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Grade 5 Unit 1 Assessment
Teacher Note: You may administer this assessment over multiple days. ​ ​Student Directions: Read ​The
Discontented​ Rock and answer questions 1-3.
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The Discontented Rock
1 From the beginning of the Earth, Gustahote, the great Rock, had overhung the valley. He watched and guarded the
land, but he was not ​content,​ and longed to be something mightier and stronger than he was.
2 “If I could be the wide river that flows through the valley,” he thought, “then surely I should be mighty and strong!
The river winds happy and free through its broad lands; and green grass and flowers follow its course. If I could only
be that river!”
3 And instantly Gustahote the Rock became the river. Down the valley he sped, leaping with joy, and the singing
brooks from the hills ran into his stream. Through rocky gorges he tossed his foaming waves toward the Sky, and
they returned to him in a rainbow spray. Then through the silent forest he glided, and the trees dipped their
branches in his cool waters.
4 On and on he hastened, faster and faster, growing wider as he went, until at last he plunged into the billowing
ocean, so that he was the river no longer.
5 Then suddenly Gustahote found himself again the Rock, overhanging and guarding the valley. And he rejoiced to
have escaped from the hungry deep water.
6 But he was not ​content​. He still longed to be something mightier and stronger than he.
7 “If I could be a creature, and wander about on the Earth,” thought he, “then surely I should be mighty and strong.
Fair are the valleys of the Earth, and wide its green forests, and beautiful and fruitful its meadows.
8 And even as he thought this, Gustahote the Rock became a creature walking upon the Earth. He wandered up and
down the world, so strange to him, and soon grew lonely and desired a companion.
9 First he sought the beasts, but they were too busy getting their food to stop and talk to a strange creature. After
that he went to the birds, but they were nesting, and could not stop to talk to a strange creature. Weary and lonely,
he wandered about.
10 Then suddenly Gustahote found himself again the Rock overhanging and guarding the valley. And he rejoiced
that he was a Rock once more. And he heard a voice whisper:—
11 “Be ​content​, O Gustahote the Rock! The waters may overflow you, but they cannot drown you. The Sun may look
upon you with its hottest rays, but he cannot burn you. Old age cannot wrinkle you. The rivers may dry up in their
beds, the forests may fall into dust, but you will survive.”
12 So Gustahote the Rock rejoiced; and he still overhangs and guards the valley. He is ​content​.
1.
What makes Gustahote lonely while he’s an Earth creature? Use two details or examples from the passage
to support why Gustahote is lonely. 5-RL.5.1, 5-RL.6.1, RL.8.1a
Some possible text-supported responses are: • Other creatures were too busy to interact with Gustahote. 14 •
Gustahote was not included in the daily lives of Earth creatures. • The other creatures paid no attention to
Gustahote. • Gustahote looked for someone to keep him company
2. The word ​content ​is used throughout this passage. Determine the meaning of the word ​content ​and provide ​2
words or phrases from the text to support your answer. 5-RL.10.1
3. Summarize “The Discontented Rock” from beginning to end in a few sentences. Answer must include one major
event from the beginning, middle and end of the story. 5-RL.6.1
unhappy wanted to be something else...
Read the​ ​excerpt from ​Walk Two Moons and then answer questions 4-6.
Salamanca Tree Hiddle, “Sal,” is traveling with her grandparents. Along the way, they stop in Wyoming so
that her grandmother can see Old Faithful, the famous geyser located in Yellowstone National Park.
1 Gramps was already up, but Gram was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “Did you ever go to sleep?” I
asked.
2 “No,” she said, “I didn’t feel like sleeping. I can sleep later.” She climbed out of bed. “Let’s go see that Old
Faithful. I’ve waited my whole entire life to see Old Faithful.”
3 “You’ve sure got your heart set on that, don’t you, you stubborn gooseberry?” said Gramps.
4 “I sure do,” Gram said.
5 We parked the car and walked up a low hill. I was afraid Gram was going to be disappointed because it
didn’t look like much at first. There was a rope fence around a mound on the side of the hill. The ground was
scrabbly dirt, and in the center of the rope enclosure, about twenty feet away, was a hole.
