Reading Element Card Literary Text Grades 6-8

BACK TO Element Cards

Teaching Informational Text All of the CCCs in this document relate to teaching informational text. Page 2 of this document provides a template of an Element Card and a line by line explanation of its components. Each Element Card contains related CCCs within a grade band (i.e., K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12) and suggestions as to how the CCCs may be taught, supported and scaffolded. The suggested strategies are commonly used by general educators and may need to be modified to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Many of the instructional strategies will be strengthened when used in combination with systematic instruction such as a system of least prompts or time delay. An Instructional Resource Guide is provided on the NCSC Wiki (https://wiki.ncscpartners.org/index.php/Main_Page) and contains information on how to use specific systematic instruction strategies when teaching academics. The strategies, supports and scaffolds listed on the Element Cards are suggestions and not intended to be an exhaustive list. Below are some additional resources that may be helpful:

NCSC Curriculum Resource Guides: Reading Informational Text Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

• Access these guide here: https://wiki.ncscpartners.org/index.php/Curriculum_Resource_Guides

NCSC Content Modules: Author's Purpose and Point of View Main Idea, Theme, and Details Summarizing and Inferencing Text Structure Vocabulary Use and Acquisition Informational Writing Persuasive Writing

• Access all Content Modules here: https://wiki.ncscpartners.org/index.php/Content_Modules

Websites for additional information: http://aim.cast.org http://www.inspiration.com/community/lessons-and-ideas www.edhelper.com http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/graphic-organizers-reading-comprehension http://learnzillion.com http://www.teacherspayteachers.com http://www.ncte.org/standards/common-core/nonfiction-texts http://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/2013/02/informational-text-the-common-core-and-the-library-of-congress-a-resource-center-rich-with-primary-sources-and-teacher-tools/

Grades 6–8 Reading Element Card – Informational Text – 'Retelling Texts Using Details 1

	Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
2	CCSS	CCSS	CCSS
3	PI	PI	PI
4	CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
	Specific 6th grade CCCs would be listed here.	Specific 7th grade CCCs would be listed here.	Specific 8th grade CCCs would be listed here.
5	Essential Understanding:	Essential Understanding:	Essential Understanding:
6	Suggested Instructional Strategies:
7	Suggested Scaffolds and Supports:

Explanations for corresponding line numbers

1. Strand and Instructional Family: The Instructional Families group the CCCs into easily interpretable visuals that illustrate the areas of curricular emphasis within and across grades by ELA CCSS Anchors and Anchor Standards. https://wiki.ncscpartners.org/index.php/Instructional_Families
2. Common Core State Standard (CCSS): A set of national standards that provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn. http://www.corestandards.org/
3. Progress Indicators (PI): The PIs come directly from the Learning Progression Framework (LPF) and provide the sequence for instruction within strands. http://www.naacpartners.org/publications/ELA_LPF_12.2011_final.pdf
4. Core Content Connectors (CCCs): The CCCs represent the eligible content for instruction and assessment for students who participate in the alternate assessment based upon alternate achievement standards. The CCC cells are color coded to represent the Instructional Family. https://wiki.ncscpartners.org/index.php/Core_Content_Connectors
5. Essential Understandings: The Essential Understandings (EUs) identify the fundamental concepts and skills that students use to address the content described in a reading CCC at a specific grade level. These EUs are in a suggested progression which reflects one potential path to reach the content targets within the CCCs. Since students differ in how they learn and demonstrate their understanding, instructional decisions should be made by the teacher to meet the needs of each student.
6. Suggested Strategies: Suggested instructional strategies to teach the specific concepts and skills of the CCC.
7. Suggested Supports and Scaffolds: Suggested supports and scaffolds for students to be able to demonstrate what they know and can do.

*Strategies/Supports/Scaffolds should promote understanding for a range of students and should support instruction at various levels of difficulty.

