The Assignment Template for California's CCSS

The assignment template provides a basic framework for teaching aspects of reading and literacy within a classroom setting. It provides teachers with a guide to helping students write about what they have read. Reading is critical to understanding a variety of subjects, and being able to teach students to read and interpret a variety of texts is critical to their development. By breaking down these tasks into steps, teachers are able to help students learn to thoroughly analyze and understand a given text. This gives students the opportunity to succeed and better prepares them for future lessons.

One of the most crucial elements of this assignment template is the inclusion of prereading. Prereading skills help to guide reading not only by establishing a basis for the text, but also help influence future lessons and discussions related to the text. Some prereading skills focus on developing background knowledge, looking at information such as the date of publication and the author’s background, as well as textual information such as titles and length of the text. Other strategies include asking framing questions, making connections to real life situations, and establishing commonly used vocabulary within the text itself. These skills help to prepare students in their reading, allowing them to interpret and decipher relevant information.

Another important skill taught by the text is the process of analyzing the text while reading. By thoroughly examining a text as it’s being read, the reader is able to being the process of identifying key pieces of information. This allows students to determine information that is relevant to the topic being discussed while also taking notes about what they are reading. These skills allow students to identify and break down arguments and find evidence supporting the author’s claims, as well as finding supporting information for their own arguments. This seems particularly helpful when looking at texts that are more informational in nature, but can also be applied to literary works.

Teaching students skills to read effectively helps enable them to learn more readily, enabling them to break down informational and argumentative texts. This, in turn, helps students become better writers and helps them succeed. Being able to read effectively is a vital and necessary skill. By having strategies in place to help students learn, teachers can give their students the chance to succeed in school.