ela grade 4 - wachusett regional school district grade 4 . english language arts the massachusetts...

E n g l i s h L a n g u a g e A r t sE n g l i s h L a n g u a g e A r t sE n g l i s h L a n g u a g e A r t sE n g l i s h L a n g u a g e A r t s

THE MASSACHUSETTS COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM: 1 Release of Spring 2000, 2001 & 2002 Test Items Rev. 06/03 srm

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

(MCAS)

Release of

2002

Test Items

ELA Grade 4



aaSession 1, Reading Selection #1a1

Bottles are used for many purposes. Read this selection about messages sent in bottles. Use information from the selection to answer the questions that follow.

A Message from the Sea from Drift Bottles in History and Folklore

by Dorothy B. Francis 1 For ages people have tossed message bottles into the sea. Sometimes these bottles are called drift bottles. They also are called drogues. A drogue is another name for a container used at sea. 2 Ancient Greeks learned about water currents by using drift bottles. One Greek writer wrote of using drogues in 300 B.C. He stood on a seawall in Athens. From there, he dropped drift bottles into the water. Each bottle carried a message. The message asked the finder to contact the writer. These bottles helped him learn about the flow of sea currents.

. . . 3 Sometimes people on a sinking ship toss a message into the sea. Their drogue may be a cry for help. Or it may just be an account of the disaster. The victim may want people to know exactly what happened. His message may concern himself, his friends, and his ship. 4 One man aboard the British transport ship Kent wrote of its disaster. Major Duncan MacGregor knew his ship was in big trouble. It was going down. Nothing short of a miracle could save it. He doubted that anyone would survive to tell the tale. 5 He wrote an account of the wreck. Hoping someone would find it, he launched his story sealed in a bottle. Luckily, rescuers reached Major MacGregor. Once he was saved, his message bottle seemed less important. He was able to tell his story in person. 6 Major MacGregor lived in Barbados. He seldom thought of the bottle he had cast into the waves. But nine years after the Kent disaster, a servant approached him. The servant carried a bottle. Inside it was the message the major had tossed into the sea. 7 Believe it or not, the bottle had traveled more than 5,000 miles. It had washed ashore close to the major’s doorstep. The sea takes. And the sea returns. “A Message from the Sea” by Dorothy B. Francis from DRIFT BOTTLES IN HISTORY AND FOLKLORE © 1990 by Ballhoo Books.



1

2

3

4

aaSession 1, Multiple-Choice Questionsan

What did the Greeks learn from the use of drift bottles?

C Art Code 040013I.AR1

A. the height of the tide B. the way the sea level changes C. the times of the tides D. the way the currents flow

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 1: Literature/Learning Standard 8

Major MacGregor threw a bottle into the sea because he wanted A. a miracle to happen. B. his story to be told. C. to check the sea’s currents. D. to mark the disaster’s location.


What is the MAIN reason that it took nine years for Major MacGregor’s bottle to be found by his servant?

A. It had sunk in the water. B. It had traveled 5,000 miles. C. It went down with the ship. D. It was not seen by anyone.


What was so surprising about Major MacGregor’s servant finding his bottle? A. The bottle was full of sand and water. B. The bottle was found near Major MacGregor’s home. C. The message was written in a foreign language. D. The message was missing from the bottle.




5

6

Why was the message in Major MacGregor’s bottle no longer important? A. He lived to tell his own story. B. The bottle was lost at sea. C. His servant found the bottle. D. He forgot about writing the message.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 5: Literature/Learning Standard 13 040013I C

The word Kent is italicized (slanted print) in this selection to show that it is the name of

A. a bottle. B. a book. C. a captain. D. a ship.




7

aaSession 1, Open Response Questionan According to the selection, drogues have two important uses.

Describe ONE use and give information from the selection to support your answer.


aaQuestion 7 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa

Scoring Guide

Score Description

4 Response provides a clear description of one of the uses for a drogue. Relevant information is used to support the answer.

3 Response provides a general description of one of the uses for a drogue. General information is used to support the answer.

2 Response provides a partial description of one of the uses of a drogue. Information supporting the answer is vague or not developed.

1 Response provides a vague description of one of the uses for a drogue.

0 Response is totally incorrect or irrelevant.

Blank No Response.

Score Point 4 ` One use of a drogue is for a cry for help. three reasons why are. If someones ship is going down they could use it as a s.o.s. signal. Or if someone is hurt on your boat you can through one in the water and hope a doctor finds it. Even worse you could be stranded on an island and have someone rescue you. This is why it’s a good idea to through a bottle in the water.



Score Point 3 ` The important thing was the message in the bottle and they found has the current moving. I am going to wright about the message in the bottle. This was a good use because it could send letters across the sea and as I read it could be a cry for help or it could tell other people were they are. It is a good use because it is an other way for a mail man but they could call it the mail-bottle. It is a good use to contact people who are far away. That’s why the message in a bottle is a good use. The end.

Score Point 2 ` Drogues can be used as ways to send for help because a person mite not won’t to die or is trying to get home from were the person was. Score Point 1 ` The one I like is trowing bodies into the sea from a abanded island because if it were the ship it would of sunk by the time somebody got their.

Score Point 0 ` Drogues are used for maybe keeping nice and new. If I had a ship reck and I had to watch in a Drogues it would be nice and clean stain free but the only thing that is bad is I would not get it back.



aaSession 1, Reading Selection #2a2 Often, little brothers and sisters can be very helpful to each other. Read this selection about how Kelly’s little sister helped him with the clam tide. Use information from the selection to answer the questions that follow.

Clam Tide by Kristine L. Franklin

040015L C Art Code 040015L.AR1 1 “Clam tide!” my brother yelled as he leaped out of bed and threw on his clothes. I got up and peeked out the window. The water was so far out that it looked like a shiny silver line beyond the beach. 2 “Can I go?” I asked, stifling a yawn and trying hard to look wide awake. 3 “Naw,” he said. He laced up his old tennis shoes . “It’s hard work, and you’re too little .” The door banged as he rushed out. 4 “Mama-a-a!” I hollered in my loudest, saddest voice . “Kelly won’t take me clam digging.” I started to cry because I was disappointed, but mostly because I was mad at my brother. 5 Soon I was following him down to the tide flats. I had to walk fast, because now my brother was mad at me. He swung the bucket in one hand and held the clam shovel in the other, and I could tell by the way he took giant steps that he wished I was home. But Mom had said I could go. 6 “Hurry up,” he said, without turning around . “The tide won’t stay out all day, you know.” When we got to the edge of the beach, the ground was covered with rocks and smelled like rotten seaweed and dead barnacles. We hiked down the slope toward the water. 7 Beyond the rocky beach the tide flats were muddy. It was the oozy kind of mud that sucks off your shoes if you stand too long in one place. I had a hard time hurrying through that stuff, and so did Kelly. Once, he had to stop and slowly, carefully pull his foot up so he wouldn’t lose a shoe. I giggled at the sound it made coming out. My brother gave me a nasty look. 8 After that his feet kept getting stuck, so he tried tiptoeing across the mud. Next he tried hopping. Then he tried running fast with little tiny steps. I followed him, imitating everything he did. 9 By the time we got to the clam-digging place, we were covered with blobs and splatters and teeny freckles of stinky black mud. My side hurt. I don’t know if it was from running or from too much laughing. 10 Kelly put one foot on the clam shovel and pushed it hard into the mud. “When I bring up a shovelful, your job is to look for clams.” My brother liked to give me jobs. He heaved a huge, dripping pile of muck in front of me. It plopped all over my shoes.



