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NJSLA-ELA Companion Guide: Grades 3–8

The New Jersey Student Learning Assessments for English Language Arts (NJSLA-ELA) measures student proficiency with grade level skills, knowledge, and concepts that are critical to college and career readiness. On each assessment, students read and analyze passages from authentic fiction and nonfiction texts. The test can also include multimedia stimuli such as video or audio. The NJSLA-ELA assessments emphasize the importance of close reading, synthesizing ideas within and across texts, determining the meaning of words and phrases in context, and writing effectively when using and/or analyzing sources.

NJSLA-ELA Grades 3–8

The NJSLA-ELA blueprints define the total number of tasks and points for any given grade or course assessment. To maintain the content coverage while shortening the assessment, it was necessary to create two blueprints for grades 3 through 8. One test form was assembled according to each blueprint.

The NJSLA-ELA assessments:

  • align to a representative sampling of standards and evidence statements;
  • reflect the balance between literary and informational texts;
  • include a writing task in each unit and associated scoring rubrics;
  • align to the ELA Task Models;
  • maintain all item types (Evidence-Based Selected Response; Technology-Enhanced Constructed Response; and Prose Constructed Response); and
  • report on all five subclaims and performance levels.

Blueprint 1 for grade 3 consists of a Literary Analysis Task and Research Simulation Task. Blueprint 2 is composed of a Narrative Writing Task, Short Passage Set, and Research Simulation Task. The units, ELA task types, and testing times for each blueprint are outlined in Tables 1 and 2.

Table 1: ELA Grade 3—Blueprint 1

Table 2: ela grade 3—blueprint 2.

Blueprint 1 for grades 4 through 8 consists of a Literary Analysis Task, Short Passage Set, and Research Simulation Task. Blueprint 2 is composed of a Narrative Writing Task, Long or Paired Passage Set, and Research Simulation Task. The units, ELA task types, and testing times for each blueprint are outlined in Tables 3 and 4.

Table 3: ELA Grades 4 through 8—Blueprint 1

Table 4: ela grades 4 through 8—blueprint 2, comparability of forms.

Two NJSLA-ELA forms adhere to stringent content specifications and statistical requirements to ensure that the forms are comparable and fair for all students. Total points vary between the two forms due to the nature of the design of the Literary Analysis Task and Narrative Writing Tasks. However, they both ask students to read and respond to literary texts. Both tasks report and align to the Literary Text subclaim, standards, and evidence statements. The forms are designed so that students, regardless of which form they are assigned, will need to demonstrate the same level of knowledge to meet a specific performance level.

Expert analysis was conducted to ensure that scores are comparable across forms. First, the two forms were built to be similar in content and difficulty. Then, the two forms were equated by means of a statistical process conducted to establish comparable scores on different forms of an assessment.

The two forms will be randomly assigned to students. Therefore, all students need to be prepared to respond to all three task types.

For More Information

The NJSLA-ELA blueprints and additional test support documents (e.g., evidence statements, scoring rubrics) can be found in the Test Content and Other Information webpage of the NJSLA Resource Center under Educator Resources.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Assessments at [email protected] .  

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Literary Analysis Task for PARCC & LEAP 2025

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Literary Analysis (Response to Literature) Task Cards for Grades 9-12 {CCSS}

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Literary Analysis & Research Simulation Task Peer Revision Checklist

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Literary Analysis Task -Set 1

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Teaching Literary Analysis

Guide students through the five steps of understanding and writing literary analysis: choosing and focusing a topic, gathering, presenting and analyzing textual evidence, and concluding.

literary analysis task grade 5

Literary analysis is a vital stage in the development of students' critical thinking skills. Bloom's Taxonomy illustrates that analysis should come at the fourth level, right after comprehension and application. What this means is that students must be able to understand and describe the text before they are able to analyze its elements.

Teaching literary analysis is often a daunting and overwhelming task. After all, it is essentially guiding students slowly through the process of critical thinking and understanding literature. That’s not a simple undertaking. Most importantly, with so many ways to go about doing it, where to begin?

To guide students toward discovering literature all on their own, the steps of this process need to be introduced in a simplified form. It's very important for the student to understand that literary analysis is indeed a process where there is no right or wrong answer. This empowers students to be passionate about their topics and, most importantly, encourages them to look beyond the words on the page.

literary analysis task grade 5

1. Choose a Topic

Some students need guidance when choosing a topic, but others have ideas that they would like to explore. Topics can be divided into the main literary elements:

  • Literary devices

2. Focus the Topic

Here is where many students will need to do a lot of brainstorming, outlining, and specific thinking about the element on which they would like to focus.

  • The brainstorming process involves mapping out the different aspects of the chosen element.
  • Make a choice by narrowing down the selection and focusing the ideas.
  • Come up with a question to answer (thesis statement): What do you want to explore about the topic? Why does it stand out to you?
  • Answer the "why" question. Instead of letting students simply describe the text, "why" pushes them to analyze and even synthesize. This aspect is vital to student understanding, as most of the time a teacher is able to identify a relevant thesis related to modern-day issues and concepts. Here is where real-world application, analysis, and synthesis can begin to form in this piece of writing.

3. Gather Textual Evidence

Collecting material to answer or support your question is often a time-consuming stage, because most of the close reading will occur here. It's important for students to know that they're allowed to research the topic or text before starting to write. Many students feel that they should not be using Google or Wikipedia to research their texts. Here is where the teacher can have an honest discussion about digital citizenship, and how to tell credible academic sources from non-credible ones.

Show students that close reading and gathering evidence doesn't have to be a mundane, one-dimensional task.

  • Identify common themes, repetitions, and patterns.
  • Categorize elements, tone, and narrative style.
  • Highlight characterization, setting, and foreshadowing.
  • Label character types, symbols, and metaphors.

4. Introduce, Evidence, Analyze

Learning through writing and literary analysis happens through stages (see Bloom's Taxonomy ). At this stage of writing, students have already accomplished remembering, understanding, and applying. Next comes analysis.

