A RTS
EXIT
™
E NGLISH-LANGUAGE
Introduction,
Units 1, 2, and 3
CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM PREP COURSE
TEACHER
EDITION
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EXIT
Autobiographical Narrative
Sequence-at-a-Glance
Page
ACCESS
Time
(in hours)
.5
Building Background: Introduction to the Unit
• Reading Tree
3
Connecting to Prior Knowledge
• Note-Taking Tree
8
Building Background
• Budget Vocabulary Matrix
10
.5
.5
INTERPRET
Reading Comprehension
• Reciprocal Teaching Process: An excerpt from Narrative of the Life
of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave
• Bio Tree
Prewriting
• Deconstructing the Prompt
• Bio Tree
• Story Grammar Map
1.5
12
23
1.5
26
29
31
PRODUCE
.5
Writing
• First Draft
33
Revising/Editing
• Idea-Level Revision
• Sentence-Level Revision
• Word-Level Revision
• Rubric Activity: Narrative
34
38
44
49
2.5
DISSEMINATE
Publishing
• Final Draft
51
Reﬂection
• Effort and Achievement Rubric
52
Ticket Out the Door
• Multiple-Choice Test Preparation
55
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
1
.5
1
EXIT
Teacher Edition
English • Language Arts
1
EXIT
Autobiographical Narrative
Content Standards
Student Edition page 1
Reading 1.1
Identify and use the literal and ﬁgurative meanings of words and understand
word derivations.
Writing 1.1
Establish a controlling impression or coherent thesis that conveys a clear and
distinctive perspective on the subject and maintain a consistent tone and
focus throughout the piece of writing.
Writing 1.2
Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate modiﬁers, and
the active rather than the passive voice.
Writing 1.9
Revise writing to improve the logic and coherence of the organization and
controlling perspective, the precision of word choice, and the tone by taking
into consideration the audience, purpose, and formality of the context.
Writing 2.1
Write biographical or autobiographical narratives or short stories:
a. Relate a sequence of events and communicate the signiﬁcance of the
events to the audience.
b. Locate scenes and incidents in speciﬁc places.
c. Describe with concrete sensory details the sights, sounds, and smells of a
scene and the speciﬁc actions, movements, gestures, and feelings of the
characters; use interior monologue to depict the characters’ feelings.
d. Pace the presentation of actions to accommodate changes in time and
mood.
e. Make effective use of descriptions of appearance, images, shifting
perspectives, and sensory details.
Conventions 1.3
2
English • Language Arts
Demonstrate an understanding of proper English usage and control of
grammar, paragraph and sentence structure, diction, and syntax.
Teacher Edition
EXIT
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reading Tree
Autobiographical Narrative
Building Background
Building background is a process by which students are presented with relevant
background information to enhance or provide context for new material. Building
background gives students a framework for learning new material or information
Autobiographical Narrative is the ﬁrst unit for the EXIT intervention class. It is designed
to familiarize students with the components found in every unit, the pacing, and
the expectations. The ﬁrst unit also provides a strong foundation for the Reciprocal
Teaching Process, one research-based strategy used throughout the course.
Furthermore, this unit assists in teaching the schema of On- and Under-the-Surface.
What it is:
The Reading Tree is a graphic metaphor for the reading that students do in
response to both informational and narrative text. On-the-Surface reading
identiﬁes what the text says. When employing On-the-Surface reading
comprehension skills, students retell, summarize, or paraphrase the main ideas,
concepts, or plot of the text. Generally, there is one right response to an Onthe-Surface question, and a reader can point to it in the text. Under-the-Surface
reading identiﬁes what the text means. When readers extend text beyond the
literal meaning, they are employing Under-the-Surface reading abilities. When
readers connect, speculate, infer, reﬂect, question, predict, challenge, evaluate,
analyze, and use text to validate an interpretation, they are utilizing Under-theSurface comprehension skills. Under-the-Surface questions often have more than
one plausible answer. Under-the-Surface questions may require readers to apply
information from the text to new problems or situations. Some of these questions
might not have an immediately apparent answer.
How to teach it:
• Using the Reading Tree, begin with a lecture on the difference between Onand Under-the-Surface reading. Make sure that students take notes on their
own copies of the Reading Tree. The chart below lists what to do on the
left side and what to say on the right side. See page 7 for an example of the
completed Reading Tree.