11 I stuck my hands into the mess and began feeling for the hard little clams. “Got one!” I said. I rinsed off my prize in clean salt water. Kelly kept digging and plopping down the piles. 12 Clam by clam, the bucket began to fill. I was choosy about which ones to keep. If they were too big or too little, I tossed them into the shallow water nearby. The big ones splashed my brother. 13 “How many clams is that?” Kelly asked me as he flung down an especially gooey load. 14 “Fifty-three,” I said. There was a rule that each person could only take thirty clams a day, so I was counting them. I felt through the new pile for a few more. 15 Now I was kneeling in three inches of water, separating clams from rocks as fast as I could. “The tide is coming in,” I said. My brother pretended to ignore me, but worked a little faster. His feet and legs were sunk down into the mud, and it made him look short. The water in the hole he had made was getting deeper. 16 “That’s sixty,” I said, tossing the last clam into the bucket. “Thirty for you, thirty for me. Let’s go.” I looked at my big brother and suddenly realized he was scared. Very scared. 17 “I’m stuck,” he said. He was trying to sound brave. 18 “Pull one foot up and then the other.” The water around my own ankles made me nervous. 19 “I already tried it.” He squirmed and tried it again. The more he moved, the deeper he went. 20 “Dig in your shovel, and pull yourself out,” I said. He tried it. The shovel fell over. 21 “It’s too mushy. It won’t work!” He didn’t sound brave anymore. I looked around frantically for firm ground away from the hole and the loose mud. I wished I was big enough to pull him out. I wished it was me stuck in the mud instead of Kelly. 22 A few feet away, the ground wasn’t as gooey. The water came to just above my ankles. I quickly skinned off my jeans and stood there in my bathing suit. 23 “What are you doing? Are you crazy?” Now my brother’s voice sounded funny. He was crying. I threw him the legs of my jeans. 24 “You pull on that end, and I’ll pull on this end.” I took hold of the top end. 25 “You’re not strong enough!” he cried . “I’ll pull you over.” But then he tried. I didn’t fall over. I sank down into the mud. 26 “Keep pulling!” I screamed at him. It took a while, but soon I could see it was working. Kelly was climbing hand over hand, up my jeans and out of his hole, and I was sinking farther into mine. I held on. The water crept up around my hips. 27 “Yahhhh!” Kelly yelled as he pulled free. He scrambled up and got his footing. He took two big splashing steps and stood above me . “It’s OK. Don’t be scared.” 28 My brother grabbed me under the arms and pulled so hard it hurt. For one horrible second, nothing happened. Then the mud let go. 29 He lifted me up and hugged me. He pressed his cheek against mine, and all our tears and dirty freckles smeared together. “Let’s get away from here,” he said. He carried me out of the water and beyond the reach of the tide. 30 Kelly put me down gently and started across the flats. This time I didn’t walk behind him, and we didn’t hurry. The bucket, the clams, the shovel, my old blue jeans—all were lost and forgotten. 31 We didn’t talk much on the way home, but we squeezed hands a couple of times and grinned a lot. Whenever one of our feet got stuck in the mud, we laughed together at the funny sound it made coming out. Copyright © 1991 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio



8

9

10

11

12

aSession 1, Multiple-Choice Questionsan

Why did Kelly not want his sister to go clamming with him?

A. He would have to share his clams with her. B. He thought she would tell where he dug his clams. C. He was afraid that she would get hurt. D. He thought she was too little and could not help.


Reread paragraph 7. Which word BEST describes the “tide flats”?

A. grassy B. steep C. slippery D. gooey


According to this selection, why was the little sister “choosy” about the clams?

A. She wanted only the big clams. B. She could only carry one bucket at a time. C. Many of the clams were dirty. D. There was a limit on the number they could keep.


The author describes the mud on the children as

A. freckles. B. muck. C. barnacles. D. seaweed.


According to this selection, why did Kelly get stuck in the mud?

A. He dug too many clams. B. He fell into a clam hole. C. The bucket weighed too much. D. The tide was coming in.




13

14

15

Other words for a clam tide are

A. high tide. B. low tide. C. rip tide. D. red tide.


You MIGHT find another selection like “Clam Tide” in a book of

A. tall tales. B. fairy tales. C. ancient myths. D. realistic fiction.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 14: Literature/Learning Standard 10 Read the sentence in the box below.

aaThe water came to just above my ankles.aaaa The SUBJECT of this sentence is

A. water. B. came. C. above. D. ankles.




16

aaSession 1, Open Response Questionan

Kelly’s feelings toward his sister changed at the end of this story.

Describe how they changed and tell why. Use specific details from the selection in your answer.



Scoring Guide

Score Description

4 Response provides a full explanation of why and how Kelly’s feelings changed toward his sister. Specific details from the selection are included to support the explanation..

3 Response provides an explanation of why and how Kelly’s feelings changed toward his sister. Details from the selection are included to support the explanation.

2 Response provides a partial explanation of how or why Kelly’s relationship changed toward his sister. Limited details from the selection are included in the answer.

1 Response provides a vague statement about Kelly and his sister.


Blank No Response.

Score Point 4 ` Kelly’s feelings toward his sister changed a the end of this story because his sister saved him from sinking in the sand at the beach. In the beginning of the story, Kelly did not want his little sister to tag along with him to the beach. But after Kelly’s mother said it was okay Kelly had no choice but to take his sister clamdigging with him. At first, Kelly was mad at his sister for tagging along. When they got to the beach, they both started clam hunting. After they were done collecting clams they were about to leave the beach when Kelly realized he was stuck in the sand. His sister rescued him by using her jeans for Kelly to hold on to. On the walk home, Kelly was glad that his sister tagged along and that’s how his feelings changed.



Score Point 3 ` At first Kelly thought his sister was annoying because he didn’t want her to com to help dig for clams at the beach. He thought it would be too hard for her to help. In the end though he learned a lesson because he was stuck in a mud pit and she helped him get out. He was happy that she had helped him.

Score Point 2 ` Kelly’s feelings changed at the end of the story because his little sister had saved him from getting stuck in the clam tide and dying. I don’t think Kelly felt this way at the beginning. He just thought his sister wouldn’t do him any good but when the story was ending, I think then he realized how helpful his little sister was and was thankful for what she had done for him.

Score Point 1 ` Kelly’s feeling changed because his sister saved him from the high tide. Kelly could have died but he didn’t because his sister saved him.

Score Point 0 ` Because he thougth she could not do the hard work but she did it anyway and that surprised him alot.



Session 2, Reading Selection #1a2 Read this selection to find out what happens to Alice when she follows the rabbit and falls down a hole in the ground. Use information from the selection to answer the questions that follow.

Down the Rabbit-hole from Alice in Wonderland

by Lewis Carroll

040017L C Art Code 040017L.AR1 1 Alice was getting very tired of sitting next to her sister on the bank, with nothing to do. She had looked at her sister’s book, but it had no pictures in it. Alice did not see the point of a book without pictures. 2 Alice was beginning to wonder whether she should make a daisy-chain, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. There was nothing strange about that, and Alice was not even very surprised when she heard the Rabbit say to itself, “Oh dear! I shall be so late!” But when the Rabbit took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, Alice jumped to her feet and ran across the field after it. She was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole. Alice followed it never giving a thought as to how she would get out again. 3 The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel. Suddenly, Alice found herself falling down what seemed to be a very large hole. Either the hole was very deep or she was falling very slowly, for she had plenty of time to look around her as she fell. 4 At first, she tried to look down but it was too dark to see anything. Then she looked at the sides, and noticed they were filled with cupboards and bookshelves. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed. It was labelled “ORANGE MARMALADE” but it was empty. She put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past. 5 Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end? “I wonder how many miles I have fallen?” said Alice to herself. “I must be near the centre of the earth by now. I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth!” 6 Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so Alice started to talk again. “Dinah will miss me very much tonight.” (Dinah was her cat.) “I hope they give her a saucer of milk at dinner-time.” Alice started to get very sleepy. She felt that she was dozing off, and had just began to dream that she was walking hand in hand with Dinah, when suddenly, thump! Thump! Thump! Down she came upon a heap of dry sticks and leaves. The fall was over. 7 Alice was not hurt, she jumped to her feet and looked up to see how far she had actually fallen but it was too dark to see anything. In front of her was another long passage. The White Rabbit was hurrying down it. Quickly Alice followed. She heard the Rabbit say as it turned a corner, “Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it is getting!” Alice was close behind as she turned the corner, but the Rabbit had disappeared. She found herself in a long, low hall. There were doors all round the hall, but they were all locked and when Alice had been all the way down one side and up the other trying every door, she walked sadly down the middle wondering how she was ever going to get out again. 8 Suddenly she came across a three-legged table, made of glass. The only thing on the table was a tiny golden key. "Down the Rabbit-hole" from ALICE IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll. In the public domain.



21

22

23

24

aSession 2, Multiple-Choice Questionsan

At the beginning of this selection, Alice is in a

A. hall. B. tunnel. C. cupboard. D. field.


Alice PROBABLY followed the rabbit because it

A. could talk. B. had pink eyes. C. was late. D. had a watch.


In paragraphs 5 and 6, the author keeps repeating the word down in order to

A. make the story longer. B. show Alice had a long fall. C. make the lines rhyme. D. keep the reader’s interest.


According to this selection, why did Alice think she was near “the center of the earth”?

A. It was hot in the rabbit-hole. B. All she could see was dirt. C. She had fallen a long way. D. The hole was filled with cupboards.




25

26

27

Alice was getting very tired of sitting next to her sister on the bank, with nothing to do.

