The examples
that follow the performance descriptions for each standard are examples
of the work students might do to demonstrate their achievement. The
examples also indicate the nature and complexity of activities that
are appropriate to expect of students at middle school level.
The cross-references after the examples that begin “M,”
“S,” and “A”
refer to the performance standards for Mathematics, Science, and Applied
Learning respectively. See, for example, the cross-references after
the examples of activities for  c.
a
assumes an adequate library of appropriate reading material. In some
places, library resources are too meager to support the amount of
reading required for every student to achieve this standard. Where
a shortage of books exists, better use of out-of-school resources
must be made; for example, students may have to be assured access
to local or county libraries.
a
is intended primarily to generate the reading of full-length books.
Combinations of quality magazines, newspapers, on-line materials etc.,
may be treated as equivalent texts that contribute to meeting the
requirement of twenty-five books. Similarly, collections of portions
of full-length books may be considered as book equivalents. |
 |
Reading
|
|
Reading is a process which includes demonstrating comprehension
and showing evidence of a warranted and responsible interpretation
of the text. “Comprehension” means getting the gist of
a text. It is most frequently illustrated by demonstrating an understanding
of the text as a whole; identifying complexities presented in the
structure of the text; and extracting salient information from the
text. In providing evidence of a responsible interpretation, students
may make connections between parts of a text, among several texts,
and between texts and other experiences; make extensions and applications
of a text; and examine texts critically and evaluatively.
a
The student reads at least twenty-five
books or book equivalents each year. The quality and complexity
of the materials to be read are illustrated in the sample reading
list. The materials should include traditional and contemporary
literature (both fiction and non-fiction) as well as magazines,
newspapers, textbooks, and on-line materials. Such reading should
represent a diverse collection of material from at least three different
literary forms and from at least five different writers.
| Examples of activities through which students
might produce evidence of reading twenty-five books include: |
 |
Maintain an annotated list of works read. 1b |
|
Generate a reading log or journal. 1b |
|
Participate in formal and informal book talks.
1b, 3a, 3b |
| b
The student reads and comprehends at
least four books (or book equivalents) about one issue or subject,
or four books by a single writer, or four books in one genre,
and produces evidence of reading that: |
| • |
makes and supports warranted
and responsible assertions about the texts; |
| • |
supports assertions
with elaborated and convincing evidence; |
| • |
draws the texts together
to compare and contrast themes, characters, and ideas; |
| • |
makes perceptive and
well developed connections; |
| • |
evaluates writing strategies
and elements of the author’s craft. |
| Examples of activities through which students
might produce evidence of reading comprehension include: |
|
Construct a book review. 4a,
4b, 5a |
|
Produce a literary response paper. 2b,
4a, 4b, 5a |
|
Produce a research report. 1c,
2a, 4a, 4b, 5a |
|
Participate in formal or informal book talk.
1a, 1c, 3a, 3b |
|
Create an annotated book list organized according
to author, theme, or genre. 1a |
| c
The student reads and comprehends informational materials to
develop understanding and expertise and produces written or
oral work that: |
| • |
restates or summarizes
information; |
| • |
relates new information
to prior knowledge and experience; |
| • |
extends ideas; |
| • |
makes connections to
related topics or information. |
| Examples of activities through which students
might produce evidence of reading informational materials include: |
|
Use information to support or enhance
a project. 2a, 4a, 4b, M8, S8, A3a |
|
Write a report of information that draws from
at least two sources. 2a, 4a, 4b |
|
Incorporate expert opinions into a speech or position
paper. 2e, 3c, 4a, 4b |
|
Develop a proposal based on data obtained from
reading informational text. 4a, 4b |
|
Write a report that analyzes several historical records of
a single event and attempts to understand the reasons for the
similarities and differences. 4a, 4b |
| d
The student demonstrates familiarity with a variety of public
documents (i.e., documents that focus on civic issues or matters
of public policy at the community level and beyond) and produces
written or oral work that does one or more of the following: |
| • |
identifies the social
context of the document; |
| • |
identifies the author’s
purpose and stance; |
| • |
analyzes the arguments
and positions advanced and the evidence offered in support of
them, or formulates an argument and offers evidence to support
it; |
| • |
examines or makes use
of the appeal of a document to audiences both friendly and hostile
to the position presented; |
| • |
identifies or uses commonly
used persuasive techniques. |
| Examples of activities through which students
might produce evidence of familiarity with public documents
include: |
|
Summarize and critique two or more local newspaper
articles related to the same topic or issue. 2a,
4a, 4b |
|
Respond to a public address made by an adult,
e.g., the principal, a PTA/PTO officer, a visiting author. |
|
Explain a local document to someone who has never
heard of it (e.g., a school related directive, a community related
brochure, or an informational pamphlet). |
|
Write a letter to the editor in response to an
editorial or to an article of local or national importance.
