Noah Webster MicroSociety Magnet School

CMT Focus Strands 

Each of the CMT Strands checks for mastery of the  Connecticut Language Arts Framework Standards.

 CMT Strand A:

Forming a General Understanding - the reader will demonstrate understanding of the text's general content.

 4th Generation CMT Reading Strands

Sample Questions

 A1

•  What is this article mainly about?
• Which sentence best states the main idea of the article?
• What important lesson does (character name) learn in this story? Use examples from the story to support your answer.
• What is the main idea presented in this article? Use information from the article to support your answer.
• What is paragraph # __ mainly about?
• What question does paragraph # __ answer?
• Identify the theme(s) in the story.
• The story teaches that ___.
• What could be another title for the story? Use information from the story to explain your answer.

 A2

•  What is (character's) main problem in the story?
• How did __ solve the problem? Give specific information from the story as support.
• Where does this story probably take place?
• Which word best describes (character)?
• According to this article, who...what...when...how...why? (setting, events, characters, solution). What information in the article supports your answer?
• Using information in the story, write a BRIEF description of how ___ felt when ___.
• The character can BEST be described as (friendly, sneaky, happy, careless, etc..). Give specific details or information from the story to support your answer.
• Write a brief paragraph telling how two characters (or events) are alike or different. Be sure to give specific information from the story to support your answer.
• Using information from the story, write one way that the ___ is better than/similar to/different from the ___.

 A3

•  What important facts about ___ have you learned from this article? Use details from this article to explain why those facts are important.
• How does (character) change in the story? Use details from this article to explain your answer.
• Briefly summarize the main events of the poem in the order that they occur.
• Briefly summarize the story or article.
• Write a BRIEF summary of the story (4-5 sentences long).
• Which information should NOT be included in a summary of the story (or article)?
• Summarize the important events in the story.
• Summarize the problem in the story.
• If you could rename this article (or story), what would you call it and why? Use specific details from the story (or article) to support your answer.

 A4

•  If the author added another paragraph to the end of the story, it would most likely have described t he ____.
• What will (character) probably do next?
• According to the article, "(title)" which of these is most likely to happen?
• Tell or write a brief paragraph about what PROBABLY would have happened if _____. Use information from the story to support your answer.
• Based on the information in the story, in the future what will MOST LIKELY happen? Use information from the story to support your answer.
• What will ____ PROBABLY do next? Use information from the story to support your answer.

 A5

•  Read this sentence from the story: ______. Which word means about the same as ___ in the sentence above?
• (vocabulary word) is probably another way of saying ____.
• Read this sentence from the article: ______, The underlined part of the sentence means the same as ____.
• You can tell from what is said in the story that ____ means ______.
• In this story, the word _____ means ______.
• Explain what the storyteller means when he/she says "_______" (use figurative speech)

 CMT Strand B:

Developing an Interpretation - The reader will interpret and/or explain the text.

 4th Generation CMT Reading Strands

Sample Questions

 B1

•  Paragraph ___ contains (a) a definition, (b) a comparison, (c) a description, (d) an opinion
• In paragraph ___, the author (a) states his main   idea and gives details, (b) asks a question and answers it, (c) states the opposite of what the author believes, (d) gives details and states the main idea later.
• (Given a filled-in Venn diagram): The chart below shows some facts about _____ and ____. What is another difference between ____ and _____?
• Fill in the sequence chain with the important events.
• On the Venn diagram, fill in how ____ and ___ are similar and different.
• Which of these events belongs in box # __ (sequence or organizer)
• In what way are these ideas important to the topic or theme?
• The ideas in paragraph # __ are arranged to show: (a) how two things are alike, (b) how something changed, (c) the order in which they happened,  (d) a main idea and support details.
• How did the author use (text structure) in the text? Use information from the article to support your answer.

 B2

•  The writer includes paragraph # __ in order to (a) explain ______, (b) hint at what is going to happen in the story, (c) describe the main character more fully, (d) make the reader afraid of what might happen
• Why does the author include paragraph # __ ? (to explain..., tell..., describe..., show..., compare..., define..., etc.)
• One of the author's purposes in this passage is to ____
• The purpose of paragraph #__ is to (describe..., give examples, solve a problem, compare..., etc.)
• Describe the characteristics of a biography, mystery, folktale, fable, ...
• In the passage, the author writes "______." Identify what literary device the author used and discuss what she meant.
• In the story, _____, the author uses the metaphor "________" to explain the importance of what?
• What the storyteller says "____," the reader can tell that he/she is ________.

 B3

•  Which sentence can be supported with information in the story?
• With which statement would the author probably agree?
• If you were writing a paragraph describing how (character) changed in the story, which details would you include?
• What type of person do you think (character) was? Use details from the passage to support your answer.
•  What caused the character to do ____? Use examples from the passage to support your answer.
• What caused the event?
• What will be the result of this step in the directions?
• What does this character think about ______?
• You can tell from this story that the author thinks .....
• Would the author probably agree with _____? Use information from the article/story to support your answer.
• Interpret why it would be important ______. Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
• Think about someone you have read about or seen on TV that was able to _____. Explain how that person was like the main character in the story.
• Elaborate on what ____ meant when he said ____.
• What fact supports the idea that _____?
• Which of these is an OPINION found in the article?
• Write one FACT and one OPINION found in paragraph #_____.
• Why did the author include text elements (i.e., captions, headings, glossary diagrams, charts, etc...)?
• Do you agree with the author's opinion of this event?
• is this information needed?