In the sentence above, the word bank is used as

A. a noun. B. an adjective. C. a verb. D. an adverb.


Use the dictionary entry to select the meaning of the word pop in the sentence below. pop (pop) v. 1. to make a sudden, explosive sound; 2. to go or come suddenly; 3. to shoot at something; 4. to bulge from the socket.

“She was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole.”

A. definition 1 B. definition 2 C. definition 3 D. definition 4


This selection is an example of a

A. biography. B. fantasy. C. myth. D. tall tale.




28

aaSession 2, Open Response Questionan Describe what Alice saw, heard, and felt when she fell down the rabbit- hole. Use specific information from the selection to support your answer.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 28: Literature/Learning Standard 12 aaQuestion 28 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa

Scoring Guide

Score Description

4 Response provides a full description of what Alice saw, heard, and felt when she fell down the rabbit-hole. Specific details from the selection are included in the response.

3 Response provides a general description of what Alice saw, heard, and felt when she fell down the rabbit-hole. Details from the selection are included in the response.

2 Response provides a limited description of what Alice saw, heard, and felt when she fell down the rabbit-hole. Details are vague or missing in describing what Alice saw, heard, or felt.

1 Response provides a vague statement about Alice falling down the rabbit-hole.


Blank No Response.

Score Point 4 ` When Alice fell down the rabbit-hole it was very dark. She first saw cupboards and bookshelves which had a jar of marmalade on it. When Alice picked up the jar she noticed it was empty. She also saw doors, a three legged table and a golden key. While she was falling she heard a rabbit talking. It was saying “Oh dear, On my ears and whiskers, How late it is getting!” Alice felt worried about her cat, Dinah, she wondered if anyone would give her a mild saucer for dinner. Alice saw, heard and felt these things when she fell down the rabbit-hole.



Score Point 3 ` Alice saw a bunch of cupboards when she fell down the rabbit hole. Alice heard the rabbit talking. Alice felt scared and exicted to fall down a long long rabbit hole.

Score Point 2 ` Alice felt many things. She felt a little scared. She felt worried about her cat. She also thought, “when will this fall end! She also saw many cupboards and shelves. That’s what she saw and felt.

Score Point 1 ` She felt really scared.

Score Point 0 ` She probably felt worms, dirt, and, air because worms live in the dirt and felt dirt because she has been touching dirt.



aaSession 3, Reading Selection #1a2 You have seen birds use their wings to fly. Do you know what else they use? Read the article below. Use information from the article to answer the questions that follow.

Feet for Flight by Michael L. May

1 Birds fly with their wings, right? But did you know that many birds also use their feet to fly? Some birds need them for takeoffs and landings. Other birds use their feet to control flight speed or body temperature. 2 In order for the American coot to get off the ground, it must make a running start across the water. Other birds, such as the mallard duck, can jump right out of the water and into flight. But coots are too heavy and need to build up speed. Like an airplane rolling down the runway, a coot runs across the surface of the water until it reaches flight speed, then lifts off and flaps away. 3 Being airborne doesn’t mean that the footwork is over. Some birds use their feet to slow down in flight. Now, it might seem that a bird could just stop flapping its wings and reduce speed. But it’s not that simple. If you stop pedaling your bicycle when you’re going downhill, you’ll eventually slow down when you reach the bottom. But you still need brakes. Without brakes, flying birds and speeding bicycles can’t stop fast enough.

4 One bird that uses its feet as air brakes is the graylag goose. When this bird comes in for a landing, it dangles its feet like small parachutes. The rushing air pushes against the broad, webbed feet and slows the goose down, allowing it to make a smooth landing in the water. 5 For some birds, even air brakes are not enough. Mute swans extend their webbed feet forward when landing. When their feet hit the water, the swans ski across the surface until they gradually slow and plop safely into the pond or lake. 6 Flying is a tough business that requires lots of energy. Because birds work hard when they fly, they get hot. And if they can’t cool down, they overheat like a car on a hot summer day. During flight, hot blood flows

to the bird’s body, much as a radiator cools a car engine. Pigeons can release over half of their extra heat through their feet. Herring gulls rely on their feet to remove 80 percent of the heat generated by flight. 7 So bird flight is more than just feathers and wings. It’s feet, too. Whether taking off or landing, reducing speed or body temperature, birds depend on their feet for flight. © Michael L. May



29

30

31

32

aaSession 3, Multiple-Choice Questionsan

Read the question in the box below. Birds fly with their wings, right?

The author PROBABLY begins the article with the question in the box above

A. because he wants an answer. B. because it is about birds. C. to state the main idea. D. to gain the reader’s attention.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for item 29: Literature/Learning Standard 13

According to the article, bird feet can be used like A. brakes. B. car engines. C. wings. D. airport runways.


In paragraph 4, the author writes, “it dangles its feet like small parachutes.” This is an example of a

A. synonym. B. simile. C. summary. D. subject.


According to the article, how are the American coot, the graylag goose, and the mute swan similar?

A. the way they take off B. their weight and size C. they use their feet for flight D. the way they land in water




33

34

35

The author compares a bird’s feet during flight to a car’s A. bumper. B. radiator. C. trunk. D. hood.


The last sentence in the article is important because it

A. summarizes the main points of the article. B. asks questions to be answered in the next selection. C. gives new information about feathers and wings. D. tells you what to do about bird’s feathers.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for item 34: Literature/Learning Standard 13 C

Read the sentence in the box below. Herring gulls rely on their feet to remove 80 percent of the heat generated by flight.

In the sentence in the box above, the word generated means A. caused. B. used. C. stopped. D. allowed.




36


Describe THREE ways that birds use their feet in flight. Use information from the article to support your answer.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for item 36: Literature/Learning Standard 8 aaQuestion 36 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa

Scoring Guide

Score Description

4 Response provides a full explanation of three ways that birds use their feet in flight. Relevant information from the article is used to support the explanation.

3 Response provides an explanation of three ways that birds use their feet in flight. Information is included from the selection but some is weak or underdeveloped.

2 Response provides a limited explanation of three ways that birds use their feet in flight. Two ways are explained with information from the selection included to support the explanation.

1 Response provides a minimal explanation of one way a bird uses its feet in flight.


Blank No Response.

Score Point 4 ` Here are three way birds use feet in flight. First they use their feet like brakes one example is the graylag goose it dangles its feet like a parachute before landing. Another way is they use feet for take off the American coot runs along the water before taking off. The last thing is they we their feet like radiators the herring gulls rely on their feet to remove 80 percent of the heat gained during flight. That was three way birds use their feet in flight.

Score Point 3 `

1. Some birds use their feet to get a running start and to gain speed. 2. Some birds use their feet as air brakes. 3. Some birds use their feet to slow down in flight.



Score Point 2 ` Birds use their feet in flight so they can slow down, run for a take of before they fly, and they use their feet to control flight speed or body temperature.

Score Point 1 ` Coot’s run across the water to take off. The gray lag goose take off by jumping. The pigeons jump to fly.

Score Point 0 ` Birds use their feets to eat to stand and drink water. They only stand in there feet to do touse thing also wen ther taead and they want to see things and that’s why birds stand in their feets But they don’t walk they fly. The End.




(MCAS)

Release of

2001

Test Items

ELA Grade 4




Read this selection about a girl who forgot something important on the school bus and is faced with a big problem. Answer the questions that follow.

38

The Skirt by Gary Soto

After stepping off the bus, Miata Ramirez turned around and gasped, “Ay!” The school bus lurched, coughed a puff of stinky exhaust, and made a wide turn at the corner. The driver strained as he worked the steering wheel like the horns of a bull. Miata yelled for the driver to stop. She started running after the bus. Her hair whipped against her shoulders. A large book bag tugged at her arm with each running step, and bead earrings jingled as they banged against her neck. “My skirt!” she cried loudly. “Stop!” She had forgotten her folklórico skirt. It was still on the bus. • • • “Please stop!” Miata yelled as she ran after the bus. Her legs kicked high and her lungs burned from exhaustion. She needed that skirt. On Sunday after church she was going to dance folklórico. Her troupe had practiced for three months. If she was the only girl without a costume, her parents would wear sunglasses out of embarrassment. Miata didn’t want that. The skirt had belonged to her mother when she was a child in Hermosillo, Mexico. What is Mom going to think? Miata asked herself. Her mother was always scolding Miata for losing things. She lost combs, sweaters, books, lunch money, and homework. One time she even lost her shoes at school. She had left them on the baseball field where she had raced against two boys. When she returned to get them, the shoes were gone. Worse, she had taken her skirt to school to show off. She wanted her friends to see it. The skirt was old, but a rainbow of shiny ribbons still made it pretty. She put it on during lunchtime and danced for some of her friends. Even a teacher stopped to watch. What am I going to do now? Miata asked herself. She slowed to a walk. Her hair had come undone. She felt hot and sticky.