2e, 4a, 4b |
| e
The student demonstrates familiarity with
a variety of functional documents (i.e., documents that exist
in order to get things done) and produces written or oral work
that does one or more of the following: |
| • |
identifies the institutional
context of the document; |
| • |
identifies the sequence
of activities needed to carry out a procedure; |
| • |
analyzes or uses the
formatting techniques used to make a document user-friendly; |
| • |
identifies any information
that is either extraneous or missing in terms of audience and
purpose or makes effective use of relevant information. |
| Examples of activities through which students
might produce evidence of familiarity with functional documents
include: |
|
Write a memo or conduct a briefing on procedures
to be followed in a given situation. 2d,
3c, 4a, 4b |
|
Produce a manual setting out school rules. 2d,
4a, 4b, A1a |
|
Revise a set of instructions to improve their
clarity. 2d, 4a, 4b |
|
b
is intended to encour-age students to invest themselves thoroughly
in an area that interests them. Such an investment will generate reading
from an array of resources, giving students more experience of reading
as well as increased understanding of a subject. b
is not intended to be a cursory experience of doing research on a
topic which often requires little more than scanning materials, copying
directly from references, and inserting transitional phrases and paragraphs.
The challenge with the depth requirement is to encourage a complex
understanding developed and enhanced through reading.
Much writing can be classified as belonging to the public arena. New
Standards, however, defines public documents to mean those pieces
of text that are concerned with public policy, that address controversial
issues confronting the public, or that arise in response to controversial
issues or public policy. At the middle school level
(d),
the issues
students write about come primarily from the school or local community.
Functional writing is writing that exists in order to get things done.
Functional writing is ordinarily considered technical writing and,
as such, is often not part of the typical English curriculum. New
Standards requires students to demonstrate proficiency with functional
writing because such writing is of increasing importance to the complex
literacy of our culture. Functional documents are included in e. |
| This is a sample reading list from which the students and
teachers could select. This list is not exclusive. Acceptable titles
also appear on lists produced by organizations such as the National
Council of Teachers of English and the American Library Association.
Substitutions might also be made from lists approved locally. The
sample list for Spanish Language Arts is on page 228.
Fiction
Barrett, Lilies of the Field;
Buck, The Big Wave;
Cisneros, The House on Mango Street;
Clark, Freedom Crossing;
Coerr, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes;
Collier, My Brother Sam Is Dead;
Cormier, I Am the Cheese;
Danziger, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit;
Dawson, Boyd, Charlie Pippin;
DePauw, Seafaring Women;
De Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince;
Eckert, Incident at Hawk’s Hill;
Fast, April Morning;
Fox, The Slave Dancer;
Fritz, Homesick: My Own Story;
Gaines, A Gathering of Old Men;
George, Julie of the Wolves;
Greene, Summer of My German Soldier;
Hamilton, Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive
Slave; The House of Dies Drear;
Hansen, Which Way Freedom?;
Holman, Slake’s Limbo;
Hunt, Across Five Aprils;
Konigsberg, The View From Saturday;
Levoy, Alan and Naomi;
London, The Call of the Wild;
Lowry, Number the Stars; The Giver;
Maclachlan, Baby;
Mathis, Listen for the Fig Tree;
Mohr, Nilda;
Neville, It’s like This, Cat;
O’Brien, Z for Zachariah;
O’Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins; The Black Pearl;
Paterson, Bridge to Terabithia; Park’s Quest; Jacob Have
I Loved;
Paulsen, Canyons;
Peck, A Day No Pigs Would Die;
Rawls, Where the Red Fern Grows;
Rylant, Missing May;
Schaefer, Shane;
Soto, Living Up the Street: Narrative Recollections;
Speare, Sign of the Beaver; The Witch of Blackbird Pond;
Spinelli, Maniac Magee;
Steinbeck, The Pearl;
Taylor, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry;
Voigt, Dicey’s Song; Homecoming;
Wojciechowska, Shadow of a Bull;
Yep, Dragonwings;
Yolen, The Devil’s Arithmetic.