Students should introduce their point in one or two clear topic sentences. Next, it's important to provide evidence that supports the main topic in order to convince the reader of the stated point of view. There are a few ways students can add their evidence.

  • Quotation: When providing evidence word for word from a primary or secondary source, students should be reminded to use quotation marks only if the words have not been altered.
  • Summary: Students summarize a piece of evidence by restating it in a shorter form using their own words.
  • Paraphrase: Students explain a piece of evidence using their own words.

At this stage, it's important to use the lesson as a reminder to cite and give credit for words and ideas that belong to others. A conversation with the class about academic honesty is very important to help them understand intellectual property. This conversation will also prepare them for honesty and ethics in the real or academic world.

This critical stage is often a learning curve for many students. It's important that the teacher helps them distinguish between descriptive writing and analytical writing. Descriptive writing answers the "who," "what," "where," and "how" questions. It often tends to summarize the text. Analytical writing , however, answers to the "why" question. When students consider the question, "Why is this point important?", it pushes them beyond mere description into ideas that are convincing, argumentative, and defend a position.

5. Conclusion

A strong conclusion outlines the main ideas of the essay, but it also works to provide a solution to a real-life problem. Students can focus on concluding with what they hope to get out of their analysis, or provide closure to the topic. Most importantly, students should seize the conclusion as an opportunity to provide their own opinion and reflection about their process of analyzing the text. The self-reflection here would be a vital key for teachers to assess the writing process and a great opportunity to provide essential feedback to the student.

Please share your own experiences in teaching students about literary analysis.

ELA Common Core Lesson Plans

literary analysis task grade 5

  • Create Characters Lesson Plan
  • Creative Writing Lesson Plan: Using Details
  • How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay
  • How to Write a Conclusion for an Essay Lesson Plan
  • How to Write a Persuasive Essay
  • How to Write a Reflective Essay
  • How to Write an Article Critique and Review
  • How to Write an Introduction to an Essay
  • How to Write a Problem Solution Essay
  • Lesson Plan: Effective Sentence Structure
  • Lesson Plan: Improve Writing Style with Improved Sentence Structure
  • Logical Fallacies Lesson Plan with Summary & Examples
  • Teaching Active and Passive Voice
  • Teaching How to Revise a Rough Draft
  • Teaching Instructional Articles: How to Write Instructions
  • Teaching Word Choice: Using Strong Verbs
  • Using Imagery Lesson Plan
  • Writing for Audience and Purpose
  • Writing Transitions Lesson
  • Analyzing Humor in Literature Lesson Plan
  • Analyzing Shakespeare Strategies
  • Fun Reading Lesson Plan

How to Write a Literary Analysis.

  • How to Annotate and Analyze a Poem
  • Lesson Plan for Teaching Annotation
  • Literary Terms Lesson Plan
  • Literature Exemplars – Grades-9-10
  • Teaching Short Story Elements
  • Using Short Stories to Teach Elements of Literature
  • Bill of Rights Lesson Plan
  • Fun Ideas for Teaching Language
  • Comma Rules: How to Use Commas
  • Difference between Denotation and Connotation
  • Effective Word Choice Lesson Plan
  • Fun Grammar Review Game or Vocabulary & Language Arts
  • Lesson Plans for Substitute Teachers and Busy English Teachers
  • Lesson Plan: Creating the Perfect Title
  • 4.08 – Lesson Plan: Using Semicolons Correctly
  • Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Lesson Plan
  • Sentence Combining Made Easy Lesson Plan
  • Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary
  • Using Tone Effectively Lesson Plan
  • 4.12 – Word Choice Lesson Plan: Eliminate and Replace “To Be” Verbs
  • Using Voice in Writing Effectively Lesson Plan
  • Speaking & Listening
  • Teacher Guide Central

Lesson Plan: How to Write a Literary Analysis

TYpes of Writing Lesson Plans

Remember when you assigned a literary analysis or an interpretive essay and all you got was 237 summaries of a short story you'd already read 15 times, so you slammed your hand in the filing cabinet drawer until you drew blood and broke every finger?

The better option, of course, would have been to teach students how to write an interpretive essay or to teach students how to write a literary analysis.

Would you like a rubric? Of course, you would: Literary Analysis Generic Rubric .

The Basics of Writing a Literary Analysis

literary analysis task grade 5

Use the following guidelines for teaching how to write an interpretive essay or how to write a literary analysis:

  • The introduction must introduce the literary work, capture the reader's attention , and include a clearly written thesis statement that contains the literary interpretation.
  • The body of the essay must support the thesis statement through evidence--facts, examples, summaries--and commentary--opinions, analysis, interpretation, insight.
  • The conclusion summarizes the interpretation and allows the writer to draw attention to the most important aspects of the analysis.

An 'A' essay does the following:

  • Identifies the author, title, and gives a brief summary of the literary work.
  • Provides a clear interpretation of the author's message and purpose.
  • Provides details, quotations

Writing and Drafting

literary analysis task grade 5

  • Reread the literary work several times. This seems logical to teachers. It's not logical for students. Read through the first time to get a feel for the work. Reread and look for passages and ideas that stand out or have special meaning.
  • Before drafting, brainstorm possible interpretations. A good strategy is to write annotations as you read.
  • Discuss the interpretation with others who have read the work. As a teacher, it's important to have class discussions on works being analyzed.
  • Make sure you have a clear answer to the following questions as you write or revise:
  • What is the main point of the essay? This main point should be clearly identified in the thesis statement.
  • What evidence best supports the interpretation ?
  • Are there any points that should be added to clarify the interpretation?
  • Is there any superfluous evidence that could be deleted?

Common Pitfalls

literary analysis task grade 5

Writing a Summary : No matter how many times you emphasize that you do not want a summary, you'll still get them. The only way to eliminate this error is to model analysis and give really low grades to students who summarize rather than analyze.

Listing Facts : A close relative of the summary is listing facts. It's also called the, "I'll list as many facts as I can about this literary work and hope the teacher doesn't grade it very closely" syndrome. Explain that listing facts without explaining how the fact supports the thesis statement or why that fact is important is useless.