She could hear the bus stopping around the corner. Miata thought of running through a neighbor’s yard. But that would only get her in trouble. “Oh, man,” Miata said under her breath. She felt like throwing herself on the ground and crying. But she knew that would only make things worse. Her mother would ask, “Why do you get so dirty all the time?”

• • • What am I going to do now? she asked herself. She prayed that Ana [her friend] would find the skirt on the bus. She’s got to see it, Miata thought. It’s right there. Just look, Ana. As Miata rounded the corner onto her block she saw her brother, Little Joe, and his friend Alex. They were walking with cans smashed onto the heels of their shoes, laughing and pushing each other. Their mouths were fat with gum. Little Joe waved a dirty hand at Miata. Miata waved back and tried to smile.

• • • If Ana doesn’t pick up the skirt, she thought, I’ll have to dance in a regular skirt. It was Friday, late afternoon. It looked like a long weekend of worry. From THE SKIRT by Gary Soto. Illustrated by Eric Velasquez, copyright © 1992 by Gary Soto. Illustrations © 1992 by Eric Velasquez. Used by permission of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.



2

3

4

5

aSession 1, Multiple-Choice Questionsn

In the first paragraph, the author states that the driver “. . . worked the steering wheel like the horns of a bull.” This is an example of

A. a synonym. B. a simile. C. dialect. D. slang.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for item 2: /Literature/Learning Standard 15

C

The word folklórico comes from A. classical music. B. New England dialect. C. a language other than English. D. standard American English.


C

Why did Miata take the skirt to school? A. She was proud of it. B. She was in a class play. C. It was her day for “Show and Tell.” D. Ana wanted to borrow it.


From this selection, we can tell that Miata is A. tall. B. forgetful. C. smart. D. funny.




6


The selection ends with the statement, “It looked like a long weekend of worry.” Explain this statement, using specific information from the selection in

your answer. Reporting Category/Learning Standard for item 6: /Literature/Learning Standard 12

aaQuestion 6 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa Scoring Guide

Score Description

4 Response demonstrates full comprehension of the selection and the ability to use the text to predict future events. Specific, relevant information from the selection is included in the response.

3 Response demonstrates a general understanding of the selection and the ability to use the text to predict some possible future events. Relevant general information from the selection is included.

2 Response demonstrates a limited understanding of the selection with a minimal ability to use the text to make predictions about future events. Support from the selection in minimal, vague, or partially incorrect.

1 Response demonstrates a minimal understanding of the selection. No support from the selection is included.


Blank No response. View Sample Student Work at Each Score Point

Score Point 4 `

The statement “It looked like a long weekend of worry” was used because of a guilty conshense. Miata was worried her mom would find out and get mad. On Sunday she would not have a folklorico to wear. Miata felt gilty because it was her mom’s skirt and it was very old. Miata kept worrying about it and it wouldn’t leave her mind. She was scared her parents would wear sunglasses because of embarrassment and Miata didn’t want that. Miata was going to be the only one without a costume. This is why Miata was going to have a long weekend of worry.



Score Point 3 ` When it said “It looked like a long weekend of worry” meant that if her friend didn’t find the skirt she would have to worry about it all weekend. And she would have to dance in a regular skirt on Sunday. She would be the only girl with out a costume. And her troop for 3 months and she woulden’t have a costume.

Score Point 2 ` Because she is depending on Ana to see it and she worried “What if Ana doesn’t see it”? like when it saids “she prayed. Ana would find the skirt on the bus.” She really wants her to find it.

Score Point 1 ` She would spend her weekend worrying about the skirt.

Score Point 0 ` I think that it was a long weekend for Ana because she have to go to school but she did not go to school because the bus go to school.




Read the selections about bicycles and answer the questions that follow.

Michael Built a Bicycle by Jack Prelutsk

Students read a passage titled “Michael Built a Bicycle” and then answered

questions 7 through 15.

Due to copyright restrictions, the passage cannot be released to the public in this document.

Reading Passage:

TEXT COPYRIGHT © 1984 by JACK PRELUTSKY Used by permission of Harper Collins Publishers.



Are you well prepared to be a safe bicycle rider? Read these rules to see.

Bicycle Rules of the Road

• Know and follow all the bicycle rules for riding in your city or town. • Put front and rear reflectors and pedal reflectors on your bike. • Wear a helmet to protect your head. • Always use hand signals for slowing down, stopping, or turning. • Keep both hands on the handlebars except when giving hand signals. • Ride on the right side of the road with the flow of traffic. • When riding with others, always ride single file. • Watch out for people walking. • Watch out for cars pulling into traffic. • Watch out for car doors being opened suddenly. • Slow down before crossing streets. • Walk your bike across busy street crossings. • Do not carry other people on your bike. • Never stunt ride or show off. • Always lock your bike when not in use.

“Bicycle Rules of the Road” from A SOFT PILLOW FOR AN ARMADILLO in HEATH READING by Alvermann, et al. Copyright © 1989 by D.C. Heath & Company. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 040049I C Art Code 040049I.AR1, 040049I.AR1D



7

8

9

10

11


The selection “Bicycle Rules of the Road” can best be classified as A. informational writing. B. diary writing. C. poetic writing. D. descriptive writing.


Which behavior breaks the “Bicycle Rules of the Road”? A. signaling when you turn left B. wearing gloves in cold weather C. riding single file on back roads D. sharing your seat while you pedal


According to the diagram, the sprocket is on the A. handlebars. B. front wheel. C. back wheel. D. pedals.


In the diagram, the saddle is another word for the

A. brake. B. seat. C. gears. D. handlebars.


As used in the diagram, the word spoke is a A. noun. B. verb. C. adjective. D. pronoun.




12

13

14

In the third stanza of the poem, “Michael Built a Bicycle,” the word bumbershoot most likely means

A. a door. B. an axle. C. an umbrella. D. a curtain.


Why is the first word in each stanza of the poem capitalized?

A. They are proper nouns. B. Each begins a sentence. C. A section of the poem ends. D. A rhyme pattern begins.


Michael’s bicycle is described as unsuitable for speed. This means that the

bicycle is

A. under the speed. B. not made for speed. C. likely to speed. D. built to speed.




15


Explain why Michael’s bicycle would be unsuitable for speed. Use THREE details from the selections to support your explanation.


aaQuestion 15 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa Scoring Guide

Score Description

4

Response fully explains why Michael's bicycle would be unsuitable for speed. Response makes a connection between the number of accessories and the lack of parts to the bicycle's unsuitability for speed. 3 relevant details are included to support the explanation.

3

Response generally explains why Michael's bicycle would be unsuitable for speed. Response makes a connection between the number of accessories and the lack of parts to the bicycle's unsuitability for speed. 3 details from the selection are included but only 2 support the explanation.

2 Response explains bicycle's unsuitability for speed using EITHER what is lacking OR the unnecessary accessories. Relevant details are included to support the explanation.

1

Response provides a general statement about either what is missing or what is unnecessary. OR Response lists details from the selection.


Blank No response.

Score Point 4 ` Michael’s bike would be unsuitable for speed because there is not any place to put his feet to make the speed and to make the bike go. Michael’s feet have no room to put his feet there to make speed as I already said. Another thing is that he can’t even ride his bike because there isn’t any seat for him and if he can’t ride his bike then how can he put speed in his bike. There will be no speed in the bike because it will be heavy to pull the bike and so if it is to heavy to ride there won’t be any speed. So those are three details why it would be unsuitable for speed.



Score Point 3 ` I think Michael’s bicycle didn’t work because he put to much stuff on it and it couldn’t take so much weight. And there wasn’t enough seat for him to sit on and there was no peddels for him to pedal, with and he put a desk so I think it would be hard to ride it.

Score Point 2 `

I think her bike is unsuitable for speed because it has a desk for typing letters, Michael left no room pedals, and theres no seat.

Score Point 1 ` I think it is not build for speed because It unsuitable for speed. all bicycles are not made for Also you would ruin your brakes.

Score Point 0 ` It will go slow. If it had no speed it will go really slow.




Read this selection about a valuable plant then answer the questions that follow.

COTTONCOTTONCOTTONCOTTON from Unraveling Fibers

by Patricia A. Keeler and Francis X. McCall, Jr.

