Reading Curriculum Guide - oxford.k12.al.usoxford.k12.al.us/docs/speced/Reading_Curriculum_G.pdf · No person shall be denied employment, be excluded from participation in, be denied

CURRICULUM GUIDECURRICULUM GUIDECURRICULUM GUIDECURRICULUM GUIDE

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ALABAMA COURSE OF STUDY: ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTSALABAMA COURSE OF STUDY: ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTSALABAMA COURSE OF STUDY: ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTSALABAMA COURSE OF STUDY: ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

READING ADDENDUMREADING ADDENDUMREADING ADDENDUMREADING ADDENDUM

GRADES 1 GRADES 1 GRADES 1 GRADES 1 ---- 12 12 12 12

Ed Richardson

State Superintendent of Education

ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Bulletin 2003, No. 41

No person shall be denied employment, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to

discrimination in any program or activity on the basis of disability, sex, race, religion, national origin, color, or age.

Ref: Sec. 1983, Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C.; Title VI and VII, Civil Rights Act of 1964; Rehabilitation Act of 1973,

Sec. 504; Age Discrimination in Employment Act; Equal Pay Act of 1963; Title IX of the Education Amendment of

1972: Title IX Coordinator, P.O. Box 302101, Montgomery, Alabama 36130-2101 or call (334) 242-8444.

i

Curriculum Guide

to the

Alabama Course of Study: English Language Arts

Reading Addendum

T a b l e of C o n t e n t s

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. ii

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1

ORGANIZATION OF THE CURRICULUM GUIDE ...................................................... 2

HOW CAN TEACHERS MOST EFFECTIVELY USE THIS DOCUMENT?................. 3

READING STANDARDS AND INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES

First Grade.................................................................................................................... 4

Second Grade ............................................................................................................... 7

Third Grade ................................................................................................................ 10

Fourth Grade .............................................................................................................. 13

Fifth Grade ................................................................................................................. 16

Sixth Grade ................................................................................................................ 19

Seventh Grade ............................................................................................................ 21

Eighth Grade .............................................................................................................. 23

Ninth Grade................................................................................................................ 25

Tenth Grade................................................................................................................ 27

Eleventh Grade........................................................................................................... 30

Twelfth Grade ............................................................................................................ 32

APPENDIX A. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE

NEW READING STANDARDS............................................................................... 33

APPENDIX B. STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE ALABAMA

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM

Reading Comprehension ............................................................................................ 35

APPENDIX C. DOLCH SIGHT WORD LIST

Preschool – Third Grade ............................................................................................ 37

APPENDIX D. DYNAMIC INDICATORS OF BASIC EARLY

LITERACY SKILLS (DIBELS)

Summary of Research Findings ................................................................................. 39

Helping Students Develop Critical Reading Skills .................................................... 39

Critical Reading Skills: Reading Indicators, Patterns of Difficulty,

Suggestions for Instruction ..................................................................................... 41

BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................. 43

GLOSSARY ..................................................................................................................... 44

ii

Acknowledgments This document was developed by the July 2003 Reading Addendum Curriculum Guide Task

Force. Task Force members included special and general education teachers and

coordinators. In addition, parents of children with disabilities and representatives of parent

advocacy groups reviewed the document.

READING ADDENDUM CURRICULUM GUIDE TASK FORCE

Ashley Catrett, Special Education Teacher, Butler County Board of Education

Jo Ann Holloway, Special Education Teacher, Mobile County Board of Education

Melanie Howze-Turner, Special Education Specialist, Mobile County Board of Education

Gayle Jones, Special Education Coordinator, Talladega County Board of Education

Sharron Maughn, Second Grade Teacher, Tuscaloosa County Board of Education

Lynn Rose, Curriculum Director, Auburn City Board of Education

Dehone Toney, Special Education Teacher, Limestone County Board of Education

State Department of Education personnel who provided leadership during the development

of the document were:

Joseph B. Morton, Ph.D., Deputy State Superintendent of Education; and

Feagin Johnson, Jr., Assistant State Superintendent of Education.

State Department of Education personnel who managed the development process were:

Mabrey Whetstone, Ph.D., Director, Special Education Services;

Cynthia C. Brown, Coordinator, Curriculum and Programs, Classroom Improvement;

Cheryl Holder, Ed.D., Education Specialist, Special Education Services; and

Marla D. Holbrook, Education Administrator, Special Education Services.

The State Department of Education program specialist who assisted the Task Force in

developing the document was:

J. Steve McAliley, Language Arts Specialist, Curriculum and Programs, Classroom

Improvement.

LaToya Pettway, clerical support staff, Special Education Services; and

Leigh Ann Kyser, clerical support staff, Curriculum and Programs, Classroom

Improvement, assisted with the preparation of the document.

Susan J. Blankenship, (retired) Education Specialist, State Department of Education, edited

and proofread the document.

1

Introduction

The Curriculum Guide to the Alabama Course of Study: English Language Arts Reading

Addendum (Bulletin 2003, No. 41) is a companion document for the Grades K-12

Reading Addendum to the Alabama Course of Study: English Language Arts

(Bulletin 1999, No. 17). The Reading Addendum was developed by members of the

English Language Arts Task Force during the summer of 2002. In the Reading

Addendum, reading standards from the Alabama Course of Study: English Language Arts

(Bulletin 1999, No. 17) have been revised to comply with regulations of the No Child

Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. These regulations require (1) that content standards and

state assessments have 100 percent alignment by 2004 in at least reading and

mathematics and (2) that content not be repeated from grade to grade. These reading

standards provide the basis for state assessments for purposes of state accountability. A

question and answer document concerning the new reading standards is included in

Appendix A of this document. The new Reading Addendum may be accessed from the

Alabama Department of Education Web site at www.alsde.edu. On the home page, go to

Special Links. Click on Courses of Study, English, ReadStand.

The remainder of the 1999 Alabama Course of Study: English Language Arts is in effect

until revised by a newly appointed committee. Educators are reminded that content

standards indicate minimum content: what all students should know and be able to do by

the end of each grade or course. Local systems may have additional instructional or

achievement expectations, and they may provide instructional guidelines that include

sequence, review, and/or remediation.

The Curriculum Guide to the Alabama Course of Study: English Language Arts Reading

Addendum divides the content standards into small instructional objectives leading

toward mastery of the standards. This allows students to work toward grade-level

standards while working at individual ability levels. By identifying the prerequisites and

enabling skills for each standard, teachers may plan instruction to close the achievement

gap experienced by some students while still working toward the same standards set for

all students. Some uses of the guide include, but are not limited to the following:

(1) lesson planning, (2) Building-Based Student Support Team (BBSST) considerations,

(3) Individual Educational Program (IEP) development, (4) collaborative teaching, (5)

tutorials, (6) planning for instructional groupings, (7) parent information and conferences,

(8) development of curriculum-based assessments, and (9) preparation for state

assessments.

2

Organization of the Curriculum Guide

The organizational components of this guide include standards, instructional objectives,

examples, and bullets. Content standards are statements that define what all students

should know and be able to do at the conclusion of a grade level or course. Content

standards contain minimum required content and complete the phrase “Students will.”

Content standards for a grade level or course should be clearly written, reasonable,

measurable, developmentally appropriate, and sufficiently rigorous to enable Alabama

students to achieve at levels comparable to other students in the nation and the world.

