8.2.

1 English Language Arts

Analyzing Elements and Determining Purpose of Informational Text
th
Vocabulary Quiz: November 8
st
th
Two Current Events Reports, Due: November 1 & November 8
Overview: In this unit, you will apply your knowledge of theme in literature to the development of the central idea in an informational
text. Through the study of current events, you will analyze supporting details and execute accurate objective summaries. Over the next
two weeks you will select an area of focus for your current event reports so that you may gather research from multiple sources and
become an expert on your selected topic. In addition to the current event reports, you will also take a test about the features and skills
used to read and analyze informational text.
Concepts to be learned and skills to be used in 8.2.1:

DETERMINE theme or central idea of a text and ANALYZE its development over the course of the text
o PROVIDE an objective summary of the text
GATHER relevant information for multiple sources
o ASSESS the credibility and accuracy of each source
o QUOTE the data and conclusions of others
o FOLLOW the MLA format for citation
DETERMINE or CLARIFY the meaning of unknown words and phrases by:
o USING context clues
o USING common Latin and Greek roots
o CONSULTING reference materials (dictionary, thesaurus, etc.)
o VERIFYING the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word

Vocabulary: The following vocabulary words will be a part of our work in class and they will be a part of your concepts test. To begin
preparing for the test, you should develop and initial understanding of these terms by looking up their definitions.
Unit Specific
Central idea
Informational text
Explanatory text
Supporting ideas
Evidence
Credibility
Accuracy
Bias
Effective search terms
Paraphrasing sources
Quoting sources
Parenthetical Citation
Connections
Distinctions
Plagiarism
Specialized reference material
Conflicting viewpoints
Argument

General & Recurring Terminology

Textual evidence
Explicit
Figurative, Connotative, & Technical meanings
Conclusion
Structure
Key concepts
Point of view
Irrelevant

Timeline:
You will work on this unit in stages over the next 3 weeks. Bring this packet with you to class each day, as you will alternate between
learning about the following concepts and using them in various activities in preparation for the unit test. The work you do in this unit is
directly tied to the next unit, in which you will write an explanatory essay about your chosen current event.
Topics for Selection:
Your Current Events Reports (and eventually your essay) must fit into one of the following eight categories:
New Mexico Education
National Racism Issues
Global Issues of Persecution

New Mexico Poverty

National Government Shutdown
Space Exploration

New Mexico Environment

Global Environmental Issues

ELA 8.2.1
Current Events Report Instruction Sheet
Purpose: In order to more successfully contribute to the community, and society at large, one should be up-to-date on the worlds issues,
changes, and news. Being an informed citizen and discussing current events will give you a better perspective on different points of
view, bias, evidence, resource credibility, and it will also encourage a worldly understanding amongst you and your peers throughout the
unit.
Article Guidelines:
Article MUST be current published within the last 6 months
Article MUST be relevant should pertain to the specific topic you have chosen to move forward with
Article MUST be from an appropriate source use the Web Page Credibility Checklist on the next page (NO WIKIPEDIA)
Article MUST be attached to the Current Events Research Assignment Sheet and should be appropriately annotated
Directions: Over the next two weeks you will find and read two current events articles on your topic from the offered areas. Your news
source may be digital or print. Be sure to fill out the assignment form clearly and completely. Write in complete sentences and proofread
your work.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

INITIAL INFORMATION
a. After reading the text for the first time, fill out the top section of the assignment form, including your simple opinion.
b. Category refers to the topic category from this instruction packet, like New Mexico Education, or Space
Exploration
Read for a second time and ANNOTATE directly on the text using different colors or labels for each type of annotation
a. Highlight main ideas
b. Highlight important facts/details
c. Highlight words specific to your topic that others need to know and/or words that are unfamiliar to you. These will be
addressed in the Vocabulary section on your Current Events Assignment
d. Ask interpretive questions
e. Make personal connections
f. React to the text/author (How do you feel about the situation or problem? Identify bias and point of view)
OBJECTIVE SUMMARY
a. Title, source, author, and main idea must be included in the first sentence
b. Objectively stated facts (paraphrased, not quoted)
c. Concluding sentence
VOCABULARY
a. Identify a minimum of 3 words used in the article
i. Define
ii. Provide synonym
EXTENDED REFLECTION
a. Respond to the three questions on this section of the assignment sheet, in a well-developed paragraph.

