reading of a variety of grade-appropriate texts, presented
in various print and multimedia formats, using increasingly
detailed sentences, and an increasing variety of general
academic and domain-specific words.”
Both sets of standards also emphasize the importance
of academic language awareness—including how to use
general academic and domain specific vocabulary and
complex grammatical structures—when reading, discussing,
and writing literary and informational texts. For example, the
CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy Language Standard 3 for grades
9–10 (L.9–10.3) states that students should be able to
“apply knowledge of language to understand how language
functions in different contexts, to make effective choices
for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when
reading or listening.” Similarly, and to emphasize the importance of language in content learning,
CA ELD Standard 4 in Part 1 for grades 9–10 at the Expanding level (ELD.PI.9–10.4.Ex) calls for EL
students to develop the ability to adapt and “adjust language choices according to the context (e.g.,
classroom, community), purpose (e.g., to persuade, to provide arguments or counterarguments),
task, and audience (e.g., peers, teachers, guest lecturer).” This is another way in which the CA ELD
Standards augment or amplify the intent of the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy.
Accordingly, teachers prepare units and lessons carefully to focus purposefully on content
understandings and language and literacy development. Teachers select challenging texts that are
worth reading and rereading and that are relevant to students. As a part of planning, teachers read
the texts ahead of time to determine which concepts, elements of comprehension, and language
(including vocabulary and grammatical structures, as well as poetic or figurative uses of language)
might pose challenges for their students and which might also present opportunities for students
to extend their content understandings, linguistic repertoires, and their abilities to interact with and
question the texts they read. Teachers plan a sequence of lessons that builds students’ abilities to read
and understand complex texts with increasing independence in ways that constantly and progressively
work toward larger goals, such as end-of-unit performance tasks. This requires teachers to analyze
the cognitive and linguistic demands of the texts, including the sophistication of the ideas or content,
students’ prior knowledge, and the complexity of the vocabulary, sentences, and organization.
Teachers consider the kind of language required by the planned oral and written tasks and prepare
many appropriately scaffolded opportunities for students to use this language meaningfully before
they are asked to produce it independently. Teachers use and discuss mentor texts so that students
have models to analyze and emulate.
Teachers also provide clear scaffolding to help students
read texts analytically. High school students need many
opportunities to read a wide variety of texts and to discuss
them, asking and answering literal and inferential text-
dependent questions to determine the meanings in the
text and to evaluate how well authors present their ideas.
To this end, teachers—as expert readers themselves—can
demonstrate close reading by modeling a think aloud for
students, highlighting the literal and inferential questions
they ask themselves and emphasizing the features of
language and ideas they notice while reading. In addition,
teachers can provide opportunities for students to engage
meaningfully with Web-based and other multimedia... teachers prepare units
and lessons carefully to focus
purposefully on content
understandings and language
and literacy development.
Teachers select challenging
texts that are worth reading
and rereading and that are
relevant to students.
High school students need
many opportunities to read
a wide variety of texts and
to discuss them, asking
and answering literal and
inferential text-dependent
questions to determine the
meanings in the text and to
evaluate how well authors
present their ideas.742 | Chapter 7 Grades 9 and 10