They should also provide proportional emphasis to the essential knowledge, skills, and

processes of a given grade level or course.

Instructional objectives divide the standards into smaller instructional units that serve as

foundational skills for the standards. Instructional objectives are useful in lesson planning,

classroom instruction, and IEP development. Utilization of instructional objectives

facilitates having all students working toward grade-level standards while also working at

individual ability levels. Instructional objectives within this document are numbered

according to grade level, content standard number, and the order in which the instructional

objective is listed. The system for numbering Objective 1. 3. 5., for example, is based

upon the following:

grade level

content standard number

objective

Objective 1. 3. 5: Use newly learned vocabulary in multiple contexts to

reinforce learning.

Examples clarify certain content standards and bullets, and/or their components. They

are illustrative but not exhaustive. Examples are not part of the minimum required

content.

Bullets denote additional related content required for instruction. Bulleted content is

listed under a standard.

3

How Can Teachers Most Effectively Use This

Document?

• Become familiar with the Reading Addendum to the Alabama Course of Study:

English Language Arts (Bulletin 1999, No. 17).

• Review the supporting Curriculum Guide to the Alabama Course of Study:

English Language Arts Reading Addendum (Bulletin 2003, No. 41).

• Correlate standards and instructional objectives in the guide with the

Compendium Supplement for the Stanford Achievement Test, 10th Edition.

• Correlate the standards and instructional objectives in the guide with the Item

Specifications for Reading Comprehension for the Alabama High School

Graduation Exam.

• Use the guide and correlations for instructional planning.

• Teach all content specified in courses of study for each grade level or course.

• Emphasize the importance of vocabulary in all content areas.

• Develop curriculum-based assessments based on the standards.

• Make content relevant to real-life situations.

• Provide guided and independent practice.

• Plan and implement activities that address all learning styles: auditory, visual,

kinesthetic, and tactile.

• Provide opportunities for cooperative and/or group learning.

• Include hands-on and other active learning experiences to increase student

understanding.

4

Reading Standards and Instructional Objectives

First Grade

Students will:

1. Demonstrate phonemic awareness by isolating, deleting, and adding

phonemes, by using onsets and rimes, and by identifying initial, medial and

final sounds in one-syllable words.

Objective 1.1.1: Exhibit phonemic awareness by identifying phonemes.

Objective 1.1.2: Tell whether words and sounds are the same or different.

Objective 1.1.3: Blend orally onsets and rimes.

Examples: c-at, b-and

Objective 1.1.4: Identify initial sound of a word. *

Objective 1.1.5: Identify final sound of a word.*

Objective 1.1.6: Identify medial sound of a word.*

*Introduce sounds in the sequence of initial, final, and medial.

Additional content to be taught:

• Blending phonemes

2. Utilize predictable letter-sound relationships to decode printed words,

including words with consonant blends that require blending 3–4 phonemes

into a whole word.

Objective 1.2.1: Identify letter matched to sound.

Objective 1.2.2: Pronounce the most common sound associated with individual

letters.

Objective 1.2.3: Blend letter sounds in words.

Objective 1.2.4: Blend 2–3 phonemes into a word.

Objective 1.2.5: Segment individual words into sounds.

Objective 1.2.6: Recognize the most common sound associated with 2–3 letter

blends.

Examples: br, sl, str


• Blending sounds to form words

• Identifying sound-spelling relationships of consonants and vowels

• Segmenting printed words into phonemes

5

3. Demonstrate vocabulary skills by sorting words into categories and by

deriving word meaning from context within sentences and paragraphs.

Objective 1.3.1: Identify and sort pictures of common words into basic

categories.

Examples: animals, plants, people

Objective 1.3.2: Use words to describe location, size, color, and shape.

Objective 1.3.3: Describe elements represented in picture form.

Examples: emotions, size

Objective 1.3.4: Demonstrate knowledge of new words introduced through

explicit instruction and stories.

Objective 1.3.5: Use newly learned vocabulary in multiple contexts to

reinforce learning.


• Using new words from reading when writing and speaking

• Recognizing words in the environment

• Asking questions for clarification

• Spelling correctly sight words and single-syllable, phonetically regular

words

4. Read with comprehension a variety of first-grade narrative and

informational texts, recalling information, including the beginning, middle,

and end while retelling a story.

Objective 1.4.1: Demonstrate comprehension of passages heard by retelling

stories and by answering questions.

Objective 1.4.2: Answer who, where, and what questions after listening to a

story.

Objective 1.4.3: Retell a familiar story with or without a book including

beginning, middle, and end.

Objective 1.4.4: Predict meaning of a word from obvious context clues.


• Recognizing cues provided by print

• Making predictions

• Stating main ideas about a topic in informational text

• Connecting events in a story to specific life experiences

• Monitoring comprehension during reading

• Drawing simple conclusions

6

5. Read with fluency simple passages containing simple sentences.

Objective 1.5.1: Establish letter-naming fluency at rate of 40-plus letters per

minute.

Objective 1.5.2: Recognize 100 percent of the Dolch sight word list for first

grade.

Objective 1.5.3: Read 40–50 words of connected, decodable text per minute

with 100 percent accuracy.


• Reading 50–60 words per minute

• Recognizing first-grade high frequency words by sight

Example: lists provided with basals

• Attending to end punctuation in phrasing

7

Second Grade

Students will:

1. Demonstrate phonological skills by manipulating the sounds and words of

the English language and identifying syllables in two- and three-syllable

words.

Objective 2.1.1: Demonstrate phonemic awareness by isolating, deleting, and

adding phonemes.

Example: removing first sound, “m,” in mop and replacing sound with

“t” to form top

Objective 2.1.2: Distinguish between one- and two-syllable words.

Example: clap syllables

2. Apply phonetic strategies to decode unfamiliar and multisyllable words,

using graphophonemic clues and letter-sound correspondences, including

diphthongs and digraphs.

Objective 2.2.1: Produce sounds to match common letter combinations.

Objective 2.2.2: Decode words with consonant blends and letter combinations.

Objective 2.2.3: Read regular one-syllable words and words with common

word parts.

Example: consonant-vowel-consonant (cvc) patterns in words – cat,

mop, pet


• Correcting word-recognition errors

Examples: substituting, deleting, omitting

• Reading phonetically regular two-syllable words

Examples: regular – table, mitten; irregular – baby, city

8

3. Exhibit vocabulary skills by explaining simple common antonyms and

synonyms, and using descriptive words.

Objective 2.3.1: Identify common antonyms and synonyms.

Objective 2.3.2: Use words that describe.

Examples: location, size, color, shape


• Responding to questions

• Using semantic cues

• Recognizing words in the environment

• Learning and using new words from independent reading of stories and

texts

• Recognizing possessive forms

• Spelling sight words correctly, spelling unfamiliar words by using

phonetic strategies, and using dictionary to check spellings

• Identifying multiple meaning words

4. Demonstrate comprehension of second-grade materials across the

curriculum, drawing simple conclusions, classifying ideas and things,

identifying sequence, and retelling directions and information from

textual/informational and functional materials.

Objective 2.4.1: Read with comprehension a variety of first-grade narrative and

informational texts recalling information.

Objective 2.4.2: Identify correct sequence of events after reading a story or

listening to the reading of a story.

