2016-2017 Florida Charter School Conference
Developing an Exceptional Language
Arts Curriculum to Meet the LAFS
Presented by PCG Education
November 3, 2016
Walkthrough Tool
Name:
Date:
Observer Name:
Module:
Lesson Number:
INDICATORS
RATING
Students are actively reading, writing or
speaking about the curriculum’s text(s).
Yes
No
Questions and tasks address the text and are
taken from the curriculum.
Yes
No
Students are talking and collaborating with
one another around text.
Yes
No
Students are clearly doing the cognitive work
of the lesson.
Yes
No
The teacher is lecturing.
Yes
No
Students are copying down vocabulary lists or
discussion questions instead of reading and
talking about text.
Yes
No
Students are doing “round robin” or other
whole class oral reading.
Yes
No
EVIDENCE
1
© Copyright Public Consulting Group, Inc.
2016
LESSON 3
Meeting the Main Character
Launching The Lightning Thief (Chapter 1)
Long-Term Targets Addressed (Based on ELA CCSS)
•
I can cite text-based evidence to support an analysis of literary text. (RL.6.1)
•
I can analyze how an author develops a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view. (RL.6.6)
•
I can effectively engage in discussions with diverse partners about sixth-grade topics, texts, and
issues. (SL.6.1)
Supporting Learning Targets
•
I can make inferences about Percy to understand him as the narrator of this story.
•
I can cite evidence from the text when answering questions and discussing Percy’s character in The
Lightning Thief.
•
I can follow our Triad Talk Expectations when I participate in a discussion.
Ongoing Assessment
•
Questions from the Text: Chapter 1
Agenda
1.
Opening
A. Engaging the Reader: Read Aloud of pages 1–4 of The Lightning Thief
B.
2.
Unpacking the Learning Targets and Beginning
Work Time
A. Meeting the Main Character: A Carousel of Quotes from Chapter 1 (15 minutes)
B.
Whole-Group Discussion: What Do We Notice and Wonder about Percy So Far? (5 minutes)
C.
Triad Discussion: Answering Text-Dependent Questions with Evidence (10 minutes)
TEACHER GUIDE • Grade 6 • Module 1 • Unit 1 • Lesson 3
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perpetual license granted to Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound, Inc.
51
3.
Closing and Assessment
A. Exit Ticket: Reflecting on the Learning Targets (5 minutes)
4.
Homework
Do a first-draft read of chapter 2: “Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death.”
Teaching Notes
•
Ideally, students would routinely sit in their triads at the beginning of class. Many discussion,
reading, and writing routines rely on this structure. If the class has another seating chart or routine,
preview each lesson to determine the best time for students to transition to triads (typically at the
start of Work Time).
•
In advance: Create the charts for the “Carousel of Quotes”: one quote per half-sheet of chart paper.
(See Supporting Materials.)
•
In advance: Prepare the quotes for the Carousel, with 10 charts total. Post each quote twice (on
two separate pieces of chart paper). In this way, students can stay in their triads, and not too many
students are clumped around a single chart. Post the 10 charts on the walls around the room.
•
Review: Carousel Brainstorm protocol (Appendix).
Lesson Vocabulary
learning target, annotate, reflect; prophecy, fate, imprisoned, stunning, dreaded, writhing
Materials
•
Triad Talk Expectations Anchor Chart (from Lesson 2)
•
Markers (preferably a different color for each triad)
•
Making Inferences about Percy Anchor Chart (new; teacher-created; see model in Supporting
Materials)
•
Evidence flags (sticky notes: the smallest size available or larger sizes cut into strips; two baggies of
evidence flags per student: one bag for use during class and one bag for use at home)
•
Questions from the Text: Chapter 1: “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher” (one per student)
•
Exit Ticket (one per student)
•
Homework: Purpose for Reading—Chapter 2 (one per student)
Opening
A. Engaging the Reader: Read Aloud of pages 1–4 of The Lightning Thief (5 minutes)
•
52
Read aloud pages 1 to 4 as students follow along in their own copies. Think-Pair-Share: “What is this
chapter mostly about so far?” Listen for such answers as: “It’s mostly about Percy, and how he gets in
TEACHER GUIDE • Grade 6 • Module 1 • Unit 1 • Lesson 3
© Copyright Public Consulting Group, Inc. Created for Public Consulting Group, Inc. by Expeditionary Learning with a
perpetual license granted to Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound, Inc.
trouble a lot,” or “It’s about how Percy is a half-blood and goes to a special school.” Tell students that
they will be returning to look more closely at these pages and reading closely for character during
the lesson today.
Meeting Students’ Needs
Be sure to set clear expectations that students read along silently in their heads as you read the
text aloud. Hearing the text read slowly, fluently, and without interruption or explanation promotes
fluency for students. They are hearing a strong reader read the text aloud with accuracy and
expression and are simultaneously looking at and thinking about the words on the printed page.
B. Unpacking the Learning Targets (5 minutes)
•
Read the learning targets:
•
“I can make inferences about Percy to understand him as the narrator of this story.”
•
“I can cite evidence from the text when answering questions and discussing Percy’s character in