Having No Evidence : At the other end of the bad analysis spectrum is the no evidence analysis. It consists of nothing but conjecture.

Mini Lesson

Teach how to write a literary analysis or how to write an interpretive essay and avoid the common pitfalls before you assign the essay. Try this exercise.

  • Write down a specific quotation or example from a literary work.
  • Underneath the quote write the phrase this shows________ .
  • Complete the sentence two times for each quotation.
  • Discuss answers and point out the difference between analysis and summary.
  • Once students have the basic idea down, assign the essay.
  • Another option is to have them answer discussion questions in the following format: 1 detail from the story, with 2 pieces of analysis.

Common Core Standards

Teaching how to write a literary analysis satisfies the following ELA Common Core Standards.

  • RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
  • L.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
  • W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
  • W.9-10.1a Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
  • W.9-10.1b Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns.
  • W.9-10.2b   Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic. W.9-10.2a  Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings); graphics (e.g., figures, tables); and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
  • W.9-10.1c   Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
  • W.9-10.2f   Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
  • W.9-10.3c   Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.
  • W.9-10.4   Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • L.9-10.1  Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Types of Essays

Step-by-step instructions for writing different types of essays can be accessed by the following links.

  • Problem-Solution Essay
  • Persuasive Essay
  • Narrative Essay
  • Instructional Article
  • Literary Analysis
  • How to Write a Tall-Tale
  • How to Write an Article Critique
  • Cause and Effect Essay

Last Updated on December 6, 2016 by Trenton Lorcher

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10 of the Best Literary Analysis Activities to Elevate Thinking

Inside this Post: Ready to elevate your literary analysis lessons? This post is full of engaging and effective activities to help students master literary analysis topics.

Literary analysis has become the beating heart of English classes around the world. When students read a text, we want them to peel back the layers one by one, appreciating the deeper meaning that lies within each sentence. As English teachers, many of us connect with texts easily and persevere through complex literature naturally. For our students, this process is not always as enjoyable.

In this post, you’ll find suggestions for elevating thinking with middle and high school students. These ideas can be used with paired or individual texts and can be differentiated to reach a variety of learners.

Engaging and Effective Literary Analysis Activities

Literary analysis elements are best when they are engaging and elevate thinking without frustrating students. I’ve played around with different approaches, and these are the key elements that resonate most with students.

Model literary analysis for middle and high school students with think alouds #MiddleSchoolELA #HighSchoolELA #LiteraryAnalysis

1. Thinking Aloud

One of the best feelings as a teacher is knowing you have an entire class full of teenagers engaged. It’s amazing how every single student in a classroom is in tune with think alouds. Something about making thinking transparent challenges students of all readiness levels. With literary analysis lessons, I love providing think alouds with the whole class. Whether we do this via face to face instruction or by creating a short video for virtual classrooms, we have to model our thinking.

Here’s an example with “All the world’s a stage” from William Shakespeare’s As You Like It …

This speech, at first, seems complicated. But, Shakespeare is talking about the world being a stage, and I think there is something deeper to what he is saying. Let’s go back again and look for clues. The men and women are players on the stage. He writes that they have their exits and entrances. I’m trying to visualize that in my head now. The world is a stage, the people are actors, and when they walk on and off the stage, that is their theatrical entrance and exit. Now that I understand he is using this speech as an extended metaphor, I wonder why would Shakespeare is choosing to compare these two things?

When modeling literary analysis, we can break down our thought process. If we write a written response, we can scaffold by color coding our thoughts in order to highlight the necessary critical thinking steps.

  • First, acknowledge what is confusing or uncertain about the text. What might we be missing as readers?
  • Second, make observations.
  • Third, apply reading strategies (in this case, I used visualizing).
  • Last, teach students to ask questions that probe at the deeper meaning and reason for the writing.

2. Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are one of my go-to strategies for elevating thinking . We can use them to differentiate and to guide students as we work in small groups. I like to keep a variety of literary analysis graphic organizers for any text on hand so that I can be responsive. If students show a need to work on analyzing a specific literary element – characterization, plot, theme, conflict, etcetera – I use a graphic organizer as we read a text or excerpt together, modeling my thinking. Then, students can practice using the same organizer in small groups, partners, or independently.

Literary analysis consists of asking a bunch of questions to lead students to deeper thinking, and graphic organizers are a bridge that walks students down that path of purposeful questioning.

Grab this print and digital literary analysis graphic organizer for analyzing song lyrics – one of secondary students’ favorite texts to pick apart!

Nothing grabs a student’s attention like an image! Visuals are amazing tools for introducing literary analysis skills. I always begin my literary analysis unit with pictures. Using an image, we can quickly show students how to differentiate between summarizing and analyzing . Then, we can walk them through the steps of acknowledging what we might be missing, making observations, applying reading strategies, and questioning for deeper meaning.

Consider using images from a variety of sources. We can try historical images, political cartoons, famous paintings, graphic novels, wordless picture books, advertisements, or even just regular photographs.

I even work this type of analytical thinking into my vocabulary activities ! Students get used to interpreting photos and using textual evidence to support their thinking.

Use one pagers as an engaging way to analyze literature #OnePagers #LiteraryAnalysis #MiddleSchoolELA

4. One Pagers

One pagers are one of my favorite literary analysis activities. In order to make them meaningful, I incorporate scaffolding . So, students have access to standards-aligned goals and questions that prompt their responses to the text. Choice helps as well. We can allow students to choose digital or traditional , response angles, and even texts.

In terms of literary analysis benefits, we can really focus on asking students to cite textual evidence to track a universal theme. While doing so, students can draw conclusions about how literary elements work together or how they provide tension to impact a reader’s overall takeaway.

5. Colorful Charts

Mood and tone can be tricky for students to analyze. So that they can understand the difference between them but also so that they see how mood and tone work in tandem, I began using an equalizer metaphor . Students can use color and amplification to analyze how mood and tone change throughout a literary work. By creating a visual representation, there’s a direct connection between the mood and the storyline.

How does setting impact mood , and how does mood impact the conflict in the story?

