Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
The K–5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by
the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards
below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former
providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the skills and
understandings that all students must demonstrate.
Key Ideas and Details
1.
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific
textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2.
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting
details and ideas.
3.
Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure
4.
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and
figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
5.
Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g.,
a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
6.
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7.
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as
well as in words.*
8.
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well
as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
9.
Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the
approaches the authors take.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10 | K-5 | Reading
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
*Please see “Research to Build and Present Knowledge” in Writing and “Comprehension and Collaboration” in Speaking and Listening for
additional standards relevant to gathering, assessing, and applying information from print and digital sources.
Note on range and content
of student reading
To build a foundation for college
and career readiness, students
must read widely and deeply from
among a broad range of high-quality,
increasingly challenging literary and
informational texts. Through extensive
reading of stories, dramas, poems,
and myths from diverse cultures and
different time periods, students gain
literary and cultural knowledge as
well as familiarity with various text
structures and elements. By reading
texts in history/social studies, science,
and other disciplines, students build
a foundation of knowledge in these
fields that will also give them the
background to be better readers in all
content areas. Students can only gain
this foundation when the curriculum is
intentionally and coherently structured
to develop rich content knowledge
within and across grades. Students
also acquire the habits of reading
independently and closely, which are
essential to their future success.
1
0
Reading Standard 10 and Next Generation Assessments
Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
Graham, Excerpt from “An Athlete of God” (Lexile 1080)
I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means
to learn to dance by practicing dancing, or to learn to
live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In
each, it is the performance of a dedicated, precise set of
acts, physical or intellectual, from which come shape of
achievement, the sense of one’s being, the satisfaction
of spirit. One becomes in some area an athlete of God.
Practice means to perform over and over again, in the
face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire.
Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.
I think the reason dance has held such an ageless
magic for the world is that it has been the symbol of the
performance of living. Many times, I hear the phrase,
“the dance of life.” It is close to me for a very simple and
understandable reason. The instrument through which
the dance speaks is also the instrument through which
life is lived: the human body. It is the instrument by which all the primaries of experience are made manifest. It
holds in its memory all matters of life and death and love.
Dancing appears glamorous, easy, delightful. But the path to the paradise of that achievement is not easier than
any other. There is fatigue so great that the body cries even in its sleep. There are times of complete frustration.
There are daily small deaths. Then, I need all the comfort that practice has stored in my memory and the tenacity
of faith. But it must be the kind of faith that Abraham had, wherein he “staggered not at the promise of God
through unbelief.”
It takes about ten years to make a mature dancer. The training is twofold. There is the study and practice of the
craft in order to strengthen the muscular structure of the body. The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in
time, trusted. The movement becomes clean, precise, eloquent, truthful. Movement never lies. It is a barometer
telling the state of the soul’s weather to all who can read it. This might be called the law of the dancer’s life, the
law which governs its outer aspects.
Then, there is the cultivation of the being. It is through this that the legends of the soul’s journey are retold with
all their gaiety and their tragedy and the bitterness and sweetness of living. It is at this point that the sweep of life
catches up the mere personality of the performer, and while the individual—the undivided one—becomes greater,
the personal becomes less personal. And there is grace. I mean the grace resulting from faith…faith in life, in love,
in people, in the act of dancing. All this is necessary to any performance in life which is magnetic, powerful, rich
in meaning.
In a dancer there is a reverence for such forgotten things as the miracle of the small beautiful bones and their
delicate strength. In a thinker there is a reverence for the beauty of the alert and directed and lucid mind. In all of
us who perform, there is an awareness of the smile, which is part of the equipment, or gift, of the acrobat. We have
all walked the high wire of circumstance at times. We recognize the gravity of pull on the Earth as he does. The
smile is there because he is practicing living at that instant of danger. He does not choose to fall.
Reading Standards 1 and 10 and Next Generation Assessments
1
Reading Standard 1 and Next Generation Assessments
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite
specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Which of the following are Text Dependent Questions?
What evidence does Graham offer that dance is so close to life itself?
From what you know of modern dance and a dancer’s training, do you agree that they are the people most connected to
their own bodies?
What does Graham mean by this sentence: “Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”?
Graham says that dancers frequently reach the point of “complete frustration.” Why is excessive fatigue an important
milestone for an athlete to experience?
A barometer measures air pressure, a key to understanding weather patterns. What does Graham argue is equivalent to
the barometer in her art?
Does Graham think that the “immature dancer” has the necessary experience to connect the mind, body, and spirit?
Trace how Graham develops her sense of the kind of faith Abraham had when she said he “staggered not at the
promise of God through unbelief.”
Reading Standards 1 and 10 and Next Generation Assessments
Text Complexity Analysis Tool
Text Author: Text Title:
Grade Recommendation:
Exceedingly Complex
(may be suited for next band)
Text Structure
Language and
Conventions
The Lexile
Framework
q
6th – 8th
6.51 – 10.34
925 – 1185
q
2nd – 3rd
1.98 – 5.34
420 – 820
q
9th – 10th
8.32 – 12.12
1050 – 1335
q
4th – 5th
4.51 – 7.73
740 – 1010
q
11th – CCR
10.34 – 14.2
1185 – 1385
Very Complex
(top of grade band)
Moderately Complex
(middle of grade band)
Organization: Connections are deep,
intricate and often ambiguous with regard to
ideas, processes or events or point of view,
time shifts, multiple characters, storylines
and detail
q
Organization: Connections are often
implicit or subtle between an expanded
range ideas, processes or events or text
may include subplots, time shifts and more
complex characters
q
q
Use of Graphics: If used, illustrations
or graphics are essential for understanding
the meaning of the text
q
Use of Graphics: If used, illustrations
or graphics support or extend the meaning
of the text
q
q
Conventionality: Dense and complex;
contains abstract, ironic, and/or figurative
language
q
Conventionality: Fairly complex;
contains some abstract, ironic, and/or
figurative language
q
Vocabulary: Complex, generally
unfamiliar, archaic, subject-specific,
or overly academic language; may be
ambiguous or purposefully misleading
q
Vocabulary: Fairly complex language
that is sometimes unfamiliar, archaic,
subject-specific, or overly academic
q
q
Sentence Structure: Many complex
sentences with several subordinate phrases
or clauses and transition words
q
Understanding: Explores ideas or
themes of varying levels of complexity,
abstraction, and familiarity; knowledge
relied on or experiences portrayed requires
moderate amounts of discipline-specific or
theoretical knowledge or are uncommon to
most readers
q
q
Sentence Structure: Mainly complex
sentences with subordinate clauses, phrases
and transitions
Understanding: Explores complex,
sophisticated or abstract ideas and themes;
knowledge relied on or experiences
portrayed require extensive disciplinespecific or theoretical knowledge or are
distinctly different from the common reader
q
Intertextuality and Cultural
Knowledge: Many references or allusions
to other texts, outside ideas, or cultural
elements
q
Purpose/Meaning: Multiple
competing levels of purpose/meaning
that are difficult to identify, separate, and
interpret; is theoretical, abstract, implicit or
subtle, often ambiguous and revealed over
the entirety of the text
q
Purpose /
Meaning
FleschKincaid
q
q
Knowledge
Demands
Grade Band
Text Complexity Analysis Tool
q
Intertextuality and Cultural
Knowledge: Some references or allusions
to other texts, outside ideas, or cultural
elements
q
Purpose/Meaning: Multiple levels
of purpose/meaning that may be difficult
to identify, separate, and interpret; is more
abstract, implicit, or subtle than concrete
and may be revealed over the entirety of
the text
q
Organization: Connections are
sometimes implicit, subtle, or difficult to
predict (but usually evident and sequential
or chronological) between ideas, processes
or events or two or more storylines
Use of Graphics: If used, a range of
illustrations or graphics support selected
parts of the text
Conventionality: Largely explicit and
easy to understand with some occasions for
more complex meaning
Vocabulary: Mostly contemporary,
familiar, conversational; rarely unfamiliar or
overly academic
Sentence Structure: Primarily simple
and compound sentences, with some
complex constructions
Understanding: Explores a mix of
simple and more complicated, abstract
ideas and themes; knowledge relied on
or experiences portrayed requires some
discipline-specific or theoretical knowledge
or is common to many readers
Intertextuality and Cultural
Knowledge: Few references or allusions
to other texts, outside ideas, or cultural
elements
q
Purpose/Meaning: Two or more levels
of purpose/meaning clearly distinguished
and easy to identify from each other; is clear
based on context or source but may be
conveyed with some subtlety
q
Slightly Complex
(bottom of grade band)
Organization: Connections are clear,
chronological/sequential or easy to predict
between ideas, processes and events or
storylines
q
Use of Graphics: If used, either
illustrations directly support and assist in
interpreting the text or are not necessary to
understanding the meaning of the text
q
Conventionality: Explicit, literal,
straightforward, easy to understand
q
Vocabulary: Contemporary, familiar,
conversational language
q
Sentence Structure: Mainly simple
sentences
q
Understanding: Explores a single,
simple, concrete idea or theme; knowledge
relied on or experiences portrayed are
everyday, practical, and common to most
readers
q
Intertextuality and Cultural
Knowledge: No references or allusions
to other texts, outside ideas, or cultural
elements
q
Purpose/Meaning: One level of
purpose/meaning explicitly stated and
concretely conveyed; is obvious and
revealed clearly and early in the text
q
Page 1
9
Reading Standard 9 and Next Generation Assessments
Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build
knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
Excerpt from “Expertise” from American Scientist (Grades 9-12)
There are no instant experts in chess—certainly no instant masters or grandmasters. There appears not to be
on record any case (including Bobby Fischer) where a person reached grandmaster level with less than about a
decade’s intense preoccupation with the game. We would estimate that a master has spent at least 10,000 hours
staring at chess positions…
Standard 9 draws on elements of Standards 2 and 6:
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the
key supporting details and ideas.
