Benchmark
Assessment System 2
Recording Form Part One: Oral Reading
THIRD EDITION
Surviving the Blitz • Level Z • Fiction
Student
Grade
Teacher
School
Place the book in front of the student. Read the title and introduction.
Date
Summary of Scores:
Introduction: An 11-year-old, Margaret Davies, tells about her terrifying
experience during World War II. Read to learn about her
memories of the time.
Accuracy
Comprehension
Self-correction
Writing About
Reading
Fluency
Sources of Information Used
Page
1
Start Time
What
was
Blitz?
I
Blitz
is
© 2017, 2011, 2008 by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. This page may be photocopied.
the
in
had
in
one
war
word:
for
1940
and
1941
about
a
war
than
scream
the
on
The
German
during
year
sixty
years
me
and
was
only
11
words
SC
M S V M S V
for
was
our
bombing
that
barraged
World
War
when
Although
ago,
toward
E
infamous
Blitz
earlier
Germany.
E SC
terrif ying.
German
(krieg).
term
more
London’s
blitzkrieg— the
and
declared
Blitz
Surviving the Blitz Level Z, RW: 215, E: 12
experience
you
for
begun
ended
sec.
to
tell
(blitz)
London
II
like
short
newspapers’
Britain
it
can
lightning
that
min.
still
explode
II,
a
France
World
the
into
British
war
and
War
bombs
of
terrif ying
nightmares.
I,
Margaret
bombs
an
apt
Davies,
began
raining
expression!)
down.
Bombs
years
of
(Unfortunately,
fell
from
the
age
when
blitzkrieg
sky
for
the
was
57
days
Subtotal
Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System 2, Third Edition
1
Recording Form Part One: Oral Reading (continued)
Surviving the Blitz • Level Z
Sources of Information Used
Page Text
a
row,
injuring
or
Whenever
en
and,
the
sitting
air
out
dark
bombs
were
time
it
our
to
hole
there
shrieked
itself
in
killing
masse
terrible
2
shattering
in
cracking
rained,
house,
our
pulverizing
our
homes,
SC
M S V M S V
and
thousands.
raid
sirens
wailed,
my
the
bomb
shelter
in
in
the
ground;
trembling
and
in
tiny,
the
exploded,
open.
forcing
like
lives,
E
us
mice
The
to
in
dank
the
the
felt
rushed
backyard— that
cold,
and
cacophony,
I
hide
family
as
damp—
the
as
though
the
shelter
flooded
each
instead
under
the
sky
stairs
wainscoting.
Subtotal
End Time
min.
sec.
Total
Have the student finish reading the book silently.
2
Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System 2, Third Edition
© 2017, 2011, 2008 by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. This page may be photocopied.
1
in
cont.
E SC
Recording Form Part One: Oral Reading (continued)
Surviving the Blitz • Level Z
Accuracy
Rate
Errors
12 or
more
10-11
8-9
6-7
4-5
1-3
0
%
Below
95%
95%
96%
97%
98%
99%
100%
Self-Corrections
Fluency Score
0
1
2
3
Fluency Scoring Key
0 Reads primarily word-by-word with occasional but infrequent or inappropriate phrasing;
no smooth or expressive interpretation, irregular pausing, and no attention to author’s
meaning or punctuation; no stress or inappropriate stress, and slow rate.
1 Reads primarily in two-word phrases with some three- and four-word groups and some
word-by-word reading; almost no smooth, expressive interpretation or pausing guided
by author’s meaning and punctuation; almost no stress or inappropriate stress, with
slow rate most of the time.
2 Reads primarily in three- or four-word phrase groups; some smooth, expressive
interpretation and pausing guided by author’s meaning and punctuation; mostly
appropriate stress and rate with some slowdowns.
© 2017, 2011, 2008 by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. This page may be photocopied.
3 Reads primarily in larger, meaningful phrases or word groups; mostly smooth,
expressive interpretation and pausing guided by author’s meaning and punctuation;
appropriate stress and rate with only a few slowdowns.
Reading Rate
(Optional)
End Time
min.
sec.
Start Time
min.
sec.
Total Time
min.
sec.
