Teaching Toward the Demands of the CCSS
1
We have designed this document to address the NY CCLS so have included the additional standards that NYS has included. We have drawn from guideline documents put out by
the state, preparation materials such as those from Ready New York and our best knowledge of how to address the Common Core Standards to create this resource.
Eighth Grade
City/State Focused
Standards:
In other words…
Text-Based Example
How Else Might These Questions Be
Worded…
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
Reading Literature,
Grade 8
What the
Standards Say…
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.
Students can cite explicit and
implicit textual evidence to
demonstrate deep understanding.
Students might…
- synthesize a variety of complex
details to make sense of a time,
place, and event
- infer from small details about
complex characters’ and
narrators’ traits, emotions, and
relationships.
- hold onto denser collections of
details and assign significance to
these details as their knowledge
and ideas grow across a text.
- cite evidence to prove a theory
or demonstrate understanding of
ideas.
- cite evidence to analyze a part or
In the very beginning of the Lottery, 
there are clues that something violent
may soon happen, and that violence
is, in fact, an integral part of this

village. How does the following
excerpt demonstrate the idea that
violence has become a central part of
life in the village?

The children assembled first, of
course. School was recently over for
the summer, and the feeling of liberty
sat uneasily on most of them; they
tended to gather together quietly for a 
while before they broke into
boisterous play. Their talk was still of
the classroom and the teacher, of
books and reprimands. Bobby Martin
had already stuffed his pockets full of
stones, and the other boys soon
Which statement best summarizes a central idea
of the passage?
Which line from (character1) best represents
that character’s attitude about an important issue
or event? Why is this line the most
representative?
Which setting from the story is the most
symbolic of a feeling or an issue that is central
to the story? What makes the description of this
setting so powerful?
Write to elaborate on how one particular scene is
crafted to help the reader understand how
complex and/or important an issue or theme is in
the story. Cite details from the text in your
answer.
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We have designed this document to address the NY CCLS so have included the additional standards that NYS has included. We have drawn from guideline documents put out by
the state, preparation materials such as those from Ready New York and our best knowledge of how to address the Common Core Standards to create this resource.
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the whole of the text.
cite evidence that is implicit and
explicit in the text to
demonstrate understanding of
the larger meanings.
cite evidence about the setting or
the character to demonstrate
ideas that run below the surface
of texts.
notice the physical and
psychological settings of stories
and how those are developed in
and across scenes.
followed his example, selecting the
smoothest and roundest stones;
Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie
Delacroix-- the villagers pronounced
this name "Dellacroy"--eventually
made a great pile of stones in one
corner of the square and guarded it
against the raids of the other boys.
The girls stood aside, talking among
themselves, looking over their
shoulders at the boys, and the very
small children rolled in the dust or
clung to the hands of their older
brothers or sisters.
Why has the author likely included
this scene? How does it take on new
meaning for the reader later in the
story?
8.2
Determine a theme or
central idea of a text
and analyze its
Students will be able to trace
ideas across a story, gathering
text evidence in support of an
idea, and adjusting their thinking
as they move across the text.
What do the lines “The lottery was
conducted--as were the square
dances, the teen club, the Halloween
program--by Mr. Summers, who had
time and energy to devote to civic
activities” serve to illustrate about the
way the lottery is perceived?
The Lottery suggests various

meanings, ideas, or themes. Describe
one of these, including how the story
develops a theme or idea (what parts
of the story make this idea visible).
How does the author use all the elements of
story (characterization, plot, and setting) to grow
a central idea or theme across the pages of this
story? What are a number of different ways we
could phrase that central idea or theme?
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We have designed this document to address the NY CCLS so have included the additional standards that NYS has included. We have drawn from guideline documents put out by
the state, preparation materials such as those from Ready New York and our best knowledge of how to address the Common Core Standards to create this resource.
development over the
course of the text,
including its
relationship to the
characters, setting,
and plot; provide an
objective summary of
the text.
Students will be able to analyze
themes and issues in texts, and
how these are made visible and
developed.
Students might…
-
8.3
Analyze how
particular lines of
develop ideas about the
complexities of place or
character, and trace how these
develop and change across the
text.
- analyze issues that the text
tackles, and characters’
relationships with these issues.
- investigate ideas that the story
suggests, and how the author
develops these ideas across the
story.
- determine themes the story
reveals, and analyze how these
themes are developed.
- analyze the voice and
perspective (s) offered in a text
- synthesize complex narratives,
integrating subtle information
about the characters, the place,
the conflict, and the themes.
Students will be able to analyze
how the author controls point of
view and creates sympathy for
the character, through access to
The story of the Lottery is a complex 
story of one event taking place in one
town in one afternoon. If you were to
describe one of the most important
themes or central ideas the story
suggests, what would you say? What
parts of the story specifically support
your theory?

