Niagara Falls City School District English Language Arts Packet 1: Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding. Background Knowledge and Vocabulary Development 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.
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This is a rough draft of a student s story. It contains errors. Piper the Cat (1)One rainy day, me and my older sister were walking home from school when we heard a cat meowing. (2)We serched everywhere, but we could not find it until we looked into a drainpipe by the sidewalk. (3)The pipe had water in and around it because of all the rain. (4)We could not see the cat. (5)We sure could hear it. (6)The cat was loud! (7)My sister to come help us went home and called the fire department. (8)I stayed behind with the cat, and I did not want to leave it by itself. (9)When the firefighters arrived, they were very nice and helpfull. (10)We watched while they used their tools to dig up the ground around the pipe to drain the pipe, and to pull the cat out to safety. (11)When they revealed the cat, we seen that it was very young, very wet, and very scared. (12)The firefighter s drove my sister and me home so we could ask if we could keep the cat, and we could! (13)We bathed and fed her and decided to name her Piper, because we found her in a pipe. (14)Piper is a very good cat and sleeps with me at night. (15)She still meows, but not as loudly as she did in the pipe. (16)We are very glad we found her on that rainy day, and she is glad she found us too. 1. Read the sentence from the story. (2) We serched everywhere, but we could not find it until we looked into a drainpipe by the sidewalk. What is the correct way to spell the underlined word? A) surched B) sirched C) searched D) searchd 2. Which title is best for the story? A) Piper s Scary Adventure B) Piper s Happy Meow C) Piper s New Bed D) Piper s Warm Bath 3. Read the following sentence from the story. We watched while they used their things to dig up the ground around the pipe in order to drain the pipe and pull the cat out to safety. Which word should replace things to give a more exact meaning? A) articles B) materials C) stuff D) tools 3
Build a Scrapbook Scrapbooking is a fun and creative way to record your memories. There is much more to making a scrapbook, however, than simply arranging pictures in a picture album. You also must tell the stories behind your pictures. This is the reason why writing captions, short explanations beneath pictures, is also very important. The very first thing to do is decide what experience you want to record using pictures. It can be anything: a special trip, a school year, or a fun celebration. Just be sure you choose a meaningful event. Once you choose the event, you can choose a picture album, gather the necessary supplies, and collect your snapshots. The following is a list of some basic items you will need for this project: A pair of scissors for trimming pictures and colored paper into different shapes An adhesive, or glue, to hold the pictures in place Different-colored paper to decorate the album pages Pens for writing captions A picture album Other decorations, like glitter or stickers Pictures Now you are ready to build your scrapbook. Perform these steps: 1. Sort your pictures so that all your pictures from the same event are together. 2. Select two or three paper colors that will draw attention to your pictures. 3. Work on one page at a time. Choose a picture to be the main focus. You will center this picture on the page. 4. Use the scissors to crop, or shape, your pictures. This way you can fit more pictures on each page and show the most important part of each picture. 5. Decorate the page around the pictures. For example, you may want to glue the pictures onto pieces of colored paper before gluing them to the page. Using matching paper as a mat will bring out the colors in the pictures. 6. Now it is time to add the captions underneath the pictures in your scrapbook. You can use different-colored pens or decorative handwriting. This is where you can really use your imagination! The aim is to write something about each picture that will help you to always remember that event. Besides writing the basic facts about each picture, try also to write about the feelings, thoughts, and memories you have when looking at these pictures. 4
