Performance Tasks to Support English Language Arts

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Performance Task Title

Least of all an Adventure:

Remarques All Quiet on the Western Front and PostTraumatic Stress Disorder

Essential Question

Have the realities of war increased levels of PostTraumatic Stress Disorder and do current levels of
regulation for nationally funded benefits support
veterans in the way they are intended?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Overview
Whole Group Activity
Materials for Students
Materials for Teachers
Appendix: Print-friendly Texts,
Notes and Scaffolds

Task Rational
Through this Performance Task, students build on their
study of literary and informational texts to explore
contemporary opinions on an issue. By integrating
their prior knowledge of literary texts with current
research on a debatable topic, students will
demonstrate their Common Core Reading and Writing
skills through analysis and argumentative response.

Overview for Performance Task Assessment

Task Overview

This performance task is made up of a

culminating activity & assessment that require
students to research current regulations
pertaining to Post-Traumatic Stress benefits
for veterans through the lens of various
academic sources. The two tasks integrate
multiple literary works taken from the WCPSS
English II curriculum and synthesize these
texts with current research to encourage
students to apply prior knowledge while
utilizing skills from the ELA Common Core.

Course Content

Erich Maria Remarques All Quiet on the

Western Front (focus on P.T.S.D. in chapters 7
and 12)

Scorable Products
Student responses to the constructedresponse research questions at the end of Part
1 and the argumentative report completed in
Part 2 will be scored. Notes completed in Part
1 and pre-writing and drafting in Part 2 will
not be scored

Student Task Part I

Student Task Part II

Students examine and take notes on the

stimuli, a series of sources that present
various perspectives on human rights
violations and suggested responses to ending
them. Constructed-response questions call
upon the students to summarize and evaluate
the presented sources.

Students refer to their notes as needed to

compose a full-length argumentative report.
Students are allowed access to the stimuli they
examined in Part 1. Pre-writing, drafting, and
revisions are involved.

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Whole Group Engage Activity
Teacher Directions
Entry Event Classroom Activity (30-45 mins)

Present on a projector (or distribute a handout of) the image of World War I amputees
(see attached).

After giving students a moment to look at the image, ask, What do you think this
photograph is of? Based on our studies this semester, what do you know about the
challenges facing soldiers who fought in World War I? What made their experience
unique and how did they deal with this reality?

After taking a few responses, affirm or state that the image is of amputees. In
comparison to past wars, World War I was one of the bloodiest in history; ten million
soldiers were killed along with an estimated ten million civilians. These numbers were
unique because of the technological advances that changed the quality of an armed
conflict at that time.

Invite students to briefly discuss what they remember from their Great War studies.
Discuss the ways that characters in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front felt about
war and the various issues they dealt with and faced as soldiers fighting in it.

After students have recalled prior knowledge via this initial discussion, have them
examine the next visual, a political cartoon that shows a modern day soldier carrying
both his literal and metaphorical burdens (see attached).

Ask students if they believe the various issues Paul and his comrades faced in the novel
are similar to todays service member. What are some similarities and differences?

Once students have finished discussing the visual stimuli, pass out the epigraph
worksheet (see attached). As individuals, or in groups, have students analyze the
epigraph of the novel in an effort to understand the central theme and purpose of the
work. Use the guiding questions to focus discussion. A teacher key has been provided
(see attached).

Say to the students, In the performance task that you are going to participate in today,
you will learn more about issues facing veterans and those touched by war. Now that
you have studied the plight of the soldier through Paul and his comrades, you will focus
your new knowledge of that experience to reflect on warfare today. Specifically, you will
be studying the debate over the extent to which benefits and interventions are offered
to veterans suffering from P.T.S.D and other traumas that result from war. Eventually
you will need to take a position on what these regulations should be and the potential
consequences and benefits of having them in place.

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After questions and comments have been addressed, the Part I of the task can begin.

