Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Comparing and Contrasting Athletes Who Broke Barriers | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G5:M3:U3:L7

Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Comparing and Contrasting Athletes Who Broke Barriers

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.5.3: Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
  • RI.5.7: Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
  • RI.5.9: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
  • RI.5.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
  • RF.5.3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
  • W.5.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
  • W.5.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • W.5.6: With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
  • W.5.7: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
  • W.5.8: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
  • W.5.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
  • L.5.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.5.1e: Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can plan and write an essay comparing and contrasting the factors that contributed to Jackie Robinson's success as a leader of social change and those that contributed to another athlete's success. (RI.5.1, RI.5.3, RI.5.7, RI.5.9, RI.5.10, W.5.2, W.5.4, W.5.5, W.5.6, W.5.7, W.5.8, W.5.10, L.5.1e)
  • I can use correlative conjunctions correctly. (L.5.1e)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Informative Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Athletes Who Broke Barriers (RI.5.1, RI.5.3, RI.5.7, RI.5.9, RI.5.10, W.5.2, W.5.4, W.5.5, W.5.6, W.5.7, W.5.8, W.5.10, L.5.1e)
  • Tracking Progress: Informative Writing (W.2)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Returning End of Unit 2 Assessment (5 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Informative Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Athletes Who Broke Barriers (95 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:

  • Two lessons have been allocated for this assessment to ensure sufficient time for students to read, plan, and write. If these are taught in two separate lessons rather than together as one block, revisit the learning targets and the task at the beginning of the second 1-hour lesson to remind students of the task and purpose.
  • In Work Time A, students complete the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment, in which they read about a new athlete, Janet Guthrie, and write an essay comparing and contrasting the factors of the success of Janet Guthrie as a leader of change with those of Jackie Robinson (RI.5.1, RI.5.9, W.5.2, W.5.4, W.5.6, W.5.7, W.5.8, L.5.1e). Students write their essays using word-processing software. If technology is not available for students to word-process their writing, they can write their essays by hand, but be aware that W.5.6 is assessed in this situation and adjust assessment Materials accordingly.
  • In an optional Part II of the assessment, students complete short answer and multiple choice questions to demonstrate their ability to use correlative conjunctions (L.5.1e). This part of the assessment has been provided to use if student writing in Part I of the assessment isn't satisfactory evidence of correlative conjunctions and you would like further evidence.
  • After the mid-unit assessment, students use the Tracking Progress: Informative Writing recording form to formally keep track of and reflect on their own learning.
  • In these lessons, students focus on working to become effective learners, persevering as they complete their assessments.

How it builds on previous work:

  • In Lessons 2-5, students researched in expert groups in order to plan and write an essay comparing the factors that contributed to the success of Jackie Robinson as a leader of change with those of a chosen athlete. In these lessons, they now do this independently with a new athlete.

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.

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, sample student responses (see Assessment Overview and Resources), and Informative Writing rubric for Grade 5 (see the Tools page) to help complete the student Tracking Progress recording form.
  • In this assessment, students are tracking progress toward anchor standard W.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
  • Consider meeting with individual students and using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Reading Fluency Checklist to gather phonics and word analysis data as students' draft their essays in Work Time A (see the Tools page).
  • Collect the Language Dive Practice: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions homework from Lesson 4. Refer to Language Dive Practice: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions homework (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.

Down the road:

  • In the second half of the unit, students will determine the factors common to many of the athletes they have studied in order to create a presentation highlighting three factors that contribute to the success of leaders of change.

In Advance

  • Provide feedback on students' End of Unit 2 Assessments in preparation for returning them in Opening A.
  • Prepare technology necessary for students to write their essay (one per student).
  • 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 1-2 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.
  • Work Time A: Students will need technology with word-processing software, one per student.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 5.I.B.6, 5.I.C.12, 5.II.A.1, 5.II.A.2, 5.II.A.3, 5.II.A.4, 5.II.A.5, 5.II.C.6, and 5.II.C.7

Important points in the lesson itself:

  • The basic design of these lessons supports ELLs by inviting them to complete assessment tasks similar to the classroom tasks completed in Lessons 1-5.
  • 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 Word Wall, 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 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 from the previous sessions. Similar to Modules 1-2, before administering the assessment, activate their prior knowledge by recalling the learning targets from the previous 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): Continue to support students in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected during the mid-unit assessment.
  • 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 2 Assessment: Writing an Opinion Essay (from Unit 2, Lesson 15; one per student; returned with feedback during Opening A)
  • Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Informative Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Athletes Who Broke Barriers (one per student and one to display)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Informative Writing Checklist (from Lesson 4; one per student)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Correlative Conjunctions handout (from Lesson 4; one per student)
  • Linking Words and Phrases handout (from Module 1)
  • Tracking Progress folders (from Module 1; one per student)
    • Tracking Progress: Informative Writing (one per student)
  • Sticky notes (five per student)
  • Language Dive Practice: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions homework (from Lesson 4; one per student)
  • Language Dive Practice: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions homework (example, for teacher reference)

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.

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Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Returning End of Unit 2 Assessment (5 minutes)

  • Return students' End of Unit 2 Assessments with feedback and follow the same routine established in Modules 1-2 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 posted learning targets and select a volunteer to read them aloud:

"I can plan and write an essay comparing and contrasting the factors that contributed to Jackie Robinson's success as a leader of social change and those that contributed to another athlete's success."

"I can use correlative conjunctions correctly."

  • Remind students they have seen similar learning targets in previous lessons of this unit.
  • Tell students that in this assessment, they will read about a new athlete who was a leader of social change, research to identify the factors that contributed to her success as a leader of change, and then plan and write an essay comparing the factors with those of Jackie Robinson.
  • Generate excitement that students get to read and learn about another athlete.
  • For students who may benefit from visual supports: Provide the opportunity to draw or sketch definitions, act them out, or list synonyms for key terms in learning targets. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension and engagement: (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 3 Assessment: Informative Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Athletes Who Broke Barriers (95 minutes)

  • Distribute and display the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Informative Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Athletes Who Broke Barriers and read aloud the directions.
  • Answer clarifying questions.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and invite them to reread it silently. Tell students to choose a habit to focus on today.
  • Remind them to refer to the following while completing the assessment:
    • Informative Writing Checklist
    • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart
    • Correlative Conjunctions handout
    • Linking Words and Phrases handout
  • Invite students to begin working.
  • 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 the habit(s) from the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart they decided to focus on today.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with planning and strategy development: (Assessment Map) While explaining, display a "map" of the assessment. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For ELLs: (Linking Words and Phrases Chart: Referencing) Invite students to refer to the Linking Words and Phrases chart (See Lesson 1, For lighter support) to select linking words and phrases that signal comparison and contrast to use in their essays.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Tracking Progress (15 minutes)

  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their completion of the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment.
  • Distribute students' Tracking Progress folders, Tracking Progress: Informative Writing, and sticky notes.
  • Tell students the sticky notes are for them to find evidence of the following criteria:
    • W.5.2b
    • W.5.2c
    • W.5.9
  • Guide students through completing the form.
  • Collect the Language Dive Practice: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions homework from Lesson 4. Refer to Language Dive Practice: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions homework (example, 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. (MMAE)

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs
  • Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with writing: (Oral Response) Read aloud, discuss, and respond to your prompt orally, either with a partner, a family member, or a student from Grades 4 or 6, or record an audio response. (MMAE)

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