Range of Reading Level and Text Complexity

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS: RL.6.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.	CCSS: RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.	CCSS: RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
PI: M.RL.a Flexibly using strategies to derive meaning from a variety of texts.	PI: M.RL.h Flexibility using strategies to derive meaning from a variety of texts and mediums.	PI: M.RL.h Flexibly using strategies to derive meaning from a variety of texts and mediums.
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
5.RL.a1 Use a variety of strategies to derive meaning from a variety of texts. 6.RL.a1 Use a variety of strategies to derive meaning from a variety of texts.	7.RL.h1 Use a variety of strategies to derive meaning from a variety of literary texts.	8.RL.h1 Use a variety of strategies to derive meaning from a variety of texts.
Essential Understanding: Use predicting to understand texts. THEN Make connections to understand texts. THEN Use summarizing to understand texts. THEN Use synthesizing to understand texts.	Essential Understanding: Use predicting to understand texts. THEN Make connections to understand texts. THEN Use summarizing to understand texts. THEN Use synthesizing to understand texts.	Essential Understanding: Use predicting to understand texts. THEN Make connections to understand texts. THEN Use summarizing to understand texts. THEN Use synthesizing to understand texts.
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write to Understand 'Story Coding:' Provide the students with a copy of the text the students for students to mark. Students should then create a coding system to help them mark and understand the text. The coding system might look something like this: Code Meaning (-( I have a connection ??? This part does not make sense !!! Wow! This was interesting. I want to share \#\#\# This is an important part Reflective Monitoring: As students read a text, they can record thoughts/questions/wonderings about the text in a reflective journal. After each day of reading the text, they should spend the last 5 minutes to do a quick write reflection about what they just read. This is a way for them to keep track of their thinking as they continue to read. Discuss to Understand Book Clubs: Gather students in a small group to have a conversation about a common text. The group should determine what chapters will be read and when. Then, they gather periodically to share their thoughts about the book. Use the Internet to find and enlarge images to help make character, setting, and concept connections. Small Group Instructional Discussion: Students can participate in a teacher lead discussion about the story, more closely examining the themes presented in the story. Students could discuss how the characters feel about specific situations, citing examples from the text to support their thoughts. Teachers can ask higher level questions (whys and hows) to facilitate discussion. Students can ask each other questions about the story. Model to Understand Teacher can model using "key words" in a text to locate the information in the text. Example: given a "Where did the boy go after school?" Teacher could highlight that it's a "where" question, meaning students should look for a location in the text. Teacher references the text and looks for the part that talks about where the boy goes. Highlights key information in text, writes answer. Students could practice on their own papers and then complete on their own.
Scaffolds and Supports Reflective journals Coding sheets Pencils/notebooks Chapter books Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlight and review unfamiliar words in the text. Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding Pre-program responses into assistive technology devices to facilitate student participation in discussions.
Additional Resources: Karen Haag's Website: www.liketoread.com

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Using Details to Describe Text & Analyzing Relationships

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS:RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.	CCSS:	CCSS
PI: M.RL.b Using evidence from the text to support interpretations, inferences, or conclusions (e.g., character or plot development, point of view).	PI:	PI:
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
6.RL.b1 Describe how the plot unfolds in a story. 6.RL.b4 Use the specific details from the text to support inferences and explanations about plot development.
Essential Understanding: Identify the beginning, middle, and end of a story. THEN Identify the problem/situation in the story. THEN Identify how the problem/situation is resolved. THEN Identify inferences that can be made from a story.	Essential Understanding:	Essential Understanding:
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write to Understand Reflective Journal: As students read a text, ask them to write about the events as they unfold in the text.. After each day of reading the text, they should spend the last 5 minutes to do a quick write reflection about how the events are unfolding. This is a way for them to keep track of their thinking as they continue to read. Event Map/Flowchart: As children read their chapter books, ask them to visually represent an event at the end of each chapter. Eventually, the pictures should come together to form a map that charts how the events unfolded throughout the text. Beginning, middle, and end: Sequencing strips with pictures, sentences, and/or words to cut and paste in order; topic paragraph writing (what happened first, next, last) Draw scenes with character interactions based upon textual evidence and put them in "first-next-last" order. Cloze activity of summary of the plot, textual evidence. Discuss to Understand Asking Questions: In a small group, or whole classroom setting, ask students a series of questions about the events to compare and contrast how the events unfolded in a chapter. Model to Understand Think Aloud: To model explaining how events from a text unfold in a story, talk aloud as you read a chapter book to the class. Explain your thinking about the events as they occur.
Scaffolds and Supports Reflective journals Blank paper/crayons Chapter books Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Describing the Central Message / Theme