The Lightning Thief.”
•
“I can follow our Triad Talk Expectations when I participate in a discussion.”
•
Ask students to identify important words in the learning targets. Circle the word inference. Explain
that an inference is a thought process a reader has to understand the meaning of text, or even
an image. When you infer, you pay attention to the details in front of you, and you use other
information (from the text or your background knowledge) to mentally fill in the gaps between the
details that are actually said or shown and what the author expects the reader to understand.
•
Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:
•
•
“Now that we know these important words, restate the first learning target in your own words.”
Repeat this process with the second learning target, focusing on the words cite and evidence.
Remind students of the definition of cite as “to quote something” and evidence as “proof.” Tell
students that they will be working a lot with citing evidence in the following lessons.
Meeting Students’ Needs
Reviewing academic vocabulary words benefits all students developing academic language.
Work Time
A. Meeting the Main Character: A Carousel of Quotes from Chapter 1 (15 minutes)
•
Remind students that every time they work with this novel, they will be with their triad. Review with
students the Triad Talk Expectations Anchor Chart.
•
Tell students that they are going to practice their Triad Talk Expectations once again. Inform them
that one effective way to get to know a text is to revisit it multiple times. They have already read
TEACHER GUIDE • Grade 6 • Module 1 • Unit 1 • Lesson 3
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perpetual license granted to Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound, Inc.
53
the first few pages of The Lightning Thief to get the flow of it. Now they are going to look closely at
specific details from those same pages with their triads.
•
Briefly review the Carousel Brainstorm protocol with students. Point out the charts hanging around
the room. Tell them that you have already chosen details for them to analyze, something they will
do independently in the future.
•
Give directions:
1. Discuss with your triads “I Notice” and “I Wonder” about the main character/narrator, Percy
(based on the quote).
2. Write your “notices” and “wonders” on the chart below the quote.
3. When I signal, rotate to the next quote and repeat this process.
•
Tell students that five different quotes are posted around the room, and triads will have 2 minutes
per quote. Consider modeling the direction and expectations for movement.
•
Distribute a different color marker set to each triad. Point out to students that this is to keep
everyone accountable for what they write. Remind students to share the responsibility of writing.
Each group is accountable for at least one “I notice” and “I wonder” per quote.
•
Ask each triad to stand by a separate quote.
•
Begin. Give students 2 minutes at each chart.
•
Circulate and support them in their thinking about the character based on the text. If students are
struggling, do not explain the quote; instead, ask them probing questions, such as: “Why do you
think the narrator uses this word?” or “What does this make you curious about the main character?”
Meeting Students’ Needs
•
Select students may benefit from a set of vocabulary cards for words that cannot be
determined by the context of the quote.
•
Consider providing the quotes ahead of time to select students to provide additional time for
them to formulate ideas and questions.
•
Allowing students to discuss their thinking with their peers before writing helps
scaffold student comprehension of the quote as well as assist with language acquisition
for ELL students.
B. Whole-Group Discussion: What Do We Notice and Wonder about Percy So Far? (5 minutes)
•
Ask students to return to sit with their triads. Focus students as a whole group. Ask:
•
•
54
“What have we learned about Percy Jackson so far?”
As students share, begin the Making Inferences about Percy Anchor Chart. This will help
visual learners make the connection between what the text says and what they can infer about
Percy. Students may initially share superficial facts, such as “He is 12 years old” or “He gets in
trouble a lot.”
TEACHER GUIDE • Grade 6 • Module 1 • Unit 1 • Lesson 3
© Copyright Public Consulting Group, Inc. Created for Public Consulting Group, Inc. by Expeditionary Learning with a
perpetual license granted to Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound, Inc.
•
Explain to students that authors use many methods to help readers get to know the characters and
develop characters’ points of view: actions, dialogue, inner thoughts, and others. If needed, review
the term dialogue (a speech between two people). Point out that when the narrator, or person
telling the story, is also a character in the story, then readers also get to know what that character is
thinking.
•
Push students’ discussion by referring to specific quotes. This may sound like: “When Grover has
to pull Percy back in his seat when Nancy Bobofit is throwing her lunch, what does this action tell
us about Percy?” Listen for such answers as: “He has a short temper” or “He is a protective friend.”
Encourage students to use these quotes to see multiple perspectives of the main character.
