Grade 7 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
PROFICIENCY SCALE 3.0
(1) I can cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well
inferences drawn from the text. (RL.7.1; RI.7.1)
(2) I can determine a theme or central of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text.
(RL.7.2; RI.7.2)
(3) I can provide an objective summary about grade-level text. (RL.7.2; RI.7.2)
(4) I can write grade-appropriate informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts,
and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. (W.7.2)
(5) I can analyze how particular elements of a story interact. (RL.7.3)
(6) I can analyze the interactions between ideas in a text. (RI.7.3)
Directions: Read the two articles on weather and study the picture. Then answer
the questions that follow each article and picture.
-Article ONEA big difference
Climate fluctuates naturally between warm and cool periods. (2) But the 20th century has seen
the greatest warming in at least a thousand years, and natural forces can't account for it all. (3)
The rise of CO2 and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere has contributed; both
greenhouse gases and temperature are expected to continue rising.
(1)
Warming trends
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere helps determine Earth's surface
temperature. (5) Both CO2 and temperature have risen sharply since 1950. (6) Over the past 140
years, forest clearing and fossil fuel burning have pushed up the atmosphere's CO2 level by
nearly 100 parts per million. (7) The average surface temperature of tile Northern Hemisphere
has mirrored the rise in CO2. (8) The 1990s was the warmest decade since the mid 1800s, and
1998 the warmest year.
(4)
Shrinking sea ice
An image based on satellite data shows constant ice cover in 1979, when the ice extended
over the Arctic Ocean from edge to edge. (10) Since then the area of coverage has decreased by 9
percent per decade. (11) A similar image from 2003 shows dramatically reduced recurrent ice
cover. (12) Large areas of open ocean have appeared near Russia, Alaska, and Canada. (13) Some
climate models project that tile ice will be gone in summer by the end of this century.
(9)
Hot zone - The Arctic is warming several times faster than most of the planet; ice there is
melting on land and at sea. (15) The release of fresh water into the oceans could change the
course of currents that play a vital role in climate. (16) Runoff from glaciers on land is already
contributing to a global rise in sea level.
(14)
Coasts threatened
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Grade 7 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
As ice melts and warmer seawater expands, the oceans will rise. (18) How much depends
largely on how much CO2 and other greenhouse gases we continue to release. (19) This model
projects rises of between a few inches and a few feet over the next century.
(17)
Storm warnings
Higher global temperatures could fuel extreme weather. (21) Scientists believe that various
weather events will be more frequent in a warmer world.
(20)
Uncertain scenarios - In the next century some coastlines could migrate miles inland,
displacing tens of millions of people. (23) Siberia and northern Canada could experience a
warmer, wetter climate. (24) Other regions could suffer more frequent and severe droughts. (25)
Taking steps now to rein in greenhouse gas productions could limit these impacts.
(22)
Thick smoke towers over a forest near Fairbanks, one more sign that Alaska is getting hotter.
In three decades the average temperature rose 4.16°F in the northern city of Barrow. (28) The
capital, Juneau, saw a 3.54° increase, and Anchorage, the state's most populous city, is 2.26°
warmer. (29) Northern forests full of pine, spruce, and fir trees, which become fire prone in hot
weather, could be hit hard. (30) Computer models predict that CO2- induced warming could
eventually raise the incidence of fires by more than half.
(26)
(27)
Climate warming hits hard in cold regions partly because of light feedback. (32) Snow and
ice have a high light feedback--that is, they reflect a lot of solar energy. (33) But as heat melts
snow and ice, darker, less reflective land or water is exposed. (34) More heat is absorbed, giving
rise to further melting and warming.