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS: RL6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.	CCSS:	CCSS: RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
PI: M.RL.c Summarizing and interpreting purpose or central ideas to derive a theme.	PI:	PI: M.RL.j Identifying and analyzing how the use of literary elements and point of view influence development of plot, characters (motivation, interactions) or theme.
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
6.RL.c3 Summarize a text from beginning to end in a few sentences without including personal opinions.	8.RL.j3 Provide/create an objective summary of a text.
Essential Understanding: Identify what happens in the beginning and ending of a story. THEN Summarize what happens first, next, and last.	Essential Understanding:	Essential Understanding: Summarize the beginning and ending of a story without including personal opinions. THEN Summarize the beginning, middle, and ending of a story without including personal opinions.
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write to Understand Quick Write: After reading a simple story, ask students to summarize the text from beginning to end in a few sentences without using personal opinions. They can do this in their reader's notebooks. Then, they can share their summaries with a peer. Later, as students read chapter books, ask them to summarize each chapter in just 2-3 minutes. Again, at the completion of the chapter book, ask them to summarize the entire text in just a few sentences. Use a sequence chart to record events as they happen in a story, poem or drama. Use system of least prompts as needed to provide feedback.* Discuss to Understand GIST: GIST (Generating Interactions between Schemata and Text) is a strategy that asks readers to condense or summarize a text by generating a summary in their own words. Students can provide the GIST of chapters by summarizing the chapter in a few sentences without including personal opinions. Students can do the same for an entire chapter book. Think, Pair, Share: Ask students to individually summarize the story. Then, the student meets with a peer to share their summaries. After the pairs share, a couple teams can share with the rest of the class. Model to Understand Think Aloud: To model summarization a teacher should read aloud a book in front of the class. Then, periodically, the teacher should stop and summarize what was just read. At the end of the story, the teacher can provide another summary of the entire text to students.
Scaffolds and Supports Read aloud texts and chapter books Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding

* Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Using Details to Describe Text

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS: RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.	CCSS: RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text	CCSS: RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
PI: M.RL.b Using evidence from the text to support interpretations, inferences, or conclusions (e.g., character or plot development, point of view).	PI: M.RL.i Using a range of textual evidence to support summaries and interpretations of text (e.g., purpose, plot/subplot, central idea, theme).	PI: M.RL.i Using a range of textual evidence to support summaries and interpretations of text (e.g., purpose, plot/subplot, central idea, theme).
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
6.RL.b2 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly.	7.RL.i1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly.	8.RL.i1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly.
Essential Understanding: Identify a detail or example in a text. THEN Explain what a text says explicitly.	Essential Understanding: Identify a detail or example in a text. THEN Explain what a text says explicitly.	Essential Understanding: Identify a detail or example in a text. THEN Explain what a text says explicitly.
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write to Understand Story Coding: Provide the students with a copy of the text the students for students to mark. Next, ask them questions about the text. Students should search the text to find details and examples about what the text says explicitly. Provide students with a highlighter. Students can pour through the text to find details and examples to support the questions posed by the teacher. Discuss to Understand Think, Pair, Share: Provide students with questions that requires them to refer to details and examples from the text to answer. Ask students to individually find evidence from the text to support their answers. Then, the student meets with a peer to share their findings. After the pairs share, a couple teams can share with the rest of the class. Model to Understand Think Aloud: To model how to refer to details and examples in a text to explain what the text says explicitly, the teacher should read aloud a book in front of the class. Then, periodically, the teacher should stop and show how to refer to details and examples in a text to explain what the text says explicitly. Teacher uses a whiteboard or projected view of the text. Models how to reference the text for specific information to answer a question or explain what the story was about. Teacher can provide students with "key phrases" that can be used when referring to a text. Example "We know John was angry because he said 'I don't like it when take my things!'" Teacher can provide students with inferences from the text and then model locating the specific information in the text to support the inferences.
Scaffolds and Supports Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding Accommodating for different modes of responding: Students highlight a word in the text, using an interactive whiteboard or a highlighter Circle/point to/ eye gaze at the correct picture Cut and paste a picture Sort the details of a story Matching pictures of details