For instance, the quiet beauty of the Capulet garden sets the stage for a romantic balcony scene, but the noisy bustle of the lewd fighting in the Verona streets helps to define the conflict and tension between the two feuding families.

With tone , how does the author’s word choice and sentence structure in each section convey his or her attitude in the work?

As we study the amplification of tone in the play Romeo and Juliet , we see a consistent change from light-hearted comedy to an intensely poetic and tragic seriousness. Over the course of the play, one might say that Shakespeare’s juxtaposition creates an overall sympathetic tone toward the star-crossed lovers.

Movement in ELA; sticky note activity for literary analysis #LiteraryAnalysis #MovementinClassroom #SecondaryELA

6. Get Moving

One of the issues when it comes to citing evidence in a literary analysis essay is finding relevant support. Sometimes, it seems like the lines students select from literature are completely disconnected from what they are writing. That may be because they don’t truly understand how their thesis connects to their main points or how their main points connect to the evidence. For some students, there are too many degrees of separation!

A kinesthetic option to address this issue involves Post-Its (or colored text boxes if you are doing this digitally) and a t-chart. At the top of the paper (use big paper or a white board if you can do this together in the classroom!), write the analytical point. What conclusion can students draw about characters, setting, or another literary element that would support their thesis statement?

Under that, label the T-Chart as “Relevant” and “Off Topic.” Then, you have some options.

BASIC: You identify support for students in advance and have them sort the support based on its relevance. Could they use it to analyze the text, or is it off topic?

ADVANCE: Ask students to find examples of relevant and off-topic lines from the text.

A MIXTURE:   Provide students with a handful of lines they can sort into relevant and off-topic categories, and then ask them to find a couple more examples on their own.

To increase the engagement factor, use some washi tape on the floor in the shape of whatever makes the most sense – a character outline for analyzing character, a house for analyzing setting, a circle for analyzing a universal theme. Then, have students stick their Post-It notes inside or outside of the shape. Inside indicates that the evidence is relevant, and outside means it’s off-topic.

7. Children’s Books

We don’t always think to use picture books with older students , but they are one of my absolute favorite ways to scaffold literary analysis! Because picture books are short, we can cover an entire (and often complex) story in a short period of time. And, we can continually refer back to that text throughout the school year. Because picture books are accessible for all students, they will remember sharing the story together, and you can really make significant strides with whole-class discussions and small group lessons.

Try using picture books to teach Notice and Note signposts, language, aesthetics, and theme . One of my favorite ways to use picture books is teaching students to analyze how dialogue impacts decisions, propels action, and develops characters. For example, in the book Elbow Grease , the protagonist is motivated to participate in a race for which he is the underdog simply because some crass comments from his friends make him angry. This really is the turning point in the story, which makes it convenient to analyze how dialogue can lead to decisions and actions that change the course of a storyline.

8. Short Films

For a thousand and one reasons, I adore short films. They’re short (obvious, I know), which makes them ideal for modeling and mini lessons. Plus, they are visually captivating and apply to a wide age range. And, generally, they hold quite a bit of depth and leave room for a variety of interpretations.

During first quarter with ninth graders, I built in a yearly routine of watching short films during our literary analysis unit and having students complete their first full analytical essay. It’s fun. I can model using a short film I enjoy. Then, I get to read a wide range of responses from students who choose different texts. To scaffold for struggling writers, I suggest a few short films I am very familiar with; this way, I can guide them if they get stuck or confused.

You can also build in short films by using them with poetry for paired text analysis .

Reading strategy activities for middle and high school ELA #ReadingStrategies #LiteraryAnalysis

9. Reading Strategies

One of the building blocks of literary analysis is having a good foundation in apply reading strategies. It’s fun to model what readers do. We can show students how analyzing texts and re-reading for deeper meaning helps us with writing and then ask students to practice those skills.

For instance, when students begin to understand that authors have a purposeful craft that impacts their reading experience, it empowers them to pick that craft apart, studying the nuances of what makes it work. And, it gives them an advantage as authors themselves. They may think,  I remember how the author’s purposeful use of short, staccato sentences and onomatopoeias increased the suspense during that scene. Maybe I should use those techniques in this part of my story to add an emotional element for my readers.

These are some of the graphic organizers I’ve used to scaffold reading strategy work with the whole class, and then students can transfer those skills to small group or independent practice, using the same organizer if necessary.

10. Social Media Activities

Social media is everywhere. We might as well use it as a relevant option for analyzing literature! One of my favorites is booksnaps , and I tie in Snapchat by having them take a photo of part of the text they want to analyze. Then, they add interpretations, images, and text as well as a caption with a more detailed analysis. I call these Snap-a-Books.  I also created a Spot-a-Book analysis option, reminiscent of Spotify playlists. Students can create playlists relevant to character analysis, setting analysis, conflict analysis, and more!

And, that’s ten! I hope you’ve found some meaningful literary analysis activities to spark creative, critical thinking in your classroom.

Engaging and effective literary analysis lessons and activities for middle and high school ELA #LiteraryAnalysis #MiddleSchoolELA #HighSchoolELA

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literary analysis task grade 5

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  • How to write a literary analysis essay | A step-by-step guide

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on January 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.

Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.

A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis , nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.

Before beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and c ome up with a thesis statement to keep your essay focused. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay :

  • An introduction that tells the reader what your essay will focus on.
  • A main body, divided into paragraphs , that builds an argument using evidence from the text.
  • A conclusion that clearly states the main point that you have shown with your analysis.

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Table of contents

Step 1: reading the text and identifying literary devices, step 2: coming up with a thesis, step 3: writing a title and introduction, step 4: writing the body of the essay, step 5: writing a conclusion, other interesting articles.

The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing—these are things you can dig into in your analysis.

Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices —textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.

To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.

Language choices

Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic?

What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor (e.g. “her eyes were oceans”) and simile (e.g. “her eyes were like oceans”).

Also keep an eye out for imagery in the text—recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface.

Narrative voice

Ask yourself:

  • Who is telling the story?
  • How are they telling it?

Is it a first-person narrator (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator who tells us about the characters from a distance?