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Reading Standard 9 and Next Generation Assessments
8
Reading Standard 8 and Next Generation Assessments
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity
of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
Excerpt from “Pioneers from Asia” (Grades 9-12)
In 1849, Chinese migrants began arriving in America. Many sought
sanctuary from intense conflicts in China caused by the British Opium
Wars. Many migrants were also fleeing from the turmoil of peasant
rebellions such as the Red Turban Rebellion and the bloody strife between
the Punti (local people) and the Hakkas (guest people) over possession
of the fertile delta lands. “Ever since the disturbances caused by the Red
Turban bandits and the Kejia bandits,” a Chinese government report
noted, “dealing with foreigners have increased greatly. The able-bodied
go abroad.”
Harsh economic conditions also drove Chinese migrants to seek survival
in America. Forced to pay large indemnities to Western imperialist
powers, the Qing government imposed high taxes on peasant farmers;
unable to pay these taxes, many of them lost their lands. Floods intensified
the suffering. “The rains have been falling for forty days,” an 1847 report
to the emperor stated, “Until the rivers, and the sea, and the lakes, and
the streams have joined in one sheet over the land for miles.” Behind the
emigrating spirit was starvation. “The population is extremely dense,”
an observer explained; “the means of subsistence, in ordinary times, are
seldom above the demand, and consequently, the least failure of the rice
crop produces wretchedness.”
Learning about Gam Saan, “Gold mountain,” many of the young, more impatient, and more daring Chinese left
their villages for America. They were illiterate or had very little schooling, but they dreamed of new possibilities
inspired by stories of the “gold hills.” In the port cities, circulars distributed by labor brokers announced:
“Americans are very rich people. They want the Chinaman to come and make him very welcome. There you will
have great pay, large houses and food and clothing of the finest description...” Chinese who returned to their
villages with money they had made in Hawaii and America reinforced the excitement of emigration…
America seemed so beckoning… During the 1860’s, a Chinese laborer might earn three to five dollars a month
in China; in California, he could work for the railroad and make thirty dollars a month. A folk song expressed
the emotions of many migrants: “With a pillow on my shoulder, I began my perilous journey, sailing a boat with
bamboo poles across the sea. I leave behind wife and sisters in search of money, no longer lingering with the
woman in the bedroom, no longer paying respect to parents at home.”
What evidence below most strongly supports the author’s claim regarding the feelings of Chinese emigrants?
a. “Ever since the disturbances caused by the Red Turban bandits and the Kejia bandits,” a Chinese government
report noted, “dealing with foreigners have increased greatly.”
b. “The rains have been falling for forty days,” an 1847 report to the emperor stated, “Until the rivers, and the sea, and
the lakes, and the streams have joined in one sheet over the land for miles.”
c. “In the port cities, circulars distributed by labor brokers announced: “Americans are very rich people. They want
the Chinaman to come and make him very welcome.”
d. “A folk song expressed the emotions of many migrants: With a pillow on my shoulder, I began my perilous journey,
sailing a boat with bamboo poles across the sea.”
Reading Standard 8 and Next Generation Assessments
7
Reading Standard 7 and Next Generation Assessments
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
Excerpt from “Jamaicans Prepare for Sandy” (Grades 6-8)
Jamaicans stocked up on supplies and reinforced roofs on Tuesday ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Sandy,
which is expected to hit the Caribbean island as a hurricane with lashing rain and wind.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was churning over warm Caribbean waters and
should reach Jamaica on Wednesday. The late-season category 1 hurricane is expected to travel from south to
north over the island.
Acting Prime Minister Peter Phillips said “all Jamaicans must take the threat of this storm seriously” and asked
people to look out for their neighbors, especially children, the elderly and the disabled.
On Tuesday night, the outer bands of Sandy drenched parts of Jamaica with steady rain that sent brown water
rushing down streets and gullies. Tropical storm winds were expected to hit early Wednesday.
Jamaica’s government issued a hurricane warning on Tuesday morning and announced schools would close on
Wednesday. Schools, government offices and Kingston’s port shut down early and the country’s international
airports prepared to close Wednesday morning.
In Kingston, Jamaica’s biggest city, some residents flocked to grocery stories to stock up on food, propane, tarp,
batteries and water. At one major supermarket, hardly any bread remained on the shelves.
In Jamaica, Sandy was expected to dump more than 10 inches of rainfall. Flash flooding and landslides are likely
on the mountainous island, Jamaican forecasters said.
National Hurricane Center Map of the Predicted Path of Hurricane Sandy
What conclusion can be drawn from comparing “Jamaicans Prepare for Sandy” and the National
Hurricane Center Map of the Predicted Path of Hurricane Sandy?
a. Hurricane Sandy would weaken to a tropical storm by the time arrived in Jamaica.
b. Hurricane Sandy might arrive midday Tuesday, which would be earlier than expected.
c. Hurricane Sandy’s arrival would be preceded by up to 10 inches of rainfall.
d. Hurricane Sandy was expected to arrive in Jamaica on Wednesday afternoon.
Reading Standard 7 and Next Generation Assessments
6
Reading Standard 6 and Next Generation Assessments
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Grades 6-8)
My youngest brother paid no attention to me. Grasping more firmly his newspaperwrapper notebook and his tin-can lunch of cornbread and oil sausages, he continued to
concentrate on the dusty road. He lagged several feet behind my other brothers, Stacey
and Christopher-John, and me, attempting to keep the rusty Mississippi dust from
swelling with each step and drifting back upon his shiny black shoes and the cuffs of
his corduroy pants by lifting each foot high before setting it gently down again. Always
meticulously neat, six-year-old Little Man never allowed dirt or tears or stains to mar
anything he owned. Today was no exception.
“You keep it up and make us late for school, Mama’s gonna wear you out,” I threatened,
pulling with exasperation at the high collar of the Sunday dress Mama had made me
wear for the first day of school—as if that event were something special. It seemed to
me that showing up at school at all on a bright August-like October morning made for
running the cool forest trails and wading barefoot in the forest pond was concession
enough; Sunday clothing was asking too much. Christopher-John and Stacey were not
too pleased about the clothing or school either. Only Little Man, just beginning his
school career, found the prospects of both intriguing. “Y’all go ahead and get dirty if y’all wanna,” he replied
without even looking up from his studied steps. “Me, I’m gonna stay clean.”
“I betcha Mama’s gonna ‘clean’ you, you keep it up,” I grumbled.
“Ah, Cassie, leave him be,” Stacey admoninished, frowning at kicking testily at the road.
“I ain’t said nothing but—“ Stacey cut me a wicked look and I grew silent. His disposition had been irritatingly
sour lately. If I hadn’t known the cause of it, I could have forgotten very easily that he was, at twelve, bigger than
I, and that I had promised Mama to arrive at school looking clean and ladylike. “Shoot,” I mumbled finally, unable
to restrain myself from further comment, “it ain’t my fault you gotta be in Mama’s class this year.” Stacey’s frown
deepened and he hammed his fists into his pockets, but said nothing.
Christopher-John, walking between Stacey and me, glanced uneasily at both of us but did not interfere. A short,
round boy of seven, he took little interest in troublesome thing, preferring to remain on good terms with everyone.
Yet he was always sensitive to others and now, shifting the handle of his lunch can from his right hand to his right
wrist and his smudged notebook from his left hand to his left armpit, he stuffed his free hands into his pockets
and attempted to make his face as moody as Stacey’ s and as cranky as mine. But after a few moments he seemed
to forget that he was supposed to be grouchy and began whistling cheerfully. There was little that could make
Christopher-John unhappy for very long, not even the thought of school.
I tugged again at my collar and dragged my feet in the dust, allowing it to sift back onto my socks and shoes like
gritty red snow. I hated the dress. And the shoes. There was little I could do in a dress, and as for the shoes, they
imprisoned freedom-loving feet accustomed to the feel of the warm earth.
“Cassie, stop that,” Stacey snapped as the dust billowed in swirling clouds around my feet. I looked up sharply,
ready to protest. Christopher-John’s whistling increaded to a raucous, nervous shrill, and grudgingly I let the
matter drop and trudged along in moody silence, my brothers growing as pensively quiet as I.
The author develops several different points of view in this excerpt. Each character has their own point of view
about other characters or events. Choose the sentence that provides the best evidence for each of the points of
view the author develops. Indicate which sentence from the story matches the point of view below.
