ACARA v9 English — Capitulare de Villis close‑reading tasks rated easy→hard (secondary students)

Below I order the 19 items you provided from easiest to hardest, and give a short reason for each placement. I group very similar short recall items together, then move through items that require application and finally the synthesis/planning tasks (the flowcharts) which are hardest.

1. Q12 — "What may steward do with fish when king is away? (may sell fish)"
   Reason: Straight factual recall of a single clause (cl.65). Low inference or integration required.
2. Q14 — "Where should steward keep or build fishpond by Xmas? (practicable)"
   Reason: Direct clause reading (cl.21). Answer uses the key word "practicable" — simple retrieval.
3. Q2 — "What must a steward do about ponds? (expand if practicable)"
   Reason: Direct clause recall; one clear action from the text (cl.21).
4. Q4, Q13, Q10, Q17 — Worker‑lists and why keep them (netmakers, fishermen, blacksmiths, soapmakers etc.)
   Reason: Straightforward list retrieval from cl.45 plus a simple one‑line justification. Low cognitive load (identify and name roles; slight extension when reasoning why matters).
5. Q3, Q8, Q9, Q16 — "What do stewards report at Christmas?" (lists of incomes/costs — fish, eggs, pigs, smiths, etc.)
   Reason: Retrieval of items required by cl.62. Slightly more items to recall, but still direct extraction from the clause.
6. Q11 — "When does steward sell fish and what action after?" (must restock if sold all)
   Reason: Requires understanding of a conditional allowance (selling permitted) plus mandatory follow‑up (restock) — shows comprehension of clause intent (cl.65). More than pure recall but still close to the text.
7. Q1 — "When can fish be sold and what must be done after?" (student said profits to military — partial)
   Reason: Similar to Q11 but requires careful precision: identifying permitted sale and required recording/restocking (cl.65 & cl.62). Item is moderate because students must avoid over‑extending beyond the clause (i.e., check allocation of proceeds).
8. Q5 — "If you were a steward where would you place a pond?" (student: near a field crop)
   Reason: Application question: needs to move from clause wording ('practicable') to selecting a site based on practical considerations (water supply, access to labour). Moderate because it asks for justification, not just citation (cl.21).
9. Q7 — "Where should ponds be kept or built, explain?" (practicable, clean water, reliable workers)
   Reason: Application + explanation; student must synthesise factors implied by cl.21. Slightly easier than Q5 because the expected considerations were listed in the answer.
10. Q15 — "If practicable what should steward do to follow clause 21?" (check expansion potential)
    Reason: Simple application of cl.21 but requires the student to state the action implied by the clause (investigate expansion). Low–moderate demand.
11. Q6 — "Why should king care if garum is made with dirty hands? (student cited wrong clause)
    Reason: Requires connecting hygiene concerns to health/reputation consequences. The cognitive demand is moderate: needs inference from clause about standards + correct clause citation. Error in citation shows extra attention needed to clause support.
12. Q5 (revisited as nuance) and Q1 (nuance of recordkeeping) — integration of clauses
    Reason: These sit between moderate and hard because they require integrating more than one clause (site/practicability plus workforce/water; selling plus recording of income). Students must cross‑reference cl.21, cl.65 and cl.62 accurately.
13. Timed task — Flowchart (3 actions, 1 month) — short plan + 1–2 sentences why order follows clauses
    Reason: Higher demand because it is timed and requires accurate, ordered procedural thinking plus clause linkage (cl.21, cl.65, cl.62). The student must prioritize actions under time pressure and justify sequencing from the clauses. This moves into procedural application and short synthesis.
14. Flowchart task — 4‑step flowchart for two months (use Clauses 21 & 65) + 1–3 sentences linking each step to clauses and ensuring profitability by Christmas
    Reason: Hardest of all. Requires multi‑step planning, integration of at least two clauses (plus likely cl.62 about recording/income), forecasting (profitability by Christmas), and explanation of why each step matters. This is synthesis + planning + persuasive justification — top cognitive demand.

Quick strategies for the harder items (timed flowcharts and multi‑clause integration):

• Annotate the clauses first: list allowed actions, required follow‑ups, and reporting obligations (make a 2–3 line summary of each relevant clause).
• For a flowchart: (1) Assess current state (stock, water, workers) — links to cl.21; (2) Secure labour/skills (cl.45) if needed; (3) Manage short‑term sales/stock rules (sell only if you can restock — cl.65); (4) Record income and costs for the Christmas statement (cl.62). Put each as a short action box, then under each box write the clause reference and one sentence why it protects breeding/profitability.
• When justifying order, show cause→effect: e.g., assess first so you don’t sell breeding stock; secure workers before expanding; sell only if you can restock; always record income so the king sees profitability.
• Check clause numbers before submitting — many small errors come from mis‑citing clauses.

If you want, I can now:

1. Produce a model 4‑step flowchart with the exact phrasing tied to clauses, or
2. Write a model timed 3‑step plan with two short sentences of justification, or
3. Re‑order the list above into a printable rubric for teachers/scorers (skills required, mark weight, common student errors).