Objective 2.4.3: Draw conclusions about information or stories read.

Objective 2.4.4: Classify words and things, with or without pictures, into

categories.

Objective 2.4.5: Tell the main idea or topic of an informational passage.


• Reading textual and functional materials such as classroom texts, maps,

simple tables, atlases, and encyclopedias

• Relating events and ideas to specific life experiences

• Answering what if, why, and how questions

• Identifying characters

9

5. Read with fluency passages containing complex sentences.

Objective 2.5.1: Recognize 100 percent of Dolch sight words for second grade.



Objective 2.5.3: Read and reread to increase familiarity.

Objective 2.5.4: Read complex sentences with phrasing and expression.

Objective 2.5.5: Use phrasing, attending to ending punctuation.

Objective 2.5.6: Read and self-correct while reading.


• Recognizing second-grade high-frequency words

Example: lists provided with basals

• Making self-corrections

• Reading with expression

• Using punctuation to help phrase

• Reading 90–100 words per minute

10

Third Grade

Students will:

1. Apply advanced phonetic analysis to multiple-syllable words, including

consonants, short vowels, blends, long vowel markers, and r-controlled

vowels.

Objective 3.1.1: Demonstrate phonological skills by manipulating sounds and

words.

Example: creating new words by changing beginning sound – changing

the “m” in mop to “p” to form a new word, pop

Objective 3.1.2: Identify blends in multiple-syllable words.

Examples: flopping, bringing

Objective 3.1.3: Identify long vowel markers in multiple-syllable sounds.

Examples: teacher, realize

Objective 3.1.4: Identify r-controlled vowels in multiple-syllable words.

Examples: cargo, bargain

2. Demonstrate reading vocabulary knowledge of compound words.

Objective 3.2.1: Identify the two separate words in compound words.

Example: air + plane = airplane

Objective 3.2.2: Demonstrate knowledge of meaning of separate words in

compound words.


• Using structural analysis to develop meaning

Examples: prefixes, suffixes, root words

• Drawing semantic maps

• Learning new synonyms and antonyms

• Spelling correctly compound words, phonetically regular words,

contractions, and possessives; using dictionary to check spelling

11

3. Use a wide range of strategies, including using context clues and predicting

outcomes, to comprehend third-grade literary/recreational materials in a

variety of genres.

Objective 3.3.1: Identify character actions, motives, emotions, traits, and

feelings.

Objective 3.3.2: Make and confirm predictions based on information from a

story.

Objective 3.3.3: Answer what if, why, and how questions.

Objective 3.3.4: Recognize 100 percent of Dolch sight words for third grade.




• Identifying literary elements and devices

Examples: characters, similes

• Determining sequence of events

• Distinguishing fiction from nonfiction

• Using sentence structure

• Drawing conclusions

• Self-monitoring for understanding

Examples: rereading, using context clues, adjusting speed, accessing

prior knowledge and experiences

• Using vocabulary knowledge

• Relating main ideas to specific life experiences

• Reading fluently at approximately 120 words per minute

• Adjusting speed/rate

• Previewing and predicting

• Utilizing text features

• Using prior knowledge and experience

12

4. Use a wide range of strategies and skills, including retelling information,

using general context clues and making inferences to identify the main idea,

to comprehend third-grade functional and textual/informational reading

materials.

Objective 3.4.1: Answer what, what if, why and how questions.

Objective 3.4.2: Distinguish main idea/details.

Objective 3.4.3: State explicit and implicit main ideas.


• Using sentence structure

• Distinguishing main idea from details

• Summarizing passages

• Using text features to gain meaning

Examples: titles, headings, glossary, boldface print, index, table of

contents, maps, charts, tables


• Self-monitoring for text understanding

• Following simple written directions

• Ordering by importance or chronology

13

Fourth Grade

Students will:

1. Demonstrate word recognition skills, including structural analysis.

Objective 4.1.1: Identify prefixes and suffixes of words.

Objective 4.1.2: Identify syllables in two- and three-syllable words.

Example: building word families

Objective 4.1.3: Decode unfamiliar and multisyllable words.

Objective 4.1.4: Identify root words.

Objective 4.1.5: Identify common contractions.


• Producing common word parts

• Reading multisyllable words

• Reading compound words, contractions, possessives, and inflectional

endings

2. Demonstrate reading vocabulary knowledge, including recognition of a

variety of synonyms and antonyms.

Objective 4.2.1: Explain synonyms and antonyms.

Objective 4.2.2: Categorize words as synonyms and antonyms.

Objective 4.2.3: Locate synonyms and antonyms for given words in a

dictionary.


• Using context clues

• Reading multiple-meaning words

• Increasing the number of sight words

14

3. Use a wide range of strategies, including distinguishing fiction from

nonfiction and making inferences to comprehend fourth-grade

literary/recreational materials in a variety of genres.

Objective 4.3.1: Define fiction and nonfiction.

Objective 4.3.2: Determine sequence of events.

Objective 4.3.3: Identify supporting statements for a given inference.

Objective 4.3.4: Draw conclusions.


• Skimming passages

• Summarizing

• Comparing and contrasting

• Using sentence structure and context

• Self-monitoring for understanding




• Reading fluently with expression and attention to punctuation

• Using prior knowledge and experience


• Asking and answering questions

• Relating events, ideas, and characters to specific life experiences

4. Identify literary elements and devices, including characters, important

details, and similes, in literary/recreational materials and identify important

details in textual/informational materials.

Objective 4.4.1: Define literary elements, including character and important

details.

Objective 4.4.2: List all characters from a story.

Objective 4.4.3: Select important details related to the main idea when given

the main idea from a story.

Objective 4.4.4: Select important details related to the topic when given the

main topic for an informational passage.

Objective 4.4.5: Define simile (comparison of two things using like or as).

Example: “The horse moves like the wind.”

Objective 4.4.6: Identify similes from a literary passage.

Objective 4.4.7: Retell a story and include characters, setting, and important

events.


• Identifying main idea

• Identifying author’s purpose

15

5. Use a wide range of strategies and skills, including using sentence structure,

locating information, and distinguishing fact from fiction, to comprehend

fourth-grade functional and textual/informational reading materials.

Objective 4.5.1: Define fact and fiction.

Objective 4.5.2: Identify clues in sentence (simple or compound) structure that

may be utilized to gain meaning from a passage.

Objective 4.5.3: Identify the best source for specified information.

Examples: definition of a word, details about a particular species of bird,

definition of important words in a textbook



• Distinguishing fact from opinion



• Self-monitoring text understanding



• Using text features to gain meaning

Examples: titles, headings, glossary, boldface print, index, table of

contents, tables, charts, graphs


• Highlighting, note taking, and outlining

• Detecting obvious bias

• Recognizing persuasive techniques

Examples: sources – advertisements, Internet, speeches, newspaper

editorials

16

Fifth Grade

Students will:

1. Demonstrate reading vocabulary knowledge, including recognition of

multiple-meaning words.

Objective 5.1.1: Use context clues to interpret meaning of multiple-meaning

words.

Objective 5.1.2: Use a dictionary to define two or more meanings of multiple-

meaning words.