Meeting Students’ Needs
Posting sentence starters for discussion gives students an entry point into the discussion as well as
scaffolds toward complete, properly formulated sentences. Consider posting such phrases as: “This
quote made me wonder . . .” and “When I read this, I noticed that . . .”
C. Triad Discussion: Answering Text-Dependent Questions with Evidence (10 minutes)
•
Tell students they now will revisit this section of text, pages 1–4. Point out that this is their third
interaction with the same text: once with you, once through studying details, and now to answer
questions. Explain that rereading is an important practice that all great readers—even adults—do
with complex texts. Each time you revisit a text, you notice new details and make new connections.
•
Distribute one bag of evidence flags to each student. Explain that they will use these to mark
places in the text where they did important thinking, made realizations, or found evidence. Give
directions:
1. Read the questions.
2. Reread pages 1–4, keeping the questions in mind.
3. When you find any evidence, mark that page with an evidence flag.
4. After reading, discuss the questions with your triad.
5. Write the answer to the question in your own words, using a complete sentence.
6. Copy the sentence or two from the text that you are using as evidence for your answer.
•
Distribute Questions from the Text: Chapter 1: “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra
Teacher.”
•
Circulate and support students as they read and discuss these questions. For students who need
more support, consider asking them to read aloud excerpts to you (to gauge their fluency) or asking
why they chose the evidence they did (to gauge comprehension).
•
If students need support in defining the word probation, ask them to use the context to help them
determine the word’s meaning: “If he is more likely to get blamed because he is on probation, what
TEACHER GUIDE • Grade 6 • Module 1 • Unit 1 • Lesson 3
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perpetual license granted to Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound, Inc.
55
does probation likely tell the reader about Percy?” If students still cannot determine the meaning,
tell them that probation means “a period of time to test a person’s behavior, usually after they have
already been in trouble.”
•
After 10 minutes, ask students to remain in their triads but focus as a whole group.
Meeting Students’ Needs
•
Select students will benefit by focusing on a limited number of questions. Consider assigning
these students a specific question within their group, emphasizing the importance of finding
textual evidence. In this case, the quality of the answer is more important than the quantity of
questions answered.
•
For discussion questions, consider providing sentence starters to help students begin.
Examples include: “Percy is the kind of student who . . . ”; “I know this because . . . ”; “Grover gets
bullied because . . . ”; and “My evidence for this is . . . ” Post these sentence starters in a place
visible to all students.
Closing and Assessment
A. Exit Ticket: Reflecting on the Learning Targets (5 minutes)
•
Ask:
•
“How does the author of The Lightning Thief help readers get to know Percy as a character in
chapter 1?”
•
Distribute Exit Tickets, and give students 5 minutes to complete them. Remind students to write in
complete sentences.
•
Preview homework. Distribute a second bag of evidence flags to students. Tell them that this set is
meant for homework and should be kept at their house.
Homework
Do a “first-draft” read of chapter 2: “Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death.” Use Homework: Purpose
for Reading—Chapter 2 to focus your reading. Use your evidence flags to mark the specific areas in the
book that support your answer.
Note: If you are concerned about students being unable to complete the reading assignment at home, plan
an additional reading period later in the day or first thing in the morning. All students should come to expect
that they will use some of the “slushy time” during the day—right before or after lunch, during “down time”
between other tasks, as they enter the classroom in the morning, or just before dismissal—as time for reading
the novel or independent reading. In addition, students likely to need additional support should preread this
novel with support during intervention or other support periods. Prereading with support will allow students
to spend class periods rereading and focusing on evidence.
56
TEACHER GUIDE • Grade 6 • Module 1 • Unit 1 • Lesson 3
© Copyright Public Consulting Group, Inc. Created for Public Consulting Group, Inc. by Expeditionary Learning with a
perpetual license granted to Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound, Inc.
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
Grade 10 • Module 4• Performance
Assessment
Performance Assessment
10.4
*Note: The Performance Assessment has been edited for training purposes
Introduction
In this Performance Assessment, students demonstrate the skills and habits they have practiced
throughout this module as they analyze a range of texts and convey complex ideas through the effective
selection and organization of textual evidence. Students draw on their analyses of central ideas in
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and either E. B. White’s “Death of a Pig” or Niccolò Machiavelli’s The
