Big Idea: Demonstrating a Critical Stance (Reading) Demonstrating a critical stance requires readers to consider the text objectively in order to evaluate its
quality and appropriateness. It involves a range of tasks, including critical evaluation, comparing and
contrasting, and understanding the impact of features such as irony, humor, and organization. Knowledge
of text content and structure is important.
Academic Expectations
1.1 Students use reference tools such as dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedias, and computer
reference programs and research tools.
1.2 Students make sense of the variety of materials they read.
1.3 Students make sense of the various things they observe.
1.4 Students make sense of the various messages to which they listen.
5.1 Students use critical thinking skills such as analyzing, prioritizing, categorizing, evaluating, and
comparing to solve a variety of problems in real-life situations.
High School Enduring Knowledge – Understandings
Students will understand that
•	reading is a process that includes applying a variety of strategies to comprehend, interpret, and
	evaluate texts; showing evidence of responsible and warranted interpretations of text; and
	examining texts critically.
•	references from texts provide evidence to support judgments made about why and how the text
	was developed, considering the content, organization and form.
•	determining the usefulness of text for a specific purpose, evaluating language and textual
	elements, and analyzing the author’s style are all ways to critically examine texts.
•	all citizens need to analyze a wide variety of media messages (e.g., political, financial, social,
	environmental) in order to interpret matters of public policy and personal interest.
•	judging the credibility of sources, evaluating arguments, and understanding and conveying
	information are essential skills needed for postsecondary education, the workplace, and in
	exercising the rights of citizenship.

Big Idea: Demonstrating a Critical Stance (Reading) – Continued
Grades 9 & 10 Skills and Concepts
Students will
•	analyze the effectiveness of text features in organizing information for clarity or for usefulness
•	identify organizational patterns and describe how understanding the structure helps to
	understand the text; analyze the organizational pattern used (e.g., description, sequence,
	cause/effect, compare/contrast, logical/sequential, problem/solution, proposition/support,
	deductive/inductive) and explain how effective it is in understanding the passage and meeting the
	author’s purpose
•	evaluate what is read, based on the author’s purpose, message, word choice, sentence variety,
	content, tone, style or use of literary elements
•	form and support warranted judgments/opinions/conclusions about central ideas
•	interpret the interactions between and among literary elements within and across a variety of
	texts
•	analyze the effectiveness of literary devices or figurative language in evoking what the author
	intended (e.g., picturing a setting, predicting a consequence, establishing a mood or feeling)
•	make comparisons and synthesize information within and across texts (e.g., comparing themes,
	ideas, concept development, literary elements, events, genres)
•	evaluate the accuracy of information presented in texts
•	evaluate arguments, interpret and analyze information from multiple sources; for example,
	synthesize arguments or claims to discover the relationship between the parts, understand
	induction and deduction, determine unstated assumptions
•	identify claims and evidences and evaluate connections among evidences and inferences
•	evaluate the range and quality of evidence used to support or oppose an argument
•	recognize common logical fallacies (e.g., personal attacks, non-sequitor, faulty cause-effect) and
	false premises in an argument