Consider the narrator’s perspective . Is the narrator omniscient (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events.

The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa ? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)?

Consider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told.

  • Novels are often divided into chapters and parts.
  • Poems are divided into lines, stanzas, and sometime cantos.
  • Plays are divided into scenes and acts.

Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did.

There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res —in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?

With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.

In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters are built up through different scenes, and how the setting relates to the action. Watch out for  dramatic irony , where the audience knows some detail that the characters don’t, creating a double meaning in their words, thoughts, or actions.

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Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. It’s the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text.

If you’re given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt. For example:

Essay question example

Is Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” a religious parable?

Your thesis statement should be an answer to this question—not a simple yes or no, but a statement of why this is or isn’t the case:

Thesis statement example

Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” is not a religious parable, but a story about bureaucratic alienation.

Sometimes you’ll be given freedom to choose your own topic; in this case, you’ll have to come up with an original thesis. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them.

Your thesis should be something arguable—that is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay.

Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein . You could start by asking yourself:

Your initial answer might be a surface-level description:

The character Frankenstein is portrayed negatively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis. After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:

Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

Remember that you can revise your thesis statement throughout the writing process , so it doesn’t need to be perfectly formulated at this stage. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text.

Finding textual evidence

To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence —specific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader.

It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. You might not end up using everything you find, and you may have to return to the text for more evidence as you write, but collecting textual evidence from the beginning will help you to structure your arguments and assess whether they’re convincing.

To start your literary analysis paper, you’ll need two things: a good title, and an introduction.

Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. It usually contains the name of the author and text(s) you’re analyzing. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.

A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title.

If you struggle to come up with a good title at first, don’t worry—this will be easier once you’ve begun writing the essay and have a better sense of your arguments.

“Fearful symmetry” : The violence of creation in William Blake’s “The Tyger”

The introduction

The essay introduction provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. It should include your thesis statement and a summary of the essay’s structure.

A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on.

Then you can end with a brief indication of what’s coming up in the main body of the essay. This is called signposting. It will be more elaborate in longer essays, but in a short five-paragraph essay structure, it shouldn’t be more than one sentence.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

Some students prefer to write the introduction later in the process, and it’s not a bad idea. After all, you’ll have a clearer idea of the overall shape of your arguments once you’ve begun writing them!

If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary.

The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them.

Paragraph structure

A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs : the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion.

Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. Don’t try to include everything you can think of to say about the text—only analysis that drives your argument.

In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs. Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical moments—a turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea.

Robert’s first encounter with Gil-Martin suggests something of his sinister power. Robert feels “a sort of invisible power that drew me towards him.” He identifies the moment of their meeting as “the beginning of a series of adventures which has puzzled myself, and will puzzle the world when I am no more in it” (p. 89). Gil-Martin’s “invisible power” seems to be at work even at this distance from the moment described; before continuing the story, Robert feels compelled to anticipate at length what readers will make of his narrative after his approaching death. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance.

Topic sentences

To keep your points focused, it’s important to use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. Transition words like “however” or “moreover” are useful for creating smooth transitions:

… The story’s focus, therefore, is not upon the divine revelation that may be waiting beyond the door, but upon the mundane process of aging undergone by the man as he waits.

Nevertheless, the “radiance” that appears to stream from the door is typically treated as religious symbolism.

This topic sentence signals that the paragraph will address the question of religious symbolism, while the linking word “nevertheless” points out a contrast with the previous paragraph’s conclusion.

Using textual evidence

A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes from the text and explaining their significance to your point.

It’s important to contextualize quotes and explain why you’re using them; they should be properly introduced and analyzed, not treated as self-explanatory:

It isn’t always necessary to use a quote. Quoting is useful when you’re discussing the author’s language, but sometimes you’ll have to refer to plot points or structural elements that can’t be captured in a short quote.

In these cases, it’s more appropriate to paraphrase or summarize parts of the text—that is, to describe the relevant part in your own words:

The conclusion of your analysis shouldn’t introduce any new quotations or arguments. Instead, it’s about wrapping up the essay. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader.

A good way to approach this is to briefly summarize your key arguments, and then stress the conclusion they’ve led you to, highlighting the new perspective your thesis provides on the text as a whole:

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novel’s three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumes—first in the creature’s accusatory voice, and then in his own voice—increasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankenstein’s narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from others’ perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelley’s unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.

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PARCC Prep: Literary Analysis Writing Task

by MiddleWeb · Published 03/14/2018 · Updated 11/11/2019

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This updated post on how to approach the PARCC Literary Analysis Writing Task offers new material developed by Sarah Tantillo.  Also see her related post in this series: teaching Compare and Contrast . F or more prep ideas, visit her  TLC Blog.

SarahT-headshot-130

As we all strive to help our students meet and exceed the Common Core Standards , one reality we also have to prepare them for is the standardized assessments they will face.

Depending on what state you live in, your students might take the PARCC, the SBAC, or something else . In my home state of New Jersey, we’re gearing up for the PARCC, so I’ve been developing materials to support teachers in that arena. Even if your students are taking a different assessment, I think you’ll find the writing instructional process described here of use.

I have written numerous posts on how to teach literary analysis writing HERE . You will want to review this post on Essential Literacy Work Before You Begin Test Prep . You can also find an array of useful tools, including “ Analyzing Literature ,” “ Literary Response Paper Guide ,” and “ PARCC Prep ,” at The Literacy Cookbook website.

What follows is a sample lesson cycle for teaching the PARCC Literary Analysis Writing Task . It familiarizes students with that genre of writing and builds needed reading and writing skills. You will note that it mirrors the Research Simulation Task in some respects, albeit with literature as opposed to nonfiction (and uses only two texts instead of three).

As with all instruction, I must add the caveat that test prep should not be done 24/7, and while it is necessary, it is not sufficient to prepare students for academic and career success.

Be sure to check out Sarah’s PARCC ELA Prep Checklist. It’s a quick diagnostic tool you can use to determine if your students have a clear grasp of some essential strategies that will help them succeed with this genre.

