A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Most ninth grade students can do the following:

1. The student uses comprehension strategies to get information from a wide range of materials, and:
   • reads and understands school textbooks.

   • reads and understands classic novels suitable for high school reading.

   • reads and understands newspapers and general audience magazines like Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic.

   • links new information to prior knowledge and experience.

   • discusses and writes extensively about the scope and nature of his or her reading.

   • uses context clues and knowledge of word origins, or uses a dictionary to figure out the meaning of unknown words.

2. The student demonstrates high-level reading skills, and:
   • explains a character's traits, motivation, and actions in a story or book.

   • explains the theme or message of a book, story, essay, or article.

   • explains how an author's writing style, word choice, and use of literary device such as metaphor affect the reader, contribute to the story, and further the author's purpose.

   • compares and contrasts one story's style and message with another's.

   • analyzes the arguments presented by an author, using quotations from the text to support his or her point.

   • makes connections among pieces of literature, personal experiences, history, and current world events.

3. The student can summarize and combine information from different sources, and:
   • reads and understands various reference materials such as bus schedules, maps, weather reports, advertisements, and recipes.

   • creates graphs and charts from information such as the rate of extinction of a species over the past 100 years.

4. The student can find and use information in print and electronic references, and:
   • looks up information in an encyclopedia (print and CD-ROM).

   • uses the on-line card catalog to find books at the public library.

   • uses the Reader's Guide to Periodicals and other reference tools to find information.

   • consults multiple sources to verify facts.

5. The student continues to enjoy reading, and:
   • reads a wide variety of material on myriad topics.

   • explores certain genres, authors, or subjects in more depth.

   • checks out books from the school and public library to read for fun.

   • reads newspapers and magazines of interest.

   • uses information and insight gained through reading in other situations.

6. The student writes well developed texts for a variety of purposes, and:
   • applies a knowledge of the structure of the English language, correct grammar, and conventional spelling.

   • produces different types of writing including reports, responses to literature, essays, fiction, and poetry.

   • uses purposeful organization including main ideas, relevant facts, and supporting details.

   • varies sentence structure and uses interesting vocabulary.

   • uses a variety of literary techniques such as hyperbole, metaphor, and simile to engage the reader.

   • includes quotations, graphics, and illustrations to enhance the text.

   • edits his or her own work and integrates suggestions from adults and peers to improve the quality of his or her writing.
   

A student who has successfully mastered these skills should be able to read and understand the following excerpts:

Seventh Grade:

Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson

I hung the fresh cuts of venison up in the dog run, right where Old Yeller had stolen the hog meat the night he came. I did it for a couple of reasons. To begin with, that was the handiest and coolest place we had for hanging meat. On top of that, I was looking for a good excuse to get rid of that dog. I figured if he stole more of our meat, Mama would have to see that he was too sorry and no account to keep. But Old Yeller was too smart for that.

Books to read at this level:^*

The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
Mr. Popper's Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater

Eighth Grade:

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien

"You need not try," said Thorin. "In fact if you can't talk about something else, you had better be silent. We are quite annoyed enough with you as it is. If you hadn't waked up, we should have left you to your idiotic dreams in the forest; you are no joke to carry even after weeks of short commons." There was nothing now to be done but to tighten the belts round their empty stomachs, and hoist their empty sacks and packs, and trudge along the track without any great hope of ever getting to the end before they lay down and died of starvation. This they did all that day, going very slowly and wearily, while Bombur kept on wailing that his legs would not carry him and that he wanted to lie down and sleep.

Books to read at this level:^*

Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes
Lost Wreck of the Isis, by Robert D. Ballard
Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
The Black Pearl, by Scott O'Dell

Ninth Grade:

Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell

After them came a number of men on horseback, some of them in green coats, all galloping as fast as they could. The old horse snorted and looked eagerly after them, and we young colts wanted to be galloping with them, but they were soon away in the fields lower down; here it seemed as if they had come to a stand; the dogs left off barking, and ran about every way with their noses to the ground.

Books to read at this level:^*

Lincoln: A Photobiography, by Russell Freedman
White Fang, by Jack London
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

*Books recommended by the American Library Association.

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[Sixth Grade Students]

[Twelfth Grade Students]