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Analyzing Relationships

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS:	CCSS:	CCSS: RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text. RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
PI:	PI:	PI: M.RL.j Identifying and analyzing how the use of literary elements and point of view influence development of plot, characters (motivation, interactions) or theme. M.RL.k Identifying use of literary techniques (e.g., flashback, foreshadowing) and narrative strategies (e.g., dialogue, sensory details) and explaining how they advance the plot or impact meaning.
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
8.RL.j4 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character or provoke a decision. 8.RL.k1 Identify the use of literary techniques within a text.
Essential Understanding:	Essential Understanding:	Essential Understanding: Identify dialogue in a story or drama. THEN Identify dialogue that is most relevant to the plot. THEN Identify the plot and/or character development in a story.
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Discuss to Understand Grand Conversations: Gather students to engage in a conversation about a story or drama. Ask questions that help students analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, provoke a decision, or how the author uses literary techniques within the text. Questions may include: What was an event that influenced a character? How did the character react to the event? What types of decisions did the character make in response to the event? What literary techniques did the author use to help the reader understand what the character was thinking/feeling? Role Playing: Students can take turns acting out scenes from the stories. Teachers can provide students with the dialogue from the story, highlighting specific scenes or incidents.
Scaffolds and Supports Story or drama texts Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding Pre-program dialogue into AT devices for students to participate in the role play

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Describing the Central Message / Theme

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS: RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.	CCSS: RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).	CCSS: RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
PI: M.RL.c Summarizing and interpreting purpose or central ideas to derive a theme.	PI: M.RL.j Identifying and analyzing how the use of literary elements and point of view influence development of plot, characters (motivation, interactions) or theme.	PI: M.RL.j Identifying and analyzing how the use of literary elements and point of view influence development of plot, characters (motivation, interactions) or theme.
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
6.RL.c1 Select key details about a character and relate those details to a theme within the text. 6.RL.c2 Determine the theme(s) of a story, drama, or poem including how it is conveyed through particular details.	7.RL.i3 Determine the theme or central idea of a text. 7.RL.j1 Analyze the development of the theme or central idea over the course of the text.	8.RL.j1 Determine the theme or central idea of a text. 8.RL.j2 Analyze the development of the theme or central idea over the course of the text including its relationship to the characters, setting and plot.
Essential Understanding: From a list, select key details relevant to a given story. THEN From a list, select key details about a character in a given story. THEN Determine the theme of a story from a list.	Essential Understanding: Identify the theme or central idea of the text. THEN Identify supporting details of the theme or central idea at the beginning of the story. THEN Identify supporting details of the theme or central idea at the middle of the story. THEN Identify supporting details of the theme or central idea at the end of the story.	Essential Understanding: Identify the theme or central idea of the text. THEN Identify supporting details of the theme or central idea at the beginning of the story. THEN Identify supporting details of the theme or central idea at the middle of the story. THEN Identify supporting details of the theme or central idea at the end of the story.
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write to Understand Sketch-to-Stretch: Sketch-to-stretch is a way for students to capture the theme or central idea through drawing. After the students have completed reading a story, they can draw a visual representation about the central idea or theme the author is trying to convey. They can use examples and details from the text to inform their drawings. Discuss to Understand Determining the Theme or Central Idea: As students are reading particular sections of text—or, after reading a text—ask a series of questions to help students determine the theme or central idea. The teacher can help facilitate this by asking questions such as: What is this story really about? What do you think the author wants you to learn from this story? What lessons do you think the characters learned? Book Clubs: Gather students in a small group to have a conversation about a common text. The group should determine what chapters will be read and when. Then, they gather periodically to share their thoughts about the book. Students may discuss themes and relate them to their own lives or to movies they are familiar with. Summarize using a theme board showing main points in the plot (written language and photos) then comparing the main points to the predictions. Model to Understand Think Aloud: To model determining a central message, a teacher should read aloud a book in front of the class. Then, at the end of the story, the teacher should demonstrate what he/she believes the theme or central idea to be.
Scaffolds and Supports Paper/Crayons Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the theme or other important information Sentence strips that reflect text from the story Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding Visual supports to represent the different themes. Modified language on worksheets to simplify the "theme" and "details" being discussed

