Reading & Writing · Unit 5 · Weeks 25–30 · 50–60 min (best split over two sittings)

Scoring Guide: Figurative Language & the Research Report

39 points total

Part 1: Reading: Two Texts on One Topic

11 points

Read both texts about maple syrup. Then answer the questions. You can look back at the texts.

1.
Both texts are about maple syrup. What does each text mostly focus on?
(2 pts)
Answer: Text A: the steps for making maple syrup (from tree to table) (1). Text B: why sap flows in spring, or the weather sap needs (1).
2.
Write one fact that is in both texts.
(1 pt)
Answer: Any one: sap comes out of a hole (spout) in the tree; sugar makers or farmers collect sap from trees; sap is collected around late winter or early spring.
3.
Write one fact that is only in Text B.
(1 pt)
Answer: Any one: sap flows best with icy nights and sunny days; pressure pushes sap out; the season lasts only a few weeks; sap from budding trees tastes bitter; the holes heal.
4.
Number the steps from Text A in order from 1 to 4. ___ The sap is boiled in a wide, flat pan. ___ A spout is tapped into a hole in the tree. ___ The syrup is poured into jars and bottles. ___ The sap is carried to a sugarhouse.
(2 pts)
Answer: 3, 1, 4, 2
5.
According to Text B, what causes sap to drip from the spouts?
(1 pt)
Answer: When the day warms up after a cold night, pressure builds inside the trunk and pushes the sap out.
6.
Why does the sugaring season end?
(1 pt)
Answer: The trees grow leaf buds, and sap from a budding tree tastes bitter.
7.
Read Text A: "most of the water turns into steam and floats away." What happens to the sap as it boils?
(1 pt)
Answer: Its water leaves as steam, so the sap gets thick and sweet and becomes syrup.
8.
Use both texts. Why do you think a small bottle of real maple syrup can cost a lot? Give one reason from each text.
(2 pts)
Answer: Answers vary. Look for: Text A, it takes about 40 buckets of sap to make 1 bucket of syrup (or the long boiling) (1); Text B, the season lasts only a few weeks, so sap can be collected only for a short time (1).

Scoring: 2-point items: 1 for each part. The order item: 2 if all four are right, 1 if two or three are right. 1-point items: 1 if the answer matches the text, in the child's own words.

Reteach if needed: Week 25, Week 27. Week 25 Days 1–2 (what each text focuses on, comparing details, sequence and cause and effect); Week 25 Days 3–4 (combining information and drawing a conclusion from two texts); Week 27 Day 3 (review).

Part 2: Literal & Nonliteral Language

8 points

Read each sentence. Decide what the words really mean.

9.
"The wind whispered through the pine trees." Is this literal or nonliteral? What is really happening?
(2 pts)
Answer: Nonliteral (1). The wind was blowing softly and making a quiet sound in the trees (1).
10.
"Please don't spill the beans about the party." What does spill the beans mean here?
(1 pt)
Answer: tell a secret
11.
"When Leo saw the mess, he was a volcano about to blow." How did Leo feel?
(1 pt)
Answer: Very angry (about to yell or lose his temper).
12.
"The town took steps to clean up the river." Did the town really walk? What does took steps mean?
(2 pts)
Answer: No (1). It means the town did things (made a plan and acted) to clean the river (1).
13.
Write your own sentence about the weather that uses nonliteral language. Then tell what it really means.
(2 pts)
Answer: Answers vary. Look for: a sentence with words that do not mean exactly what they say, such as "The sun smiled on the beach" (1), and a correct literal meaning, such as "It was sunny and bright" (1).

Scoring: 2-point items: 1 for each part. 1-point items: 1 if correct.

Reteach if needed: Week 26, Week 27. Week 26 Days 1–4 (literal and nonliteral phrases, sayings and sense words); Week 27 Day 4 (review).

Part 3: Language

5 points

Read each sentence by yourself. Follow the directions.

