Sample 6 ELA Assessment

Reading Literature CCSS Item Number(s) Total Points Earned

Skill Score

Demonstrates an understanding of key ideas and details

RL.6.1RL.6.2RL.6.3

Demonstrates an understanding of Craft and Structure

RL.6.4RL.6.5RL.6.6

Integrates knowledge and ideas RL.6.7RL.6.9

Demonstrates comprehension of grade level reading

RL.6.10

Responds to literature by making connections

Reading Informational Text CCSS Item Number(s) Total Points Earned

Skill Score

Demonstrates an understanding of key ideas and details

RI.6.1RI.6.2RI.6.3

1,2,3,4,5,6 ___/12

Demonstrates an understanding of craft and structure

RI.6.4RI.6.5RI.6.6

Integrates knowledge and ideas RI.6.7RI.6.8RI.6.9

7 ___/4

Demonstrates comprehension of grade level reading

RI.6.10

Reading Foundational Skills CCSS Item Number(s) Total Points Earned

Skill Score

Knows and applies grade-level phonics and word recognition

RF.6.3(a)

Reads grade-level text with fluency RF.6.4(a,b,c)

Writing CCSS Item Number(s) Total Points Earned

Skill Score

Writes a variety of genres and purposes

W.6.1W.6.2W.6.3

Produces and distributes writing W.6.4W.6.5W.6.6

Researches to build and present knowledge

W.6.7W.6.8W.6.9

7 ___/4

Writes routinely for a variety of purposes

W.6.10

Creates a response to a particular author or theme

Speaking & Listening CCSS Item Number(s) Total Points Earned

Skill Score

Comprehends and collaborates while speaking and listening

SL.6.1SL.6.2SL.6.3

Presents knowledge and ideas orally SL.6.4SL.6.5SL.6.6

Language CCSS Item Number(s) Total Points Earned

Skill Score

Uses conventions of standard English when writing and speaking

L.6.1L.6.2

Uses and acquires age-appropriate vocabulary

L.6.4(a,b,L.6.5L.6.6

Demonstrates knowledge of language and its conventions when writing , speaking, reading or listening

L.6.3(a,b)

TOTAL SCORE

/20 pts.PERCENTAGE GRADE

%

The Great Depression Hits Hard

1. NEW YORK, 1935—Ever since the complete collapse of Wall Street, what people are calling the ‘Great Depression’ is only getting worse. A full six years since “Black Tuesday” hit the United States on Oct. 29, 1929, there doesn’t seem to be much change. Unemployment is as bad as ever, skyrocketing in some places to a ludicrous 90%.

2. So where are all these destitute, unemployed people going? Mostly, they are going to get bread. Stretching all across America, like the great railways stretch across our land, long snaking breadlines twist and turn. With 750,000 farms out of business, it’s amazing that there’s even bread to give away. But there is, to sad, hungry men.

3. Even with the New Deal under way, and President Franklin Roosevelt aiming to generate jobs with the Second New Deal, unemployment persists.

4. There are now shantytowns, or “Hoovervilles,” all over the nation. With schools closed down or running reduced hours, there are children everywhere. None are getting the education, the food, the medical attention, or the shelter they need. A Hooverville is no place for a childhood, but that’s where these poor children are living.

5. There are long lines for bread and soup at the charities that are giving it out. Churches and other small organizations are running these charities now, but rumor has it that the government’s going to start soon enough. Many migrant workers who can’t find work are now living in Hoovervilles as well. They take the free food because they have nothing left to give. That’s not to mention the thousands who have died from dust storms in the Dust Bowl, which have destroyed farms in the Midwest.

6. All that aside, there are some things to be grateful for. The banking crisis, the original cause of our current depression, has been stopped in its tracks. President Roosevelt has pleaded to everyday Americans to reinvest their money. His plea has worked. Almost 75% of the banks have reopened their doors. The Tennessee dams, the Hoover Dam, Mount Rushmore, and other massive public projects are putting hard-working Americans back to work. Plus, the new dams built in Tennessee have made power readily available to struggling families. The United States is coming out of the darkest time.

7. Working conditions have changed as well. Since the start of the Depression more workers than ever are forming unions. They’re saying that they won’t stand for ill treatment anymore. In Flint, Michigan, the United Auto Workers union has gone on strike. That strike is rapidly spreading to other cities—35 at last count.

8. Still, there’s a long way to go. Unemployment is still extremely high in the United States and elsewhere in the world. There are still hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, all looking for work by riding the rails. There are still breadlines that go around the block. Hopefully, the economy will soon turn and by the end of the year we’ll see more good people back at work.

Directions: Answer the following question(s) relating to the passage titled "The Great Depression Hits Hard"

1 Part A Which inference is best supported by the article?

A. The U.S. government called for patience rather than aggressive policies to solve the Great Depression. B. The Great Depression hit other countries harder than the United States. C. The banking system helped keep people from losing their money during the Great Depression. D. The Great Depression resulted in hunger and poverty for many Americans.

Standards: RI.6.1

2 Part B Which excerpt from the article best supports the answer to Part A?

A. “So where are all these destitute, unemployed people going? Mostly, they are going to get bread. Stretching all across America, like the great railways stretch across our land, long snaking breadlines twist and turn.” (paragraph 2) B. “Even with the New Deal under way, and President Franklin Roosevelt aiming to generate jobs with the Second New Deal, unemployment persists.” (paragraph 3) C. “The banking crisis, the original cause of our current depression, has been stopped in its tracks. President Roosevelt has pleaded to everyday Americans to reinvest their money.” (paragraph 6) D. “Unemployment is still extremely high in the United States and elsewhere in the world. There are still hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, all looking for work by riding the rails.” (paragraph 8)

Standards: RI.6.1

3 Part A Select the paragraph from the text that best supports the inference that a lack of money was a central problem that needed to be solved during the Great Depression.

