8th Grade
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
Amanda Ward
Marist College
April 2012
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Table of Contents_________________________________
Hudson City School District ............................................................................................................................... 3
Unit Objectives........................................................................................................................................................ 4
Objective 1……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Objective 2……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
Objective 3……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7
Pre-Assessment ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
Lesson Plans………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..10
Day One……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…10
Day Two……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………......11
Day Three……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...………12
Day Four……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…13
Formative Assessments..................................................................................................................................... 14
Post Assessment................................................................................................................................................... 18
Reflection................................................................................................................................................................ 20
Appendix A………………………………………………………………………………………………………………21
References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…31
2
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Hudson City School District____________________
The Hudson City School District is one that often receives a great deal of scrutiny from the
public eye. As an intercity school district, the population is one of a low socioeconomic
status where development is slow growing and the school budget rarely passes. Education
is not valued in this district the way it is in others, and as such the teachers are often faced
with adversity from district officials, parents, and the general community for the student’s
lack of success.
While there is a strong Caucasian student population, many of the students come from
minority backgrounds, including African American, Middle Eastern and Spanish. However,
excluding race as a factor, quite a few of the students have difficult home lives; abuse, drugs
and split families are battles they face on a
regular basis. This causes a vast amount of
behavioral problems in the classroom, as well
as an overpopulation of students classified
under special education regulations. While
there can be up to twelve classified students
per class, there are cases where more are
placed into the inclusive classrooms, which is
difficult on both the regular and special
education teachers. Teaching 35 students with
twelve classified in a forty minute period
proves to be one of the most difficult challenges
of my day.
When it comes to state standardized tests, the Hudson City School District is on the low
side of scoring. This is because of the fact the overwhelming majority of the students have
very low motivation to succeed in academics. After teaching in both the high school and
junior high school, I have noticed that as the students reach higher grade levels their
motivation further decreases. In 8th grade the students are less reluctant to complete
school work than their 9th and 10th grade peers, although resistance is still a prevalent
issue. Therefore the students do not work to their greatest potential to learn the skills they
need to achieve high scores of the state exams. Many students are satisfied if they receive
the equivalent of a passing 65, and do not strive for higher achievement.
Finally, each year the school board faces the problem of the inevitable budget failure.
Teachers are always the first to be cut causing shortages, and there is never enough money
to buy extra books or supplies. As a result, classrooms are overpopulated, which causes
challenges for the teachers to teach and the willing students to learn. Also, lessons have to
be modified on a constant basis because the classrooms receive one full set of books for all
of the students in the grade level to share.
3
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Unit Objectives____________________________________
The overall objective for this ELA test prep unit plan is to assess where students stand in
regard to the different parts of the state exam, as well as to review students of the skills and
strategies they should use to be successful on the exam. Further, the main understanding is
for students to recognize that there is always more that can be found in a text than what is right
there on the page; that is, they must use their skills to interpret an author’s meaning and decode the
true message. Considering the students have been practicing these skills all year, this unit
plan is designed to refresh students of their skills, while only introducing a few new
strategies they can use so as to not overwhelm the students.
The skills to be assessed in this unit include reading, writing and listening. As such, since
the unit is directly based on skills and strategies for the state exam, I was able to tailor
parts of each lesson plan specifically to the New York State common core standards.
However, the important thing to recognize is that although this unit is designed to assess
skills needed for the exam, it is also a benchmark exam to test the students’ individually so
he or she knows what skills they have and can work on to better.
Each day there are at least two common core
standards that are met within the day’s objective.
The importance of this is due to the fact it is only a
four day unit plan; with so few days to review
everything, it was important to double up on skills
and information to ensure all of the important
information was covered. Also, because of the
challenges of each assignment, there was a need for
multiple skills to be used to complete each
assignment,
which
fulfilled
multiple
core
requirements. For example, in order to complete the paired passage assignment on day
two, the students had to utilize skills of reading carefully and writing a coherent response
using information from the passage.
The following are the specific unit objectives used within this unit plan that are addressed
in various combinations on different days:
•
•
•
Students will be able to analyze and interpret the passage individually and/or with
collaborative partners for a deeper understanding of the overall meaning.
Students will be able to infer from the text to interpret vocabulary meanings and
identify literary terms important to the passage.
Students will analyze the text passage in a coherent and informative written
response that demonstrates a deeper understanding.
4
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Objective 1
The first objective, which states, Students will be able to analyze and interpret the passage
individually and/or with collaborative partners for a deeper understanding of the overall
meaning, is an objective that addresses the reading and listening standards. Specifically,
the objective attempts to satisfy aspects of the following common core standards:
•
•
•
Speaking and Listening 1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one on- one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade
8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Speaking and Listening 2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse
media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Reading 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly.