Prince to write a multi-paragraph response considering how each author develops a nuanced version of
a common central idea, through the use of structure, word choice, character, or rhetoric.
This Performance Assessment is evaluated using the 10.4 Performance Assessment Text Analysis Rubric.
Standards
Assessed Standard(s)
1
RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the
course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details;
provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop
over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the
theme.
RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative
and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or
informal tone).
RL.9-10.5
Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within in it
(e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as
mystery, tension, or surprise.
RI.9-10.2
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text,
including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective
summary of the text.
RI.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices
on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a
newspaper).
RI.9-10.6
Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses
rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
2
DRAFT
Grade 10 • Module 4• Performance
Assessment
W.9-10.2.a-f
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and
information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of
content.
a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important
connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures,
tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions,
concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the
audience’s knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create
cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the
topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and
conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information
or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
W.9-10.9.a,
b
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an author draws on
and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a them or
topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”).
b. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate
the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the
evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning”).
L.9-10.1.a, b
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.
a. Use parallel structure.
b. Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional,
absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey
specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
L.9-10.2.a-c
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
a. Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related
independent clauses.
b. Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.
c. Spell correctly.
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
Grade 10 • Module 4• Performance
Assessment
Prompt
Over the course of this module, you have read Macbeth by William Shakespeare, “Death of a Pig” by E. B.
White, and The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. For this assessment, write a multi-paragraph response to the
following prompt:
Select a central idea common to Macbeth and either White’s “Death of a Pig” or Machiavelli’s The Prince.
Discuss how each author uses structure, character, word choice, and/or rhetoric to develop this common
idea. Explain the nuances in each author’s treatment of the idea.
To answer the prompt, review the texts as well as your notes, annotations, and tools. Refer specifically to
statements you have made about the central ideas of each text and how the author develops those ideas
through the use of structure, specific word or structural choices, and character development or rhetoric.
Participate in a gallery walk and whole-class discussion to review the module texts before identifying their
respective central ideas and which texts to choose as a focus for your response. Next, gather relevant textual
evidence to demonstrate how each author develops a common central idea, including the nuances in each
author’s development of the idea. After drafting a multi-paragraph response to the prompt, engage in the
revision process, to edit and revise your response.
10.4 Module Performance Assessment
Text-Based Response
Your Task: Based on your reading of Macbeth and “Death of a Pig” or The Prince, respond to the following
prompt:
Select a central idea common to Macbeth and either White’s “Death of a Pig” or Machiavelli’s The Prince.
Discuss how each author uses structure, character, word choice, and/or rhetoric to develop this common
idea. Explain the nuances in each author’s treatment of the idea.
Your response will be assessed using the 10.4 Performance Assessment Text Analysis Rubric.
Guidelines
Be sure to:
 Closely read the prompt.
 Organize your ideas and evidence.
 Develop a claim that responds directly to all parts of the prompt.
 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support your analysis.
 Follow the conventions of standard written English.
3
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
Grade 10 • Module 4• Performance
Assessment
High Performance Response
High Performance Response(s)
A High Performance Response should:

