3rd Grade

Assessment 3

Table of Contents

Assessment Guide ……………………………………………..…………………………………………………………. Pages 2-8

Assessment Rubric..………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Pages 9-10

A New Chance for Life…………….....…………………………………………………………………………………. Page 11

TCRWP Third Grade Informational Reading/Explanatory Writing Performance Assessment

DRAFT – 4-4-2012

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NOTE: PLEASE SEE NOTE ABOUT SECOND ROUND OF ASSESSMENTS

BEFORE DECIDING ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS ASSESSMENT IS RIGHT

FOR YOUR CLASS.

THIS ASSESSMENT ASSUMES YOU ARE ADAPTING A NONFICTION UNIT

IN READING TO ALLOW FOR TEACHING STUDENTS TO ANALYZE THE

REASONS AUTHOR’S GIVE TO SUPPORT POINTS IN A TEXT.

GRADE: Third Grade

NAME OF ASSESSMENT:

Reading Informational Texts and Explanatory Writing Assessment

STANDARDS ASSESSED:

Students will determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific

words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area. (RI.3.4)

Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a

text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence). (RI.3.8)

By the end of the year, students will read and comprehend informational texts,

including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the

grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. (RI.3.10)

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and

information clearly. (W.3.2)

Depth of Knowledge Level of task: Levels 2-3

Task Details:

Duration of administration: Approximately one 60-minute class period

Time of year when administered: Spring (so reading level is appropriate)

Materials needed:

“A New Chance for Life” by Glenn Greenberg, Teachers College Nonfiction

Assessment Student Booklet, New York: Scholastic, Inc. 2009

TCRWP Third Grade Informational Reading/Explanatory Writing Performance Assessment

DRAFT – 4-4-2012

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Explanation of Standards Alignment:

RI.3.4. Students will determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific

words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.

In their responses to the first task, students will demonstrate an understanding of

the domain-specific words “population” and “extinct” and the relationship

between them in this text.

RI.3.8: Students will describe the logical connection between particular sentences and

paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).

Students will describe the logical connection between the sentence “In the United

States, laws were passed that made it a crime to bother, harm, or kill the

crocodiles and ferrets.” and the paragraph entitled “Population Problem.”

RI.3.10: By the end of the year, students will read and comprehend informational texts,

including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades

2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Students will analyze an informational text at the high end of the 2-3 text

complexity band.

W.3.1: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and

information clearly.

Students will write an explanatory text in which they examine the topic of how a

sentence logically connects to a paragraph in “A New Chance for Life,” and write to

convey ideas and information on that topic clearly.

TCRWP Third Grade Informational Reading/Explanatory Writing Performance Assessment

DRAFT – 4-4-2012

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Overview of Assessment

**Note: Suggested teacher prompts follow – please alter and make note of alterations

based on your own conversational style and the ways in which you’ve talked about

reading and writing nonfiction in your own classroom. The tasks below could be

administered in many different ways.**

Suggested time frame: approximately 60 minutes total.

Introduction and Independent Reading of “A Chance for Life”

Teacher introduces the assessment to students and gives an introduction to the article “A

Chance for Life.”

Task 1: Determine and Write to Explain Key Phrase and Term

Students will write to explain the meaning of the words “population” and “extinct” as

they relate to the content of the article.

Task 2: Determine and Explain How a Sentence Logically Coheres with a Previous

Section of the Text

Students will determine how a particular sentence in the passage (“In the United States,

laws were passed that made it a crime to bother, harm, or kill the crocodiles and ferrets.”)

connects to a prior section entitled “Population Problem.” They will write to explain the

connection between the sentence and the prior passage.

TCRWP Third Grade Informational Reading/Explanatory Writing Performance Assessment

DRAFT – 4-4-2012

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Suggested Teacher Prompts (tips in italics, possible language to kids in quotes):

Preparation for the Assessment:

o Make copies of “A New Chance for Life” – one for each student

o Make copies of student answer booklets

o Chart expectations for information writing:

o Quickly plan how your writing will go

o Introduce your topic (how this sentence fits with the main idea)

o Organize your writing into paragraphs that make sense

o Use facts and definitions from the text to explain your thinking

o Use words to help the reader understand your connections

(because, also, but, and)

o Write a concluding sentence or statement

Introduction:

Take a few minutes to introduce the whole of the assessment to the kids. It might sound

something like:

“We’ve been working on reading to understand what an author is trying to teach us in

information books, and also to think about how the author puts the information together.

Today we’re going to do a little of that work with an article that teaches us about some

animal species that were in danger of dying out, but that people have helped to protect.

In the article, you will read about the “population” of crocodiles, black-footed ferrets and

tigers, and about the danger of the animals becoming “extinct.” After reading the article,

you will answer a question about these words.

This article is set up in sections (show the article on a SmartBoard or document camera if

possible to point out the sections). After reading the article, you will write to explain

how one part of the article connects to an earlier part.