6 “Heck,” Gram said, “can’t we get any closer than this?”
7 Gramps and I walked over to read a sign about Old Faithful. A park ranger rushed past us yelling, “Ma’am!
Ma’am!”
8 “Gol-dang,” Gramps said.
9 Gram was crawling under the rope. The ranger stopped her. “Ma’am, there’s a reason for that rope,” he said.
10 Gram brushed off her dress. “I just wanted a better look.”
11 “Don’t worry,” the ranger said. “You’ll get a good look. Please stay behind the rope.”
12 The sign said that Old Faithful was due to erupt in fifteen minutes. More and more people gathered around
the rope. There were people of all ages: little babies crying, grannies sitting on folding stools, teenagers
plugged into radio headsets, couples smooching. There were people speaking languages other than English:
next to us was a tour group of Italians; across the way was a group of Germans.
13 Gram tapped her fingers together, getting more and more excited. “Is it time?” she kept saying. “Is it
almost time?”
14 The crowd became quiet a few minutes before Old Faithful was due to go off. Everyone stared at the hole.
Everyone was listening.
15 “Is it time?” Gram said.
16 There was a faint noise and a little spit shot out of the hole. The man next to me said, “Aww, is that all—”
Another noise, this time a little louder, a grating and crunching sound like walking on gravel. Two fitful spits.
“Aww—” the man said.
17 Then it was like the radiator boiling over or the tea kettle blowing its top. Old Faithful hissed and steamed.
A sudden spout of water shot out, maybe three feet high.
18 “Aww—” the man said. “Is that all—”
19 More steam, boiling and hissing, and a huge jing-bang spray of water ​surged out​, climbing and climbing,
and then more and more, until it looked like a whole river of water was shooting straight up into the air. “It
looks like an upsidey-down waterfall!” Gram said. All the while there was a walloping hissing, and I could
have sworn the ground rumbled and trembled underneath us. The warm mist blew toward us and people
started backing away.
20 All except Gram. She stood there grinning, tilting her face up to the mist, and staring at that fountain of
water. “Oh,” she said. “Oh, huzza, huzza!” She shouted it into the air and noise.
21 We were inside the car and about to leave when Gram started to cry. “Gol-dang—” Gramps said. “What’s
the matter?”
22 Gram sniffed. “Oh, nothing. I’m so happy I got to see Old Faithful.”
23 “You old gooseberry,” Gramps said, and on we went.
TEXT COPYRIGHT © 1994 BY SHARON CREECH. Used by permissions of HarperCollins Publishers.
5. Determine the meaning of the phrase ​surged out​ in paragraph 19.
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6. Provide two words or phrases from the text that helped you determine the meaning of the phrase ​surged
out.
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7. What is the theme of the story? Circle the best answer.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Fear of Danger
Dreams can Come True
Facing Disappointment
Always be Kind to others
8. Provide 2 pieces of evidence from the text to support the theme you chose in question 7.
Evidence1:_______________________________________________________________________________
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Evidence 2:
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9. Gram gets into a little trouble for trying to climb under the rope and get closer to Old Faithful. What does
this part of the story reveal about Gram?
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Read the poems below and answer questions 11 and 12.
December Leaves
by Catherine Andrews “Kaye” Starbird Jennison
The fallen leaves are cornflakes
that fill the lawn’s wide dish.
The night and noon, the wind a spoon
and stirs them with a swish.
The sky’s a silver sifter,
a-sifting white and slow
that gently shakes on crisp brown flakes
the sugar known as snow.
11. What do both authors ​most likely want readers to feel after reading​ their poems? Circle the best answer.
A.
Nature is more interesting when there is bad weather.
B.
The power of nature should be feared and respected.
C.
The seasons are alike in many ways.
D.
There is comfort, wonder, and beauty in nature.
12. The poems are alike in many ways. Name one way “Summer Stars” and “December Leaves” are alike.
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