A. Paragraph 1 B. Paragraph 2 C. Paragraph 6 D. Paragraph 8

Standards: RI.6.1

4 Part B Which sentence best shows a resolution to the problem above?

A. “Stretching all across America, like the great railways stretch across our land, long snaking breadlines twist and turn.” (paragraph 2) B. “The Tennessee dams, the Hoover Dam, Mount Rushmore, and other massive public projects are putting hard-working Americans back to work.” (paragraph 6) C. “Since the start of the Depression more workers than ever are forming unions.” (paragraph 7)D. “There are still hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, all looking for work by riding the rails.” (paragraph 8)

Standards: RI.6.1

5 Part A Which best states the central idea of the article?

A. Hoovervilles were hard places for both children and adults to live. B. The negative effects of the Great Depression lasted for years. C. The construction of the Tennessee dams gave people jobs. D. Many workers decided to form unions during the Great Depression.

Standards: RI.6.2

6 Part B Which sentence from the article best supports the answer to Part A?

A. “And a full six years since ‘Black Tuesday’ hit the United States on Oct. 29, 1929, there doesn’t seem to be much change.” (paragraph 1) B. “The Tennessee dams, the Hoover Dam, Mount Rushmore, and other massive public projects are putting hard-working Americans back to work.” (paragraph 6) C. “A Hooverville is no place for a childhood, but that’s where these poor children are living.” (paragraph 4) D. “Since the start of the Depression, more workers than ever are forming unions.” (paragraph 7)

Standards: RI.6.2

7. Informative/Explanatory Writing

You have studied the lithograph “No Work” and read the newspaper article “The Great Depression Hits Hard.” Using evidence from the lithograph and the newspaper article, write a short essay in which you explain why growing up during the Great Depression would have been difficult.

Write your answer on the lines below.

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Rubric

Focus on Task & Text:

4 Demonstrates novel insight into text(s) by successfully synthesizing information in the lithograph and the newspaper article with prior knowledge

Responds thoroughly and completely to all elements of the prompt; provides effective development of the topic that is consistently appropriate to the task, focused, clearly stated, and strongly maintained Explains why growing up during the Great Depression would have been difficult by making a clear and novel claim that addresses the difficulty of being a child at the specific time

Maintains strong, consistent, focus on a specific topic; conveys ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of several pieces of relevant content with little to no ambiguity (W.7.2)

3 Demonstrates comprehension of the lithograph and the newspaper article by discussing relevant events, main ideas, and/or details

Addresses all elements of the prompt; provides effective development of the topic that is consistently appropriate to the task, focused, clearly stated, and strongly maintained

Explains why growing up during the Great Depression would have been difficult by making claim (possibly restating a claim from the text)

Maintains consistent focus on a specific topic; conveys ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content with little ambiguity (W.6.2)

2 Demonstrates partial comprehension of the lithograph and the newspaper article by briefly discussing main ideas and/or details, with some inaccuracies

Responds to most elements of the prompt; or provides basic or partial responses to all elements of the prompt

Examines a topic; conveys information with some ambiguity (W.6.2)

1 Demonstrates comprehension of a few elements of text(s), with frequent inaccuracies

Responds to only some elements of the prompt; or provides minimal responses to all elements of the prompt

Examines a topic, with frequent departures from focus; attempts to convey information and ideas, with many non sequiturs (W.5.2)

0 Student response does not meet the criteria for level 1.

Organization:

4 Introduces the topic clearly and thoroughly, previewing what is to follow by presenting an engaging lead (W.7.2.A)

Organizes ideas, concepts, and information clearly, using multiple strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect when useful to aiding comprehension (W.6.2.A)

Uses connected evidence from both the lithograph and the newspaper article; evidence selected from both resources supports the author's central claim and creates a cohesive explanation by weaving analysis of both resources together

Uses appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify relationships among ideas and concepts (W.7.2.C); demonstrates coherence, clarity, and cohesion, making it easy to follow the writer’s progression of ideas

Provides a strong concluding statement or section that follows from, supports, and expands on the focus (W.7.2.F)

3 Introduces the topic clearly, providing an observation and focus (W.6.2.A)

Organizes ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/ contrast, and cause/effect when useful to aiding comprehension, with few errors (W.6.2.A)

Uses connected evidence from both the lithograph and the newspaper article; evidence selected from resources supports the author's central claim by largley utilizing one resource to explain the other

Uses appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts (W.6.2.C); demonstrates coherence, clarity, and cohesion, making it fairly easy to follow the writer’s progression of ideas

Provides a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented (W.6.2.F)

2 Introduces the topic in a general way (W.6.2.A)

Organizes ideas inconsistently,with several errors (W.6.2.A)

Uses evidence from both the lithograph and the newspaper article; evidence selected from resources loosley supports the author's central claim Inconsistently uses transitions to connect ideas (W.6.2.C); demonstrates some coherence, clarity, and/or cohesion, making the writer’s progression of ideas usually discernible but not obvious;

Provides a conclusion that relates to the explanation presented but is incomplete (W.6.2.F)

1 Attempts to introduce the topic but does so in an abbreviated or inaccurate way Ideas are somewhat disorganized Uses evidence from either the lithograph or the newspaper article

Uses few transitions to connect ideas, with some errors; demonstrates limited coherence, clarity, and/or cohesion, making the writer’s progression of ideas somewhat unclear

Provides a conclusion that does not relate to the explanation

0 Student response does not meet the criteria for level 1.

Standards:RI.6.7; W.6.9