Total Seconds
(RW  60) 4 Total Seconds 5 Words Per Minute (WPM)
12,900 4
5
Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System 2, Third Edition
WPM
3
Recording Form Part Two: Comprehension Conversation
Surviving the Blitz • Level Z
Beginning with the first prompt, have a conversation with the student.
Note the key understandings the student expresses. Use the prompts to
give you information about the student’s understanding. Score for evidence
of all understandings expressed—with or without a prompt. For scoring
details, see the rubric in the Assessment Guide. Circle the number in the
score column that reflects the level of understanding demonstrated.
Key Understandings
Comprehension Scoring Key
3 Student demonstrates proficiency in understanding the text.
2 Student is approaching proficiency in understanding the text.
1 Student demonstrates limited proficiency in understanding the text.
0 Student’s comprehension is not proficient.
Prompts
Score
Within the Text
Margaret, now an older woman, tells the story of when she
was an eleven-year-old girl living in London with her family
during the 1940s. She describes what it was like to live through
the German bombings during World War II, known as the Blitz.
Summarize the important events in the
story.
0
1
2
3
0
1
2
3
Is there anything else you’d like to add to
your summary?
Margaret and her family hide in an underground bomb shelter.
They continue to go to work and school, but life is different
with the threat of a bombing always there.
Miraculously their little house remains standing and they
survive the war.
Note any additional understandings:
Margaret and her family were always worried that there would
be another bombing. They were scared, but they still went to
work and school. Their neighborhood was ruined. Margaret
and her sister got used to this kind of life. They made a game
of identifying planes and searched for souvenirs in bomb sites.
How did living through the Blitz affect
Margaret and her family?
Everyone was trying to keep life as close to normal as possible.
Doing regular things helps keep people’s minds off the war.
Work still needs to get done, including work that helps with the
war, like Margaret’s mother did. Kids still need to learn so they
don’t fall behind.
Why do you think people tried to continue
going to school and work during the Blitz?
War is scary for the people in areas that are bombed. Life
becomes very different during a war. People might get used
to war if it goes on for a long time, but it always makes life
harder.
What can you learn about war through
Margaret’s story?
Note any additional understandings:
Continued on next page
4
Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System 2, Third Edition
© 2017, 2011, 2008 by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. This page may be photocopied.
Beyond the Text
Recording Form Part Two: Comprehension Conversation (continued)
Surviving the Blitz • Level Z
Key Understandings
Prompts
Score
About the Text
The book is fiction. It tells about a time in history using
made-up characters.
What is the genre of this book? How do
you know?
The setting is important because it helps you understand what
was going on at that time and how scared people were.
Talk about the setting. How is it important?
It’s effective because you can really understand what it was
like to be a child during the war. She’s able to tell how the war
affected people’s every day lives.
Do you think it’s effective to tell what
happened during the Blitz through
Margaret’s eyes? Why?
The writer compares the Blitz to a cat stalking mice. The
people of London are the mice in hiding and the cat is the
German Luftwaffe (planes).
The writer talks about a “cat” in the story.
What is the writer really describing?
Sample response: The writer uses figurative and descriptive
language to make the story interesting. For example:
What does the writer do to keep you
interested? What else? Can you show
an example?
“shattering our lives” p.1
0
1
2
3
“bombs shrieked and exploded” p.1
“scenes of carnage that are burned into my brain” p. 2
(Accept logical opinions and note how well students support
their ideas with evidence from the text.)
© 2017, 2011, 2008 by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. This page may be photocopied.
Note any additional understandings:
Guide to Total Score, Levels L–Z
8–9 Proficient
Total Score:
/9
6–7 Approaching Proficiency
4–5 Limited Proficiency
0–3 Not Proficient
Part Three: Writing About Reading (optional)
Read the writing/drawing prompt on the next page to the student. Specify the amount of
time for the student to complete the task. (See the Assessment Guide for more information.)
Writing About Reading Scoring Key
3 Reflects excellent understanding of the text.
2 Reflects partial understanding of the text.
1 Reflects very limited understanding of the text.
0 Reflects no understanding of the text.
Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System 2, Third Edition
5
Recording Form Part Three: Writing About Reading (optional)
Surviving the Blitz • Level Z
Student
Date
© 2017, 2011, 2008 by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. This page may be photocopied.
Write about how war affected the lives of Margaret and her family. You can draw a sketch to go with your writing.
6
Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System 2, Third Edition