Web viewFor questions focused on the connotation of words, distractors should include: answer choices that are the wrong connotation for a word, but a plausible connotation

Creative Writing 1 1

Reporting Category

Writing

Standard Text Types & PurposesBenchmark Number

LACC.910.W.1.3.a

Benchmark Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.W.1.3; LACC910.W.1.3.e; LACC.910.W.1.3c; LACC.910.W.1.3.d; LACC.910.W.2.4

Item Types Performance AssessmentBenchmark Clarification

The student will essentially write a story - fiction or non-fiction - but will show that he/she understands the necessary components of a story through this writing (identifying a problem, using point of view, introducing a narrator and characters, using a smooth progression of events, etc.)

Content Focus

Text structure, point of view, characterization, theme development, plot elements and development.

Content Limits

A simple idea or prompt should be provided as a springboard for students. The benchmark itself could even be used as the prompt.

Text Attributes

None specified

Distractor Attributes

None specified

Sample Item Write a short story between 1200-3000 words. This story can be fiction or non-fiction but must be of your own creation. While writing, exhibit your craftsmanship by:

- Creating a plot that includes a problem, smoothly develops, and includes well-chosen details and structured even sequences (LACC910.W.1.3)

- Creating an establish narrator(s) (LACC910.W.1.3.a)- Using a clear point of view, either singular or multiple

(LACC910.W.1.3.a)- Using several, but not necessarily all, narrative techniques such as

o Dialogueo Pacingo Descriptiono Reflectiono Multiple plot lineso (LACC910.W.1.3e)

- Creating a clear and coherent sequence of events while utilizing appropriate transitions (LACC.9.10.W.1.3.c)

- Utilize precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experience, event, setting, and/or character


(LACC.910.W.1.3.d)- Providing a conclusion that logically concludes and reflects on what has

been experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative ((LACC910.W.1.3.e)

- Demonstrating command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including capitalization, punctuation, and spelling (LACC.910.L.1.1, LACC.910.L.1.2, LACC.910.L.1.2.c)

The short story should result in a piece that is coherent, insightful, and interesting.


Reporting Category

Reading: Literature

Standard Craft & StructureBenchmark Number

LACC.910.RL.2.4

Benchmark 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).

Also Assesses

LACC.910.L.2.3

Item Types Multiple ChoiceBenchmark Clarification

The student will be asked to reference a specific word(s) and determine the meaning (connotative or denotative), in addition to identifying how the use of a particular word affects the tone and mood of a selection.

Content Focus

Connotation and denotation of specific word(s) and/or the effect on the tone and mood.

Content Limits

Grade-level appropriate texts should be used which contain word(s) that can be grouped or identified as having a specific effect and connotation as a whole. Clichés and colloquialisms should not be used in these items.Items should focus on one of two things: the students' ability to analyze the connotation of a particular word of group of words and also the students' ability to use this connotation to aide them in analyzing how the word choice effects the tone and/or mood of the piece.

Text Attributes

Text could be fiction or non-fiction.Texts could include graphics such as political cartoons, but these must have enough words included to accurately assess the students' ability.


For questions focused on the connotation of words, distractors should include: answer choices that are the wrong connotation for a word, but a plausible connotation in another use; the denotation of the word; other denotations of a particular word, but which are inappropriate for the selection; reference emotions from the text, which are incorrect/disconnected to the connotation of a specific word.For questions focused on the effect on the tone or mood, distractors should include: tone words that are inappropriate for the selection; tone words that are simply emotions mentioned in the passage; words that describe the characters' emotions and not the author's tone; connotations of specific words instead of the author's tone; words that describe the setting, but not the tone or mood.


Sample Item In the following sentence from Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech, which answer choice accurately describes the connotation of words such as "crippled," "manacles," and "chains”?

"One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination."

A) African Americans are saddened about their current position in society B) King is angry about the treatment of African Americans in the United States C) African Americans have not merely been treated unfairly, but have been forced to be inferior and have had little to no options for making their lives better because of this treatment *D) African Americans have been imprisoned in their own country


Reporting Category

Reading: Literature


LACC.910.RL.2.5

Benchmark Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Also AssessesItem Types Multiple ChoiceBenchmark Clarification

The student will be asked to identify structural elements of a text and then analyze how these elements effect the text as a whole, specifically mystery, tension, or surprise.

Content Focus

Structural elements, such as parallel plots, pacing, flashbacks, repetition, anaphora and the effect of these.

Content Limits

Grade-level appropriate texts should be used which include in them unique structural elements such as fast paced dialogue, flashbacks, or parallel plots or characters, repetition, and anaphora.The selection must be long enough for the student to see how a structural choice changes the text.

