Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Summarizing Events in a Chapter | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G4:M4:U2:L8

Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Summarizing Events in a Chapter

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.4.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
  • L.4.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.4.1a: Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why).
  • L.4.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  • L.4.5a: Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context.
  • L.4.5b: Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can summarize Chapter 15 of The Hope Chest. (RL.4.1, RL.4.2)
  • I can use relative pronouns and relative adverbs. (L.4.1a)
  • I can explain the meaning of similes, metaphors, idioms, adages, and proverbs in Chapter 15 of The Hope Chest. (L.4.5a, L.4.5b)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Summarizing Events in a Chapter (RL.4.1, RL.4.2, L.4.1a, L.4.5a, L.4.5b)
  • Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text (R.1, R.4, R.10, L.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Returning End of Unit 1 Assessments (5 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Reading in Triads: The Hope Chest, Chapter 15 (15 minutes)

B. Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Summarizing Events in a Chapter (25 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment 

A. Tracking Progress (10 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 read Chapter 15 of The Hope Chest in triads. They then complete the mid-unit assessment in Work Time B to answer selected response questions and summarize an event(s) showing evidence of a theme in the chapter (RL.4.1, RL.4.2, L.4.1a, L.4.5a, L.4.5b).
  • In the Closing, students use the Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text recording form to formally keep track of and reflect on their own learning across all four modules.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners by persevering as they complete the mid-unit assessment.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Lessons 1-7, students read chapters of The Hope Chest; analyzed similes, metaphors, idioms, adages, and proverbs; practiced using relative pronouns and adverbs; and then summarized an event showing evidence of a theme in the chapter. They do the same thing with Chapter 15 of The Hope Chest in this lesson.

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: 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 the Language Dive II Practice: The Hope Chest: Relative Pronouns homework from Lesson 6. Refer to Language Dive II Practice: The Hope Chest: Relative Pronouns (example, for teacher reference).

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 finish The Hope Chest, and they will write an essay explaining how the author has communicated a given theme throughout the novel.

In Advance

  • Provide feedback on students' End of Unit 1 Assessments in preparation for returning them during 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 by in part by CA ELD Standards 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.7, 4.I.B.8, 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 1-7.
  • ELLs may find the assessment challenging. Encourage students to consult classroom resources and give them specific, positive feedback on the progress they've made with learning English.
  • Allow students to review note-catchers, the Academic and Domain-Specific Word Walls, and vocabulary logs and other classroom resources.
  • Ensure ELLs understand the assessment directions. Answer their questions, refraining from supplying answers to the assessment questions themselves (see Meeting Students' Needs).
  • 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 from previous lessons. Similar to Modules 1-3, before administering the assessment, activate prior knowledge by recalling the learning targets from the previous lessons. Also, present the directions for the assessment both visually and verbally.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): In this lesson, students summarize events from a chapter 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

  • End of Unit 1 Assessment: Comparing Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts of the Same Event (from Unit 1, Lesson 10; one per student; returned with feedback during Opening A)
  • The Hope Chest (from Unit 1, Lesson 1; one per student)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Vocabulary logs (from Module 1; one per student)
  • Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Summarizing Events in a Chapter (one per student and one to display; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Criteria of an Effective Summary anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Tracking Progress folders (from Module 1; one per student)
    • Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text: Module 4 (one per student)
  • Sticky notes (three per student)
  • Language Dive II Practice: The Hope Chest: Relative Pronouns (homework from Lesson 6; one per student)
  • Language Dive II Practice: The Hope Chest: Relative Pronouns (answers, for teacher reference)

Materials from Previous Lessons

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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 End of Unit 1 Assessments (5 minutes)

  • Return students' End of Unit 1 Assessment: Comparing Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts of the Same Event 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 summarize Chapter 15 of The Hope Chest."

"I can use relative pronouns and relative adverbs."

"I can explain the meaning of similes, metaphors, idioms, adages, and proverbs in Chapter 15 of The Hope Chest."

  • Remind students that they have seen similar learning targets in previous lessons of this unit.
  • 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 similar learning targets in this unit. (MMR, MME)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reading in Triads: The Hope Chest, Chapter 15 (15 minutes)

  • Invite students to get into their reading triads and use the same routine from Unit 1 (and the Opening B of Lesson 1) to guide them through reading Chapter 15 of The Hope Chest.
  • Review the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart.
  • Remind students to use the following materials: Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and vocabulary logs.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with activating prior knowledge: (Summarizing) Before reading, invite students to summarize Chapter 14 orally in 1 minute or less with a partner, or sketch a drawing of the main theme of Chapter 14 in 1 minute or less. (MMR)

B. Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Summarizing Events in a Chapter (20 minutes)

  • Distribute and display the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Summarizing Events in a Chapter and read aloud the instructions.
  • Answer any clarifying questions.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and remind them specifically of perseverance, because they will be working independently to complete the assessment in this lesson.
  • Invite students to begin. Remind them to refer to:
    • Criteria of an Effective Summary anchor chart
    • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart
  • Circulate to provide support as required.
  • 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 students who may need additional support with strategy development: Invite students to verbally restate the instructions for the mid-unit assessment. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: (Assessment Map) While explaining, display a "map" of the assessment.
  • For ELLs: (Reading Aloud and Monitoring Assessment) Read aloud the entire assessment. Rephrase directions. Monitor to see that students correctly complete the assessment.
  • For ELLs: (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 the themes in The Hope Chest. Encourage them to refer to the Theme anchor charts from previous lessons.
  • For ELLs: (Rephrasing Selected Response) Invite students to rephrase selected response questions--and answer them--before they read each answer choice.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Tracking Progress (10 minutes)

  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their completion of the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment.
  • Distribute Tracking Progress folders, Tracking Progress: Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text: Module 4, and sticky notes.
  • Point out that this Tracking Progress form is different from the other Reading, Understanding, and Explaining New Text forms they have completed throughout the year. Tell students that for this form, they are reflecting on fewer criteria and are considering their progress over the entire school year, not just this particular unit or module.
  • Guide students through completing the recording form. Remind them to use evidence from their work over Modules 1-4 as they reflect.
  • Collect the Language Dive II Practice: The Hope Chest: Relative Pronouns homework from Lesson 6. Refer to Language Dive II Practice: The Hope Chest: Relative Pronouns (answers, for teacher reference).
  • 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: (Orally Paraphrase) Ask students to orally paraphrase the meaning of the Tracking Progress criteria, self-assess, and discuss the evidence with a partner before they begin writing.

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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