Re-read the following text.
(insert line of text)
How, when, and why did characters’ attitudes
change towards each other?
Re-reading the following text.
(insert line of text)
How do these lines show when and why the
characters’ attitudes towards the setting shifted?

What can we say about the lessons the
characters learned after having lived through this
series of events?

Explain the new understandings the protagonist
has about a central issue of the text, after having
lived through this series of events.
“Lottery in June, corn be heavy

soon,” is how one villager describes a
saying about the Lottery. What might
be the significance of this saying for
Closely reread this line spoken by (character1)
from lines (insert lines) of the passage:
“…”. By observing (character 1) say this to
(character2), which of the following inferences
Updated 2/15/13
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2013
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We have designed this document to address the NY CCLS so have included the additional standards that NYS has included. We have drawn from guideline documents put out by
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dialogue or incidents
in a story
or drama propel the
action, reveal aspects
of a character, or
provoke a decision.
inner thinking and dialogue, as
well as particular actions on the
part of the character.
Students might…
-
analyze what characters say for
clues about issues that are
revealed in the story.
- compare how different
characters react to the same
event or conversation.
- analyze who they sympathize
with in the story at different
moments, and why
- connect moments across a story
either because they are related to
characters’ motivations, to the
cause of later conflict, or to
thematic development.
- analyze the narrator’s voice, and
how it affects the reader’s
understanding
- consider when certain line of
texts seem to reveal an author’s
meaning or be metaphoric.
8.4
Students will analyze words in
context. These words might
Determine the
include words that are
meaning of words and connotative, represent the time
phrases as they are
period, or are figurative in
used in a text,
nature.
including figurative
and connotative
Students might…
what happens in the story?
could we make?
In this story, it is clear that it takes

place in a small farming village. How
does the setting play a role in
influencing the events that take

place?
What distinction can you make between
(character 1) and (character 2)?
At one point early in the story, the
children are described:
The children assembled first, of
course. School was recently over for
the summer, and the feeling of liberty
sat uneasily on most of them.
Explain the author’s analogy of (insert analogy)
to (insert issue). Discuss its purpose and cite
examples of how the idea is present throughout
the text

How does the text categorize the information
about (insert topic)?

Which event would not be included in the
category of “events that inspired the main
character to change her life”?

Closely reread this sentence from lines 1–2 of
the passage:
(insert line of text)
In this sentence, (word1) most clearly means
__________
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the state, preparation materials such as those from Ready New York and our best knowledge of how to address the Common Core Standards to create this resource.
meanings; analyze the
impact of specific
word choices on
meaning and tone,
including analogies or allusions to other
texts.
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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.
determine the meaning of words
that affect the tone or indicate
the setting of a text.
analyze the multiple meanings
of words (including connotative
meanings) to question why they
have been used and their effect
on the text and the reader.
determine deeper meanings
behind figurative language in a
text.
trace symbolic meaning across a
text
Students will compare and
contrast how stories, plays, and
poems are put together and what
that structure does to reveal the
larger meaning of texts. They will
further be able to use that
knowledge to look deeper into
how the author presents theme,
setting or the plot.
Students might…
-
analyze the structure of a text,
including how and when
information is released, how
time moves, when the structure
is conventional and
unconventional and how those
How might you interpret ‘the feeling
of liberty,’ within this story?

Which of the following best describes the
meaning of the metaphor (insert metaphor)?
The title The Lottery has more than
one meaning for the story. Consider
what the word represents and the
significance of the term in the
beginning, middle, and end of the
story.

Which sentence best describes the meaning of
the simile that begins in the first line of the
poem and ends in the third?

