Properties/Characteristics
What is it like?
Vocabulary
Word
Example
Vocabulary Web Model
Synonyms:
Sentence: Definition:
Word: Antonyms:
Part of Speech:
Example: Analysis:
Origin:
Vocabulary Subject Name
PROBLEM SOLUTION
SEQUENCE
CHAIN FOR
1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
Topic Sequence: