RI 9.1

Passage (The Legacy of William Shakespeare (M))

(1) William Shakespeare is the most studied playwright in the world.All of his plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more frequently than those of any other playwright. He is considered the major author of Modern English literature, the standard to which all other writers are compared.

(2) Despite having lived over 400 years ago, Shakespeare is one of the most popular writers in history. His influence lasts to this day, shaping how we communicate and inspiring the popular culture we consume. So how has Shakespeare managed to beat the test of time?

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE(3) Shakespeare became popular during the rule of Queen Elizabeth I and produced most of his work between 1589 and 1613.During this time, few writers enjoyed as much praise as Shakespeare. He produced about 39 plays and wrote over 150 sonnets in little over two decades.

(4) His plays can typically be broken down into three categories. He wrote plays about historical figures, such as Julius Caesar and Henry VI. He wrote comedies, like Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream. These plays are called comedies because they contain happy endings, usually in the form of a wedding. Finally, he wrote tragedies, like Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet, which feature character deaths and tragic endings.

(5) Shakespeare wrote not only plays but beautiful sonnets, as well. A sonnet is a type of poem that consists of 14 lines and follows a specific rhyming pattern. Many of his sonnets feature themes about love and beauty. He wrote these sonnets, as well as a good deal of his plays, in iambic pentameter. It mimics the rhythms of natural speech patterns in English, an achievement which takes a great amount of careful writing skill.

IT IS WISE NOT TO TALK TOO MUCH(6) Shakespeare was a creator of language. People quote his plays all of the time without realizing it. If you’ve ever heard someone say that “love is blind” or “all that glitters is not gold,” they’re quoting The Merchant of Venice. In fact, Shakespeare is credited with inventing over 1700 words and phrases. Do you know the joint that bends in the middle of your arm? Without Shakespeare, we wouldn’t have the word for elbow!

(7) Not only has Shakespeare shaped the English language but he’s also had a hand in almost every form of popular culture. From books to music to modern theatre, Shakespeare has served as an inspiration. The popular TV series Breaking Bad is in part inspired by Macbeth — just as House of Cards takes cues from Richard III, and the show Empire has been compared to King Lear.

(8) One reason his work has endured is because he wrote about ideas that interest almost everyone. His storylines are dramatic and engaging. His language is funny and poetic. He wrote tales of forbidden romance, of political scandal, of murder and revenge. In their time, these plays were comparable to modern blockbusters. In fact, many films have been inspired by Shakespeare, such as The Lion King and 10 Things I Hate About You.

SOME ARE BORN GREAT, SOME ACHIEVE GREATNESS(9) Many people tend to think of Shakespeare as boring and outdated. His work is known for its complexity, and his plays are published with a lot of footnotes — sometimes even translations! Nevertheless, his contributions to language and culture are recognizable today. It’s hard to avoid his influence on language, literature, and popular culture. Shakespeare continues to inspire generations of readers, writers, actors, and audience members. In this way, his legacy lives on.

• The Lion King and 10 Things I Hate About You

• Transformers and Avengers

• Frozen and Forest Gump

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Passage (Snapchat: Dangerous, or Dangerously fun?)

Snapchat: Dangerous, or Dangerously Fun?By: Lindsey W.

[1] You may see an increase in young people taking comically unattractive photos of themselves and looking delighted with the results. What is this stark change from the physical beauty-obsessed youth we know, who pour over fashion magazines and obsess over wearing the latest trendy fashions? It’s the Snapchat effect.

[2] What is Snapchat? It is a free, mobile app for iOS and Android devices that lets users share photos that then “disappear” after a selected amount of time, from 1 to 10 seconds. The app has caught on like wildfire amongst young people from high schools to college campuses nationwide. According to Forbes magazine, Snapchat is “the biggest no-revenue app since Instagram.” For example, it is used 30 million times a day. Snapchat claims it sends photos up to ten times faster than regular messaging. It also lets you add short messages and draw in a myriad of colors on your photo. The creative possibilities are endless. For instance, you can draw smiley faces, hearts, cats, streamers, balloons, colored hair, mustaches, and glasses; you name it.

[3] Quite simply, Snapchat is fun. And what’s more, it’s fun to receive Snapchats. Snapchat makes it socially acceptable for you to publically share secrets. It’s the ultimate inside-joke machine. It’s become so rampant that it earned itself a place in our language with a highly coveted verb: “Did you Snapchat me?” “I just Snapchatted that.” People send them when they’re in class, in meetings, across the country, or in the same room.

[4] Snapchat is the ultimate social media tool for today’s youth. Today’s youth grew up with lightning fast technology and, therefore, don’t know a world without smartphones. Because young people have the ability to access information and purchase anything with the swipe of a finger, they no longer sit out on the porch and swing the days away. They’re impatient and crave high stimulation around the clock, and are highly driven by imagery, therefore, Twitter and Instagram are very appealing to this generation. These apps inspire give youth to take photos all the time. Today, we can record so easily, with virtually no limitation, consequently, documenting our lives is no longer limited to special events and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. In the past, when we were restricted to disposable and film cameras, we got really choosy about what photos we took. No one wanted to waste film, and the process to get photos developed was laborious and lengthy. Now, we can take photos on a whim. We can see them instantaneously, and we can take an unlimited amount without any consequences. Snapchat has taken this to the extreme. It pushes beyond the image-conscious youth and gets them to send silly, spur of the moment, and sometimes really ugly photos to one-another. It doesn’t matter, because the photos of Snapchat live in a period of time that lasts 10 seconds or less, and will soon be replaced by another photo.

