Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore’s Dilemma Pages 65–67 | EL Education Curriculum

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Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore’s Dilemma Pages 65–67

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • L.8.4a, L.8.4b, L.8.5b, L.8.5c

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • L.8.2a
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can recognize the differences among connotations of words with similar meanings in The Omnivore's Dilemma. (L.8.5c)
  • I can use context and the relationships among words to better understand the meanings of words and phrases in The Omnivore's Dilemma. (L.8.4a, L.8.5b)
  • I can use affixes to determine the meanings of words and phrases in The Omnivore's Dilemma. (L.8.4b)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2
  • Work Time B: Language Dive: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Page 45 note-catcher (L.8.5c)
  • Closing and Assessment A: Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pages 65-67 (L.8.4a, L.8.4b, L.8.5b, L.8.5c)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner and Return End of Unit 2 Assessments (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Read The Omnivore's Dilemma, Section 9, and Analyze Word Connotations - L.8.5c (10 minutes)

B. Language Dive: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Page 45 - L.8.5c (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pages 65-67 (20 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Independent Research Reading: Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • L.8.5c – Work Time A: Students analyze the connotations of words in The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
  • L.8.4a – Work Time B: Students participate in a Language Dive to use context to determine the meanings of words.
  • L.8.5b – Work Time B: Students participate in a Language Dive to use the relationships among particular words to better understand each word.
  • L.8.5c – Work Time B: Students participate in a Language Dive to explore how words with similar denotations can have different connotations.
  • Closing and Assessment A: Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language in The Omnivore’s Dilemma: Students will be assessed on their command of English punctuation and spelling; their ability to determine and clarify the meanings of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases; and their ability to use word relationships and nuances to determine the meanings of words and phrases. (L.8.4a, L.8.4b, L.8.5b, L.8.5c)

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Invite students to search for additional information about how agribusinesses produce corn. Students can share this information in small groups or with the whole class, and discuss the implications for consumers.
  • During the Language Dive, challenge students to identify the relative clause in the sentence. This work will build upon the Language Dive in Unit 3, Lesson 1. Students may search for other examples of relative clauses in the text and share in small groups or with the whole class.
  • Invite students to review the informative essays they wrote in Unit 2 to find examples of words with strong connotations in their own writing and consider how the use of these words impacts overall meaning in sentences, paragraphs, and the essay as a whole.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In Unit 3, Lesson 1, students analyzed word connotations, and how context and the relationships among words contribute to meaning. In this lesson, students continue this language analysis, as well as understand the connotations of words with similar denotations. This will help to further prepare students for the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment in Closing and Assessment A.

Support All Students

  • Note that section 9 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma brings up the topic of nitrogen waste from fertilizer and explains that it contributes to global warming, gets into water, and is dangerous for fish. Some students or families may find this topic new, challenging, or upsetting based on their prior knowledge and experience and varying perspectives on climate change. Allow students time to process and respond to these topics during individual, small group, or full class discussion, and reach out to families as needed. Use thoughtful, strategic pairing for discussions around these topics to ensure that all students feel comfortable.
  • Students may struggle with following the multiple directions in this lesson. Create a chart or visual display of the multistep directions as a scaffold for success in meeting the targets. ▲
  • Group students strategically during discussion. ELLs will benefit from support from proficient peers while reading and carrying out tasks that require them to apply language skills. ▲
  • 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 need the text read aloud before they answer the questions in the assessment. Invite students who require this to sit in a group away from the rest of the students, so as not to be distracting. ▲
  • For some students, this assessment may require more than the 20 minutes allotted. Provide time over multiple days if necessary.

Assessment Guidance

  • All assessment materials (student prompt and teacher checklist) are included in the Assessment download on this page.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will find evidence from their research in previous lessons to support arguments about factors that influence healthy food choices.
  • Students’ Mid-Unit 3 Assessment will be returned in Lessons 11–12 before the End of Unit 3 Assessment.

In Advance

  • Prepare Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pages 65-67 (see Assessment download).
  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2, along with students' Module 2 End of Unit 2 Assessments with feedback, at each student's workspace.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout previous modules 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 in part by CA ELD Standards 8.I.B.6 and 8.I.B.8.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson engages students in further practice with skills leading toward meeting Language standards (L.8.4, L.8.5), including a Language Dive. Students continue to practice distinguishing among connotations of words with similar definitions and to explore how we can use relationships among words to better understand meaning. This work directly prepares ELLs for the language-based Mid-Unit 3 Assessment, which students take during Closing and Assessment A.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to determine the connotations of words. Allow significant processing time while reading, and have students reread the text multiple times, both aloud and independently. ELLs may also find it challenging to independently complete the mid-unit assessment without scaffolding. Point out that the mid-unit assessment is similar to the activities they have successfully completed in class. Encourage students to do their best, and assure them that they will continue learning together after the assessment.