Text Attributes

Texts would likely be fiction; although nonfiction could work as well (an example might be King's "I Have a Dream" speech).The structural choices must be clearly identifiable or pointed out in the question.


Distractors could include: incorrect identification of the text structure element, and incorrect effects of the text structure element.


Sample Item Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech excerpt:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!"

1. What is the effect of King’s use of anaphora/repetition in this selection of his speech?

*A) Tension and excitement builds until the short culminating restatement of the last line, “I have a dream today!” creating a sense of urgency and immediacy for the audience members.

B) The repetition of “I have a dream” over and over simplifies the message for the audience so they will remember it.

C) The use of imagery in the selection helps audience members visualize different parts of the country.

D) The repetition makes the words sound lyrical and therefore memorable.


Reporting Category

Reading: Informational Text

Standard Key Ideas & DetailsBenchmark Number

LACC.910.RI.1.3

Benchmark Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.


The student will be identifying how a text is structured and specifically how the choices the author makes in regards to how information is divulged effects the text.

Content Focus

Text organization and structure.

Content Limits

Grade-level appropriate texts should be used.Questions should be limited to identifying the organization of a selection, the effect of this organization, or questions about the connections between the events described.These could include questions about a character's mental state as evidenced by the order of events.

Text Attributes

Text selection could be fiction or non-fiction.The text should include a portion in which the author unfolds analysis or a series of ideas of events.These could be reasoning through something, like which choice a character should make (for example, a character choosing to move away from his/her hometown).


Distractors could include: incorrect identification of an organizational pattern, incorrect descriptions of how ideas are introduced or developed, incorrect descriptions of the connections between each idea in a series (including references to a character's state of mind at the time as evidenced by the order of events revealed), simple restating of the action of a selection.


Sample Item An excerpt from Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour”:

“She arose at length and opened the door to her sister's importunities. There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped her sister's waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood waiting for them at the bottom.

Someone was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.

When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills.”

Which of the following best describes the effect of Chopin’s description of Louise Mallard’s actions?

*A) Chopin’s step-by-step description of Louise Mallard’s physical actions builds the sense of triumph and achievement which is destroyed with the simple revelation that Brently Mallard is still alive. The simplicity of the passage makes Louise’s death even more shocking.

B) Chopin’s simple description of the actions Louise Mallard makes while descending the stairs with her sister makes her following death seem unimportant and trivial.

C) Louise Mallard’s actions reveal that she had accepted the idea that her husband was dead and when he walks through the door, she is overjoyed to the point that her heart cannot bear it and she dies.

D) The subtle descriptions and inferences the reader must make about Louise Mallard’s state of mind and actions make the end of this text more mysterious.


Reporting Category

Reading: Literature

Standard Integration of Knowledge & IdeasBenchmark Number

LACC.910.RL.3.7

Benchmark Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus”).

Also AssessesItem Types Multiple Choice; Extended ResponseBenchmark Clarification

The student will be connecting two different texts in two different mediums (poetry, short story, painting, graphic, speech, etc.).He/she must identify the content and effect of the two pieces in relation to each other, while identifying what is emphasized and also what is omitted.

Content Focus

Analyzing text organization/structure - how different mediums can address the same idea with the same or different emphasis.Compare/contrast the two texts.

Content Limits

Grade level appropriate texts should be used.In the case of artistic mediums, a short explanation should be included where needed for the student to understand the piece.Questions should be limited to questions that can be answered solely on the two texts with no outside information needed about the method of creation or historical context.Questions could range from identifying similarities and differences between the two texts to analyzing how different emphasis or medium creates a different tone.

Text Attributes

Texts must be different mediums but could be a short story and poem, poem and painting, graph and poem, etc.The type of text is unlimited and could include non-fiction and fiction.The two texts do not need to both be fiction or non-fiction.For example, a short essay describing a historical event could be paired with a fictionalized painting of that same event.


Distractors could include: incorrect connections between the two texts; summaries of the two texts; incorrect identification of points of emphasis or omission; statements that show little or no connection between the texts at all; invalid assumptions about the author's choice in emphasizing or omitting something.


Sample Item In Breughel’s painting, “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” and Auden’s poem “Musee des Beaux Arts,” how does the lack of emphasis on Icarus’ death contribute to the theme of both works?

A) The lack of emphasis shows that Icarus was not an important person and his death is unimportant. B) The lack of emphasis shows that Greek Mythology is no longer important in society. *C) The lack of emphasis mimics how significant things, like someone’s death, are unimportant to the rest of society because they are too busy with their own lives. D) The lack of emphasis shows that neither author was a believer in Greek Mythology and thought that it was not something worth focusing on and that people should be focused instead on their own lives and troubles.

Sample Item 2: Extended Response Analyze how the depiction of Icarus' death in both texts contributes to the theme of each work.

