Browse FLDOE ELA B.E.S.T. Reading standards and generate passages for any benchmark.
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ELA.K.R.1.1
K
R.1
literary
Describe the main character(s), setting, and important events in a story.
3 clarifications
Clarification 1: In describing the main character, students can describe appearance, actions, feelings, and thoughts of the character. Students will explain what in the text their description is based on.
Clarification 2: For setting, students will discuss where the events of the story are happening. The time element of setting should only be addressed in texts where it is explicitly indicated.
Clarification 3: Descriptions can be oral, either in response to a question or through discussion. 27
Explain the roles of author and illustrator of a story.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Students will explain that the author writes the words and the illustrator creates the pictures, recognizing that sometimes one person does both jobs, as in Dr. Seuss’ Hop on Pop where Dr. Seuss performs both roles.
Clarification 2: Students should also explain that both authors and illustrators contribute to the meaning of the text.
Clarification 1: This benchmark builds on the skills from the phonological awareness benchmark K.F.1.2(b): Identify and produce alliterative and rhyming words. The expectation is that students identify rhyming words in a poem that is read aloud.
Clarification 2: Students will also note where the rhyme is coming, e.g., at the end of a line.
Identify the topic of and multiple details in a text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: The topic is the general subject of the text, a word or a short phrase describing what the text is about. For example, the main topic of the book, Why Should I Recycle?, is recycling.
Explain the difference between opinions and facts about a topic.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Students will explain which statements are fact and which are opinion within a text.
Clarification 2: Students will orally explain that facts are things that a person knows about something and that can be proven true or false. Students will orally explain that opinions are what a person thinks about something, often related to feelings or beliefs. Opinions cannot be proven true or false.
Identify and explain descriptive words in text(s).
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Students will explain examples of descriptive words in text and how they add meaning.
Clarification 2: Students will be introduced to the academic vocabulary word “adjective.” However, students are not expected to use the word independently. Discussion should focus on how the descriptive words add meaning to the text.
Retell a text orally to enhance comprehension: a. Use main character(s), setting, and important events for a story. b. Use topic and details for an informational text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: Most grade-level texts are appropriate for this benchmark.
Compare and contrast characters’ experiences in stories.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: Students will orally compare and contrast the experiences that characters have had, comparing them to those experienced by other characters, in the same story or a different story. Those experiences can be expressed as events, feelings, or behaviors.
Identify and describe the main story elements in a story.
3 clarifications
Clarification 1: Main story elements for the purpose of this benchmark are the setting, characters, and sequence of events of a story.
Clarification 2: In describing the characters, students can describe appearance, actions, feelings, and thoughts of the characters. Students will explain what in the text their description is based on.
Clarification 3: For setting, students will discuss where the events of the story are happening. The time element of setting should only be addressed in texts where it is explicitly indicated.
Clarification 1: This benchmark introduces the moral of a story as a precursor to theme in 2nd grade. A moral is the lesson of a story. During instruction, let students know that not all stories have a lesson by referring to stories read that did not have a moral or a lesson.
Explain who is telling the story using context clues.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: Students will use the term narrator to refer to the speaker telling the story. Students will determine if the narrator is a character in the story or a speaker outside of the story. Students will give reasons why they know who is speaking. 36
Explain similarities and differences between information provided in visuals and words in an informational text.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: When explaining similarities and differences, students will also explain how the visuals and words help the reader make sense of the topic.
Clarification 2: During instruction, give students opportunities to see visual representations of similarities and differences using tools such as Venn diagrams or T-charts.
Identify and explain descriptive words and phrases in text(s).
1 clarification
Clarification 1: Continue to expose students to the academic vocabulary word “adjective.” Discussion should focus on how the descriptive words add meaning to the text.
Retell a text in oral or written form to enhance comprehension. a. Use main story elements at the beginning, middle, and end for a literary text. b. Use topic and important details for an informational text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: Most grade-level texts are appropriate for this benchmark.
Identify plot structure and describe main story elements in a literary text.
3 clarifications
Clarification 1: Main story elements for the purpose of this benchmark are the setting, characters, and sequence of events of a story.