Non-Fiction
Abells, The Children We Remember;
Amory, The Cat Who Came for Christmas;
Berck, No Place to Be: Voices of Homeless Children;
Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl;
Freedman, Children of the Wild West; Lincoln: A Photo Biography;
George, The Talking Earth;
Haskins, Outward Dreams;
Hautzig, Endless Steppe: A Girl in Exile;
Herriott, All Creatures Great and Small;
Lester, To Be a Slave;
Meyers, Pearson, A Harbor Seal Pup;
Murphy, The Long Road to Gettysburg;
Reiss, The Upstairs Room;
White, Ryan White: My Own Story;
Yates, Amos Fortune, Free Man.
Poetry
Adams, Poetry of Earth and Sky;
Bruchac, Four Ancestors: Stories, Song and Poems from Native
North America;
Eliot, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats;
Frost, You Come Too;
Greenfield, Night on Neighborhood Street;
Livingston, Cat Poems.
Drama
Davis, Escape to Freedom;
Gibson, The Miracle Worker;
Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun;
Lawrence and Lee, Inherit the Wind;
Osborn, On Borrowed Time;
Stone, Metamora, or, the Last of the Wampanoags.
Folklore/Mythology
Blair, Tall Tale America;
Bruchac, The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story;
Bryan, Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum;
D’Aulaire, Norse Gods and Giants;
Gallico, The Snow Goose;
Lee, Toad Is the Uncle of Heaven: A Vietnamese Folk Tale;
Pyle, Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.
Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction
Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting;
Bradbury, Dandelion Wine;
Cooper, The Grey King;
Hamilton, The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl;
L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time;
Tolkien, The Hobbit;
Yep, Dragon of the Lost Sea.
Magazines/Periodicals
Calliope (world history);
Cobblestone (American history);
Faces (anthropology);
Junior Scholastic (Scholastic);
Odyssey (science);
Science World (Scholastic);
Scope (Scholastic);
World (National Geographic).
Other
Computer manuals; instructions; contracts. See also the reading
lists included in award books corresponding to reading provided
by the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and the Boy Scouts of America.
|
The examples
that follow the performance descriptions for each standard are examples
of the work students might do to demonstrate their achievement. The
examples also indicate the nature and complexity of activities that
are appropriate to expect of students at middle school level.
The cross-references that follow the examples highlight examples for
which the same activity, and possibly even the same piece of work,
may enable students to demonstrate their achievement in relation to
more than one standard. In some cases, the cross-references highlight
examples of activities through which students might demonstrate their
achievement in relation to standards for more than one subject matter.
 b
is meant to expand the repertoire of responses students traditionally
write when they respond to literature. This type of response requires
an understanding of writing strategies. |
 |
Writing |
| Writing is a process through which a writer
shapes language to communicate effectively. Writing often develops
through a series of initial plans and multiple drafts and through
access to informed feedback and response. Purpose, audience, and
context contribute to the form and substance of writing as well
as to its style, tone, and stance.
| a
The student produces a report that: |
| • |
engages the reader by
establishing a context, creating a persona, and otherwise developing
reader interest; |
| • |
develops a controlling
idea that conveys a perspective on the subject; |
| • |
creates an organizing
structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context; |
| • |
includes appropriate
facts and details; |
| • |
excludes extraneous and
inappropriate information; |
| • |
uses a range of appropriate
strategies, such as providing facts and details, describing
or analyzing the subject, narrating a relevant anecdote, comparing
and contrasting, naming, and explaining benefits or limitations; |
| • |
provides a sense of
closure to the writing. |
| Examples of reports include: |
|
An I-search essay (an essay that details a student’s
search for information as well as the information itself; I-search
papers are developed through a variety of means, e.g., interviews
and observation, as well as traditional library research). 1c,
4a, 4b |
|
A saturation report (a report that recounts substantial information
on a topic gathered by a student over a period of time). 1c,
4a, 4b |
|
A report produced as part of studies in subjects such as science,
social studies, and mathematics. 1c,
4a, 4b, M7a, M7b, M7c, S7a, S7b, S7c |
| b
The student produces a response
to literature that: |
| • |
engages the reader through
establishing a context, creating a persona, and otherwise developing
reader interest; |
| • |
advances a judgment that
is interpretive, analytic, evaluative, or reflective; |
| • |
supports a judgment through
references to the text, references to other works, authors,
or non-print media, or references to personal knowledge; |
| • |
demonstrates an understanding
of the literary work; |
| • |
anticipates and answers
a reader’s questions; |
| • |
provides a sense of closure
to the writing. |
| Examples of responses to literature include: |
|
A literary analysis. 1b, 4a,
4b, 5a |
|
A book or movie review. 1b,
3d, 4a, 4b, 5a |
|
A literary response paper. 1b,
4a, 4b, 5a |
|
A comparison of a piece of literature with its media presentation.