PARCC Literary Analysis: A 10-Lesson Cycle

Going forward, you will of course want to revisit skills that students need more practice on. For information/resources on the texts and multiple-choice questions typically associated with PARCC Literary Analysis sections, see the TLC “PARCC Prep” page at my site.

Objective: SWBAT turn a statement into a question in order to unpack PARCC writing prompts.

Time Frame: 50 minutes

As we prepare for PARCC, the MOST IMPORTANT thing you need to be able to do is what we are working on today: turning the prompt into a question. 99% of the time, the prompt is not worded as a question and it does not end with a question mark. If you don’t know what the question is, you probably won’t answer it! But if you DO turn it into a question, you should be able to answer it.

As a reminder, when we take the PARCC ELA portion, the FIRST THING YOU SHOULD DO is click forward to the writing prompt so that you can turn it into a question and write it on your scrap paper.   Why? Because the question(s) will guide your reading. You will take notes on the texts looking for answers to the question(s).

It’s a simple two-step process. Scan the writing prompt for a VERB indicating what you need to do (such as explain, describe, analyze, evaluate) and a QUESTION WORD such as HOW or WHY.

PS: You can find PARCC-released prompts and items here. You can also find one file with all of the updated Literary Analysis Prompts on the TLC “PARCC Prep” page .

Example Prompt: Think about how the structural elements in “Emergency on the Mountain” differ from the structural elements in the poem “Mountains.” Write an essay that explains the differences in the structural elements between the passage and the poem. Be sure to include specific examples from both texts to support your response.

-> Question: How do the structural elements in “Emergency on the Mountain” differ from the structural elements in the poem “Mountains”? Write an essay explaining the differences.

99% of the time, you will easily find HOW or WHY.   If you don’t see HOW or WHY, find the verb and insert HOW:

Example Prompt: Where the Red Fern Grows and “The Lighthouse Lamp” are written from different points of view. Write an essay analyzing the impact of point of view on events in the passage from Where the Red Fern Grows and the impact of point of view on events in the poem, “The Lighthouse Lamp.”   Use specific examples from BOTH texts to support your answer.

-> Question: How do the different points of view in Where the Red Fern Grows and “The Lighthouse Lamp” affect the events in each text? Write an essay explaining the impact of the point of view on events in each text.

Look at prompts from various grades (HANDOUT NEEDED). Follow “I Do,” “We Do,” then “You Do.”

Students practice turning given prompts into questions.

NOTE: If prompts require students to infer theme, check out this helpful post on how to infer themes.

Objective: SWBAT close read text #1 in response to the unpacked prompt in order to take notes for an essay response (untimed).

Time Frame: 40-50 minutes

[Do Now: Practice turning prompts into questions.]

Yesterday we practiced turning the prompts into questions. Today we’re going to practice pulling notes out of the texts to ANSWER the question.   This is a REALLY IMPORTANT LITERARY ANALYSIS SKILL, not just for the PARCC, but for college and life!

  • Review question for this task.
  • Create T-chart on blank paper to take notes.
  • Model taking notes on ONLY information that relates to the prompt in the first two paragraphs/stanzas (first column).
  • Partners read and discuss what should be placed in the notes in next paragraph. Not every paragraph/stanza has relevant information!!!
  • Share out ideas; check for understanding that information is most relevant.
  • Record those notes on the organizer.
  • Continue reading paragraph by paragraph (or stanza by stanza).

Objective: SWBAT close read text #2 in response to the unpacked prompt, in order to take notes for an essay response (untimed).

[Do Now: 1) Practice turning a prompt (PROVIDE THE PROMPT) into a question. 2) When taking the PARCC, why do we ONLY take notes on the question?]

Let’s go over the Do Now. By now, we should all be experts at turning prompts into questions. What about question 2, though? Why is it so important to only take notes on the question? (Discuss)

Today our goal is to get better at taking EFFICIENT notes when reading a text.   Because we don’t have all the time in the world!

Practice taking notes again on Text #2. (I Do, We Do, You Do)

(NOTE: For more thoughts on Compare/Contrast writing, see here .)

Objective: SWBAT:

  • Identify similarities among texts in order to address those commonalities when you write your body paragraph.
  • Write thesis statement in order to introduce a literary analysis essay.

Time Frame: 30-40 minutes

Most of the Literary Analysis prompts ask us to compare and contrast in some way, so we will need to identify similarities in our notes. We’re going to use a simple approach: using checkmarks to identify those similarities. Today we’re also going to practice using a simple fill-in-the-blank sentence for our thesis statement….

Using the T-chart you have been working on, model how and why to put checkmarks next to notes that show similarities between both texts.

Consider providing a pre-completed T-chart on some other topic and have students insert checkmarks for practice.

Show students the thesis statement template:

Thesis statement model:

Both [Text 1] and [Text 2] deal with _________________ [TOPIC/THEME], but they do so in different ways.

Model this with the titles and topic. Give them another prompt to practice with (You should be able to generate this thesis without even reading the texts).   PS–You can go back to the original prompts for this.  

Objective: SWBAT use notes in order to write effective body paragraphs.

How do we move from notes to writing? This is one of the hardest things we have to do as readers and writers. Let’s look at how to do this…

The overall structure of the essay will be:

  • Paragraph 1: Thesis statement (see Lesson #4)
  • Paragraph 2: Body paragraph dealing with Text 1
  • Paragraph 3: Body paragraph dealing with Text 2
  • Paragraph 4: Body paragraph dealing with similarities
  • Paragraph 5: One-sentence punchy conclusion

Today, we’ll work on the first two body paragraphs. Show students a completed model of Body 1 and explain how it works. (NEED HANDOUT) Work on Body 2 together.

  • Pull ideas from notes in order to draft body paragraph #3.
  • Identify what both texts have in common in order to write a body paragraph explaining these similarities.
  • Draft a punchy conclusion sentence in order to complete the essay effectively.

Let’s review what we did yesterday… Then we will work together on the “What they all have in common” paragraph.

Body #3 = what they have in common (This needs to be modeled: Instead of drafting this on the spot, show them a completed version, then explain it.)