Within the design of this unit plan, students will be exposed
to passages either through text on the page or as a listening
passage. In order for students to achieve that deeper
understanding of the text, they must either read or listen
very carefully to what is being read. However, while they
are completing either of these skills, they are using different
strategies to obtain this information.
For example, if the students are completing a listening
passage, it is their responsibility to take notes while
listening to the passage being read so they can write down
and include as much important information to support their
response. On the other hand, if the students are reading the passage, they can highlight the
important information and make notes and references that they can later refer back to for
support. While these are two very different skill strategies, the goals of the assignment,
which tend to be a written response or multiple choice that includes understanding
questions, force students to comb the text for their inferences and understandings.
Since this unit plan is being conducted for practice, each day will include some kind of
discussion where students will have the opportunity to share ideas with their classmates
and the teacher to expose everyone to varying perspectives. My goal with this addition to
the unit plan is that the students gain a new insight for a strategy they can use on the exam
by listening to their peers.
5
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Objective 2
The second objective, which states, Students will be able to infer from the text to interpret
vocabulary meanings and identify literary terms important to the passage, is the objective
which addresses strictly reading skills. Within this understanding is not only the reading
common core standard, but also one of the reading performance indicators:
•
Reading 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make
logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking
to support conclusions drawn from the text.
o Reading PI Lit 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they
are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze
the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including
analogies or allusions to other texts.
When the students are completing any reading assignment, their task includes reading
closely to ensure they understand the message of the text. As he or she does this, the
students will most likely face vocabulary words that they do not understand. Since the
multiple choice sections of the test often use higher vocabulary that the students need to
use context clues in order to define, the students need to understand the proper skills to
interpret these words. As such, without reading the passages closely, the students will
have a difficult time interpreting the meaning of these words.
Within this unit plan the students will be
exposed to many questions where they will
have to use context clues to figure out
vocabulary and interpret larger meanings from
the text. Regardless of whether it is for multiple
choice or extended response questions, the
students will need to identify the skills needed
to answer these questions. If they do not read
carefully or closely, they raise the potential to
misread information and ultimately get a
question incorrect from a careless mistake.
Therefore throughout this unit plan there is at
least one question that is intentionally written tricky so that the students see just how easy
it is to misread information and draw the wrong conclusion.
6
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Objective 3
The third and final objective, which states, Students will analyze the text passage in a
coherent and informative written response that demonstrates a deeper understanding, is
the only objective that focuses on the writing sections of the exam. As such, there are
multiple indicators and standards that are addressed to satisfy this objective:
•
•
Writing 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive
topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Writing 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
o Reading PI Lit 1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from
the text.
o Reading PI Lit 5. Compare and contrast the structure of two or more
texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to
its meaning and style.
o Reading PI Info 6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a
text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to
conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
There are two separate types of responses the students will be required to write on the
exam: short answer responses and extended responses. Within these two types of writing,
students will have to complete various requirements, such as comparing and contrasting
two articles, inferring from the article to draw conclusions, or finding supporting evidence
to support any claim they make.
This unit plan provides students with the opportunity to complete each of these
requirements: there is a paired passage with poetry reading where the students must
compare and contrast in writing and then draw an inference based on the texts, as well as a
non-fiction listening piece that they will have to write about and include supporting
information into their response.
However, while writing strong arguments is a large portion of the written response, it is
not the only requirement students must fill. The students must also demonstrate their
ability to write coherently and with proper English to prove that they are on the proper
developmental level for their age. By including this as an objective, it means that as a
teacher I will have the chance to see where the students’ measure before the exam and
either provides additional help to those who need it or make adjustments to assignments to
ensure the students learn exactly what is expected of them on the exam.
7
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Pre-Assessment___________________________________
As a pre-assessment for this unit
plan, I created an anticipation
guide to survey the students on
where they felt they needed
additional instruction on each
section of the exam.
I
administered the sheet as a “Do
Now” on the first day of the unit
plan so we could gather a sense of
the student’s perceptions of their
abilities. This did not affect the
remainder of the class period
because the students did not need
to be separated for groups until
the second and third days of the
unit.
I chose to administer an anticipation guide because of the fact these are not new skills we
would be testing. These are skills the students have been working on all year, and thus the
information was not new. Rather, this was a way to assess where the students felt they
needed the most assistance and as such we were able to place more emphasis on what they
wanted out of the lessons based on what categories they fell into. Therefore, even though
this unit plan would provide the students with information, the unit was actually designed
to reintroduce skills to the students, not teach them entirely new material.
