CERCA Slides by Grade
Grade 3: Nana's Piano and Tuesdays
Are Greta’s and Finn’s feelings toward the piano more similar or more different?
CCSS.RL.3.9
CCSS.W.3.1
Grade 4: The Dumpling Vendor and The Stolen Smell
Compare and contrast the themes within these two stories from different cultures. Are they more similar or different?
CCSS.RL.4.9
CCSS.W.4.2
Grade 5: A Poetry Contest at Spellzany Castle and Tamitha and the Troll-Witch
Compare and contrast the two stories. Are Mary and Tamitha more similar or different in how they approach the antagonist in each story?
CCSS.RL.5.9
CCSS.W.5.1
Grade 6: The Myth of Echo and Narcissus
Echo and Narcissus are characters in a myth that explains the origins of two very specific personality traits. Explain how the plot and character development in the myth of "Echo and Narcissus" helps readers to understand the consequences of having these traits.
CCSS.RL.6.3
CCSS.W.6.1
Grade 7: Gold Fever! Deadly Cold! And the Amazing Adventures of Jack London in the Wild” and excerpt from The Call of the Wild
Compare and contrast the environmental challenges faced by the character John Thornton and his dog Buck in The Call of the Wild with the real-life challenges faced by the author, Jack London, during his turn-of-the-20th-century expedition in the harsh Yukon territory. Use evidence from the texts to support your claims.
CCSS.RI.7.9
CCSS.RL.7.9
CCSS.W.7.1
Grade 8: The Necklace
In this updated retelling of the Cinderella story, the author provides a moral lesson about how money shapes our perceptions of happiness. Using evidence from the text, explain how the author develops this theme through the character of Mathilde and the symbol of the necklace.
CCSS.RL.8.9
CCSS.W.8.1
Grades 9: The Odyssey
How is Telemachos’s character shaped by his understanding of and relationship with his father, Odysseus?
CCSS.RL.9-10.3
CCSS.W.9-10.1
Grades 10: Prometheus and Frankenstein
Through extraordinary skill, both Prometheus and Dr. Victor Frankenstein unleash their creations on the world--Prometheus, the power of fire, and Dr. Frankenstein, the power to bring life into a corpse. Using evidence found in each text, analyze each character's motivations and discuss whether or not these characters were justified in creating and then abandoning their creations.
CCSS.RL.9-10.9
CCSS.W.9-10.1
Grade 11: The Declaration of Independence
Trace and evaluate the components of the rhetorical situations presented in the Declaration of Independence. In what ways do the authors’ words and phrases reveal and reflect these components that shaped their rhetorical situations in this seminal document?
CCSS.RI.11-12.8
CCSS.W.11-12.1
Grade 12: "I dwell in Possibility" (#657) and "Tell all the truth but tell it slant" (#1263)
How does each Dickinson poem reflect an opposing viewpoint related to the theme of revealing the truth of your thoughts and dreams to others?
CCSS.RL.11-12.9
CCSS.W.11-12.1