Engage Activity Stimuli & Resources

Materials for Entry Event/Class Discussion
Visual I: World War I amputees

Visual II: Political Cartoon

Source
World War I amputee
photograph
Veterans Day 2009
political cartoon

Find at:
http://www.worldwar1.com/
photos/eww207.jpg
http://cdn.americanprogress.
org/wpcontent/uploads/cartoons/20
09/11/img/111009.jpg

Important to Know
Unit of soldiers who have suffered
amputations as a result of active duty.
Cartoon of soldier carrying literal and
metaphorical baggage as a result of active
duty.

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Textual Analysis: Epigraph/ Erich Maria Remarques All Quiet on the Western Front
(STUDENT)
Below is the epigraph from All Quiet on the Western Front. Read the epigraph, and
answer the following questions. Be sure to give thorough explanations for your answers.
This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and
least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to
those who stand face to face with it. It will try to simply tell
of a generation of men who, even though they may have
escaped shells, were destroyed by the war.
- Erich Maria Remarque

1)

Using a dictionary, define epigraph. (Be sure to find the most relevant definition.)

2)

Remarque says that this book is not intended to be what? What does he mean by this?

3)

In the second sentence, Remarque describes the intended purpose of the novel. Explain
this statement.

4)

Why do you think that Remarque included the first sentence? Why did he not just limit
the epigraph to the second sentence?

5)

From your interpretation of the epigraph, what would you say is the central theme of All
Quiet on the Western Front? In your opinion, is this theme relevant for the experience of
veterans today? Why or why not?

Textual Analysis: Epigraph/ Erich Maria Remarques All Quiet on the Western Front
(TEACHER)
1) Using a dictionary, define epigraph. (Be sure to find the most relevant definition.)
a quotation set at the beginning of a literary work or one of its divisions to suggest its theme
2) Remarque says that this book is not intended to be what? What does he mean by this?
He isnt pointing fingers (accusation), taking blame (confession), or glorifying (adventure) the
content about which he writes.
3) In the second sentence, Remarque describes the intended purpose of the novel. Explain this
statement.
The novel will talk about the survivors of war. (escaped shellsbut were [nevertheless]
destroyed.)

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4) Why do you think that Remarque included the first sentence? Why did he not just limit the
epigraph to the second sentence?
This is generally how audiences approach war so he has to denounce these things so readers
can process his text in a new way.
5) From your interpretation of the epigraph, what would you say is the central theme of All
Quiet on the Western Front? In your opinion, is this theme relevant for the experience of
veterans today? Why or why not?
Answers will vary.

Materials for Students

Student Directions Part I

Your Assignment
After forming in 1899 as an organization to help aid veterans of the SpanishAmerican War, the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) has served as an organization
supporting the interests and well-being of individuals who have been touched by
armed conflict abroad.
In an effort to ensure that veterans are respected for their service, always receive their
earned entitlements, and are recognized for the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made
on behalf of the American populace, the VFW has been instrumental in advocating for
numerous recognitions and benefits for veterans. Annually, the nearly 2 million members of the
VFW and its Auxiliaries contribute more than 8.6 million hours of volunteerism in the
community; time that is spent but not limited to lobbying for the passing of legislation affecting
veterans, expanding medical care and health benefits, and providing much needed educational
initiatives for active-duty members and their families.
After learning about the local chapter of the VFW and its missions alignment with your own
views, you decide to shadow a doctor in your towns Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. Once your
internship starts, you discover that the doctor, Dr. Baumer, has become actively involved with
diagnosing veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.), a recent controversy in the
national government.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing to issue new rules to make it easier for
veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD to receive disability benefits. The new
regulations, which apply to veterans of all wars and will cost as much as $5 billion over several
years, essentially eliminate a requirement that veterans document specific events that might
have caused their P.T.S.D. and simply require those with the illness to show that they served in
a war zone.
Considering your interest in veterans and their well-being, Dr. Baumer suggests you take note
of this debate. After a conversation on your rounds, he asks you if, given the research that
exists about P.T.S.D., are these new regulations a step forward?

