ELA G4:M4:U2:L14

End-of-Unit 2 Assessment: Writing a Literary Essay about a Theme in The Hope Chest

Like what you see?

Order printed materials, teacher guides and more.

How to order

Help us improve!

Tell us how the curriculum is working in your classroom and send us corrections or suggestions for improving it.

Leave feedback

These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

RL.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.4.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
W.4.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.4.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.4.6: With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
W.4.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.4.9a: Apply grade 4 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions].").

Daily Learning Targets

I can write a literary essay about a theme in The Hope Chest. (RL.4.1, RL.4.2, W.4.2, W.4.4, W.4.6)

Ongoing Assessment

End-of-Unit 2 Assessment: Writing a Literary Essay about a Theme in The Hope Chest (RL.4.1, RL.4.2, W.4.2, W.4.4, W.4.6)
Tracking Progress: Informative Writing (W.2)

Agenda

Agenda	Teaching Notes
1. Opening A. Returning Mid-Unit 2 Assessments (5 minutes) B. Reviewing Learning Target (5 minutes) 2. Work Time A. End-of-Unit 2 Assessment: Writing a Literary Essay about a Theme in The Hope Chest (40 minutes) 3. Closing and Assessment A. Tracking Progress (10 minutes) 4. Homework A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.	Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards: In Work Time A, students write an on-demand essay about another theme in The Hope Chest for the end of unit assessment (RL.4.1, RL.4.2, W.4.2, W.4.4, W.4.6). After the assessment, students use the Tracking Progress: Informative Writing recording form to formally keep track of and reflect on their own learning across all four modules. In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners by persevering as they complete their assessments. How this lesson builds on previous work: In Lessons 10-13, students wrote a scaffolded essay about a theme in The Hope Chest. In this assessment, they choose a different theme to write about. Assessment guidance: Writing rubrics can be found on the Tools page. All other assessment materials (student copy, answer key, student exemplar) are included in the Assessment Overview and Resources. When assessing and providing feedback on this assessment, use the teacher answer key (see Assessment Overview and Resources) to help complete the student Tracking Progress recording form. In this assessment, students are tracking their progress toward anchor standard: W.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. Areas in which students may need additional support: If students receive accommodations for assessments, communicate with the cooperating service providers regarding the practices of instruction in use during this study as well as the goals of the assessment. Some students may require longer than the time allocated to complete the assessment. Down the road: In Unit 3, students will participate in work that takes some kind of action on an issue. They will write a PSA linked to the work they do, and a press release explaining what they did and why.

Teaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Returning Mid-Unit 2 Assessments (5 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Target (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. End-of-Unit 2 Assessment: Writing a Literary Essay about a Theme in The Hope Chest (40 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Tracking Progress (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

In Work Time A, students write an on-demand essay about another theme in The Hope Chest for the end of unit assessment (RL.4.1, RL.4.2, W.4.2, W.4.4, W.4.6).
After the assessment, students use the Tracking Progress: Informative Writing recording form to formally keep track of and reflect on their own learning across all four modules.
In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners by persevering as they complete their assessments.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

In Lessons 10-13, students wrote a scaffolded essay about a theme in The Hope Chest. In this assessment, they choose a different theme to write about.

Assessment guidance:

Writing rubrics can be found on the Tools page. All other assessment materials (student copy, answer key, student exemplar) are included in the Assessment Overview and Resources.
When assessing and providing feedback on this assessment, use the teacher answer key (see Assessment Overview and Resources) to help complete the student Tracking Progress recording form.
In this assessment, students are tracking their progress toward anchor standard:
- W.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

If students receive accommodations for assessments, communicate with the cooperating service providers regarding the practices of instruction in use during this study as well as the goals of the assessment.
Some students may require longer than the time allocated to complete the assessment.

Down the road:

In Unit 3, students will participate in work that takes some kind of action on an issue. They will write a PSA linked to the work they do, and a press release explaining what they did and why.

In Advance

Provide feedback on students' Mid-Unit 2 Assessments in preparation for returning them in Opening A.
Prepare:

End-of-Unit 2 Assessment (see Assessment Overview and Resources)
Technology necessary for students to word-process their essays (see Technology and Multimedia).

Gather Tracking Progress folders.
Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

Work Time A: Prepare technology and tools necessary for students to word-process their essays, one device per student.
Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-3 to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided by in part by CA ELD Standards 4.1.B.6, 4.1.C.10, 4.1.C.11, 4.1.C.12, 4.II.A.1, 4.II.A.2, 4.II.C.6, and 4.II.C.7

Important points in the lesson itself

The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by inviting them to complete assessment tasks similar to the classroom tasks completed in Lessons 9-13.
ELLs may find the assessment challenging. Encourage students to consult classroom resources and give them specific, positive feedback on the progress they've made learning English.
Allow students to review note-catchers, the Academic and Domain-Specific Word Walls, and vocabulary logs and other classroom resources.
Ensure ELLs understand the assessment directions. Answer their questions, refraining from supplying answers to the assessment questions themselves (see additional support in the lesson).
After the assessment, ask students to discuss which assessment task was easiest and which was most difficult, and why.

Universal Design for Learning

Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to support students as they generalize skills and make connections to what they learned from this unit in order to set themselves up for success on the end-of-unit assessment.
Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support students in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected during the unit assessment.
Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to encourage self-regulatory skills by helping students anticipate and manage frustration by modeling what to do if they need help or "get stuck" during the assessment. Recall that offering these supports for engagement promotes a conducive learning space for all students.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

Do not preview vocabulary for this assessment lesson.

Materials

Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Summarizing Events in a Chapter (from Lesson 8; one per student; returned with feedback during Opening A)
End-of-Unit 2 Assessment: Writing a Literary Essay about a Theme in The Hope Chest (one per student and one to display; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
Model Literary Essay: "Do Something Meaningful" (from Lesson 9; one per student)
Informative Writing Checklist (from Lesson 9; one per student)
Theme anchor charts (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 6)
Summarizing The Hope Chest, Chapters 8-14 (from Lessons 1-7; one of each per student)
Tracking Progress folders (from Module 1; one per student)
Tracking Progress: Informative Writing: Module 4 (one per student)
Sticky notes (eight per student)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Download this Lesson's Assessment

Opening

Opening	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Returning Mid-Unit 2 Assessments (5 minutes) Return students' Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Summarizing Events in a Chapter with feedback, and follow the same routine established in Modules 1-3 for students to review feedback and write their name on the board if they require teacher support.	To build an accepting and supportive environment, remind students that everyone is working toward individual goals and that learning is about continued growth and development. (MME)
B. Reviewing Learning Target (5 minutes) Direct students' attention to the learning target and read it aloud: "I can write a literary essay about a theme in The Hope Chest." Remind students that this is what they have been doing throughout the second half of the unit.	For ELLs and students who may need additional support with expectations: (Discussing Work toward Same Learning Target) Invite students to share one way the work they have done in this unit has supported them toward this learning target. (MME)

Work Time

Work Time	Meeting Students' Needs
*A. End-of-Unit 2 Assessment: Writing a Literary Essay about a Theme in The Hope Chest* (40 minutes)** Distribute and display the End-of-2 Assessment: Writing a Literary Essay about a Theme in The Hope Chest and read aloud the prompt and instructions. Answer any clarifying questions. Emphasize that students are to write about a theme that is different from that of the model, and different from the theme they wrote about in the lessons of the unit. Remind students that now they are in Module 4, so they need to prepare their own planning graphic organizers. Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and remind them specifically of perseverance, because they will be working independently to complete the assessment in this lesson. Invite students to begin. Remind them to retrieve or refer to: Model Literary Essay: "Do Something Meaningful" Informative Writing Checklist Theme anchor charts *Summarizing The Hope Chest, Chapters 8-14* Circulate to provide support as needed. At the end of the allocated time, refocus whole group. Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the learning target and how well they persevered.	For students who may need additional support with organization: Offer two graphic organizer templates as choices to reduce frustration in decision-making and support students' strategy development. (MMAE, MME) For ELLs and students who may need additional support with strategy development: (Verbally Restating Instructions) Invite students to verbally restate the instructions for the assessment. (MMAE) For ELLs: (Assessment Map) While explaining, display a "map" of the assessment. For ELLs: (Activating Prior Knowledge) Before inviting students to begin the assessment, activate their prior knowledge by inviting them to discuss in pairs what they have learned about the themes in The Hope Chest, and to choose and orally share the theme they will focus on for this assessment.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. End-of-Unit 2 Assessment: Writing a Literary Essay about a Theme in The Hope Chest (40 minutes)

Distribute and display the End-of-2 Assessment: Writing a Literary Essay about a Theme in The Hope Chest and read aloud the prompt and instructions.
Answer any clarifying questions.
Emphasize that students are to write about a theme that is different from that of the model, and different from the theme they wrote about in the lessons of the unit. Remind students that now they are in Module 4, so they need to prepare their own planning graphic organizers.
Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and remind them specifically of perseverance, because they will be working independently to complete the assessment in this lesson.
Invite students to begin. Remind them to retrieve or refer to:

Model Literary Essay: "Do Something Meaningful"
Informative Writing Checklist
Theme anchor charts
Summarizing The Hope Chest, Chapters 8-14

Circulate to provide support as needed.
At the end of the allocated time, refocus whole group.
Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the learning target and how well they persevered.

For students who may need additional support with organization: Offer two graphic organizer templates as choices to reduce frustration in decision-making and support students' strategy development. (MMAE, MME)
For ELLs and students who may need additional support with strategy development: (Verbally Restating Instructions) Invite students to verbally restate the instructions for the assessment. (MMAE)
For ELLs: (Assessment Map) While explaining, display a "map" of the assessment.
For ELLs: (Activating Prior Knowledge) Before inviting students to begin the assessment, activate their prior knowledge by inviting them to discuss in pairs what they have learned about the themes in The Hope Chest, and to choose and orally share the theme they will focus on for this assessment.

Closing & Assessments

Closing	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Tracking Progress (10 minutes) Give students specific, positive feedback on their completion of the End of Unit 2 Assessment. Distribute Tracking Progress folders, Tracking Progress: Informative Writing: Module 4, and sticky notes. Point out that this Tracking Progress form is different from the other Informative Writing forms they have completed throughout the year. Tell students that for this form, they are reflecting on fewer criteria and are considering their progress over the entire school year, not just this particular unit or module. Guide students through completing the recording form. Remind them to use evidence from their work over Modules 1-4 as they reflect. Focus students specifically on the criteria: "W.4.2a: I state my focus clearly, and my writing stays focused throughout the piece." "W.4.2b: I use accurate and relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples to explain my thinking."	For students who may need additional support with monitoring their own learning: Invite students to explain why self-assessment is important for learning. (MME) For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Consider highlighting key phrases on the Tracking Progress sheet to lift up the focus for each criterion. (MMR) For ELLs: (Orally Paraphrase) Ask students to orally paraphrase the meaning of the Tracking Progress criteria, self-assess, and discuss the evidence with a partner before they begin writing.

Closing