[5] If this has you thinking that Snapchat could be used for less carefree and wholesome experiences besides competing with friends to see who can make the ugliest face, you’re probably right. But, founder Evan Spiegel claims their purpose was to “make social media fun again.” And, for most people, it’s still simply an app that provides a good dose of silly, carefree fun.

One can infer that the targeted audience for this article is people who do not know very much about Snapchat. Which of the following quotations from the text best supports that inference?

• “You may see an increase in young people taking comically unattractive photos of themselves and looking delighted with the results. What is this stark change from the aesthetics-obsessed youth we know, who pore over fashion magazines and antagonize over wearing the latest trendy fashions? It’s the Snapchat effect.”

• “Snapchat is the ultimate social media tool for today’s youth.”

• "The app has caught on like wildfire amongst young people from high schools to college campuses nationwide."

• "Because young people have the ability to access information and purchase anything with the swipe of a finger, they no longer sit out on the porch and swing the days away. They’re impatient and crave high stimulation around the clock, and are highly driven by imagery, therefore, Twitter and Instagram are very appealing to this generation."

Passage (Firefly Population Steadily Decreasing)

Firefly Population Steadily DecreasingFireflies, or lightning bugs, with their glow-in-the-dark bodies and gentle demeanor, are one of the most beloved and curious insects in existence. Many people cheer the first sightings of fireflies each year and consider the tiny beacons of light to be a harbinger of summer since they usually appear in late spring.

Through the use of bioluminescence, these nocturnal beetles from the Lampyridae family flash bright neon green, yellow, or even orange as they drift through the night sky. The glowing is the result of an efficient chemical reaction that occurs within a light producing organ found under the abdomen that, interestingly, does not produce heat, just light.

There are over 2000 species of fireflies, and they are found worldwide, especially in humid and warm environments. Some firefly species, such as those that reside in the western part of the United States, do not have the ability to light up; those fireflies that do glow, generally flash asynchronously, meaning that their bursts of light are produced without being timed to shine in concert with other fireflies. There are, however, fireflies that reside in several US locations that do not produce light synchronously, putting on a fabulous timed show of tiny bioluminescent lights.

Despite their immense popularity, firefly populations are at risk. The non-profit website firefly.org describes fireflies as “Enigmatic. Enchanting. Endangered.” and indeed, their numbers are dwindling all over the world. Although there is a great deal of speculation among firefly experts and enthusiasts alike, no one truly knows why this decline is occurring; however, the consensus is that humans are the leading culprits with human activity—encroachment on the habitats of fireflies, the extensive use of pesticides, and significant increases in light from traffic and development—at the top of the list.

While it may be impossible to eliminate new construction sites or slow increases in traffic, there are many habitat improvement activities that can be implemented in a backyard or a park that will aid the fireflies and help to increase their numbers. No matter what, most folks agree that something must be done to save these fascinating flying flashlights.

After reading paragraph 4, readers can infer that the non-profit website firefly.org is…

• A resource that only talks about fireflies in Michigan.

• A resource that talks about all endangered animals on the planet.

• A resource where people can view pictures of the different kinds of fireflies.

• A resource that tries to determine why fireflies are disappearing and how people can help.

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Passage (Communication Controversy)

You are wading through the halls during school, trying to get a hold of your parents about the time change for your school soccer game. Two situations: You reach for your cell phone and easily make a phone call to your mom and notify her about the schedule change. Or, you make your way to the office to call your mom on the school's phone but risk being late to class or not reaching your mom.

Although not everyone has gone through that exact situation, every student has needed to contact someone immediately to share important news. Despite student's needs to use cell phones in schools, it has become a debate on whether or not they belong in schools. There are many advantages for cell phones in schools. However, these uses of cell phones have also been misused for wrong reasons. The question is: Should cell phones be allowed in schools?

One of the largest concerns with parents is that they need to get a hold of their children for emergency purposes. What if a parent cannot get to school in time for pickup and needed to go to the afterschool program instead of waiting outside? How many school group projects are unseen by parents because another student takes it home? Students can text a picture of the project to their parents. It provides a means of communication between parent and child, and if done appropriately, can only benefit the student.

The concerns of school administrators ring loud and clear. "Cell phones are disruptive to the school environment and create opportunities for cheating," Robert Mackey (School Principal). This thought is quite common amongst school teachers. Nonetheless, students can be responsible with their phones and place them on vibrate in their backpacks to prevent interruption in the classroom. If this privilege is misused, then they can also be confiscated. On the other issue of cheating, teachers can set a rule in their classroom of no cell phone use without teacher permission. That way if a student is caught with a cell phone in hand, they can reap the consequences of disobeying a classroom rule.

To those who want to banish cell phones in school, remember that there a many good reasons why a student would need a phone on hand. Not all students would use them to do bad things. In conclusion, with cell phones comes responsibility. Isn't that what students are learning in school? Responsibility?

Re-read the first paragraph. Which of the following is MOST LIKELY the reason the author included this hypothetical situation?

• The author wants readers to feel angry that students are faced with many difficult decisions during the school day.

• The author wants students to understand the importance of keeping a commitment, and that they should not change plans at the last minute.

• The author wants readers to understand how students being allowed to use cell phones in school just leads to more problems and tougher decision making scenarios for the students.

• The author wants to provide the reader with a common problem students face that could easily be solved with allowing the use of cell phones at school.