Students read a passage titled “COTTON” and then answered



Reading Passage:

Reprinted with the permission of Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division from UNRAVELING FIBERS by Patricia A. Keeler and Francis X. McCall, Jr. Text copyright © 1995 Patricia A. Keeler and Francis X. McCall, Jr.



20

21

22

23

24


040034I C Art Code 040034I.AR1, 040034I.AR2, 040034I.AR3, 040034I.AR4, 040034I.AR5, 040034I.AR1D, 040034I.AR2D

The MAIN purpose of this selection is to A. convince the reader to buy cotton products. B. describe the beauty of the cotton plant and its blossoms. C. describe the cotton picker and cotton gin. D. tell the reader how cotton is grown and harvested.


In the sentence, “When a cotton plant is about two months old, it begins to bloom,” the pronoun it replaces the word

A. boll. B. plant. C. months. D. bloom.


Cotton fibers form around the

A. bolls. B. pink flowers. C. stem of the plants. D. cottonseeds.


Farmers know that it is time to pick cotton when it

A. turns pink. B. dries and fluffs out. C. forms a boll. D. falls off the plant.


Cotton is harvested in the

A. fall. B. winter. C. spring. D. summer.




25

26

27

The MAIN purpose of the pictures in this selection is to

A. illustrate how cotton is planted. B. display the beauty of the cotton plant. C. show the stages of growth of cotton. D. demonstrate how cotton is picked.


What does the cotton gin do?

A. It rinses the cotton clean. B. It picks the cotton. C. It separates fibers from seeds. D. It bales the cotton.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item : Literature/Learning Standard

The many twists in the cotton fiber makes cotton

A. expensive. B. warm. C. stretchy. D. scratchy.




28


In your own words, explain how cotton grows from seed to harvest. Use specific information from the selection in your answer.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 28: Literature/Learning Standard 13 aaQuestion 28 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa Scoring Guide

Score Description

4 Response demonstrates a clear, literal understanding of informational text and identifies, sequences, and summarizes main events. Specific, relevant information from the selection is included.

3 Response demonstrates an appropriate, literal understanding of informational text and identifies, sequences, and summarizes main events. General support from the selection is included.

2 Response demonstrates a partial understanding of the text. There is limited support from the selection.

1 Response demonstrates a vague understanding of the text. There is no support from the selection.


Blank No response.

Score Point 4 ` The way cotton is grown is first farmers plant it in the spring. Two months later the cotton seeds begins to bloom and the farmer pick it. The color of it at first is creamy white. Then the flower turns pink, and then red. Three days after it turns red it dies and turns brown. Out of the tip of the brown flower comes a green boll which is a seedpod. Several months later it grows to the size of a Ping-Pong boll and inside the boll moist cotton fibers form around the cotton seeds. The beginning of fall the cotton seeds are four feet tall and most of the brown bolls have popped open and have cotton inside them which begins to fluff out and dry up. Then the farmers cut the cotton taking a long time. Next the cotton gin pulls the cotton fibers away from the seeds. Finaly the cotton is dried bundled and sent off to be used!



Score Point 3 ` There are a lot of steps a cotten flower has to do before it grows cotton. Every flower on a plant is very white. After a little wile the flower is pink, the red. After three days the plant dies, then the flower is pushed on a nothe green cotton ball. After some months it grows to the size of a ping pong ball. In the fall the plant is four feet. Some of the bolls show their cotton. The cotten begins to drie up and fluff. It is to start harvest.

Score Point 2 ` In the spring the farmer must plant the cotton seeds. Then they wiat a kouple of weeks for them to bloom. First they bloom into nice pink flowers then to red. After red it dies and the cotten is ready to be harvested.

Score Point 1 ` First it is a seed. Then when it is two months it starts to bloom. Finally it dies and then turns into a new, green cotton boll.

Score Point 0 ` a. One reason is because it costs less to harvest cotton fibers then most other fibers used to make cloth




The introduction below is told by a man called Uncle Karl who lived at the same time as Beethoven. The letters that follow were exchanged between Uncle Karl and his nephew, Christoph. Read the introduction and the letters and answer the questions that follow.

From

Beethoven Lives Upstairs by Barbara Nichol

Students read a passage titled “Beethoven Lives Upstairs” and then answered



Reading Passage:

From BEETHOVEN LIVES UPSTAIRS by Barbara Nichol, illustrated by Scott Cameron. Text copyright © 1993 by Classical Productions for Children Limited. Reprinted by permission of Orchard Books, New York. All rights reserved.



29

30

31

32


What part of speech is the word flooded in the phrase “. . . the people of Vienna flooded into the streets”?

A. noun B. verb C. preposition D. adjective


Why is Ludwig van Beethoven still famous more than 150 years after his death?

A. He was a great church man. B. Many people still read his books. C. He was a great composer. D. Christoph wrote letters about him.


In the introduction, we learn that nine priests blessed Beethoven’s coffin. This helps the reader conclude that Beethoven was

A. old. B. clever. C. deaf. D. important.


Christoph’s uncle said he was surprised that his nephew had written to him. Why did Christoph write to his uncle?

A. Christoph wanted to help his uncle. B. He wanted his uncle’s help. C. He did not have any friends. D. Bonn was his favorite city.




33

34

35

36

Which term best describes the TONE of Christoph’s letter to his uncle?

A. humorous B. serious C. sarcastic D. cheerful


In Christoph’s letter, the words “Dear Uncle” are the part of a letter called A. the body. B. the greeting. C. the heading. D. the closing.


The phrase “dreadful noise” is found in the third paragraph of Christoph’s letter. What does the word dreadful mean?

A. hopeful B. careful C. awful D. helpful


According to Uncle Karl, what accounts for Beethoven’s strange behavior? A. The twins cry all day. B. He misses Bonn, his hometown. C. The weather bothers him. D. He is working on a symphony.




37


Describe what the reader can learn about Ludwig van Beethoven from Uncle Karl’s introduction and the letters. Use THREE details from the introduction and the letters in your answer.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 37: Literature/Learning Standard 12 aaQuestion 37 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa Scoring Guide

Score Description

4 Response provides a full description of what the reader can learn about Beethoven from Uncle Karl's introduction and the letters. 3 relevant details from the introduction and letters are included to support the description.

3 Response provides an explanation of what the reader can learn about Beethoven from Uncle Karl's introduction and the letters. 2 relevant details from the selection are included to support the description.

2 Response provides a limited description of what the reader can learn about Beethoven. 1 relevant detail from the letters or the introduction is included.

1 Response provides a vague statement about Beethoven.


Blank No response. View Sample Student Work at Each Score Point

Score Point 4 ` 1. Beethoven was a very famous composer. People flooded the streets to pay respects to his death. Also, he was very important, because three priests came to bless his coffin. Ludwig was also deaf. He always wakes up the twins by stomping his feet. But it isn’t his fault, he can’t hear what he is doing.

Score Point 3 `

1. Beethoven was a great composer. 2. On Thursday March 29 1827 the people of Vienna flooded into the street. 3. Beethoven was deaf.



Score Point 2 ` I learn that Ludwig van Beethoven die and still famous and uncle karl want to know about Beethoven and the letter about Beethoven.

Score Point 1 ` I can learn that he is dead. They used to write letters to each other.

Score Point 0 ` He could learn to be more softer when he is walking, and to listen more to people, he could be more cleaner and more helpful.




(MCAS)

Release of

2000

Test Items

ELA Grade 4



1111

2222

3333

4444

5555


There are many ways that dogs show that they are our friends. Read the selection below and answer the questions that follow.

From:

Dogs Giving a Hand by Catherine O’Neill

As traffic comes to a halt at a busy intersection, a Labrador

retriever steps off the curb. The dog walks confidently to the other of the street. His owner, a blind college student, walks side just behind him, holding on to the handle of the dog’s leather harness.

For the student, owning a well-trained dog guide means freedom and independence. The student can go to and from class without depending on anyone else for help.

Working in partnership with a dog guide, a blind person can go almost anywhere a sighted person can. Together, dog and owner walk up and down stairs. They board subways and buses. They go to restaurants. The dog acts as the blind person’s eyes, guiding its owner safely wherever they go.

Dog guides for the blind are probably the most familiar of the service dogs. But did you know that dogs also act as ears for the deaf? Hearing dogs learn to notice such important sounds as those made by alarm clocks, doorbells, smoke detectors, sirens, and crying babies. They alert their owners to a noise, and let them know where the sound is coming from. Dogs can be helpful partners for physically disabled people, too. At Canine Companions for Independence, in Santa Rosa, California, dogs learn to respond to 89 commands. These dogs can push elevator buttons with their paws and pull wheelchairs up steep walkways. They carry their owners’ belongings in special dogpacks, open and close doors, turn on lights, and even pay for purchases. For some disabled children, having a canine companion gives them the chance to go places they’ve never gone before. The dogs often enable adults to take jobs and live on their own for the first time.