1b, 3d, 4a, 4b, 5a |
| c
The student produces a narrative account
(fictional or autobiographical) that: |
| • |
engages the reader by
establishing a context, creating a point of view, and otherwise
developing reader interest; |
| • |
establishes a situation,
plot, point of view, setting, and conflict (and for autobiography,
the significance of events and of conclusions that can be drawn
from those events); |
| • |
creates an organizing
structure; |
| • |
includes sensory details
and concrete language to develop plot and character; |
| • |
excludes extraneous details
and inconsistencies; |
| • |
develops complex characters; |
| • |
uses a range of appropriate
strategies, such as dialogue, tension or suspense, naming, and
specific narrative action, e.g., movement, gestures, expressions; |
| • |
provides a sense of closure
to the writing. |
| Examples of narrative accounts include: |
|
A biographical account. 4a,
4b |
|
A fiction or non-fiction story. 4a,
4b, 5b |
|
A personal narrative. 4a,
4b, 5b |
|
A historical account. 1c,
4a, 4b |
|
A detailed travel diary. 4a,
4b |
|
A news account of an event, fiction or non-fiction. 4a,
4b |
| d
The student produces a narrative procedure
that: |
| • |
engages the reader by
establishing a context, creating a persona, and otherwise developing
reader interest; |
| • |
provides a guide to action
for a relatively complicated procedure in order to anticipate
a reader’s needs; creates expectations through predictable
structures, e.g., headings; and provides transitions between
steps; |
| • |
makes use of appropriate
writing strategies such as creating a visual hierarchy and using
white space and graphics as appropriate; |
| • |
includes relevant information; |
| • |
excludes extraneous information; |
| • |
anticipates problems,
mistakes, and misunderstandings that might arise for the reader; |
| • |
provides a sense of closure
to the writing. |
| Examples of narrative procedures include: |
|
A set of rules for organizing a class meeting.
4a, 4b |
|
A set of instructions for playing computer games.
4a, 4b |
|
A set of instructions for using media technology.
4a, 4b |
|
An explanation of a mathematical procedure. 4a,
4b, M7c, M7e |
|
A project manual. 4a,
4b, A1a |
| e
The student produces a persuasive essay that: |
| • |
engages the reader by
establishing a context, creating a persona, and otherwise developing
reader interest; |
| • |
develops a controlling
idea that makes a clear and knowledgeable judgment; |
| • |
creates and organizes
a structure that is appropriate to the needs, values, and interests
of a specified audience, and arranges details, reasons, examples,
and anecdotes effectively and persuasively; |
| • |
includes appropriate
information and arguments; |
| • |
excludes information
and arguments that are irrelevant; |
| • |
anticipates and addresses
reader concerns and counter-arguments; |
| • |
supports arguments with
detailed evidence, citing sources of information as appropriate; |
| • |
provides a sense of closure
to the writing. |
| Examples of narrative procedures include: |
|
A position paper. 4a,
4b |
|
An evaluation of a product or policy. 4a,
4b, A1a |
|
An editorial on a current issue that uses reasoned
arguments to support an opinion.
4a, 4b |
|
A speech for a candidate running for school or
public office. 4a, 4b |
|
A project manual. 4a,
4b, A1a |
|
 |
Speaking,
Listening, and Viewing |
| Speaking, listening, and viewing are fundamental
processes which people use to express, explore, and learn about
ideas. The functions of speaking, listening, and viewing include
gathering and sharing information; persuading others; expressing
and understanding ideas; coordinating activities with others; and
selecting and critically analyzing messages. The contexts of these
communication functions include one-to-one conferences, small group
interactions, large audiences and meetings, and interactions with
broadcast media.
 a
The student participates in one-to-one
conferences with a teacher, paraprofessional, or adult volunteer,
in which the student: |
| • |
initiates new topics
in addition to responding to adult-initiated topics; |
| • |
asks relevant questions; |
| • |
responds to questions
with appropriate elaboration; |
| • |
uses language cues to
indicate different levels of certainty or hypothesizing, e.g.,
“what if…,” “very likely…,” “I’m
unsure whether…”; |
| • |
confirms understanding
by paraphrasing the adult’s directions or suggestions. |
| Examples of one-to-one interactions include: |
|
Book talks with a teacher or parent. 1a,
1b, 1c, 5a |
|
Analytical discussions of a movie or television
program with a teacher or parent. 3d |
|
Student-teacher conferences regarding a draft
of an essay, the student’s progress on a mathematics assignment,
or the status of a science project. 4b |
|
Interviews with teachers or adults. 2a |
|
Discussion with a teacher or parent about a portfolio of work.