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Using Details to Describe Text

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS:	CCSS: RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.	CCSS: RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
PI:	PI: M.RL.i Using a range of textual evidence to support summaries and interpretations of text (e.g., purpose, plot/subplot, central idea, theme).	PI: M.RL.i Using a range of textual evidence to support summaries and interpretations of text (e.g., purpose, plot/subplot, central idea, theme).
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
7.RL.i2 Use two or more pieces of textual evidence to support conclusions, or summaries of text.	8.RL.i2 Use two or more pieces of evidence to support inferences, conclusions, or summaries of text. 8.RL.i3 Determine which piece(s) of evidence provide the strongest support for inferences, conclusions, or summaries of text.
Essential Understanding:	Essential Understanding: Make an inference from a literary text. THEN Identify a conclusion from a literary text. THEN Identify a summary of a literary text. THEN Identify a detail to support the inference, conclusion, or summary.	Essential Understanding: Make an inference from a literary text. THEN Identify a conclusion from a literary text. THEN Identify a summary of a literary text. THEN Identify a detail to support the inference, conclusion, or summary.
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write to Understand Story Coding: Provide the students with a copy of the text the students for students to mark. Give students an example of a conclusion or summary. Next, provide students with a highlighter. Ask students to find evidence in the text to support the conclusion or summary by highlighting supporting words, phrases, or sentences. Discuss to Understand Think, Pair, Share: Provide students with a conclusion or summary of the text. Ask students to individually find evidence from the text to support the conclusion or summary. Then, the student meets with a peer to share their findings. After the pairs share, a couple teams can share with the rest of the class. Sort to Understand Evidence Sorting: Make a set of sorting cards with various sentences/paragraphs from the story. Provide students with the conclusion. Then, individually, in small groups, or with the whole class sort the evidence into two categories: evidence that supports the conclusion and evidence that does not support the conclusion. Model to Understand Think Aloud: To model how to support conclusions using evidence from a text, the teacher should read aloud a book in front of the class. Then, periodically, the teacher should stop explain how pieces of evidence support the conclusion.
Scaffolds and Supports Highlighters Text Sorts Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Using Details to Describe Text & Analyzing Relationships