Which of these words from the second stanza
has the most strongly negative connotation?
By the end of the story, the notion of
a ‘feeling of liberty’ in this
community might have more than one
meaning. How would you explain a
‘feeling of liberty’ in the context of
events in the story?
The Lottery is often compared with
The Hunger Games – but the stories
are structured very differently. How
does the tight, in-one-afternoon- time
span of The Lottery create an
atmosphere that is different from the
longer time span of The Hunger
Games?

Explain the personification in the second stanza.

Closely reread lines 13-16 in the poem. In this
stanza, (insert word or phrase) most clearly
means________?

Which statement best describes how the
structure in (text 1) contributes to its meaning?

How is the use of repetition in (text 1) and (text
2) similar or different?

Compare and contrast how the structure of (text
1) and (text 2) supports the meaning of each
poem. Include textual evidence from each poem
to support your answer.
The Lottery takes place within a fairly
short span of time. Discuss how the
author’s choice to structure the story 
as taking place in just one single
afternoon contributes to its meaning.
How does the structure of each poem affect the
style of writing?
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choices affect the reader.
delve deeper into the author’s
purpose for creating a certain
structure.
- describe the structure and how it
develops the theme, conflict, or
setting.
- analyze and evaluate a scene and
how various scenes fit into the
overall trajectory of the text.
- compare and contrast how the
structure of texts are the same
and different.
Students will analyze how the
authors develop and suggest
various perspectives and voices in
a text.
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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.
Students will also analyze how
development of perspective
creates irony or other effects
which contribute to the meaning,
tone, etc. of texts.
Students might…
- analyze the narrator’s voice and
how it affects the reader’s
a. Analyze full-length
understanding
novels, short stories,
- analyze how full or partial the
poems, and other
narrator’s understanding of
genres by authors who
events is
represent diverse
- compare and contrast different
world cultures.
characters’ points of view in
critical moments.
The author of the Lottery has created 
a contrast between the ignorance of
the reader of what the lottery means
and the knowledge of the characters. 
Analyze what effect(s) are created on
the reader through this difference in
point of view and how it contributes 
to the meaning of the story.
Mrs. Hutchinson’s viewpoint on the
Lottery seems to change drastically
across the story. Compare her
viewpoint early in the story, to later,
and analyze the various causes of her
shift in viewpoint. How is her
viewpoint different from Old Man
Watson’s?
Closely reread this sentence from lines (insert
line number) of the passage:
What effect does this sentence provide the
reader as the story develops?
How does a common theme develop differently
in (story1) than in ( poem1)?

How is the narrator’s voice in (story1) similar
and different to the voice of a speaker in
(poem1)?

How do the authors of each of these texts
develop the voice of the key character?[Note:
this also connects to Standard 7.6]
Updated 2/15/13
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the state, preparation materials such as those from Ready New York and our best knowledge of how to address the Common Core Standards to create this resource.
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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.
investigate stereotypes and
representation in the text
- trace power in the text and how
it shifts and where it is visible
- critically examine how gender,
race, and culture are represented
in texts.
- bring critical literacy lenses to a
text to analyze its effects
Students will be able to compare
and contrast reading a story to
watching it on a video.
Students might:
- analyze similarities and
differences of a text on film
versus the same text in print,
looking at authorial and
directorial choices, comparing
overall affects as well as small
details.
- compare and contrast how the
author represents themes in a
text and in a movie
- compare and contrast the
setting of a movie and a text in
terms of atmosphere and how
it is created.
- compare the changes that were
made to a text when it became
a film, and the affect of those
changes.
There have been many adaptations of
the Lottery, from close adaptations, to
stories that are informed by its
literary tradition. Compare the scene
of the Reaping from the film version
of The Hunger Games, to the print or
film version of the Lottery. How is
the later text informed by the earlier
one?
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(RL.8.8 not applicable
to literature)
Students will be able to compare
and contrast the portrayal of how
Analyze how a modern authors represent time, place and
work of fiction draws
setting within a text. They will be
on themes, patterns of able to discuss differences in tone,
events, or character
in shades of meaning, in
types from myths,
structure, and in context, and tie
traditional stories, or
these to specific examples from
religious works such
both texts as a way to compare
as the Bible, including and contrast not just what the
describing how the
authors suggest, but how they
material is rendered
develop themes, issues, and ideas.
new.
Students might…
- investigate the way different
genres develop similar ideas or
themes.
- Investigate literary traditions
and the literary devices of
certain genres, looking at
archetypes, narrative
trajectory, and common
themes.
- look at stories across genres
and how they can carry the
same or similar themes across
genres – as well as analyze
what is different in terms of
how these themes are
developed.
- compare and contrast topics
8.9
The Lottery fits within a tradition of 
dystopian literature. Explain how the
novel acts as a dystopian narrative.

