Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

• Work Time A: Students complete the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment. Students read chapter 5 in Farewell to Manzanar, “Almost a Family” (pages 31–41), and answer selected response and short constructed response questions about vocabulary and how connections and distinctions are made among individuals, ideas, and events (RI.8.1, RI.8.3, RI.8.4, L.8.4a, L.8.4b, L.8.5a, L.8.5c).
• In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners by reading and answering questions independently for the mid-unit assessment. Prompt students’ perseverance by reminding them that assessments are meant to inform instruction. Use assessment data to make choices about what should be retaught and how to adjust the pacing. Encourage students not to be afraid of making mistakes; an accurate assessment is crucial for tailoring lessons to students’ needs.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

• Some students may not need extensive review of the assessment directions. Release them to begin working on the assessment while clarification is provided to other students who need more support.

How It Builds on Previous Work

• In the first half of this unit, students began reading the anchor text, Farewell to Manzanar, building their knowledge about the events prior to and during Jeanne’s family time at a Japanese American internment camp, and analyzing the authors’ use of connotative and figurative language as well as how connections among and distinctions between individuals, events, and ideas are made in the text. This lesson continues those routines in an assessment, asking students to apply their learning to a new chapter of the anchor text.

Support All Students

• As with any assessment, students may feel nervous to read new passages independently and answer questions about them. Point out all the preparation they have had through activities, homework, and in-class reading time. Also, remind them there will be other opportunities throughout Module 4 to demonstrate what they have learned.
• 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.
• For some students, this assessment may require more than the 35 minutes allotted. Provide time over multiple days if necessary. ▲
• An opportunity to track their progress after the assessment helps students reflect on and celebrate their growth.

Assessment Guidance

• All assessment materials for Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Analyze Vocabulary, Connections, and Distinctions: Farewell to Manzanar, Chapter 5, are included in the Assessment Overview and Resources.
• When assessing and providing feedback on this assessment, use the answer key and sample student responses (see Assessment Overview and Resources) to help complete students’ Track Progress recording form.
• Using information from this assessment, students are tracking progress toward anchor standards:
• R.1: By the end of Grade 12, I will be able to: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
• R.4: By the end of Grade 12, I will be able to: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
• R.10: By the end of Grade 12, I will be able to: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Down the Road

• In the next lesson, students read a new supplemental text to better understand the kinds of experiences other people encountered while interned at the Japanese American camps. This text starts to introduce different perspectives about the topic and its causes and impacts.
• Students’ Mid-Unit 1 Assessments will be returned in Lesson 12 with feedback.