End of Unit 1 Assessment: Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G3:M4:U1:L12

End of Unit 1 Assessment: Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.3.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
  • RI.3.2: Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
  • RI.3.9: Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.
  • L.3.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.3.1a: Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can explain the function of adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. (L.3.1a)
  • I can determine the main ideas and supporting details of "Water Pollution." (RI.3.1, RI.3.2)
  • I can compare and contrast the main ideas and supporting details on pages 24-25 of One Well with "Water Pollution." (RI.3.9)

Ongoing Assessment

  • End of Unit 1 Assessment: Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts (RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.9, L.3.1a)
  • Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text (R.1, R.4, R.10, L.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Returning Mid-Unit 1 Assessment (5 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. End of Unit 1 Assessment: Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts (35 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Tracking Progress (15 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 complete the end of unit assessment, in which they read a new informational text about water pollution and determine the main idea and supporting details in order to compare and contrast them with those on pages 24-25 of One Well, read in the previous lesson (RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.9). Students also answer questions about the function of verbs, adjectives, and adverbs (L.3.1a).
  • After the assessment, students use the Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text recording form to formally keep track of and reflect on their own learning.
  • 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 the previous lessons of this unit, students practiced finding the main idea and supporting details of other pages in One Well and comparing them with the main ideas and supporting details of other informational texts. In Lesson 11, students read pages 24-25 of One Well and determined the main idea and supporting details. In this lesson, they do the same thing with a new informational text about water pollution and then compare the two texts.

Assessment guidance:

  • All 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 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.
    • L.4: By the end of Grade 12 I will be able to: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

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 the next unit, students read new texts about the three issues researched in this unit: access to water, demands on water, and water pollution, and write an opinion piece to answer the question: Why must we act now to protect our water supply?

In Advance

  • Provide feedback on students' Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, completed in Lesson 5, in preparation for returning them in Opening A.
  • Gather Tracking Progress folders.
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • 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 in part by CA ELD Standards 3.I.B.6, 3.I.B.7, 3.I.B.8, and 3.I.C.10

Important points in the lesson itself 

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to demonstrate their content and language knowledge in comparing and contrasting informational texts built on their preparation and practice in previous lessons.
  • 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.
  • Ensure that 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 what was easiest and what was most difficult on the assessment, and why. In future lessons and for homework, focus on the language skills that will help students address these assessment challenges.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): To set themselves up for success for the assessment, students need to generalize the skills they learned from previous lessons. Similar to Modules 1-3, before administering the assessment, activate their prior knowledge by recalling the learning targets from the previous lessons. Present the directions for the assessment both visually and verbally and display a map of the assessment parts.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): In this lesson, students compare and contrast informational texts during the unit assessment. Continue to support students in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to support students in limiting distractions during the assessment. Continue to provide variation in time for completing the assessment as appropriate. Consider breaking the assessment into parts and offering breaks at certain times.

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 1 Assessment: Answering Questions about an Informational Text (from Lesson 5; one per student; returned with feedback during Opening A)
  • End of Unit 1 Assessment: Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts (one per student and one to display; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Determining the Main Idea Note-catcher: Pages 24-25of One Well (from Lesson 11; one per student)
  • One Well (from Lesson 2; one per student)
  • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text (one per student)
  • Tracking Progress folders (from Module 1; one per student)
  • Sticky notes (three 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

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Returning Mid-Unit 1 Assessment (5 minutes) 

  • Return students' Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Answering Questions about an Informational Text 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 Targets (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the learning targets and read them aloud:

"I can explain the function of adjectives, verbs, and adverbs."

"I can determine the main ideas and supporting details of 'Water Pollution.'"

"I can compare and contrast the main ideas and supporting details on pages 24-25 of One Well with 'Water Pollution.'"

  • Remind students that these learning targets are similar to those they saw in the previous lessons of this half of the unit, but this time they are going to read a new informational text that is similar in content to pages 24-25 of One Well, read in the previous lesson.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with motivation: (Working on Same Learning Target) Invite students to discuss how they previously worked toward each learning target. (MMR, MME)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. End of Unit 1 Assessment: Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts (35 minutes) 

  • Distribute and display the End of Unit 1 Assessment: Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts and read the instructions aloud.
  • Answer clarifying questions.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and remind them specifically of perseverance, as they will work independently to complete the assessment.
  • Remind students to refer to the following resources as they complete the assessment:
    • Determining the Main Ideas Note-catcher: Pages 24-25 of One Well
    • pages 24-25 of One Well
    • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart
  • Invite students to begin working. While students are taking the assessment, circulate to monitor and document their test-taking skills.
  • 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 targets and against how well they persevered.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Assessment Map) While explaining, display a "map" of the assessment. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Reading Aloud and Monitoring Assessment) Read aloud the entire assessment. Rephrase directions. Monitor to see that students correctly complete the assessment. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with activating prior knowledge: (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 water pollution from One Well. Encourage them to refer to their completed Determining the Main Ideas Note-catcher: Pages 24-25 of One Well from Lesson 11. (MMR, MME)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with strategy development: (Rephrasing Selected Response) Invite students to rephrase selected response questions--and answer them--before they read each answer choice. (MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Tracking Progress (15 minutes) 

  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their completion of the End of Unit 1 Assessment.
  • Distribute Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text and sticky notes.
  • Tell students the sticky notes are for them to find evidence of the following criteria:
    • RL.3.1, RI.3.1: I refer to the text to ask and answer questions.
    • RL.3.4, RI.3.4, L.3.4: I determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases using at least one of the following strategies: use context, use affixes and roots, or use reference materials.
  • Guide students through completing the form.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with monitoring their own learning: (Orally Paraphrase) Invite students to orally paraphrase the meaning of the Tracking Progress criteria, self-assess, and discuss the evidence with a partner before they begin writing. (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)

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.
  • For ELLs: (Oral Response) Read aloud, discuss, and respond to your prompt orally, either with a partner, family member, or student from grades 4 or 6, or record an audio response

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