Grade 11 Informational Mini-Assessment Stalagmite Trio This Grade 11 Mini-Assessment Is Based on Two Texts and an Accompanying Video About Cave Formations
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Grade 11 Informational Mini-Assessment Stalagmite Trio This grade 11 mini-assessment is based on two texts and an accompanying video about cave formations. The subject matter, as well as the stimuli, allow for the testing of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects and the Reading Standards for Informational Texts. The texts are worthy of students’ time to read, and the video adds a multimedia component to make the task a more complete and authentic representation of research. The texts meet the expectations for text complexity at grade 11. Assessments aligned to the CCSS will employ quality, complex texts such as these, and some assessments will include multimedia stimuli as demonstrated by this mini-assessment. Questions aligned to the CCSS should be worthy of students’ time to answer and therefore do not focus on minor points of the texts. Several standards may be addressed within the same question because complex texts tend to yield rich assessment questions that call for deep analysis. In this mini-assessment there are twelve questions that address the Reading Standards below. There is also one constructed response item that addresses Reading, Writing, and Language standards. We encourage educators to give students the time that they need to read closely and write to sources. Please note that this mini- assessment is likely to take at least two class periods. Note for teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs): This assessment is designed to measure students’ ability to read and write in English. Therefore, educators will not see the level of scaffolding typically used in instructional materials to support ELLs—these would interfere with the ability to understand their mastery of these skills. If ELL students are receiving instruction in grade-level ELA content, they should be given access to unaltered practice assessment items to gauge their progress. Passages and items should not be modified; however, additional information about accommodations you may consider when administering this assessment to ELLs is available in the teacher section of this resource. The thirteen questions align to the following standards: RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. RI.11-12.2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text. RI.11-12.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text. RI.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10). 1 RI.11-12.5 Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging. RI.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. RST.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account. RST.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms. RST.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11-12 texts and topics. RST.11-12.6 Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, identifying important issues that remain unresolved. RST.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem. RST.11-12.9 Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible. W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. W.11-12.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation. W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. L.11-12.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 2 L.11-12.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. L.11-12.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. 3 Contents Grade 11 Mini-Assessment – Stalagmite Trio (print for students))...................................................... p. 5 Information for Teachers: Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses of the Texts ................................ p. 15 Question Annotation: Correct Answer(s) and Distractor Rationales ................................................. p. 19 Using the Mini-Assessments with English Language Learners………………………..……………………………..p. 24 Additional Resources for Assessment and CCSS Implementation ..................................................... p. 27 The assessment questions in this document align with the CCSS and reflect the instructional shifts implied by the standards. To learn more about these topics, please go to the following link: www.achievethecore.org 4 Grade 11 Mini-Assessment – Stalagmite Trio Today you will read two passages about cave formations and watch a video of the researchers who are discussed in one of the passages. You will then answer several questions based on the passages and the video. I will be happy to answer questions about the directions, but I will not help you with the answers to any questions. You will notice as you answer the questions that some of the questions have two parts. You need to answer Part A of the question before you answer Part B, but you may go back to Part A if you want to. Take as long as you need to read and answer the questions. It is likely that it will take you at least an hour and a half to finish the questions, not including the essay. If you do not finish, we will discuss ways to secure some extra time to complete. Now read the passage and answer the questions. I encourage you to write notes in the margin as you read the passages. Passage 1: Nature’s Cave Sculptures 1 Speleothems, formations created by accumulating mineral deposits contained in water drips, provide natural decorations in caves all over the world. Although these fragile structures are often stunningly beautiful, the science behind how they form is just as intriguing. 2 The National Park Service explains the process of speleothem formation as follows: “Most speleothems are formed in similar ways. All formations are formed by water saturated with dissolved calcium. The water begins on the surface, where the water passes through the soil and absorbs carbon dioxide, transforming the water into a weak carbonic acid. This weak acid then dissolves a small amount calcium from the limestone rock as it travels through cracks and pores on its way to the cave system. As the water drips into the air-filled cave, the dissolved carbon dioxide released. Because the water has lost carbon dioxide, it cannot hold as much dissolved calcium. The excess calcium is then precipitated1 on the cave walls and ceilings to make up speleothems. Most calcium deposited in the cave in the form of the mineral calcite (CaCO3). Slight differences to this process result in the creation of different cave decorations.” 3 The two main types of speleothems are stalagmites and stalactites. When mineralized water drips from the ceiling of a cave, the drops land in the same general area time and time again. As the water evaporates, the minerals remain and begin to amass on the 1 Precipitated: a chemical reaction that causes a substance to be deposited in solid form 5 cave floor, growing into stalagmites. Stalagmites, therefore, are upward-growing mounds of those mineral deposits. Stalactites are also formed from mineralized water, but the difference is that these particular formations hang from the cave ceilings. Because they form through such a similar process, stalagmites and stalactites are usually found in pairs, sometimes eventually joining in the middle to form columns.