Last sentence = punchy conclusion sentence that DOES NOT restate the thesis (needs to be modeled; there is not one “right answer”), e.g., “Ultimately, both texts help us realize that __________________.”

Objective: SWBAT analyze PARCC-released items in order to evaluate them through the lens of the PARCC writing rubric.

Time Frame: 50-60 minutes

Materials: PARCC-released LA item (see http://parcc-assessment.org/released-items ), scored student examples, and “User-friendly PARCC Writing Rubric” from TLC “PARCC Prep” page.

What does PARCC really expect when we do the Literary Analysis Task? Let’s look at the rubric and some student examples that were scored….

  • Analyze the PARCC writing rubric (see TLC “PARCC Prep” page for User-friendly versions), and apply it to several scored student responses (see PARCC-released items ).
  • I Do, We Do, You Do evaluation of sample student responses using PARCC writing rubric.

Objective: SWBAT write a timed Literary Analysis response (blank paper and typed writing of tasks) in order to prepare for PARCC.

Time Frame: 60 minutes

Material: Laptops (see note below*), blank paper

Intro: Let’s see how we do!

*Insert the passages into a Google Doc/form so that students can simulate the PARCC test-taking experience.

(NOTE: Skip a day after Lesson #8 so students who were absent can make up the practice timed test.)

Objective: SWBAT revise their Literary Analysis timed essay response in order to improve their writing.

Time Frame: 40-60 minutes

Material: Laptops

Intro: Today we’re going to see how we did and look at ways to improve. We’ll look at some models and use a revision checklist to strengthen our writing. You will have time to revise your work and meet with me if you have any questions. Our purpose here is not just to get better at PARCC writing but to get better at writing, period.

Phase 1 [First round of revisions, most important stuff]

  • Answers the question(s) raised by the prompt.
  • Has a clear introduction/thesis statement.
  • Paragraphs are focused and logically organized.
  • Cites relevant evidence from ALL texts.
  • Explains how evidence answers the question(s).

Phase 2 [Second round, also important]

  • Proper sentence structure (no run-ons or fragments)
  • Effective use of transitions
  • Strong vocabulary
  • Punchy conclusion that does NOT repeat the thesis

Time Frame: 40 minutes

Material: Laptops (optional)

Intro: More time to revise!

Lesson: More time to work on revisions if needed.

___________________________

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The Reading Strategies Book Gets an Update

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Why Reader Response Is So Important for Students

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Teaching with a Wide Range of Digital Texts

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Promoting Student Art That Builds Team Spirit

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Opportunities for Swift Achievement Gains

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Using Ambient Sound to Reduce Student Stress

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Add Imaginative Writing to Your ELA Classroom

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Brain Breaks Relieve Stress & Boost Learning

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Book Reviews / Brain-based Teaching

Teaching for Retention, Application and Transfer

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Black History Month All Year Long

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Use Failure as a Tool to Empower Kids’ Learning

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Structure Feedback to Affirm Student Identity

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Literacy / Wide Open Learning

6 Ways to Help Students Soak Up Difficult Texts

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Stop Using These Four Words in Math Class

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Shakespeare: A Rite of Passage for 6th Graders

literary analysis task grade 5

Book Reviews / Gifted Education

Strategies to Adjust ‘Up’ What Students Know

  • Daisy Hartwell says: Glad I stumbled upon this! Thank you, Jennifer!
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BOOK REVIEWS

literary analysis task grade 5

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Culturally & Historically Responsive Classrooms

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Genius Hour Can Ignite Innovation and Inquiry

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Effective Literacy Walks Begin with Collaboration

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Restoring the Joy and Possibility of Teaching

IMAGES

  1. Analyzing Literature Task Cards for Any Novel: Novel Review Task Cards

    literary analysis task grade 5

  2. 30+ SAMPLE Literary Analysis Templates in PDF

    literary analysis task grade 5

  3. Literary Analysis Task Cards by Amanda Gerritsen

    literary analysis task grade 5

  4. Literary Analysis Task with Writing set 5 (2 options for prompts included)

    literary analysis task grade 5

  5. Literary Analysis Task Cards: Reading Response Task Cards for Any Novel

    literary analysis task grade 5

  6. 5 Question Samples for the Literary Analysis Task portion of PARCC

    literary analysis task grade 5

VIDEO

  1. Tinikling , MAPEH Performance Task Grade 5

  2. PEP PERFORMANCE TASK GRADE 5&6

  3. Wastong Paraan ng Paglalaba EPP Performance Task Grade 5

  4. Figurative Language and other literary devices

  5. Literary Analysis Webinar

  6. How to Write a Literary Analysis Paragraph

COMMENTS

  1. Grade 5 English Language Arts/Literacy Literary Analysis Task 2017

    Literary Analysis Task 2017 Released Items 2017 Released Items: Grade 5 Literary Analysis Task The Literary Analysis Task requires students to read two literary texts that are purposely paired. Students read the texts, answer questions for each text and for the texts as a pair, and then write an analytic essay.

  2. Grade 5 English Language Arts/Literacy Literary Analysis Task 2018

    The 2018 blueprint for grade 5 Literary Analysis Task includes Evidence-Based Selected Response/Technology-Enhanced Constructed Response items as well as one Prose Constructed Response prompt. Included in this document: Answer key and standards alignment PDFs of each item with the associated text(s)

  3. PDF 2015 Released Items: Grade 5 Performance-Based Assessment Literary

    The 2015 blueprint for grade 5 Literary Analysis Task includes six Evidence-Based Selected Response/Technology- Enhanced Constructed Response items as well as one Prose Constructed Response prompt. This document includes a complete Literary Analysis Task from an online summative assessment form. Included in this document:

  4. ELA/Literacy Released Item 2017 Grade 5 Literary Analysis Task Freddy's

    Grade 5 Literary Analysis Task Freddy's Point of View VF882724 Today you will analyze a passage from Freddy in Peril, Part 1 and a passage from Freddy in Peril, Part 2. As you read these texts, you will gather information and answer questions about the influence of the narrator's point of view so you can write an essay.

