1. Preparing Students for the English Regents Exam, 2018-19
Presenter: Amy Benjamin

2. At-A-Glance: NYSED Next Generation Anchor Standards for Literacy (grades 3-12)
Amy Benjamin Educational Services, Inc.
Reading:
Writing:
Speaking/Listening
Language
Key Ideas & Details:
Types & Purposes:
Comprehension &
Collaboration:
Knowledge of Language:
Read closely.
Track themes
& summarize main
ideas.
3. Understand and
follow progressions.
Write arguments.
Write informative/
explanatory texts
3. Write narratives.
Know the rules of
formal standard written
and spoken English and
apply them when your
audience expects you to do
so. Accurately perceive the
circumstances when your
audience expects you to use
a formal language tone.
2. The above includes the
visuals of writing: spelling,
capitalization, punctuation.
3. Understand that language
is a changing social contract.
Make effective choices.
Expand your understanding of
the language choices of
others.
1.Develop socially
appropriate conversational
skills.
2. Verbally summarize
information that you’ve
heard, read, or seen.
3. Assess the credibility
of what you read and hear,
based on the language
used.
Production & Distribution:
Craft and Structure:
4.Match your style to the
expectations of your
audience.
5. Use the writing process
6. Use technology as a
collaborative tool.
4. Know what words &
phrases mean in context.
Analyze the structure of
the text (how the author
decided to arrange the story
or information)
6. Assess how point of
view or purpose affects
meaning. :
Research:
Presentation of Ideas
and Knowledge:
7. Conduct short as well
as more sustained research
projects.
8. Gather information from
multiple sources. Judge the
credibility of the sources.
9. Use both literary and
informational texts to support,
inform, and enrich your claims
4. Present meaningful ideas
and information coherently
and courteously.
5. Enhance formal
presentations with visuals,
including digital media.
6. Know the rules of formal
spoken English and apply
them when appropriate to the
audience.
Integration of Knowledge
& Ideas :
Vocabulary
Acquisition and Use:
7. Understand
charts, graphs,
and other numerical
representations.
8. Judge the validity
of an argument, based
on the language used.
9. Compare texts on
the same subject.
4. Figure out what new words
& phrases mean using context,
word parts, dictionaries, a
5. Understand that words can
be nuanced and can have
multiple meanings.
6. Understand and use an
academic/businesslike level
of language.

3. At-A-Glance: 32 Common Core Anchor Standards for Literacy (grades 3-12)
Amy Benjamin Educational Services, Inc.
Reading:
Writing:
Speaking/Listening
Language
Key Ideas & Details:
Types & Purposes:
Comprehension &
Collaboration:
Knowledge of Language:
Read closely.
Track themes
& summarize main
ideas.
3. Understand and
follow progressions.
Write arguments.
Write informative/
explanatory texts
3. Write narratives.
Know the rules of
formal standard written
and spoken English and
apply them when your
audience expects you to do
so. Accurately perceive the
circumstances when your
audience expects you to use
a formal language tone.
2. The above includes the
visuals of writing: spelling,
capitalization, punctuation.
3. Understand that language
is a changing social contract.
Make effective choices.
Expand your understanding of
the language choices of
others.
1.Develop socially
appropriate conversational
skills.
2. Verbally summarize
information that you’ve
heard, read, or seen.
3. Assess the credibility
of what you read and hear,
based on the language
used.
Production & Distribution:
Craft and Structure:
4.Match your style to the
expectations of your
audience.
5. Use the writing process
6. Use technology as a
collaborative tool.
4. Know what words &
phrases mean in context.
Analyze the structure of
the text (how the author
decided to arrange the story
or information)
6. Assess how point of
view or purpose affects
meaning. :
Research:
Presentation of Ideas
and Knowledge:
7. Conduct short as well
as more sustained research
projects.
8. Gather information from
multiple sources. Judge the
credibility of the sources.
9. Use both literary and
informational texts to support,
inform, and enrich your claims
4. Present meaningful ideas
and information coherently
and courteously.
5. Enhance formal
presentations with visuals,
including digital media.
6. Know the rules of formal
spoken English and apply
them when appropriate to the
audience.
Integration of Knowledge
& Ideas :
Vocabulary
Acquisition and Use:
7. Understand
charts, graphs,
and other numerical
representations.
8. Judge the validity
of an argument, based
on the language used.
9. Compare texts on
the same subject.
4. Figure out what new words
& phrases mean using context,
word parts, dictionaries, a
5. Understand that words can
be nuanced and can have
multiple meanings.
6. Understand and use an
academic/businesslike level
of language.
10. Write routinely; both
formally and informally; write
polished pieces and on-demand;
write to express knowledge and
to formulate it. Revise, proofread,
edit.
10 Comprehend complex text
independently.