Remember to use what you know about writing well to explain information. Be sure that

you (point to chart).”

o Quickly plan how your writing will go

o Introduce your topic (how this sentence fits with the main idea)

o Use details from the text to explain your thinking

o Use words to help the reader understand your connections

(because, also, but, and)

o Write a concluding sentence or statement

Name: ____________________________________________ Class: _______________

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Third Grade Informational Reading/Explanatory Writing Performance Assessment Student Packet

Task 1: What do the words “population” and “extinct” mean? How do they connect to each other in this article? Use what you’ve read in this article to help you explain these words and how they connect to each other in this text. Be sure to explain using your own words, not copying directly from the text. You may re-read if it helps you to answer this question. ________________________________________________________________________

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Task 2: In the section “Animal Aid,” the author writes: “In the United States, laws were passed that made it a crime to bother, harm, or kill the crocodiles and ferrets.” How does this sentence connect to the information in the section called “Population Problem?” Be sure to:

o Quickly plan how your writing will go

o Introduce your topic (how this sentence fits with the main idea)

o Use details from the text to explain your thinking

o Use words to help the reader understand your connections

(because, also, but, and)

o Write a concluding sentence or statement

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TCRWP Informational Reading and Information Writing Rubric-Third Grade

Third Grade

Reading Rubric

Level 1-

Novice

Level 2-

Intermediate

Level 3-

Proficient

Level 4-

Above Proficient

Determine meaning of

general academic and

domain-specific vocabulary

R. Standard 3.4

Determine the meaning of

general academic and domain-

specific words and phrases in

a text relevant to a grade 3

topic or subject area.

Student does not define given

term or defines the term

incorrectly. Alternatively, the

student may define the term

not using the provided text.

Student defines the term but

the explanation of meaning is

somewhat confusing or

merely restates what the text

says without any rephrasing.

Determines meaning of

general academic and

domain-specific words and

phrases in a text relevant to

a grade 3 topic or subject

area.

Demonstrates understanding

of meaning of given term

through information gained

from provided source.

Attempts to rephrase and

explanation is somewhat

elaborated and clear.

Demonstrates understanding

of the meaning of the given

term, and pulls from more

than one part of the text to

support this understanding.

Delineating and Evaluating

Argument and Claims

R. Standard 3.8

Describe the logical

connection between particular

sentences and paragraphs in a

text (e.g. comparison,

cause/effect, first/second/third

in a sequence).

Student demonstrates a

misunderstanding of either the

sentence or the section;

Or

Student does not describe the

connection between the

sentence and the larger

section.

Student’s description of the

connections between the

sentence and the larger

section is overly general and

does not explain how the

sentence fits.

Describes the logical

connection between

particular sentences and

paragraphs in a text (e.g.

comparison, cause/effect,

first/second/third in a

sequence).

Describes the connection

between the sentence and the

larger section. Explains why

or how the sentence fits with

the main idea of that part (the

logic of the connection).

Student describes the logical

connection in a more

elaborated or academic

manner, demonstrating some

understanding of the role of

the sentence in supporting the

point of the section. (An

example of the problem)

TCRWP Informational Reading and Information Writing Rubric-Third Grade

Third Grade

Writing Rubric

Level 1-

Novice

Level 2-

Intermediate

Level 3-

Proficient

Level 4-

Above Proficient

Conventions of Genre:

Focus/Structure

W. Standard 3.2

Introduces topic; Provides a

concluding statement

a. Introduce a topic and group

related

information together; include

illustrations

when useful to aiding

comprehension.

d. Provide a concluding

statement or section

Provides no introduction or

conclusion.

The focus of the explanation

is unclear due to this

omission.

Provides a brief introduction

or conclusion to make clear

the focus of the explanation.

Introduces the topic he/she

is writing about

Provides a concluding

statement.

Provides an introduction and a

conclusion.

Provides a more elaborate

introduction and conclusion.

May comment on the author’s

craft as a way to say more

about the connection between

the sentence and the section.

Conventions of Genre:

Elaboration/Craft

W. Standard 3.2

Develops the topic and uses

linking words.

b. Develop the topic with

facts, definitions, and

details.

c. Use linking words and

phrases (e.g., also,

another, and, more, but) to

connect ideas

within categories of

information.

Attempts to provide evidence

to support a topic.

May repeat the topic as if it is

information or may list

information that does not

support the topic.

i.e.

“The sentence fits with the

main idea. It goes with the

main idea.”

Uses few, if any, linking

words or phrases.

Uses some information from

the text to develop the topic.

May also include extraneous

information or opinion that

does not relate to the topic at

hand.

Develops the topic with

facts, definitions, and

details.

Uses linking words and

phrases to make connections

across different categories of

information.

Explains how the sentence

connects to the larger section

using facts, definitions and

details from the text.

Uses a variety of linking

words and phrases to make

connections.

Provides clear and compelling

facts, details and/or definition

to support the given topic.

Elaborates on some sourced

information to convey ideas

about the given topic and

make clear how the

information supports the

topic.

Uses more complex

transitional phrases to connect

more elaborated ideas and

reasons.