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS: RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.	CCSS: RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).	CCSS
PI: M.RL.b Using evidence from the text to support interpretations, inferences, or conclusions (e.g., character or plot development, point of view). PI: M.RL.d Comparing literary elements (e.g., character, setting, plot/subplots) within or across texts.	PI: M.RL.j Identifying and analyzing how the use of literary elements and point of view influence development of plot, characters (motivation, interactions) or theme. M.RL.k Identifying use of literary techniques (e.g., flashback, foreshadowing) and narrative strategies (e.g., dialogue, sensory details) and explaining how they advance the plot or impact meaning.	PI:
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
6.RL.b3 Use specific details from the text (words, interactions, thoughts, motivations) to support inferences or conclusions about characters including how they change during the course of the story. 6.RL.d1 Analyze a character's interactions throughout a story as they relate to conflict and resolution.	7.RL.j2 Analyze the impact of story elements on the text (e.g., impact of setting on a character's choices, cause/effects within the text). 7.RL.k1 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).
Essential Understanding: Identify characters in a story. THEN Describe characters in a story. THEN Identify how a character changes in a story.	Essential Understanding: Categorize all story elements for a given text (i.e., match the setting of a text to "setting"; characters in a text to "character").	Essential Understanding:
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write to Understand Character Timelines: Ask students to create a timeline of story characters by drawing a line down the middle of the paper. Then, students should plot out (through writing or drawing) different events that involved the character as it unfolded. For each drawing of the event, the student should draw the character as it relates to the conflict and resolution. Discuss to Understand Grand Conversations: To delve deeper into analyzing characters' interactions throughout a story as they relate to conflict and resolution, the teacher can conduct a grand conversation with the class. Sitting in a circle, or sitting within a small group, the teacher can pose questions about the character that the students would answer. Questions may include: What did the characters do throughout the story? How did the character react to a certain event? How did the character feel at the end? Model to Understand Think Aloud: The purpose for asking students questions about texts is to get them into the habit of analyzing stories as they read by themselves. To model this, a teacher should read aloud a book in front of the class. Then, periodically, the teacher should stop and talk about the character from the story. The teacher should explain how the character's interactions influenced the conflict and resolution.
Scaffolds and Supports Read aloud texts Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Distinguishing a Point of View

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS:	CCSS: RL.7.6 Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.	CCSS: RL.8.6 Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
PI:	PI: M.RL.m evaluating and responding to a range of literature using given criteria	PI: M.RL.m evaluating and responding to a range of literature using given criteria
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
7.RL.m1 Compare and contrast the points of view of different characters in the same text.	8.RL.m1 Compare and contrast the points of view of different characters in the same text. 8.RL.m2 Analyze how differences in points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) creates such effects as suspense or humor.
Essential Understanding:	Essential Understanding: Identify how a character reacts to specific events within a story. THEN Identify a point of view that matches a character from a story. THEN From two lists, match the points of view to the appropriate characters in a story. THEN Compare the point of view of one character to the point of view of a different character in a story.	Essential Understanding: Identify how a character reacts to specific events within a story. THEN Identify a point of view that matches a character from a story. THEN From two lists, match the points of view to the appropriate characters in a story. THEN Compare the point of view of one character to the point of view of a different character in a story. THEN Identify instances of suspense or humor.
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write/Draw to Understand Venn Diagram: Students can write or sort the points of view into a Venn Diagram, showing which are the same and which are different. Teacher and students can discuss the similarities/differences. Character Maps: Students can use character maps to track the points of view of different characters and document how they changed or stayed the same throughout the story. Sort to Understand Point of View Sorts: Using sort cards, place names of specific characters as the category titles. On other cards, write a sentence synopsis of the various points of views of all the characters. Ask students to sort the cards by matching the character with their corresponding point of view. As students sort, they discuss the various sorting decisions they make. Discuss to Understand Grand Conversations: To delve deeper into comparing different characters' points of view, the teacher can conduct a grand conversation with the class. Sitting in a circle, or sitting within a small group, the teacher can pose questions about various points of view for students to answer. Model to Understand Think Aloud: The purpose for asking students questions about texts is to get them into the habit of self-questioning as they read by themselves. To model this, a teacher should read aloud a book in front of the class. As the teacher reads the story, the teacher should describe each character's points of view.
Scaffolds and Supports Sort cards Read aloud texts Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Recognizing Organization and Features of Text

