ELA 2012 G7:M2B:U1:L5

Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Evidence, Ideas, and Interactions in “Why Couldn’t Snow White Be Chinese?”

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

Long Term Learning Targets

I can cite several pieces of text-based evidence to support an analysis of informational text. (RI.7.1)
I can determine the central ideas in an informational text. (RI.7.2)
I can analyze the interactions between individuals, events and ideas in a text. (RI.7.3)

Supporting Targets

I can determine the central ideas in "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?"
I can give evidence in support of a central idea of "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?"
I can analyze the interaction between an individual and events and ideas in "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?"

Ongoing Assessment

Mid-Unit 1 Assessment

Agenda

Agenda	Teaching Notes
1. Opening A. Entry Task: Introduction to Vocabulary in "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?" (7 minutes) 2. Work Time A. Mid-Unit 1 Assessment (20 minutes) B. National Identity: the 2010 Census (15 minutes) 3. Closing and Assessment A. Reviewing Learning Targets (3 minutes) 4. Homework A. Complete Question 4 in the identity journal Lesson 5 task.	This lesson includes the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, which assesses RI.7.1, RI.7.2, and RI.7.3. When you grade this, only mark answers correct or incorrect; do not provide students with the correct answers. Students will correct their own work in Lesson 6. A 2 point rubric, based on the New York State rubric of the same name, is included for your reference when grading the short responses of the End Assessment. The essay "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese," which is used for the assessment, contains five terms that students may not be familiar with. In order to accurately assess the skills included on the assessment and ensure there is no confusion over the meaning of these terms, the definitions should be posted for the students to refer to during the assessment. After the mid-unit assessment, students will take a brief look at a map that details some of the results of the 2010 Census. The lesson limits itself to a general overview of the map; however, students may have specific questions about different terms on the map (such as "United States Mean Center of Population.") Consider going to the U.S. Census website (www.census.gov) to familiarize yourself with background knowledge about the census, or you may wish to direct students to the website. Researching the answers to specific questions about the census could be treated successfully as extension activities for interested students, as well. In advance: Post vocabulary terms and definitions. Post: Learning targets.

Teaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Entry Task: Introduction to Vocabulary in "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?" (7 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Mid-Unit 1 Assessment (20 minutes)

B. National Identity: the 2010 Census (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (3 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Complete Question 4 in the identity journal Lesson 5 task.

This lesson includes the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, which assesses RI.7.1, RI.7.2, and RI.7.3. When you grade this, only mark answers correct or incorrect; do not provide students with the correct answers. Students will correct their own work in Lesson 6.
A 2 point rubric, based on the New York State rubric of the same name, is included for your reference when grading the short responses of the End Assessment.
The essay "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese," which is used for the assessment, contains five terms that students may not be familiar with. In order to accurately assess the skills included on the assessment and ensure there is no confusion over the meaning of these terms, the definitions should be posted for the students to refer to during the assessment.
After the mid-unit assessment, students will take a brief look at a map that details some of the results of the 2010 Census. The lesson limits itself to a general overview of the map; however, students may have specific questions about different terms on the map (such as "United States Mean Center of Population.") Consider going to the U.S. Census website (www.census.gov) to familiarize yourself with background knowledge about the census, or you may wish to direct students to the website. Researching the answers to specific questions about the census could be treated successfully as extension activities for interested students, as well.
In advance: Post vocabulary terms and definitions.
Post: Learning targets.