The anticipation guide included six questions that addressed the needs of reading skills,
writing skills, and the student’s overall confidence on taking the exam. These questions
were:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
I am ready to take the 8th grade ELA exam.
I know at least two reading strategies I will use.
I know how to write a strong paragraph.
I know how to carefully read the multiple choice.
I feel like I can get at least a 3 on the exam.
I know all of the parts of an extended response.
The students completed the anticipation guide on the first day, and would then complete it
as a post assessment on the last day of the unit as an exit slip. However, based on the first
day’s results, the following is where the students fell as far as the specific areas of need in
order to be successful on the exam:
8
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
Students' Areas of Need Before
Unit Plan
Writing
46%
8th Grade
Confidence
47%
Reading
7%
Of the 140 students surveyed, 7% felt they needed assistance in reading skills, 46% needed
assistance in writing skills, while the highest need was confidence at 47%. However, as far
as confidence as a whole, the 140 students fell into the following categories of confident
and not confident:
Confidence Level on ELA: Day 1
Not
Confident
21%
Confident
79%
Of the entire eighth grade, 79% of the students were confident in their ability to perform on
the ELA exam, whereas 21% were not.
Based on these results, my cooperating teacher and I broke the students into separate
groups per class where the students could spend additional time working on the skills they
felt they needed the most help with. Since there were some students who felt completely
confident on every question, we were able to scaffold the groups so that these students
were scattered through the other groups to also help lead their classmates to a higher
understanding. From there, the groups were split into reading help and writing help with
the higher students intermixed. My cooperating teacher and I each took one of the groups
and work on the specific skills they needed more help in.
9
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
Lesson Plans
8th Grade
___________________________
Day One
Standards
• SL2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually, quantitatively, and orally.
• W4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Understandings
• There is always more that can be found in a text than what is right there on the page.
Instructional Goals
• Students will be able to analyze and interpret the passage individually and/or with
collaborative partners for a deeper understanding of the overall meaning.
• Students will be able to infer from the text to interpret vocabulary meanings and identify
literary terms important to the passage.
• Students will analyze the text passage in a coherent and informative written response that
demonstrates a deeper understanding.
Essential Question
• There is always more that can be found in a text than what is right there on the page.
Instructional Materials/Resources
• Anticipation Guide about confidence
• Test Taking Strategies power point
• Jacqueline Woodson excerpt
• Multiple choice/extended response packet
Instructional Strategies/Activities
• Do Now: Complete the anticipation guide in reference to how confident the student feels in
regard to taking the eighth grade New York State ELA exam.
• Power point Presentation: Students will engage in a discussion with the teacher regarding
the best test taking strategies. This will cover all of the important points.
• Listening: Students will listen to a passage read by the teacher regarding author Jacqueline
Woodson. Students are required to take notes while listening.
• Independent Practice: Students will complete the packet about Jacqueline Woodson
independently, answering multiple choice questions and writing a short answer response.
Assessment
• Anticipation Guide
• Responses in the packet
• Informal observation
10
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Day Two
Standards
• R1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences
from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions
drawn from the text.
o Lit 1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
o Lit 4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.
o Lit 5.Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the
differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
• W1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using
valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Understandings
• There is always more that can be found in a text than what is right there on the page.
Instructional Goals
• Students will be able to analyze and interpret the passage individually and/or with
collaborative partners for a deeper understanding of the overall meaning.
• Students will be able to infer from the text to interpret vocabulary meanings and identify
literary terms important to the passage.
• Students will analyze the text passage in a coherent and informative written response that
demonstrates a deeper understanding.
Essential Question
• Why do authors take the time to use a double meaning in a text?
Instructional Materials/Resources
• Text of “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath
• Text of “Mirror” by Lil Wayne
• Video of “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath
• Video of “Mirror” by Lil Wayne
• Multiple choice questions and short answer response packet
Instructional Strategies/Activities
• Class Discussion: Go over the entire packet with the students before they are introduced to
the media. Read and interpret multiple choice and short answer response to ensure
students have understanding of the task.
• Show both videos so the students can both hear and read the passages.
• Independent Practice: Students re-read the texts and answer the multiple choice and short
answer response questions.
Assessment
• Multiple choice and short answer response results
• Informal observation
11
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Day Three
Standards
• R1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• R4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text
• SL 1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one on- one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Understandings
• There is always more that can be found in a text than what is right there on the page.
Instructional Goals
• Students will be able to analyze and interpret the passage individually and/or with
collaborative partners for a deeper understanding of the overall meaning.
• Students will be able to infer from the text to interpret vocabulary meanings and identify
literary terms important to the passage.