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Back in your office, you enter veterans with P.T.S.D. into a Google search engine, and it
returns what looks like a promising mix of articles, videos, and first-hand accounts. You must
review and evaluate these sources and summarize their arguments about benefit
increasesboth pro and conbefore reporting back to Dr. Baumer about your
findings.
You have been provided with and are encouraged to use a note-taking guide that will help you
gather and process your findings.

Your Task
You will conduct research on the pros and cons of the changes being made by the Department
of Veterans Affairs pertaining to the requirements for P.T.S.D. diagnosis for veterans. Once you
have reviewed the sources provided, you will then write a report arguing your opinion on the
nuances of the issue to be shared with Dr. Baumer based on the research you have conducted.
You have 50 minutes to complete this task.

Steps to Follow
In order to plan and compose your report, you will do all of the following:
1. Review and evaluate the sources provided on the pros and cons of your topic.
2. Make notes about the information from the sources.
3. Answer two questions about the sources.

Research Questions
After you have reviewed the sources, answer the questions below. Your answers to these
questions will be scored. Also, they will help you think about the sources you have read and
viewed, which should help you write your report. Answer the questions in the spaces provided
below each question.
Question 1:
From the sources you have reviewed, summarize 3 major arguments that support and 3 major
arguments that oppose the new rules/regulations for P.T.S.D. benefits adopted by the United
States Department of Veterans Affairs. For each of the arguments, cite at least one source that
supports that point of view.
To begin, you should consider:
Based upon the sources provided, what appears to be the crux of the debate influencing our
countrys current policy for providing P.T.S.D. benefits? Based upon the issue, what are the
arguments in favor of the proposed changes versus against them?
Question 2:

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Evaluate the credibility of the arguments and evidence presented by these sources. Which of
the sources are more trustworthy and why? Which of the sources warrant some skepticism
because of bias or insufficient evidence pertaining to the topic and the debate surrounding it?

Note Taking Guide (not scored)

Research
Source

Published By

Argument pro/con changes

to rules regulating P.T.S.D.
benefits

How reliable is
evidence from
this source

Scorable Constructed Response Prompts

Research Question 1 (Scored Product)
Directions: From the sources you have reviewed, summarize 3 major arguments that support
and 3 major arguments that oppose the new rules/regulations for P.T.S.D. benefits adopted by
the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. For each of the arguments, cite at least one
source that supports that point of view.
To begin, you should consider:
Based upon the sources provided, what appears to be the crux of the debate influencing our
countrys current policy for providing P.T.S.D. benefits? Based upon the issue, what are the
arguments in favor of the proposed changes versus against them?
Argument / Fact in Favor of New
Regulations for P.T.S.D Benefits

Source Supporting This Argument

Argument / Fact in Opposition to New

Regulations for P.T.S.D Benefits

Source Supporting This Argument

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Research Question 2 (Scored Product)

Evaluate the credibility of the arguments and evidence presented by these sources. Which of
the sources are more trustworthy and why? Which of the sources warrant some skepticism
because of bias or insufficient evidence pertaining to the topic and the debate surrounding it?
Complete a full response.

Student Directions Part II

Your Assignment
Back in Dr. Baumers office, you start to hand him your notes on the pros and cons of the
proposed changes to P.T.S.D. benefits, but he waves away your papers.
Part of being an effective doctor working with veterans and their families like I do is trusting in
your research and using your voice to advocate for people who may lack one, he says.
Historically, our partnership with VFW has been our ability as volunteers to affect change in the
lives of the veterans we work so hard to care for. As a doctor here at the VA hospital, however,
my job is to diagnose, not question the benefits or sanctions that procure them. Instead of
sharing your thoughts with me on this issue, go ahead and write an open letter to the VFW
advocating for your point of view on our nations changes to these regulations. Do these new
rules for P.T.S.D. benefits actually help veterans and by extension our country? Or have we
missed the mark? Be sure that your recommendation acknowledges both sides of the issue so
that your audience knows that you have considered the it carefully. Ill review your letter
tonight and hopefully get your thoughts published in our local chapters newsletter.
Write an argumentative report that recommends the position that you believe your
representatives should take on humanitarian outreach and aid in areas where violations are
occurring. Support your claim with evidence from the sources you have read and viewed. You

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do not need to use all the sources, only the ones that most effectively and credibly support your
position and your consideration of the opposing point of view.

