General Information
Test Item Specifications
- Requires the student to select the meaning of a word or phrase from the passage.
- Requires the student to select multiple correct meanings of a word or phrase from the passage.
- Requires the student to select a word’s or phrase’s meaning and then to select context clues from the text to support the meaning.
- Requires the student to select a word’s or phrase’s meaning and then to select context clues from the text to support the meaning.
- Requires the student to analyze alliteration or other repetitions of sound in a text and then how that impacts the meaning or tone of the text.
- Requires the student to select the impact of rhymes on a certain section of the text.
- Requires the student to select multiple ways in which rhymes or other repetitions of sounds affect a certain section of the text.
- Requires the student to explain how rhymes or other repetitions of sounds affect the text’s meaning or tone.
- Requires the student to determine how common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots may provide clues to the meaning of a word.
- Requires the student to select the meaning of figurative language from the passage.
- Requires the student to select the meaning of figurative language and then to select context clues from the text to support the meaning.
- Requires the student to select the meaning of figurative language and then to select context clues from the text to support the meaning.
- Requires the student to select multiple pieces of textual evidence that act as context clues when determining the meaning of figurative language.
- Requires the student to select how a relationship between two words serves as a context clue for the meaning of one of the words.
- Requires the student to move words into a graphic organizer to demonstrate their relationship with one another.
- Requires the student to move words into a graphic organizer to demonstrate their relationship with one another.
- Requires the student to select the reason an author chose a particular word or phrase instead of a word or phrase with a similar denotation.
- Requires the student to select a different word or phrase that would maintain the connotation of a word or phrase in the text.
- Requires the student to select multiple ways a different word choice might change the tone or meaning of the text.
- Requires the student to match words with similar denotations with the change in connotation each word has to the original word.
Items should focus on grade-appropriate words. Items should not focus on dictionary-based word meanings but should focus on how a word or phrase functions within the context of the passage. Items should focus on words and phrases that have figurative or allusive meanings central to the meaning of the text rather than isolated, incidental vocabulary. Items may ask about words with discrete context clues in close proximity or words whose meaning is conveyed more implicitly throughout the passage. Items should not focus on describing the rhymes or sounds of a verse or drama, but rather how these elements influence a certain section of the passage. Items may ask the student to employ various strategies to explore word meaning, including the application of context clues, roots, or affixes. Items may require the student to make connections between words and to delve into figurative or connotative meanings.
Items assessing these standards may be used with one or more grade-appropriate literary texts. Texts may vary in complexity
The Technology-Enhanced Item Descriptions section on pages 3 and 4 provides a list of Response Mechanisms that may be used to assess these standards (excluding the Editing Task Choice and Editing Task item types). The Sample Response Mechanisms may include, but are not limited to, the examples below.
Task Demand
Determine the meaning of words or phrases by using context clues.Sample Response Mechanisms
Multiple Choice
Multiselect
EBSR
Selectable Hot Text
Task Demand
Analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.
Sample Response Mechanisms
Selectable Hot Text
Multiple Choice
Multiselect
Open Response
Task Demand
Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word.
Sample Response Mechanisms
Multiple Choice
Task Demand
Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.
Sample Response Mechanisms
Multiple Choice
EBSR
Selectable Hot Text
Multiselect
Task Demand
Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand each of the words.
Sample Response Mechanisms
Multiple Choice
Drag-and-Drop Hot Text
GRID
Task Demand
Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined, respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).