7. To finish the page, use stickers, glitter, or other decorations to add interest and zing. 8. After you arrange everything on the page, it is time to carefully glue the pictures and other decorations to the page. 9. Repeat this process for each page. Now you have an interesting scrapbook to tell your stories and hold your best memories. Others also will enjoy looking at your scrapbook and learning what is important to you. 4. Which word belongs in a glossary of important words from the passage? A) adhesive B) paper C) scissors D) pens 5. Which word from the story is a compound word? A) attention B) decorative C) matching D) scrapbook 6. Read this sentence from the article. After you arrange everything on the page, it is time to carefully glue the pictures and other decorations to the page. Which word has the same base word as carefully? A) cardboard B) careless C) carpet D) carried 5
*Vegetarian choice Breakfast: 95 students, $1.25 adults Breakfast is served with juice or plain milk. A variety of cold cereals is offered daily at breakfast. Lunch: $1.75 students, $2.25 adults Lunch is served with juice, chocolate or plain milk, or water. Vegetarian Choices Students who prefer a meatless lunch may choose the vegetarian choice on the lunch menu. No meat products have been used to make these items. However, vegetarian choices MAY contain eggs, or dairy products, such as cheese or milk. For more information, see Mrs. Gleeson in the lunchroom. Baked potatoes are offered daily as a meatless main dish. Nutrition Hints of the Week Healthy Foods, Healthy Minds Did you know that if you eat healthy foods, you might learn more in school? Eating healthy foods helps you concentrate and gives you energy that lasts through the whole school day. Strong Kids Growing Kids Calcium Kids! 6
Children need calcium to grow strong, healthy bones. Try these calcium-rich foods. Milk Yogurt Cheese Pudding Soy-based drinks with added calcium Cereals with added calcium Fruit juices with added calcium Iron for Energy! Many children in the United States don t get enough iron from the foods they eat. Iron is important because it helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout your body. Without iron, you get tired and feel weak. Try these foods to get iron for energy. Lean meat Cooked dry beans: pinto beans, kidney beans, lentils, peas Spinach Enriched and whole-grain breads 7. Which word from the passage is a homophone? A) choice B) minds C) strong D) weak 8. In which sentence from the passage do the two underlined words have similar meanings? A) Children need calcium to grow strong, healthy bones. B) Without iron, you get tired and feel weak. C) Try these foods to get iron for energy. D) Try these calcium-rich foods. 9. To find a word that means the same as concentrate, the best place to look is A) a dictionary. B) a thesaurus. C) an encyclopedia. D) an almanac. 10. Which words from the passage are antonyms? A) plain and cold B) strong and weak C) item and food D) make and learn 7
11. Read this sentence. A variety of cold cereals is offered daily at breakfast. Which word is a synonym for the underlined word in the sentence? A) dish B) menu C) choice D) product 12. Read this thesaurus entry. serve v 1.to offer 2.to wait on 3.to take care of 4.to complete a duty Read this sentence. Breakfast is served with juice or plain milk. Which word is the best definition of serve as it is used in the sentence? A) to offer B) to wait on C) to take care of D) to complete a duty The following is a draft of a student s letter. It contains errors. October 26, 2005 Ms. Linda Johnson Marketing Director Children s Business 118 West 39th Street New York, NY 10124 Dear Ms. Johnson, (1)I am writing to thank you for sponsoring me in the Central Association of the Blind Walkathon last month. (2)Thanks to your help, I was able to train with my team. (3)My sighted partner s name is Jason. (4)Jason and I worked hard. (5)We walked about one mile three times a week at first. (6)We built up to walking five miles a few weeks before the Walkathon. (7)I never would have believed that I could walk five miles last spring. (8)By October, Jason and I knew we were ready to give it a try. (9)We were really eager for the rapidly approeching race. (10)We had lots of support while we were walking. (11)My mother father older brother, and two cousins spread out along the route. (12)Just when I was feeling tired, I would hear people yelling loudly from the sidelines, Come on Ethan; you can do it! (13)My family and friends cheered me on. (14)They gave me the strength I needed to keep going. (15)Jason was leading the way. (16)We crossed the finish line in tenth place. (17)There was a celebration at the end of the race. (18)All the walkers received awards. (19)Jason and I had our picture taken for the local newspaper, the express times herald. (20)Again, I want to thank you for your support. (21)Part of the money that you donated to the Walkathon will be used to pay for next years race. (22)I am looking forward to walking again next year. Sincerely, Ethan Crismano 8