• Word “chunks” or parts

Example: “mark,” “remark,” or “able” in remarkable

• Inflected endings such as ed or ing

• Possessives and contractions

2. Use a range of strategies, including drawing conclusions such as opinions

about characters based on their actions and summarizing passages, to

comprehend fifth-grade literary/recreational materials in a variety of genres.

Objective 5.2.1: Relate character traits from a provided list to characters from a

given passage.

Objective 5.2.2: Compare characters in a given passage who have similar

character traits.

Objective 5.2.3: Compare characters in a given passage who have contrasting

character traits.

Objective 5.2.4: Write a sentence describing characters from a given passage.

Objective 5.2.5: Write sentences retelling key ideas from a given passage.

Objective 5.2.6: Retell a story in a few sentences.




• Distinguishing fiction and nonfiction


• Using prior knowledge and experience to interpret

• Skimming

• Inferring motive

17

3. Recognize the use or effect of literary elements and devices – including

setting, character traits, stated purpose, metaphors, and simple symbolism –

and recognize stated purpose and gain information from various text

formats, including tables and charts.

Objective 5.3.1: Define literary elements including setting, character traits, and

purpose.

Objective 5.3.2: Define literary devices including metaphors and symbolism.

Examples: metaphor – “The tree is a soldier on the riverbank.”

symbolism – an eagle symbolizing freedom

Objective 5.3.3: Select a stated purpose for a passage (literary or informational)

from a provided list.

Objective 5.3.4: Identify a metaphor from a given passage.

Objective 5.3.5: Tell the kinds of information that may be gained from given

tables and charts.


• Persuasive techniques

• Main idea and supporting details

• Personification

• Implied purpose

18

4. Use a wide range of strategies and skills, including using text features to gain

meaning, summarizing passages, and drawing conclusions, to comprehend

fifth-grade functional and textual/informational reading materials.

Objective 5.4.1: Identify text features such as pictures, charts, titles, subtitles,

and bold print.

Objective 5.4.2: Survey the features of a text to draw conclusions concerning

passage content.

Example: using pictures, charts, titles, subtitles, and bold print to predict

content

Objective 5.4.3: Write sentences retelling key ideas in a given passage from

functional and textual/informational reading materials.



• Determining cause and effect




• Using prior knowledge and experience to interpret

• Self-monitoring text understanding



• Using expanded vocabulary

• Recognizing persuasive techniques

• Skimming

• Using reference materials

19

Sixth Grade

Students will:

1. Apply strategies, including making complex predictions, interpreting

characters’ behaviors, and comparing and contrasting, to comprehend sixth-

grade literary/recreational materials.

Objective 6.1.1: Make predictions using the sequence of events of a given

passage.

Objective 6.1.2: Compare and/or contrast the actions or thoughts of the

characters of a given passage.

Objective 6.1.3: Describe a character based on his/her actions.

Objective 6.1.4: Compare ideas from two authors on a current events topic.


• Identifying supporting details


• Identifying sequence of events

• Making generalizations

2. Interpret literary elements and devices, including implied main idea, conflict,

and personification.

Objective 6.2.1: Define literary elements, including conflict and

personification.

Objective 6.2.2: Locate implied main idea.


• Identifying the climax

20

3. Apply strategies that include making complex predictions, identifying the

likely source of a text, and comparing and contrasting to comprehend sixth-

grade textual/informational and functional materials.

Objective 6.3.1: Predict expected outcomes by using textual clues.

Examples: headings, subheadings

Objective 6.3.2: Predict whether a chapter addresses a topic or questions based

on a review of chapter headings and subheadings.

Objective 6.3.3: Locate bibliographical information.

Objective 6.3.4: Locate essential information in a given selection.



• Making generalizations


• Identifying sequence of events

• Previewing text features, such as headings, before reading

4. Recognize the use of text elements, including implied main idea, explicit

cause-effect relationships, and persuasive techniques, in sixth-grade

textual/informational or functional materials.

Objective 6.4.1: Identify main idea.

Objective 6.4.2: Determine whether the main idea is stated or implied in an

informational passage.

Objective 6.4.3: Identify cause and effect sentences.

Objective 6.4.4: Define persuasive techniques used by writers.


• Details related to main idea

21

Seventh Grade

Students will:

1. Apply strategies appropriate to the type of material, including setting

purposes for reading and making generalizations, to comprehend seventh-

grade literary/recreational materials.

Objective 7.1.1: Demonstrate reading vocabulary knowledge appropriate for

materials read.

Objective 7.1.2: Use a range of strategies to comprehend literary/recreational

materials.

Examples: comparing and contrasting; using prior knowledge and

experience to interpret, skim, and infer motive

Objective 7.1.3: Accomplish purposes for reading stories or poems.

Objective 7.1.4: Identify specific kinds of information to find before reading.

Objective 7.1.5: Locate specified information in a given text.


• Distinguishing factual from fictional materials


• Using specific context clues

• Applying self-monitoring strategies


• Confirming or refuting predictions

2. Relate literary elements and devices to each other, including main idea and

supporting details, climax, point of view, and imagery.

Objective 7.2.1: Identify climax, point of view, and imagery.

Objective 7.2.2: Explain how the supporting details develop the main idea.

Objective 7.2.3: Explain how imagery is appropriate to, or supports the main

idea.


• Mood

• Flashback

22

3. Distinguish among the major genres – including poetry, short stories, novels,

plays, biographies, and autobiographies – and subgenres – such as folktales,

myths, parables, fables, and science fiction – based on their characteristics.

Objective 7.3.1: Identify characteristics of major genres.

Examples: poetry, short stories, novels, plays, biographies,

autobiographies

Objective 7.3.2: Identify characteristics of subgenres.

Examples: folktales, myths, parables, fables, science fiction

Objective 7.3.3: Classify literary works according to the characteristics of

major genres.

4. Apply strategies that include setting purposes for reading, distinguishing fact

from opinion, making generalizations, and reviewing to comprehend

textual/informational and functional materials.

Objective 7.4.1: Identify comprehension strategies and skills.

Examples: determining cause and effect, previewing and predicting,

using context clues, skimming

Objective 7.4.2: Demonstrate comprehension strategies and skills by retelling,

summarizing, and answering questions.

Objective 7.4.3: Identify fact and opinion within textual/informational

materials.

Objective 7.4.4: Define generalization.

Objective 7.4.5: Review text to set purpose for reading.

Examples: headings, subheadings, bold print



• Using specific context clues



5. Recognize the use of textual elements, including main idea and supporting

details, and gain information from various text formats, including graphs.

Objective 7.5.1: Identify how an author makes clear the main idea.

Example: previewing text features such as headings and subheadings

Objective 7.5.2: Identify supporting details used by the author to provide

information in a text or passage.

Objective 7.5.3: Read graphs, tables, and charts.

23

Eighth Grade

Students will:

1. Apply strategies, including making inferences to determine theme,

confirming or refuting predictions, and using specific context clues, to

comprehend eighth-grade literary/recreational materials.

Objective 8.1.1: Define theme.

Objective 8.1.2: Recognize theme in a variety of literary/recreational materials.

Objective 8.1.3: Make simple predictions based on content of a passage.

Example: putting on raincoat suggests going outside

Objective 8.1.4: Make complex predictions using clues from a passage.

Example: predicting “who did it” in mysteries



• Distinguishing fact from fiction

• Determining sequence

2. Evaluate the impact of setting, mood, and/or characterization on theme in

specific literary selections.