14.
Fix the sentence. Add an apostrophe to show one farmer owns the boots. The farmers boots were muddy.
(1 pt)
Answer: The farmer's boots were muddy.
15.
Write the possessive. the buckets that belong to the workers = the ____ buckets
(1 pt)
Answer: workers'
16.
Write the possessive. the toys that belong to the children = the ____ toys
(1 pt)
Answer: children's
17.
Circle the right word. (Their / There / They're) sap buckets are full.
(1 pt)
Answer: Their
18.
Find the wrong word and fix it. I want to right a report about maple trees.
(1 pt)
Answer: right should be write: I want to write a report about maple trees.

Scoring: Each item: 1 if correct, 0 if not. Apostrophes must be in the exact place.

Reteach if needed: Week 27, Week 29. Week 27 (homophones: there, their, they're; right, write); Week 29 Day 1 (possessives for one owner, more than one owner, and plurals without s).

Part 4: Word Study

8 points

Read each item by yourself. Follow the directions.

19.
Finish each word with -tion, -sion or -ture. collec____ mois____ deci____
(2 pts)
Answer: collection, moisture, decision. 2 for all three, 1 for two.
20.
Draw a line to divide each word into syllables. fixture nation
(2 pts)
Answer: fix|ture (1); na|tion (1)
21.
Write the contraction. they will → ____ I have → ____
(2 pts)
Answer: they'll (1); I've (1)
22.
Which two words make the contraction doesn't?
(1 pt)
Answer: does not
23.
Addition has the base word add. Use it to tell what addition means.
(1 pt)
Answer: Putting numbers together (adding) to find a total.

Scoring: Each part is worth 1 point unless the item says otherwise; spelling and apostrophes must be exact.

Reteach if needed: Week 25, Week 26, Week 28, Week 30. Week 25 (-tion and -sion; root words); Week 26 (-ture); Week 28 (contractions); Week 30 (review).

Part 5: Research & Report Writing

7 points

Answer the research questions. Then write one paragraph for a report.

24.
You copied these exact words from Text A: It takes about 40 buckets of sap to make just 1 bucket of syrup. What two things must you add to show they are not your own words?
(2 pts)
Answer: Quotation marks around the words (1) and the source, such as Text A (1).
25.
Which source would be most trustworthy for a report about how maple syrup is made?
(1 pt)
Answer: a book about maple sugaring written by a forest scientist
26.
Write a body paragraph for a report called "How Maple Syrup Is Made." Use facts from both texts in your own words. Begin with a topic sentence, include at least three facts, use a linking word such as also, another, and or but, explain the word sap, and end with a closing sentence.
(4 pts)
Answer: Rubric (4 points): 4 = a topic sentence, at least three correct facts drawn from both texts in the child's own words, a linking word, sap explained, and a closing sentence; 3 = a topic sentence and three facts, but facts come from only one text, or the linking word, the meaning of sap or the closing sentence is missing; 2 = two correct facts with little organization, or facts mostly copied word for word; 1 = one fact or ideas not from the texts; 0 = no response or off topic.

Scoring: The 2-point item: 1 for each part. The choice item: 1 if correct. Score the writing with the 4-point rubric in the answer. Score what is on the page, not neatness. Spelling of words not yet taught does not lower the score.

Reteach if needed: Week 28, Week 29, Week 30. Week 28 Day 4 (trustworthy sources); Week 29 Days 2–3 (citing sources, quoting versus paraphrasing); Week 30 Days 2–4 (introductions, body paragraphs with linking words, conclusions).

Score box

Part	Points earned	Possible
1. Reading: Two Texts on One Topic		11
2. Literal & Nonliteral Language		8
3. Language		5
4. Word Study		8
5. Research & Report Writing		7
Total		39

Level: Enter points to see the level.

D · Developing: 0–19
A · Approaching: 20–27
P · Proficient: 28–35
E · Exceeding: 36–39