Clarification 2: For setting, students will describe where and when the events of the story are happening. The time element of setting will be addressed even when not explicitly indicated in the text.
Clarification 3: For character, students will describe characters’ traits, feelings, and behaviors.
Identify different characters’ perspectives in a literary text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: The term perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.” The term point of view is used when referring to the person of the narrator. This is to prevent confusion and conflation.
Clarification 1: Students will mark rhyme scheme and recognize rhyme scheme notation. Rhyme scheme notation uses capital letters, starting with A to mark the end of each line, repeating the letter for each line in the poem that rhymes with that line and progressing through the alphabet for each new end rhyme. Lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other. Examples: I never saw a Purple Cow, A Little Miss Muffet A I never hope to see one; B Sat on a tuffet, A But I can tell you, anyhow, A Eating her curds and whey; B I’d rather see than be one! B A l o n g c a me a spider C – Gelett Burgess Who sat down beside her C And frightened Miss Muffet away. B – Traditional Nursery Rhyme
Retell a text to enhance comprehension. a. Use main story elements in a logical sequence for a literary text. b. Use the central idea and relevant details for an informational text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: Most grade-level texts are appropriate for this benchmark.
Explain different characters’ perspectives in a literary text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: The term perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.” The term point of view is used when referring to the person of the narrator. This is to prevent confusion and conflation.
Identify and explain metaphors, personification, and hyperbole in text(s).
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: In addition to the types of figurative language listed in this benchmark, students are still working with types from previous grades such as simile, alliteration, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 2: See Elementary Figurative Language.
Explain a stated or implied theme and how it develops, using details, in a literary text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: An explanation of how the theme develops should include how characters respond to situations and how the speaker reflects upon a topic in a literary text.
Identify the narrator’s point of view and explain the difference between a narrator’s point of view and character perspective in a literary text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: The term perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.” The term point of view is used when referring to the person of the narrator. This is to prevent confusion and conflation.
Explain how figurative language and other poetic elements work together in a poem.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Figurative language for the purposes of this benchmark refers to metaphor, simile, alliteration, personification, hyperbole, imagery, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 2: Poetic elements to be used for the purposes of this benchmark are form, rhyme, meter, line breaks, and imagery.
Track the development of an argument, identifying the specific claim(s), evidence, and reasoning.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: A claim is a statement that asserts something is true. A claim can either be fact or opinion. Claims can be used alone or with other claims to form a larger argument.
Analyze the development of stated or implied theme(s) throughout a literary text.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: For the purposes of this benchmark, theme is not a one- or two-word topic, but a complete thought that communicates the author’s message. See Theme in Glossary.
Clarification 2: Students should be introduced to the concept of universal themes, although mastery isn’t expected until 9th grade. A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include, but are not limited to, an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.
Explain the influence of multiple narrators and/or shifts in point of view in a literary text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: When referring to the person of the narrator, the term point of view is used. Students focused on perspective in 5th grade, so they should differentiate between point of view and perspective when working on this benchmark. 78
Analyze the central idea(s), implied or explicit, and its development throughout a text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: Various types of support could include an author’s use of facts, definitions, concrete details, and/or quotations to develop the central idea(s) in a text.
Track the development of an argument, identifying the types of reasoning used.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning.
Clarification 2: Instruction in types of reasoning will include an introduction to fallacies in reasoning. Fallacies that are related to content, informal fallacies, will be the focus. See Fallacies in Reasoning (Informal).
Explain how figurative language contributes to tone and meaning in text(s).
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 2: See Secondary Figurative Language.
Compare two or more themes and their development throughout a literary text.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: For the purposes of this benchmark, theme is not a one- or two-word topic, but a complete thought that communicates the author’s message.
Clarification 2: Students should continue to work with the concept of universal themes, although mastery isn’t expected until 9th grade. A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include, but are not limited to, an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.
Explain the influence of narrator(s), including unreliable narrator(s), and/or shifts in point of view in a literary text.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: An unreliable narrator is one who lacks credibility. Because all information is being conveyed through this untrustworthy source, readers have to use inferencing to establish what is likely to be true. Narrators can be unreliable for many reasons including purposeful dishonesty, a lack of information or background knowledge about what that information means, mental illness, or self- deception.