 CMT Strand C:

The reader will connect or associate with life outside the text.

 4th Generation CMT Reading Strands

Sample Questions

C1

•  Which character in the story would you like to know and why? (grade 8)
• Think about someone who did something courageous. Tell how that experience was like the experience of (character) in the story.
• Think about what this story says about people in general. In what ways does it remind you of people you have read about? support your answer with evidence from the story.
• The situation described in ____ is MOST like ___.
• Today a ____ might be compared to a _____.
• What is a similar situation or event in our world? In our schools? In our families? etc...
• What type of person is this character? Use information from the text to support your answer.
• How did this character change your idea of ____?
• Do you think that __ (e.g., a grandmother and a 5 year old) would interpret this passage the same way? Explain.
• How is this story like or different from your own personal experience?
• What current event does this remind you of? Explain.
• Does this description fit what you know about ____? Why?
• What does this passage/story say to you?

C2

•  Which part of the story do you think was most important? Use information from the story and your own life to explain why you chose that part.
• What are your likes, dislikes, attitudes about the text? (grade 8)
• Using information from the passage, write a brief paragraph telling why you would or would not have enjoyed ____. Use information from the story to support your answer.
• Do you think the story really could have happened? Use details from the story to explain your answer.
• After reading the story ____, defend the decision of whether or not you think it was a good idea that ____. Use evidence from the story and your personal experiences to support your answer.
• After reading ____, defend why or why not you think ___.
• Describe your reaction to reading the story ___.
• Gauge the importance of ____. Do you think that it ____? Use information from the story to support your answer.  

 CMT Strand D:

The reader will elaborate on the text and make judgments about the text's quality and themes.

D1

•  A simile is a comparison using "as" or "like." Choose a simile from the story and explain why the author used that simile.
• Imagery is the use of words that make the reader imagine what the characters see, hear, taste, touch or smell. Choose two words or phrases from paragraph ___ that help you ___.
• Personification is making ideas or objects appear to be human. Identify the personification in paragraph # ___ and explain why the author used it.
• In the story____, identify two metaphors to which the author compares freedom.
• Identify the point of view of the article/story.
• Describe the tone or author's intent of the story.
• Evaluate the author's use of imagery when he _____. Explain how this helps the reader create a mental image.
• Analyze the author's craft, including use of literary devices.
• Describe the characteristics of a biography, mystery, folktale, etc.
• Using a Venn diagram, compare the genres of mystery and fantasy.
• Summarize the differences between realistic fiction and biographical fiction.
• Why does the author emphasize ____? Use information from the story to support your answer.

D2

•  If you wanted to describe how the main character in this story changed in the story, which event would you write about?
• Using information in the passage, write a paragraph that could have appeared in ____ journal.
• Imagine that you were going to give a talk to your class about ____. Using information from the passage, write two important ideas that you would use in your speech.
• Which of these sentences would BEST fit with the ideas in paragraph ___?
• Choose information from the article that you think was most interesting/important. Use details from the article to support your answer.
• Compare this article/story to that one.
• What could be added to improve  the author's argument? Why?
• Imagine you are writing a letter to the author of this article. Write two questions not already answered in the article that you would ask the author.
• Using information from the story, write an imaginary journal page of (character) when ____ (event).
• If the author added another sentence at the end of this story, what might it be? Use information from the story to support your answer.
• In the story, ____, evaluate ____. Use evidence from the story to support your answer.
• Identify the important factors that help (character) to ______. Use details from the story to support your answer. 
• Imagine that you are awarding a plaque to ___. Design the plaque (including an inscription) using details from the story.
• You have been assigned to advocate on behalf of ___. What information from the article/story will you use?
• (K-2) If the illustrator added another picture to the end of this story, what might it be? Use information from the story to support your answer.
• If the author added another sentence (chapter) to the end of this story, what might it be? Use information from the story to support your answer.

D3

•  How did (character)'s beliefs guide his/her action?
• How does the author show that ____ is important to him/her?
• Using information from the passage, explain how the author showed that the ____ was important to ____.
• Tell three ideas that show (character) was determined. Use information from the story to support your answer.
• How can you tell that (character or author) cared about _____? Use information from the story/article to support your answer.
• Which of the following would PROBABLY be the MOST important thing to (character/author)?
• According to the passage, what human characteristics seemed to be highly valued by ___? Use information from the story/article to support your answer.
• Using information from the story, explain how the writer shows that ____ were important to the main character.
• From the story you can tell that the main character believed that _____.
• Draw a conclusion about how ____. Use evidence from the story/article to support your conclusion.
• Identify two themes in the story _____.