Sample Item 3: See Performance-Based Sample Item


Reporting Category

Reading: Literature

Standard Key Ideas & DetailsBenchmark Number

LACC.910.RL.1.2

Benchmark 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.

Also AssessesItem Types Extended Response or Performance.Benchmark Clarification

The student will summarize the text, identify the theme or central idea, and analyze how this theme or idea is developed throughout the text, including specific details that contribute to the theme directly.

Content Focus

Summarizing, identifying important details, identifying theme/central idea, identifying and analyzing how the theme is developed over the course of an entire text, choosing details to support this analysis including elements of plot and characterization.

Content Limits

Grade-level appropriate texts should be used.This benchmark asks students to complete a task that is several steps, and a text that provides enough substance is important.The themes analyzed/used in the chosen text should be universal and not culturally specific.

Text Attributes

Texts must be of significant length and substance, enough to trace the development of a theme.This could become cumbersome on a standardized test, and might be better assessed in a portfolio because of it.Texts would most likely be fiction, but could be non-fiction as well (memoir, for example).Texts should not include pictures or graphs as these are not necessary and a theme cannot be traced developmentally in an image or graph.


Not Applicable - benchmark is being assessed with extended response (prompts) questions only.

Sample Item In Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour," how does Chopin address the idea of the oppression of women?

In your response, include an objective summary, an accurate theme relating to the oppression of women, how this theme is developed over the course of the text, and which significant details contribute specifically to this theme.


Reporting Category



LACC.910.RI.2.6

Benchmark 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.

Also AssessesItem Types Multiple Choice; Extended Response.Benchmark Clarification

The student will determine one of three things: the author's point of view, the author's purpose, or how the author uses rhetoric to achieve that purpose.

Content Focus

Author's point of view, purpose, rhetoric

Content Limits

Grade-level appropriate texts should be used.All necessary information to determine the author's purpose should be identifiable within the passage or with the addition of a short explanation of the historical context.

Text Attributes

Text should be informational/non-fiction.The point of view of the author should remain constant within the text.The author may have multiple purposes, but all are identifiable with the text provided.Rhetoric should include many widely used approaches, but may also include other less-identifiable ones.Examples are: repetition, imagery, anaphora, organizational patterns, appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos, diction, etc.


For MC questions, distractors could include: incorrect point of views, incorrect purposes, statements of summary instead of an author’s purpose, a detail based purpose (i.e. does not apply to the entire passage).

Sample Item

In Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, which of the following best describes his purpose?

A) To bury the soldiers who have died and dedicate the land to their memory

* B) To honor the dead, but more importantly, to motivate the audience to continue toward their goal of equality for all men and finish what these men started

C) To promote his political career by identifying with the families and friends of the soldiers who nobly fought and died at Gettysburg

D) To persuade the resistant audience to continue fighting for the idea that all men are created equal.

Extended Response Sample Item: After reading Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg


Address, identify the author’s purpose and how the author uses rhetoric in order to achieve this purpose using specific details from the text.


Reporting Category


Standard Integration of Knowledge & IdeasBenchmark Number

LACC.910.RI.3.7

Benchmark Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.RL.2.4; LACC.910.RL.2.5; LACC.910.RI.1.3; LACC.910.R.L.3.7 LACC.910.W.1.3.2; LACC910.SL.1.2; LACC.910.SL.1.3; LACC.910.L.1.1; LACC.910.L.1.2; LACC.910.L1.2.c

Item Types Multiple Choice; Extended ResponseBenchmark Clarification

The student will analyze various accounts of a subject.Student will determine and identify the relevant details emphasized in each account.

Content Focus

Identify relevant details, analyze multiple accounts of a single subject

Content Limits

Grade-level appropriate texts should include relevant details that students can use to analyze accounts of a subject across texts.Items may assess a student's ability to identify relevant details.Items should be based on two related texts that contain elements that can be analyzed across texts.

Text Attributes

Text should be informational.Text may include political cartoons and/or graphics.Text can include excerpts from a historical/political speech and a political cartoon about the speech or issue.


Distractors may include, but are not limited to: 1. incorrect or irrelevant info drawn from texts, 2. incorrect analysis of and interpretation of text features, 3. facts, details, or information drawn from texts but unrelated to the test item, 4. plausible but incorrect distractors based on the text


Sample Item Pair Langston Hughes' poem "Minstrel Man" and Jacob Lawrence's painting "Tombstone" for students to produce an extended response question that focuses on how each work uses different details to emphasize a similar theme OR have students answer a series of multiple choice questions based on the analysis of the two works. Note the question that would directly assess this benchmark below:

Which aspect of the African-American condition is emphasized in Hughes' "Minstrel Man" and Lawrence's "Tombstone"?