Suggested Sources:
Local newspaper!!
www.nytimes.com (New York Times newspaper
www.courant.com (Hartford Courant newspaper)
www.washingtontimes.com (Washington Times newspaper)
www.washingtonpost.com (Washington Post newspaper)
www.latimes.com (Los Angeles Times newspaper)
www.chicagotribune.com (Chicago Tribune newspaper)
www.middletownpress.com (Middletown Press newspaper)
www.msnbc.com (NBC broadcast T.V. news)
www.cnn.com (CNN cable T.V. news)
www.usnews.com (U.S. News & World Report magazine)
www.foxnews.com (FOX cable T.V. news)
www.abcnews.go.com (ABC broadcast T.V. news)

Web Page Credibility Checklist- For use in selecting articles for the Current Events Report
Use pencil to fill in this checklist as a guideline to help you decide whether an online source is reliable and worth using.
7 or more points: This is probably a reliable source; consider using it.
4-6 points: This might be a good source; try to find out more about it before using it.
3 or less: This is probably not worth including in your sources.
Current Event Report #1:
URL: http://
Circle the number in the column that is the best answer
Positives
1) I can identify a group or individual responsible for the content on this site.
2) This site is maintained by a person or organization that I know is credible
outside of the Internet
3) This site has been updated in the past 3 to 6 months
4) This site has external links to other credible websites
5) I know of other credible websites that link to this website
6) This site has a .gov or .edu suffix
7) This site provides a phone number or mailing address that I could use for
contacting the person or organization for more information
8) I have verified the information on this site using reliable offline resources
9) The main purpose of this site is to provide facts (not opinions)

Yes

No/Not
Sure

1
1

0
0

1
1
1
1
1

0
0
0
0
0

1
1

0
0

-1
-1
-1
-1

0
0
0
0

Yes

No/Not
Sure

1
1

0
0

1
1
1
1
1

0
0
0
0
0

1
1

0
0

-1
-1
-1
-1

0
0
0
0

Subtotal
Negatives
10) This site is clearly biased toward a specific opinion or point of view
11) This site contains many misspellings and/or broken links
12) The main purpose of this site is to sell a product or service
13) This site has no external links
Final Total

Current Event Report #2:

URL: http://
Circle the number in the column that is the best answer
Positives
1) I can identify a group or individual responsible for the content on this site.
2) This site is maintained by a person or organization that I know is credible
outside of the Internet
3) This site has been updated in the past 3 to 6 months
4) This site has external links to other credible websites
5) I know of other credible websites that link to this website
6) This site has a .gov or .edu suffix
7) This site provides a phone number or mailing address that I could use for
contacting the person or organization for more information
8) I have verified the information on this site using reliable offline resources
9) The main purpose of this site is to provide facts (not opinions)
Subtotal
Negatives
10) This site is clearly biased toward a specific opinion or point of view
11) This site contains many misspellings and/or broken links
12) The main purpose of this site is to sell a product or service
13) This site has no external links
Final Total
Source: http://aics.education.wisc.edu/LessonPlans/FirstAmericansGreatLakesRegion/credcheck.pdf

Current Events Report #2

Assessment Grade:

/100

Name:
Date:
Block:
INITIAL INFORMATION:
Title of Article:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Source:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Date of Article:

_____________________________________ Place: ______________________________________________________

Category:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Formulate a simple opinion about the article:

OBJECTIVE SUMMARY:

MLA Citation:

Current Events Report #2

VOCABULARY
1.

2.

3.

Write the sentence from the article that the vocabulary word is found in, and highlight the word. (If it appears in more than one,
select the most relevant sentence to write below.)
a. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Define the vocabulary word:
b. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Provide a synonym:
c. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write the sentence from the article that the vocabulary word is found in, and highlight the word. (If it appears in more than one,
select the most relevant sentence to write below.)
a. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Define the vocabulary word:
b. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Provide a synonym:
c. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write the sentence from the article that the vocabulary word is found in, and highlight the word. (If it appears in more than one,
select the most relevant sentence to write below.)
a. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Define the vocabulary word:
b. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Provide a synonym:
c. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

In a well organized paragraph answer these three questions: 1.) How has this article affected your understanding of the larger issue?
2.) Why is this issue important to discuss? 3.) What relevance does this information have to your peers and community? Refer to the text
to support your ideas.

Current Events Report #1

Practice Grade:
/100
Name:
Date:
Block:
INITIAL INFORMATION:
Title of Article: _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Source:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Date of Article:

_____________________________________ Place: ______________________________________________________

Category:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Formulate a simple opinion statement about the article:

OBJECTIVE SUMMARY:

MLA Citation:

Current Events Report #1

VOCABULARY
1.

2.

3.

Write the sentence from the article that the vocabulary word is found in, and highlight the word. (If it appears in more than one,
select the most relevant sentence to write below.)
a. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Define the vocabulary word:
b. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Provide a synonym:
c. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write the sentence from the article that the vocabulary word is found in, and highlight the word. (If it appears in more than one,
select the most relevant sentence to write below.)
a. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Define the vocabulary word:
b. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Provide a synonym:
c. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write the sentence from the article that the vocabulary word is found in, and highlight the word. (If it appears in more than one,
select the most relevant sentence to write below.)
a. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Define the vocabulary word:
b. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Provide a synonym:
c. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

In a well organized paragraph answer these three questions: 1.) How has this article affected your understanding of the larger issue? 2.)
Why is this issue important to discuss? 3.) What relevance does this information have to your peers and community? Refer to the text to
support your ideas.