Character in Question
Cassie’s attitude towards wearing shoes
Christopher-John’s attitude towards school
Stacey’s attitude towards his teacher
Reading Standard 6 and Next Generation Assessments
Sentence from the passage that best explains
their point of view
Reading Standard 5 and Next Generation Assessments
Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions
of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
Excerpt From From Seed to Plant (Grades 2-3)
Most plants make seeds. A seed contains the beginning
of a new plant.
Seeds are different shapes, sizes, and colors.
All seeds grow into the same kind of plant that made
them…
Some seeds fall to the ground around the base of the
plant where they will grow.
Some pods or fruits open and the seeds pop out.
Sometimes, when birds eat berries, they drop the seeds.
Other seeds fall into streams, ponds, rivers or the ocean.
There, they travel on the water until they stick to dirt along
a shore.
The wind scatters seeds. Some seeds have fluff on them that lets them float to the ground like tiny parachutes.
Others have wings that spin as they fall.
Animals help scatter seeds, too. They hide acorns and nuts in the ground. Some seeds have hooks that stick to the
fur of animals or people’s clothes. Later, they drop off onto the ground….
A seed will not sprout until certain things happen. First it must be on or in the soil. Then it needs rain to soak the
seed and soften its seed coat.
When the sun shines and warms the ground, the seed coat breaks open and the seed begins to grow… A root grows
down into the soil. The root takes in water and minerals from the soil for food.
Up grows a shoot. Green leaves grow up from the shoot toward the sun.
The plant grows bigger and bigger. The leaves make food for the plant from the water and minerals in the soil, the
sunlight, and the air all around the plant.
Finally, the plant is full-grown. Buds on the plant open into flowers where new seeds will grow…
Gibbon’s From Seed to Plant describes the steps in the process of how a seed grows. In the flow chart
provided, please list the steps in the correct order:
a. Rain softens the shell of the seed
b. Leaves grow to capture the sun’s energy
c. A shoot emerges from the soil
d. A root breaks through the seed coat
Step 1: ___
a
Step 2: ___
Reading Standard 5 and Next Generation Assessments
a
Step 3: ___
a
Step 4: ___
5
De
s
ig
n
Academic Vocabulary and the CCSS
Academic Vocabulary Defined
Vocabulary can broadly be divided into three categories, or tiers, based upon the characteristics of the words
in question and the stages at which children learn such words. Initially, children grasp Tier 1 words from oral
conversation. These are the basic and concrete words of everyday speech like walk, said, and car. At the opposite
end of the spectrum are discipline and domain specific words students acquire when studying particular subject
matter. These Tier 3 words—like oligarchy, photosynthesis, and carburetor—are highly specialized vocabulary
used to describe content knowledge. Their low occurrence rate typically leads to them being explicitly defined
by the teacher or the text itself (e.g. “Jim Crow laws were segregation statues that ensured white supremacy”).
Between everyday Tier 1 words and content specific Tier 3 words lay general academic vocabulary known as
Tier 2 words. These precise and yet more abstract words like saunter, boasted, and vehicle largely stem from
written sources. Because of their generality and frequent appearance across content areas—as well as their rich
representational quality, multiple meanings (depending on context), and connection to other words—these Tier 2
words have high utility, and should be the focus of academic vocabulary instruction. Despite these features, they
are seldom defined or scaffolded within texts.
Academic Vocabulary and the CCSS
The College and Career Ready Standards of the CCSS articulate a range of expectations regarding what students
should be able to do with regards to academic vocabulary:
•
Interpret technical, connotative, and figurative
meanings of words and phrases (Reading
Anchor Standard 4)
•
Analyze how specific word choices shape
meaning or tone (Reading Anchor
Standard 4)
•
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown
and multiple-meaning words and phrases by
using context clues, analyzing meaningful
word parts, and consulting reference materials
(Language Anchor Standard 4)
•
Demonstrate understanding of figurative
language, word relationships, and nuances
in word meanings (Language Anchor
Standard 5)
•
Acquire and use accurately a range of general
academic and domain-specific words and
phrases (Language Anchor Standard 6)
•
Demonstrate independence in gathering
vocabulary knowledge when encountering
an unknown term (Language Anchor
Standard 6)
Key Elements of Academic Vocabulary
Academic vocabulary has been shown to be a critical element in reading comprehension and academic achievement,
yet the lack of frequent and systematic instruction with academic vocabulary as its focus is a primary cause of the
achievement gap. Helping students build a rich understanding of words is therefore crucial, and students must be
exposed to and taught such words in multiple contexts: through direct instruction as well as in context through
discussion, reading and/or being read to, and responding to what they hear or read. Teachers thus need to be
alert to the presence of Tier 2 words and carefully make professional judgments about which words to devote
instructional time to learning. Many of these words can be learned by helping students pay close attention to
context. Teachers should use their professional judgment to determine whether or not there is sufficient support
in the text for determining meaning.
Academic Vocabulary and the CCSS
Page 1
Checklist for Selecting Academic Vocabulary for Close Reading Instruction
Typically there are many Tier 2 words in a sample text, which necessitates that teachers must choose from among
them which to concentrate on. Since academic vocabulary supports close reading, words should be selected for
closer investigation specifically when they meet one or more of the following criteria:
‰‰ Does the word significantly impact the
meaning of the text (e.g. shape plot, mood or
point of view)?
‰‰ Is understanding the word necessary to avoid
confusion or guide understanding?
‰‰ Does it illustrate nuance in an author’s choice
of words (e.g. admitted versus confessed)?
‰‰ Does it connect to other words, ideas, or
experiences that the students know or have
been learning?
‰‰ Will it help students be more precise in
describing ideas and concepts that they
understand?
‰‰ Will it be of use to students in their own
writing (including when writing in response to
the text)?
‰‰ Does the word have strong general utility (i.e.
will students likely to see the word appear often
in other texts?)
‰‰ Are there multiple meanings based on context
that would point to a higher frequency of
use (e.g., Texas was admitted to the union,
he admitted his errors, admission was too
expensive)?
‰‰ Does the word belong to a high-utility semantic
word family (e.g. base, basic, basically)
Acadmic Vocabulary and Text Dependent Questions
The process identified for creating text dependent questions—framing a portion of the text and juxtaposing it
against a standard based reading skill—should be used when constructing questions about academic vocabulary.
Consider the following questions about the opening of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland:
CCS Anchor Standard Focus
Text Dependent Question
Analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or
tone (Reading Anchor Standard 4)
How does the phrase “worth the trouble” set the tone
of the opening two paragraphs?
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and
multiple-meaning words and phrases by using
context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and
consulting reference materials (Language Anchor
Standard 4)
What clues are there in the passage about the meaning
of the word “bank” in the first sentence?
Acquire and use accurately a range of general
academic and domain-specific words and phrases
(Language Anchor Standard 6)
Use the phrase “flashed across her mind" in a
sentence of your own that demonstrates your grasp of
its meaning.
In sum, to fully absorb the meaning of Tier 2 words, students need actively think about and use academic
vocabulary in multiple contexts.
Academic Vocabulary and the CCSS
Page 2
4
Reading Standard 4 and Next Generation Assessments
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative,
and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
Excerpt from “Casy at the Bat” (Grades 4-5)
... There was ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile lit Casey’s face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt ‘twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt;
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance flashed in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-“That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one!” the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore;
“Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted someone on the stand;
And it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey’s visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, “Strike two!”
“Fraud!” cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered “Fraud!”
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn’t let that ball go by again.
The sneer has fled from Casey’s lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go.
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville--great Casey has struck out.
Which of the following phrases best helps you understand the meaning of the word scornful?
a.
b.
c.
d.
“…Casey raised his hand”
…great Casey’s visage shone”
“…saw his face grow stern and cold…”
“The sneer has fled from Casey’s lip…”
Reading Standard 4 and Next Generation Assessments
4
Reading Standard 4 and Next Generation Assessments
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative,
and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
Excerpt from The Black Stallion (Grades 4-5)
Cyclone was the first out of the barn for the big race. He received lusty cheers
on his way to the paddock. He was draped in a flaming red robe and wore red
blinkers.
A few minutes later Sun Raider was led from the barn almost wholly concealed in
a white woolen blanket. He pranced nervously and his small head turned viciously
around. Another cheer went up from the crowd gathered around the paddock rail
when they saw him.
Then a hush fell upon the crowd as the Black appeared, covered in his new black
robe and accompanied by old Napoleon. Alec held him by the lead rope attached to
his halter. The stallion reared and Alec let the rope slip through his fingers when
he saw the other stallions… He tightened his grip on the rope and walked him far
behind the others when they reached the paddock stalls.
The silence was broken by a man’s loud yell, “There’s the mystery horse!” Then everyone started talking. They
hadn’t expected to see anything like the Black. “He’s even bigger than Sun Raider!” Alec heard one man exclaim.
A few minutes later one of the track officials called, “Riders up!”
