Table of Contents DOMAIN I. COMPETENCY 1.0 READING DETERMINE THE MEANING OF WORDS AND PHRASES IN THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THEY APPEAR...1 Skill 1.1 Identify the meaning of commonly used words...1 Skill 1.2 Determine the meaning of a word with multiple meanings....1 Skill 1.3 Skill 1.4 Skill 1.5 Determine the meaning of an uncommon word or phrase...1 Identify synonyms or antonyms for words used in a given passage....5 Determine the meaning of figurative language...6 COMPETENCY 2.0 UNDERSTAND THE MAIN IDEA AND SUPPORTING DETAILS IN WRITTEN MATERIAL...9 Skill 2.1 Identify the explicit main idea of a paragraph or passage...9 Skill 2.2 Identify the implied main idea of a paragraph or passage...10 Skill 2.3 Identify ideas, information, data, and details that support, illustrate, or elaborate the main idea of a paragraph or passage...10 COMPETENCY 3.0 INDENTIFY A WRITER S PURPOSE, POINT OF VIEW, AND INTENDED MEANING...12 Skill 3.1 Skill 3.2 Skill 3.3 Skill 3.4 Skill 3.5 Identify a writer s stated or implied purpose for writing...12 Identify the audience for a given piece of writing...13 Identify why a writer has included specific information or examples...14 Identify the likely response of an audience to a writer s choice of words or phrases...15 Interpret content, word choice, and phrasing to determine a writer s opinion or point of view...16 iii
COMPETENCY 4.0 ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG IDEAS IN WRITTEN MATERIAL...18 Skill 4.1 Identify cause-and-effect relationships...18 Skill 4.2 Skill 4.3 Skill 4.4 Identify the order of events or steps described in written material...19 Analyze relationships between similar ideas or ideas in opposition...20 Draw conclusions from information stated or implied within a passage...22 COMPETENCY 5.0 USE CRITICAL REASONING SKILLS TO EVALUATE WRITTEN MATERIAL...25 Skill 5.1 Identify the assumptions underlying a writer s argument...25 Skill 5.2 Skill 5.3 Assess the relevance of facts, examples, or data to a writer s argument...26 Distinguish between statements of fact and expressions of opinion....30 Skill 5.4 Assess a writer s objectivity or bias...31 COMPETENCY 6.0 APPLY SKILLS FOR OUTLINING AND SUMMARIZING WRITTEN MATERIALS AND INTERPRETING INFORMATION PRESENTED IN GRAPHIC FORM...34 Skill 6.1 Skill 6.2 Skill 6.3 Skill 6.4 Skill 6.5 Identify an effective outline or graphic representation of information presented in a paragraph or passage...34 Identify an effective summary of information presented in a paragraph or passage...35 Interpret information presented in graphs, tables, charts, or diagrams...37 Draw conclusions based on information presented in graphs, tables, charts, or diagrams...42 Select the graphic form best suited to the presentation of information contained in a paragraph or passage...43 iv
DOMAIN II. COMPETENCY 7.0 WRITING UNDERSTAND METHODS FOR ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING A CENTRAL THEME OR MAIN IDEA......44 Skill 7.1 Skill 7.2 Identify effective thesis statements and topic sentences...44 Identify information, statements, or details that detract from the development of a main idea...48 Skill 7.3 Identify ineffective repetition and redundancy...50 Skill 7.4 Skill 7.5 Reorganize sentences or paragraphs to achieve a logical sequence of ideas...51 Identify effective transitions from one paragraph to another...52 COMPETENCY 8.0 RECOGNIZE COMMONS ERRORS OF SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION, GRAMMAR, AND USAGE...54 Skill 8.1 Skill 8.2 Skill 8.3 Skill 8.4 Skill 8.5 Identify sentence fragments and run-on sentences (comma splices, fused sentences)...54 Identify verbs in the wrong tense or form, incorrect shifts in tense or person, lack of subject-verb agreement, and wrong or missing verb endings...61 Identify vague pronoun references, lack of agreement between pronouns and antecedents, and incorrect shifts in pronoun person and number...72 Identify misplaced or dangling modifiers...76 Identify wrong or missing prepositions...78 Skill 8.6 Identify incorrect use of relative pronouns (that, which, who)...79 Skill 8.7 Identify imprecise or inappropriate words and phrases...84 Skill 8.8 Identify common errors in the use of homonyms (accept/except, affect/effect, its/it s, their/there/they re, to/too/two, weather/whether, who s/whose, your/you re)...88 COMPETENCY 9.0 RECOGNIZE COMMON ERRORS OF SPELLING, CAPITALIZATION, AND PUNCTUATION...92 v
Skill 9.1 Identify common spelling errors...92 Skill 9.2 Identify common errors in standard capitalization...95 Skill 9.3 Skill 9.4 Identify missing commas after an introductory phrase and missing commas in a compound sentence...96 Identify missing or misplaced apostrophes...96 COMPETENCY 10.0 DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO ANALYZE AND REVISE SENTENCES CONTAINING COMMON ERRORS OF SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION, GRAMMAR, USAGE, SPELLING, CAPITALIZATION, AND PUNCTUATION...101 Skill 10.1 Skill 10.2 Skill 10.3 Revise sentences to correct errors related to sentence construction...101 Revise sentences to correct common errors related to grammar and usage...110 Revise sentences to correct common errors related to spelling, capitalization, and punctuation...116 COMPETENCY 11.0 DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO PREPARE AN EFFECTIVE SUMMARY...122 Skill 11.1 Skill 11.2 Skill 11.3 Skill 11.4 DOMAIN III. Summarize the main ideas, key arguments, and significant supporting details presented in an extended passage...122 Demonstrate effective paragraph and sentence construction...123 Demonstrate command of standard English conventions of grammar and usage, without making common errors...125 Demonstrate command of standard English conventions of spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, without making common errors.......125 ESSAY COMPETENCY 12.0 DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO PREPARE A WELL- ORGANIZED AND FOCUSED PIECE OF WRITING FOR A GIVEN PURPOSE AND AUDIENCE, USING STANDARD ENGLISH CONVENTIONS...126 vi
Skill 12.1 Skill 12.2 Skill 12.3 Skill 12.4 Take a position on an issue, proposition, or statement related to education and defend that position...126 Maintain a central theme or main idea through the effective use of a thesis statement, topic sentences, and transitions....126 Develop a well-organized argument using sound reasoning and relevant supporting information and/or examples...126 Demonstrate effective paragraph and sentence structure and employ vocabulary appropriate for the audience and the purpose of the writing task...126 Skill 12.5 Use precise and appropriate words and phrases...126 Skill 12.6 Skill 12.7 Demonstrate command of standard English conventions of grammar and usage, without making common errors...126 Demonstrate command of standard English conventions of spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, without making common errors...126 Sample Essay Writing Assignment...132 Sample Test: Reading...137 Answer Key: Reading...144 Rigor Table: Reading...144 Rationales with Sample Questions: Reading...145 Sample Test: Writing...157 Answer Key: Writing...171 Rigor Table: Writing...171 Rationales with Sample Questions: Writing...172 vii