The Connecticut Mastery Test Goals and Objectives
The Connecticut Mastery Test Goals and Objectives are the basis of sound teaching. These goals are universal in their application as teachers begin thinking about developing curriculum. My summary is as follows:
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Forming a General understanding; understanding the text's general content: Students will experience this objective when they are asked to "read" 9/11 photos as well as the biographies of their chosen artist.
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Developing an interpretation; interpreting and/or explaining the text. These interpretations occur throughout the unit.
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Making reader connections; connecting or associating the text with life outside
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the text. Students are asked to identify with someone in the photos from 9/11,
____
and they are also asked to read personal memoirs in an effort to make such
____
connections.
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Examining the content and the structure; elaborating on the text and making judgments about the quality of and themes in the text. The entire process of choosing a picture and then defending it fulfills this goal for my students.
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Considerations for Improved Grammatical Style and Correction (to be use when working with a partner) and reminders of teacher involvement.
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Where possible, encourage verb choices which express strong action.
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As often as possible, avoid passives as well as forms of the verb to be.
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Find and name the "who" in your subject as well as the action in your verb.
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Expletives, a construction beginning with the word there or it, followed by the verb to be, often weakens what you can state more forcefully.
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Do not repeat unnecessarily.
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Compress - use economy of words.
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By no means should I rework or rewrite every passage for my students. They readily accept such dependency as many gladly will forfeit a letter grade or two to let me correct their spelling for them. Alternatively, I might persuade a few dedicated students to write several versions before they actually submit a paper. Unfortunately, if they dicker aimlessly, their results will be erratic at best, and sometimes they will revere their complicated version more than their direct and forceful one.