Niagara Falls City School District English Language Arts Packet 5: Standard 3: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. Evaluate the content by identifying the author s purpose important and unimportant details Write sentences in logical order and use paragraphs to organize topics Review work independently for spelling and conventional capitalization and punctuation Grade 4 This pdf file contains items aligned to the CCLS that can be used for both test prep and to assess student proficiency in the major clusters/standards that are going to appear on the New York State assessments. The use of these items is totally up to the discretion of individual teachers, and therefore is optional. Tasks are bundled by standard and the level of rigor is indicated on each. The intent is not to create a mock assessment but rather to provide resources from the item banks so that teachers will have easily accessible items to use for instructional purposes.
1. Read the sentence. Plant the tomato plant next to the other plants. The meaning of this sentence can be made most clear by changing other plants to A) growing things. B) vegetables. C) carrots and beans. D) nice looking plants. The following is a rough draft of Lawrence s report. It contains errors. Colorful Lizards (1)Lizards are cold-blooded reptiles that come in many shapes and sizes.(2)lizards are found all around the world.(3)in the Southeastern United States, a common lizard is the Green Anole.(4)It is also known as a chameleon.(5)the most neatest thing about the chameleon is that it can change its skin color to brown, green, or gray. (6)There are many reasons a chameleon changes color.(7)most people think that a chameleon changes color to hide from other creatures.(8)hiding, it is important, but for a chameleon to change color it is not the main reason. (9)The main reason a chameleon changes color is to communicate.(10)its skin color changes based on light, temperature, mood, and health.(11)light changes a chameleons s color by reflecting off its skin.(12)the second reason is temperature.(13)a chameleon can make its body flat and dark to absorb more heat.(14) When a chameleon feels thretened or is protecting its home, it also will change color.(15)finally, a sick chameleon will be pale, or light colored, although it is too weak to change color. (16)The next time you see a chameleon hiding in a tree, try to guess what it is feeling by its color. 2. Which sentence could be added to the passage to support the ideas in the third paragraph? A) Maybe the lizard thinks, I m hungry! B) Many lizards in the world have beautiful, bright colors. C) They can send other lizards messages with their color changes. D) Many animals have colors that help them blend into their surroundings. 3. The first paragraph of the report states that the topic will be the skin color of chameleons, and the next paragraphs give A) comparisons about skin color. B) common questions about skin color. C) information about skin color in chronological order. D) causes for changes in skin color. 4. Lawrence wants to add the following sentence to the first paragraph of the report: You may have seen a chameleon on your window or crawling on a tree branch. Where should this fact be added to correctly organize the ideas? A) after Sentence (1) B) after Sentence (2) C) after Sentence (4) D) after Sentence (6) 2
5. Lawrence wants to add the following sentence to the report: You will also know that a chameleon is sick because it will sit with its eyes closed during the day. Where should this fact be added to correctly organize the ideas? A) after Sentence (9) B) after Sentence (10) C) after Sentence (13) D) after Sentence (15) 6. Which sentence below should be added after Sentence (10) to develop support in the third paragraph? A) A pulp chameleon is probably a young chameleon. B) If a chameleon is disturbed, it may change color to show how it feels. C) Sick chameleons can often become dehydrated which can be harmful to its health. D) A chameleon s vision is often referred to as binocular because it sees much like a human sees. The following is a student s letter. It contains errors. Letter from Raul (1)June 12 2005 (2)Dear Tony, (3)I m having a great time at my grandfather s house!(4)i ve learned a lot. (5)Guess what? (6)I know how to say grandpa in Spanish now. (7)The word is abuelo. (8)I like to call my grandpa Abuelo. (9)He always laughs when I do. (10)That s not all I ve learned, though. (11)I ve also discovered a lot about Mexico, especially its history. (12)My abuelo and me went to see some ancient ruins. (13)They were in a part of Mexico called the Yucatan. (14)We had to travel through the jungle to get there. (15)It was exciting to see the ruins. (16)They were beautiful and very different from anything I d ever seen before! (17)I wonder if we ll have the same teacher again next school year. (18)I learned that the ruins were built by the Mayan people. (19)The Mayans lived in the Yucatan a very long time ago. (20)They also lived in parts of central america. (21)They had a wonderful way of life that lasted hundreds of years. (22)They were very smart, and they knew a lot about the stars, mathematics, and growing vegetables. (23)They knew about growing things too. (24)The Mayans grew crops that we grow today. (25)They grew beans corn squash, and cacao, which is used to make chocolate. (26)They built cities filled with fancy, and colorful buildings. (27)On the second day of our trip, we went to a city called Chichén Itzá. (28)There are 18 buildings there. (29)Most of them was rebuilt to look the way they did long ago. (30)The tallest building is a pyramid. (31)It is called El Castillo. (32)That means the castle in Spanish. (33)We climbed to the top. (34)There are 365 stairs, one for every day of the year. (35)It was amazing on the top of the pyramid. (36)Since it was so high, I could see the buildings and the jungle all around. (37)There were a lot of people in Chichén Itzá. (38)It was crowded with tourists from all over the world. (39)They spoke many different languages. (40)It was neat! (41)Yesterday, Abuelo gave me a book about the Mayan people. (42)It has many pictures of the ruins. (43)I will show it to you when I get back home next week. (44)Abuelo also took a picture of me on the pyramid. (45)I m sending it to you. (46)I wish you could have been there to. (47)Your pal, (48)Raul 3