Sample Response Mechanisms
Multiple Choice
Multiselect
Drag-and-Drop Hot Text
Related Courses
Course Number1111 | Course Title222 |
1000000: | M/J Intensive Language Arts (MC) (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2018, 2018 and beyond (current)) |
1000010: | M/J Intensive Reading 1 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2021, 2021 and beyond (current)) |
1000020: | M/J Intensive Reading and Career Planning (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2019, 2019 - 2021, 2021 and beyond (current)) |
1001040: | M/J Language Arts 2 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current)) |
1001050: | M/J Language Arts 2 Advanced (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 - 2023, 2023 and beyond (current)) |
1002010: | M/J Language Arts 2 Through ESOL (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current)) |
1002180: | M/J English Language Development (MC) (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2018, 2018 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current)) |
1006010: | M/J Journalism 2 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current)) |
1007010: | M/J Speech and Debate 2 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2019, 2019 - 2021, 2021 and beyond (current)) |
1008040: | M/J Reading 2 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2021 (course terminated)) |
1008050: | M/J Reading 2, Advanced (Specifically in versions: 2013 - 2015, 2015 - 2021 (course terminated)) |
1009040: | M/J Writing 2 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current)) |
7810012: | Access M/J Language Arts 2 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2018, 2018 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current)) |
1002181: | M/J Developmental Language Arts Through ESOL (Reading) (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current)) |
Related Resources
Lesson Plans
Name | Description |
Brochures: A Creative Format for the Study of Informational Texts | In this lesson, students will work with two informational texts in the form of brochures, texts about Burmese pythons and lionfish. With the lionfish brochure, students will identify the text features used, determine the central ideas and key supporting details, and work with selected vocabulary. Students will then be provided with informational text on a different animal and they will put their skills to use to create a brochure of their own. Various graphic organizers and teacher resources have been included as attachments with the lesson plan, including a rubric for the students' brochure. Additional resources have also been provided in the Further Recommendations section to help teachers gather resources for students to use to create their own brochure. |
Child Soldiers Lesson 1: Analysis of News Articles | In this lesson, students will read a series of three news articles about Sudanese efforts to disband child soldier units. Working in small groups, then partners, and finally independently, students will work to determine the meaning of selected vocabulary from each article, respond to text-dependent questions, and complete a graphic organizer answering the lesson's guiding questions and citing evidence from the text in support of their analysis. Students will then write an extended paragraph in response to one guiding question of their choosing. This is the first lesson of a three part unit that will build towards having the students research and write a paper on child soldiers. Unit overview: This unit will guide students though the process of reading multiple texts to develop knowledge about the topic of child soldiers and will culminate in a final research project. The first lesson focuses on news articles while the second lesson concentrates on one former child soldier's story as portrayed through interviews and his music. As a whole, the unit integrates close reading of multiple sources with speaking and listening activities and provides students with opportunities to write routinely from sources throughout the unit. The unit provides ample occasions for students to read, evaluate, and analyze complex texts as well as routine writing opportunities that encourage reflection. |
Is Anyone Hungry? Got Oysters? The Walrus and the Carpenter – Two Tragically, Hungry Characters | In this close reading lesson, the first in a series of three lessons, students will analyze "The Walrus and the Carpenter" by Lewis Carroll. They will work to determine the meaning of selected vocabulary words from the poem, including coming up with synonyms and antonyms for each word and using each word in a sentence. Students will also analyze the use of various types of figurative language, as well as the use of repetition and rhyme and how this use impacts meaning and tone throughout the poem. Graphic organizers and other student handouts, a vocabulary assessment, short and extended answer questions, a writing rubric, and several suggested answer keys are included with this lesson. |
Internal Conflict in "A Day's Wait" | Students will examine the concept of internal conflict in Ernest Hemingway's short story, "A Day's Wait." Several activities and worksheets, such as vocabulary mapping, a conflict multi-flow chart, and a self-reflection rating scale, are provided to deepen understanding. The lesson culminates in an analysis essay of the impact of Hemingway's stylistic use of first-person point of view to add suspense to a story. |
Sleep On It: A Close Reading Lesson | In this lesson, students will conduct a close read of the article, "Why Teenagers Really do Need an Extra Hour in Bed" by Russell Foster (published on April 22, 2013 in Issue 2913 of NewScientist). For the first reading, students will focus on academic vocabulary. In the second reading, students will answer text-dependent questions to guide their comprehension of the article. In the third close reading, students will choose important facts in the article and cross-reference them with other articles to determine the validity and reliability of the evidence. Graphic organizers and worksheets, along with suggested keys and a writing rubric, have been provided. For the summative assessment, students will write a persuasive letter in which they make a claim regarding sleep and support it with textual evidence. |
