Middle Level Communication Arts/Literature (Grades 5–8) Subtest 1
Subarea II. Reading
0003
Apply knowledge of the foundations of language acquisition, language development, and reading development.
- demonstrating knowledge of theories of language acquisition, development, and processes, including specific cognitive and social processes that affect language development during the adolescent years
- demonstrating knowledge of how home language, native language, dialect, and a second language are acquired, developed, and utilized in the classroom
- demonstrating knowledge of phonological and phonemic awareness skills (e.g., distinguishing word syllables, segmenting, blending)
- demonstrating knowledge of the role of phonics in promoting reading comprehension
- demonstrating knowledge of the role of fluency in reading development, the components of fluency, and the factors that affect fluency
- demonstrating the ability to differentiate reading instruction and materials selection to meet the needs of students at various reading proficiency levels and with various linguistic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds
- demonstrating the ability to scaffold reading tasks for students who experience comprehension difficulties
- demonstrating knowledge of how to build student schema and metacognition in comprehending new information at higher levels of thinking
0004
Apply knowledge of strategies for developing vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension.
- demonstrating knowledge of factors that influence reading comprehension (e.g., reader's interest, fluency, schema) and of oral and written language activities that enhance reading comprehension (e.g., think-alouds, retelling)
- demonstrating knowledge of research-based reading comprehension strategies to use before, during, and after reading (e.g., predicting, self-monitoring, paraphrasing, summarizing) for a particular text and purpose
- applying knowledge of literal and inferential reading comprehension skills (e.g., identifying a sequence of events in a text, drawing conclusions from information presented in a text)
- applying knowledge of contextual analysis skills to help identify word meanings
- applying knowledge of Greek or Latin affixes and roots to identify the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible)
- applying knowledge of figurative language to interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification, allusions, puns) in context
- applying knowledge of relationships between particular words (e.g., part/whole, item/category, synonym/antonym) to better understand each of the words
- applying knowledge of nuances in word meanings to distinguish among connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., willful, firm, resolute)
- demonstrating knowledge of a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college- and career-readiness level
- demonstrating knowledge of factors that influence vocabulary development (e.g., promoting word consciousness, wide reading) and of strategies for promoting vocabulary development and academic language development
- demonstrating knowledge of how vocabulary is used across multiple subject areas in various contexts to denote and connote similar and different meanings
0005
Apply knowledge of strategies for reading and analyzing literary texts from diverse cultures.
- demonstrating knowledge of the characteristics of various literary genres (e.g., poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama) and subgenres (e.g., sonnet, short story, mystery, fantasy, biography, essay, epic, tragedy), including literature written for young adolescents and literature by and about Minnesota American Indians, as well as members of other diverse cultures
- analyzing the structural elements of a literary text (e.g., rhyme, meter, plot)
- analyzing the development of plot in a literary text (e.g., through flashback, foreshadowing, dialogue)
- analyzing the development of setting in a literary text (e.g., through geographic place, physical surroundings, weather and climate, time of day or year, historical period)
- analyzing the development of characters in a literary text (e.g., through dialogue, actions, conflict)
- analyzing the use of various literary and rhetorical devices and techniques in a literary text (e.g., metaphor, imagery, alliteration)
- determining the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings
- analyzing the impact of specific word choices in a literary text on meaning and tone
- analyzing the point of view, tone, and mood in a literary text using evidence from the text
- determining central ideas or themes in a literary text using evidence from the text
- analyzing how a modern work of fiction draws on and reinterprets themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths and traditional stories, including stories, poems, and historical novels of Minnesota American Indians, as well as other diverse cultures
0006
Apply knowledge of strategies for reading and analyzing informational and persuasive texts.
- demonstrating knowledge of various types of informational and persuasive texts (e.g., newspapers, textbooks, editorials, contracts) and their key textual features (e.g., glossaries, indexes, headings) and organizational structures (e.g., descriptive, chronological, cause/effect, problem/solution)
- recognizing how knowledge of content-area text structures and stylistic features can enhance comprehension of texts from other subject areas
- determining what an informational text says explicitly and drawing inferences based on textual evidence
- distinguishing between facts and opinions and identifying words that signal opinions in informational and persuasive texts
- determining the central idea(s) of informational and persuasive texts
- interpreting graphic features (e.g., charts, diagrams, photographs, illustrations) in an informational or persuasive text
- recognizing an objective summary of an informational text
- determining an author's point of view or purpose in an informational or persuasive text and analyzing how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints
- analyzing how authors writing about the same topic, including topics related to Minnesota American Indians and other diverse cultures, shape their presentation of key information by emphasizing evidence or advancing interpretations of facts and identifying where the authors disagree on matters of fact or interpretation
- analyzing the use of rhetorical devices and techniques in an informational or persuasive text and the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone
- determining the meaning of words or phrases as they are used in informational and persuasive texts, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings
- delineating and evaluating the argument and specific claims in a persuasive text
- assessing the relevance, importance, and sufficiency of evidence, examples, and reasons provided to explain a concept or support an argument and the credibility, objectivity, and reliability of various sources used in an informational or persuasive text
- recognizing how background knowledge of concepts and themes from one subject area can enhance comprehension of unfamiliar concepts and themes from other subject areas
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