Grade 9-10 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
PROFICIENCY SCALE 3.0
(1) I can cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text. (RL.9-10.1; RI.9-10.1)
(2) I can determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text,
including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details. (RL.9-10.2; RI.9-10.2)
(3) I can provide an objective summary about grade-level text. (RL.9-10.2; RI.9-10.2)
(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.9-10.2)
(5) I can analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and
advance the plot or develop the theme.
(6) I can analyze how the author unfolds an analysis of ideas, including the order in which the points are
made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
Directions: Read the two articles on college football and study the picture. Then
answer the questions that follow each article and picture.
-Article ONEHard Knocks
Head injuries among football players are rising and the after-effects are more serious than
previously thought. Is football just too dangerous?
By Alan Schwarz
Owen Thomas started playing football when he was 9 years old. 2) From the beginning, he
enjoyed the rough-and-tumble of the game.
1)
3)
"He loved to go into practice and hit really hard," recalls his mother, Kathy Brearley.
Over time, those hits added up and appear to have taken a terrible toll. 5) In April, Thomas—a
junior at the University of Pennsylvania and a lineman on its football team—took his own life. 6)
The autopsy showed that his brain was in the early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy,
more commonly known as C.T.E.
4)
C.T.E. is a head-trauma-induced disease linked to depression, impulse-control problems,
memory loss, and dementia. 8) More than 20 deceased N.F.L. players have been found to have
had C.T.E.
7)
But its discovery in a 21-year-old who had never even been diagnosed with a concussion
raises big questions about the dangers of football, especially for the 1.4 million high school
students and 3 million younger kids who play.
9)
If this debilitating brain disease can be caused by repeated hits to the head that don't rise to
the level of a concussion—an intrinsic part of football at every level—is it even possible to make
the game safe? 11) In general, there's an increasing awareness about the dangers of
concussions—especially for younger players whose brains are still developing.
10)
1
Grade 9-10 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
In September, an 11-year-old football player from Muskego, Wisconsin, died suddenly. 13)
He had sustained a concussion in a game and then, several days later, collapsed after accidentally
hitting his head during recess. 14) Doctors call it second-impact syndrome. 15) Particularly
among young people, sustaining another blow to the head—even a seemingly harmless one—
before a first has healed can be fatal.
12)
At least 32 high school and youth football players were killed by or suffered permanent brain
damage from head injuries from 2006 through 2009, according to the National Center for
Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina. 17) That's almost twice
the total from the previous four-year period. 18) (In October, a collision during a game left a
Rutgers University player paralyzed from the neck down.)
16)
Alarmed by these incidents, many states have adopted or are considering strict rules about
how and when public school players can be cleared to return to play after a concussion, as well
as requiring concussion awareness programs for players, coaches, and parents. 20) Congress has
been holding hearings and considering similar national legislation.
19)
'Brain Damage, Pure and Simple'
"More and more of my colleagues in Congress are realizing what so many families across the
country have realized," says Congressman Bill Pascrell of New Jersey. 22) "A concussion is brain
damage, pure and simple." 23) But most high school football players don't see it that way, and
many teens are unsure about what constitutes a concussion. 24) Contrary to popular belief, you
don't always pass out when you've sustained a concussion; other symptoms include confusion,
disorientation, and nausea.
21)
And because football's gladiator culture encourages playing through pain and taking a hit for
the team, many teens don't want to risk being put on the sidelines by telling their coaches when
they think they might have a concussion.
25)
Concussions are more dangerous for teenagers because, studies show, their brain tissue is less
developed than adults' and more easily damaged. 27) High school players also typically receive
less expert medical care than college or pro players, or none at all.
26)
There's also the question of helmets. 29) Many young players use old safety gear that's been
passed down long past its prime. 30) And even new helmets are designed to prevent only skull
fractures, not concussions.
28)
So what can be done to make football safer? 32) Improving helmet technology is a good place
to start. 33) Better still, doctors say, coaches need to do a better job of making sure any player
with a head injury stays off the field long enough for the injury to fully heal.
31)
But medical experts say the most important change is to reduce the overall number of hits to
the head—in practice as well as in games. 35) Football is probably the most practice-intensive
team sport—one recent study found that a college football player participates in an average of 12
practices for every game played—and players often sustain hits during practice.
34)
2
Grade 9-10 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
"We can, and we must, develop brain trauma guidelines similar to the pitch-count regulations
now used in Little League Baseball," says Dr. Robert Cantu, a professor of neurosurgery at
Boston University. 37) "We count the pitches of every baseball player to ensure a small number
do not develop shoulder and elbow problems—and yet we don't count how often children get hit
in the head playing football."
36)
In an effort to prevent some of the more harmful hits, the N.F.L. has started to crack down on
players who violate existing rules against unnecessary or intentional hits, fining them and
threatening to suspend them. 39) The N.F.L. is also considering ways to change the frequency
and structure of its practices to reduce head trauma. 40) Those who love the game are hopeful
that all these changes will make a difference.
38)
"I definitely think the game can be made safer," says Michael Oriard, a former N.F.L. player
who has written several books about the game. 42) "But can it be made safe enough? 43) I'm not
so sure."