Objective 8.2.1: Recognize setting, mood, and characters’ behaviors.

Objective 8.2.2: Relate literary elements and devices to each other.

Examples: main idea, supporting details, conflict, climax, point of view,

imagery


• Identifying components of plot

3. Distinguish among the subcategories of poetry, such as ballads, lyric poems,

epics, haiku, and limericks, based on their characteristics.

Objective 8.3.1: Identify characteristics of a ballad.

Objective 8.3.2: Identify characteristics of a lyric poem.

Objective 8.3.3: Identify characteristics of an epic.

Objective 8.3.4: Identify characteristics of a haiku.

Objective 8.3.5: Identify characteristics of a limerick.

Objective 8.3.6: Classify subcategories of poetry by their characteristics.


• Identifying rhythm and rhyme scheme

24

4. Apply strategies appropriate to the type of material, including making

inferences to determine bias or theme and using specific context clues, to

comprehend eighth-grade textual/informational and functional materials.

Objective 8.4.1: Define bias.

Objective 8.4.2: Identify type of text.

Examples: functional materials – newspapers, schedules, maps;

expository materials – textbooks;

persuasive materials – editorials, advertisements

Objective 8.4.3: Use and identify context clues to interpret meaning of

unfamiliar words.



• Comparing predicted with actual content


• Confirming author’s credentials

• Determining sequence

25

Ninth Grade

Students will:

1. Identify genre, tone, and plot in short stories, drama, and poetry and identify

organizational structure in essays or other nonfiction to comprehend

literary/recreational texts.

Objective 9.1.1: Identify the components of a plot.

Objective 9.1.2: Identify sequence of events.

Objective 9.1.3: Identify tone.

Examples: mysterious, serious, sarcastic

Objective 9.1.4: Classify a literary work as a short story, play, or poem.


• Reading predominantly world literature

2. Compare the use of language and literary elements and devices – including

rhythm, rhyme scheme, tone, and plot – in various selections, cultures, and

genres.

Objective 9.2.1: Identify symbolism and other figurative language.

Objective 9.2.2: Understand various dialects.

Objective 9.2.3: Identify analogies.

Examples: “Ship is to water as plane is to air.”

“Athlete is to sports as actor is to movies.”

Objective 9.2.4: Identify the rhyme scheme of a poem as ABAB or AABB.

Objective 9.2.5: Compare language usage by two different authors.

Examples: long sentences versus short sentences, sarcastic versus straight

forward


• Symbolism and other figurative language

• Foreshadowing

• Inferences about characters and their motives

• Diction

• Analogy

26

3. Read with comprehension a variety of textual/informational and functional

materials commonly used in ninth grade, recognizing tone and propaganda.

Objective 9.3.1: Distinguish fact from opinion in newspaper articles, editorial

pages, or television news programs.

Objective 9.3.2: Recognize propaganda in various media.

Examples: beauty products in television commercials, political campaign

advertisements in newspapers

Objective 9.3.3: Classify the tone of selected editorials or articles as serious,

ominous, tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, or light.


• Organizing steps of a process and other sequences

• Identifying organizational structure or matching structure with a graphic

organizer


• Recognizing logical fallacies

• Following complex written directions

27

Tenth Grade

Students will:

1. Apply both literal and inferential comprehension strategies, including

drawing conclusions/making inferences about characters, motives, intentions,

and attitudes in short stories, drama, poetry, novels, or essays and/or other

nonfiction.

Objective 10.1.1: Identify sequence of events.

Objective 10.1.2: Identify characters and their motives, intentions, and attitudes.

Objective 10.1.3: Determine meanings of words or phrases using context clues.

Objective 10.1.4: Summarize key ideas of a short passage.

Example: newspaper and magazine articles


• Identifying major historical developments in language and literature in

America from the beginnings to 1900

Examples: simplicity of early American literature, religious nature

and themes in much early American literature,

relationships to historical events and to British literature


• Identifying sequences


• Drawing other kinds of conclusions

2. Identify and interpret literary elements and devices, including analogy,

personification, and implied purpose.

Objective 10.2.1: Define analogy.

Objective 10.2.2: Identify an analogy in a short story or poem.

Objective 10.2.3: Define personification.

Objective 10.2.4: Define implied purpose.


• Figurative language and imagery, including symbolism and metaphors

• Tone

28

3. Read with literal and inferential comprehension a variety of

textual/informational and functional materials, making inferences about

effects when passage provides cause; inferring cause when passage provides

the effect; making inferences, decisions, and predictions from tables, charts,

and other text features; and identifying the outcome or product of a set of

directions.

Objective 10.3.1: Distinguish between fact and opinion in materials such as

editorials and advertisements.

Objective 10.3.2: Follow directions to determine an outcome.

Example: following directions to assemble an item

Objective 10.3.3: Identify cause and effect.

Examples: job-related situations such as poor attendance, failure to

follow company rules and regulations; health related issues

such as smoking leading to cancer

Objective 10.3.4: Interpret functional materials.

Examples: maps, newspapers, schedules, career information

Objective 10.3.5: Use tables, charts and other text features.

Examples: menu, sales tax chart, nutritional chart

Objective 10.3.6: Determine main idea and supporting details in informational

and functional materials.

Example: Occupational Outlook Handbook (requirements, including

necessary skills or education, for specific occupations)

Objective 10.3.7: Summarize key ideas from informational and functional

materials.

Examples: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

regulations, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

requirements, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

(EEOC) regulations, child labor laws, minimum wage law


• Following complex or embedded directions

• Distinguishing author’s opinion from factual statements

• Determining main idea and supporting details



29

4. Recognize fallacious or illogical thought in essays, editorials, and other

informational texts.

Objective 10.4.1: Define logical and illogical thoughts in informational texts.

Examples: reading editorials, analyzing commercials

Objective 10.4.2: Select the sentence that is unrelated to the main idea in an

informational paragraph.

Objective 10.4.3: Recognize fact from opinion in informational texts.


• Evaluating strength of argument

• Recognizing propaganda

30

Eleventh Grade

Students will:

1. Analyze authors’ use of the literary elements of characterization, theme,

tone, setting, mood, plot, and literary point of view in American short stories,

drama, poetry, or essays and other nonfiction literature, predominantly from

1900 to the present.

Objective 11.1.1: Identify the setting, mood, and theme of a short story.

Objective 11.1.2: Describe the use of characterization in a short passage.

Example: How does the author let the reader know Jim is honest?

Objective 11.1.3: Identify the author’s point of view in a short story.

Objective 11.1.4: Identify the components of plot.

Examples: conflict, rising action, climax, falling action


• Identifying major historical developments of language and literature in

America from 1900 to the present

Examples: relationships to place and time, changes in American

lexicon as a result of the industrial revolution; chronology,

genre, style

• Evaluating author technique

31

2. Analyze the use of figurative language and literacy devices, including

hyperbole, simile, metaphor, personification, and other imagery, to enhance

specific literary passages.

Objective 11.2.1: Complete a given analogy.

Example: “Ship is to water as plane is to __________.”

Objective 11.2.2: Define hyperbole.

Example: exaggeration – “We waited for an eternity.”

“I’m starving to death.”

Objective 11.2.3: Find one analogy in a provided literary passage.

