MCAS and Common Core Reading/ELA Student Set

Grade 3 SAMPLER MCAS and Common Core Reading/ELA Student Set Click on the book titles below to navigate. MCAS Finish Line MCAS Performance Indicator Finish Line for the Common Core State Standards

Contents Introduction to MCAS Finish Line Reading 3.......................... 4 Unit 1: Vocabulary [Standards 4, 5]..................................... 5 Lesson 1 Related Words............................................ 6 Lesson 2 Word Parts.............................................. 14 Lesson 3 Words in Context......................................... 22 Lesson 4 Rules of English.......................................... 29 Unit 2: Understanding a Text [Standards 8, 13]........................... 43 Lesson 5 Main Idea and Details..................................... 44 Lesson 6 Organizational Features................................... 52 Lesson 7 Making Predictions....................................... 60 Lesson 8 Finding the Sequence..................................... 68 Lesson 9 Cause and Effect......................................... 75 Lesson 10 Fact and Opinion......................................... 83 Unit 3: Understanding Literature [Standards 8, 10 12, 14 17]................ 89 Lesson 11 Forms and Theme........................................ 90 Lesson 12 Style and Language....................................... 98 Lesson 13 Elements of Fiction...................................... 104 Lesson 14 Poetry................................................. 110 Lesson 15 Myths and Traditional Stories............................. 115 Lesson 16 Plays and Drama........................................ 123 Unit 4: The Writing Process [Standards 19 23].......................... 131 Lesson 17 Planning and Drafting.................................... 132 Lesson 18 Revising............................................... 138 Lesson 19 Editing and Publishing................................... 141

LESSON 10 Fact and Opinion Standards 8.17; 13.11 You probably know the difference between fact and fiction. Fiction is stories that are not necessarily true. Authors write these stories to entertain you. When you read for information, though, you are reading facts mostly. Some of the statements you read may be the author s opinions. A fact is a statement that can be proven. An opinion tells you how someone thinks and feels. It is a statement that the author can t possibly know is a fact. As you read, look for opinion word clues like these: nobody all think best feel worst believe seem always never Guided Practice Read this student s book report and answer the questions that follow. Shel Silverstein is the author of everyone s favorite book, The Giving Tree. However, this book is not my favorite. The best Silverstein book is a collection of poems called Where the Unit 2 Understanding a Text 83 The Continental Press, Inc. Do not duplicate.

Sidewalk Ends. These silly poems will delight children and adults alike. The funniest poem in the book is called Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out. It is the story of a girl who won t take out the trash. Her dad yells and shouts at her. But still she refuses to touch the trash. It piles up to the ceiling. And finally it reaches across the whole country! The poem is line after line of all the gross stuff that is piling up in the trash. Silverstein lists yucky items like gristly bits of beefy roasts and rubbery blubbery macaroni. He then adds bacon rinds and chicken bones and curdled milk and crusts of pie. The poem is written as a long stack of lines. They seem to pile up just as high as the trash! Silverstein didn t just write the poems for this book. He also illustrated them. In the garbage poem, the drawing of trash is piled up along the side of the page. It s piled up so high that it is tipping over on the poem itself. I think everyone can relate to this poem a little bit. I don t think anyone is as bad as Sarah. But who likes taking out the trash? Which of these sentences is a fact? A B C D He also illustrated them. I think everyone can relate to this poem a little bit. These silly poems will delight children and adults alike. The best Silverstein book is a collection of poems called Where the Sidewalk Ends. I think shows that choice B is a personal opinion. The word best in choice D shows a comparison. Comparisons are also opinions. Choice A tells you that Shel Silverstein illustrated the book. It s a fact you can check on the book s cover. Choice A is the correct answer. 84 Unit 2 Understanding a Text The Continental Press, Inc. Do not duplicate.

Which of these sentences is an opinion? A B C D The trash piles up to the ceiling. I don t think anyone is as bad as Sarah. Silverstein didn t just write the poems for this book. Shel Silverstein is the author of the book The Giving Tree. Choice A describes something that happens in the poem. You can prove it by reading the poem. Choices C and D identify Shel Silverstein as the author of two books. You can easily prove this also. Choice B uses the words I don t think, which gives a personal opinion. Choice B is the correct answer. Write your answer to this open-response question on a separate sheet of paper. Your answer should be about one-third page long. The first sentence states that The Giving Tree is everyone s favorite book. Explain how you know this can t be a fact. What does the writer really mean? On a reading test, you would be given space in an answer book to answer an open-response question. The space you re allowed suggests how long your answer should be. Here is one possible answer: Even though the writer says The Giving Tree is everyone s favorite book, that is just an opinion. The next sentence says it s not even the writer s favorite book. So it can t be everyone s. The word everyone tells you that this is an opinion instead of fact. There is no way to know what everyone likes best. The writer really means that a lot of people like The Giving Tree. Unit 2 Understanding a Text 85 The Continental Press, Inc. Do not duplicate.