Demonstrate how Shakespeare develops a central idea in Macbeth. (See below for examples.)

Demonstrate how White develops a central idea in “Death of a Pig” or demonstrate how Machiavelli
develops a central idea in The Prince. (See below for examples.)

Explain the nuances in each author’s treatment of the central idea. (See below for examples.)
A High Performance Response may include the following evidence in support of a multi-paragraph
analysis. The texts are rich and support multiple central ideas, so High Performance Responses may vary
widely:

White develops the central idea of imbalance and disorder through the structure of a classic tragedy.
White establishes the routine raising and slaughtering of a pig as “a tragedy enacted on most farms
with perfect fidelity to the script” (section 1, paragraph 2), but in this instance, White’s pig sickened
and died, throwing his own life into imbalance and disorder: “the pig's imbalance becomes the
man's, vicariously, and life seems insecure, displaced, transitory” (section 2, paragraph 3). White
continues to draw upon the metaphor of the classic dramatic tragedy to develop the ideas of
imbalance and disorder: “Once in a while something slips—one of the actors goes up in his lines and
the whole performance stumbles and halts” (section 1, paragraph 3). As with a classic dramatic
tragedy, White’s story ends in catharsis. The pig dies, and White is left to ponder “in penitence and in
grief” (section 4, paragraph 6) the brief but powerful imbalance the death of his pig created.

Shakespeare also develops the central idea of disorder and imbalance; however, in Macbeth the
disorder and imbalance are far greater than in White’s essay. Shakespeare uses character
development to advance the central idea of utter imbalance and disorder. In both characters of
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates the steady decline and eventual complete
breakdown of order or balance that is only restored in the end by their deaths. Lady Macbeth first
demonstrates this disorder when she asks the spirits to “unsex” (Act 1.5, line 48) her and fill her
“direst cruelty” (Act 1.5, line 50). These imbalanced requests enable her to kill Duncan and in so
doing act against her nature, so that she is eventually driven to insanity and suicide. Similarly,
Macbeth disrupts the natural order by killing his king: he knows that he is Duncan’s “kinsman and his
subject,” and that both are strong reasons “against the deed [of murder]” (Act 1.7, lines 13–14), but
he breaks these natural bonds and murders Duncan. Like Lady Macbeth, he is maddened by the
murders he commits: he complains of “the torture of the mind” (Act 3.2, line 24) and “restless
ecstasy [madness]” (Act 3.2, line 25) after killing Duncan. Yet he feels compelled to kill more: Lady
Macduff and her children, Banquo, etc., until he is finally killed by Macduff and balance and order are
restored.
OR