Objective 11.2.4: Contrast characteristics of literary devices/figurative language.

Examples: simile – “She ran like the wind.”

“He was cold as ice.”

metaphor – “My mother is my rock.”

imagery – “The old oak tree’s dead branches clattered together

in the wind.”

personification – “Time talks. It speaks more plainly than

words.”


• Allusions

• Analogies

• Irony

• Rhythm and rhyme schemes


materials, recognizing organizational patterns, evaluating the strengths or

weaknesses of argument, and identifying directions that are implied or

embedded in a passage.

Objective 11.3.1: Identify propaganda in functional text.

Example: lease and credit agreements

Objective 11.3.2: Use context clues to confirm implied meaning of unfamiliar

vocabulary in functional text.

Examples: employee manuals, consumer product information

Objective 11.3.3: Identify the end product after reading a set of directions.

Examples: medical instructions, nutritional pamphlets

Objective 11.3.4: Differentiate the strengths from weaknesses in an argument

found in an essay, speech, or editorial.


• Recognizing fallacies in logic


• Applying advanced knowledge of context clues and structural analysis to

determine word meaning

• Evaluating quality of writing

32

Twelfth Grade

Students will:

1. Compare organizational structure, figurative language, and literary devices,

including the use of paradox, among predominantly British short stories,

drama, poetry, or essays and/or other nonfiction literature.

Objective 12.1.1: Identify rhyme schemes.

Examples: ABAB, ABBA

Objective 12.1.2: Define and select examples of irony.

Objective 12.1.3: Define and select examples of allusion.

Objective 12.1.4: Define and select examples of parody.

Objective 12.1.5: Define and select examples of paradox.


• Hyperbole

• Allusions

• Irony

• Rhyme schemes

• Parody

• Major historical developments in language and literature in the British

Isles

Examples: relationships to place and time such as specific influences

of cultures and languages, wars and victors in those wars,

world literary trends


materials, comparing bias, persuasive techniques, and organizational

structure in passages.

Objective 12.2.1: Locate logical fallacies in textual/informational and functional

materials.

Example: diet foods make you lose weight

Objective 12.2.2: Interpret/analyze charts and tables in textual/informational and

functional materials.

Objective 12.2.3: Select a graphic organizer that best matches the organization

of a paragraph.


• Recognizing faulty logic or organization

• Interpreting/analyzing charts and tables

Appendix A

33

Questions and Answers About the New Reading Standards

Q When do these reading standards become effective?

A The reading standards become effective immediately. The State Board of

Education approved the new reading content standards in February of 2003.

Schools/systems should revise local curriculum for the 2003-2004 school year to

reflect the new standards.

Q Why were the standards changed when it was not time to revise the course of

study for English language arts?

A NCLB legislation requires that state assessments have a 100 percent match to

state standards in at least reading and mathematics at this time. The course of

study contained some standards that could only be assessed by classroom

teachers. An additional aspect of NCLB prohibited repetition of a standard from

grade to grade, and current course of study standards contain some repetition.

Q Did not the NCLB legislation require the total English language arts

curriculum to satisfy the same criteria as reading?

A States could revise/align English language arts standards with assessment to

achieve the necessary 100 percent match, but they had to align at least reading.

Alabama elected to revise and align only reading since (1) it was not the year to

revise the English language arts course of study, (2) it was simpler and less

expensive to revise only reading, (3) a task force from the Course of Study

Committee could be used rather than having an entirely new committee

appointed, and (4) a few more years will be available to determine whether

alignment is required between state assessment and all of language arts. (This

would be a difficult task since language arts includes listening, speaking, viewing,

and presenting.)

Q Why is it important that local curriculum be revised to reflect the new

standards?

A These standards will be used to customize the norm-referenced test (NRT) that the

state uses (currently Stanford 10) in state assessment. Student performance on the

customized version of the Stanford 10 test will be used for accountability –

Grades 4, 6, and 8 in 2003-2004, and the plan is to add customized tests for

Grades 3, 5, and 7 in the 2004-2005 school year. (Part of the agreement with the

U.S. Department of Education is that standards match the assessment used for

accountability.)

Appendix A

34

Q Is the course of study for English language arts no longer in effect?

A All aspects of the Alabama Course of Study: English Language Arts (Bulletin

1999, No. 17) other than reading will be in effect until a new course of study is

developed. The aspects of the course of study that address reading should be

revised immediately at the local level. If the course of study includes content that

is not included in the new reading standards, and a local system chooses to keep it

in their curriculum, it may do so since local systems may always add to the state

standards. It is critical, however, to be sure that everything in the reading

standards and bulleted content is included in local curricula at the designated

grade since these standards have been used and will be used to develop tests

customized to Alabama reading standards.

Q When will the course of study for English language arts be revised? A It is scheduled to be revised in 2005. (This is one year later than the usual year

for revision. Science was moved up a year and English language arts was moved

back a year to meet the NCLB deadline for science.)

Q Will the English language arts standards include reading as a strand?

A That will be addressed by the Committee in 2005. Part of the decision will

depend upon NCLB regulations/interpretation at the time.

Q Will these new standards be printed and distributed statewide?

A Available funding will determine whether these will be distributed in hard copy as

well as how many and to whom they will be distributed. They are available on

the Alabama State Department of Education Web site at www.alsde.edu. On the

home page, go to Special Links. Click on Courses of Study, English, ReadStand.

Appendix B

35

Standards and Objectives

Alabama High School Graduation Exam

Reading Comprehension* Standard

The student will demonstrate literal understanding of passages taken from textual, functional,

and recreational reading material.

Objectives

� Identify supporting details.

• Topic

• Subject

• Theme

• Central thought/message

• Lesson/moral

• Thesis

• Author’s purpose/point of view

� Determine sequence of events.

� Follow directions.

Standard

The student will interpret passages taken from textual, functional, and recreational reading

material.

Objectives

� Identify main idea.

� Draw conclusions.

� Determine cause and effect.

� Detect propaganda; distinguish fact from fiction.

� Recognize statements that adequately summarize a passage.

Standard

The student will apply critical analysis strategies and judge texts critically to comprehend

passages from textual, functional, and recreational reading material.

Objectives

� Recognize fallacies of logic and judge strength of argument.

� Analyze literary elements.

• Theme

• Character

• Tone

• Setting

• Mood

• Plot

• Literary point of view

� Demonstrate understanding of figurative language and analogy.

• Simile

• Imagery

• Metaphor

• Personification

• Hyperbole *Bulleted items have been added for some objectives for the purpose of specification in this document.

Appendix B

36

Standard

The student will utilize strategies that enhance comprehension of textual, functional, and

recreational reading material.

Objectives

� Determine word meaning through the use of context clues.

� Demonstrate the ability to preview and predict.

• Headings

• Subheadings

• Illustrations

• Footnotes

• Captions

• Topic sentence

• Book jackets

• Introductory paragraphs

• Graphic displays

� Charts

� Maps

� Graphs

� Timelines

� Discern organizational patterns.

• Chronological order

• Spatial order

• Order of importance

• Comparison and contrast

• Cause and effect

• Main idea with anecdotes

� Demonstrate the ability to locate information in reference material.