A) The economic hardships that African-American's faced during theearly 1900s

*B) The feelings of isolation felt by African-Americans during the early 1900s C) The lack of educational opportunities available to African- American's during the early 1900s D) The struggles faced by African-American's that migrated to the North from the South

(This is just an example of one theme/subject...any literary theme can be paired with a work of art that depicts the same theme/subject)


Reporting Category

Writing


LACC.910.W.1.3

Benchmark Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.W.1.3; LACC.910.W.1.3.e; LACC.910.W.1.3.c; LACC.910.W.1.3.d; LACC.910.W.2.4; LACC.910.W.1.3.a

Item Types Portfolio AssessmentBenchmark Clarification

The student will use narratives to showcase his/her technique in relating a well-developed plot and details.

Content Focus

Plot structure, details, writing technique

Content Limits

Writing prompt or assignment should be grade appropriate and should be limited to narration.Prompts/assignments should require students to make specific choices about plot structure, well-chosen details, and effective technique in regards to the plot of the story.

Text Attributes

Prompt/assignments should require students to write a fiction or nonfiction narrative.


NA - benchmark is being assessed with an extended response (prompt) and/or portfolio.


Sample Item Sample Item 1:Childhood is a wonderful time filled with new experiences. Choose a vivid experience from your childhood and write a narrative using well-chosen details, effective narrative techniques, and a well-structure event sequence. You might write about the first time you rode a school bus, a time you went to the principal’s office, the first “A” you earned on a project, test, or paper, or how you earned money to buy something you really wanted. Narrate the events of the experience that you select so that your readers understand why the event was important and memorable.

Sample Item 2:Write a short story between 1200-3000 words. This story can be fiction or non-fiction but must be of your own creation. While writing, exhibit your craftsmanship by:






- Utilize precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experience, event, setting, and/or character (LACC.910.W.1.3.d)

- Providing a conclusion that logically concludes and reflects on what has been experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative ((LACC910.W.1.3.e)




Reporting Category

Writing


LACC.910.W.1.3.b

Benchmark Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.W.1.3; LACC.910.W.1.3e; LACC.910.W.1.3c; LACC.910.W.1.3d; LACC.910.W.2.4; LACC.910.W.1.3a

Item Types Portfolio AssessmentBenchmark Clarification

The student will use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

Content Focus

Text structure, point of view, characterization, theme development, plot elements and development, methods of organization, dialogue

Content Limits

Writing prompt or assignment should be grade appropriate and should be limited to narration.Prompts/assignments should require students to write using narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and plot development in order to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

Text Attributes

Prompt/assignments should require students to write a fiction or nonfiction narrative.


Not Applicable - benchmark is being assessed with extended response/prompts.

Sample Item Sample Item 1:Many times our greatest failures or experiences can lead to our greatest accomplishments. Think about an event in your life that seemed bad but turned out to be good. Maybe you got injured and while you were waiting for your broken leg to heal, you learned how to use a computer. What makes the event change from bad to good may be something that you learned, something that you did differently, or something that happened that wouldn't have occurred otherwise. Tell the story of the event that you experienced and help your readers understand how an event that seemed negative turned out to have valuable consequences. Use the necessary narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and plot lines to develop the experiences, events, and/or characters.

Sample Item 2:Write a short story between 1200-3000 words. This story can be fiction or non-fiction but must be of your own creation. While writing, exhibit your craftsmanship by:












Reporting Category

Writing


LACC.910.W.1.3.c

Benchmark Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.RL.2.5; LACC.910.RI.1.3

Item Types Extended Response.Benchmark Clarification

The student will use a variety of techniques to sequence events that build on one another and create a coherent whole.

Content Focus

Text Structures/Organizational Patterns

Content Limits

Writing should be grade appropriate and should be limited to expository and narrative essays.Prompts should not require students to write comparison/contrast, cause/effect, or argument/support pieces.

Text Attributes

1. Writing should be fiction and non-fiction (creative writing, memoirs)2. Writing should include a clear organizational pattern with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusions3. Writing should demonstrate the use of transitions that develop the sequence of events in a logical manner


Not applicable - benchmark is being assessed with extended response questions/prompts

Sample Item Sample Item 1:Teaching someone else how to do something can be rewarding. Think of a skill that you've taught someone else how to do. Perhaps you taught someone else how to swim, how to assemble or play a game, or how to study effectively. Think about the events that made up the process of teaching the skill and narrate the story for your readers. In developing the narration, you must be sure to sequence events in a manner that they build on one another and create a coherent whole.Sample Item 2:Write a short story between 1200-3000 words. This story can be fiction or non-fiction but must be of your own creation. While writing, exhibit your craftsmanship by:




o Dialogue


o Pacingo Descriptiono Reflectiono Multiple plot lineso (LACC910.W.1.3e)







Reporting Category

Writing


LACC.910.W.1.3.d

Benchmark Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.W.1.3.a ; LACC.910.RL.2.4; LACC.910.W.1.3.b; LACC.910.L.1.1.b; LACC.910.L.3.5; LACC.910.L.3.6


The items will require the students to use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

Content Focus

The use of words, phrases, details, and sensory language for the purpose of Plot Development, Character Development, Character POV, and Setting

Content Limits

Texts should be grade-level appropriate and of interest to students.They may be informational, narrative, expository, or poetry.