7. Which sentence from the letter introduces the topic of Mexico s interesting past? A) Sentence 4 B) Sentence 6 C) Sentence 10 D) Sentence 11 8. Which transitional phrase should be added to the beginning of Sentence 12 to tell when the visit to the ruins happened? A) Last week, B) In Mexico, C) Because of that, D) On the other hand, 9. Which idea should be added to support the second paragraph? A) The Mayans also invented their own calendar. B) I was tired when I climbed all of those stairs. C) I will tell you more about my trip when I get home. D) The trip was an adventure. 10. Which sentence best supports the idea in Sentence 33? A) I went ahead, and Abuelo was right behind me. B) Some Mayan people still live in Mexico today. C) Maybe you can visit Abuelo with me next summer. D) The photograph of Chichén Itzá is my favorite in the book. 11. Raul wants to add the following sentence to the second paragraph of the letter. The Yucatan presents amazing surprises at every turn. Where should this sentence be added to correctly organize the ideas? A) after Sentence 13 B) after Sentence 14 C) after Sentence 15 D) after Sentence 16 4
The following is a student s journal entry. It contains errors. Lauren Trains a Winner (1)Last week I went to the county fair with my older sister, Lauren, and my mom. (2)Every year in october we go to the fair to eat tasty foods and to see all the farm animals. (3)Lauren was going to take part in a contest called an agility trial. (4)It s an event for dogs and their owners. (5)The dogs run through tunnels go on seesaws, and jump over hurdles while their owners run next to them and tell them what to do. (6)The fastest dog that compleats the course without any mistakes is the winner. (7)Agility trials are a lot of fun to watch. (8)People cheered when Twinkles moved through the course quickly and surely. (9)Lauren trained our dog, Twinkles, to do the necessary tricks. (10)Twinkles is a Border collie. (11)Our other dog is a basset hound. (12)Twinkles is very good because she is a fast runner. (13)She is also very good because she is an obedient dog. (14)When we got to the fair, Lauren practiced with Twinkles. (15)Lauren had Twinkles jumps over a hurdle and practice the weaves. (16)The weaves are a row of sticks that the dogs go back and forth through. (17)Twinkles went through them so quickly, she looked like a black and white flag waving around the sticks. (18)There were many different kinds of dogs running the course. (19)There were tiny dogs that weighed only five pounds, and there were enormous dogs that I did not think could fit through the tunnels. (20)As soon as one dog finished the course in an agility trial, the next dog started, so Lauren had to watch carefully. (21)Lauren looked nervous out on the course. (22)When Lauren and Twinkles went to the start line, the judge gave the sign, and their were off. (23)Twinkles ran very swiftly. (24)She leaped over two hurdles and then climbed the dog walk. (25)Next, she goes through a tunnel and through the weaves. (26)Then she went over three more jumps and through another tunnel. (27)I asked my mom if I could have some popcorn during the contest. (28)Twinkles didn t win first place, but she did get a ribbon for second place. (29)Lauren gave Twinkles a great big hug and a doggie treat. (30)She told Twinkles, you re the best dog in the world! (31)My mom and I were very proud of both Lauren and Twinkles. 12. Read the sentence from the journal entry. (16) The weaves are a bunch of sticks that the dogs go back and forth through. Which word should replace the underlined word in the sentence? A) line B) lot C) mess D) clump 13. Read the sentence from the report. There were tiny dogs that weighed only five pounds, and there were enormous dogs that I did not think could fit through the tunnels. What is the purpose of the sentence? A) It give details about Sentence 18. B) It is the topic sentence of the paragraph. C) It introduces the idea in Sentence 20. D) It brings up a new idea in the paragraph. 5
14. Read the following sentence from the passage: (1) Last week I went there with my older sister, Lauren, and my mom. Which words should replace there to show more exact meaning? A) to a dog trial B) to a fun place C) to the outdoors D) to the other side 15. Which transition should Lissa add to the beginning of sentence 23 to show the connection between the ideas in the story? A) Especially B) First C) Last D) While 16. Which transition should Lissa add to the beginning of sentence 18 to help connect the ideas in the paragraph? A) Last B) Since C) Even though D) For example 17. Read this sentence that Carlos wrote expressing his opinion about daily recess. Fourth graders should have recess every day. Which sentence best provides a fact to support the statement that Carlos wrote? A) Fourth graders should have plenty of time to visit with their friends every day. B) Other than gym class, recess is the only time students can get needed physical exercise during the school day. C) Students can probably think better when returning to their studies after having some free time. D) Many adults have a break during their workday, and students should have a break during the day also. 18. Read this sentence. Women in the American colonies worked hard at many different tasks. Which statement best gives facts that support the statement above? A) Many of them sewed warm quilts for family members to use on their beds at night. B) Women cooked all the meals for their family and for friends who visited. C) They grew gardens, preserved food, made candles, and raised chickens. D) Some women made cloth from the wool that came from family-raised sheep. 6
19. Read these sentences that Cherrie wrote to express her opinion about Hawaii. Hawaii has many amazing sights., there are two active volcanoes that visitors can observe from a safe distance. Which words best fill the blank to link Cherrie s opinion with supporting information? A) On condition that B) In that case C) For example D) As a result 20. Read these sentences James wrote to express his opinion about the weather. This year the weather in our area was much colder than usual., in the fall, the lakes were covered with ice much earlier than during the last ten years. Which words best fill the blank to link James s opinion with supporting information? A) For instance B) Even though C) On the other hand D) Above all 7