Response Guidelines
Your report will be scored on the following criteria:
1. Statement of purpose / focus and organization: How well did you clearly state your claim on
the topic, maintain your focus, and address the alternate and opposing claims? How well did
your ideas logically flow from the introduction to conclusion using effective transitions? How
well did you stay on topic throughout the report?
2. Elaboration of evidence: How well did you elaborate your arguments and discussion of
counterarguments, citing evidence from your sources? How well did you effectively express
ideas using precise language and vocabulary that were appropriate for the audience and
purpose of your report?
3. Conventions: How well did you follow the rules of usage, punctuation, capitalization, and
spelling?

To Begin Work
Manage your time carefully so that you can:
plan your report
write your report
revise and edit for a final draft
Word-processing tools and spell check are available to you. Type your response in the space
provided.
Write as much as you need to fulfill the requirements of the task; you are not limited by the
size of the response area on the screen.

Stimulus Set of Texts

Source
Scientific American:
Soldiers' Stress: What
Doctors Get Wrong
about PTSD
New York Times:
Unconscionable Red
Tape

Find at:

Important to Know

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar
ticle/post-traumatic-stresstrap/?page=1

A growing number of experts insist that the

concept of post-traumatic stress disorder is
itself disordered and that soldiers are suffering
as a result

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.c
om/2010/07/08/should-moreveterans-get-p-t-s-dbenefits/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r
=0

In this op-ed piece, a Tulane professor argues

the very system that is supposed to help
veterans with P.T.S.D. often makes their
depression worse.

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The Washington Post:

Afghan rampage
suspect Robert Bales
was a soldier strained
by deployments

http://www.washingtonpost.com/worl
d/national-security/afghan-rampagesuspect-robert-bales-was-a-soldierstrained-bydeployments/2012/03/17/gIQAwmRSJ
S_story_1.html

New York Times:

V.A. Is Easing Rules to
Cover Stress Disorder

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/
us/08vets.html?pagewanted=print

TIME:
The Unintended
Consequences of the
Current PTSD
Diagnosis

http://nation.time.com/2012/11/27/th
e-unintended-consequences-of-thecurrent-ptsd-diagnosis/

Profile of veteran Robert Bales who killed 16

Afghan civilians, leading others to question the
tragedy of this event: the loss of innocent lives
or the destruction of one who was supposed to
save them?
Discusses how the government is preparing to
issue new rules that will make it substantially
easier for veterans who have been found to
have post-traumatic stress disorder to receive
disability benefits, a change that could affect
hundreds of thousands of veterans from the
wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam.
Author argues that new regulations for
diagnosing Post-Traumatic Stress in veterans
lessens the potential spectrum for accurate
diagnosis of other potential traumas, despite
the widening benefits such an identification
could warrant for a veteran and his family.

Materials for Teachers

Teacher Directions
Part 1 (50 mins)
Students should receive the sources, directions, questions, report assignment, and any other
material related to the task. They should receive the constructed-response questions in Part 1
and the report assignment in Part 2.
1. Initiate the research session.
2. Pass out the note-taking guide, reminding the students that its use is optional and unscored.
3. Alert the students when there are 25 minutes remaining in class.
4. Alert the students when there are 5 minutes remaining in class.
5. Have students write their names on any notes. Collect all student notes.
6. Close the research session
Part 2 (70 mins)
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1. Initiate the Performance Task Part 2.
2. Allow students to access the sources, their notes, and their answers to the constructedresponse questions presented in Part 1. They will not be allowed to change their answers.
3. Once 15 minutes have elapsed, suggest students begin writing the report.
4. Alert the students when 30 minutes remain.
5. Alert students when 15 minutes remain and suggest they begin revising their reports.
6. Close the testing session.

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Scoring Rubrics
Scorable Constructed Response Part I
Question 1:

2 Point Rubric
Using Evidence (CCSS RI.7, RI.8, W.7, W.9)

2
1
0

The response gives sufficient evidence of the students ability to cite evidence
to support arguments and/or ideas.

