Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) English Language Arts / Literacy: Reading Syllabus

English Language Arts / Literacy: Reading syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for English Language Arts / Literacy: Reading in Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Reading Literary Texts

   4 topics

   • Key Ideas and Central Themes
     • Identifying explicit details and textual evidence
     • Determining theme and how it develops
     • Summarizing without personal opinion
   • Character, Setting, and Plot
     • Character motivation and development
     • How setting shapes events
     • Plot structure and conflict
   • Inference and Drawing Conclusions
     • Logical inferences from evidence
     • Predicting based on text clues
   • Literary Craft and Author's Choices
     • Point of view and narrator reliability
     • Figurative language and imagery
     • Structure and pacing decisions
2. 2

   Reading Informational Texts

   4 topics

   • Main Idea and Supporting Details
     • Central idea versus supporting detail
     • Tracing development across paragraphs
   • Text Structure and Organization
     • Cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence
     • Problem and solution patterns
   • Author's Purpose and Argument
     • Identifying claims and reasoning
     • Distinguishing fact from opinion
     • Evaluating sufficiency of evidence
   • Integrating Information Across Sources
     • Comparing multiple accounts of a topic
     • Synthesizing print, graphic, and multimedia
3. 3

   Vocabulary and Language in Context

   4 topics

   • Word Meaning from Context
     • Context clues and surrounding sentences
     • Multiple-meaning words
   • Word Structure and Etymology
     • Roots, prefixes, and suffixes
     • Greek and Latin origins
   • Figurative and Connotative Meaning
     • Idioms, similes, and metaphors
     • Nuance and shades of meaning
   • Academic and Domain-Specific Vocabulary
4. 4

   Analysis and Interpretation of Texts

   3 topics

   • Evaluating Reasoning and Rhetoric
     • Identifying logical fallacies
     • Assessing relevance of evidence
   • Comparing Texts and Genres
     • Theme and treatment across texts
     • Genre conventions and effects
   • Interpreting Visual and Quantitative Information
     • Charts, graphs, and diagrams in text
     • Maps, timelines, and infographics

English Language Arts / Literacy: Reading flashcards for Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC)

22 of 56 cards from the English Language Arts / Literacy: Reading deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the 'central theme' of a literary text?

   The underlying message, lesson, or insight about life or human nature that the author conveys, often stated implicitly and developed over the course of the text.

2. How does a 'theme' differ from a 'topic' or 'subject'?

   A topic is what the text is about (e.g., 'friendship'), stated in a word or phrase; a theme is the complete statement the author makes about that topic (e.g., 'true friendship requires sacrifice').

3. What three-step process helps determine a central idea in an informational text?

   Identify the topic, note the most important details the author emphasizes and repeats, then state the overarching point those details support.

4. How can you trace the development of a theme across a text?

   Track how specific details, events, character changes, and recurring images build on one another from beginning to end to reinforce the central message.

5. What are the main elements of plot in their typical order?

   Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution (denouement).

6. What is the difference between 'setting' and 'mood' in a story?

   Setting is the time and place of the action; mood is the emotional atmosphere the setting and details create for the reader.

7. What are direct and indirect characterization?

   Direct characterization is when the author explicitly states a character's traits; indirect characterization reveals traits through the character's actions, speech, thoughts, appearance, and others' reactions (STEAL).

8. What is a 'conflict' and what are its two broad types?

   A conflict is the central struggle driving the plot; it is either internal (within a character, character vs. self) or external (character vs. character, society, nature, or fate).

9. What is a 'dynamic' character versus a 'static' character?

   A dynamic character changes significantly over the course of the story; a static character remains essentially the same.

10. What is an inference in reading?

    A logical conclusion the reader reaches by combining explicit textual evidence with prior knowledge to understand what is implied but not directly stated.

11. What is the difference between an inference and a prediction?

    An inference interprets what the text implies about current or past information; a prediction is an inference projected forward about what will happen next.

12. What must a strong textual inference always be supported by?

    Specific evidence from the text; valid inferences are grounded in details the author provides, not in unsupported guessing.

13. On SBAC, what does it mean to 'cite the strongest evidence' for a conclusion?

    Select the textual detail that most directly and completely supports the inference, rather than a detail that is only loosely or partially related.

14. What is 'point of view' and name the common narrative perspectives.

    The vantage point from which a story is told: first person ('I'), second person ('you'), third-person limited (one character's thoughts), and third-person omniscient (all characters' thoughts).

15. What is 'tone' in a literary work?

    The author's or narrator's attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice, syntax, and detail (e.g., sarcastic, somber, admiring).

16. What is 'foreshadowing'?

    An author's technique of planting hints or clues early in a text that suggest events to come later.

17. How does an author's diction (word choice) shape a text?

    Diction influences tone, mood, characterization, and the reader's emotional response by selecting words with particular connotations and formality levels.

18. What is 'irony,' and what are its three main types?

    A contrast between expectation and reality: verbal irony (saying the opposite of what is meant), situational irony (an outcome contrary to expectation), and dramatic irony (the audience knows what a character does not).

19. What is the difference between a text's main idea and its supporting details?

    The main idea is the central point the author wants readers to understand; supporting details are the facts, examples, reasons, and statistics that develop and prove it.

20. Where is the main idea often located in an informational paragraph?

    Frequently in the topic sentence at the beginning, but it may also appear at the end as a concluding statement or be implied across the paragraph.

21. What is the difference between a stated and an implied main idea?

    A stated main idea is written explicitly in the text; an implied main idea must be inferred by synthesizing the supporting details.

22. What does it mean to 'summarize' a text?

    To restate the main idea and most important supporting points concisely in your own words, leaving out minor details and personal opinion.

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