The benchmark(s) of focus is the primary focus for student learning and instruction to be taught or reinforced and provides an intentional opportunity for students to work with that concept or skill.
ELA.1.R.1.1
Identify and describe the main story elements in a story.
Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Main story elements for the purpose of this benchmark are the setting, characters, and sequence of events of a story.
Clarification 2: In describing the characters, students can describe appearance, actions, feelings, and thoughts of the characters. Students will explain what in the text their description is based on.
Clarification 3: For setting, students will discuss where the events of the story are happening. The time element of setting should only be addressed in texts where it is explicitly indicated.
Supporting benchmarks either make a connection or may help students achieve the focus benchmark(s) and increase students’ opportunities to make connections within the subject or to other subjects. The information included in this section is not a comprehensive list, and educators are encouraged to find other supporting benchmarks.
ELA.1.C.1.4
Write expository texts about a topic, using a source, providing facts and a sense of closure.
ELA.1.R.3.3
Compare and contrast two texts on the same topic.
Clarifications:
Clarification 1: Students are being asked to compare and contrast. During instruction, give students opportunities to see visual representations of similarities and differences using tools such as Venn diagrams or T-charts.