Clarification 2: “Shifts in point of view” refers to a change in the narrator’s point of view done for effect. Changes can be in degree and/or person: for example, a shift from third-person limited to third-person omniscient or from first-person limited to third-person limited.
Explain how an author establishes and achieves purpose(s) through diction and syntax.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: This benchmark focuses on the way in which diction (the author’s word choice) and syntax (the way in which an author arranges those words) work together to achieve a purpose.
Track the development of an argument, analyzing the types of reasoning used and their effectiveness.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning.
Clarification 2: Instruction in types of reasoning will include fallacies in reasoning. Fallacies that are related to content, informal fallacies, will be the focus. See Fallacies in Reasoning (Informal).
Analyze how figurative language contributes to tone and meaning and explain examples of allusions in text(s).
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 2: See Secondary Figurative Language.
Analyze two or more themes and their development throughout a literary text.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: For the purposes of this benchmark, theme is not a one- or two-word topic, but a complete thought that communicates the author’s message.
Clarification 2: Students should continue to work with the concept of universal themes, although mastery isn’t expected until 9th grade. A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include, but are not limited to, an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.
Analyze how an author develops and individualizes the perspectives of different characters.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: The term perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.” The term point of view is used when referring to the person of the narrator. This is to prevent confusion and conflation.
Analyze structure, sound, imagery, and figurative language in poetry.
4 clarifications
Clarification 1: Structural elements for this benchmark are form, line length, white space, indention, line breaks, and stanza breaks.
Clarification 2: Sound can be created through the use of end rhyme, internal rhyme, slant rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, repetition, and meter.
Clarification 3: Imagery, as used here, refers to language and description that appeals to the five senses.
Clarification 4: Figurative language types for this benchmark are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Explain how an author establishes and achieves purpose(s) through rhetorical appeals and/or figurative language.
4 clarifications
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 2: Students will explain the appropriateness of appeals in achieving a purpose. In this grade level, students are using and responsible for the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos.
Clarification 3: See Secondary Figurative Language.
Clarification 4: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.
Track the development of an argument, analyzing the types of reasoning used and their effectiveness and identifying ways in which the argument could be improved.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning.
Clarification 2: Instruction in types of reasoning will include an introduction to fallacies in reasoning. Fallacies that are related to content, informal fallacies, will be the focus. See Fallacies in Reasoning (Informal).
Analyze how figurative language contributes to meaning and explain examples of symbolism in text(s).
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 2: See Secondary Figurative Language.
Explain how key elements enhance or add layers of meaning and/or style in a literary text.
3 clarifications
Clarification 1: Key elements of a literary text are setting, plot, characterization, conflict, point of view, theme, and tone.
Clarification 2: For layers of meaning, any methodology or model may be used as long as students understand that text may have multiple layers and that authors use techniques to achieve those layers. A very workable model for looking at layers of meaning is that of I.A. Richards: Layer 1) the literal level, what the words actually mean Layer 2) mood, those feelings that are evoked in the reader Layer 3) tone, the author’s attitude Layer 4) author’s purpose (interpretation of author’s purpose as it is often inferred)
Clarification 3: Style is the way in which the writer uses techniques for effect. It is distinct from meaning, but can be used to make the author’s message more effective. The components of style are diction, syntax, grammar, and use of figurative language. Style helps to create the author’s voice. 104
Analyze universal themes and their development throughout a literary text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include, but are not limited to, an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.
Analyze how multiple text structures and/or features convey a purpose and/or meaning in texts.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Students will analyze the use of the following structures: description, problem/solution, chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and sequence.
Clarification 2: Students will analyze the use of the following features: table of contents, headings, captions, photographs, graphs, charts, illustrations, glossary, footnotes, annotations, and appendices.
Analyze how an author establishes and achieves purpose(s) through rhetorical appeals and/or figurative language.
4 clarifications
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 2: Students will explain the appropriateness of appeals in achieving a purpose. In this grade level, students are using and responsible for the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos.