4
Machiavelli develops a central idea of appearance versus reality through rhetoric and argument. For
example, he presents the historical example of Alexander VI, who Machiavelli claims, “never did
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
Grade 10 • Module 4• Performance
Assessment
anything else, nor thought about anything else, than to deceive men” (chapter 18, paragraph 5).
Machiavelli argues, “it is not necessary” (chapter 18, paragraph 5) for a prince to be honest and loyal,
“but it is very necessary to appear” (chapter 18, paragraph 5) to have those qualities. He continues:
“[a prince] should appear, upon seeing and hearing him, to be all mercy, all faithfulness, all integrity,
all kindness. All religion. And there is nothing more necessary that to seem to possess this last
quality,” (chapter 18, paragraph 6). Finally, he argues that “men in general judge more by the eyes
than their hands” (chapter 18, paragraph 6), demonstrating that the appearance of a prince’s
behavior is more important than the reality of his actions, because he is more likely to be judged on
his appearance.

In Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates that the duplicity that the Macbeths practice leads to their
own and others’ ruin, not to the security Machiavelli suggests. Before killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth
tells Macbeth to “look like th’ innocent / flower; / But be the serpent under ’t” (Act 1.5, lines 76–78).
The Macbeths appear like welcoming hosts, but are in reality plotting Duncan’s murder. Similarly,
when Macbeth is plotting Banquo’s murder, he tells Lady Macbeth that they must “make [their]
faces vizards to [their] hearts, / Disguising what they are” (Act 3.2, lines 38–39). In other words, they
must appear kind and merciful while in their hearts they are planning their next murders. Machiavelli
predicts that duplicity and judicious cruelty will secure a prince in both “his reputation” and “his
state” (chapter 18, paragraph 6). However, Shakespeare’s tragedy shows that one prince’s duplicity
and cruelty lost him not only his reputation and state, but also his sanity and life.
Process
The Module Performance Assessment encourages students to reconsider each of the three module texts
in order to identify one text to analyze in relation to Macbeth in a multi-paragraph response. In this
module students have had multiple opportunities to examine both the content and craft of fiction and
nonfiction texts; they are now ready to apply what they have learned in an independent analysis.
Students demonstrate their own writing skills in a multi-paragraph essay by selecting and organizing
relevant textual evidence to support their analysis; expressing their own ideas clearly; and building upon
the ideas of others through small group discussions. Finally, students draft, revise, and edit their multiparagraph responses.
5
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
Grade 10 • Module 4• Performance
Assessment
Performance Assessment Synthesis Tool for Students
Text
Macbeth by William
Shakespeare
“Death of a Pig” by E. B.
White
The Prince by Niccolò
Machiavelli
6
Central Idea(s)
Evidence
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
Grade 10 • Module 4• Performance
Assessment
10.4 Performance Assessment Text Analysis Checklist
Content and
Analysis
Does my writing…
✔
Determine a central idea of Macbeth and analyze in detail its development over
the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by
specific details?

(RL.9-10.2)
Determine a central idea of “Death of a Pig” or The Prince and analyze in detail
its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is
shaped and refined by specific details? (RI.9-10.2)

Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact
with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme? (RL.9-10.3)

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text and
analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone?
(RI.9-10.4,
RL.9-10.4)
Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order
events within it, and manipulate time create such effects as mystery, suspense,
and surprise? (RL.9-10.5)

Determine an author’s point of view or purpose and analyze how an author
uses rhetoric to advance the point of view or purpose? (RI.9-10.6)

Command of
Evidence and
Reasoning
Develop the response and support analysis with well-chosen, relevant, and
sufficient textual evidence? (W.9-10.2.b, W.9-10.9.a-b)

Coherence,
Organization,
and Style
Introduce a topic? (W.9-10.2.a)
Control of
Conventions

Organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important
connections and distinctions? (W.9-10.2.a)

Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text,
create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and
concepts? (W.9-10.2.c)

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone, using precise language
and domain-specific vocabulary? (W.9-10.2.d, e)

Provide a concluding statement or section related to the explanation or
analysis? (W.9-10.2.f)

