PaginePaginepagineapp.comRead both texts. Compare how each develops its ideas.
The radio in Grandpa’s workshop only picked up one station, and half of it was static. He kept it on anyway, all day, while he fixed broken lamps and chairs for the neighbors.
"Why don’t you get a new radio?" I asked once.
He turned a screw slowly. "I like the static," he said. "Reminds me that the music has to travel a long way to get here."
After he died, I took the radio home. I could have bought a speaker that played any song in the world. Instead, I sometimes sit in my room and listen to the hiss between the notes, and think about how far things travel to reach us — music, light, love.
The long summer vacation dates back to a time when many families needed children to help on farms. Today, some districts have switched to year-round calendars with shorter breaks spread across the year.
Supporters argue that long summers cause "summer learning loss," as students forget skills over many weeks. Shorter, more frequent breaks may help students retain what they learn and give teachers less review to do in the fall.
Critics respond that research on year-round schooling shows mixed results. They also note that summer offers time for camps, jobs, family travel and rest, and that year-round schedules can be hard for families with children in different schools.
The debate continues, and the best answer may depend on each community’s needs.
| Static | Should Year-Round School Replace Summer Break? | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre and purpose | ||
| Central idea or theme | ||
| How the author develops it | ||
| Key evidence or detail |
Worksheets › Grade 7 English › Integration of Knowledge & Ideas › Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Free Grade 7 English worksheet (Common Core RL.7.9): compare "Static" with "Should Year-Round School Replace Summer Break?" and analyze how each develops its ideas. Skill: Compare texts and evaluate arguments. Level: Grade 7 — also suits Year 8 (UK).
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It is designed for Grade 7 (ages 12–13), but use it with any child who is ready.
Compare texts and evaluate arguments.
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Integration of Knowledge & Ideas: Compare Texts: Inheritance & The Columbian Exchange (Grade 7) · Integration of Knowledge & Ideas: Evaluate an Argument: The Brain Can Change (Grade 7) · Integration of Knowledge & Ideas: Evaluate an Argument: The Columbian Exchange (Grade 7) · Integration of Knowledge & Ideas: Compare Texts: The Weight of Snow & The Printing Press Changes the World (Grade 7)
All 5 integration of knowledge & ideas sheets → · Grade 7 English: all 10 skills → · All Common Core grades
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