The response gives limited evidence of the students ability to cite evidence to
support arguments and/or ideas.

The response receives no credit if it provides no evidence of the students

ability to cite evidence to support arguments and/or ideas.

Question 2:

2 Point Rubric
Evaluating Sources and Information (CCSS RI.8, W.8)

2
1
0

The response gives sufficient evidence of the students ability to evaluate the
credibility, completeness, relevancy, and/or accuracy of the information and
sources.
The response gives limited evidence of the students ability to evaluate the
credibility, completeness, relevancy, and/or accuracy of the information and
sources.
The response receives no credit if it provides no evidence of the students
ability to evaluate the credibility, completeness, relevancy, and/or accuracy of
the information and sources..

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4-Point Argumentative Full Response

4
Statement
Purpose

of

The response is fully

sustained and
consistently and
purposefully focused:
stated, focused, and
strongly maintained
opposing claims are
clearly addressed
and communicated
clearly within the
purpose, audience,
and task
The response has a
clear and effective
organizational
structure
creating a sense of
unity and
completeness:

Focus and
Organizatio
n

variety of transitional
strategies to clarify
the relationships
between and among
ideas
of
ideas from beginning
to end
introduction
and conclusion for
intended audience
and purpose

Evidence and
Elaboration

NS

The response is
adequately sustained
and generally focused:

The response is
somewhat sustained
and may have a
minor drift in focus:

The response may

be related to the
purpose but may
provide little or no
focus:

Insufficient,
illegible, in a
language
other than
English,
incoherent,
off-topic, or
off-purpose
writing

mostly maintained,
though some loosely
related material may
be present
ided for
the claim is adequate
within the purpose,
audience, and task

The response has an

evident organizational
structure and a sense
of
completeness, though
there may be minor
flaws and some ideas
may be loosely
connected:
transitional strategies
with some variety to
clarify the
relationships between
and among ideas
progression
of ideas from
beginning to end

focused on the
claim but is
insufficiently
sustained, or

brief
major drift

issue may be
somewhat unclear
and/

confusing or
ambiguous

The response has an

inconsistent
organizational
structure, and flaws
are
evident:

The response has

little or no
discernible
organizational
structure:

of
transitional
strategies
and/or little variety

transitional
strategies are
evident
extraneous ideas
may intrude

Insufficient,
illegible, in a
language
other than
English,
incoherent,
off-topic, or
off-purpose
writing

progression
of ideas from
beginning to end
introduction, if
present, are weak
among ideas

introduction and
conclusion

among ideas, with

some syntactic variety

inconsistent,
connection among
ideas

The response provides

thorough and
convincing
support/evidence for
the writers claim that
includes the effective
use of sources, facts,
and details. The
response achieves
substantial depth that
is
specific and relevant:

The response provides

adequate
support/evidence for
the writers claim that
includes the use of
sources, facts, and
details. The response
achieves some depth
and specificity but is
predominantly
general:

The response
provides
uneven, cursory
support/evidence
for
the writers claim
that
includes partial or
uneven use of
sources,
facts, and details.
The

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The response
provides minimal
support/
evidence
for the writers
claim that
includes
little or no use of
sources, facts,
and
details:

and

Insufficient,
illegible, in a
language
other than
English,
incoherent,
off-topic, or
off-purpose
writing

Performance Tasks to Support English Language Arts

from
sources is included,
though citations may
be general or
imprecise

from
sources is integrated,
comprehensive,
relevant, and
concrete
variety of elaborative
techniques

Effect on
Audience

The response clearly

and effectively
expresses ideas, using
precise language:
of academic
and
domain-specific
vocabulary is clearly
appropriate for the
audience and
purpose

response achieves
little
depth:

some elaborative
techniques

sources is weakly
integrated, and
citations, if present,
are uneven

The response
adequately expresses
ideas, employing a
mix of precise with
more general
language:
use of domainspecific vocabulary is
generally appropriate
for the audience and
purpose

use
of elaborative
techniques
The response
expresses ideas
unevenly, using
simplistic
language:
use of domainspecific vocabulary
may at times be
inappropriate for
the audience and
purpose

evidence
from sources is
minimal, absent,
incorrect, or
irrelevant

The responses
expression of
ideas
is vague, lacks
clarity, or is
confusing:
language or
domain-specific
vocabulary

