How the book supports Common Core Standards
Common Core standards apply to K-12 education in language and math. As of August 2013, 45 states, the District of Columbia, four territories and the military’s education system have adopted the standards to ensure students are prepared for college and the workforce.
Searchlights and Sunglasses directly supports the Common Core anchor standards for English Language Arts. Taken together, the digital book and its learning layer offer more than 1,400 assignments, activities, research, readings and videos in support of the anchor standards for reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as most of the anchor standards for language.
Here is a sample of supported skills, followed by the matching standards:
- Read 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. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1)
- Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2)
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1)
- Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.6)
- Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.8)
- Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas, and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1)
- Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.5)
- Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.6)