The author of The Lottery has
deliberately chosen a small village

within which to set her short story.
Consider historical accounts of small
villages such as ones from Salem
during the Salem Witch trials. How

has the author drawn on historical
events to create this story?

How does the author convey the same theme
found in the other story?
What shared theme is suggested in both texts?
Citing evidence of story events and character
types, write about how the plot of (text1)
reinterprets the story of (text2)
How are the story events in (text1) mirrored in
the modern tale of (text 2)?
How is (character1) an updated version of
(character2)?
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8.11.
that are developed through
different structures or genres
- compare and contrast how the
approaches to develop the
themes are different in one text
versus other types of literature
Students will interpret, analyze
and evaluate different genres for
artistic, content, and ethical
connections to other texts
Interpret, analyze, and
evaluate narratives,
poetry, and drama,
artistically and
Students will be able to:
ethically by making
connections to:
- analyze texts that are related by
other texts, ideas,
theme, content, or the issues
cultural perspectives,
they raise
eras, personal events, - evaluate how texts are informed
and situations.
by other texts and discourse.
- make informed judgments about
the relationship between quality
texts and their purposes.
The Lottery is often compared to the
short story “Most Dangerous Game”
and to the novel the Hunger Games.
Choose a text from among these, or
another you know well, that you think
conveys similar ideas or themes.
What are those ideas or themes, and
how do the two texts treat them
differently?
If you were to put together a text set
that included The Lottery and other
works of film and/or literature, what
might you include and why?
Updated 2/15/13
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Teaching Toward the Demands of the CCSS
10
We have designed this document to address the NY CCLS so have included the additional standards that NYS has included. We have drawn from guideline documents put out by
the state, preparation materials such as those from Ready New York and our best knowledge of how to address the Common Core Standards to create this resource.
City/State
Focused
Standards:
In other words…
What the
Standards
Say…
Cite the textual
evidence that
most strongly
supports an
analysis of what
the text says
explicitly as well
as inferences
drawn from the
text.
How Else Might These Questions Be Worded…
Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford
University:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewal
t/2011/10/05/steve-jobs-2005-stanfordcommencement-address/
Reading
Informational
Texts, Grade 8
8.1
Text-Based Example
paired with
Students can determine
central ideas in texts and
support those with reasons
and evidence, even when the
ideas are not explicit and on
the surface of the text.
Students might…
- Determine an author’s
-
-
main points and how he
or she supports those
with evidence.
synthesize across dense
texts, connecting parts in
support of related ideas.
determine central ideas
that are subtle as well as
those that are explicit
A report on Mark Zuckerberg’s
commencement speech at a local middle
school.
Why did Steve Jobs feel like these three stories 
would engage the audience and help them
understand the decisions that he made and the
recommendations he is making for their future? 
How does the author of the speech make
recommendations to the students at their
graduation?

How does Steve Jobs refer to his own story to personal moments in his life– to stir and
sway the audience?
Closely reread these sentences from lines (insert
line number) of the passage:
Why does the author make this
recommendation?
Explain how the author’s relationship with
(topic 1) is different from his relationship with
(topic 2). Use two details from the passage to
support your answer. Write your answer in
complete sentences.
Which choice in the strongest piece of evidence
to support this claim?

