View
215
Download
2
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
Reading ComprehensionLiterary & Informational Texts
NYS ELA Multiple-Choice Practice
Monday, March 30, 2015
Starbucks: Close Readers are expected to read and comprehend literary & informational nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently.…prepare to discuss questions about this portion of the test and some ideas about how to approach concerns with this part of the test.
DO NOW…
Read this poem. Then answer questions.
Ponies and donkeys were once used in mines to pull carts of ore—in the United States as well as Great Britain.
The Pit Poniesby Leslie Norris
They come like the ghosts of horses, shyly,To this summer field, this fresh green,
Which scares them.They have been too long in the blind mine,
Their hooves have trodden only stonesAnd the soft, thick dust of fine coal,
And they do not understand the grass.For over two years their sun
Has shone from an electric bulbThat has never set, and their walkingHas been along the one, monotonous
Track of the pulled coal-trucks.They have bunched their muscles against
The harness and pulled, and hauled.But now they have come out of the underworld
And are set down in the sun and real air,Which are strange to them. They are humbleAnd modest, their heads are downcast, they
Do not expect to see very far. But oneIs attempting a clumsy gallop. It is
Something he could do when he was very young.When he was a little foal a long time ago
And he could run fleetly on his long foal’s legs,And almost he can remember this. And look,
One rolls on her back with joy in the clean grass!And they all, awkwardly and hesitantly, likeClumsy old men, begin to run, and the field
Is full of happy thunder. They toss their heads,Their manes fly, they are galloping in freedom.
The ponies have come above ground, they are galloping!
Why are the ponies scared in line 3?
A. They are unable to see where they are headed.
B. They are unfamiliar with the world above ground.
C. They are uncomfortable being around other ponies.
D. They are unsure why they are no longer in the mine.
MEASURES CCLS: RL.6.2:Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is
conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions and judgments.
Students selecting “B” show understanding of the central idea of the poem: the pit ponies are scared of the world above ground because it is unfamiliar. Line 4 states that the ponies “have been too long in the blind mine,” while line 7 says, “they do not understand the grass.” These details establish an unfamiliarity with their new surroundings. Lines 4 through 14 describe the world of the underground mine that they do know, and lines 15 through 17 explain that they are now in “sun and real air,/Which are strange to them.” Life above ground is unfamiliar because the ponies have spent their lives below ground in pit mines.
READING COMPREHENSION FACTORS…The CCLS ELA Test will focus
entirely on Gr.6 ELA & Literacy.
ALL questions will be based on close reading of informational, literary, or paired texts.
Texts will typically be 750-850 words.
Many questions will require YOU to combine skills
Avoid the DISTRACTORS
Tuesday, April 14, 2015Book 16 passages42 multiple-choice questions
Wednesday, April 15, 2015Book 21 passage7 multiple-choice questions
28-POINT ASSESSMENT
1.Read the Literary Text “The Secret Fire” (page 8) & Informational Text “It’s Raining Pistachios” (page 12)
2.Answer the 14 Multiple-Choice Questions
3.Be sure to complete the Scantron form correctly
Recommended