Text Attributes

Texts may be literary or informational.They may be biographies, autobiographies, personal or historical essays, diary entries, memoirs, speeches, editorials, poetry, and/or drama.


1.Examples of words, details, and sensory language drawn from the text but unrelated to the test item2. Inaccurate interpretations of words, phrases, details, and sensory language3. Plausible but incorrect distractors based on the text4. Incorrect or irrelevant information drawn from the text

Sample Item Read sentence "13" from the story:

Michael's display case held a collection of baseball cards.

Which words should replace "a collection of" to make the wording more precise and detailed?

*A) A beautifully preserved collection of mint B) Mint condition C) Some quite special D) Really nice and interesting-looking

*Question should be one of many on a specific passage that assesses multiple standards.


Reporting Category

Writing


LACC.910.W.1.3.e

Benchmark Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.RL.2.5; LACC.910.W.2.4; LACC.910.W.1.3.c

Item Types Multiple Choice; Extended responseBenchmark Clarification

The items will require the students to provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

Content Focus

Provide a conclusion that is appropriate for a narrative.

Content Limits

Writing should be grade appropriate and be limited to expository and narrative texts.Prompts should not request that students write comparison/contrast, cause/effect, or argument/support pieces.

Text Attributes

Text may be literary or informational (fiction or non-fiction).


1. Examples of conclusions that provide an opinion but do not offer an effective conclusion

2. Examples of conclusions that offer a suggestion but are not consistent with the rest of text

3. Examples that provide relevant information but are not effective conclusions4. Examples that are incorrect or irrelevant but are drawn from the text

Sample Item Which sentence below should be added to conclude a narrative essay on a field trip to the zoo?

A) Bats are nocturnal animals that sleep during the day and feed during the night.

*B) The zoo is a wonderful place to visit, and everyone should visit the zoo. C) Many of the animals at the zoo are endangered animals. D) The manatee is an endangered species that is protected by state and federal laws.

While this is an example of a stand-alone question, the selected response question should be answered after reading a narrative text about "a field trip to the zoo."


Reporting Category

Writing

Standard Production & Distribution of WritingBenchmark Number

LACC.910.W.2.4

Benchmark Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

Also Assesses

LACC.910.W.1.3; LACC.910.W.1.3.e; LACC.910.W.1.3.c; LACC.910.W.1.3.d; LACC.910.L.2.3.a

Item Types Extended Response; Performance AssessmentBenchmark Clarification

Student will produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Content Focus

Students will be asked to write an essay in response to a mode-specific independent writing prompt.

Content Limits

Writing prompt should be grade appropriate and of interest to and appropriate for students.

Text Attributes

Text should be literary or informational (fiction or non-fiction).


Not Applicable - benchmark is being assessed with extended response (prompts) questions only.

Sample Item Sample Item 1:The purpose of this assignment is to focus on how task, purpose, and audience affect the writing process. The assignment will require that you write two separate and distinct letters. The first letter will be to your parents. The second letter will be to your congressman or congresswoman. The task and purpose of the two letters will be identical. Because of this, you may use the same reasons and examples. You must be mindful, however, that what may be convincing to one audience may not be convincing to another audience. Hence, the facts and details used may change in order to appeal to the specific audience. For example, facts and figures may appeal to the congresswoman but not to your parents. The idea is that you must use the correct tone, syntax, and diction appropriate to the specific audience.

TaskAs part of the “war on drugs” and in reaction to an increase in school violence, many schools across the nation now conduct targeted searches of student lockers and backpacks. Although the Supreme Court has ruled that public school officials have the right to search students’ persons and property when they havereasonable cause to suspect weapons or drugs, many people feel this is a gross violation of students’ right to privacy. Others feel that since school officials are responsible for the well-being of students while they are in the building, they have the right to search for drugs or weapons at any time. How do you feel aboutthis issue? State your position and explain your reasons with specific examples.

Sample Item 2:


A recent crime wave has been sweeping your area. A perpetrator has been hijacking cars while drivers are stopped at a red light at night time. The victims do not seem to be of any certain type, and anyone is vulnerable while driving around at night.