Vocabulary

bluntly, cuisine, chagrin, depiction, mundane

Materials

Vocabulary terms and definitions: "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?" (one to display)
"Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?" (one per student)
Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Evidence, Ideas, and Interactions in "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese? (one per student)
Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Evidence, Ideas, and Interactions in "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese? (answers, for teacher reference)
2010 Census: United States Profile (one per student and one to display)
Document camera and/or chart paper (one piece)
Identity journals (begun in Lesson 1; one per student)
Identity anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)

Opening

Opening	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Entry Task: Introduction to Vocabulary in "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?" (7 minutes) Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and tell them that today they get to demonstrate their progress on these targets: * "I can objectively summarize 'Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?'" * "I can identify the supporting evidence for an analysis of 'Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?'" * "I can analyze the interaction between an individual and events and ideas in 'Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?'" Assure students that there are no tricks to this assessment; it follows what they have been doing in Lessons 2, 3, and 4. Tell students that before they take this assessment, you want to be sure that they understand five specific words in these paragraphs. Display the Vocabulary terms and definitions: "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?" and clarify as needed.	Struggling readers may need help defining additional words. Encourage students to identify unfamiliar words and determine their meaning from context; provide them with the opportunity to check their predicted meanings.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Entry Task: Introduction to Vocabulary in "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?" (7 minutes)

Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and tell them that today they get to demonstrate their progress on these targets:

* "I can objectively summarize 'Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?'"

* "I can identify the supporting evidence for an analysis of 'Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?'"

* "I can analyze the interaction between an individual and events and ideas in 'Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?'"

Assure students that there are no tricks to this assessment; it follows what they have been doing in Lessons 2, 3, and 4.
Tell students that before they take this assessment, you want to be sure that they understand five specific words in these paragraphs. Display the Vocabulary terms and definitions: "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?" and clarify as needed.

Struggling readers may need help defining additional words. Encourage students to identify unfamiliar words and determine their meaning from context; provide them with the opportunity to check their predicted meanings.

Work Time

Work Time	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Mid-Unit 1 Assessment (20 minutes) Distribute "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?" Tell students that their assessment today focuses on this piece of text. Do not tell them what the text is about. Remind them that everyone needs to remain silent until the entire class is finished and that this commitment is how they show respect for each other--it is non-negotiable. Write on the board: "If you finish early, you can ..." and include suggestions they made in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 14. Distribute the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Evidence, Ideas, and Interactions in "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese? . Remind students that they can and should refer to their texts as they complete the assessment. Tell them you will be concerned if you do not see them rereading as they complete the assessment. Collect students' assessments. Congratulate them on having completed it. Point out students who showed positive test-taking strategies such as rereading the text, reading the questions several times, or crossing out answers they know are incorrect.	If students receive accommodations for assessments, communicate with the cooperating service providers regarding this assessment. When you grade this assessment, indicate only whether items are correct or incorrect; do not indicate the correct answer.
B. National Identity: the 2010 Census (15 minutes) Without any preface or explanation, hand out the 2010 Census: United States Profile. Have students work with a partner: * "What do you notice?" * "What do you wonder?" Cold call several students for their observations and note them on chart paper or under a document camera. Encourage them especially to share surprises or facts about the census of which they were not aware. Once you have a significant collection of observations, connect those observations wherever possible to these key points: Taking a census, or an official count of the people in America, is obligatory under the Constitution. Its main purpose is to determine how many seats are needed in the House of Representatives. - The census was first conducted in 1790 and occurs every 10 years. - The census documents the ethnicity, race, and housing of people living in America. - Citizens, legal residents, long-term visitors, and illegal residents are all counted. - To protect the privacy of the people counted, the census takers are prohibited from revealing any personal information about the people they count, and the specific census records are sealed for 72 years. Students may notice that "Hispanic/Latino" is not counted as a "race" in this profile, although it is counted in the census itself. Explain that this wasn't always the case. However, in 1997, the Census Bureau wanted the census to reflect that there are many "races" contained within Hispanic/Latino culture. As a result, they separated them on the census. Not all people agree that this is an accurate way to count Latinos on the census. Have students open their identity journals to the Lesson 5 task: * "How do you think the data in this profile influences our national identity--our sense of who we are as Americans?" * "How do you see the data in this profile reflected in your own personal sense of identity? Fill in the sentence below: 'I am _______________________________________, and in the profile I see this connection: ________________________________________.'" * "Where do you think the data in this profile would fit in the Sample Cultural Identifiers?" Ask students to leave Question 4 blank for now. Give them a few minutes to complete Questions 1-3 in the task, then cold call several students for their answers. Note important and/or insightful answers on the Identity anchor chart.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Mid-Unit 1 Assessment (20 minutes)