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS: RL.6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.	CCSS: RL.7.5 Analyze how a drama's or poem's form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.	CCSS: RL.8.5 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
PI: M.RL.e Analyzing text according to text structure, genre features, or author's style.	PI: M.RL.l Analyzing or comparing texts according to text structure, genre features, or author's style or tone.	PI: M.RL.l Analyzing or comparing texts according to text structure, genre features, or author's style or tone.
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
5.RL.e1 Use signal words (e.g., meanwhile, unlike, next) to identify common types of text structure (e.g., flashback, beginning, middle, end) within a text. 6.RL.e1 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.	7.RL.l1 Examine how the structure of a poem or drama adds to its meaning.	8.RL.l2 Explain how language use contributes to the meaning of a poem or drama. 8.RL.l1 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts.
Essential Understanding: Identify an important part of the story (a sentence, event, scene, etc.). THEN Place an important part of a story into a list of the major events from a story in order.	Essential Understanding: Identify various poetry structures (e.g., free-verse, tanka, cinquain, concrete, two-voice). THEN Identify the meaning of a poem.	Essential Understanding: Identify the text structure for a given text (e.g., identify the provided structure as a play or a story). THEN Identify various poetry structures (e.g., free-verse, tanka, cinquain, concrete, two-voice). THEN Identify the meaning of a poem.
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write to Understand Story Coding: Provide the students with a copy of the text the students for students to mark. Give students a list of signal words. Ask students to find the various signal words in a text and highlight them with a highlighter. Ask students to analyze how the signal words help to understand the structure of the text (flashback, beginning/middle/end, etc.). Flow Chart/Diagram: Students can use flow charts to show how things have changed in the text, using the signal words. Teacher can provide or show students in the text what the "current" situation is. Then, highlighting the "signal words" (meanwhile, unlike, etc.) students can write down/copy how things have changed. Discuss to Understand Think, Pair, Share: Provide students with a text. Ask students to analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of the text. Then, the student meets with a peer to share their findings. After the pairs share, a couple teams can share with the rest of the class. The teacher can then lead a class discussion by asking some of the following questions: Why do you think the author included this sentence/chapter/scene/stanza? What does this sentence/chapter/scene/stanza tell us about the character/setting? How does this sentence/chapter/scene/stanza support the theme of (theme) ? Model to Understand Think Aloud: Model how to analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of the text, or read aloud of text. As you read aloud, explain your analysis. Given a timeline, students and teacher can go through the text and sequence how the events happen in the story. Teacher can model finding the "signal words" in the text, highlighting and pulling the important information from the text.
Scaffolds and Supports Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Distinguishing a Point of View

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS: RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.	CCSS:	CCSS
PI: M.RL.f Identifying and describing how the narrative point of view influences the reader's interpretation.	PI:	PI:
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
6.RL.f1 Determine the narrative point of view. 6.RL.f2 Identify and describe how the narrative point of view influences the reader's interpretation. 6.RL.f3 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
Essential Understanding: Identify the narrator of a story. THEN Identify an example from the text where the narrator is giving an opinion about something in the story rather than presenting facts. THEN Identify how a narrator feels/reacts to a key event in the story.	Essential Understanding:	Essential Understanding:
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Discuss to Understand Grand Conversations: To delve deeper into the point of view of the narrative, conduct a grand conversation with the class. Sitting in a circle, or sitting within a small group, the teacher can pose questions about various points of view for students to answer. Questions may include: What is the narrative point of view? How does this point of view influence your interpretation of the story? How does the author develop the point of view through the narrator? Model to Understand Think Aloud: The purpose for asking students questions about texts is to get them into the habit of self-questioning as they read by themselves. To model this, a teacher should read aloud a book in front of the class. As the teacher reads the story, the teacher should analyze the point of view of the narrator and how this point of view influences the reader's interpretation of the story.
Scaffolds and Supports Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Connecting Diverse Media and Formats