Write two short pieces of no more than 300 words concerning the recent events. You may supply your own details to enhance the pieces. One piece should be written from the perspective of a news anchor who will be discussing the events on the nightly news. The second piece should be a letter that will be distributed to your classmates at school. Be sure to differentiate between the two pieces by making your writing appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience as described.


Reporting Category

Writing

Standard Production & Distribution of WritingBenchmark Number

LACC.910.W.2.5

Benchmark Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.L.1.1.b; LACC.910. W. 2. 4; LACC.910.L.3.6


The student will develop writing by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.The student will focus on pre-writing and post-writing strategies on addressing what is most significant for purpose and audience.

Content Focus

Planning, revising, editing, and rewriting to address purpose and audience.

Content Limits

Texts/Items should be grade-appropriate.Texts/Items should be of interest to and appropriate for students.

Text Attributes



1. Incorrect usage of the grammatical structure being tested2. Plausible but incorrect distractors3. Inaccurate interpretations of how to use academic words and phrases

Sample Item Because of the research, the scientists have found out that their original ideas were incorrect. The writer would like to use a more appropriate word for “have found out.”

Which word should the writer use?

*A) Discovered B) Exposed C) Endorsed D) Rendered


Reporting Category

Language

Standard Conventions of Standard EnglishBenchmark Number

LACC.910.L.1.1

Benchmark Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing and speaking.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.W.2.4; LACC.910.L.1.1.a; LACC.910.L1.1.b; LACC.910.L.1.2; LACC.910.1.2.a; LACC.910.L.1.2.c


Student will demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.Student will demonstrate command of commonly confused words, verb forms and tenses, subject-verb agreement, active/passive voice, pronoun/antecedent agreement, nominative/objective/possessive nouns, dangling/misplaced modifiers, capitalization and punctuation, sentence structure, commonly spelled words, etc.

Content Focus

Conventions of standard English grammar and usage, Composition Skills, and Evaluation of Correct Usage of Standard English.

Content Limits

Texts/Items should be grade-appropriate.Texts/Items should be of interest to and appropriate for students.Selections may consist of essays, letters, and expository texts.

Text Attributes



1. Incorrect usage of the grammatical structure being tested2. Plausible but incorrect distractors3. Inaccurate interpretations of grammar and usage

Sample Item Read the sentence below.“Each of the students in Mrs. Smith's science class appears surprised that there is one frog and several butterflies in the display-case that appears to be alive. “

Which type of mistake appears in the underlined section of the sentence?

A) Dangling/misplaced modifiers B) Pronoun/antecedent agreement C) Parallelism * D) Subject/verb agreement


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.1.1.a

Benchmark Use parallel structure.*Also Assesses

LACC.910.L.1.1


Student will demonstrate knowledge of how to use parallel structures correctly.

Content Focus

Conventions of standard English grammar regarding the use of parallel structures.

Content Limits

Texts/Items should be grade-appropriate.Texts/Items should be of interest to and appropriate for students.

Text Attributes



1. Incorrect use of parallel structures2. Plausible but incorrect distractors3. Inaccurate interpretations parallel structures

Sample Item Which sentence below is grammatically correct?

A) During his campaign visits to several states, the politician vowedto decrease taxes, to decrease unemployment, and do as much as he could to reduce government spending.

B) During his campaign, the politician vowed to decrease taxes, to decrease unemployment, and do as much as he could to decrease government spending.

C) During his campaign visits to several states, the politician vowed to decrease taxes, to decrease unemployment, and do as much as he could to decrease government spending.

*D) During his campaign visits to several states, the politician vowed to decrease taxes, to decrease unemployment, and to reduce government spending.


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.1.1b

Benchmark Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, and absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.W.1.3.d; LACC.910.L.1.1


Student will demonstrate knowledge of the conventions of standard English regarding the various types of phrases and clauses.

Content Focus

Conventions of standard English regarding the use of phrases and clauses.

Content Limits

Text items should be grade-appropriate.Text items should be should be of interest and appropriate for students.

Text Attributes

Text may be literary or informational (fiction or nonfiction).



Sample Item When people do a job well, it makes them feel well about themselves.

* A) When people do a job well, it makes them feel good about themselves. B) When people do a job good, it makes them feel well about themselves. C) When people do a job good, it makes them feel good about themselves. D) No change is necessary


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.1.2

Benchmark Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Also Assesses

LACC.910.L.1.1; LACC.910.L.1.2.c


Student will demonstrate knowledge of the conventions of standard English regarding capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

Content Focus

Conventions of standard English regarding capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

Content Limits

Text items should be grade-appropriate.Text items should be of interest and appropriate for students.