Benjamin Franklin - A Man of Amazing Accomplishments: A Research Project | In this lesson, students will create a research question based on The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Students will develop a research question about how a characteristic or event in the life of young Ben Franklin influenced an accomplishment of an older, mature Ben Franklin. Students will research the life of Ben Franklin to answer their questions and present their findings in a short oral presentation. |
Close Reading: "For this is an Enchanted Land," an excerpt from Cross Creek | In this lesson, students will conduct three close readings of an excerpt from Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. For the first reading, the students will complete a graphic organizer to define select vocabulary words. In the second reading, students will complete another graphic organizer to analyze the types of figurative language used in the story and how they impact the tone and meaning. They will also complete a T-chart comparing and contrasting the sensory details used to describe a before and after of the author's home. In the final reading, students will answer text-based questions about the excerpt. Answer keys for the graphic organizers and text-based questions are included. The summative assessment, in the form of a narrative/descriptive essay, will require the students to choose a special place of their own and describe it with specific words and figurative language that convey the appropriate tone. |
Close Reading Exemplar: The Secrets Behind What You Eat | This close reading exemplar uses an excerpt from Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat. The goal of this two day exemplar from Student Achievement Partners web resources is to give students the opportunity to use reading and writing habits to unpack Pollan's investigative journalism of industrial farms. By reading and rereading the passage closely combined with classroom discussion about it, students will identify why and how farming practices have changed, as well as identify Pollan's point of view on the subject. When combined with writing about the passage and teacher feedback, students will begin to appreciate investigative journalism, as well as question from where their food is coming. |
Close Reading Exemplar: As You Like It | The goal of this two day exemplar is to give students the opportunity to use the reading and writing habits they've been practicing on a regular basis to unpack the meaning of Jacques' soliloquy from William Shakespeare's As You Like It. By reading and rereading the passage closely and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussion about the text, students will be able to understand the structure and purpose of this particular soliloquy and how it delves into universal themes regarding the human condition. When combined with writing about the soliloquy, students will discover how much they can learn from even a very short selection of a text. |
User Beware: Foreshadowing and Morals in "The Monkey's Paw" | In this lesson, students will read "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. They will answer text-dependent questions that include having students analyze the text for foreshadowing clues, as well as use of situational irony. Students will use context clues and dictionaries to determine the meanings of selected vocabulary words from the story. Students will also work to determine morals in the story and will write two extended response paragraphs articulating the moral and how each is developed and supported by textual details. A PowerPoint on theme versus morals, foreshadowing, and situational irony is provided to help students with these concepts. Text-dependent questions, an answer key, a vocabulary handout, a teacher's guide for the story, and a rubric for the summative assessment are provided. |
Literary Analysis of "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" and Narrative Writing Activity | In this lesson, students will be able to analyze how Rudyard Kipling uses theme and short story elements to create the classic story, "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi." Students will engage in various pre-reading activities to scaffold background knowledge, vocabulary, and ability to identify theme. Working in cooperative groups will allow students to discuss and evaluate their learning in a non-threatening environment. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will write an original narrative using what they learned in this lesson to create their own story. |
Close Reading Exemplar: "Unbroken" and "Farewell to Manzanar" | As students will have previous exposure to the historical themes and factual information about the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the United States involvement in WWII, and the internment of Japanese in camps throughout the western United States, this lesson exemplar will allow students to participate in critical discussion of two stories that illuminate important, yet divergent, experiences of war and conflict. This lesson exemplar will push students to think critically about the experience of wartime as felt by both soldiers and civilians as they navigated specific trials that were a part of their direct or peripheral involvement in WWII. |
Close Reading Exemplar: Tom Sawyer | The goal of this one day exemplar is to give students the opportunity to use the reading and writing habits they've been practicing on a regular basis to discover the rich humor and moral lesson embedded in Twain's text. 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 problem Tom Sawyer faced and how he "solved" his conundrum. When combined with writing about the passage, students will learn to appreciate how Twain's humor contains a deeper message and derive satisfaction from the struggle to master complex text. At the end of the lesson, students are provided two writing prompts to constructive a narrative inspired by Twain's text. |