Which of the following choices best explains
why the author believes (insert author’s belief)?
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8.2
and obvious.
sort out the relevance of
details and how they
relate to ideas.
determine the author’s
stance on a subject and
what informs that stance.
Students will be able to
analyze a text for the ideas it
presents, sorting out which
evidence supports these ideas,
synthesizing across the text.
Determine a
central idea of a
text and analyze
its development
over the course
Students might…
- Determine the most
of the text,
including its
significant points an author
makes, and how he or she
relationship to
makes these points
supporting ideas;
provide an
- evaluate the strength of
supporting details
objective
summary of the
- find evidence to support
central ideas and a given
text.
author’s purpose
- explain how details,
features and structures
support central ideas
- clarify the author’s
meaning, distinct from the
reader’s ideas on a subject.
How does Steve Jobs develop his central
message through the speech ?
Steve Jobs has a message for the students he is
speaking to. How does that message develop
and grow throughout his speech?

Based on the article, which statement by the
author most strongly supports his/ her position?

Which detail from the article illustrates that
(insert a main point)

The passage suggests all of the following as
strategies for (insert goal. Ex- saving the rain
forest) EXCEPT

Closely reread the following sentences from
lines (insert lines) of the passage:

How do these sentences reflect the author’s
changing relationship with (insert topic)?

Describe _______’s changing attitudes toward
the author. Use two details from the passage to
support your answer. Write your answer in
complete sentences.
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8.3
Analyze how a
text makes
connections
among and
distinctions
between
individuals,
ideas, or events
(e.g., through
comparisons,
analogies, or
categories).
8.4
Determine the
meaning of
words and
phrases as they
are used in a
text, including
figurative,
connotative, and
technical
meanings;
analyze the
impact of
Students will be able to
discern connections between
references in the texts, across
parts of a text, and between
events, ideas, and change.
What distinction can you make about Steve
Jobs and how he reacts to certain events in his
life?
How did the author compare (topic1) to
(topic2).

Which statement accurately compares (idea1) to
(idea2)?

How does the text categorize the information
about (idea1) and (idea2)?

What is the connection between all of the
details in paragraph 4?
How did the decisions Steve Jobs make led
him towards success?
Students might:
- Analyze how the references
made in a text connect to
central ideas or influence the
audience
- Research the context of a
text historically or in terms
of its affect on others.
- Analyze the assumptions
made in a text, and how the
text reinforces certain ideas,
views, or discourse.
Students will analyze words in
context. These words might
include words that are
connotative, represent the
time period, or are figurative
in nature.


Jobs remarks: “But I naively chose a college.”
What does the word naively mean in this
sentence, but also in the larger context of Job’s 
message in this speech?
As used in the passage, the word (insert word)
is closest in meaning to________

Word choices in the 5th paragraph such as
(wrod1), (word2) and (word3) suggest that the
is….

Which statement best explains the effect of the
figurative language used in paragraph 4?
Students might:
- analyze the meaning of
words that develop the tone
or indicate the context of a
text
- determine the meaning of
words that represent time,
Which statement best explains why the author
has used the words (word1), (word 2) and
(word3) in the first paragraph?
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specific word
place, mood, setting
choices on
- analyze the meaning of
meaning and
words that have a
tone, including
connotative meaning
analogies or
- analyze figurative language
allusions to other
and how it affects meaning
Texts.
and tone
8.5
Students will analyze the
overall structure of the text.
Analyze in detail
the structure of a Further, they will analyze how
specific
sentences, paragraphs,
paragraph in a
features, and sections fit
text,
together and are an important
including the
part of the overall structure of
role of particular the text.
sentences in
developing and
Students might:
- analyze the structure of a
refining a key
text, including how
concept.
information and ideas are
presented, and how parts of
the text fit together.
- delve deeper into the
author’s purpose for creating
certain structures.
- analyze and evaluate a
particular section and how
that section plays a specific,
deliberate role in forwarding
central idea(s).
- consider unconventional
structure choices and how
those affect understanding.

“On the back cover of their final issue was a
photograph of an early morning country road,
the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on
if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the
words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was
their farewell message as they signed off. Stay
Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always
wished that for myself. And now, as you
graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.”
How does this statement fit in with the whole
message of this speech?

Why does the author use words like (word1),
(word2) and (word3) to describe (insert topic).
What do these word choices reveal about how
the author would like readers to feel about
(insert topic). Use specific examples in your
response.
Closely reread the following paragraph from
lines (insert line number) of the text:

Why does the author write that(insert line)?