Clarification 3: See Secondary Figurative Language.
Clarification 4: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.
Explain how figurative language creates mood in text(s).
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 2: See Secondary Figurative Language.
Compare and contrast the ways in which authors have adapted mythical, classical, or religious literary texts.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: The classical source texts for this benchmark should be from ancient Greece or Rome’s Classical period (1200 BCE–455 CE). Mythical texts for this benchmark can be from any civilization’s early history. Religious texts for this benchmark include works such as the Bible.
Analyze how key elements enhance or add layers of meaning and/or style in a literary text.
3 clarifications
Clarification 1: Key elements of a literary text are setting, plot, characterization, conflict, point of view, theme, and tone.
Clarification 2: For layers of meaning, any methodology or model may be used as long as students understand that text may have multiple layers and that authors use techniques to achieve those layers. A very workable model for looking at layers of meaning is that of I.A. Richards: Layer 1) the literal level, what the words actually mean Layer 2) mood, those feelings that are evoked in the reader Layer 3) tone, the author’s attitude Layer 4) author’s purpose (interpretation of author’s purpose as it is often inferred)
Clarification 3: Style is the way in which the writer uses techniques for effect. It is distinct from meaning, but can be used to make the author’s message more effective. The components of style are diction, syntax, grammar, and use of figurative language. Style helps to create the author’s voice.
Analyze and compare universal themes and their development throughout a literary text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include, but are not limited to, an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.
Analyze the impact of multiple text structures and the use of features in text(s).
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Students will evaluate the use of the following structures: description, problem/solution, chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and sequence.
Clarification 2: Students will analyze the use of the following features: table of contents, headings, captions, photographs, graphs, charts, illustrations, glossary, footnotes, annotations, and appendices.
Compare the development of two opposing arguments on the same topic, evaluating the effectiveness and validity of the claims and analyzing the ways in which the authors use the same information to achieve different ends.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: Validity refers to the soundness of the arguments.
Analyze how figurative language creates mood in text(s).
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 2: See Secondary Figurative Language.
Evaluate how key elements enhance or add layers of meaning and/or style in a literary text.
3 clarifications
Clarification 1: Key elements of a literary text are setting, plot, characterization, conflict, point of view, theme, and tone.
Clarification 2: For layers of meaning, any methodology or model may be used as long as students understand that text may have multiple layers and that authors use techniques to achieve those layers. A very workable model for looking at layers of meaning is that of I.A. Richards: Layer 1) the literal level, what the words actually mean Layer 2) mood, those feelings that are evoked in the reader Layer 3) tone, the author’s attitude Layer 4) author’s purpose (interpretation of author’s purpose as it is often inferred)
Clarification 3: Style is the way in which the writer uses techniques for effect. It is distinct from meaning, but can be used to make the author’s message more effective. The components of style are diction, syntax, grammar, and use of figurative language. Style helps to create the author’s voice.
Track and analyze universal themes in literary texts from different times and places.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include, but are not limited to, an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.
Analyze ways in which poetry reflects themes and issues of its time period.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Poetry for this benchmark should be selected from one of the following literary periods. • Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE) • Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE) • Renaissance Period (130–1600) • Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature • Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature • Romantic Period (1790–1870) • Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930) • Modernist Period (1910–1945) • Contemporary Period (1945–present)
Clarification 2: For more information, see Literary Periods.
Clarification 1: Students will evaluate the use of the following structures: description, problem/solution, chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and sequence.
Clarification 2: Students will evaluate the use of the following features: table of contents, headings, captions, photographs, graphs, charts, illustrations, glossary, footnotes, annotations, and appendices.
Compare the development of multiple arguments on the same topic, evaluating the effectiveness and validity of the claims, the authors’ reasoning, and the ways in which the authors use the same information to achieve different ends.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Validity refers to the soundness of the arguments.
Clarification 2: For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning.
Analyze the author’s use of figurative language and explain examples of allegory.
3 clarifications
Clarification 1: Examples of allegory should be taken from the following periods: • Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE) • Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE) • Renaissance Period (1300–1600) • Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature • Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature • Romantic Period (1790–1870) • Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930) • Modernist Period (1910–1945)
Clarification 2: Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 3: See Secondary Figurative Language.