  5. New Jersey

    This practice test set contains: Unit 1: Literary Analysis Task (LAT), Unit 2: Research Simulation Task (RST), and Unit 3: Narrative Writing Task (NWT). ... Literary Analysis Task (LAT) Grade 5 ELA - Unit 1 Grade 5 ELA - Unit 1 (ASL) Grade 5 ELA - Unit 1 (Closed Captioning) ...

  6. English Language Arts

    3 Grade 5 English Language Arts Session 1 Session 1 Literary Analysis Task and Reading Passage Directions: Today you will take Session 1 of the Grade 5 English Language Arts Practice Test. Read each passage and question. Then follow the directions to answer each question. Mark your answers by circling the correct choices in your test booklet.

  7. NJSLA-ELA Companion Guide: Grades 3-8

    Blueprint 1 for grade 3 consists of a Literary Analysis Task and Research Simulation Task. Blueprint 2 is composed of a Narrative Writing Task, Short Passage Set, and Research Simulation Task. The units, ELA task types, and testing times for each blueprint are outlined in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1: ELA Grade 3—Blueprint 1

  8. literary analysis task grade 5

    literary analysis task grade 5 2,500+ results Sort: Relevance View:

  9. Literary Analysis Task Grade 5 PARCC Practice Test Questions TOC

    Literary Analysis Task 5th Grade English Language Arts(ELA) PARCC Sample Practice Test questions consists different types of questions aligned to 500 for Grade 5 students to gain skills mastery in Literary Analysis Task. #1 State Test Prep Blended & Online Programs. Toggle navigation.

  10. PDF Narrative Grade 5 Writing

    Grade 5 Unit Pacing Guide Awareness lessons - 15-20 minutes each Foundational lessons - 30-40 minutes each ... Literary Analysis Task - Endings Lesson 5: Narrative Extension Task - Endings Lesson 6: Literary Analysis Task -Suspense - Theme Lesson 7: Literary Analysis Task - Suspense Lesson 8:

  11. Teaching Literary Analysis

    Teaching Literary Analysis. Guide students through the five steps of understanding and writing literary analysis: choosing and focusing a topic, gathering, presenting and analyzing textual evidence, and concluding. Literary analysis is a vital stage in the development of students' critical thinking skills.

  12. How to Write a Literary Analysis.

    Teaching how to write a literary analysis satisfies the following ELA Common Core Standards. RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. L.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the ...

  13. PDF NJSLA Literary Analysis Task Grade 5 Writing

    To understand the requirements of the NJSLA Literary Analysis Task prose constructed response To assess student aptitude for literary analysis with a practice LAT PCR. Task Foci . CCSS W.5.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. CCSS W.5.2

  14. How to Write Literary Analysis

    Literary analysis involves examining all the parts of a novel, play, short story, or poem—elements such as character, setting, tone, and imagery—and thinking about how the author uses those elements to create certain effects. A literary essay isn't a book review: you're not being asked whether or not you liked a book or whether you'd ...

  15. PDF Illinois Assessment of Readiness Grade 5 ELA/L lueprint: Literary

    Illinois Assessment of Readiness Grade 5 ELA/L lueprint: Literary Analysis Task Form Sub-laim / Reporting ategory1 Standards Illinois Learning Standards Strand Evidence Reading Literature Reading Informational Text Writing Language Statements Reading: 5.6; Literary Text 24% points Standards RL 5.1; RL 5.2; RL 5.3; RL 5.5; RL RL 5.7; RL 5.9

  16. 10 of the Best Literary Analysis Activities to Elevate Thinking

    2. Graphic Organizers. Graphic organizers are one of my go-to strategies for elevating thinking. We can use them to differentiate and to guide students as we work in small groups. I like to keep a variety of literary analysis graphic organizers for any text on hand so that I can be responsive.

  17. Session 1: Literary Analysis Task Grade 5 LEAP Practice Test Questions

    Session 1: Literary Analysis Task 5th Grade English Language Arts(ELA) LEAP Sample Practice Test questions consists different types of questions aligned to 500 for Grade 5 students to gain skills mastery in Session 1: Literary Analysis Task. #1 State Test Prep Blended & Online Programs. Toggle navigation.

  18. PDF PARCC Prep: The Literary Analysis Writing Task

    Show students the Generic Template for the literary analysis writing task for your grade level, noting that the language is predictable, so once they've seen a few of these, they will become more comfortable with the task.

  19. LEAP Test Prep: Grade 5 English Language Arts Literacy (ELA) Practice

    LEAP Test Prep: Grade 5 English Language Arts Literacy (ELA) Practice Workbook and Full-length Online Assessments: LEAP Study Guide grade 5 workbook & answers help online. Grade: 5, Title: LEAP Test Prep: Grade 5 English Language Arts Literacy (ELA) Practice Workbook and Full-length Online Assessments: LEAP Study Guide, Publisher: Lumos Learning, ISBN: 1945730323

  20. How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay

    Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices Step 2: Coming up with a thesis Step 3: Writing a title and introduction Step 4: Writing the body of the essay Step 5: Writing a conclusion Other interesting articles Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices

  21. PARCC Prep: Literary Analysis Writing Task

    Pull ideas from notes in order to draft body paragraph #3. Identify what both texts have in common in order to write a body paragraph explaining these similarities. Draft a punchy conclusion sentence in order to complete the essay effectively. Time Frame: 40-50 minutes.

  22. Literary Analysis Task

    This complete literary analysis task is appropriate for Grades 3-5, and includes 2 literary texts, practice questions and a prose constructed response. Subject: PARCC/NJSLA. ... Grade 5 Narrative Task Reading, Lesson 2: Narrative Reading Strategies. 3rd-5th Grade. Download. Science. Social Studies. NJSLA.

  23. PDF NJSLA Literary Analysis Task Grade 5 Writing

    In modeling the process for completing the NJSLA Literary Analysis Task prose constructed response, students will have a clear picture of what to expect on the assessment. Task Foci . CCSS RL.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. CCSS RL.5.2