(31)
Alaska's beautiful glaciers--among them Buckskin Glacier in Denali National Park and
Preserve--are disappearing. (36) An estimated 23 cubic miles of water now runs off each year,
the largest glacial contribution to sea- level rise on Earth. (37) The heat is also melting
permanently frozen ground that supports roads, buildings, and other infrastructure across most of
the state. (38) It's a bumpy ride on a bike path near Fairbanks, where once frozen soil has
softened and chunks of underground ice have melted. (39) The result is sharp dips and rises in
what once was level ground. (40) Even trees are susceptible to softening ground, leading to the
miracle of the "drunken" forest. (41) In Shishmaref waves undermine bluffs softened by
permanently frozen ground melt. (42) The early retreat of sea ice each year--in addition to making
it harder for villagers to locate prey during traditional spring hunts-- magnifies sea swells,
causing further erosion.
(35)
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Grade 7 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
Questions
1. What is the topic of article one? ____________________________________________
2. How do you know your answer is the topic of the article? _______________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the central idea? __________________________________________________
4. What sentence from the text directly supports the central idea? _____________________
5. With which statement would the author most likely agree?
a. Climate change is completely natural.
b. Weather is not predictable.
c. Human life style impacts changes in climate all over the world.
d. Building factories that release fumes helps control weather.
6. Cite textual evidence to support your answer to question 5. ______________________
_________________________________________________________________________
7. How do the details support the central idea? __________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Summarize article one in your own words. ___________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
9. Explain how the ideas in the text interact with each other through the text.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
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Grade 7 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
-Article TWO-
(1)
(2)
We all know deserts are dry places, but places, but just what is meant by the term dry?
That is, how much rain defines the boundary between humid and dry regions? (3) Sometimes
it is defined by a single rainfall figure, for example, twenty-five centimeters (ten inches) of
precipitation per year. (4) (Rainfall refers to the quantity of water that falls in the form of rain,
snow, etc. in an area in a given amount of time.) (5) However, the concept of dryness is a relative
one that refers to any situation in which a water deficiency exists. (6) Thus, climatologists define
dry climate as one in which yearly precipitation is less than the potential loss of water by
evaporation. (7) Dryness, then, is related not only to total annual rainfall but also to evaporation.
(8)
Evaporation, in turn, greatly depends upon temperature. (9) As temperatures climb, potential
evaporation also increases. (10) Fifteen to twenty-five centimeters of precipitation can support
forests in northern Scandinavia, where evaporation into the cool, humid air is slight and a surplus
of water remains in the soil. (11) However, the same amount of rain falling on New Mexico
supports only a sparse vegetative cover because evaporation into the hot, dry air is great. (12) So
clearly no specific amount of precipitation can serve as a universal boundary for dry climates.
Questions
1. Scientists who study weather consider a dry climate to be one in which
a. weather conditions.
b. humidity in the air.
c. water that falls to the earth in any form.
d. dry places.
2. What evidence from the text supports your answer to question 1 above? ______________
3. The higher the temperature is,
a. the greater the rainfall.
b. the smaller the rainfall.
c. the greater the potential evaporation.
d. the smaller the potential evaporation.
4. Which sentence in the passage directly supports your answer to question 3 above? _____
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Grade 7 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
5. The author implies that one reason evaporation in northern Scandinavian forests is slight
is that
a. the rainfall is low there.
b. there is no rainfall there.
c. the air is cool.
d. a heavy ground cover prevents the moisture from evaporating.
6. What sentence(s) provides support for your answer choice to question 5? ____________
7. Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the selection?
a. When temperatures are lower, there is less evaporation.
b. A dry climate is one in which the rainfall is less than the potential evaporation,
which depends on temperature.
c. Evaporation in a northern forest is slight in comparison with evaporation in a
desert region like that of New Mexico.
d. Rainfall is the amount of water that falls to earth as rain, snow, sleet, and hail.
8. Explain why you did not choose the other 3 answers as the best main idea for article two.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9. Summarize article two in your own words. ___________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
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Grade 7 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
-PICTURE-
Questions
1. What is the topic of this picture? ____________________________________________
2. How do you know that is the topic? __________________________________________
3. What is one detail about this picture that supports how the cycle impacts climate? _____
__________________________________________________________________________
4. What conclusions can you draw based on this picture? ___________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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Grade 7 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
Information/Explanatory Response:
After reading both articles and the picture, write a paragraph that defines weather changes and
explains the impact on the environment, include what conclusions can you draw in regards to
future weather patterns or implications. Support your answer with evidence from the texts.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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Grade 7 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
Answer Key:
ARTICLE ONE
1. Climate change; weather changes
2. Climate/weather is referred to in each paragraph.
3. Warming and cooling along with CO2 and other gases released are causing changes in
climates, which results in several problems.