Vocabulary

  • hypoxic, runoff (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Text Guide: The Omnivore's Dilemma (for teacher reference) (from Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time A)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 4, Opening B)
  • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 3, Opening B)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 2, Lessons 4-5, Work Time D)
  • End of Unit 2 Assessment with feedback (one per student; from Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 14)
  • The Omnivore's Dilemma (text; one per student; from Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Vocabulary logs (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Affix list (one per student; see Tools page)
  • Independent reading journals (one per student; begun in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Language Dive Guide: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Page 45 (for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Page 45 note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pages 65-67 (answers for teacher reference) (see Assessment download)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2 (one per student)
  • Sticky notes
  • Language Dive: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Page 45 note-catcher (one per student)
  • Language Dive: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Page 45 sentence chunk strips (one per group)
  • Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pages 65-67 (one per student) (see Assessment download)

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 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 students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Download this Lesson’s Assessment

Opening

Opening

A. Engage the Learner and Return End of Unit 2 Assessments (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2. This entrance ticket prompts students to review their feedback from the End of Unit 2 Assessment.
  • Invite students to spend a few minutes reading the feedback and then filling out the reflection questions on the entrance ticket. If they require support to understand the feedback, encourage them to write their names on the board for a one-on-one review. Remind students that everyone is working toward individual goals and that learning is about continued growth and development.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Read The Omnivore's Dilemma, Section 9, and Analyze Word Connotations - L.8.5c (10 minutes)

  • Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

I can recognize the differences among connotations of words with similar meanings in The Omnivore's Dilemma."

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same process as with previous lessons for students to read section 9 of The Omnivore's Dilemma, using the Text Guide: The Omnivore's Dilemma(for teacher reference). Instruct students to read the section independently, and support struggling students as needed. As time permits, have students identify the meanings of unfamiliar vocabulary, ref lect on their reading as they choose, and record the gist using the following resources as appropriate: sticky notes and vocabulary logs.
  • Instruct students to turn to page 44, and invite a volunteer to read the following, at the bottom of the page:

"'They say you only need a hundred pounds per acre. I'm putting on closer to one hundred eighty,' Naylor explained sheepishly."

  • Focus students' attention on the word sheepishly.
  • Turn and Talk:

"Why do you think Pollan uses the word sheepishly to describe Naylor instead of a word with a different connotation, like meekly?" (Responses will vary, but may include: sheepishly connotes being shy or lacking confidence because of shame or embarrassment rather than just being timid.)

  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.
  • N/A

B. Language Dive: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Page 45 – L.8.5c (10 minutes)

  • Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can recognize the differences among connotations of words with similar meanings in The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”

  • Tell students they will now participate in a Language Dive to explore how words with similar meanings have different connotations and how the relationships among words can be used to better understand the meaning of a sentence in The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
  • Reread aloud page 45 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
  • Focus students on the sentence:
    • “The nitrogen runoff has created a ‘hypoxic,’ or dead zone, in the Gulf that is as big as the state of New Jersey—and still growing.”
  • Use the Language Dive Guide: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Page 45 (for teacher reference) to guide students through a Language Dive conversation about the sentence. Distribute and display the Language Dive: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Page 45 note-catcher, and the Language Dive: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Page 45 sentence chunk strips. Refer to Language Dive: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Page 45 note-catcher (example for teacher reference).
  • With students’ support, record the meanings of vocabulary words in the Language Dive, runoff (the draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc.) and hypoxic (dead from a lack of oxygen) on the domain-specific word wall, with translations in students’ home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above each key term to scaffold students’ understanding. Invite students to record these words in their vocabulary logs.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time B, for additional practice with L.8.2a, use the sentence from the Language Dive as a basis for a short discussion about the use of dashes and commas. Invite students to find examples of dashes and commas in the text, and prompt them to work with a partner to generate a rule for each one (e.g., "We use a comma after a linking word at the beginning of a sentence."; "We use a comma after a clause that introduces a condition with If or Should.") to review their understanding of conventions for using punctuation. Extend this further by asking students to write one or two example sentences that apply these rules, and review each one as a class for accurate usage.

For Heavier Support

  • N/A

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pages 65-67 (20 minutes)

  • Review the learning targets relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can use affixes to determine the meanings of words and phrases in The Omnivore's Dilemma."

"I can use context and the relationships among words to better understand the meanings of words and phrases in The Omnivore's Dilemma."

"I can recognize the differences among connotations of words with similar meanings in The Omnivore's Dilemma."

  • Instruct students to retrieve their copies of the affix list. Tell students that they may use this resource during the assessment to help them answer questions about affixes.
  • Distribute the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pages 65-67.
  • Read the directions for the assessment aloud as students follow along, reading silently. Answer clarifying questions.
  • Direct students' attention to the following anchor charts:
    • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart
    • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart
  • Remind students to refer to these anchor charts as they complete the assessment.
  • Remind students that because this is an assessment, they should complete it independently in silence. Focus students on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, and review what perseverance looks and sounds like. Remind students that because they will be reading and answering questions independently for the assessment, they may need to practice perseverance.
  • Invite students to begin the assessment.
  • While they are taking the assessment, circulate to monitor and document their test-taking skills.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • Before the assessment of Closing and Assessment A, underline key vocabulary in the assessment directions and prompt, and read aloud together as a class to ensure that students understand each task included in the assessment. Invite students who need lighter support to restate or clarify information for those students who need heavier support.

For Heavier Support

  • Display a "map" of the assessment to reference while explaining the directions for the mid-unit assessment. This will reduce ambiguity and give students a clearer picture of what they can expect so that they can better allocate their time and attentional resources. Provide students with colored pencils or highlighters so that they can mark up the "map" as needed. Example:
    • Read the excerpt from the text, and then
      • determine the relationship among words in a sentence,
      • determine the connotations of words, and
      • determine the meaning of vocabulary using context and affixes.

Homework

Homework

A. Independent Research Reading

  • Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

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