Distribute "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese?" Tell students that their assessment today focuses on this piece of text. Do not tell them what the text is about.
Remind them that everyone needs to remain silent until the entire class is finished and that this commitment is how they show respect for each other--it is non-negotiable. Write on the board: "If you finish early, you can ..." and include suggestions they made in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 14.
Distribute the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Evidence, Ideas, and Interactions in "Why Couldn't Snow White Be Chinese? . Remind students that they can and should refer to their texts as they complete the assessment. Tell them you will be concerned if you do not see them rereading as they complete the assessment.
Collect students' assessments. Congratulate them on having completed it. Point out students who showed positive test-taking strategies such as rereading the text, reading the questions several times, or crossing out answers they know are incorrect.

If students receive accommodations for assessments, communicate with the cooperating service providers regarding this assessment.
When you grade this assessment, indicate only whether items are correct or incorrect; do not indicate the correct answer.

B. National Identity: the 2010 Census (15 minutes)

Without any preface or explanation, hand out the 2010 Census: United States Profile.
Have students work with a partner:

* "What do you notice?"

* "What do you wonder?"

Cold call several students for their observations and note them on chart paper or under a document camera. Encourage them especially to share surprises or facts about the census of which they were not aware.
Once you have a significant collection of observations, connect those observations wherever possible to these key points:
Taking a census, or an official count of the people in America, is obligatory under the Constitution. Its main purpose is to determine how many seats are needed in the House of Representatives.

- The census was first conducted in 1790 and occurs every 10 years.

- The census documents the ethnicity, race, and housing of people living in America.

- Citizens, legal residents, long-term visitors, and illegal residents are all counted.

- To protect the privacy of the people counted, the census takers are prohibited from revealing any personal information about the people they count, and the specific census records are sealed for 72 years.

Students may notice that "Hispanic/Latino" is not counted as a "race" in this profile, although it is counted in the census itself. Explain that this wasn't always the case. However, in 1997, the Census Bureau wanted the census to reflect that there are many "races" contained within Hispanic/Latino culture. As a result, they separated them on the census. Not all people agree that this is an accurate way to count Latinos on the census.
Have students open their identity journals to the Lesson 5 task:

* "How do you think the data in this profile influences our national identity--our sense of who we are as Americans?"

* "How do you see the data in this profile reflected in your own personal sense of identity? Fill in the sentence below: 'I am _______________________________________, and in the profile I see this connection: ________________________________________.'"

* "Where do you think the data in this profile would fit in the Sample Cultural Identifiers?"

Ask students to leave Question 4 blank for now.
Give them a few minutes to complete Questions 1-3 in the task, then cold call several students for their answers. Note important and/or insightful answers on the Identity anchor chart.

Closing & Assessments

Closing
A. Reviewing Learning Targets (3 minutes) Read the learning targets aloud again. Point out that students will continue to use and develop these skills as they keep reading the texts of the unit.

Homework

Homework
Complete Question 4 in the identity journal Lesson 5 task. Note: Be ready to return the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment to students in Lesson 6. When you assess it, only indicate whether answers are correct or incorrect; do not provide correct answers. Students will correct their own Mid-Unit 1 Assessment for homework as a way to prepare for the End of Unit 1 Assessment. Consider providing time a future lesson to review the answers as a whole class.

Complete Question 4 in the identity journal Lesson 5 task.

Note: Be ready to return the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment to students in Lesson 6. When you assess it, only indicate whether answers are correct or incorrect; do not provide correct answers. Students will correct their own Mid-Unit 1 Assessment for homework as a way to prepare for the End of Unit 1 Assessment. Consider providing time a future lesson to review the answers as a whole class.

Created by EL Education, on behalf of Public Consulting Group, Inc.
© Public Consulting Group, Inc., with a perpetual license granted to EL Education, Inc.

EL Education Curriculum