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS: RL.6.7 Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they "see" and "hear" when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.	CCSS: RL.7.7 Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).	CCSS: RL.8.7 Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
PI: M.RL.e Analyzing text according to text structure, genre features, or author's style.	PI: M.RL.m Evaluating and responding to a range of literature using given criteria.	PI: M.RL.m Evaluating and responding to a range of literature using given criteria.
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
6.RL.e3 Compare the experience of reading a story or drama to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text.	7.RL.m2 Compare and contrast a story, drama, or poem when presented in two different mediums. 7.RL.m3 Compare and contrast different mediums that may be used to present literary materials to explore the techniques used in the various mediums.	8.RL.m3 Compare and contrast content presented in text, media, and live performance. 910.RL.e2 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is absent in each treatment.
Essential Understanding: Identify a preference for the experience of a book read or read aloud versus a video or live performance. THEN Given provided information (e.g., story elements), identify what is the same or what is different in two sources or mediums.	Essential Understanding: Given provided information (e.g., story elements), identify what is the same or what is different in two sources or mediums.	Essential Understanding: Given provided information (e.g., story elements), identify what is the same or what is different in two sources or mediums.
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write to Understand Venn Diagram Study: To create a deeper understanding of the difference between how a story is presented in two different contexts, read a story and then view a movie based on the story. Compare the experience of the two different ways by completing a Venn Diagram. Discuss to Understand Grand Conversations: To delve deeper into the differences between stories presented in text and those presented on film, read a book that has had a movie made from it. Next, have a conversation about the similarities and differences. Questions to consider asking include: What happens in the book that doesn't happen in the film? Are the characters you read about in the story represented as you envisioned on the film? How does the film help you understand the feelings/thoughts of the character? What version most impacted your understanding of the theme? Students can participate in role playing/performing the texts that they have read. After, they can discuss if they liked acting out the scene, giving reasons why they did or did not like to perform. Students can listen to a text read on an audio tape and also read it themselves in a text. Teacher can facilitate a discussion/choice making of which they prefer. Students can vote which medium they like most. Teacher can help provide choices for students to use to rationalize which they like more to target the "why" concept.
Scaffolds and Supports Book and film about the same story Graphic organizer Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.

Analyzing Across Texts

Grade 6 students:	Grade 7 students:	Grade 8 students:
CCSS: RL.6.9 Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.	CCSS: RL.7.9 Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.	CCSS: RL.8.9 Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new.
PI: M.RL.e Analyzing text according to text structure, genre features, or author's style.	PI: M.RL.m Evaluating and responding to a range of literature using given criteria.	PI: M.RL.m Evaluating and responding to a range of literature using given criteria.
CCCs	CCCs	CCCs
6.RL.e2 Compare texts from different genres that have a similar theme or address the same topic.	7.RL.m4 Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.	8.RL.m4 Compare modern works of literature to the texts from which they draw ideas.
Essential Understanding: Identify the theme or topic of a written story. THEN Identify similarities between two texts on same topic.	Essential Understanding: Read a historical account of an important event in U.S. history. THEN Read a fictional portrayal related to the same event in U.S. history. THEN List differences between the historical account and the fictional portrayal of the same event.	Essential Understanding: Given text on common topic or theme, find similarities within texts.
Suggested Instructional Strategies: Write to Understand Venn Diagram Study: Use a Venn Diagram to compare texts from different genres that have a similar theme or address the same topic. ). Use a system of least prompts as needed to provide feedback.* Discuss to Understand Grand Conversations: Read a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character. Then, read an actual historical account of the same time, place, or character. Engage in a conversation about the differences/similarities. Questions to consider asking include: How is the fictional account of the time, place, or character similar to the actual historical account? What happens in the fictional account that doesn't actually happen in the historical account? How are the themes similar?
Scaffolds and Supports Texts about the same topic in different genres. Venn Diagram Read aloud texts Interactive white board Content delivered using multi-media (e.g., book, storyboard, video, computer, etc.) Graphic organizers Highlighted text Preview of the text, illustrations, and details, frontloading Pictures, objects, or tactile representations to illustrate the key details Sentence strips that reflect text from the story that supports the key details Videos or story boards/cards of the story for visual supports Picture icons on graphic organizers to support non-readers and visual learners Peer support, collaborative grouping Prepared objects, pictures, words, sentence strips, or recorded communication supports to provide access to content and facilitate responding

Note: Many of these strategies will be strengthened through the use of Systematic Instruction. Refer to Instructional Resource Guide for full descriptions and examples of systematic instructional strategies.