Writing
"The Common Core State Standard Initiative is designed to close the knowledge gap by encouraging students to develop 'mutually reinforcing skills and exhibit mastery of standards for reading and writing across a range of texts and classrooms" (The Manhattan Institute).
For first grade students, this is one of the, if not, the biggest change in Common Core Curriculum. 1st graders are not only being asked to read more complex texts at a much higher level now, but they are also now required to respond to what they have read through writing. This writing is expected to always include capital letters, proper punctuation, correct comma usage, restatement of question in answer, along with supporting details from the text which we refer to as "proof." Please use the information below as a means of deepening your own personal understanding of Common Core Writing and grade level expectations in writing, and also to help your child practice their written comprehension at home when reading nightly.
Written Comprehension And mClass
The mClass assessment program requires 1st grade readers testing at or above Level F to answer written comprehension questions upon completing the read-aloud portion of a TRC test. As one can imagine, as the level of the text increasingly becomes more difficulty, as do the written comprehension questions. In addition to scoring at a minimum of 93% accuracy rating for the read-aloud portion of the TRC test, students must also pass 4/5 oral comprehension questions, and then must score at a level 2 or 3 on the written comprehension questions. The written comprehension questions are scored using the following scale:
0 - No Understanding
1 - Minimal Understanding
2 - Understanding
3 - Complex Understanding
0 - No Understanding
1 - Minimal Understanding
2 - Understanding
3 - Complex Understanding
Leveled mClass Question Stems
Please use the question stems below to help your student increase their proficiency in written comprehension. Some questions may only apply to Non-Fiction or Fiction texts. Your child must be able to proficiently answer the majority of these questions/similar questions without aid from the teacher. Proper punctuation, capital letters, and sentence structure with verb-noun agreements must also be present. Until these questions are mastered and students are able to answer them with independence, your child will not be able to graduate to the next reading level per mClass and Common Core guidelines.
Levels F, G, H
Describe the setting
How did _____? What was the problem? Why was ____? Draw a picture to show _____. Explain your picture. What do you think ____ will do next time? What might happen if ____? What _____ is the most important? Describe the problem in the story. Was it helpful for _____? Name one character trait of _____. Use details in your answer from the text. What does the ___ do that a real ___ can't do? Explain using an example from the story. Explain how ____ solved the problem. Use information from the story to explain your answer. By the end of the story why you think ____? Use information from the story to explain your answer. Describe how ____ and ____ are different. Use details from the story in your answer. How did ____ feel at the end of the story. Explain how you know using information from the story. Why was ____ excited? Describe how ____ were alike. Explain why ___ is a good title. Use details from the book. How long did ____ take? Draw a picture to show why ____. Explain your picture. Why did _____ decide to _____? Compare the ______. Use information from the book in your answer. Why was the _____ described as ______? Use information from the book in your answer. |
Levels I, J, K
Identify the text that helps the reader know what the word ____ means.
What could have happened if ... How would you know what part of the book would have information on _____? In the section _____, how does the picture help you understand _____? Use details from the story to describe _____. Describe ____'s character. Write two reasons that ____ happened. Use details from the story to explain your answer. Is _____ a good title for this story. Use details from the story to explain your answer. Explain how ______. The author says _____. What is another word to describe ______. Explain why you chose this word. What lesson does this story teach? Use details from this book. The author says ____. Use information from the book to explain why this is true. Describe events at the end of the story that solved the problem. What lesson did you learn from this story? What problem does ____ need to solve? Describe a character using at least three details form the story. Describe the problem. Where do you think ... Using a picture on page ___, describe how _____ feels. Where did the ____ happen? Use details from the story in your answer. |
Levels L, M, N
Describe the event that _____.
Complete the cause and effect chart. How did ___ feel at the end of the story? Why did he feel this way? What lesson does this teach? Identify three text features that were used in the book. Explain the information you learned from the text feature. If you could rename ____ what would you call it? What could be another title for this book? Why would this title work? Describe what caused ____. What was the effect when ____ happened? Use details from the story to indicate the lesson learned. Identify two character traits and how those traits were related to the _____ in the story. Identify the main ideas of the story. Use details from the text in your answer. Describe how _____. |
Levels O, P, Q
In the story it states ______. Explain the meaning of this phrase.
Why do you think _____? Describe the actions of ______. Describe three ways that were listed in the text of doing _______. Write a brief summary of the text including the main idea. Name one character trait that describes ____ and how that trait supports the story. Identify two reasons why the characters agree or disagree. State if you agree or disagree and why. Describe the relationship between the characters. What was ____ purpose? Use details from the story in your answer. Describe what the character meant when he said ______. |
Levels R, S, T, U
Create another title for this story. Explain why your title is a good title for this book. Use a supporting detail from the text.
Describe two character traits for ______ using details from the story. Why did the author state _____? What was the character's purpose for _____? Use details from the story in your answer. Identify two text features that were used in this story. Explain how the text features supported your understanding of the story. Comment on the organization of the paragraphs. Indicated if you would change the order of the paragraphs and why. Describe what the author was trying to convey in the phrase _______. Compare one character's reaction to another. Use details from the story in your response. Identify the main idea of the story using details from the text. Do you consider this story a current event or a historical event? Use details from the text to justify your answer. Explain the following phrase as it relates to the story. Identify two character traits for _____. Use details from the story to support the character traits you choose. |