Text Attributes




Sample Item After visiting the library with her friends and eating lunch with her family, Daisy excepted Michael's invitation to the movies.

Which type of mistake appears in the underlined section of the sentence?

*A) Spelling B) Punctuation C) Capitalization D) Sentence structure


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.1.2.a

Benchmark Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses.


Student will demonstrate knowledge of correct punctuation, specifically how and when to use a semi-colon.

Content Focus

Conventions of standard English regarding grammar and punctuation.

Content Limits

Text should be grade-appropriate, unbiased, interesting and appropriate for students.

Text Attributes



1. Incorrect placement of semi-colon.2. Use of comma instead of semi-colon.3. Missing semi-colon.

Sample Item Which sentence is grammatically correct and features the correct punctuation?

A) She tried to complete her project however she still missed her deadline.*B) She tried to complete her project; however, she still missed her deadline. C) She tried to complete her project, however she still missed her deadline. D) She tried to complete her project however; she still missed her deadline.


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.1.2.b

Benchmark Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.Also AssessesItem Types Multiple Choice; Extended responseBenchmark Clarification

Student will demonstrate knowledge of correct punctuation, specifically how and when to use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.

Content Focus

Conventions of standard English regarding grammar and punctuation.

Content Limits


Text Attributes



1. Use of comma instead of colon. 2. Use of semi-colon instead of colon. 3. Use of period instead of colon.

Sample Item Which sentence is grammatically correct and features the correct punctuation?

A) This class requires the following materials, a spiral notebook, a folderwith pockets, paper, and pen.

B) This class requires the following materials; a spiral notebook, a folderwith pockets, paper, and pen.

C) This class requires the following materials. A spiral notebook, a folder with pockets, paper, and pen.*D) This class requires the following materials: a spiral notebook, a folder with pockets, paper, and pen.


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.1.2.c

Benchmark Spell correctly.Also AssessesItem Types Multiple Choice; Extended ResponseBenchmark Clarification

Student will demonstrate grade appropriate level of spelling proficiency.

Content Focus

Conventions of standard English regarding spelling.

Content Limits


Text Attributes



Misspelled words not following these general rules of spelling:1. "i before e except after c"2. double the consonant of a short-vowel sound word before adding the participle "-ing"3. change "y" to "i" before adding a suffix that starts with a vowel

Sample Item Maria could not beleive she was siting on an airplane and worryed the flight would never end. Which word IS spelled correctly?

A) beleive B) siting C) worryed *D) flight


Reporting Category

Language

Standard Knowledge of LanguageBenchmark Number

LACC.910.L.2.3

Benchmark Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Also Assesses

LACC.910. W. 2. 4

Item Types Multiple ChoiceBenchmark Clarification

Student will identify how word choice in different contexts has different implications.

Content Focus

Word choice; author's purpose; connotation.

Content Limits

Text should be grade-level appropriate.May be assessed with short passages that use similar language with a different effect.Informational or literary text is acceptable.

Text Attributes

Should be passage based and not include pictures or graphs (focuses on comprehension when reading or listening).Questions may utilize multiple short passages.


Distractors could include:1. Incorrect connotations of words,2. Incorrect identification of the author's purpose in choosing these words,3. Inaccurate connections between the use of the same word in two different contexts.

Sample Item “In the following two excerpts, how do the authors use the word ____ differently?"

Answer: Then there would be two sentences from speeches/texts that use the same word (shackles, citizens, fruitful, etc.) but with different connotations and the student would have to identify the different connotations.


Reporting Category

Language

Standard Knowledge of LanguageBenchmark Number

LACC.910.L.2.3a

Benchmark Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian’s Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type.

Also AssessesItem Types Multiple Choice; Extended responseBenchmark Clarification

Student will demonstrate that he/she understands different style methods and applies this knowledge appropriately.

Content Focus

Style methods: MLA, Turabian

Content Limits

Style methods will be limited to MLA or Turabian and should not include APA.

Text Attributes



Distractors could include:1. Incorrect style method2. Incorrect specific citation3. Incorrect punctuation, incorrect italics/underline, etc.

Sample Item 1. According to MLA format, the list of references which appear at the end of your paper is called:

A) Bibliography *B) Works Cited C) References D) Sources used

2. The references at the end of your paper should appear:

*A) In alphabetical order by authors’ surname or by title (if there is no author), regardless of type of reference (book, film journal article, website, etc.) B) Under separate subheadings according to type of source C) First under those with authors, then those without D) Numbered in the order in which they appear


Reporting Category

Language

Standard Vocabulary Acquisition & UseBenchmark Number

LACC.910.L.3.4

Benchmark Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.


Student will demonstrate ability to comprehend the meaning of unknown words/phrases using a range of strategies (such as context clues, word relationships, tone, etc.)