4. Sentences 9-12
5. C
6. Sentences 22-25.
7. The details provide specific examples of how climate is changing due to CO2 and gas
emissions, such as describe in the last paragraph.
8. Answer will vary, so decide on how to grade this question.
9. Answer will vary, so decide on how to grade this question.
ARTICLE TWO:
1. B
2. Sentence 6
3. C
4. Sentence 9
5. C
6. Sentence 10 says that “evaporation into cool, humid air is slight.”
7. B
8. Answer A covers only sentences 8-11. Answer C covers only sentences 10-11. Answer D
covers only sentence 4.
9. Answer will vary, so decide on how to grade this question.
PICTURE:
1. Water cycle, Climate or Weather process
2. The arrows explain a direction or flow or process to follow and the details are of rain,
snow, falling to the ground to make water or evaporation.
3. Surface run off can cause a loss of land or rain and snow can cause the water to over flow
onto land.
4. The process runs smooth without interruptions but humans are not in the picture.
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Grade 7 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
Writing task rubric:
Scoring
Element
Focus
Controlling
Idea
Reading
Development
Organization
Conventions
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
Attempts to
address prompt,
but lacks focus or
is off-task.
Attempts to
establish a
controlling idea,
but lacks a clear
purpose.
Attempts to
present
information in
response to the
prompt, but lacks
connections or
relevance to the
purpose of the
prompt.
Attempts to
provide details in
response to the
prompt including
retelling, but lacks
sufficient
development or
relevancy.
Attempts to
organize ideas, but
lacks control or
structure.
Addresses prompt
appropriately, but
with a weak or
uneven focus.
Establishes a
controlling idea with
a general purpose.
Addresses prompt
appropriately and
maintains a clear, steady
focus.
Establishes a controlling
idea with a clear purpose
maintained throughout
the response.
Addresses all aspects of
prompt appropriately and
maintains a strongly
developed focus.
Establishes a strong
controlling idea with a
clear purpose maintained
throughout the response.
Presents information
from reading
materials relevant to
the purpose of the
prompt with minor
lapses in accuracy or
completeness.
Presents information
from reading materials
relevant to the prompt
with accuracy and
sufficient detail.
Accurately presents
information relevant to all
parts of the prompt with
effective selection of
sources and details from
reading materials.
Presents appropriate
details to support the
focus and controlling
idea.
Presents appropriate and
sufficient details to
support the focus and
controlling idea.
Presents thorough and
detailed information to
strongly support the focus
and controlling idea.
Uses an appropriate
organizational
structure to address
the specific
requirements of the
prompt, with some
lapses in coherence
or awkward use of
the organizational
structure.
Demonstrates an
uneven command of
standard English
conventions
cohesion. Uses
language and tone
with some
inaccurate,
inappropriate, or
uneven features.
Inconsistently cites
sources.
Maintains an appropriate
organizational structure
to address the specific
requirements of the
prompt.
Maintains and
organizational structure
that intentionally and
effectively enhances the
presentation of
information as required by
the specific prompt.
Demonstrates a
command of standard
English conventions and
cohesion, with few
errors. Response
includes language and
tone appropriate to the
audience, purpose, and
specific requirements of
the prompt. Cites
sources using an
appropriate format with
only minor errors.
Demonstrates and
maintains a welldeveloped command of
standard English
conventions and cohesion,
with few errors. Response
includes language and
tone consistently
appropriate to the
audience, purpose, and
specific requirements of
the prompt. Consistently
cites sources using an
appropriate format.
Attempts to
demonstrate
standard English
conventions, but
lacks cohesion and
control of
grammar, usage,
and mechanics.
Sources are used
without citation.
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