• Place the transparency of the
Reading Tree on an overhead
projector, and direct students to take
notes on their own copies as they
listen.
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
• Tell students: As we read any type
of text, we read on two levels: Onthe-Surface and Under-the-Surface.
Understanding these two levels
will help us improve our reading
comprehension. We are going to use
a visual of a tree to help us anchor
this new information.
EXIT
Teacher Edition
English • Language Arts
3
Reading Tree
Autobiographical Narrative
Building Background
• On the transparency, draw a line
separating the roots from the tree;
underline the words On-the-Surface.
• Tell students: The tree helps us to
visualize and remember that when
we read there are two types of
information that we gather. All the
information above the line is called
On-the-Surface. On-the-Surface is
all of the factual reading. It is all the
information that we can see and
touch. It is the information that is
physically “right there.”
• After the heading On-the-Surface
Reading, write facts, data, literal,
right there, point-to-it, and one
correct answer.
• Tell students: On-the-Surface
information is the facts, data, and
literal information in a text. It is “right
there,” you can point to it, and there
is one correct answer to an On-theSurface question. Generally, this
information tells us about the who,
what, when, and where of the text.
• On a leaf attached to the tree, write • Tell students: The “who” is usually a
the word who. As you say the words,
person, a name, a noun or pronoun,
write person, name, noun, pronoun,
or the characters in the story. “Who”
character, and subject on the
can also be the subject or topic you
surrounding leaves.
are reading about.
4
• On another leaf attached to the tree,
write the word what. As you say the
words, write what happened, did,
plot, action, verb, and activity on the
surrounding leaves.
• Tell students: The “what” tells us
what happened, or who did what.
“What” is the plot, an action, a verb,
and the activities in the reading.
• On another leaf attached to the tree,
write the word where. As you say
the words, write place, setting, and
location on the surrounding leaves.
• Tell students: The “where” tells
us where the activities take place.
“Where” is the setting, the place, or
the location.
English • Language Arts
Teacher Edition
EXIT
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reading Tree
Reading Tree
Autobiographical Narrative
Building Background
Autobiographical Narrative • Student Edition page 2
On-the-Surface Reading:
facts, given, data, literal,“right there,”
point-to-it, one correct answer
On-the-Surface Reading:
un
no
ro
Transparency of student
page located in EXIT
Transparency Packet.
o
English • Language Arts
ject
sub
Where
setting
el
inin
g
Teacher’s Guide
ce
pla
on
7
tim
ic
top
ters
charac
Wh
pe
rs
n
EXIT
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved
ati
on
nou
Under-the-Surface Reading:
loc
me
na
p
t
pl(o
did
ver
b Wh )
at
(ha
ppe
ion
ns)
act
y
t
i
tiv
c
a
Whe
te
da
n
time
orde
o
p
eratr of
se
ion
qu
en
cin
g
Sho
uld
Could
y
Wh
Would
How
infer, speculate, guess with evidence,
predict, estimate, hypothesize, analyze, research, connect,
figurative, opinion, more than one possible answer
Under-the-Surface Reading:
Answer Key
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
EXIT
Teacher Edition
English • Language Arts
5
Note-Taking Tree
Autobiographical Narrative
Connecting to Prior Knowledge
What it is:
The Note-Taking Tree explicitly teaches students to employ the reading skills
outlined on the Reading Tree. As students read a text, they determine On-theSurface information and record it on the branches of the tree according to who
the story or text is about, what happens or what the character does, where the
story or concept takes place, and when the story or concept takes place. In this
unit, students will use the Note-Taking Tree to answer On-the-Surface questions
about themselves.
How to teach it:
• Using the four branches at the top of the Note-Taking Tree, have students
respond to the following On-the-Surface questions:
• Who am I?
• What do I like to do?
• Where do I live?
• When was I born?
• Ask students to write a summary of the On-the-Surface information about
themselves that they have recorded on the tree.
6
English • Language Arts
Teacher Edition
EXIT
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Note-Taking Tree
Autobiographical Narrative
Student Edition page 3 • Answers will vary.
Connecting to Prior Knowledge
Note-Taking Tree
Text: ________________________________________
re
he
W
Wh
o
n
he
W
Wh
at
Summary:
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
EXIT
Teacher Edition
English • Language Arts
7
Budget Vocabulary Matrix
Autobiographical Narrative
Building Background
What it is:
The Budget Vocabulary Matrix is a strategy that provides strategic focus on
vocabulary, especially for units in which knowledge of vocabulary is critical for
reading comprehension. This format is used as part of a yearlong process for
studying vocabulary.