Test Yourself Now read this article and answer the questions that follow. Why Do Wolves Howl? by Jeffrey Caulder Have you ever heard a wolf howling at night? It can be an eerie, lonely sound. Wolves make a variety of sounds. They bark, woof, whimper, yelp, whine, growl, and moan a lot more often than they howl. But howling defines the wolf. Each wolf has a different howl. No dog howls like a wolf. It s a sad sound. It s a wild sound. So, why do wolves howl? The center of a wolf s life is its pack. Some people think that howling makes the bond between wolves in the pack stronger. By the time a wolf pup is six months old, it has learned the voices of its pack mates. An interesting howl is called the chorus howl. A pair of wolves howling together can sound like four or more wolves. Even so, a chorus of howls can end with a fight between pack mates. Some wolves may even be punished for joining in. We do know that howling keeps a pack together as a group. Wolves wander over large areas to find food. So they are often separated from one another. Of all their calls, howling is the only one that works over great distances. If you separate a wolf from its pack, very soon it will begin howling over and over again. There are two main reasons that wolves howl. They howl to keep the pack together and to keep enemies away. The enemies are usually other wolf packs. Smaller packs tend to stay quieter, while larger packs howl more often. Lastly, have you ever heard that wolves howl at the moon? This seems to be a popular idea. But there is no proof of this. Wolves may be more active on moonlit nights because moonlight helps them see better. 86 Unit 2 Understanding a Text The Continental Press, Inc. Do not duplicate.

1 Which of these sentences does NOT state a fact? A B C D This seems to be a popular idea. Wolves make a variety of sounds. Each wolf has a different howl. Howling keeps a pack together as a group. 2 Which of these sentences does NOT state an opinion? A B C D It can be an eerie, lonely sound. An interesting howl is called the chorus howl. Wolves wander over large areas to find food. A pair of wolves howling together can sound like four or more wolves. 3 Based on the article, which of these statements is a fact? A B C D A wolf s howl is a sad, wild sound. The center of a wolf s life is its pack. No dog sounds like a wolf when it howls. Some people think that howling makes the bond between wolves stronger. Unit 2 Understanding a Text 87 The Continental Press, Inc. Do not duplicate.

Write your answer to open-response question 4 on the lines below. 4 The author wrote: By the time a wolf pup is six months old, it has learned the voices of its pack mates. Explain whether this statement is a fact or an opinion of the author. 88 Unit 2 Understanding a Text The Continental Press, Inc. Do not duplicate.

Have you ever helped clean your home? Did you wash and dry the dishes? Maybe you dusted the chairs and tables. This poem is about how Mother Nature cleans her home. Nature s Wash Day Author Unknown Mother Nature had a wash day And called upon the showers To bathe the dusty faces Of the little roadside flowers. 5 She scrubbed the green grass carpet Until it shone like new. She washed the faded dresses Of the oaks and maples, too. No shady nook or corner 10 Escaped her searching eye, And then she sent the friendly sun To shine and make them dry. Session Two 10 The Continental Press, Inc. Do not duplicate. Go On

9 You can tell that this is a poem because some of the words A B C D are short. describe things. rhyme with each other. begin with capital letters. 10 Which word means the same as the word showers in line 2? A B C D rain baths parties people 11 Which line of the poem is about trees? A line 7 B line 8 C line 9 D line 10 12 Which thing in the poem is called friendly? A the sun B the grass C the dresses D the flowers Session Two 11 The Continental Press, Inc. Do not duplicate. Go On

Table of Contents Introduction... 4 Unit 1: Vocabulary Development... 5 L.3.4, RL.3.4, RI.3.4 Lesson 1 Word Meanings... 6 L.3.5, RL.3.4, RI.3.4 Lesson 2 Word Relationships... 22 L.3.6, RL.3.4, RI.3.4 Lesson 3 Content-Specific Words...40 Review Vocabulary Development... 49 Unit 2: Key Ideas and Details... 57 RL.3.1, RI.3.1 Lesson 4 Understanding a Text... 58 RL.3.2, RI.3.2 Lesson 5 Main Idea and Summaries... 70 RL.3.3 Lesson 6 Literary Elements... 81 RI.3.3 Lesson 7 Analyzing Events and Concepts... 95 Review Key Ideas and Details...106 Unit 3: Craft and Structure...113 RL.3.5 Lesson 8 Literary Structure... 114 RI.3.5 Lesson 9 Text Features...128 RL.3.6, RI.3.6 Lesson 10 Point of View and Author s Purpose... 139 Review Craft and Structure...154 Unit 4: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas... 163 RL.3.7, RI.3.7 Lesson 11 Visual Literacy...164 RI.3.8 Lesson 12 Identifying Connections... 173 RL.3.9, RI.3.9 Lesson 13 Comparing and Contrasting...180 Review Integration of Knowledge and Ideas... 193 Practice Test... 201 Glossary...219