• Glossaries

• Dictionaries

• Indexes

• Table of contents

• Appendixes

• Research sources

• Atlases

• Almanacs

• Encyclopedias

• Readers’ guides

• Card catalogs

� Print-based

� Electronic

Appendix C

37

Dolch Sight Word List

Preschool

A And Away Big Blue

Can Come Down Find For

Funny Go Help Here I

In Is It Jump Little

Look Make Me My Not

One Play Red Run Said

See The Three To Two

Up We Where Yellow You

Kindergarten

All Am Are At

Ate Be Black Brown

But Came Did Do

Eat Four Get Good

Have He Into Like

Must New No Now

On Our Out Please

Pretty Ran Ride Saw

Say She So Soon

That There They This

Too Under Want Was

Well Went What White

Who Will With Yes

First Grade

After Again An Any

As Ask By Could

Every Fly From Give

Giving Had Has Her

Him His How Just

Know Let Live May

Of Old Once Open

Over Put Round Some

Stop Take Thank Them

Then Think Walk Were

Appendix C

38

Second Grade

Always Around Because Been

Before Best Both Buy

Call Cold Does Don’t

Fast First Five Found

Gave Goes Green Its

Made Many Off Or

Pull Read Right Sing

Sit Sleep Tell Their

These Those Upon Us

Use Very Wash Which

Why Wish Work Would

Write Your

Third Grade

About Better Bring Carry

Clean Cut Done Draw

Drink Eight Fall Far

Full Got Grow Hold

Hot Hurt If Keep

Kind Laugh Light Long

Much Myself Never Only

Own Pick Seven Shall

Show Six Small Start

Ten Today Together Try

Warm

Appendix D

39

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)*

Summary of Research Findings

• Use explicit, systematic reading program.

• Teach with small teacher/student ratios (1:1 – 1:5).

• Include word identification and reading fluency practice.

• Teach intensively (one hour per day), utilizing a variety of aligned strategies.

• Allow extensive opportunities for practice and feedback.

• Provide concentrated instruction.

Helping Students Develop Critical Reading Skills

Kindergarten

• Isolate first sound in phonemic tasks.

• Blend 2-3 phoneme words.

• Segment 2-3 phoneme words.

• Identify all single consonants and vowel sounds.

• Read 2-3 letter-controlled words.

• Recognize corpus of sight words.

• Spell consonant-vowel-consonant (cvc) words and sight words.

• Read and write simple sentences.

First Grade

• Blend and segment 3-4 phoneme words.

• Decode words with consonant blends and letter combinations.

• Read regular one-syllable words fluently.

• Read correctly 40-60 words per minute by end of year.

• Spell one-syllable regular words.

• Read common sight words automatically.

• Learn and use new vocabulary.

*Reprinted by permission, R. H. Good, R. A. Kaminski, D. Simmons, and E. J. Kame'enui (eds.), Dynamic

Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, 6th ed., Institute for the Development of Educational

Achievement, Eugene, Ore., 2002.

Appendix D

40

Second Grade

• Use advanced phonic elements to read words.

• Read multisyllabic words.

• Read independently an increased amount of sight words.

• Read correctly 90 words per minute by end of year.

• Spell phonetically regular and taught sight words.

• Increase knowledge and use of vocabulary.

• Retell, recall, and understand stories and their elements.

Third Grade

• Use advanced phonic elements to read words.

• Read multisyllabic words.

• Read independently an increased amount of sight words.

• Read correctly 110-120 words per minute by end of year.

• Increase independent reading.

• Spell phonetically regular and taught sight words.

• Increase knowledge and use of vocabulary.

• Answer literal, inferential, and evaluative questions.

• Distinguish between main idea/details, fact/opinion, and cause/effect.

• Use information in tables, graphs, diagrams, and maps.

• Retell main ideas of stories or informational texts.

• Learn and use unfamiliar words introduced in stories and texts.

• Increase knowledge of vocabulary through independent reading.

Appendix D

41

Critical Reading Skills: Reading Indicators, Patterns of Difficulty,

Suggestions for Instruction

Reading Indicators Common Patterns of Difficulty Suggestions for Instruction

Provide small-group or one-on-

one instruction on first-sound

isolation.

Use two-picture choice activity.

Proceed to three-picture choice

activity.

Focus activity on one new sound

at a time.

Include only pictures with which

students are familiar.

Low Initial Sounds Inconsistent first sound

No segmentation

Provide multiple opportunities for

students to produce sounds.

Begin with 2-3 phoneme words.

Model sequential segmentation

with fingers (moving from left to

right).

Select words beginning with

continuous sounds.

Provide multiple (3-4) examples.

Use strip or set of connected

boxes to represent sounds,

allowing students to touch as

each sound is pronounced.

Low Phonemic Segmentation

Fluency (PSF)

Initial sounds only segmentation

Onset rime segmentation

Incorporate letters after students

have mastered segmentation.

Examine sequence in which

letters are introduced.

Provide instruction on a letter

sound for three-day minimum.

Avoid introduction of letter name

and letter sound at the same time

for students experiencing

difficulty.

Model how the sound is formed.

Provide frequent, short practice

opportunities such as partner

flash cards.

Incorporate “know” sounds in a

fun review activity (letters in a

bag, letters on erasable

chalkboard, one-minute dash).

Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) Individual sounds not known

No blending

Teach students how to blend after

mastery of 4-6 letters.

Appendix D

42

Reading Indicators Common Patterns of Difficulty Suggestions for Instruction

Continue to introduce students to

unfamiliar letter sounds at a rate

of one sound per second.

Examine NWF to determine

whether students are blending

sounds into whole words.

Teach students how to read whole

words quickly.

Teach students how to read the

whole word by mentally sounding

out the word.

Have students practice reading

words in lists so that they are able

to read words at a rate of one

word per one - two seconds.

Teach sentence reading (how to

move from one word to the next).

Provide multiple opportunities for

reading regular words in

sentences.

Low Oral Reading Fluency

(ORF) for students with PSF

and NWF

At risk on grade-level indicators

Teach a few critical sight words.

43

Bibliography

Alabama Course of Study: English Language Arts Reading Addendum

(Bulletin 1999, No. 17). Montgomery, Ala.: Alabama Department of Education, 1999.

Dolch, Edward W. “Dolch Sight Word List.” n.d., <http://www.kidzone.ws/dolch/preschool.html>

(December 18, 2003).

Good, R. H., R A. Kaminski, D. Simmons, and E. J. Kame'enui (eds.). Dynamic Indicators of Basic

Early Literacy Skills, 6th ed. Eugene, Ore.: Institute for the Development of Educational

Achievement, 2002. n.d., <http://dibels.uoregon.edu/html> (December 18, 2003).

Standards and Objectives (Reading Comprehension, Language, Mathematics, and Science) for the

Alabama High School Graduation Exam (Bulletin 1997, No. 6). Montgomery, Ala.: Alabama

Department of Education, 1997.

44

Glossary*

Allusion. A figure of speech that makes brief reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or

object. An allusion is "always indirect" in that the effectiveness of allusion depends on a body of

knowledge shared by writer and reader.

Analogy. A comparison between two different things. (AHSGE)

Antonym. A word with the opposite meaning of another word.

Appreciation. Thoughtful awareness of value. Personal understanding and respect.