4. Text Complexity Measures for 11th Grade
Pearson
Rdg
Maturity
Metric
Degrees of
Reading
Power
Source
Rater
Flesch-
Kincaid
Lexile
ATOS
11.20-
14.10
67-74
1034-
14.20
12.30-
14.50

5. Test Part Suggested Time Standards Addressed Text Description Student
Test Blueprint
Test Part
Suggested
Time
Standards
Addressed
Text
Description
Student
Task
Part 1:
Rdg Comp
60 minutes
RL 1-6
RI 1-6; 8-10
L 3-5
3 texts:
1 literature,
1 poem,
1information
up to 2,600 words, total
24 multiple
choice
Part II:
Argumentation:
Writing from
Sources
90 minutes
RL 1-10
W 1,4,9
L 1-6
4 information-
based texts,
probably inc.
graphics
Write an
argumentative
essay, referring
to the sources
given
Part III:
Text Analysis
30 minutes
RL 1-6,10
RI 1-6,10
W. 2,4,9
1 text, up to
1,000 words
literary or
information
Write essay: Identify central idea and analyze how the author uses one writing strategy (lit.
element or technique;
rhetorical strategy)

6. A Detailed Look at the Three Parts
of the
English Regents Exam

7. “The ear is the only true writer and the only true reader. I’ve known
people who could read without hearing the sentence sounds and they
were the fastest readers. Eye readers we call them. They get the
meaning by glances. But they are bad readers because they miss the
best part of what a good writer puts into his work.”
-Robert Frost

8. Test Part Suggested Time Standards Addressed Text Description Student
Test Blueprint
Test Part
Suggested
Time
Standards
Addressed
Text
Description
Student
Task
Part 1:
Rdg Comp
60 minutes
Reading Standards 1- 6
3 texts:
1 literature,
1 poem,
1 information
up to 2,600 words, total
24 multiple
choice

9. Passage A: Look over the questions, note the lines in the text: 2 minutes
Reading Time: approx 6 minutes (approx. 1,000 words)
Write a quick main idea sentence: 1 minute
Multiple Choice time: 13 minutes (10 questions) 22
Passage B: Look over the questions, note the lines in the text: 2 minutes
Reading Time: approx 2 minutes (approx 100 words)
Multiple Choice time: 5 minutes (4 questions) 10
Passage C: Look over the questions, note the lines in the text: 2 minutes
Reading time: approx. 6 minutes (approx. 1,000 words)
Multiple Choice time: 13 minutes (6 questions)
Est. 54 minutes for Part 1, 24 questions
(6 minutes to spare)

10. 2018

11. Passage A: Fiction 2
2. 2
3. 4
4. 1
5. 2
6. 1
7. 3
8. 3
9. 3
10. 4

12. Passage B: Poem
10. 4
11. 3
12. 3
13. 4
14. 2

13. Passage A: Literary Non-Fiction
15. 3
16. 1
17. 2
18. 4
19. 3
20. 2
21. 1
22. 1
23. 4
24. 1

14. Reading St. 2: Determine central ideas and themes and analyze their development;
Summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
Questions 7, 14, 19, 24
Reading St. 3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop ant
Interact over the course of a text. Questions 1,2, 5, 18, 20,
Reading St. 4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, e.g.,
connotation, figurative meanings); understand the impact of diction
Questions 4, 8,11,22, 23
Reading St. 5: Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences,
paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to each other
and to the text as a whole. Question 9, 17
Language St. 4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and
multiple-meaning words and phrases
Question 3, 13,15, 21

15. Reading St. 6: Assess how point of view or purpose affects meaning Questions 6, 10, 16
Language St. 5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word meaning.
Questions 12