How to teach it:
• As a class, review the words in the Word section of the matrix.
• Give students the Deﬁnition or ask them to use their dictionary skills to obtain
the formal deﬁnition of the word.
• For the Related Words section, remind students that words might be related by
content, might be synonyms or antonyms, or might be related by word part.
• For the Sentence section, have students create their own sentences to show an
understanding of the word meaning.
• Have students complete the Visual section and create an On- or Under-theSurface visual to show their understanding of the word.
Reading 1.1
Identify and use the literal and
ﬁgurative meanings of words and
understand word derivations.
8
English • Language Arts
Teacher Edition
EXIT
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
EXIT
Teacher Edition
predict
summarize
clarify
make clear
simplify
explain
illuminate
Please clarify your
explanation for the
audience.
to make a good guess
about what will happen in
the future and to support it
with evidence
speculate
hypothesize
guess
infer
Given the results of
the exit polls, I predict
the mayor will be reelected.
to include only the main or review
Summarizing is like a
most important information go over the main points pot of boiling water.
encapsulate
The writer boils it down
to the main ideas.
to make something easier
to understand
An example of an
Under-the-Surface
question: Could the
tree need watering?
An example of an Onthe-Surface question:
Are there apples on
that tree?
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved
speculation
analyze
hypothesize
more than one answer
literal
factual
one correct answer
questions that ask about
the facts in a text
My autobiography will
be ﬁlled with interesting
stories.
Visual
Autobiographical Narrative
questions that ask about
information that is not
Under-the-Surface
provided in a text
question
On-the-Surface
question
autobiography
memoir
life story
life history
Visual
the story of your life,
written by yourself
Sentence
Sentence
Related words
Related words
Deﬁnition
Deﬁnition
© 2005 Action Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Word
Answers will vary.
autobiography
EXIT
On-the-Surface
question
Transparency of student
page located in EXIT
Transparency Packet.
Under-the-Surface
question
English • Language Arts
clarify
summarize
predict
4
Word
Budget Vocabulary Matrix
Building Background
Budget Vocabulary Matrix
Autobiographical Narrative • Student Edition page 4
English • Language Arts
9
Multiple-Choice Test Preparation
Autobiographical Narrative
Ticket Out the Door
3. Which is the correct revision of the
following sentence?
Keiko plans to buy a new computer she
has already researched which ones are
the best buy.
A. Keiko plans to buy a new computer:
she has already researched which
ones are the best buy.
B. Keiko has already researched which
computers are the best buy she plans
to buy a new one.
C. Keiko plans to buy a new computer;
she has already researched which
ones are the best buy.
Rationales:
A. The sentence is a run-on sentences, but
cannot link two complete thoughts with a
comma.
B. The sentence is a run-on sentence and
needs to be corrected by separating the two
complete thoughts with a semicolon.
C. Correct answer. The sentence is a run-on
sentence containing two complete thoughts
which need to be separated with a semicolon.
D. The sentence is a run-on sentence.
D. Leave as is.
4. Which is the correct revision of the
following sentence?
Mr. Briggs was not a complete failure
at his ﬁrst job he was not an
outstanding success either.
A. Mr. Briggs was not a complete failure
at his ﬁrst job, but he was not an
outstanding success either.
B. Mr. Briggs was not a complete failure
at his ﬁrst job, that he was not an
outstanding success either.
C. Mr. Briggs was not a complete failure
at his ﬁrst job, for he was not an
outstanding success either.
D. Leave as is.
58
English • Language Arts
Rationales:
A. Correct answer. The sentence is a run-on
sentence because it fuses two complete
thoughts together with a comma. The
coordinating conjunction “but” inserted after
the comma makes the relationship between
the two ideas clear.
B. The sentence is a run-on sentence, but
inserting the subordinating conjunction “that”
does not make the relationship between the
two ideas clear.
C. The sentence is a run-on sentence, but
inserting the coordinating conjunction “for”
does not make the relationship between the
two ideas clear.
D. The sentence is a run-on sentence because it
fuses two complete thoughts together with a
comma.
Teacher Edition
EXIT
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