7 Analyzing Events and Concepts RI.3.3 Vocabulary cacao calculated discrimination lawyer People, events, and ideas all relate to each other. When you read, you have to think about these relationships. This helps you better understand what you read. As you read, think about how events flow. Events flow from one to the next. Events relate to each other. The order in which events happen is called sequence. Whether you are reading about someone s life or how to do something, there is a sequence of events to follow. Look for clue words that show the sequence. These are words like first, second, next, before, following, finally, now, after, and then. You may also want help understanding why things happen. You can ask yourself, Why did that happen? That is the cause. Then ask, What happened? This is the effect. Look for clue words that signal causes: if, because, since, due to. These clue words signal effects: then, so, as a result of, that is why. Guided Practice Read the passage. Then answer the questions. The History of Chocolate by Stacy Rummel When was the last time you ate a chocolate chip cookie? Did you stop to think how we get chocolate or where it comes from? Over 2,000 years ago, the people of Mexico and Central America found the cacao tree. It was growing in the rainforest. The tree had pods. The seeds in the pods were crushed and made into chocolate. The Continental Press, Inc. DUPLICATING THIS MATERIAL IS ILLEGAL. cacao seeds from which chocolate is made UNIT 2 Key Ideas and Details 95

Mayan people planted the tree in their own yards. They mashed the seeds using a stone. They mixed the seeds with spices to make a drink. They sold the seeds to Aztec traders. They liked the drink, but they could not grow the trees. Later, cacao seeds were also used as money. While shopping, people could pay for the food, clothes, and items they bought at the market with cacao seeds. Some people tried to trick others by making fake cacao seeds. The Spanish came to Central America and Mexico in 1500s. They brought cacao seeds back to Spain with them. They made new recipes. After a while, the favorite drink spread across Europe and the rest of the world. Where do cacao trees grow best? They grow in the shade below taller trees of the rainforest. Cacao trees have flowers on them. They do not produce fruit until they are 3 to 5 years old. How many seeds come from one cacao pod? There are between 30 and 50 seeds that come from one pod. The seeds are the size of an almond. The seeds from one pod can make about seven candy bars. The next time you eat a piece of chocolate, think about how people used it long ago! According to the passage, which of these events happened first? A Cacao seeds were used as money. B The Spanish brought cacao seeds back to Spain. C The drink spread to Europe and around the world. D People found the cacao tree growing in the rainforest. Knowing the order of events is important. You can use the dates to help you. You can use words like later or after that. Look back at the text. Choice D is the correct answer. People find the cacao tree before the other events. 96 UNIT 2 Key Ideas and Details The Continental Press, Inc. DUPLICATING THIS MATERIAL IS ILLEGAL.

How did the Mayans use the cacao seeds to make a drink? The passage tells us the steps the Mayans followed. Here is a sample answer: The Mayans mashed the cacao seeds using a stone. Then they mixed the seeds with spices to make a drink. Why were cacao seeds used as money? To answer this question, think about what you know about money. Put that together with what you learn in the text. Here is a sample answer: Many people liked cacao seeds. They made a popular drink. People could pay for the things they bought with the seeds because they were worth something and well liked. It was almost like a trade. The Continental Press, Inc. DUPLICATING THIS MATERIAL IS ILLEGAL. UNIT 2 Key Ideas and Details 97

Test Yourself Read the passage. Then answer the questions. Earthquake! Have you felt an earthquake? An earthquake is the sudden shaking of the ground. They happen along fault lines of Earth s crust. Scientists cannot tell when an earthquake will happen. They are working to be able to in the future. The power of an earthquake can be calculated. Some earthquakes are felt more than others. You may see hanging pictures move or hear items on shelves rattle during an earthquake. The Richter scale measures earthquakes. An earthquake that is less than 4.0 does not usually break things. Those that are less than 2.0 cannot be felt. An earthquake that is 7.0 is a big earthquake. Earthquakes usually last less than one minute. If there is an earthquake, there are a few things you should do. You should drop, cover, and hold. Get down on the ground. Cover yourself with something that will protect you, like the kitchen table. Hold on to it until the shaking stops. Make sure to stay away from windows. If you are outside, get away from buildings, streetlights, and poles. The most important thing to do is to stay calm. There may be after shocks after the earthquake. These are smaller earthquakes that can cause more damage. In 1906, there was an earthquake that measured 6.7 on the Richter scale. It happened in San Francisco, California. Someone that experienced it said, It was like riding a bicycle down a long flight of stairs. calculated to determine The Continental Press, Inc. DUPLICATING THIS MATERIAL IS ILLEGAL. UNIT 2 Key Ideas and Details 103

1 Which of these is the first thing you should do if there is an earthquake? A Get down on the ground. B Hold on until the shaking stops. C Turn off all the lights in the house. D Cover yourself with something that will protect you. 2 An earthquake happens along. A holes B fault lines C narrow streets D buildings that line the street 3 The most important thing to do during an earthquake is. A stay calm B stay near windows C go outside to see what is happening D call your mom to make sure she is fine 4 What happens during an earthquake? 104 UNIT 2 Key Ideas and Details The Continental Press, Inc. DUPLICATING THIS MATERIAL IS ILLEGAL.