16. Review of Passage Selections from Past CC Regents Exams:
June 2014; August 2014; January 2015; June 2015; August 2015;
January 2016; June 2016; January 2017; June 2017; August 2017;
January 2018; June 2018
Pre- or Early 20C-style:
Reading Comp: Text Analysis:
James Joyce
Arthur Conan Doyle Bram Stoker
Chief of the Seneca Nation Henry David Thoreau
Anton Chekhov Mark Twain
Edith Wharton Anna Howard Shaw
Patrick Henry Ernest Shackleton
Jonathan Swift
Willa Cather
Saki (H.H. Munro)

17. R Preparing Students for the English Regents Exam, 2018-19
Presenter: Amy Benjamin for Western Suffolk BOCES:

19. Test Breakdown:
40%: Multiple Choice Reading Comprehension:
Fiction
Poem
Literary non-fiction
40%: Argumentation essay, based on a social issue;
4 articles (pro/con/information)
20%: Rhetorical analysis of a literary excerpt

20. Topic Archive
January, 2018: Could algae be the solution to our energy problems?
August, 2017: Should self-driving cars replace human drivers?
June, 2017: Should school recess be structured play?
January, 2017: Should the United States eliminate Daylight Savings Time?
August, 2016: Should the United States government create strict sugar
regulations?
June, 2016: Should celebrities become the voice of humanitarian causes?
January, 2016: Should food be genetically modified?
August: 2015: Should American citizens be required to vote in national elections?
June, 2015: Should college athletes be paid?
January, 2015: Should extinct species be brought back into existence?
August, 2014: Should the United States bid to host a future Olympic Games?
June, 2014: Should companies be allowed to track consumers’ shopping or
other preferences without permission?

21. Evaluate: Do these topics meet the criteria for Part II (Argumentation):
Who, if anyone other than themselves, bears responsibility for the deaths of
Romeo and Juliet?
1a. Should there be a legal age for marriage? If so, what should it be?
2. Is Atticus Finch justified in his parenting decision when Jem destroys
Mrs. Dubose’s camellias?
2a. Does race play a role in America’s criminal justice system?
3. Is George in any way responsible for Lennie’s death?
3a. Public Law (“Rosa’s Law”) replaced the term “mental retardation”
with “intellectual disability.” Do you agree that this change serves a
purpose?
4. Select a main character in A Raisin in the Sun. Could that character
achieve his or her dreams today?
4a. Should the government intervene in real estate sales practices?

22. Test Part Suggested Time Standards Addressed Text Description Student
Test Blueprint
Test Part
Suggested
Time
Standards
Addressed
Text
Description
Student
Task
Part II:
Argumentation
Writing from
Sources
80 minutes
RL 1-10
W 1,4,9
L 1-6
4 information-
based texts,
probably inc.
graphics
up to 2,600 words, total
Write an
argumentative
essay, referring
to the sources
given
Reading time:
Text 1: 3 minutes
Text 2: 3 minutes
Text 3: 4 ½ minutes
Text 4: 2 minutes
Text 5: 5 minutes
Total: 18 minutes
Writing Time:
3 minutes: Read the Directions
5 minutes: Written plan
50 minutes: Write the essay
Total: Approx. 80 minutes
(Combined with the 6 minutes left over
from Part 1, I now have 16 extra minutes.)

23. Foundational Values Note: These are overlapping:
Democratic Principles: Personal freedom, privacy, expression of individuality,
promotion of democracy, the right to be left alone, civil liberties,
honoring the past
Sense of Community: Helping others, sharing resources,
considering future generations; establishing sense of belonging;
caring for loved ones
Desire for safety and security: Protection against enemies, protection of resources,
having sufficient food and shelter, avoiding and responding to natural
disaster, maintaining health
Economics: Maintaining sufficient resources for now and the future,
protecting personal fortunes while offering
opportunities to everyone
Beauty, Pleasure, Convenience; Fairness

24. Ingredients of Informational Text
Background to the Issue (Introduction)
Acknowledgement of the opposing side (Counterclaim)
Examples
Anecdotes (little stories)
Comparison/Contrast
Cause & Effect (If…then statements)
Working definitions
Quotations (references to authorities)
Rhetorical questions
Statistics
Summaries
Emotional language
Technical language
Variety of perspectives (I, we, you, he, she, they)

