Name: Date: Third Trimester RL Assessment (RL 1,2,3,4,9,10) Directions: Read the following story and answer the questions below. Finn MacCool and Oonagh Irish Folk Tale Long ago, in the beautiful land of Ireland, there lived a giant named Finn MacCool. Finn was enormous and strong, and all day long he worked alongside his giant friends, building a bridge to Scotland. As he labored away, his wife was never far from his mind. Oonagh was her name, and Finn was devoted to her. They lived together at the very top of tall Knockmany Hill. It was quite a climb to get home every night, and there was never a break from the howling Irish winds. Yet there was a method to Finn s madness. The top of Knockmany Hill was a perfect look out perch. You see, there was a certain giant in the land who was to be avoided. His name was Cucullin, and although Cucullin prided himself on being the strongest giant of them all, there was one individual he had never dared challenge: Finn MacCool. Finn was well aware of this, and that s why he built his home on top of Knockmany Hill, for up there, he would be able to see if Cucullin was coming for him. He knew that day would come. One day, Finn took a break from his work and decided to go home to his wife. He trekked up the hill and met Oonagh, who gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ah, welcome home, ya darlin rogue, Oonagh smiled, but what s botherin ya? I can see it on your face. It s Cucullin that s troublin me, Finn replied, I believe he s comin for me. Finn, you see, had a special talent: When he stuck his thumb into his mouth and sucked on it, he could see the future. Sure enough, he ll come today, Finn mumbled, his thumb in his mouth. 1
Piece of cake, my darlin Finn, Oonagh winked. I ve got a plan. Finn was relieved. Oonagh was clever, and she had bailed him out before. Oonagh raced down the hill and went to all of her neighbors, asking for their iron griddles. After collecting twenty griddles, she returned home, ground them up, and made griddle cakes some with iron and some without. This was all she needed to do, so she sat with Finn and they waited. At 2 o clock, Finn saw Cucullin climbing up the hill. All right, Oonagh whispered to Finn, put on these baby clothes, and climb into the crib. Finn looked perplexed, but he trusted her. I m looking for Finn MacCool, Cucullin bellowed when he saw Oonagh. I m sorry, but he s not here, she replied. He went to slay the giant Cucullin. What? That s me you re talkin about, and I m here to slay him, he exclaimed. Well, he s not here, but you can wait for him and maybe you could help me with a few of Finn s chores, Oonagh began. On windy days like today, he turns the house away from the wind. Would you mind? I can do that! Cucullin bragged. You see, Cucullin had a unique talent as well: He derived all his strength from his third finger. So he went outside and, with only his third finger, turned the house. Thank you, Oonagh said. You must be hungry. Eat these griddle cakes I ve prepared. They re Finn s favorite, but he won t mind. Griddle cakes! Cucullin cried. They re my favorite! He grabbed two of them and stuffed them into his mouth. Aaargh! he screamed. I ve broken my teeth! What are these cakes made of? 2
They re just my regular recipe. My baby son loves them, too, Oonagh said as she handed a griddle cake without iron to the boy in the crib (who was Finn disguised as a baby, of course). The baby gobbled up the griddle cake easily. Cucullin was stunned. Why, if the baby can eat those cakes, he must be incredibly strong! You can say that again, Oonagh agreed, but the boy is not nearly as strong as his father. With that, Cucullin changed his mind. Well, he thought, I will admit that Finn MacCool must be the strongest giant of all. But may I inspect this extraordinary baby s teeth? You may, Oonagh replied. As Cucullin peered into the boy s mouth, Finn saw his chance. He bit down hard on Cucullin s special third finger. Cucullin screamed in pain. That ll teach you, Cucullin! Now, hit the road! Oonagh shouted. And don t ever come back! Cucullin raced down the hill, never to be seen or heard from again. Finn took off the baby clothes and hugged his wife in gratitude. She had taught him a lesson: Brains are better than brawn. 3
1. How did Finn know that Cucullin was coming to get him? (RL.4.1) a. Finn could see the future. b. Finn got a note from the giant Cucullin. c. Finn wasn t sure, but he made a good guess. d. Finn was wrong. 2. Why did Cucullin s teeth break when he ate the griddle cakes? (RL.4.1) a. His teeth were very weak. b. He ate griddle cakes with bits of iron in them. c. He bellowed and yelled so loud that his teeth broke. d. He ate an iron griddle. 3. What can you infer about Cucullin? Use details and examples from the text to support your answer. (RL.4.1 and RL.4.3) 4. One theme of this story is cleverness. Which theme statement or author s message about cleverness does NOT fit this story? (RL.4.2) a. Cleverness can overcome strength. b. If you are smart, you can outwit a bully. c. Brains are better than brawn. d. Cleverness cannot protect you from a bully. 5. What is the setting (time and place) of this story? Use details and examples to support your answer. (RL.4.3) 4
6. What is Finn MacCool s problem in this story? (RL.4.3) 7. What is the resolution of this story? (RL.4.3) 8. Read the following sentences: They lived together at the very top of tall Knockmany Hill. It was quite a climb to get home every night, and there was never a break from the howling Irish winds. yet there was a method to Finn s madness. The top of Knockmany hill was a perfect look out perch. What does the author mean by a method to Finn s madness? (RL.4.4) a. Finn was very angry. b. Finn had a good reason for living in such an odd location. c. Finn was mad about the difficult climb. d. The howling winds were driving Finn and Oonagh insane. 9. Which of the following is the best synonym for perplexed? (RL.4.4) a. shocked b. puzzled c. serious d. hungry 5