Which of the following details from paragraph
1 best supports the paragraph’s key concepts?

Reread the following lines
(insert lines)
How do these sentences help to develop the key
concept in paragraph 3?

Which sentence in paragraph (insert paragraph
number) is most helpful in proving one of the
author’s main ideas?

Reread the following lines
(insert lines)
How do these sentences help to develop the key
concept in paragraph 3?
Updated 2/15/13
The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
2013
DRAFT
Teaching Toward the Demands of the CCSS
14
We have designed this document to address the NY CCLS so have included the additional standards that NYS has included. We have drawn from guideline documents put out by
the state, preparation materials such as those from Ready New York and our best knowledge of how to address the Common Core Standards to create this resource.
8.6
Students will understand that
the authors develop and
represent perspectives or
point of view, and develop an
awareness for conflicting or
missing voices.
Determine an
author’s point of
view or purpose
in a text and
analyze how the
author
Students might:
Analyze the author’s overall
acknowledges
perspective and how that is
and responds to
conflicting
made clear in the text.
- Compare and contrast
evidence or
viewpoints.
authors’ points of view on a
subject
- Consider which viewpoints
are most honored in a text,
and which are marginalized
or missing.
- Analyze whose perspective
is strengthened by a text.
- Analyze how an author
creates sympathy with his or
her point of view.
- Analyze claims and
counterclaims in a text,
questioning the relevancy,
sufficiency and accuracy of
evidence which each side
provides.
8.7
Students will be able to
evaluate advantages and

Which of the following details from paragraph
1 best supports the paragraph’s key concepts?

This text was written to instruct…
Steve Jobs’ point of view about higher
education is…?

Which sentence best describes the author’s
point of view?
The author’s purpose for writing this speech
was……?

The sentence best expresses the author’s point
of view toward the (insert issue)?

What test evidence best supports your inference
about the author’s point of view?

Explain the author’s purpose for writing this
article. Cite evidence from the text that helps
you infer what she hoped to accomplish.

This speech was written to persuade ______

Describe how you determined the author’s
purpose for writing this article citing the
evidence that led to this inference.

What are the advantages of hearing a speech as
Steve Jobs wrote this text to instruct students
to……?
What are the advantages of Steve Jobs
delivering this speech and what could be the
Updated 2/15/13
The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
2013
DRAFT
Teaching Toward the Demands of the CCSS
15
We have designed this document to address the NY CCLS so have included the additional standards that NYS has included. We have drawn from guideline documents put out by
the state, preparation materials such as those from Ready New York and our best knowledge of how to address the Common Core Standards to create this resource.
Evaluate the
disadvantages of different
advantages and
forms of media to help
disadvantages of understand a topic or issue.
using different
mediums (e.g.,
Students might:
print or digital
- integrate and compare
text, video,
information from many
different sources to gain
multimedia) to
present a
coherence around a topic or
subject and to contextualize
particular topic
or idea.
a text
- analyze why and how
authors use different
mediums for different
-
8.8
purposes and why
compare the craft and
technique that are
available to authors in
different media, and how
these are deployed to
develop ideas and stir
audiences.
Students will be able to trace
and evaluate an argument,
including its reasoning, or
warrant, as well as making
some judgment about its
validity and relevance.
Delineate and
evaluate the
argument and
specific claims in
a text, assessing
whether the
Students might:
- analyze the overall strength
reasoning is
of the author’s argument by
sound and the
evidence is
analyzing the relevance and
negative consequences of his words?
opposed to reading a speech?
You can watch a clip of Steve Jobs delivering

this speech: http://www.youtube.com/results?
search_query=steve+jobs+commencement+sp 
eech+at+stanford&oq=steve+jobs+commence
ment+speech+at+stanford&gs_l=youtube.3...2
315.4154.0.4297.10.8.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1a
c.1.
What lens does this presentation give you?
The advantages to reading a book over seeing
the film version seem to be…? The
disadvantages might include…?
Does the experience of actually watching Jobs
deliver the speech versus reading it make it
more memorable or meaningful? Does it make
the speech seem more effective? Take a
position on whether or not the medium matters.
Cite details from the texts to support your
answer.