25. Writing Rubric: Common Core Standards, Grades 6-12:
Type: Argumentation
Pro
Semi-Pro
Novice
Pre-Novice
Effectively does ALL of the
following:
States importance of issue
Makes a claim
Acknowledges opposing claim(s)
Effectively does TWO of the
following:
States importance of issue
Makes a claim
Acknowledges
opposing claim(s)
Effectively does ONE of the
following:
States importance of issue
Makes a claim
Acknowledges opposing claim(s)
Effectively does NONE of the
following:
States importance of issue
Makes a claim
Acknowledges opposing claim
Writing an
introduction
Mentions, but does not
develop, sufficient evidence;
Does not attend to opposing
claim(s)
Develops claims and opposing
claims thoroughly and fairly
with evidence: facts, stats,
reasons, examples, anecdotes
Developing
an argument
Good start toward
developing claims and
opposing claims; Includes
some substantial evidence
No relevant facts, statistics,
reasons, or evidence.
Expressing
relationships
between ideas
Establishes clear and effective
organization through:
paragraphing, sectioning,
complex sentences, transitions
and other linking devices
Transitions from paragraph
to paragraph, but needs
more internal transition and
linkage within paragraphs
All or mostly simple
sentences with no or
very few transition words
and conjunctions used
No paragraphing
A few organizational
structures and transitional
words
Using Tier
II and III
Vocabulary
Sufficient, appropriate
use of Tier II
and III language throughout
Tier II and III vocabulary are
evident, but there are
several instances where
Tier II vocabulary should be
used instead of Tier I
A few Tier II and II vocabulary
used
No Tier II or III vocabulary
used
Using formal writing
tone
Formal writing tone used
throughout; Few or no glaring
errors in spelling, grammar,
punctuation, capitalization;
obvious care in presentation
Good attempt at formal
writing style and
proofreading, but a few
glaring errors indicate that
more careful proofreading
is needed
Attempt at formal
writing style, but needs
more proofreading and/or
care in presentation
Overall tone is too informal,
including some or all of:
“texting” abbreviations, slang,
messiness, errors in spelling,
punctuation, grammar
Writing a
conclusion
Strong conclusion that
follows from the evidence
presented and makes an
impact on the reader
Good start toward a
strong conclusion that
follows from the evidence
and makes an impact on
the reader
Sketchy conclusion that
just restates the claim
and/or the issue; does not
make an impact on the reader
no conclusion
Developed by Amy Benjamin in accordance with the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in English Language Arts and Social Studies, Science, Technical Subjects,

26. Scaffolding the Writing Task for
Sentence Frames:
Scaffolding the Writing Task for
Special Education Students, English Language Learners, and Everyone Else

27. To write, you need three things:
Something to Say
Sentences to Hold
the Words
The Words to Say It

28. A good argument is a response to opposition:

29. Use this frames at the outset of your argument to introduce an ongoing
debate:
In discussions of _____________, one controversial issue has been
___________________________. People who believe____________
claim that________________________________. On the other hand,
those who believe _____________________________ assert that
______________________________________________________.
My own view is __________________________________________.

30. Use this frame to establish common ground on a controversial issue:
When it comes to the topic of ______________________, most of us
would agree that ____________________________. Where this
agreement ends, however, is on the question of _____________________.
Whereas some are convinced that _______________________________.
others maintain that___________________________________________.
My own view is that____________________________________________.

31. Use these frames as you acknowledge that the opposing side has a certain
degree to validity:
While at one time it may have been true that__________________,
we can now state that____________________________________.
___________________ makes sense when he/she/they say________
________________, but _____________________________________.
Despite the validity of ______________________’s claim about ____________,
he/she/they miss the mark when it comes to________________________
because___________________________________________________.

32. Use these frames to establish the importance of this topic:
______________ is important because__________________.
We should care about______________because if_____________,
then_________________________.
Ultimately, what is at stake here is____________________________.
My discussion of _________________ addresses the
larger matter of _____________________.