At some hospitals and nursing homes, dog visitors actually help improve the physical as well as the mental health of patients. Researchers have discovered that stroking an animal lowers a person’s blood pressure. Because high blood pressure can lead to many illnesses, including heart disease, petting a dog can be good medicine. Some experts think that touching an animal may release chemicals in the human brain that make people relax and feel good. Some nursing homes allow elderly residents to keep their own pets. In others, volunteers bring trained “therapy dogs” to visit on a regular basis. Some of these dogs have worked wonders. The elderly people look forward to the dogs’ visits. One 90-year-old woman had stopped caring about life. She just stayed in bed. But once dogs became frequent visitors, she was always up and dressed, eager to greet them.



6

7

8

9

aSession 1, Multiple-Choice Questionsn The MAIN idea of this selection is that dogs assist people with disabilities by helping them

A. with noises. B. cross the street. C. be more careful. D. be more independent.


In the sentence “The dogs often enable adults to take jobs . . . ,” the BEST meaning for the word enable is

A. stop. B. help. C. follow. D. like.


The purpose of this selection is to

A. give you information about dogs. B. convince you to like dogs. C. encourage you to buy a dog. D. warn you about dangerous dogs.


According to this selection, petting dogs can help people

A. feel better. B. notice sounds. C. cross the street. D. go many places.




10


a. Explain how dogs help people with disabilities. b. Explain how dogs help patients in hospitals or people in nursing homes.

Use specific information from the selection in your explanation. Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 10: Literature/Learning Standard 9 aaQuestion 10 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa

Score Description

4 The response demonstrates a thorough comprehension of how dogs help people, using specific support from the selection.

3 The response demonstrates adequate comprehension of how dogs help people, using general support from the selection.

2 The response demonstrates partial comprehension of how dogs help people, using limited or partially incorrect support from the selection.

1 The response demonstrates a vague understanding of how dogs help different people, using no support from the selection.

0 The response is totally incorrect or irrelevant.

Blank No response.

Score Point 4 `

Dogs can help people with disabilities because when they come to a busy street the dog waits, just like a person would if they were going to crose a street. The dog walks across the street to the other side with his owner right behind him holding on to the handle of the dog’s leather harness. They can also respond to 89 commands. These dogs can push elevator buttons with their paws and pull wheelchairs up steep walkways. They carry special dogpacks, open and close doors, turn on lights, and even pay for purchases.

At hospitals and nursing homes, dog visitors help improve the physical health of patients. It also lowers their blood pressure because stroking animals helps lower their blood pressure. Some experts say that touching an animal may release chemicals in the human brain that make people relax and feel good.



Score Point 3 `

A. Dogs help people with disabilities by being a set of ears and eyes. Dogs can be a set of ears by using their ears, because their owner could be deff. Dogs can be a set of eyes by using their eyes, because their owner might be blind.

B. Dogs help pacients in hospitals and people in nursing homes by having the people pet them to bring down their blood preshure. Also by greeting them and helping them. For instenss there was a 90-year-old women who stopped caring about life. All she did was stay in bed. But once dogs became frequient visitors, she was always up and dressed, eager to greet the dogs.

Score Point 2 ` One way dogs can help the handicapped by opening doors, pushing elevator buttons, and bring them from place to place. The last way is dogs can help the physically disabled is help them croos streets, help them with noises, and help them getting on a boat, or getting in cars.

Score Point 1 ` Dogs can help handicap with there eyes so they don’t walk into stuff like cars or doors!

Score Point 0 ` No response.




“The Golden Touch” is a famous Greek story about a very rich king in ancient Turkey who could think of nothing but gold. Read the selection below and answer the questions that follow.

The Golden Touch Adapted from the story by Nathaniel Hawthorne

1 Once upon a time there lived a very rich king whose name was Midas. He had more gold than anyone in the

whole world, but for all that, he thought it was not enough. He was never so happy as when he happened to get more gold to add to his treasure. He stored it away in great vaults underneath his palace, and many hours of each day were spent counting it over.

2 Now King Midas had a little daughter named Marygold. He loved her devotedly, and said: “She shall be the richest princess in all the world!” But little Marygold cared nothing about it all. She loved her garden, her flowers, and the golden sunshine more than all her father’s riches. She was a lonely little girl most of the time, for her father was so busy planning new ways to get more gold, and counting what he had, that he seldom told her stories or went for walks with her, as all fathers should do.

3 One day King Midas was down in his treasure room. He had locked the heavy doors and had opened up his great chests of gold. He piled it on the table and handled it as if he loved the touch of it. He let it slip through his fingers and smiled at the clink of it as if it had been sweet music. Suddenly a shadow fell over the heap of gold. Looking up, he saw a stranger dressed in shining white smiling down at him. King Midas started up in surprise. Surely he had not failed to lock the door! His treasure was not safe! But the stranger continued to smile.

4 “You have much gold, King Midas,” he said. “Yes,” said the king, “but think how little this is to all the gold there is in the world!” 5 “What! Are you not satisfied?” asked the stranger. 6 “Satisfied?” said the king. “Of course I’m not. 7I often lie awake through the long night planning new ways

to get more gold. I wish that everything I touch would turn to gold.” “Do you really wish that, King Midas?” 8 “Of course I wish it. Nothing could make me so happy.” 9 “Then you shall have your wish. 10Tomorrow morning when the first rays of the sun fall through your

window you shall have the golden touch.” 11 When he had finished speaking, the stranger vanished. King Midas rubbed his eyes. “I must have dreamed

it,” he said, “but how happy I should be if it were only true!” 12 The next morning King Midas woke when the first faint light came into his room. He put out his hand and

touched the covers of his bed. Nothing happened. “I knew it could not be true,” he sighed. Just at that moment the first rays of the sun came through the window. The covers on which King Midas’s hand lay became pure gold. “It’s true, it’s true!” he cried joyfully.

He sprang out of bed and ran about the room touching everything. His dressing gown, his slippers, the furniture, all became gold. 13He looked out of the window through Marygold’s garden.

“I’ll give her a nice surprise,” he said. He went down into the garden touching all of Marygold’s flowers, and changing them to gold.



14 “She will be so pleased,” he thought. 15 He went back into his room to wait for his breakfast, and took up his book which he had been reading the

night before, but the minute he touched it, it was solid gold. “I can’t read it now,” he said, “but of course it is far better to have it gold.”

16 Just then a servant came through the door with the king’s breakfast. “How good it looks,” he said. “I’ll have that ripe, red peach first of all.”

17 He took the peach in his hand, but before he could taste it, it became a lump of gold. King Midas put it back on the plate. “It’s very beautiful, but I can’t eat it!” he said. He took a roll from the plate, but that, too, became gold. He took a glass of water in his hand, but that, too, became gold. “What shall I do,” he cried. “I am hungry and thirsty, I can’t eat or drink gold!”

18 At that moment the door was opened and in came little Marygold. She was crying bitterly, and in her hand was one of her roses.

19 “What’s the matter, little daughter?” said the king. 20 “Oh, Father! See what has happened to all my roses! They are stiff, ugly things!” 21 “Why, they are golden roses, child. Do you not think they are more beautiful than they were?” 22 “No,” she sobbed, “they do not smell sweet. They won’t grow anymore. I like roses that are alive.” 23 “Never mind,” said the king, “eat your breakfast now.” But Marygold noticed that her father did not eat,

and that he looked very sad. “What is the matter, Father dear?” she said, and she ran over to him. She threw her arms about him, and he kissed her. But he suddenly cried out in terror and anguish. When he touched her, her lovely little face became glittering gold, her eyes could not see, her lips could not kiss him back again, her little arms could not hold him close. She was no longer a loving, laughing little girl; she was changed to a little golden statue.

24 King Midas bowed his head and great sobs shook him. 25 “Are you happy, King Midas?” he heard a voice say. Looking up he saw the stranger standing near him. 26 “Happy! How can you ask? I am the most miserable man living!” said the king. 27 “You have the golden touch,” said the stranger. “Is that not enough?” 28 King Midas did not look up or answer. 29 “Which would you rather have, food and a cup of cold water or these lumps of gold?” said

the stranger. 30 King Midas could not answer. 31 “Which would you rather have, O King—that little golden statue, or a little girl who could

run, and laugh, and love you?” 32 “Oh, give me back my little Marygold and I’ll give up all the gold I have!” said the king. “I’ve lost all that

was worth having.” 33 “You are wiser than you were, King Midas,” said the stranger. “Go plunge in the river which runs at the

foot of your garden, then take some of its water and sprinkle whatever you wish to change back as it was.” The stranger vanished.

