Grade Level 1-2

At these grade levels, your child should show understanding of this text:

All people have five senses. People have eyes, ears, a nose, a mouth, and hands. Each of the senses is part of the brain. The brain makes the senses work. (QRI-4, Pearson)

... by correctly answering these questions:

1. How many senses do people have?
2. Aside from eyes, what else do people have?
3. What does the brain do for the senses?

For writing, your child should be able to compose sentences like these:

• Dad always reads my favorite book to me.
• My older sister can play the piano.
• I have plenty of friends at school.
• The dogs are barking happily.
• I enjoy visiting the library after lunch.

Grade Level 3-4

At these grade levels, your child should show understanding of this text:

Whales and fish both live in the water, but they are different in many ways. Whales are large animals that live in the water. They come to the top of the water to get air. Whales don’t get air like fish. Fish take air from the water. (QRI-4, Pearson)

... by correctly answering these questions:

1. In what ways are whales and fish different?
2. What do whales do to get air?
3. How are fish able to breathe?

For writing, your child should be able to compose sentences like these:

• I enjoy going to the supermarket with my parents. We usually buy groceries after going to the church. In the supermarket, mom holds the list of items to buy, and I help Dad to get the items from the shelves.

Grade Level 5-6

At these grade levels, your child should show understanding of this text:

Humidity is moisture in the air in the form of gas called water vapor. This water vapor comes from oceans, lakes, rainfall and other sources from which water evaporates into the air. Meteorologists refer to relative humidity when reporting how much water vapor is in the air. Relative humidity is the ratio that compares the amount of water vapor in the air to the largest amount of moisture the air can hold at that temperature. (QRI-4, Pearson)

... by correctly answering these questions:

1. How can air be moist?
2. Where does water vapor come from?
3. In your own words, explain what relative humidity is.

For writing, your child should be able to compose sentences like these:

A dictionary contains a definition of friendship. An encyclopedia supplies interesting facts on friendship. But all the definitions and facts do not convey what friendship is really all about. It cannot be understood through words or exaggerations. The only way to understand friendship is through experience. It is an experience that involves all the senses. (k12.thoughtfullearning)

Grade Level 7-8

At these grade levels, your child should show understanding of this text:

The promise of freedom and hopes for a better life attracted poor and oppressed people from Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Often one bold family member—usually a young single male—set off for the United States. Before long, he would write home with news of the rich land across the ocean or across the border. Once settled, he would send for family members to join him.

Once settled, the newcomers helped pull neighbors for the old country to the United States. In the 1800s, one out of every ten Greeks left their homes for the United States. Thousands of Italians, Poles, and eastern European Jews also sailed to America. Jobs were another pull factor. American factories needed workers and factory owners sent agents to Europe and Asia to hire workers at low wages. Steamship companies competed to offer low fares for the ocean crossing and railroads posted notices in Europe advertising cheap land in the American west. (QRI-4, Pearson)

... by correctly answering these questions::

1. Why was a young single male usually the first family member to set off?
2. Give two examples of reasons why people were pulled to go to the Unite States?
3. Why would railroads advertise cheap land in the American west?

For writing, your child should be able to compose sentences like these:

You see it every day, especially in freeway traffic. A car is weaving back and forth, speeding up then slowing down, or suddenly stopping. No, it’s not a drunk driver. It’s a cell-phone driver. Cell phones are used everywhere, but on the road they are a dangerous distraction to drivers and should be prohibited. Cell phones can be a vital link in emergencies, but drivers need to use them wisely. (k12.thoughtfullearning)

Grade Level 9-10

At these grade levels, your child should show understanding of this text:

World War I, also known as the Great War, drew in not only the major powers of Europe, but those of America and Asia as well. Many economic and political factors caused the war. Newly industrialized nations competed with one another for trade and markets for their goods. Also, the urge for national power and independence from other nations came from old and new powers. When a new nation tried to increase its power by building a strong military, an older nation perceived the new nation as a threat to its power. Such tensions led to the division of Europe into two groups for security: one composed of Britain, France, and Russia, the other of Austria, Hungary, and Germany.

Although the factors discussed above caused the war, the final breaking point was a local conflict between Austria and Serbia, a tiny kingdom in south-eastern Europe. Serbia, supported by Russia, wanted to unite with the Serbs living in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and create a Greater Serbia. Austria, supported by Germany, did not want Serbia cutting into its empire. The war officially started in August of 1914, after the assassination of the Austrian heir to the throne, who was visiting Sarajevo, near Serbia’s border. The assassin was a young man with connections to the military intelligence branch of the Serbian government. (QRI-4, Pearson)

... by correctly answering these questions:

1. How did the rise of new powers cause the War?
2. What led to the division of Europe into two factions? Name all of the countries that grouped together in one faction.
3. What event finally triggered the war?

For writing, your child should be able to compose sentences like these:

It may seem like just another helpful source of information, but the Internet has taken the theft of “intellectual property” to a new level. Part of the problem is that most students don’t really know the exact definition of plagiarism or its consequences. Some say that using someone else’s ideas without attributing them is a form of theft, but most people don’t think of it as a serious crime. (k12.thoughtfullearning)