33. Sentence Frames for Argumentation
Use these noun phrases to negatively characterize your opponents:
those who disregard those who take a narrow view
pessimists people who live in the past
naysayers people who are unaware
those who would have us believe those on the sidelines
those who live only for the moment
hardliners
Use these noun phrases to positively characterize your supporters:
progressive thinkers prudent thinkers
those who think about proactive people
those who care about civic-minded people
those who know about serious people
those who understand people with regard for
optimists realists

34. Use your sentence frames.
5 Minute Plan
What is the question?
What is my viewpoint? (claim)
Why is this issue important?
What is the counterclaim?
What valid points does the counterclaim have?
But why am I still right?
What are my parting words of warning? (If…then…)
Connectives: but, however
although, even though, nevertheless
therefore, so
Use your sentence frames.
Use your academic word list.

35. account for 70% of words used in English.
Tier 3: glossary word:
Multisyllabic
Specific to a subject area
Latin or Greek-based
topography, photosynthesis, cartography
extrude, metamorphose, striate
sedimentary, organic, leeward
Tier 2: Words of education, business,
government, religion:
Components: Prefix, root, suffix
Latin-based
elevation, formation, protrusion, expanse…
elevate, formulate, isolate, develop…
remote, irregular, precipitous
Tier 1: Basic conversational words: Friends & family
1 or 2 syllables
Learned naturally, through exposure
hills, grass, rocks, land, sky, clouds,
…grow, fly, climb, …green, high, rocky, grassy
FYI: Most common 1,000 words
account for 70% of words used in English.
Different kinds of vocabulary.

36. The Academic Word List (AWL):
Background: The Academic Word List consists of 570 word families that are not in the most
frequent 2,000 words of English but which occur frequently over a very wide range of academic texts.
These 570 word families are grouped into ten subsets that reflect word frequency.
A word like analyze falls into Subset 1, which contains the most frequent words, while the word
adjacent falls into Subset 10 which includes the least frequent (among this list of high incidence words).
The AWL is not restricted to a specific field of study. That means that the words are useful for learners
studying in disciplines as varied as literature, science, health, business, and law.
This high-utility academic word list does not contain technical words likely to appear in one,
specific field of study such as amortization, petroglyph, onomatopoeia, or cartilage.
Two-thirds of all academic English derive from Latin or Greek.
Understandably, knowledge of the most high-incidence academic words in English can significantly
boost a student’s comprehension level of school-based reading material. Students who are taught
these high-utility academic words and routinely placed in contexts requiring their usage are likely
to be able to master academic material with more confidence and efficiency, wasting less time and
energy in guessing words or consulting dictionaries than those who are only equipped with the most
basic words that characterize ordinary conversation.
The following link gives you a two-page version of the list:
Source: Coxhead, Averil. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34,

37. go to AWL Regents Exam PPT

38. (Taking a little break from the list)
10% of the nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in academic textbooks and tests
are on this list.
4.5% of the nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in newspapers are on this list.
1.4% of the nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in fiction and poetry are on
this list.
80% of the words derive from Latin and Greek word components.

39. Vocabulary-Content-Sentence (VCS) Daily Practice:
(from Subset 3): proportion imply layer link
justify ensure outcome
Write a sentence about something we are learning this week, employing
one of these words. You may change the form of the words to fit your
sentence. Your sentence must be at least 8 words long.
Integrating the AWL

41. Test Part Suggested Time Standards Addressed Text Description Student
Test Blueprint: Revisited
Test Part
Suggested
Time
Standards
Addressed
Text
Description
Student
Task
Part III:
Text Analysis
40 minutes
(46 minutes)
RL 1-6,10
RI 1-6,10
W. 2,4,9
L 1-6
1 text, up to
1,000 words
literary or
information
Write essay: Identify central idea and analyze how the author uses one writing strategy (lit.
element or technique;
rhetorical strategy)
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Writing Time:
1 minute: Read Directions
4 minutes: Written Plan
30 minutes: Write 3 paragraphs

43. Level 4 Response from the Anchor Papers:
State the central idea (You may use an “In literature as in life” frame)
State the literary technique or strategy that the author uses to
develop the central idea.

44. Thematic Statements About Literature
In literature, as in life, people may be troubled by…
In literature, as in life, _______ is a common problem.
In literature, as in life, ________often causes conflict.

45. Thematic Statements About Literature
In literature, as in life, People may be troubled by a lack of …
In literature, as in life, Excessive_______ is a common problem.
In literature, as in life, A misunderstanding about________often causes conflict.