The blankets were whipped off the horses. Henry saddled and bridled the Black and then boosted Alec into the
saddle. “Let the others get out first, so there won’t be any trouble,” he said, as they went slowly around the paddock
ring. The Black’s gaze was on the horses far ahead of him. His nostrils quivered and he shook his head nervously…
Every vantage point in and around the outer fences of the course was jammed with excited fans. Many perched
on roof tops fully a mile from the starting point. Their attention was focused on Sun Raider and Cyclone as they
passed the stands. Then suddenly they saw a giant black horse, his mane waving like windblown flame, coming
down the track. Spectators rose in their seats and excited hands raised glasses to their eyes.
“It’s the mystery horse!” shouted a well-known sports commentator to a network audience. “He’s listed as the
Black and ridden by Alec Ramsay. He’s raising quite a commotion around here! He’s one of the biggest horses that
I’ve ever seen- if not the biggest. He’s black, coal black. He’s big and strong and doesn’t seem to want to go near
the other horses. Alec Ramsay on his back is having a very difficult time controlling him. Lord! I’ve seen plenty
of horses in my time, but none with action like that! I’d say that this horse that most of us have labeled ‘Neville’s
Folly’ is going to be very much in the picture of this race. Yes, sir, it’s shaping up to be the greatest match race of
all time or I miss my guess!
The sports commentator shouts to the network audience that the Black causes a “commotion” because of the
audience’s reaction to the horse. There are many words that have the same or similar meaning as “commotion.” In
the box below, circle one or more words the author could have used that have a similar meaning to “commotion.”
shocked
disappointment
uproar
sprint Reading Standard 4 and Next Generation Assessments
excitement
noise
Reading Standard 3 and Next Generation Assessments
Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and
interact over the course of a text.
Silverman, Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa (Grades 2-3)
Cowgirl Kate rode her horse, Cocoa, out to the pasture.
“It’s time to herd cows,” said Cowgirl Kate.
“I am thirsty,” said Cocoa.
He stopped at the creek and took a drink.
“Are you ready now?” asked Cowgirl Kate.
“No,” said Cocoa. “Now I am hungry.”
Cowgirl Kate gave him an apple. He ate it in one bite. Then he sniffed the
saddlebag.
Cowgirl Kate gave him another apple. He ate that in one bite, too. He
sniffed the saddlebag again.
“You are a pig,” said cowgirl Kate.
“No,” said Cocoa. “I am a horse.”
“A cowhorse?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said.
“But a cowhorse herds cows,” she said.
“Just now, I am too full,” he said.
Cowgirl Kate smiled.
“Then I will tell you a story.”
“Once there was a cowgirl who needed a cowhorse. She went to a ranch and saw lots and lots of horses. Then she
saw a horse whose coat was the color of chocolate. His tail and mane were the color of caramel. ‘Yum,’ said the
cowgirl, ‘you are the colors of my favorite candy.’ The horse looked at her. He sniffed her.”
“‘Are you a real cowgirl?’ he asked. ‘I am a cowgirl from the boots up,’ she said. ‘Well, I am a cowhorse from the
mane down,’ he said. ‘Will you work hard every day?’ the cowgirl asked. The horse raised his head high. ‘Of
course,’ he said, ‘a cowhorse always does his job.’ ‘At last,’ said the cowgirl, ‘I have found my horse.’”
“That was a good story,” said Cocoa.
He raised his head high.
“And now I am ready to herd cows.”
When Cocoa tells Kate that he is “too full” to herd cows, what does she do?
a. She herds cows without Cocoa
b. She gives Cocoa candy to eat
c. She tells Cocoa a story
d. She feeds Cocoa an apple
Reading Standard 3 and Next Generation Assessments
3
2
Reading Standard 2 and Next Generation Assessments
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development;
summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
Excerpt from “American Dream Faces Harsh New Reality” (Grades 6-8)
The American Dream is a crucial thread in this country’s tapestry, woven
through politics, music and culture. Though the phrase has different
meanings to different people, it suggests an underlying belief that hard work
pays off and that the next generation will have a better life than the previous
generation. But three years after the worst recession in almost a century, the
American Dream now feels in jeopardy to many.
The American Dream is an implicit contract that says if you play by the rules,
you’ll move ahead. It’s a faith that is almost unique to this country, says
researcher Michael Dimock. “When Germans or French are asked the same
questions about whether it’s within all of our power to get ahead, or whether
our success is really determined by forces outside our control, most German
and French respondents say, ‘Success is really beyond our control.’ “
In the wake of the recession, that sentiment is now growing in this country. “I think the American Dream for the
average man doesn’t exist any more,” retiree Linden Strandberg says… “I wasn’t smart enough to go to college, so
I wanted to get a steady job with decent pay,” he says. “With my overtime I was able to buy a house, take trips to
Europe and visit relatives there. I don’t think a young person — woman or man — coming out of high school now
could ever achieve that.” Economic statistics validate those feelings. According to the Census Bureau, an average
man working full time made 10 percent less money last year than he did a decade ago.
In 1931, author James Adam wrote a book that he originally gave the title The American Dream. Yet the underlying
themes had been bubbling up through the American psyche for much longer. The American motifs of growth and
optimism even stretch back as far as the Constitutional Convention. “The chair in which Washington sat had a
sun, and the question was asked, is it rising or setting?” White says. “And the framers answered that question by
saying it’s a rising sun.”
At that time, the American Dream was not available to everyone in the country. Black people were kept as slaves.
Women were not allowed to vote or own property. The story of the 20th century is one of the American Dream
gradually being extended to more of the population.
Yet faith in the American Dream is faltering, especially among the poor, says Dimock. “Lower income whites and
lower income African-Americans are more skeptical about the American Dream. Higher income blacks are pretty
optimistic about the American Dream, as are higher income whites.” As cynical as this may seem, the numbers
suggest that the people most likely to believe in the American Dream today are those who’ve already attained it.
Which of the following sentences states the most important claim about the current state of the American Dream
as described in the text?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The American Dream continues to be a major draw for immigrants coming to the United States.
The American Dream is no longer as easy to achieve as it was during the 20th century.
Access to the American Dream has grown since President Obama’s election as President.
People’s belief in the American Dream is not connected to how much money they make.
Which quote from the text below best supports the response you chose to the question above?
a. “With my overtime I was able to buy a house, take trips to Europe and visit relatives there. I don’t think a young
person — woman or man — coming out of high school now could ever achieve that.”
b. “When Germans or French are asked the same questions about whether it’s within all of our power to get ahead,
or whether our success is really determined by forces outside our control, most German and French respondents
say, ‘Success is really beyond our control.’”
c. “The chair in which Washington sat had a sun, and the question was asked, is it rising or setting?” White says.
“And the framers answered that question by saying it’s a rising sun.”
d. The story of the 20th century is one of the American Dream gradually being extended to more of the population.
Reading Standard 2 and Next Generation Assessments
De
Sample Close Reading Questions Applied to Graham, “An Athlete of God”
I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing, or to learn to live by
practicing living, the principles are the same. In each, it is the performance of a dedicated, precise set of acts, physical
or intellectual, from which come shape of achievement, the sense of one’s being, the satisfaction of spirit. One becomes
in some area an athlete of God. Practice means to perform over and over again, in the face of all obstacles, some act of
vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.
• Standard 2: Explain what Graham claims is valuable about practicing something. Put her description of
what it is to practice into your own words.
• Standard 1: What is implied by Graham by this sentence: “Practice is a means of inviting the perfection
desired.”?
I think the reason dance has held such an ageless magic for the world is that it has been the symbol of the performance
of living. Many times, I hear the phrase, “the dance of life.” It is close to me for a very simple and understandable
reason. The instrument through which the dance speaks is also the instrument through which life is lived: the human
body. It is the instrument by which all the primaries of experience are made manifest. It holds in its memory all matters
of life and death and love.
• Standard 4: What clues from the paragraph best help the reader understand the phrase “primaries of
experience”?
• Standard 1: What evidence does Graham offer that dance is so close to life itself?
Dancing appears glamorous, easy, delightful. But the path to the paradise of that achievement is not easier than any
other. There is fatigue so great that the body cries even in its sleep. There are times of complete frustration. There are
daily small deaths. Then, I need all the comfort that practice has stored in my memory and the tenacity of faith. But it
must be the kind of faith that Abraham had, wherein he “staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief.”
• Standard 8: What reasoning from the text best supports Graham’s claim that dance is a not what it
appears to be?
• Standard 1: Trace how Graham develops her sense of the kind of faith Abraham had when she said he
“staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief.”
It takes about ten years to make a mature dancer. The training is twofold. There is the study and practice of the craft in
order to strengthen the muscular structure of the body. The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in time, trusted.
The movement becomes clean, precise, eloquent, truthful. Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the
soul’s weather to all who can read it. This might be called the law of the dancer’s life, the law which governs its outer
aspects.
• Standard 9: What key conclusion can be made by comparing Graham’s thoughts in the fourth paragraph
on what is required in order to become a “mature dancer” with the reading on grandmasters in chess?
• Standard 1: A barometer measures air pressure, a key to understanding weather patterns. What does
Graham argue is equivalent to the barometer in her art?