Content Focus

Comprehension of unknown words and/or homographs by use of context clues, and word relationships.

Content Limits


Text Attributes



1. Meaning of the word is correct in a different form (homograph)2. Context clues and word relationships were not used to determine meaning

Sample Item

Although his canvas was vast, the artist used brushstrokes so minute that it took weeks to complete his masterpiece. In this sentence, the word minute means:

A) Colorful *B) Tiny C) 60 seconds D) Frequent


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.3.4.b

Benchmark Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).


Student will demonstrate ability to identify word patterns and use the correct form of a word according to its part of speech.

Content Focus Parts of speech, patterns of word changes.

Content Limits


Text Attributes



1. Related words2. Word form in other parts of speech

Sample Item Complete the analogyAnalyze : Analysis :: Improvise : ____

A) Improvisational B) Improvising *C) Improvisation D) Improve


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.3.4.c

Benchmark Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, part of speech, or etymology.


Student will understand how/why to consult reference materials such as a dictionary.

Content Focus Understanding the purpose of a dictionary and how to read an entry.

Content Limits

None specified

Text Attributes

A typical dictionary entry, abbreviations and all the information (the sample item's example is from dictionary.com)


Something not provided in the entry.

Sample Item pacify: pac*i*fy [PAS-uh-fahy] verb (used with object), pac·i·fied, pac·i·fy·ing.1. to bring or restore to a state of peace or tranquility; quiet; calm: to pacify an angry man.2. to appease: to pacify one's appetite.3. to reduce to a state of submission, especially by military force; subdue.Origin:1425–75; late Middle English < Latin pācificāre to make peace. See pacific, -fyRelated forms:pac·i·fi·a·ble, adjectivepac·i·fy·ing·ly, adverbnon·pac·i·fi·a·ble, adjectivere·pac·i·fy, verb (used with object), re·pac·i·fied, re·pac·i·fy·ing.un·pac·i·fi·a·ble, adjectiveSynonyms: soothe, mollify, assuage Antonyms: anger, enrage

Question: From this dictionary entry, what can you NOT learn about the word "pacify"?

A) How to pronounce the word B) Part of speech* C) Common misspellings D) Words that mean its opposite


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.3.5

Benchmark Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.


Student will demonstrate understanding of figurative language.

Content Focus Figurative language- metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, clichés and idioms.

Content Limits

Examples from a main list of figurative language.

Text Attributes

Literary texts including classics.


For simile, using like as a verb and not as an analogy.

Sample Item Read the quote from "The Scarlet Ibis" and determine the best example of figurative language.

“The last graveyard flowers were…speaking softly the names of our dead.”

A) Metaphor B) Simile* C) Personification D) Onomatopoeia


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.3.5.a

Benchmark Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

Also AssessesItem Types Multiple Choice; Extended Response

BEST method addressed by extended response question.Benchmark Clarification

Student will interpret figures of speech in context and analyze their role.

Content Focus Interpret and analyze figures of speech.

Content Limits None specifiedText Attributes Literary texts including classics.Distractor Attributes

None specified

Sample Item EXTENDED RESPONSE: Read the quote from Fahrenheit 45. Determine the best use of figurative language and explain the meaning.

“Montag’s face was entirely numb and featureless; he felt his head turn like a stone carving to the dark place next door, set in its bright border of flowers.”


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.3.5.b

Benchmark Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.Also AssessesItem Types Multiple Choice; Extended ResponseBenchmark Clarification

Student will analyze nuances in words with similar denotations.

Content Focus Denotation and connotation.

Content Limits

None specified

Text Attributes

Fiction, non-fiction texts or idioms.


None specified

Sample Item Have students look at connotation to determine bias.

Another example- Determine the most appropriate use of the word in context.

The class clown gave a __________ when he saw the teacher bite into his plastic apple given to her for teacher appreciation day.

A) Smile* B) Smirk C) Frown D) Glower


Reporting Category

Language


LACC.910.L.3.6

Benchmark Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.


Student will demonstrate vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Content Focus Academic vocabulary; Six Traits- word choice.

Content Limits

Questions should be focused on a single, grade-level appropriate word. The context clues within the question should provide sufficient clues to direct the student to the correct answer.

Text Attributes

Sentence completion- any text can be used. Should include grade level vocabulary.


Distractors could include: words that are synonyms, words that are antonyms, words that are homonyms, words that may have the same denotation but are inappropriate for the sentence in style or level.

Sample Item The practice of storytelling for entertainment and instruction was at one time so widespread that it was virtually _____________.

Which of the following words BEST completes this sentence?

A) rigorous*B) universal C) elevating D) uncommon

Documents

Web viewFor questions focused on the connotation of words, distractors should include: answer choices that are the wrong connotation for a word, but a plausible connotation