Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Answering Questions about a Literary Text | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G4:M4:U1:L4

Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Answering Questions about a Literary Text

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
  • RL.4.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
  • RL.4.7: Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.
  • RF.4.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
  • L.4.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  • L.4.5c: Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms). 
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can read a new excerpt of The Hope Chest aloud fluently. (RF.4.4)
  • I can use the text to answer questions about Chapter 4 of The Hope Chest. (RL.4.1, RL.4.3, RL.4.4, RL.4.7, L.4.4, L.4.5c)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Answering Questions about a Literary Text (RL.4.1, RL.4.3, RL.4.4, RL.4.7, RF.4.4, L.4.4, L.4.5c)
  • 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: Answering Questions about a Literary Text (100 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 Part II of the mid-unit assessment, in which they refer to Chapter 4 of the text to answer questions (RL.4.1, RL.4.3, RL.4.4, RL.4.7, RF.4.4, L.4.4, L.4.5c). As they do this, students are called on to individually read aloud for the teacher a new excerpt of The Hope Chest for fluency for Part I of the assessment.
  • It will likely take more than one lesson to listen to all students read aloud, so two lessons have been allocated for this. If students finish Part II of the assessment, encourage them to use the time to add new vocabulary from The Hope Chest to their vocabulary logs.
  • 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 Lessons 1-3, students read the first three chapters of The Hope Chest and answered questions about them. In this lesson, they complete those same activities for the mid-unit assessment for Chapter 4 of The Hope Chest.

Assessment guidance:

  • Collect the Synonyms and Antonyms Practices I and II for assessment. Refer to Synonyms and Antonyms Practice I (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • 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: 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.

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 second half of the unit, students will read more of The Hope Chest, as well as firsthand and secondhand accounts of events connected to those in the text in order to compare how firsthand and secondhand accounts differ.

In Advance

  • Prepare the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment (see Assessment Overview and Resources).
    • Pre-distribute Part II of the assessment to a designated area of the room, away from where students will be reading aloud.
  • 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 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.7, 4.I.B.8, 4.I.C.12

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 1-3.
  • ELLs may find the assessment challenging. Encourage students to consult classroom resources and give them specific, positive feedback on the progress they've made in learning English.
  • Allow students to review note-catchers, the Academic and Domain-Specific Word Walls, vocabulary logs, and other classroom resources.
  • 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 which assessment task was easiest and which was most difficult, and why.

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. Similar to previous modules, before administering the assessment, activate their prior knowledge by recalling the learning targets from earlier lessons. Also 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 read and answer questions from Chapter 4 of The Hope Chest during 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): Continue to support students in limiting distractions during the mid-unit assessment. Also 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

  • The Hope Chest (from Lesson 1; one per student)
  • Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, Part II: Answering Questions about a Literary Text (one per student; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Vocabulary logs (from Module 1; one per student)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, Part I: Answering Questions about a Literary Text (one per student; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Fluent Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Reading Fluency Checklist (one per student; see the Tools page)
  • Tracking Progress folders (from Module 1; one per student)
    • Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text (one per student)
  • Sticky notes (three per student)
  • Synonyms and Antonyms Practice I (homework from Lesson 2; one per student)
  • Synonyms and Antonyms Practice I (example, for teacher reference)
  • Synonyms and Antonyms Practice II (homework from Lesson 3; one 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. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

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

"I can read a new excerpt of The Hope Chest aloud fluently."

"I can use the text to answer questions about Chapter 4 of The Hope Chest."

  • Remind students that they have been doing these things throughout the first few lessons of this unit with previous chapters of The Hope Chest.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (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. Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Answering Questions about a Literary Text (100 minutes)

  • Invite students to retrieve their copies of The Hope Chest. Tell students that they are going to read Chapter 4 in their reading triads and then complete the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, Part II: Answering Questions about a Literary Text independently.
  • Post and review the following directions:
    1. Read Chapter 4 aloud, taking turns with your triad.
    2. Discuss the gist.
    3. Spend 2-3 minutes reflecting silently and writing, drawing, or thinking.
    4. Quietly pick up an assessment paper.
    5. Find a quiet place in the room and complete the assessment independently.
    6. Check your work.
    7. Add to your vocabulary log during the remaining time.
  • Tell students that while they are completing Part II of the assessment, you will be calling them one-by-one to read aloud an excerpt of Chapter 5 for a fluency assessment (Part I of the assessment).
  • Answer clarifying questions.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and remind them specifically of perseverance, as they will be working independently to complete the second part of the assessment in this lesson.
  • Invite students to begin reading with their triads.
  • As triads begin to finish, remind them to refer to the Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart.
  • Begin calling students over for the fluency portion of the assessment. Provide each student with Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, Part I: Answering Questions about a Literary Text and conduct the assessment as follows:
    1. Read aloud the prompt and answer clarifying questions.
    2. Show the student the excerpt he or she will read.
    3. Remind the student of the Fluent Readers Do These Things anchor chart.
    4. Invite the student to begin reading the excerpt aloud and use the Reading Fluency Checklist to assess his or her fluency.
    5. Ask the student to briefly explain what the excerpt was about.
  • 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 activating prior knowledge: (Summarizing) Before reading, invite students to summarize Chapter 3 of The Hope Chest in 1 minute or less (with feedback) and then again in 30 seconds or less with a partner. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: (Assessment Map) While explaining, display a "map" of the assessment.
  • 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 Mid-Unit 1 Assessment.
  • Distribute students' Tracking Progress folders and the new Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text recording form, as well as three sticky notes each.
  • Tell students the sticky notes are for them to find evidence of the following criteria:
    • RL.4.1, RI.4.1: I refer to the text to ask and answer questions.
    • RL.4.4, RI.4.4, L.4.4: I determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases using at least one of the following strategies: Use context, use affixes and roots, use reference materials.
  • Guide students through completing the form.
  • Collect the Synonyms and Antonyms Practices I and II for assessment. Refer to the Synonyms and Antonyms Practices I and II (examples, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Orally Paraphrase) Allow students to orally paraphrase the meaning of the Tracking Progress criteria, self-assess, and discuss the evidence with a partner before they begin writing. (MMR)
  • For students who may need additional support with monitoring their own learning: Invite students to explain why self-assessment is important for learning. (MME)
  • For ELLs: (Self-assessment) Self-assessment may be an unfamiliar concept for some students. Tell students that thinking about how well they did will help them do even better next time.

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 with a partner, a family member, or a student from Grades 3 or 5, or record an audio response.

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