Then, there is the cultivation of the being. It is through this that the legends of the soul’s journey are retold with all
their gaiety and their tragedy and the bitterness and sweetness of living. It is at this point that the sweep of life catches
up the mere personality of the performer, and while the individual—the undivided one—becomes greater, the personal
becomes less personal. And there is grace. I mean the grace resulting from faith…faith in life, in love, in people, in the
act of dancing. All this is necessary to any performance in life which is magnetic, powerful, rich in meaning.
• Standard 3: How does Graham develop the connection between dance and spirituality throughout the text?
• Standard 5: Spell out the steps in the process Graham identifies for becoming a mature dancer.
Close Reading Exemplar Based on Assessment Examples for Reading Standards Page 1
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Close Reading Exemplar Based on
Assessment Examples for Reading Standards
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In a dancer there is a reverence for such forgotten things as the miracle of the small beautiful bones and their delicate
strength. In a thinker there is a reverence for the beauty of the alert and directed and lucid mind. In all of us who
perform, there is an awareness of the smile, which is part of the equipment, or gift, of the acrobat. We have all walked
the high wire of circumstance at times. We recognize the gravity of pull on the Earth as he does. The smile is there
because he is practicing living at that instant of danger. He does not choose to fall.
• Standard 4: What does Graham mean when she uses the word “reverence”? What other synonyms
might she have used?
• Standard 6: Identify a passage from the text that illustrates the perspective of Graham, the perspective
of Abraham, and the perspective of the acrobat. Explain the similarities and differences among them.
Close Reading Exemplar Based on Assessment Examples for Reading Standards Page 2
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CCSS Aligned Question Stems
pat
ghe
Introduction to Aligned Text Dependent Question Stems
While these stems are written in the form of a selected response question (e.g. “Which of the following
sentences best…”), this opening could be cut from the prompt to generate an open ended response for classroom
discussion or written work (e.g. “State an important claim about...”).
In addition, several of these stems could be turned into a two part question, with Part B asking a variation
on this follow-up question: “Select the best piece of evidence/three pieces of evidence from the following
excerpts that support your response to Part A.”
When writing their own questions teachers should be attuned to the “spirit” versus the “letter” of the question
stems below and modify them accordingly to fit the situation and text under investigation.
Standard R2: Theme/Central Idea in a Text
“Which of the following sentences best states an important claim about [theme/central idea] as described
in ______________ ?”
“Identify the claim about __________ that is most supported by the evidence within __________.”
“Which of the following sentences best reflects __________’s ideas about __________ as explained
in __________?”
“Choose the main idea/theme that is supported by the most relevant and sufficient evidence
within __________.”
“Select the claim that is supported by the most relevant and sufficient evidence within __________.”
“Which of the following sentences is the best/most accurate summary of paragraph/section X?”
Standard R3: Development of Events and Ideas in a Text
“Which sentence best explains how [event/character X] shapes or alters the [key idea/plot/actions of a
character] in the text?”
“Which of the following sentences describes how ____________
of ________________?”
changed the reader’s understanding
“Choose the sentence that best describes how event/individual/idea X is explained over the course of the text.”
“Which of the following explanations best matches the textual evidence about __________?”
“Which of the following answers lists the plot/events/steps in the correct order?”
“From the choices below select the next step in process/event X.”
Question Stems
Page 1
Standard R4: Meaning of Words and Phrases in a Text
“What does the word __________ mean in the context it appears in the paragraph/text?”
“What explanation best describes the impact the word/phrase __________ has on the author’s key ideas/
claims/themes?”
“What does the word/phrase __________ in paragraph __________ indicate about __________?”
Standard R5: Text Structure
“Which of the following sentences best explains how section X of the text relates to section Y / the whole of
the text?”
“Which sentence/section of the text describing idea X most clearly addresses issue Y?”
“Which sentence/section of the text most clearly advances the analysis of __________ about topic Y?”
“The chronological/cause and effect/examples/comparison organization of the text is most clearly found in
which sentence/section of the text below?”
“Which sentence in paragraph X/which paragraph in section Y most clearly explains key idea Z?”
Standard R6: Point of View in a Text or Texts
“Which of the following descriptions/pieces of evidence from the text most strongly shows the author’s point
of view / purpose?”
“Which of the answers below best explains how the author’s description of ________ had on the key claims/
ideas/argument/explanation of the text?”
“What is the primary impact of the authors’ differing points of view / purposes/reasoning/choice of evidence
about __________ on the claim that __________?”
“Which of the following sentences/pairs of sentences reflects the authors’ differing points of view / purposes
about __________ ?
Standard R7: Comparing Different Media in a Text
“Which of the following answers best describes the information found in/added by the chart/graph/map/
image?”
“Which sentence below best explains the relationship between the chart/graph/map/image and the author’s
main ideas/claims/argument/explanation?”
“What is the best explanation below for how the chart/graph/map/image shapes or augments the author’s
main ideas/claims/argument/explanation?”
“What conclusion can be drawn from evaluating the multiple sources (including media sources) of information
on the topic?”
“Which document most effectively provides information to address the question/solve the problem
around __________?”
Question Stems
Page 2
Standard R8: Argument and Reasoning in a Text (for informational text only)
“Based on the text, which of the following is a fact rather than an opinion/reasoned judgment/inference?”
“Which of the following is not a step in the argument about _________ found in section _______________ of
the text?”
“What piece of evidence most strongly supports the author’s claim that __________?”
“What additional information or evidence would most strongly corroborate/support [or challenge/disrupt]
the author’s reasoning in support of the claim that __________?”
Standard R9: Compare and Contrast Themes and Topics in Two or More Texts
“What key conclusion about the topic / text can be made from comparing ________ with _____________ ?”
“What is the conclusion with the most support when comparing and contrasting the evidence from the
documents __________, __________ and __________?”
“What is the best description of how [primary text] relates to [secondary text]?”
“What is the strongest conclusion that can be drawn by the contrasting interpretations or presentations of
information about topic X in the documents __________ and __________?”
Question Stems
Page 3
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Else Holmelund Minarik’s
“Birthday Soup” from Little Bear
Next, Duck comes in. “Happy Birthday, Little bear,”
says Duck. “My, something smells good. Is it in the big
black pot?”
“Thank you, Duck,” says Little Bear. “Yes, I am making
Birthday Soup. Will you stay and have some with us?”
“Thank you, yes, thank you,” says Duck. And she sits
down to wait.
Next, Cat comes in.
“Happy Birthday, Little Bear,” he says.
“Thank you, Cat,” says Little Bear. “I hope you like
Birthday Soup. I am making Birthday Soup.
“Mother Bear, Mother Bear, Where are you?” calls
Little Bear.
Cat says, “Can you really cook? If you can really make
it, I will eat it.”
“Oh, dear, Mother Bear is not here, and today is my
birthday.
“Good,” says Little Bear. “The Birthday Soup is hot, so
we must eat it now. We cannot wait for Mother Bear. I
do not know where she is.”
“I think my friends will come, but I do not see a birthday
cake. My goodness – no birthday cake. What can I do?
The pot is by the fire. The water in the pot is hot. If I put
something in the water, I can make Birthday Soup. All
myfriends like soup.
Let me see what we have. We have carrots and potatoes,
peas and tomatoes; I can make soup with carrots,
potatoes, peas and tomatoes.”
So Little Bear begins to make soup in the big black pot.
First, Hen comes in. “Happy Birthday, Little Bear,” she
says.
“Thank you, Hen,” says Little Bear.
Hen says, “My! Something smells good here. Is it in the
big black pot?”
“Yes,” says Little Bear, “I am making Birthday Soup.
Will you stay and have some?”
“Oh, yes, thank you,” says Hen. And she sits down to
wait.
Else Holmelund Minarik’s “Birthday Soup” from Little Bear
“Now, here is some soup for you, Hen,” says Little Bear.
“And here is some soup for you, Duck, and here is some
soup for you, Cat, and here is some soup for me. Now we
can all have some Birthday Soup.”
Cat sees Mother Bear at the door, and says, “Wait, Little
Bear. Do not eat yet. Shut your eyes, and say one, two,
three.”
Little Bear shuts his eyes and says, “One, two, three.”
Mother Bear comes in with a big cake.
“Now, look,” says Cat.
“Oh, Mother Bear,” says Little Bear, “what a big
beautiful Birthday Cake! Birthday Soup is good to eat,
but not as good as Birthday Cake. I am so happy you did
not forget.”
“Yes, Happy Birthday, Little Bear!” says Mother Bear.
“This Birthday Cake is a surprise for you. I never did
forget your birthday, and I never will.”
Page 1
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Text Dependent Question Types: K-2 Focus
Below are nine different question types that map the domain of possible text dependent questions and model the kinds of information a close reading of the text should uncover.
“Right There” Questions
Ask for explicit information drawn from the text
itself: “What day is it? Why is it a special day for Little
Bear?” “What does Mother Bear bring home?”
Text Structure Questions
Else Holmelund Minarik,
“Birthday Soup” from Little Bear
“Mother Bear, Mother Bear, Where are you?”
calls Little Bear.
“Oh, dear, Mother Bear is not here, and today is
my birthday...”