4b |
| b
The student participates in group meetings,
in which the student: |
| • |
displays appropriate
turn-taking behaviors; |
| • |
actively solicits another
person’s comment or opinion; |
| • |
offers own opinion forcefully
without dominating; |
| • |
responds appropriately
to comments and questions; |
| • |
volunteers contributions
and responds when directly solicited by teacher or discussion
leader; |
| • |
gives reasons in support
of opinions expressed; |
| • |
clarifies, illustrates,
or expands on a response when asked to do so; asks classmates
for similar expansions; |
| • |
employs a group decision-making
technique such as brainstorming or a problem-solving sequence
(e.g., recognize problem, define problem, identify possible
solutions, select optimal solution, implement solution, evaluate
solution). |
| Examples of activities involving group meetings
include: |
|
Create a plan for a group project (e.g., organize
a presentation to be made to the class; plan a science project). |
|
Develop and discuss class rubrics. |
|
Engage in classroom town meetings. |
|
Take part in book talks with other students.
1a, 1b, 1c, 5a |
|
Work as part of a group to solve a complex mathematical
task. |
|
Role-play to better understand a certain historical
event. 1c |
|
Participate in peer writing response groups.
4b |
| c
The student prepares and delivers an individual
presentation in which the student: |
| • |
shapes information to
achieve a particular purpose and to appeal to the interests
and background knowledge of audience members; |
| • |
shapes content and organization
according to criteria for importance and impact rather than
according to availability of information in resource materials; |
| • |
uses notes or other
memory aids to structure the presentation; |
| • |
develops several main
points relating to a single thesis; |
| • |
engages the audience
with appropriate verbal cues and eye contact; |
| • |
projects a sense of individuality
and personality in selecting and organizing content, and in
delivery. |
| Examples of presentations include: |
|
A presentation of project plans or a report for
an Applied Learning project. 4a,
4b, A2a |
|
A report that analyzes several historical records
of a single event and attempts to understand the reasons for
the similarities and differences. 1c,
4a, 4b |
|
A report that presents data collected to prove/disprove
a particular hypothesis, along with an appropriate conclusion.
1c, 4a, 4b |
|
A talk that outlines a plan of action for implementing
a new school policy and the reasoning supporting the selected
plan over other options. 4a, 4b |
|
A report that analyzes a trend running through several literary
works. 1b, 4a, 4b, 5a |
| d
The student makes informed judgments
about television, radio, and film productions; that is, the
student: |
| • |
demonstrates an awareness
of the presence of the media in the daily lives of most people; |
| • |
evaluates the role of
the media in focusing attention and in forming an opinion; |
| • |
judges the extent to
which the media are a source of entertainment as well as a source
of information; |
| • |
defines the role of
advertising as part of media presentation. |
| Examples of activities through which students
might produce evidence of making informed judgments about television,
radio, and film productions include: |
|
Present a paper or report on reasons for selecting
one media choice over another.1c, 2a,
3c |
|
Prepare a report on the benefits obtained (including
information learned) from media exposure. 1c,
2a, 4a, 4b |
|
Summarize patterns of media exposure in writing
or in an oral report. 1c, 2a, 3c, 4a,
4b |
|
Describe the appeal of particularly memorable
commercials. 2a, 3c |
|
Analyze the appeal of popular television shows
and films for particular audiences. 2a,
4a, 4b |
|
Explain the use of “propaganda techniques” (e.g.,
bandwagon, glittering generalities, celebrity) in television
commercials. 2a, 4a, 4b |
|
The
examples that follow the performance descriptions for each standard
are examples of the work students might do to demonstrate their
achievement. The examples also indicate the nature and complexity
of activities that are appropriate to expect of students at the
elementary level.
