CORE Assessment Module
Module Overview
Content Area
Title
Grade Level
Problem Type
Common Core
State
Standards
SBAC
Assessment
Claims
Task
Overview
Module
Components
English Language Arts
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” (A)
Grade 9
Constructed Response, Performance Task
RI 9.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI 9.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the
cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
RI 9.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how
an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
W 9.2
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 9.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
*SL 9.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on
grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their won clearly and persuasively.
Claim 1: Students can read closely and analytically to comprehend a range of
increasingly complex literary and informational texts.
Claim 2: Students can produce effective and well-grounded writing for a range of
purposes and audiences.
This assessment will be completed in two parts. The prewriting/planning in part one
will involve reading and re-reading, note-taking, collaboration, speaking and
listening, and constructed response questions. In part two, students will be asked to
draft an argument text.
1) Directions to Teacher
2) Text Passage
3) Graphic Organizer
4) Constructed Response Questions
5) Writing Tasks—Structure A and Structure B
*Standard addressed but not explicitly assessed.
Module Overview
Page 1
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” (A)
Directions to Teacher
This Common Core-aligned ELA Performance Task can be given over two to three days
depending on class schedules. The directions below outline the steps to follow for a two-day
administration. For a one-day administration, give students a 5–10 minute break before starting
the writing prompt.
Teacher Preparation: In order for students to be able to effectively address the essay prompt,
the teacher will have to provide background regarding the audience King was addressing in
“Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Text: King, Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. In Why We Can’t Wait. New
York: Signet Classic, 2000. (1963)
Materials:
Text Passage
Graphic Organizer
Constructed Response Questions
Writing Tasks—Structure A or Structure B
Lined paper for writing
Day 1
1. Reading: RI 9.1
(Approximately 15 minutes)
Give students the passage “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and instruct them to annotate
the text as they are reading it (e.g., ask questions, agree, disagree, note main ideas).
2. Note-taking: RI 9.1
(Approximately 25 minutes)
Hand out the Graphic Organizer, and ask students to reread the passage and complete the
“My Thoughts” and My Evidence” sections as directed in the graphic organizer.
Encourage students to expand their thinking beyond the literal answer to the question.
3. Speaking/Listening Questions: *SL 9.1
(Approximately 20 minutes)
In pairs or groups of three, give students time to discuss the following questions, record
their peers’ responses in “My Peers’ Thoughts,” and add information to the “My
Improved or Altered Thoughts After Discussion” section of the graphic organizer.
• Who is King addressing in his letter? What is his purpose for writing?
• What is King’s argument in “Letter From Birmingham Jail?”
• What is the tone of King’s argument?
• What are some of the reasons he provides to support his argument?
ELA Grade 9: Directions to Teacher
Page 2
4. Constructed Response Items: RI 9.1, RI 9.4, RI 9.6
(Approximately 30 minutes)
Hand out the Constructed Response Questions and ask students to individually write their
responses to the questions on a separate piece of lined paper. Instruct the students that all
their responses must be supported with evidence from the text, including explaining how
this evidence supports their responses.
a. Word Meaning – In the salutation and opening paragraph of his letter, King
addresses his audience as “men of genuine good will” and mentions that their
concerns are “sincerely set forth.” What is the connection between “genuine” and
“sincerely”? What tone do these words and phrases create and why does King choose
to use them?
b. Key Details – What is the criticism King is responding to? What evidence in the text
leads you to this conclusion?
c. Central Ideas – Why does King compare his work, “… to carry the gospel of
freedom …,” to the Apostle Paul’s work of carrying “the gospel of Jesus Christ ”?
How does this analogy support King’s argument?
d. Reasoning/Evaluation – What is another reason King uses to support his argument?
Explain how this reason supports his argument.
Day 2
Performance Task (Writing Prompt) W 9.1, W 9.9
(Approximately 50–60 minutes)
Below are two versions of the same basic writing prompt. Note that “Structure A” has a bit more
scaffolding support than “Structure B.” You may choose to distribute either one of these
prompts. Once you have done so, let students know the amount of time they have to respond to
the prompt in writing. Encourage students to use their graphic organizer and/or constructed
response questions to inform their writing.
ELA Grade 9: Directions to Teacher
Page 3
______________________________________________________________________
Performance Task A—Scaffold Structure
After reading Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” analyze the development of
his argument. Remember to:
• Determine King’s argument.
• Explain King’s purpose in choosing this particular argument for this particular
audience.
• Analyze how King’s word choice, tone, and analogies support his argument.
• Support your analysis with evidence from the text, making sure you explain how your
textual evidence supports your analysis.
Be Sure To:
• Establish a clear thesis and coherent thesis statement
• Include relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotes, or other information to
support your thesis
• Use appropriate transitions that link ideas
• Use precise language and vocabulary to enhance your argument
• Establish and maintain a formal style
• Provide a concluding section that follows form and supports the information or
explanation in your essay
______________________________________________________________________
Performance Task B
After reading Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” analyze the development of
King’s argument, focusing on his purpose, audience, and rhetorical choices. Support your
analysis with evidence from the text, making sure that you clearly explain how your evidence
supports your analysis.