Look at how the text and its component parts are
arranged: “Little Bear is pictured standing next to what
each time a friend arrives at his party?” “When his
mother arrives home what does Little Bear do?”
Solicit conclusions that stem from evidence within
the text but not explicitly stated: “Each of Little
Bear’s friends brings him a present. What does he do
with the presents?” “Why wasn’t Mother Bear home?
What was Mother Bear doing when Little Bear was
cooking Birthday Soup?”
Organizing Questions
Examine the text and sort information based
on relevant criteria: “What are the ingredients of
Birthday Soup? How do the pictures help explain what
goes in the soup?” “When is it time to eat Birthday
Soup? How does Little Bear know the soup is ready?”
Academic Vocabulary
& Key Phrases Questions
Focus on how specific word choices contribute
to the meaning of the text: “How does the context
of the story help explain what is meant by the word
surprise?” “Based on the picture when the duck arrives,
what is the meaning of the word smells?” “What words
and phrases from the story help the reader understand
the meaning of wait?”
Clarification Questions
Inferential Questions
Sequence Questions
Identify and analyze the steps in an explanation or
argument: “What is the order that Little Bear’s friends
arrive? What words signal the order they arrive?”
“What happens next in the story after Little Bear brings
Birthday Soup to the table?”
Paraphrasing Questions
Purpose Questions
Ask for further explanation of particular portions
of the text: “Who is telling the story? The narrator or
Little Bear?” “Cat asks Little Bear something different
from what Hen and Duck ask? What is it that Cat
asks?”
Request condensed summaries of particular
passages: “Recap how Little Bear’s friends greet him
and what he says in reply each time.” “Retell the story
of Little Bear and his Birthday Soup using the words
beginning, middle, and end.”
Investigate the text’s function and deeper
meaning: “What lesson does Little Bear learn about
Mother Bear? What clues are there in the book about
this lesson?” “What is Little Bear’s reaction to there
being no birthday cake? What message is the author
trying to send by his reaction?”
Performance Task: Ask students to utilize
the evidence they have collected answering
Text Dependent Questions to fashion either a
narrative response or an opinion aligned with
Writing Standards 2 & 3: Through a combination
of drawing, dictating, and writing, ask students
to use what they have learned from their close
reading of “Birthday Soup” to insert in the story
another friend visiting Little Bear on his birthday,
using relevant details and words (e.g. finally) to
signal event order; or ask students to use what
they have learned about Little Bear to write an
opinion piece where they name the book, state an
opinion about it, supply a reason for the opinion,
and provide a sense of closure to their writing.”
Developed by David Pook ([email protected])
Text Dependent Question Types
Below are nine different question types that map the domain of possible text dependent questions and model the kinds of information a close reading of the text should uncover.
“Right There” Questions
Inferential Questions
Ask for explicit information drawn from the text itself:
Solicit conclusions that stem from evidence within the text but not explicitly stated:
Text Structure Questions
Look at how the text and its component parts are arranged:
Organizing Questions
Examine the text and sort information based on relevant criteria:
Sequence Questions
Identify and analyze the steps in an explanation or argument:
Academic Vocabulary & Key Phrases Questions
Focus on how specific word choices contribute to the meaning of the text:
Clarification Questions
Ask for further explanation of particular portions of the text:
Purpose Questions
Paraphrasing Questions
Investigate the text’s function and deeper meaning:
Request condensed summaries of particular passages:
Developed by David Pook ([email protected])
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From Linda R. Monk’s The Words We Live By:
Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
Preamble to the United States Constitution
Preamble
We, the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect
Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for
the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the
Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and
establish this Constitution of the United States of America.
From The Words We Live By
The first three words of the Constitution are the most important.
They clearly state that the people—not the king, not the legislature,
not the courts—are the true rulers in American government. This
principle is known as popular sovereignty.
Grade Band:
9-10
But who are “We the People”? This question troubled the nation
for centuries. As Lucy Stone, one of America’s first advocates for
women’s rights, asked in 1853, “‘We the People’? Which ‘We the
People’? The women were not included.”
Neither were white males who did not own property, American Indians, or African Americans—slave or free.
Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American on the Supreme Court, described the limitation:
For a sense of the evolving nature of the Constitution, we need look no further than the first three words of the
document’s preamble: ‘We the People.’ When the Founding Fathers used this phrase in 1787, they did not have
in mind the majority of America’s citizens . . . The men who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 could not . . . have
imagined, nor would they have accepted, that the document they were drafting would one day be construed by a
Supreme court to which had been appointed a woman and the descendant of an African slave.
Through the Amendment process, more and more Americans were eventually included in the Constitution’s
definition of “We the People.” After the Civil War, the Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery, the Fourteenth
Amendment gave African Americans citizenship, and the Fifteenth Amendment gave black men the vote. In 1920,
the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote nationwide, and in 1971, the Twenty-sixth Amendment
extended suffrage to eighteen-year-olds.
Appendix B of the CCSS: From Linda R. Monk’s The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
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Close Reading Exemplar Checklist
‰‰ Citation for Complex Text(s) under Investigation: State the author(s) and text(s) under investigation.
‰‰ Goals for the Lesson: While there’s no right answer to the age-old debate between designing the exemplar
with the end in mind versus finding one’s way to the core understanding the lesson is supposed to impart,
briefly articulating the ultimate goals of the lesson within the exemplar is helpful in order to analyze whether
the questions and tasks students are asked to answer and perform will actually lead to this conclusion.
‰‰ Connection to the CCSS: In similar fashion, regardless of whether particular standards were intentionally
targeted at the outset of the design process or whether identifying the standards that were covered emerged
organically after the exemplar was complete, the principle CCS Standards stressed within the lesson should
be highlighted and their role within the exemplar briefly explained.
‰‰ Days for the Lesson: Close Reading Exemplars depart most dramatically from other typical lessons in the
amount of time devoted to unpacking a relatively small volume of actual text. For close reading exemplars to
be successful teachers and students must patiently examine complex texts to allow their full meaning to be
explored.
‰‰ Full Text of the Reading Selection: Close reading exemplars present the full text of the reading selection
with academic vocabulary whose meaning cannot be determined from context defined in the margin in a
student friendly fashion.
Daily Lesson Structure: Each day of the lesson should include the following elements:
‰‰ Present the day’s portion of the text (with non-context dependent academic vocabulary glossed in the
margin) for reading and re-reading to improve fluency and expose all students to the text. Teachers can
decide whether the first reading is silent and the second out loud or if students should first hear the text
and then silently grapple with it on their own.
‰‰ Spell out a series of text-dependent questions and tasks for students to answer and perform (tasks could
include paraphrasing, creating their own text-dependent questions, etc). These discussion and writing
based activities, be they whole class, in small groups or pairs, or even individually based, should be geared
towards providing students a rich grounding in the text to further their understanding.
‰‰ Assign formative (or on the last day cumulative) writing assessments that asks students to report what they
have learned that day or synthesize evidence and ideas from the lesson to come to a deeper understanding
of the text. The assessment can be expository, argumentative, even narrative, but should demonstrate the
student’s critical command of the material read and discussed.
‰‰ Extension Activities: Close reading exemplars typically offer additional student enrichment, support, and
content materials that relate to the text under study but are not central to understanding it. These optional
activities explore tangents and avenues that are perhaps only hinted at in the primary text selection which
nevertheless would further serve to deepen student learning through the prism of one or more of the CCS
standards.
Close Reading Exemplar Checklist
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8th Grade ELA Writing Exemplar: Linda R. Monk’s
Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
Learning Objective: The goal of this one to two day exemplar is to give students the opportunity to observe the dynamic nature of the Constitution through the
close reading and writing habits they’ve been practicing. By reading and rereading the passage closely, and focusing their reading through a series of questions and
discussion about the text, students will explore the questions Monk raises and perhaps even pursue additional avenues of inquiry. When combined with writing
about the passage, not only will students form a deeper appreciation of Monk’s argument and the value of struggling with complex text, but of the Preamble of the
Constitution itself.
Reading Task: Rereading is deliberately built into the instructional unit. Students will silently read the passage in question on a given day—first independently
and then following along with the text as the teacher and/or skillful students read aloud. Depending on the difficulties of a given text and the teacher’s
knowledge of the fluency abilities of students, the order of the student silent read and the teacher reading aloud with students following might be reversed. What
is important is to allow all students to interact with challenging text on their own as frequently and independently as possible. Students will then reread specific
passages in response to a set of concise, text-dependent questions that compel them to examine the meaning and structure of Monk’s argument.
Vocabulary Task: Most of the meanings of words in this selection can be discovered from careful reading of the context in which they appear. Where it
is judged this is not possible, underlined words are defined briefly for students in a separate column whenever the original text is reproduced. At times, this
is all the support these words need. At other times, particularly with abstract words, teachers will need to spend more time explaining and discussing these
words. Teachers can use discussions to model and reinforce how to learn vocabulary from contextual clues. Students must be held accountable for engaging
in this practice. In addition, for subsequent readings, high value academic (‘Tier Two’) words have been bolded to draw attention to them. Given how crucial
vocabulary knowledge is to students’ academic and career success, it is essential that these high value words be discussed and lingered over during the
instructional sequence.
