Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Researching Perspectives of the American Revolution: Patriots | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G4:M3:U1:L6

Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Researching Perspectives of the American Revolution: Patriots

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.4.3: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
  • W.4.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
  • W.4.8: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
  • W.4.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
  • W.4.9b: Apply grade 4 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text").
  • L.4.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
  • L.4.2b: Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text.

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can use details in the text to answer questions about a new informational text. (RI.4.1, RI.4.3, W.4.7, W.4.8, W.4.9b, L.4.2b)
  • I can explain who the Patriots were and what they believed. (RI.4.1, RI.4.3, W.4.7, W.4.8, W.4.9b, L.4.2b)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Researching Perspectives of the American Revolution: Patriots (RI.4.1, RI.4.3, W.4.7, W.4.8, W.4.9b, L.4.2b)
  • Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text (R.1, R.4, R.10, L.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Researching Perspectives of the American Revolution: Patriots (40 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 this lesson, students read pages of the informational text Divided Loyalties and answer selected response questions for the mid-unit assessment. They also use the text to research in order to write an informational paragraph to answer a question (RI.4.1, RI.4.3, W.4.7, W.4.8, W.4.9b, L.4.2b).
  • After the end of unit assessment, students use the Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text recording form to formally keep track of and reflect on their learning.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners by showing integrity and persevering as they read and answer questions independently for the mid-unit assessment.

How it builds on previous work:

  • In Lessons 1-5, students have been reading about the American Revolution in informational and literary texts and have already researched and written about the Loyalist perspective. In the previous lesson, students began researching the Patriot perspective, which they finish in this lesson with a new text in order to write an informational paragraph about it.

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 need to hear the text read aloud before they work on the questions. Consider inviting 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 40 minutes allotted. Consider providing time over multiple days if necessary.

Assessment guidance:

  • All assessment Materials (student prompt and teacher checklist) are included in the Assessment Overview and Resources.
  • When assessing and providing feedback to students on this assessment, use the teacher answer key and sample student responses (see the 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: 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: 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: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
    • L.4: 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.
  • Collect students' Marking Quotes Practice homework from Lesson 4. Refer to the Marking Quotes Practice (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.

Down the road:

  • In the second half of the unit, students will analyze perspectives within the Loyalist and Patriot groups, including the perspective of a Native American and of an enslaved African American.
  • Provide feedback on students' mid-unit assessments in preparation for returning them in Lesson 11.

In Advance

  • Prepare the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment (see Assessment Overview and Resources).
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-2 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 4.I.B.6, 4.I.C.10, 4.I.C.11

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 1-5.
  • The Mid-Unit 1 Assessment may be challenging for ELLs, as it is a bit further removed from the heavily scaffolded classroom interaction. ELLs will be asked not only to independently apply cognitive skills developed in Lessons 1-5, but also to independently apply new linguistic knowledge introduced in those lessons. They may encounter additional new language as they read Divided Loyalties. Encourage students to do their best and assure them that you will continue learning together after the assessment.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • After the assessment, ask students to discuss which assessment task was easiest and which was most difficult, and why. In future lessons and for homework, focus on the language skills that will help students address these assessment challenges.

For heavier support:

  • Make sure that ELLs understand the assessment directions. Answer their questions, refraining from supplying answers to the assessment questions themselves. See additional support in the lesson.
  • Allow students to review language they've written on the Word Wall or in their Vocabulary log.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): To set themselves up for success for the mid-unit assessment, students need to generalize the skills that they learned in previous lessons. Before administering the assessment, activate their prior knowledge by recalling past learning targets and the informational writing that they have completed. Present the directions for the assessment both visually and verbally and facilitate comprehension by displaying a map of the assessment parts.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): In this lesson, students read informational pages, answer selected response questions, and write an informational paragraph as the mid-unit assessment. Continue to support students in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Some students may require support with limiting distractions during the mid-unit assessment. Similarly, some may require variations in time for the assessment. Consider breaking the assessment into two parts and offering breaks at certain times.

Vocabulary

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

  • Patriots (L)

Materials

  • Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Researching Perspectives of the American Revolution: Patriots (one per student; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Divided Loyalties (one per student)
  • Research Note-catcher: Patriots (from Lesson 5; one per student)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions (begun in Module 1)
  • Loyalist paragraph (completed in Lesson 4; one per class)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Tracking Progress folders (from Module 1; one per student)
  • Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text (one per student)
  • Sticky notes (four per student)
  • Marking Quotes Practice (answers, for teacher reference)

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.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and select a volunteer to read them aloud:

"I can use details in the text to answer questions about a new informational text."

"I can explain who the Patriots were and what they believed."

  • Remind students that they have seen these learning targets in previous lessons and modules. Review the word Patriots.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension and engagement: (Working toward Same Learning Target) Ask students to share one way that they worked toward each learning target in previous lessons. (MMR, MME).

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Researching Perspectives of the American Revolution: Patriots (40 minutes)

  • Distribute the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Researching Perspectives of the American Revolution: Patriots and Divided Loyalties.
  • Tell students that for this assessment, they will read some informational pages in the text. They will then answer selected response questions and use the text to continue their research of the Patriot perspective in order to write an informational paragraph to answer the question: Who were the Patriots, and what did they believe?
  • Invite them to retrieve their Research Note-catcher: Patriots from the previous lesson.
  • Invite students to follow along, reading silently in their heads, while you read the directions for each part of the assessment aloud. Answer clarifying questions.
  • Direct students' attention to the following resources:
    • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart
    • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart
    • Loyalist paragraph
  • Remind students to refer to these resources as they read the assessment text and answer the assessment questions.
  • Remind students that since this is an assessment, they should complete it independently in silence. Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically on perseverance and integrity and what these look and sound like. Remind students that as they will be reading and answering questions independently for the assessment, they may need to practice perseverance and integrity as they work hard and avoid looking at anyone else's work.
  • Help students locate the appropriate pages in Divided Loyalties and invite them to begin the assessment.
  • While they are taking the assessment, circulate to monitor and document their test-taking skills.
  • 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 also on how they persevered and showed integrity during the assessment.
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Offer options for perception by displaying the assessment directions visually to ensure that students clearly understand. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with planning and strategy development: (Assessment Map) As you explain the mid-unit assessment, display a "map" of the steps of the assessment from start to completion. (MMAE, MME)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Rephrasing Selected Response) Invite students to rephrase selected response questions--and answer them--before they read each answer choice. (MMR, MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Tracking Progress (15 minutes)

  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their completion of the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment.
  • Distribute Tracking Progress folders, Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text and sticky notes.
  • Guide students through completing the recording form.
  • Collect the Marking Quotes Practice homework from Lesson 4. Refer to the Marking Quotes Practice (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with monitoring their own learning: (Self-Assessment) Self-assessment may be an unfamiliar concept for some. Tell students that thinking about how well they did will help them do even better next time. (MME)
  • For students who may need additional support with motivation and sustained effort: Build an accepting and supportive environment by reminding students that everyone is working toward individual goals and that learning is about continued growth and development. (MME)

Homework

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

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