Demonstrate control of the conventions with infrequent errors? (L.9-10.1, L.9-

10.2)
Use parallel structure, various types of phrases, semicolons, and colons
correctly and effectively? (L.9-10.1.a-b, L.9-10.2.a-b)
7
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Critical Elements of ELA
Curriculum Design
Setting the Foundation: Selecting Your Texts
Selecting Your Texts
Questions

Choose Anchor/Central Texts
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
Select texts strategically: where practical, include a
selection of informational and literary texts.
Consider the use of each to build background
knowledge, depth, and engagement.
Determine the quantitative and qualitative complexity
levels of your texts. Ensure there is a range of texts
at different levels, with different elements of
complexity.
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Study the text closely; align texts to specific standards or
“bundles” of literacy standards.


Do all students have access to gradeappropriate complex text?
Have you consulted with your media
specialist(s) to help guide your text(s)?
Do your text selections offer multiple
and diverse perspectives?
Do students carry background
knowledge from other content areas?
Are your texts from reputable sources?
(e.g., Library of Congress, novelny.org,
NY Times)
Do all students have access to text they
can read?
What standards, in addition to reading
standards, do these texts provide an
opportunity to address?
What skills do students need support in
that are not directly connected with
these texts?
LAFS and Instructional Shifts: Selecting the Focus of Instruction
Action
Questions
Read the actual standards closely; unpack them,
paraphrase them, translate them.
How proficient are your students with the
skills outlined in these standards?

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Align the standards to long-term targets
Contextualize the Florida Standards to unit-level
assessments and product/performance
assessments.
The goal is not to cram all the standards into one unit
or lesson; addressing four standards in a lesson
instead of two does not necessarily make it a better

© Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved.
What would mastery of the standards
look like at the end of the course? At the
end of the module? At the end of each
unit? Mid-unit? With the texts you are
considering?
What would be the evidence of
mastery?
Action
Questions
lesson.


Develop an assessment map for the unit/module.
Remember assessments are the structural walls of
the module and unit.


What could the assessments look like?
How would assessments build in
complexity throughout the
lessons/unit/module?
What mastery are my students working
toward?
Texts: Mapping Instruction
Action
Questions
Based on the standards, text, and task, decide when to
move fast and when to go slow:
When students do slow down and reread:



Deeper reading + analytic reading + complex
vocabulary = slowing down.
Know when NOT to go slow: keep close reading in
balance with reading to follow the narrative, volume
of reading, etc.
Routines
 Develop and maintain reading routines: masterful
reads, multiple reads, group, paired and independent
reads, focus on academic vocabulary.
 Develop and maintain high-leverage vocabulary
routines embedded in reading: personal journals,
annotations, tasks that involve use of the acquired
vocabulary.
 Develop and maintain routines to increase student
volume of reading: Students will read independently
and regularly for homework; Accountable
Independent Reading will happen most nights, and
students will quickly develop habits of mind around
this practice.

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

Is the text deep, complex, rich, and
engaging enough for multiple reads?
Are the selections of texts for a closeread worthy of analysis?
Do my routines provide access for all
students to engage?
Are my routines timely and efficient?
Do students take responsibility for their
learning within the routines?
Tasks: Working Backward
Action
Questions
Plan Backwards from a Literacy-rich Performance Task
 Vary your assessments: performance tasks are not
as formal (since heavily scaffolded) as timed-blind
Are the assessments relevant and
meaningful, assessing beyond basic
comprehension of text?
© Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved.
Action

Questions
assessments, but all are critical.
Across the year, strike a balance between large
assessments and performance tasks that tap W.1,
W.2, or W.3 (see Standards and Shifts).
Design Standards-Aligned Assessments to provide the
structure of the lessons, building as they progress
through the unit.
 Backward plan scaffolding (anchor charts, graphic
organizers, and modeling to support mastery).
 Be sure students are taught, practice, and get
feedback on all aspects of a standard before
assessed.
 Include rubrics and prompts that connect directly to
the Florida Standards.

