A Note on Objectives and Standards for Teachers

By engaging with the content provided in this Prindle Post print edition, learners will be working toward one main objective: expanding their depth of moral reasoning through guided discussions of ethically-themed topics. This objective applies to each of the articles chosen for this edition.

The content is highly applicable to individual state standards and the Common Core Standards in English language arts, as well as other content areas. The content is best suited for high school students. The reading level might be challenging, but the content and discussion will be worth the struggle. Try reading the article out loud, if needed.

We’ve highlighted a few ELA Common Core Standards from grades 9 through 12 for which these articles and their discussion and writing activities will directly apply. These are all taken directly from the Common Core State Standards Initiative website^[1] and highlight key ideas and details as well as speaking and listening standards. This is not a complete list. Depending on how the articles are used in your classroom, others may apply.

Common Core Standards:

Reading Informational Text:

• Key Ideas and Details:

• • Grades 9/10^[2]

    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3
      • Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.

  • Grades 11/12^[3]

    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3
      • Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

Speaking and Listening:

• Comprehension and Collaboration:

• • Grades 9/10^[4]

• • • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C

• • • • Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D
      • Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.

  • Grades 11/12^[5]

    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C
      • Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.D
      • Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible, and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.