What evidence does the author provide to
support her reasoning that(insert author’s
claim)?

The advice to not give up is often given during
commencement speeches. Does Jobs make this
advice feel fresh and move beyond cliché?

Does he have sound reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence? Evaluate how effectively
Jobs’ makes his argument. Cite details from the
Which of the statements best explains the
author’s claim?
What is Steve Jobs’ argument about college
and following your passion? What evidence
does he give to support this argument?
Which of the following statements is evidence
supporting the author’s reasoning that (insert
author’s claim)
Updated 2/15/13
The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
2013
DRAFT
Teaching Toward the Demands of the CCSS
16
We have designed this document to address the NY CCLS so have included the additional standards that NYS has included. We have drawn from guideline documents put out by
the state, preparation materials such as those from Ready New York and our best knowledge of how to address the Common Core Standards to create this resource.
relevant and
sufficient;
recognize when
irrelevant
evidence
is introduced.
-
-
-
-
-
significance of the reasons
and evidence presented.
Evaluate the logic of
argument, including any
logical fallacies
Analyze how persuasive
techniques influence the
audience versus logic.
Research the subject to
evaluate the validity and
relevance of the argument
presented.
Research to add to this
argument or to refute it
Evaluate the claims and
counterclaims, weighing and
evaluating overalls strengths.
Consider the historical and
ethical implications of the
argument.
Students will be able to
analyze two or more texts to
Analyze a case in compare arguments,
which two or
perspectives and
more texts
interpretations
provide
conflicting
Students might:
information on
- analyze different arguments
the same topic
and their conflicting
and identify
information and perspectives
where the texts
to compare different
disagree on
interpretations on the same
text to support your assessment of the
argument.
8.9

Evaluate the author’s argument about the (insert
issue). Explain whether the author backs up her
claim with sound reasoning and relevant
evidence.

Which evidence from the article is irrelevant to
the author’s reasoning that (insert claim)?

How well does the author make her argument?
Using details from the article, evaluate whether
the reasoning is sound and the evidence is
relevant and sufficient.

Which fact about (insert topic) do the two
articles agree on, but interpret differently?
Read this citation from Steve Jobs:
“I’m pretty sure none of this would have

happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It
was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the
patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the 
head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m
convinced that the only thing that kept me
going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to
find what you love. And that is as true for your 
work as it is for your lovers. Your work is
Which statement best summarizes how
(author1) and (author2’s) ideas conflict?
Using evidence from both articles, explain how
technological innovations have led to
discoveries about _______.
Reread the this sentence from (author 1):
Updated 2/15/13
The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
2013
DRAFT
Teaching Toward the Demands of the CCSS
17
We have designed this document to address the NY CCLS so have included the additional standards that NYS has included. We have drawn from guideline documents put out by
the state, preparation materials such as those from Ready New York and our best knowledge of how to address the Common Core Standards to create this resource.
matters of fact or
interpretation.
a. Use their
experience and
their knowledge
of language and
logic, as well as
culture, to think
analytically,
address
problems
creatively, and
advocate
persuasively.
-
topic.
read different viewpoints on
a topic to evaluate validity
and relevance.
Bring critical literacy lenses
to evaluate who benefits
from an argument and who is
marginalized or negated.
going to fill a large part of your life, and the
only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you
believe is great work. And the only way to do

great work is to love what you do. If you
haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.
As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know

when you find it. And, like any great
relationship, it just gets better and better as the
years roll on. So keep looking until you find it.
Don’t settle.” (Jobs, 2005)

Based on Zuckerberg’s speech, how would he
respond to this statement?

“_____________________”
Which of the following from (author 2’s) article
conflicts most with this?
How do the facts the author’s chose shape their
conflicting interpretations of the effect of
______________?
Which claim from (article 1) does (article 2)
contradict?
Which information have the author’s of (article
1) and (article 2) interpreted differently?
Steve Jobs offers one viewpoint on college and
Mark Zuckerberg offers another. How do these
two speeches conflict or agree with each other?
Which statement best summarizes both
speeches?
What claim from speech one contradicts with
the claim in speech two that college wastes
people’s time?
Updated 2/15/13
The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
2013
DRAFT