“Writing is not just its own subject – it’s a way to build
and show understanding.”1
 Provide explicit writing instruction and scaffolding
where appropriate.
 Distinguish reading to build content knowledge from
rereading to write.
 Consider Writing Opportunities, Instruction, and
Assessment.
 Create lesson cycles that integrate reading and
writing.
 Develop writing routines around:
o “Types” or “patterns” of lessons that can be
repeated (for efficiencies).
o Types of activities that can be repeated.
o Note-taking.
o Academic writing daily/weekly (i.e., shortconstructed responses, paragraphs, extended
responses).
o Explicit writing instruction and support.

1
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


Joey Hawkins, Vermont Writing Collaborative.
© Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved.
Do the texts I have selected lend
themselves to the assessments I am
creating? (See Passage Selection
Guidelines)
Do the assessments I have created
require students to work with text-based
evidence that is concrete or analytical?
(Do the students have to synthesize?)
If I am not using rubrics from the state
assessments, are my students familiar
with the language of the rubrics?
Do the writing tasks fit the lessons,
units, and modules?
Is the grammar instruction, where
necessary, embedded in content?
Do students ever develop their own
graphic organizers?
Do students work together in various
stages of writing?
Resources
Downloadable Units and Lessons
Engage New York: EngageNY.org Curriculum resources K–12, instructional materials, professional
development materials, and other materials that will help with the transition to the new standards
America Achieves: http://commoncore.americaachieves.org/ Lesson videos illustrating the key shifts,
videos of teachers discussing their lessons, editable lesson plans
Expeditionary Learning: http://commoncoresuccess.elschools.org/ Grades 3–12 ELA, S.S. and Science units
and lessons - curriculum combines standards-aligned content with instructional practice
Read Works (K–12): www.readworks.org
Free Text and Sources
K–5
6–12
Children’s Books Online
http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/
Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/
Free Kids Books
https://freekidsbooks.org/
American Rhetoric
http://www.americanrhetoric.com
Children’s Storybooks
http://www.magickeys.com/books/
Library of Congress Teacher Resources
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/
Storyline Online
http://www.storylineonline.net/
National Science Digital Library
https://nsdl.oercommons.org/
Many Books
http://www.manybooks.org/
Achievement
http://www.achievement.org/
Readworks
http://www.readworks.org/
American Journeys
http://www.americanjourneys.org/
We Give Books
http://www.penguin.com/static/pages/features/wegivebooks/
Readworks
http://www.readworks.org/
Pro and Con
http://www.procon.org/
Text-based Questions
Achieve the Core
http://achievethecore.org/page/46/complete-guide-to-creating-text-dependent-questions
Build Text-Dependent Questions to Facilitate Close Reading of Text
http://jade.marinschools.org/Ed-Services/Common-Core/Documents/HandoutsCombined2-15-13.pdf
Close Reading
Illinois Common Core Teaching and Learning Strategies 6–12 and K–5
http://www.isbe.net/common_core/pdf/ela-teach-strat-read-text-6-12.pdf
http://www.isbe.net/common_core/pdf/ela-teach-strat-read-text-k-5.pdf
Academic Language
Eight Strategies for Teaching Academic Language
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/8-strategies-teaching-academic-language-todd-finley
Writing
Vermont Writing Collaborative
http://www.vermontwritingcollaborative.org/WPDEV/
National Writing Project
http://www.nwp.org/
Just Read Florida FSA Writing Professional Development
http://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/just-read-fl/
Achieve the Core
http://achievethecore.org/page/507/in-common-effective-writing-for-all-students
PCG Education
Florida-based Education Consulting Team
Evan Lefsky, Ph.D.
Manager
[email protected]
Debra Berlin
Senior Associate
[email protected]
Will Gordillo
Senior Associate
[email protected]
Julie McEachin
Senior Associate
[email protected]