Sentence Syntax Task: On occasion students will encounter particularly difficult sentences to decode. Teachers should engage in a close examination of
such sentences to help students discover how they are built and how they convey meaning. While many questions addressing important aspects of the text
double as questions about syntax, students should receive regular supported practice in deciphering complex sentences. It is crucial that the help they receive
in unpacking text complexity focuses both on the precise meaning of what the author is saying and why the author might have constructed the sentence in
this particular fashion. That practice will in turn support students’ ability to unpack meaning from syntactically complex sentences they encounter in future
reading.
Discussion Task: Students will discuss the passage in depth with their teacher and their classmates, performing activities that result in a close reading of
Monk’s text. The goal is to foster student confidence when encountering complex text and to reinforce the skills they have acquired regarding how to build and
extend their understanding of a text. A general principle is to always reread the portion of text that provides evidence for the question under discussion. This
gives students another encounter with the text, reinforces the use of text evidence, and helps develop fluency.
Writing Task: Students will paraphrase Thurgood Marshall’s quote and then write an explanation of Monk’s text in response to one of three prompts.
Teachers might afford students the opportunity to rewrite their explanation or revise their in-class paraphrase after participating in classroom discussion,
allowing them to refashion both their understanding of the text and their expression of that understanding.
Close Reading Exemplar for Linda R. Monk’s Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
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Text Selection: This selection, taken from Appendix B of the CCSS, while brief, allows for an in-depth investigation into three of the most highly charged words
in the Constitution and offers a capsule history of the dramatic and sweeping changes to how the phrase “We the People” has been interpreted over the years.
Rich both in meaning and vocabulary, not only does the excerpt from Monk’s text validate the close reading approach, but it also presents a focused and concise
opportunity that students in both ELA and history classrooms will find engaging.
Outline of Lesson Plan: This lesson can be delivered in one or two days of instruction and reflection on the part of students and their teacher, with the possibility
of adding additional days of instruction (see Appendix A) or an additional day devoted to peer review and revision of the culminating writing assignment.
Standards Covered: The following Common Core State Standards are the focus of this exemplar: RI.8.1-3, RI.8.5, RI.8.6; W.8.2, W.8.4, W.8.9.
Close Reading Exemplar for Linda R. Monk’s Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
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The Text: Linda R. Monk’s
Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
The Text: Monk, Linda R. Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
Exemplar Text
From “The Preamble: We the People”
The first three words of the Constitution are the most important. They clearly state that
the people—not the king, not the legislature, not the courts—are the true rulers in
American government. This principle is known as popular sovereignty.
But who are “We the People”? This question troubled the nation for centuries. As Lucy
Stone, one of America’s first advocates for women’s rights, asked in 1853, “‘We the
People’? Which ‘We the People’? The women were not included.” Neither were white
males who did not own property, American Indians, or African Americans—slave or
free. Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American on the Supreme Court,
described the limitation:
for a sense of the evolving nature of the constitution, we need look no
further than the first three words of the document’s preamble: ‘we the
people.’ when the founding fathers used this phrase in 1787, they did not
have in mind the majority of America’s citizens . . . the men who gathered
in Philadelphia in 1787 could not... have imagined, nor would they have
accepted, that the document they were drafting would one day be
construed by a Supreme Court to which had been appointed a woman
and the descendant of an African slave.
Through the Amendment process, more and more Americans were eventually included
in the Constitution’s definition of “We the People.” After the Civil War, the Thirteenth
Amendment ended slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment gave African Americans
citizenship, and the Fifteenth Amendment gave black men the vote. In 1920, the
Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote nationwide, and in 1971, the
Twenty-sixth Amendment extended suffrage to eighteen-year-olds.
Close Reading Exemplar for Linda R. Monk’s Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
3
Vocabulary
Elected body that creates laws
interpreted
formal change to a legal
contract
membership in a state or nation
with rights, privileges, and
duties
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Day One: Instructional Exemplar for Monk’s Words We Live By
Summary of Activities
1. Teacher introduces the day’s passage with minimal commentary and students read it independently.
2. Teacher then reads the passage out loud to the class and students follow along in the text.
3. Teacher asks the class a small set of guiding questions and tasks about the passage in question.
4. Teacher assigns homework that asks students to write an analysis of Monk’s passage.
Directions for Teachers/Guiding Questions For
Students
Text under Discussion
The first three words of the Constitution are the most important. They
clearly state that the people—not the king, not the legislature, not the
courts—are the true rulers in American government. This principle is
known as popular sovereignty.
But who are “We the People”? This question troubled the nation for
centuries. As Lucy Stone, one of America’s first advocates for women’s
rights, asked in 1853, “‘We the People’? Which ‘We the People’? The
women were not included.” Neither were white males who did not own
property, American Indians, or African Americans—slave or free. Justice
Thurgood Marshall, the first African American on the Supreme Court,
described the limitation:
for a sense of the evolving nature of the constitution, we
need look no further than the first three words of the
document’s preamble: ‘we the people.’ when the founding
fathers used this phrase in 1787, they did not have in mind
the majority of America’s citizens . . . the men who gathered
in Philadelphia in 1787 could not... have imagined, nor
would they have accepted, that the document they were
drafting would one day be construed by a Supreme Court to
which had been appointed a woman and the descendant of
an African slave.
Through the Amendment process, more and more Americans were
eventually included in the Constitution’s definition of “We the People.”
After the Civil War, the Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery, the
Fourteenth Amendment gave African Americans citizenship, and the
Fifteenth Amendment gave black men the vote. In 1920, the Nineteenth
Amendment gave women the right to vote nationwide, and in 1971, the
Twenty-sixth Amendment extended suffrage to eighteen-year-olds.
Elected body
that creates
laws
interpreted
formal
change to a
legal
contract
membership
in a state or
nation with
rights,
privileges,
and duties
1. Introduce the text and students read independently
Other than giving the brief definitions offered to words
students would likely not be able to define from context
(underlined in the text), avoid giving any background
context or instructional guidance at the outset of the lesson
while students are reading the text silently. This close
reading approach forces students to rely exclusively on the
text instead of privileging background knowledge and
levels the playing field for all students as they seek to
comprehend Monk’s argument. It is critical to cultivating
independence and creating a culture of close reading that
students initially grapple with rich texts like Monk’s
passage without the aid of prefatory material, extensive
notes, or even teacher explanations.
2. Read the passage out loud as students follow along
Asking students to listen to Words We Live By exposes
students a second time to the content and structure of her
argument before they begin their own close reading of the
text. Speaking clearly and carefully will allow students to
follow the shape of Monk’s argument, and reading out
loud with students following along improves fluency while
offering all students access to this complex text. Accurate
and skillful modeling of the reading provides students who
may be dysfluent with accurate pronunciations and
syntactic patterns of English.
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Close Reading Exemplar for Linda R. Monk’s Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
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Text under Discussion
The first three words of the Constitution are the most
important. They clearly state that the people—not
the king, not the legislature, not the courts—are the
true rulers in American government. This principle
is known as popular sovereignty.
But who are “We the People”? This question
troubled the nation for centuries. As Lucy Stone, one
of America’s first advocates for women’s rights,
asked in 1853, “‘We the People’? Which ‘We the
People’? The women were not included.” Neither
were white males who did not own property,
American Indians, or African Americans—slave or
free.
Directions for Teachers/Guiding Questions For Students
Elected
body that
creates
laws
3. Ask the class to answer a small set of text-dependent guided questions
and perform targeted tasks about the passage, with answers in the form
of notes, annotations to the text, or more formal responses as
appropriate.
As students move through these questions, and reread Monk’s text, be
sure to check for and reinforce their understanding of academic
vocabulary in the corresponding text (which will be boldfaced the first
time it appears in the text). At times, the questions may focus on
academic vocabulary.
(Q1) What is (and isn’t) the meaning of “popular sovereignty”? Why
does Monk claim that this is the form of government in America?
These are fairly straightforward questions for students to answer but must
be grasped to understand the remainder of Monk’s analysis. The second
question requires students to infer that the first three words of the
Constitution refer to the doctrine of popular sovereignty, and perceptive
students will be able to connect the title of the chapter and/or the opening
of the second paragraph to the Constitution’s Preamble.
(Q2) Is Lucy Stone confused when she asks “Which ‘We the People’?”
Why does Monk say this question has “troubled the nation”?
Students need to be able to discern that Stone is not confused but rather
critical of the seemingly all-embracing phrase “We the People” when
looked at in the light of America’s history. It is this history that Monk
says is “troubled”. Then it is revealed that the “true rulers in American
Government” did not include women, Native Americans, free blacks,
enslaved African-Americans, or even white males who did not own
property. Students should be able to deduce that those with the vote were
primarily white men with property.
N.B. Assuming this is a part of a unit on government/civics, students
should be familiar with terms like Constitution, Supreme Court, and
Preamble. Given their importance, teachers should still “check-in” with
students and briefly review to help solidify students’ grasp of these
concepts. If it is not, then this reading will serve as a solid introduction to
these essential words.