Authentic experiences/activities. Those experiences and activities that either are genuine in

purpose or that will actually be required in the world beyond the school so student work is

meaningful and does not seem pointless or artificial. Examples would be writing letters to the

editor or thank you notes that are actually mailed as opposed to a contrived situation in which an

audience is imagined, but in reality the teacher is the only one who reads the message.

Ballad. A narrative poem composed of short verses, intended to be sung or recited.

Cause and effect. Any event or action that leads to certain results (stated or implied). (AHSGE)

Climax. The high point of interest or suspense in a story.

Clustering. A brainstorming process used in prewriting that generates ideas about a stimulus

word until a visual pattern suggests an organizational pattern. (See webbing/mapping, page 47.)

Context clues. Those clues to meaning provided by the context of an unfamiliar word.

Generally clues to meaning provided by surrounding words; however, specific clues include (1) a

familiar synonym within the sentence or in the previous or succeeding sentence; (2) a familiar

antonym in the sentence or nearby; and (3) an actual explanation or definition provided in an

appositive, clause, or sentence that follows. (AHSGE)

Critical reading. Questioning assumptions, exploring perspectives, and critiquing as one reads.

Critical thinking. The thought processes characteristic of criticism, creativity, and logic in

reading or in contemplating the content of various disciplines.

Denouement. The solution or unraveling of the plot of a novel or play. Common usage equates

it with the conclusion of any narrative sequence of events.

Epic. A long, narrative poem that is generally about the deeds of a heroic figure. *Understanding of glossary terms and concepts denoted by (ASHGE) is required on the Alabama High School

Graduation Exam.

45

Fable. A short tale that teaches a moral. It usually has animals or inanimate objects as

characters.

Figurative language. Writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literately. (AHSGE)

Folktale. A narrative that has been retold and is well-known within a culture.

Functional. Having the characteristics of writing associated with practical, informational

written materials such as newspapers and directions. Often a response to the reading is required,

or a needed action depends upon comprehending the functional text.

Genre. The specific category of written works in which any selection would fall based on

characteristics. Traditional categories are poetry, novels, short stories, drama, and prose.

Current usage sometimes includes other overlapping classifications such as science fiction,

nonfiction, biography, and fables. (AHSGE)

Grammar. The means by which the different components of language are regularly put together

in groups of sounds and written symbols so that ideas, feelings, and images can be

communicated. The study of, or collection of, facts about the regular structure of sentences in a

particular language. Sometimes grammar is used to include what is more commonly considered

usage (word form, word choice, and pronunciation).

Guided reading. Reading that occurs in an instructional setting with a group or an individual

when the primary purpose is to provide instruction in specific aspects of reading such as

phrasing, pronunciation, and predicting outcomes.

Haiku. Unrhymed Japanese poetry with three lines that have five, seven and five syllables

respectively.

High-frequency words. Those words frequently occurring in any writing, regardless of author

or topic, including the, an, and, of, when, and before. Thus, most are included among the sight

words taught in the beginning grades over and above phonetic analysis, structural analysis,

language experience, or other components of reading instruction.

Hyperbole. An extreme exaggeration. (AHSGE)

Imagery. Vivid words that help the reader to “see” how something looks, sounds, feels or tastes.

(AHSGE)

46

Language experience. One approach to teaching reading or a part of reading instruction that is

based on students’ own production of the writing to be read. The “text” is frequently created by

a group based on oral production of a narrative with the teacher serving as scribe at a flip chart.

As instruction proceeds, students may write individual compositions that they read aloud to the

teacher and/or classmates, or these may be copied onto a flip chart. The concept is based on the

premise that students have a larger speaking vocabulary than reading vocabulary. As students

see their own words and those of classmates written and soon thereafter hear them read, their

reading vocabulary and comprehension grow. In the early stages, the concept is established or

reinforced that writing is speech that has been written down.

Limerick. A humorous five-line poem.

Literacy. Traditionally used to refer to the ability to read or to read and write. Current usage,

broader and more demanding, includes the ability to accomplish a wide range of reading,

writing, speaking, and viewing tasks.

Literary point of view. How the author presents the action in a story. (AHSGE)

Lyric poem. A short poem of songlike quality.

Main idea. May be expressed as a controlling idea in the following: topic, subject, theme,

central thought/message, lesson/moral, thesis, author’s purpose/point of view. (AHSGE)

Mechanics. Capitalization and punctuation.

Media. The various physical means through which information is communicated including

newspapers, film, books, and television. Also the means by which aesthetic forms are created

such as oil painting, sculpture, and silkscreen.

Metaphor. Comparison of two things without using like or as. Example: “My mother is my

rock.” (AHSGE)

Mnemonic devices. Techniques for remembering.

Mode. A category based on characteristics of purpose and organization. Four common writing

modes are narrative, which tells a story chronologically; descriptive, which expresses the nature

or image of something or someone with several optional patterns; expository, which explains a

position on an issue, explains a process, or reveals the facts about a topic; and persuasive, which

attempts to influence the reader to agree with the position taken. Persuasive writing is usually a

specialized type of expository writing. A composition in any mode may have qualities primarily

associated with any other(s) and is classified by its primary purpose and characteristics.

Mood. The feeling that writing creates. (AHSGE)

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Multicultural literature. A collection of literature that together represents a variety of cultures.

Less frequently used to describe a single work that represents various cultures.

Myth. An anonymous story designed to explain the mysteries of life. It usually has exaggerated

characters.

Parable. A short story intended to teach a moral lesson.

Personification. Giving human characteristics to nonliving things. (AHSGE)

Plot. What the story is about.

Point of view. The relationship of the narrator to the story.

Recreational. Having the nature of writings commonly read for pleasure or pastime such as

short stories, novels, poetry, or certain types of magazines.

Rhyme. Repetition of sounds in words of a poem.

Rhyme scheme. The pattern of rhyme in a poem. (AHSGE)

Rhythm. A special sound pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables or beats in a poem.

Science fiction. A story based on fictional, scientific possibilities.

Setting. The time and place in which the action of the story takes place.

Simile. Comparison of two things using like or as. Example: “The horse moves like the wind.”

(AHSGE)

Symbolism. A person, place, or thing that represents a concept or idea (a flag that symbolizes a

particular country). (AHSGE)

Synonym. A word that is the same or almost the same as another word.

Text features. The headings, subheadings, illustrations, footnotes, captions, topic sentence,

book jackets, introductory paragraphs, graphic displays (charts, maps, graphs, timelines).

(AHSGE)

Textual. Having the nature of writing common to subject-area textbooks. Having expository

characteristics associated with subject areas.

Theme. The main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work. A theme may be directly

stated but more often it is implied. (AHSGE)

Tone. The author’s attitude toward his or her subject matter and toward the audience. Tone can

be stated or implied. (AHSGE)

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Usage. The way the language of a speech community is actually used by its members. The

conventions of word choice and word form rather than the conventions of agreement or sentence

structure, which are usually considered to be grammar. Some use either term to include the

other. In this document, a distinction is made between the two terms.

Webbing/mapping. Making a graphic depiction of the content and organization of a paragraph,

essay, or speech; for example, a circle in the center might contain the main topic, while smaller

circles around and connected to the center identify the subtopics. Mapping or webbing may be

done as planning for writing or as analysis of an existing composition. (The mapping of the

structure of primary topics may continue as long as details of any topic are given in the writing;

thus, it may resemble a web in a complex composition.)

Documents

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