41)
(Scholastic, The New York Times Upfront, Vol. 143, December 13, 2010)
3
Grade 9-10 - 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 paragraph? _____________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the central idea? __________________________________________________
4. What sentence from the text directly supports the main idea? _____________________
5. The article suggests that football can be made safer by
a. making sure players with head injuries do not play again until they have healed.
b. limiting the number of practices and games.
c. adopting a no-tackle rule.
d. hiring medical professionals to be coaches.
6. Cite textual evidence to support your answer to question 5. ______________________
_________________________________________________________________________
7. Summarize article one in your own words. ___________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
8. How does the author unfold the ideas in this text?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4
Grade 9-10 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
9. How does the author sequence the ideas to make his point?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
10. How does the author introduce and develop those ideas so the reader can connect and
drawn connection between the ideas?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5
Grade 9-10 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
-Article TWO-
1)
It’s Friday afternoon, and you have almost survived another week of classes. 2) You
are just looking forward dreamily to the weekend when the English teacher says, “For Monday
you will turn in a five-hundred-word essay on college football.”
3)
Well, that puts a good big hole in the weekend. 4) You don’t have any strong views on
college football one way or the other. 5) You get rather excited during the season and go to all
the home games and find it rather more fun than not. 6) On the other hand, the class has been
reading Robert Hutchins in the anthology and perhaps Shaw’s “Eighty-Yard Run,” and from the
class discussion you have got the idea that the teacher thinks college football is for the birds. 7)
You are no fool, you. 8) You can figure out what side to take.
9)
After dinner you sit down at the computer that you got for a birthday gift. 10) You
might as well get it over with and enjoy Saturday and Sunday. 11) Five hundred words is about
two double-spaced pages with normal margins. 12) You open a new document, think up a title,
and you’re off:
Why College Football Should Be Abolished
13)
College football should be abolished because it’s bad for the school and also
bad for the players. 14) The players are so busy practicing that they don’t have any time
for their studies.
15) This, you feel, is a mighty good start. 16) The only trouble is that it’s only thirty-two
words. 17) You still have four hundred and sixty-eight to go, and you’ve pretty well exhausted
the subject. 18) It comes to you that you do your best thinking in the morning, so you shut down
the computer and go to the movies. 19) But the morning you have to do your chores and some
math problems, and in the afternoon you go to the game. 20) The English teacher turns up too,
and you wonder if you’ve taken the right side after all. 21) Saturday night you have a date, and
Sunday morning you have to go to church. 22) (You shouldn’t let English assignments interfere
with your religion.) 23) What with one thing and another, it’s ten o’clock Sunday night before
you sit down at the computer again.
6
Grade 9-10 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
Questions
1. The author suggests that the student
a. is more skilled at putting things off than at writing essays.
b. would miss a party in order to attend church on Sunday.
c. actually enjoys writing essays.
d. should have found out his teacher’s view on football before writing the essay.
2. What evidence from the text supports your answer to question 1 above? ______________
3. The author implies in the second paragraph that the student
a. agrees with Robert Hutchins’s views on football.
b. has no interest in football at all.
c. has paid no attention to class discussions.
d. feels his composition should defend the instructor’s point of view.
4. Which sentence in the passage directly supports your answer to question 3 above? _____
5. Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the passage?
a. College football should not be abolished.
b. An essay assignment requires time and thought to complete.
c. English teachers should not assign homework for the weekends, when students
have little available time.
d. Essay assignments should be based on class reading assignments and discussion.
6. Explain why you did not choose the other 3 answers as the best title for article two.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
7. Summarize article two in your own words. ___________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
7
Grade 9-10 - 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 whether college football is safe or
dangerous? _____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. What conclusions can you draw based on this picture? ___________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
8
Grade 9-10 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
Information/Explanatory Response:
After reading both articles and the picture, write a paragraph that defines the pros and cons of
college football and explain the risks for young people playing football versus the benefits of the
sport, include what conclusions can you draw in regards to football. Support your answer with
evidence from the texts.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9
Grade 9-10 - Quarter One
Unit 1 Summative Assessment
Answer Key:
ARTICLE ONE
1. College Football; Football
2. Each paragraph provides a point about the dangers or preventions for football.
3. The dangers of playing football.
4. Sub-title
5. A
6. Sentence 33
7. Answers will vary so decide on a way to grade this objective summary.
8. Answers will vary so decide on a way to grade this question.
9. Answers will vary so decide on a way to grade this question.
10. Answers will vary so decide on a way to grade this question.
ARTICLE TWO:
1. A
2. Sentences 18-23
3. D
4. Sentences 6-8
5. B
6. The student spent neither time nor thought, thereby coming up with no essay.
7. Answers will vary so decide on a way to grade this objective summary.
PICTURE:
1. College Football; Football; Football Tackle
2. The football is tucked in the center of the picture
3. Football is safe because every player has a helmet on. Football is dangerous because
players get stepped on during the tackle.
4. The player on the bottom was the first to be tackled. Player 30 put his head down to avoid
getting tackled.
10
Grade 9-10 - 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.
11