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Close Reading Exemplar for Linda R. Monk’s Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
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Text under Discussion
Directions for Teachers/Guiding Questions For Students
(Q3) What does the phrase “founding fathers” mean? Why does
Marshall think the founding fathers could not have imagined a
female or black Supreme Court Justice?
This question is a good way to summarize the argument so far as
answering it will drive students back to what was read and
discussed earlier. The correct answer relies on making the
connection between the lack of political rights granted to women
and blacks by the founders—those that wrote the Constitution—
and recognizing Marshall’s point that at the time he was writing
both a female and the descendant of a slave were members of the
Supreme Court—the judicial body that holds the final
interpretation of the Constitution.
Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American on the
Supreme Court, described the limitation:
for a sense of the evolving nature of the
constitution, we need look no further than the first
three words of the document’s preamble: ‘we the
people.’ when the founding fathers used this phrase
in 1787, they did not have in mind the majority of
America’s citizens . . . the men who gathered in
Philadelphia in 1787 could not... have imagined, nor
would they have accepted, that the document they
were drafting would one day be construed by a
Supreme Court to which had been appointed a
woman and the descendant of an African slave.
interpreted
Having discussed the meaning of Marshall’s quote, ask students to
put his ideas into their own words in a brief two to three sentence
paraphrase, carefully considering sentence structure as they do so.
Insisting that students paraphrase Marshall at this point will
solidify their understanding of Monk’s analysis as well as test
their ability to communicate that understanding fluently in writing.
Teachers should circulate and perform “over the shoulder”
conferences with students to check comprehension and offer
commentary that could lead to on the spot revision of their
“translation” of Marshall’s ideas.
Sidebar: Images of the Supreme Court over the last century
If students are particularly intrigued by the composition of the
Supreme Court, Appendix B includes a series of images of the
justices every forty years starting in 1890, vividly illustrating the
demographic changes the court has undergone.
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Text of “The Preamble: We the People”
Through the Amendment process, more and more Americans
were eventually included in the Constitution’s definition of
“We the People.” After the Civil War, the Thirteenth
Amendment ended slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment gave
African Americans citizenship, and the Fifteenth
Amendment gave black men the vote. In 1920, the
Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote
nationwide, and in 1971, the Twenty-sixth Amendment
extended suffrage to eighteen-year-olds.
Directions for Teachers/Guiding Questions For Students
(Q4) What evidence is there in this paragraph regarding
Marshall’s claim about the “evolving nature of the
constitution”?
This question requires students to methodically cite evidence to
completely answer the question and grasp that the amendment
process changed the meaning of who was included in “the
people.”
formal
change to a
legal
contract
membership
in a state or
nation with
rights,
privileges,
and duties
Sidebar: The Goals of the Constitution
If students are intrigued, teachers can share with students the
text of the Preamble and ask them to identify what the founding
fathers were trying to accomplish in forming a Constitutional
government through popular sovereignty:
Text of the Preamble
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more
perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility,
provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare,
and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our
Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United
States of America.
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Explanatory Writing Assignment: Directions for Teachers and Students / Guidance for Teachers
For homework, write a paragraph length explanation that answers one of the following prompts. Provide evidence from the text in your
response to justify your analysis:
•
•
•
Explain how the notion of who “the people” were has changed over time in America.
How does Thurgood Marshall’s presence on the Supreme Court illustrate the evolution of the constitution?
Analyze Monk’s explanation of the modifications that have been made to the Constitution.
Extension Activity for Day Two: During the next class period, teachers could have students peer review or revise the explanatory writing pieces
they completed for homework.
Teachers might wish to consider the following guidance with regards to evaluating the following prompts:
• Explain how Amendments 13, 14, 15, and 19 have changed the notion of who “the people” were over time in America.
Teachers should look for a logical explanation of the evolution of who has been considered a “person” in the eyes of America over time.
The paragraph could be organized chronologically, noting that at the nation’s founding the creators of the constitution would not “have in
mind the majority of America’s citizens” and primarily saw persons as white males with property. Students should then observe that over
time, however, the notion of “We the People” has grown to include African Americans (through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment), as
well as women with the Nineteenth Amendment. They might invoke Thurgood Marshall’s observation that these two groups, previously
discriminated against, now have representatives on the Supreme Court—the final arbiter of the Constitution’s “We the People.” Students
could end by noting the extension of the franchise to 18 year olds and perhaps point out that the final status of one group mentioned early
on remains unexplained—Native Americans.
•
How does Thurgood Marshall’s presence on the Supreme Court illustrate the evolution of the constitution?
Teachers should look for student essays that address the question asked, i.e. focus on why the fact that Thurgood Marshall is on the
Supreme Court reflects the notion of an evolving constitution. Students might start by explaining that Marshall was “the first African
American on the Supreme Court” and note that at the founding of America “We the People” did not recognize the status of African
Americans “slave or free.” They might go on to explain what is meant by an evolving constitution, citing the fact that “[t]hrough the
amendment process” groups that were earlier not included under the framework of popular sovereignty were now added (in the case of
African Americans, the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments added to the constitution specifically addressed their status), paving the way for
Marshall’s ascension to the court a century later. To round out their essay, they might integrate Marshall’s ironic observation that “[t]he
men who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 could not . . . have imagined . . . that the document they were drafting would one day be
construed by a Supreme Court to which had been appointed . . . the descendant of an African slave.”
•
Analyze Monk’s explanation of the modifications that have been made to the Constitution.
Students might begin their paragraph by observing that Monk begins her analysis noting the significance of the doctrine of popular
sovereignty and how that opens up the question of who “the people” are. Teachers should look for students then to consider the various
causal mechanisms for change to the Constitution, from the role of “advocates for women’s rights” like Lucy Stone to the importance of
trailblazers like Thurgood Marshall, “the first African American on the Supreme Court.” But students should give special emphasis to “the
amendment process” and how through it “more and more Americans were eventually included in the Constitution’s definition of ‘We the
People.’” Students might round out their paragraphs by citing some of the changes to the constitution in the form of various amendments
(e.g. “the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote nationwide”).
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Close Reading Exemplar for Linda R. Monk’s Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
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Appendix A: Additional Instructional Opportunities for
Monk’s Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
If teachers wish to add additional instructional time, they might consider having small groups of students of mixed ability or even individual students pursue
one of these lines of investigation.
1. Although Marshall is right in claiming that the Founding Fathers did not imagine an African-American or a woman serving on the court, they did
envision possible changes to the Constitution and created an amendment process to accommodate such changes. Indeed, right after the Constitution
was written, ten Amendments were passed, commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights. Students could look into the reasons why the Constitution was
altered so soon after it was adopted or pick one of the Amendments in the Bill of Rights and research the history of that particular amendment or a
particular legal case connected with it. (e.g. Gideon v. Wainwright and the Sixth Amendment).
2. The idea of a changing definition of “people” in Monk’s text will intrigue middle school students. They could examine the different “types” of people
at the nation’s founding (immigrants, Native Americans, indentured servants, slaves, etc) and how they have been viewed within a Constitutional
framework. Specific historical events could be used to illuminate the treatment of groups not protected by the constitution, from the Cherokee
Removal to the Chinese Exclusion Act to even the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment.
3. There are many times the Constitution is invoked on both sides of a debate about rights. To reinforce the concept that the U.S. Constitution is a living
document, students could investigate an area of debate where the interpretation of an Amendment or amending the Constitution is central to the
argument and then debate it in class. Some possibilities are gun control, balancing the federal budget, gay marriage, or even the legality of selling
alcohol.
4. Students could select one of the amendments mentioned by Monk that expanded the conception of who “the people” were and research it more in
depth, examining the historical background, the reasons for its adoption, and its effects both intended and otherwise.
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Appendix B: Images of the Justices of the Supreme Court
Fuller Court, 1890
Berger Court, 1970
Taft Court, 1930
Roberts Court, 2010
Close Reading Exemplar for Linda R. Monk’s Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution
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Common Core State Standards for ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the
end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number.
The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latter
providing additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.
Text Types and Purposes*
1.
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant
and sufficient evidence.
2.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
3.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details,
and well-structured event sequences.
Production and Distribution of Writing
4.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
5.
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
6.
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
41
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6-12 | English Language Arts | writing
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7.
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
8.
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each
source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
9.
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for definitions of key writing types.
*
Note on range and content
of student writing
For students, writing is a key means
of asserting and defending claims,
showing what they know about a
subject, and conveying what they
have experienced, imagined, thought,
and felt. To be college- and careerready writers, students must take
task, purpose, and audience into
careful consideration, choosing words,
information, structures, and formats
deliberately. They need to know how
to combine elements of different
kinds of writing—for example, to use
narrative strategies within argument
and explanation within narrative—
to produce complex and nuanced
writing. They need to be able to
use technology strategically when
creating, refining, and collaborating on
writing. They have to become adept
at gathering information, evaluating
sources, and citing material accurately,
reporting findings from their research
and analysis of sources in a clear
and cogent manner. They must have
the flexibility, concentration, and
fluency to produce high-quality firstdraft text under a tight deadline as
well as the capacity to revisit and
make improvements to a piece of
writing over multiple drafts when
circumstances encourage or require it.