Be Sure To:
• Establish a clear thesis and coherent thesis statement
• Include relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotes, or other information
• Use appropriate transitions that link ideas
• Use precise language and vocabulary to enhance your thesis
• Establish and maintain a formal style
• Provide a concluding section that follows form and supports your thesis
ELA Grade 9: Directions to Teacher
Page 4
Student Name ______________________
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Text Passage
King, Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In Why We Can’t Wait. New
York: Signet Classics, 2000. (1963)
My Dear Fellow Clergymen:
While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my
present activities “unwise and untimely.” Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and
ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little
time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no
time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your
criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be
patient and reasonable terms.
I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the
view which argues against “outsiders coming in.” I have the honor of serving as president of
the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern
state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated
organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for
Human Rights. Frequently we share staff, educational and financial resources with our
affiliates. Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to
engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if such were deemed necessary. We readily
consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promise. So I, along with several
members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have
organizational ties here.
But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the
eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the
boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried
the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to
carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to
the Macedonian call for aid.
Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly
by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a
threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a
single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can
we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the
United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.
License granted by Intellectual Properties Management, Atlanta, Georgia, as exclusive licensor of the King
Estate.
ELA Grade 9: “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (A)
Page 1
Student Name ______________________
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Graphic Organizer
Directions: Read the questions below. Reread the passage and write answers to the questions in the “My Thoughts” section. In the “My
Evidence” column, list the evidence from the text to support your thoughts. You will then be given time to talk to a classmate, record their
thoughts, and add to or alter your original ideas.
Questions
My Thoughts
My Evidence
My Partners’ Thoughts
My Improved or Altered
Thoughts After
Discussion and WHY
Who is King addressing
in his letter?
What is his purpose for
writing?
What is King’s argument
in “Letter from
Birmingham Jail?”
What is the tone of
King’s argument?
What are some of the
reasons he provides to
support his argument?
Any additional information about the text to note:
ELA Grade 9: “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Page 2
Student Name ______________________
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Constructed Response Questions
Directions:
Answer the questions below on a separate sheet of lined paper. You may use this sheet
to make any notes or draft your response, but only your complete answers on a separate
sheet of paper will be scored. You may refer to the reading passage and your graphic
organizer to help you answer the questions.
1. In the salutation and opening paragraph of his letter, King addresses his audience as
“men of genuine good will” and mentions that their concerns are “sincerely set forth.”
What is the connection between “genuine” and “sincerely”? What tone do these words
and phrases create and why does King choose to use them?
2. What is the criticism King is responding to? What evidence in the text leads you to this
conclusion?
3. Why does King compare his work, “… to carry the gospel of freedom …,” to the Apostle
Paul’s work of carrying “the gospel of Jesus Christ”? How does this analogy support
King’s argument?
4. What is another reason King uses to support his argument? Explain how this reason
supports his argument.
ELA Grade 9: “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Page 3
A
Student Name ______________________
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Writing Task
Directions:
Please respond to the prompt below in writing. You may use your graphic organizer
and/or constructed response questions to inform your writing. You may take notes on
this paper, but you should write your entire response on the lined paper provided by
your teacher.
Writing Prompt
After reading Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” analyze the development of his
argument. Remember to:
• Determine King’s argument.
• Explain King’s purpose in choosing this particular argument for this particular audience.
• Analyze how King’s word choice, tone, and analogies support his argument.
• Support your analysis with evidence from the text, making sure you explain how your
textual evidence supports your analysis.
Be Sure To:
• Establish a clear thesis and coherent thesis statement
• Include relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotes, or other information to
support your thesis
• Use appropriate transitions that link ideas
• Use precise language and vocabulary to enhance your argument
• Establish and maintain a formal style
• Provide a concluding section that follows from and supports the information or
explanation in your essay
ELA Grade 9: “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (A)
Page 4
B
Student Name ______________________
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Writing Task
Directions:
Please respond to the prompt below in writing. You may use your graphic organizer
and/or constructed response questions to inform your writing. You may take notes on
this paper, but you should write your entire response on the lined paper provided by
your teacher.
Writing Prompt
After reading Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” analyze the development of
King’s argument, focusing on his purpose, audience, and rhetorical choices. Support your
analysis with evidence from the text, making sure that you clearly explain how your evidence
supports your analysis.
Be Sure To:
• Establish a clear thesis and coherent thesis statement
• Include relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotes, or other information
• Use appropriate transitions that link ideas
• Use precise language and vocabulary to enhance your thesis
• Establish and maintain a formal style
• Provide a concluding section that follows form and supports your thesis
ELA Grade 9: “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (A)
Page 5