The cross-references that follow the examples highlight examples
for which the same activity, and possibly even the same piece of
work, may enable students to demonstrate their achievement in relation
to more than one standard. In some cases, the cross-references highlight
examples of activities through which students might demonstrate
their achievement in relation to standards for more than one subject
matter. |
 |
Conventions,
Grammar, and Usage of the English Language |
| Having control of the conventions
and grammar of the English language means having the ability to
represent oneself appropriately with regard to current standards
of correctness (e.g., spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, capitalization,
subject-verb agreement). Usage involves the appropriate application
of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats.
 a
The student demonstrates an understanding
of the rules of the English language in written and oral work,
and selects the structures and features of language appropriate
to the purpose, audience, and context of the work. The student
demonstrates control of: |
| • |
grammar; |
| • |
paragraph structure; |
| • |
punctuation; |
| • |
sentence construction; |
| • |
spelling; |
| • |
usage. |
| Examples of activities through which students
might demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English
language include: |
|
Demonstrate in a piece of writing the ability
to manage the conventions, grammar, and usage of English so
that they aid rather than interfere with reading. 1d,
1e, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 5a, 5b |
|
Proofread acceptably the student’s own
writing or the writing of others, using dictionaries and other
resources, including the teacher or peers as appropriate.
1d, 1e, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e,
5a, 5b |
|
Observe conventions of language
during formal oral presentations. 3c |
|
Revise a piece of writing by combining sentences.
1d, 1e, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e,
5a, 5b |
| b
The student analyzes and subsequently
revises work to clarify it or make it more effective in communicating
the intended message or thought. The student’s revisions
should be made in light of the purposes, audiences, and contexts
that apply to the work. Strategies for revising include: |
| • |
adding or deleting
details; |
| • |
adding or deleting
explanations; |
| • |
clarifying difficult
passages; |
| • |
rearranging words,
sentences, and paragraphs to improve or clarify meaning; |
| • |
sharpening the focus; |
| • |
reconsidering the organizational
structure. |
| Examples of activities through which students
might provide evidence of analyzing and revising work include: |
|
Incorporate into revised drafts, as appropriate,
suggestions taken from critiques made by peers and teachers.
1d, 1e, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e,
3c, 3d, 5a, 5b |
|
Produce a series of distinctly different drafts
that result in a polished piece of writing or presentation.
1d, 1e, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e,
3c, 3d, 5a, 5b |
|
Describe the reasons for stylistic choices
made as a writer or presenter. 1d,
1e, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 3c, 3d, 5a, 5b |
|
Critique the writing or oral presentation of
a peer. |
|
 |
Literature |
| Literature consists of poetry, fiction,
non-fiction, and essays as distinguished from instructional, expository,
or journalistic writing.
 a
The student responds to non-fiction,
fiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and
evaluative processes; that is, the student: |
| • |
identifies recurring
themes across works; |
| • |
interprets the impact
of authors’ decisions regarding word choice, content,
and literary elements; |
| • |
identifies the characteristics
of literary forms and genres; |
| • |
evaluates literary
merit; |
| • |
identifies the effect
of point of view; |
| • |
analyzes the reasons
for a character’s actions, taking into account the situation
and basic motivation of the character; |
| • |
makes inferences and
draws conclusions about fictional and non-fictional contexts,
events, characters, settings, and themes; |
| • |
identifies stereotypical
characters as opposed to fully developed characters; |
| • |
identifies the effect
of literary devices such as figurative language, allusion,
diction, dialogue, and description. |
| Examples of activities through which students
might produce evidence of responding to literature include: |
|
Analyze stereotypical characters in a popular
television production. 3d |
|
Examine themes in the work (fiction or non-fiction)
of one popular young-adult author. 1b,
2b, 4a, 4b |
|
Evaluate the effect of literary devices in a
number of poems by one author or poems on a common topic.
1b, 2b, 4a, 4b |
|
Compare the literary merits of two or more short
stories, biographies of one individual, novels, or plays.
1b, 2b, 4a, 4b |
|
Write or perform a skit. 1b,
2b, 4a, 4b, 5b |
|
Write a parody. 2b,
4a, 4b |
|
Speculate about point of view in a work read by the class.
3b |
| b
The student produces work in at least
one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre. |
| Examples of literary genres include: |
|
A personal essay.4a,
4b |
|
A short story. 2c,
4a, 4b |
|
A short play. 4a,
4b |
|
A poem. 4a,
4b |
|
A vignette. 4a,
4b |
|
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