Your Literacy Standards Companion, Grades 9-12. Jim Burke

third strand might be summed up as reading to extend or deepen one’s knowledge of a subject by comparing what a range of sources have said about it over time and across different media. In addition, these standards emphasize the importance of being able to read the arguments; that is, they look at how to identify the claims the texts make and evaluate the evidence used to support those claims regardless of the media. Finally, these standards ask students to analyze the choice of means and medium the author chooses and the effect those choices have on ideas and details. Thus, if a writer integrates words, images, and video in a mixed media text, readers should be able to examine how and why the author did that for stylistic and rhetorical purposes.

      Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

      The Common Core State Standards document itself offers the most useful explanation of what this last standard means in a footnote titled “Note on range and content of student reading,” which accompanies the reading standards:

      To become college and career ready, students must grapple with works of exceptional craft and thought whose range extends across genres, cultures, and centuries. Such works over profound insights into the human condition and serve as models for students’ own thinking and writing. Along with high-quality contemporary works, these texts should be chosen from among seminal U.S. documents, the classics of American literature, and the timeless dramas of Shakespeare. Through wide and deep reading of literature and literary nonfiction of steadily increasing sophistication, students gain a reservoir of literary and cultural knowledge, references, and images; the ability to evaluate intricate arguments; and the capacity to surmount the challenges posed by complex texts. (CCSS 2010, p. 35)

      Key Ideas and Details

      Reading Standards: Key Ideas and Details

      Reading 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

      9–10 Literature

      Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

      11–12 Literature

      Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

      9–10 Informational Text

      Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

      11–12 Informational Text

      Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

      9–10 History/Social Studies

      Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of information.

      11–12 History/Social Studies

      Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.

      9–10 Science/Technical Subjects

      Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

      11–12 Science/Technical Subjects

      Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.

      Source: Copyright © 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

      Common Core Reading Standard 1: What the Student Does

      9–10 Literature

      Gist: Literal comprehension accompanied by evidence from the text. Say what happens in the story or what the poem says based on evidence from the text, without making personal connections or commentary.

       What happens in this story, play, or poem?

       Which specific details are most important to mention?

       What is the setting (time, place, atmosphere)?

       Who is involved? What do they say, do, think, and feel?

       How specific and detailed is the evidence drawn from the text?

      11–12 Literature

      Gist: Literal comprehension supported with evidence. Report the events of the story or what the poem says based on details from the text, without explaining what the text means or why it is important; note those places where the text is ambiguous or unclear.

       What happens in this story, play, or poem?

       Which specific details are most important to cite?

       What is the setting (time, place, atmosphere)?

       Who is involved? What do they say, do, think, and feel?

       Which parts of the text are ambiguous or vague?

      9–10 Informational Text

      Gist: Literal comprehension accompanied by evidence from the text. Say what happens in the text or what it says based on evidence from the text, without making personal connections or commentary.

       What is the subject—and what does it say about that?

       Which specific details are most important to mention?

       What is the setting (time, place, atmosphere)?

       Who is involved? What do they say, do, think, and feel?

       How specific and detailed is the evidence drawn from the text?

      11–12 Informational Text

      Gist: Literal comprehension supported with evidence. Report the events of the story or what the poem says based on details from the text, without explaining what the text means or why it is important; note those places where the text is ambiguous or unclear.

       What is the subject—and what does it say about that?

       Which specific details are most important to cite?

       What is the setting (time, place, atmosphere)?

       Who is involved? What do they say, do, think, and feel?

       Which parts of the text are ambiguous or vague?

      9–10 History/Social Studies

      Gist: Literal comprehension supported with evidence. Say