Insufficient,
illegible, in a
language
other than
English,
incoherent,
off-topic, or
off-purpose
writing

sense of
audience and
purpose

2- Point Argumentative Full Response

Conventions
2
The response demonstrates an adequate
command of conventions:
errors in usage and sentence formation
may be present, but no systematic
pattern of errors is displayed and
meaning is not obscured
adequate use of punctuation,
capitalization, and spelling

1
The response demonstrates a partial
command of conventions:
errors in usage may obscure meaning
inconsistent use of punctuation,
capitalization

NS
Insufficient, illegible, in a language
other than English, incoherent, offtopic, or off-purpose writing

Adapted from Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Grade 11 Performance Task

http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/performance-tasks/nuclear.pdf

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Standards and Task Specifications
Course/Grade Level: English II/ 10 grade
Unit/Lesson Essential Question:
Related Text: Erich Maria Remarques All Quiet on the Western Front
Key Common Core Standards Assessed
RI.1Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite
specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text
RI.7Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in words.
RI. 8Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the
reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
RI.9Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to
compare the approaches the authors take.
RI.10Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
_____________________________________________

W. 1Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning
and relevant and sufficient evidence.
W.4Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience.
W.7Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
W.8Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy
of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
W.9Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Key NC Essential Standards Assessed for Social Studies/ Psychology:

12.D.1.3 Interpret psychological disorders and appropriate treatments for these disorders within the
framework of biology, conditioning, cognition, sociocultural interactions, and human
development.

Key NC Essential Standards Assessed for Social Studies/World History:

WH.H.8.4 Analyze scientific, technological and medical innovations of postwar decades in terms
of their impact on systems of production, global trade and standards of living (e.g.,
satellites, computers, social networks, information highway).
DOK Levels: 4
Total Possible Score Points: Up to 10
Decrease the number of sources provided to students
Possible Adjustments for
Break assignment into distinct periods of time, extracting task
Students with IEPs or 504s
goals from one large completion session to multiple, each with a
discrete product
Provide students with pre and post reading questions regarding
Possible Adjustments for
the text.
Students with LEPs
Use graphic organizers to outline response
Limit text set based on Lexile
Allow students to select their own sources.
Turn the PT into a PBL unit where student are forced to create a
Possible Adjustments for
persuasive call to action based on their research
Honors, AP, or IB Students
Extend the PT by encouraging students to participate in a local
initiative benefiting veterans in their community, or possibly
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writing letters of thanks to active service members abroad.
Quantitative Level of
Text Complexity

Stimuli:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Read. Ease / Grade

level
11
47

Soldiers' Stress: What Doctors Get Wrong

about PTSD
Unconscionable Red Tape
60
Afghan rampage suspect Robert Bales was a
67
soldier strained by deployments
V.A. Is Easing Rules to Cover Stress Disorder
56
The Unintended Consequences of the Current
50
PTSD Diagnosis
Stimuli for the task have been intentionally selected to cover a
perspectives on the P.T.S.D. benefits regulation debate.

6
7
9
11
range of

The sources include novels, photographs, cartoons, news articles, and

op-eds. These sources have been drawn from a range of scholarly and
news outlets in order to cover a spectrum of perspectives and potential
leanings. This will enable students to not only see a variety of opinions
on their topic, but also specific biases on the subject.

NOTES about Stimuli If sources in the selected grouping of texts do not meet an educators
needs, excerpts from WCPSS approved English II texts may be
substituted. It may be enriching for students to be able to supplement
their research with texts they may be familiar with from their studies.
Suggestions for supplemental referencing could include:

The Things They Carried, Tim OBrien

In an appendix to this document, each has been excerpted and
formatted for ease of implementation.

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