34 King Midas sprang up and ran to the river. He plunged into it, and then he dipped up a pitcher of its water and hurried back to the palace. He sprinkled it over Marygold, and the color came back into her cheeks. She opened her blue eyes again. “Why, Father!” she said. “What happened?” With a cry of joy King Midas took her into his arms. Never after that did King Midas care for any gold except the gold of the sunshine, and the gold of little Marygold’s hair.



11

12

13

14

15


The words in the opening paragraph that suggest this is not a true story are

A. “He stored it away . . .” B. “. . . more gold than anyone . . .” C. “. . . many hours of each day . . .” D. “Once upon a time . . .”


In paragraph 1, when it is said that King Midas keeps his treasure in great vaults, it means that his money is

A. lost. B. worthless. C. locked away. D. to be spent freely.


What was the MAIN reason that Marygold was lonely?

A. She had no mother. B. She had no friends. C. Her father did not pay attention to her. D. All she had were flowers and sunshine.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item13 : Literature/Learning Standard 12

“The Golden Touch” is an example of a A. play. B. myth. C. mystery. D. biography.


You can conclude from reading this story that the stranger was a

A. thief. B. husband for Marygold. C. relative. D. supernatural being.




16

17

18

The stranger gave King Midas the ability to change things back to their natural state (the way they were). This shows the stranger thought King Midas had

A. too much to eat. B. tricked Marygold. C. learned his lesson. D. too much gold.


A sentence in paragraph 23 is, “But he suddenly cried out in terror and anguish.” Based on clues in paragraphs 23 and 24, another word for anguish is

A. pain. B. joy. C. hunger. D. surprise.


The moral of this story is

A. gold will finally turn to dust. B. be careful what you wish for. C. hard work is always rewarded. D. good things come to those who wait.




19


What lesson did the stranger teach King Midas? Give TWO details from the selection to explain your answer.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 19: Literature/Learning Standard 12 aaQuestion 19 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa

Score Description

4 The response demonstrates a thorough comprehension of what the stranger taught King Midas. Strong, relevant support from the selection is included in the answer.

3 The response demonstrates adequate comprehension of what the stranger taught King Midas. General support from the selection is included in the answer.

2 The response demonstrates a partial comprehension of the lesson that the stranger taught King Midas. Limited or partially incorrect support from the selection is included in the answer.

1 The response demonstrates a vague comprehension of the lesson that the stranger taught King Midas. No support from the selection is included in the answer.


Blank No response.

Score Point 4 ` The lesson that the stranger tought to King Midas was that he sould be hapy for what he had and not mourn for what he did not have, for example when he turned Marygold, and his food to gold he was very unhappy because he whanted them back and was even willing to even give up the gold he had befor he was given the golden touch. Also when he made his dauter sad by turning her roses to gold he felt sad by and gilty, so he leared a good lisson from the golden touch and the stranger and after that he found the true joly of life: the power of love and what he had around him, the treasure of life.



Score Point 3 ` The lesson the stranger taught Kind Midas was be careful what you wish for. Two examples to explain my answer are that when King Midas touched Marygold, who the King loved so much, and turned into gold he learned his lesson and when he couldn’t eat or drink or relax because he turned everything rock solid he learned his lesson also.

Score Point 2 ` King Midas thought gold was more importat than everything and it’s not it means he thought gold was more important than his family and friends and for now on be careful what YOU wish for King Midas because sometimes you wish might come true it means be careful.

Score Point 1 `

1. Which would you rather have, a King - that little golden statue, or a little girl who could run and laugh and love you? do not be greede.

2. King Midas sprang up and ran to the river. He plunged into it, and then he dipped up a pitched of its water and hurried back to the palace.

Score Point 0 ` He learned that he has to much gold that there will be no more and that there are people that are poor and he has all of the gold.



1111

2222

33332222

4444

5555

6666


A young boy, Sam Gribley, speaks in the opening chapter of the novel My Side of the Mountain. Read the selection below and answer the questions that follow.

“I Hole Up in a Snowstorm” from

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

“I am on my mountain in a tree home that

people have passed without ever knowing that I am here. The house is a hemlock tree six feet in diameter, and must be as old as the mountain itself. I came upon it last summer and dug and burned it out until I made a snug cave in the tree that I now call home.

“My bed is on the right as you enter, and is made of ash slats and covered with deerskin. On the left is a small fireplace about knee high. It is of clay and stones. It has a chimney that leads the smoke out through a knothole. I chipped out three other knotholes to let fresh air in. The air coming in is bitter cold. It must be below zero outside, and yet I can sit here inside my tree and write with bare hands. The fire is small, too. It doesn’t take much fire to warm this tree room.

“It is the fourth of December, I think. It may be the fifth. I am not sure because I have not recently counted the notches in the aspen pole that is my calendar. I have been just too busy gathering nuts and berries, smoking venison, fish, and small game to keep up with the exact date.

“The lamp I am writing by is deer fat poured into a turtle shell with a strip of my old city trousers for a wick.

“It snowed all day yesterday and today. I have not been outside since the storm began, and I am bored for the first time since I ran away from home eight months ago to live on the land.

“I am well and healthy. The food is good. Sometimes I eat turtle soup, and I know how to make acorn pancakes. I keep my supplies in the wall of the tree in wooden pockets that I chopped myself.



7777

88882222

9999

10101010

11111111

12121212

“Every time I have looked at those pockets during the last two days, I have felt just like a squirrel, which reminds me: I didn’t see a squirrel one whole day before that storm began. I guess they are holed up and eating their stored nuts, too.

“I wonder if The Baron, that’s the wild weasel who lives behind the big boulder to the north of my tree, is also denned up. Well, anyway, I think the storm is dying down because the tree is not crying so much. When the wind really blows, the whole tree moans right down to the roots, which is where I am.

“Tomorrow I hope The Baron and I can tunnel out into the sunlight. I wonder if I should dig the snow. But that would mean I would have to put it somewhere, and the only place to put it is in my nice snug tree. Maybe I can pack it with my hands as I go. I’ve always dug into the snow from the top, never up from under.

“The Baron must dig up from under the snow. I wonder where he puts what he digs? Well, I guess I’ll know in the morning.”

When I wrote that last winter, I was scared and thought maybe I’d never get out of my tree. I had been scared for two days—ever since the first blizzard hit the Catskill Mountains. When I came up to the sunlight, which I did by simply poking my head into the soft snow and standing up, I laughed at my dark fears.

Everything was white, clean, shining, and beautiful. The sky was blue, blue, blue. The hemlock grove was laced with snow, the meadow was smooth and white, and the gorge was sparkling with ice. It was so beautiful and peaceful that I laughed out loud. I guess I laughed because my first snowstorm was over and it had not been so terrible after all.



20

21

22

23

24


The MAIN purpose of the first six paragraphs is to A. describe Sam’s home. B. explain why he ran away. C. introduce the characters. D. summarize what will happen next.


In what season did Sam start building his tree home?

A. winter B. fall C. spring D. summer


Which word BEST describes Sam’s home? A. fancy B. compact C. messy D. large


In paragraph 2, Sam says the air is bitter cold. This means that it is

A. always cold. B. sort of cold. C. very cold. D. not cold.


In this selection, holed up and denned up are phrases that A. contain prefixes. B. include compound words. C. mean the same thing. D. have opposite meanings.




25

26

27

According to paragraph 8, where is Sam during the storm?

A. the branches B. the roots C. the treetops D. the knothole


The extra space between paragraph 10 and paragraph 11 signifies a change in

A. time. B. speaker. C. setting. D. chapter.


The effect of the author’s language in paragraph 12 is to help the reader A. feel Sam’s fear of the snow. B. find where he put the snow. C. know how deep the snow was. D. see the beauty of the new snow.




28


Sam compares his activities to the activities of a squirrel and a weasel that lives near his mountain home. Explain how these animals’ activities are similar to Sam’s activities. Use specific information from the selection in your answer.



Score Description

4 The response demonstrates a thorough comprehension of the comparison the author makes between the narrator and the animals in the story. Relevant, specific information from the selection is included in the response.

3 The response demonstrates an adequate comprehension of the comparison the author makes between the narrator and the animals in the story. General information from the selection is included in the response.

2 The response demonstrates a partial comprehension of the comparison the author makes between the narrator and the animals. Limited or partially incorrect information from the selection is included in the response.