Sustain Me | The purpose of this MEA is to have students explore human impact on Earth as well as to look at workable solutions that they can implement in order to minimize this impact. This MEA focuses on water sustainability as defined by the EPA and requires that the students explore several Low Impact Development (LID) options to implement at school. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
Original Student Tutorials
Name | Description |
Around the Horn: Using Context Clues | Learn how to use context clues—including definitions, synonyms, and antonyms—to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in this baseball-themed, interactive tutorial. |
Words Take Root: Learning New Vocabulary | Learn about Greek and Latin roots (anti, capit, bene, bon, and mal) and 12 modern words that feature those roots. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice using these words and hopefully add them to your vocabulary! |
Rooting Out Words: Learning New Vocabulary | Learn about ancient Latin roots — Ante, Post, Scrib, and Script — and practice using twelve modern words connected with these roots to build your vocabulary in this interactive tutorial. |
Getting at the Roots of Language: Learning New Vocabulary | Learn about three roots from ancient Latin and Greek — Per, Seque, and Mis — and practice using twelve modern words connected with these roots to build your vocabulary in this interactive tutorial. |
The Root of the Matter: Learning New Vocabulary | Learn about five roots from ancient Latin and Greek—frag, fract, cret, syn, and sym—and practice using twelve modern words connected with these roots to build your vocabulary in this interactive tutorial. |
Know Your Roots: Learning New Vocabulary | Learn about 3 Latin roots (Am, Ab, and Ad) and 12 new words that feature those roots. In this interactive tutorial, you'll make some interesting language connections and hopefully add some new words to your vocabulary! |
Vocabulary Unleashed | Learn 12 new academic vocabulary terms in this interactive tutorial! You'll practice the words' synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and context clues in order to add them to your vocabulary. |
Vocabulary Mastery | Learn 12 new academic vocabulary words in this interactive tutorial! You'll practice the words' synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and context clues in order to add them to your vocabulary. |
Vocabulary in Action | Learn 12 new academic vocabulary words in this interactive tutorial! You'll practice the words' synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and context clues in order to add them to your vocabulary. |
Vocabulary Power | Learn 12 new academic vocabulary words using synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and context clues in this interactive tutorial. |
Analyzing Word Parts: Follow the Signs | Learn to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words by examining their word parts. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice using prefixes and root words to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words. |
Putting Down Roots: Learning New Vocabulary | Learn about 3 Greek and Latin roots (spect, path, and omni) and 12 modern words that feature those roots. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice using these words and hopefully add them to your vocabulary! |
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
Name | Description |
Around the Horn: Using Context Clues: | Learn how to use context clues—including definitions, synonyms, and antonyms—to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in this baseball-themed, interactive tutorial. |
Words Take Root: Learning New Vocabulary: | Learn about Greek and Latin roots (anti, capit, bene, bon, and mal) and 12 modern words that feature those roots. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice using these words and hopefully add them to your vocabulary! |
Rooting Out Words: Learning New Vocabulary: | Learn about ancient Latin roots — Ante, Post, Scrib, and Script — and practice using twelve modern words connected with these roots to build your vocabulary in this interactive tutorial. |
Getting at the Roots of Language: Learning New Vocabulary: | Learn about three roots from ancient Latin and Greek — Per, Seque, and Mis — and practice using twelve modern words connected with these roots to build your vocabulary in this interactive tutorial. |
The Root of the Matter: Learning New Vocabulary: | Learn about five roots from ancient Latin and Greek—frag, fract, cret, syn, and sym—and practice using twelve modern words connected with these roots to build your vocabulary in this interactive tutorial. |
Know Your Roots: Learning New Vocabulary: | Learn about 3 Latin roots (Am, Ab, and Ad) and 12 new words that feature those roots. In this interactive tutorial, you'll make some interesting language connections and hopefully add some new words to your vocabulary! |
Vocabulary Unleashed: | Learn 12 new academic vocabulary terms in this interactive tutorial! You'll practice the words' synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and context clues in order to add them to your vocabulary. |
Vocabulary Mastery: | Learn 12 new academic vocabulary words in this interactive tutorial! You'll practice the words' synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and context clues in order to add them to your vocabulary. |
Vocabulary in Action: | Learn 12 new academic vocabulary words in this interactive tutorial! You'll practice the words' synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and context clues in order to add them to your vocabulary. |
Vocabulary Power: | Learn 12 new academic vocabulary words using synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and context clues in this interactive tutorial. |
Analyzing Word Parts: Follow the Signs: | Learn to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words by examining their word parts. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice using prefixes and root words to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words. |
Putting Down Roots: Learning New Vocabulary: | Learn about 3 Greek and Latin roots (spect, path, and omni) and 12 modern words that feature those roots. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice using these words and hopefully add them to your vocabulary! |