Compare and contrast how contemporaneous authors address related topics, comparing the authors’ use of reasoning and analyzing the texts within the context of the time period.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Contemporaneous authors here refers to authors who are contemporaries of each other, writing within any of the following literary periods: • Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE) • Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE) • Renaissance Period (1300–1600) • Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature • Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature • Romantic Period (1790–1870) • Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930) • Modernist Period (1910–1945)
Clarification 2: For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning.
Evaluate how key elements enhance or add layers of meaning and/or style in a literary text and explain the functional significance of those elements in interpreting the text.
4 clarifications
Clarification 1: Key elements of a literary text are setting, plot, characterization, conflict, point of view, theme, and tone.
Clarification 2: For layers of meaning, any methodology or model may be used as long as students understand that text may have multiple layers and that authors use techniques to achieve those layers. A very workable model for looking at layers of meaning is that of I.A. Richards: Layer 1) the literal level, what the words actually mean Layer 2) mood, those feelings that are evoked in the reader Layer 3) tone, the author’s attitude Layer 4) author’s purpose (interpretation of author’s purpose as it is often inferred)
Clarification 3: Style is the way in which the writer uses techniques for effect. It is distinct from meaning, but can be used to make the author’s message more effective. The components of style are diction, syntax, grammar, and use of figurative language. Style helps to create the author’s voice.
Clarification 4: Functional significance refers to the role each element plays in creating meaning or effect for the reader.
Analyze two or more themes and evaluate their development throughout a literary text.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: For the purposes of this benchmark, theme is not a one- or two-word topic, but a complete thought that communicates the author’s message.
Evaluate the development of character perspective, including conflicting perspectives.
1 clarification
Clarification 1: The term perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.” The term point of view is used when referring to the person of the narrator. This is to prevent confusion and conflation. 136
Evaluate works of major poets in their historical context.
3 clarifications
Clarification 1: A poet’s historical context is the period in which the writing occurred, not when it was discovered or became resurgent.
Clarification 2: Evaluation of a poet in context may include similarity to or differences from the work of contemporaries and the literary period, critical reception at the time, and scope of work.
Clarification 3: For more information, see Literary Periods.
Evaluate the structure(s) and features in text(s), identifying how the author could make the text(s) more effective.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Students will evaluate the use of the following structures: description, problem/solution, chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and sequence.
Clarification 2: Students will evaluate the use of the following features: table of contents, headings, captions, photographs, graphs, charts, illustrations, glossary, footnotes, annotations, and appendices.
Compare the development of multiple arguments in related texts, evaluating the validity of the claims, the authors’ reasoning, use of the same information, and/or the authors’ rhetoric.
3 clarifications
Clarification 1: For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning.
Clarification 2: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.
Clarification 3: Validity refers to the soundness of the arguments.
Clarification 1: Figurative language use that students will evaluate are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.
Clarification 2: See Secondary Figurative Language.
Analyze the influence of classic literature on contemporary world texts.
2 clarifications
Clarification 1: Classic literature for this benchmark should be drawn from and representative of the following periods: • Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE) • Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE) • Renaissance Period (1300–1600) • Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature • Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature • Romantic Period (1790–1870) • Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930) • Modernist Period (1910–1945)
Clarification 2: Contemporary world texts are those written after World War II that, through quality of form and expression, convey ideas of permanent or universal interest. Understanding
Evaluate rhetorical choices across multiple texts.
4 clarifications
Clarification 1: Students will evaluate the appropriateness of appeals and the effectiveness of devices. In this grade level, students are using and responsible for all four appeals; kairos was added in 11th grade. This differs from the 11th grade benchmark in that it is comparing the effectiveness of multiple texts.
Clarification 2: Rhetorical devices for the purposes of this benchmark are the figurative language devices from 12.R.3.1 with the addition of irony, rhetorical question, antithesis, zeugma, metonymy, synecdoche, asyndeton, and chiasmus.
Clarification 3: See Secondary Figurative Language.
Clarification 4: See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.