Directions: Read the following story and answer the questions below. The Fox and the Snail Swiss Fable One warm summer s day, a clever fox was resting by the meadow. He saw a snail on the ground next to him. How sluggish and ignorant snails are, he thought. And immediately an idea came to him. He would make a wager with Snail. Snail, he said, I will bet you that I can reach the town more quickly than you! You re on! said the snail, who set out immediately. The snail traveled slowly, for he was carrying his residence on his back, as was his custom. The fox continued his rest, intending to start off in the cool of the evening, and he dozed off. The snail quickly took advantage of this circumstance. Snail crept into the fox s thick, bushy tail. As evening approached, the fox took off, astonished that the snail was nowhere to be seen. When he reached the town gate, the fox still could not see the snail. The fox turned around and called out tauntingly, Snail, pick up your pace! I can t wait months for you to get here! I m already here! answered Snail. Without being seen, he had rolled out of the fox s tail and through the bottom of the gate. Thus the fox had to admit it: Pride is no match for cleverness. 6
10. Which is the best summary of The Fox and the Snail? (RL.4.2) a. Clever Snail won a race by tricking Fox. b. Slow Snail crept into the fox s thick tail. c. Prideful Fox challenged Snail to a race. d. Fast Fox beat Snow Snail in a race. 11. How did Fox s opinion of Snail change throughout the passage? Use details and examples from the text to support your inference. (RL.4.1) 12. Which character trait is shared by both Oonagh and Snail? (RL.4.3) a. pride b. intelligence c. greed d. honesty 13. Compare the plots of Finn MacCool and Oonagh and The Fox and the Snail. What similar pattern of events do these stories share? (RL.4.3) a. Both stories are set in the past. b. Both stories have unusual characters. c. Both stories involve a trick played on a strong character. d. Both stories are fiction. 7
14. Which of the following words is the best synonym for wager? (RL.4.4) a. payment b. promise c. bet d. trick 15. Which of the following words is the best synonym for tauntingly? (RL.4.4) a. slowly b. teasingly c. loudly d. softly 16. Compare and contrast the way these two stories treated the universal theme of cleverness. In what ways is the theme of cleverness the same in both stories? In what ways is it different? (RL.4.9) 8
Third Trimester RL Assessment Rubric Name: RL.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. I am unable to explain what the text says explicitly. I am unable to draw an inference from the text. I cannot find details and examples in the text to support my answers. I can explain what the text says explicitly. I begin to draw inferences from the text. I find minimal details to support my inference and/or my work. My work contains some errors, or it is incomplete. I can explain what the text says explicitly. I can draw accurate inferences. I can find details and examples from the text to support my inferences. I can explain in detail what the text says explicitly. I can draw deep and meaningful inferences. I cite abundant details and evidence to support my inferences, beyond grade level expectations. RL.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. I am unable to find a theme. I am unable to summarize the text. I can find a theme. I may provide textual details to support the theme but the support may be limited, may contain some errors, or may be incomplete. I begin to summarize the text, but my summary is incomplete. I can find a theme. I provide textual details to support the theme. I can summarize the text in my own words. I can find a universal theme. I provide quality textual details to support the theme beyond grade level expectations. I can thoroughly summarize the text in my own words. RL.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character s thoughts, words, or actions). I am unable to describe a character, setting, or event. I am unable to provide details to describe a character, setting, or event. I can describe a character, setting, or event. I provide textual details to support my description, but the support may be limited, may contain some errors, or may be incomplete. I can describe a character, setting, or event in depth. I can draw on specific details in the text to support my description. I can describe a character, setting, or event in great detail beyond grade level expectations. I provide quality textual details to support the theme beyond grade level expectations. 9
RL.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean). I cannot determine the meaning of words and phrases in the text. I do not determine the meaning of allusions in the text. I determine the meaning of most words and phrases in the text. I begin to determine meaning of allusions, including allusions to mythology. I determine the meaning of words and phrases in the text. I demonstrate understanding of allusions, including allusions to mythology. I determine the meaning of words and phrases in the text. I can give detailed explanations of the meaning and relevance of words, phrases, and allusions beyond grade level expectations. RL.9 Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures. I cannot compare and contrast the themes, topics, and/or patterns of events in different texts. I cannot provide textual evidence to help compare themes, topics, or events in different texts. I compare and contrast the themes, topics, and/or patterns of events in different texts. I provide textual evidence to support my comparison, but it may be limited, contain some errors, or be incomplete. I compare and contrast the themes, topics, and/or patterns of events in different texts. I provide textual evidence to support my comparison. I make multiple comparisons and contrasts about the themes, topics, and/or patterns of events in different texts. I provide detailed textual evidence to support my comparisons beyond grade level expectations. RL.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4 5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. I am currently unable to read literature in the 4 5 grade level text complexity band. I am unable to comprehend literature in the 4 5 grade level text complexity band. I read literature in the 4 5 grade level text complexity band. I comprehend literature in the 4 5 grade level text complexity band, but my comprehension may be limited. I read literature in the 4 5 grade level text complexity band. I comprehend literature in the 4 5 grade level text complexity band. I read literature at or above the 4 5 grade level text complexity band. I comprehend literature at or above the 4 5 grade level text complexity band. 10