1 The response demonstrates minimal comprehension of the comparison the author makes between the narrator and the animals, using vague or no support from the selection.


Blank No response. Score Point 4 ` Sam said he felt like a squirrel, he probaly meant he felt like a squirrel because he had so much food and as you know squirrels pack alot of food during the winter. Sam probably had alot of food because he said “The food is good” Sam also said he felt like a squirrel because in the story he said “they were eating stored nuts too.” One more reason Sam might have said “he felt like a squirrel, “because he was holed up” in a tree for the winter.



Score Point 3 ` In the seventh paragraph, sam says he feels like a squirrel because he’s couped up in a tree for the winter. Also, he has only nature’s food such as acorns. Sam feels like a squirrel because the way he’s living is truly similar to a squirrell’s life.

Score Point 2 ` Sam says he fells like a squirrel because : he eats like a squirrel also because he lives like a squirrel and because he survives like a squirrel.

Score Point 1 ` He fell like a squirrel because he never goes out from his home and he feels bored in his house. He always fells bad.

Score Point 0 ` I think he is acting like a squirrel because he probedy stayed up for to lont it’s probaly getting. to his head.



1111

2222

3333

4444


Mummies are dead bodies that were wrapped in cloth and preserved in ancient Egypt. Read this passage to learn about how mummies were made and used. Then answer the questions that follow.

Millions of Mummies by Janet J. Kosky

Dr. and Mrs. James Sullivan cordially invite you to witness the unwrapping of a mummy, recently acquired on a tour of Egypt,

on Saturday, October 31 at 8:00 p.m. sharp. Refreshments will be served.

OUND LIKE A joke for a Halloween party? Actually, even though this isn’t an actual invitation, it isn’t too far from reality. During the 1800s, mummy unwrapping

became quite popular. All of Europe had heard of the magnificent temples and tombs rediscovered by Napoleon when he invaded Egypt in 1798. Later, many people traveled there to see these curiosities for themselves. Some even brought mummies home with them. But many more were shipped to Europe by dealers who specialized in selling mummies, sarcophagi, and other ancient artifacts. Often these treasures were taken without permission from the Egyptian authorities and without respect for the religious beliefs of the dead.

Although mummies are considered rare today, at one time there were so many of them, it seemed unlikely that the supply would ever run out. The custom of making mummies in Egypt lasted for over 3,000 years and was practiced not only by the Pharaohs and other members of the royal court, but also by any citizen with enough money to afford it.

At times there were so many wrapped bodies that cemeteries couldn’t hold them all. Tombs have been discovered where mummies were stacked on top of each other six feet deep. Sometimes people even had to keep a mummy in their house until there was a vacancy in a cemetery.

And humans weren’t the only ones mummified. Sacred animals and favorite pets were also preserved. Cats and dogs were the most common animals to be buried, but archeologists have also found mummies of monkeys, gazelles, falcons, crocodiles, mongooses, snakes, beetles, and scorpions.

S



5555

6666

7777

8888

The ancient Egyptians made mummies because they believed that all living things consisted of two parts: the body and the spirit. Life ceased when the spirit left the body, and in order for someone to be reborn in the afterlife, spirit and body had to be reunited. If the body was destroyed before the spirit came back from its judgment, there couldn’t be a rebirth. Animals were preserved not only because they were sacred, but also to provide companionship in the afterlife. Including both people and animals, some experts have estimated that several million bodies were turned into mummies. So, what would it matter if a few hundred were taken away by collectors?

Mummies were valued for a more important reason than collecting: people believed that the powder from ground-up mummies was a valuable medicine. It was used to treat headaches, coughs, skin rashes, nausea, ulcers, and other ailments. Supposedly, it was the resin and oils used in embalming that were beneficial. Mummies were also believed to contain bitumen, an oily tar people thought was medicinal. As it turns out, bitumen was never used for wrapping. However, the Arabic word for bitumen—mumiyah—is where we get the word mummy.

Medicine was not the only unusual use for mummies. In 1859, an Egyptian farmer was plowing his field when he discovered a gigantic cat cemetery. A total of 300,000 cat mummies were removed from the site, many of them in such poor condition that they crumbled when touched. Most of them were shipped to England to be used—believe it or not—for fertilizer. . . .

Only relatively recently have authorities taken measures to preserve Egypt’s national treasures from further destruction and deterioration. However, even though so many mummies have been lost forever, those remaining can still teach us much about life—and death—in ancient Egypt.



29

30

31

32


“Millions of Mummies” is a good title for this selection because

A. someone counted all the mummies made. B. mummies are so valuable. C. mummies have so many uses. D. so many mummies were made of people and animals.


According to the first paragraph, what was the MAIN reason people wanted to unwrap mummies?

A. They wanted to give the mummies a proper burial. B. They wanted to study diseases of ancient Egyptians. C. They wanted to satisfy their curiosity. D. They wanted to preserve the bodies before they crumbled.


According to this selection, why were mummies stacked on top of each other in ancient Egyptian tombs?

A. They would not dry out as fast. B. It was thought to confuse bad spirits. C. Family members were always buried together. D. There was not enough room in cemeteries.


According to this selection, one reason Egyptians mummified animals was to

A. send messages to the living. B. have company in the afterlife. C. protect their tombs. D. save them as national treasures.




33

34

35

36

Which of the following were most likely NOT mummified in ancient Egypt?

A. pharaohs B. archaeologists C. members of the royal court D. sacred animals and favorite pets


In paragraph 4, the commas between “. . . monkeys, gazelles, falcons, crocodiles, mongooses, snakes, beetles, and scorpions,” are used to

A. indicate a pause. B. set off the meanings. C. separate words in a series. D. help the reader pronounce the words.


In the sentence that begins, “Life ceased when the spirit left the body . . . ,” the word

ceased means

A. ended. B. improved. C. burst. D. flowed in.


The writer uses the last paragraph of “Millions of Mummies” to explain

A. what happened to the millions of mummies. B. why Egypt now has the last few mummies. C. how mummies start to crumble and are destroyed. D. why the mummies that remain must be protected.




37


Explain why, according to the selection, mummies are considered Egypt’s national treasures.

Use specific information from the selection to explain their importance. Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 37: Literature/Learning Standard 9 aaQuestion 37 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa

Score Description

4 The response demonstrates a thorough comprehension of the importance of ancient mummies to Egypt. Relevant, specific information from the selection is included in the response.

3 The response demonstrates a general comprehension of the importance of ancient mummies to Egypt. General information from the selection is included in the response.

2 The response demonstrates a partial comprehension of the importance of ancient mummies to Egypt. Limited or partially incorrect information from the selection is included in the response.

1 The response demonstrates a vague comprehension of the importance of ancient mummies to Egypt. No supporting information from the selection is included.


Blank No response.

Score Point 4 ` I learned that one of the Egyptian beliefs is that if they preserve themselves after they are dead and they get mummified they can have an afterlife. But in order for them to have an afterlife their spirit needs to leave the body, it won’t be able to be reborn. They have been doing this Egyptian custom for 7,000 years. Not just pharos and king get mummified but citizens can to. The Egyptians bring pets with them to and they are mummified so the Egyptians will have company in the after life. There are people who sell mummies and people who by them because some people believe that some stuff in the mummy are good for medicine. They they thought was good to treat headaches, coughs, skin rashes, nausia, ulsers, and other ailments.



Score Point 3 ` The four things we have learned about ancient Egypt by studying mummies are the some of the things they believed in such as turning cats into mummies to give the dead a companion. Another thing they have found out from mummies is that they had royalty in Egypt, Also by studying mummies we learn how long it had been since they started wrapping the dead bodies. We learn from mummies how many people died in a certen amount of time and why.

Score Point 2 ` I have learned that mummy unwrapping was a social as well as scientific event and that people wanted to unwrap them to satisfy their curlosity. I have also learned that pharos and those who had the money to pay for it were mummified after they died. and I learned that there were so many mummies that they stacked them up on each other in ancient egyptian tombs because there was not enough room in cemeteries. Some people even brought mummies home with them. The custome of making mummies lasted over 3,000 years. Medicine was not the only use for mummies. At times there were so many wraped bodies the cemeteries coul’dnt hold them all.

Score Point 1 ` I learned that mummies were unwrapped to study diseases. Pharaohs were mummified after they died. People would have animal spirits in their reborn bodies. Mummies are valuable.

Score Point 0 ` That mummies need to be preserved and not destroyed. It’s good medicine for us to stop illness. The remaining mummies are teach us alot. We had over 3,000 and now not that many. 37

ela grade 4 - wachusett regional school district grade 4 . english language arts the massachusetts...

Documents