13. Read the sentence. (12) Just when I was feeling tired, I would hear people yelling loudly from the sidelines, Come on Ethan; you can do it! What is the correct way to write the underlined part of this sentence? A) Come on Ethan; you can do it! B) Come on Ethan; you can do it! C) Come on Ethan; you can do it! D) Leave as is. 14. Read the sentences. (15) Jason was leading the way. (16) We crossed the finish line in tenth place. What is the best way to join these sentences without changing the meaning? A) Jason led the way to the finish line, at tenth place. B) I crossed with Jason the finish line in tenth place. C) With Jason leading the way, we crossed the finish line in tenth place. D) With Jason leading the way at tenth place, we crossed the finish line. 15. Read the sentence. (19) Jason and I had our picture taken for the local newspaper, the express times herald. What is the correct way to write the underlined part of this sentence? A) The Express times herald B) the Express Times herald C) the Express Times Herald D) The Express Times Herald 16. Read the sentence. (9) We were really eager for the rapidly approeching race. Which word from this sentence is spelled incorrectly? A) really B) eager C) rapidly D) approeching 9
Donna s teacher asks her students to write a story about an experience with an animal that strongly affected them. Donna decides to write about how she got her cat named Piper. Read the first part of Donna s rough draft. (1)I never really thought about having a cat as a pet until the day I met Piper. (2)It was a cold and rainy day when my older sister and I, we were walking home from school that day. (3)We were talking about our homework assignments when suddenly we heard a cat meowing loudly. (4)We searched everywhere but could not find the cat. (5)Then by chance, we looked into a sewer drainpipe along the sidewalk. (6)The pipe had water in and around it because of all the rain. (7)We didn t see the cat. (8)We sure could hear it. (9)My sister decided to run home hoping for help and called the fire department. (10)I did not want to leave the cat alone. (11)I worried that the cat might be injured. (12)It seemed to be shivering and very afraid. (13)Pretty soon, the firefighters arrived and my sister returned. (14)They asked us if it was our cat and how long we thought the cat might have been in the drain. (15)Firefighters are so brave to fight fires like they do every day. (16)We told them we didn t know the cat and just found it crying today. Read the next part of Donna s rough draft. This section contains groups of underlined words. The questions will ask about these groups of underlined words. (17)The firefighters worked for what seemed like an hour or more. (18)They never complained though, and were just kind and helpful. (19)We watched while they used their tools to dig up the ground around the pipe to drain the pipe, and to pull the cat out to safety. (20)When they pulled her out, we seen that it was very young and skinny. (21)The cat did not have a collar with tags, so the firefighters called a animal shelter to see if anyone had reported a missing cat that matched the description of this one. (22)No one had. (23)My sister and I looked at each other and were thinking the same thing. (24)The firefighters offered to drive us home so we could ask if we could keep the cat. (25)Thankfully, we could! (26)That night, we bathed her and fed her and named her Piper because we found her in a pipe. (27)Piper has been a wonderful cat. (28)She curls up on my lap when I read and watch tv, and she sleeps with me at night. (29)She still meows, but not as loudly as she did in the pipe that day. (30)We are so very glad we found her, and she is glad she found ourselves. (31)Its so great having a cat as a pet. (32)I can t imagine why I didn t want one sooner. 17. In Sentence 26, how should the phrase That night, we bathed her and fed her and named her be written? A) That night, we bathed and fed her, and named her B) That night, we bathed her, fed and named her C) That night, we bathed, fed, and named her D) Leave as is. 18. Read the sentence. Juan is a person speaks a second language. Which pronoun best completes this sentence? A) that B) which C) who D) whose 10
19. Read the sentence. A microscope is an instrument is used to magnify objects. Which word best completes the sentence? A) that B) who C) whose D) which 20. Read the sentence. Abraham Lincoln was a man is known for his honesty. Which word best completes the sentence? A) which B) whom C) that D) who 21. Read the sentence. She is the kind of person is always dependable. Which pronoun should be used to complete the sentence? A) whose B) which C) who D) whom 11