• Students will analyze the text passage in a coherent and informative written response that
demonstrates a deeper understanding.
Essential Question
• Why do authors take the time to use a double meaning in a text?
Instructional Materials/Resources
• The Hunger Games excerpt by Suzanne Collins
• The Hunger Games movie clip
• Multiple choice questions
Instructional Strategies/Activities
• Do Now: Write down some reading strategies students will use on the ELA exam
• Turn and Talk: Students will work in pairs to read a passage from The Hunger Games by
Suzanne Collins. Together they will dissect the passage to find the underlying information
that will assist them in answering the multiple choice questions that follow.
• Whole Group Instruction: Class will reconvene as one to discuss the passage and answer the
multiple choice. The reading strategies students used to find the information will be
discussed as a class.
• The Hunger Games: Students will have the opportunity to watch a video clip of the scene
they read so they can visually address where they were right or wrong in their assumptions
of the text.
Assessment
• Do Now responses
• Multiple-choice responses
• Informal observation/discussion
12
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Day Four
Standards
• SL 1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one on- one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Understandings
• There is always more that can be found in a text than what is right there on the page.
Instructional Goals
• Students will be able to analyze and interpret the passage individually and/or with
collaborative partners for a deeper understanding of the overall meaning.
• Students will be able to infer from the text to interpret vocabulary meanings and
identify literary terms important to the passage.
Essential Question
• Why do authors take the time to use a double meaning in a text?
Instructional Materials/Resources
• Anticipation Guide about confidence
• Castle Learning program
• Computers/laptops
Instructional Strategies/Activities
• Do Now: Complete the anticipation guide for the second time to see if the student’s
confidence has grown.
• Castle Learning: Students have the option to work alone or in a group to complete
the Castle Learning online program. This offers an array of ELA information that
students can practice for the upcoming exam.
Assessment
• Anticipation Guide
• Test scores
• Informal observation/discussion
13
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Formative Assessments_________________________
Each day of the unit plan contained some form of a formative assessment. This way we
could assess the students on the various skills we discussed each day. The majority of
these assessments were writing assignments or multiple choice questions that the students
had to complete based on a reading or listening passage. The final day was the only
different day where the students completed a computer-based learning program called
Castle Learning that included information on grammar, sentence structure and other
mechanics.
Jacqueline Woodson Writing
For this assignment, the students were required to listen to a passage written by Jacqueline
Woodson, whose book Hush they had just completed. Their requirement was to take notes,
answer four multiple choice questions regarding the passage, and then write a short
answer response to a question. On this day we were assessing the students for their ability
to listen, take sufficient notes, and write a strong response to the question.
The assignment began with a student based compilation of note taking strategies written
on the board, such as listing or creating a T-chart, that the students found the most useful.
From there we read the passage and then provided the students with thirty minutes to
complete the multiple choice and the response question, which was more than enough
time.
When we collected assessed the gathered information after they had all completed the
assignment, we found that few of the students had answered all of the multiple choice
questions correctly. We thought perhaps it was because of their note taking skills, but
upon comparing the notes to the passage, it was not the notes that were the problem. In
fact, the students excelled at taking notes. The problem lay within the fact the students
were misreading the questions, either as a result of reading too quickly or lack of
enthusiasm toward the topic. Motivation is often a problem with these students and as
such it appeared motivation was holding them back again.
For the most part the writing was also done poorly. On average, about 75% of each class
did not write a strong paragraph with the technique they had been using for the past two
years. Many of the students wrote their responses in two to three sentences, when they
should have been no less than six, based on the model. This was disappointing because
when we asked the students for the parts of the strong paragraph they were able to recite
it, but when it came to applying it the overwhelming majority were unable to do it.
Another interesting trend we saw through the student’s papers was their inability to pull
information from the text to support their response. With this handicap, the students
would only complete half of the assignment, and even that was not always correct. Without
14
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
the skill to pull information directly from the text the students’ could not support their
responses and therefore could not receive full credit.
Overall from this assignment we decided the students needed the most help with reading
carefully (though many of them said they did not need help in this area) and how to write
the strong responses with textual evidence.
The following day we decided to try something a little different. We added an addition to
each lesson, which was the use of the exam rubric, which the teachers had been given early
and were allowed to share with the students. We were able to show the students exactly
how they would be graded and what key things they needed to pay attention to. We did a
few exercises with them where they had the opportunity to grade other student’s papers
using the rubric, which was highly beneficial. The students often moved into heated
debates over a grade which became interesting because as they were to defend their
argument we asked them to show us exactly where in the text they felt the student either
succeeded or failed. With this practice the students were able to see how to go back into a
text, find the information to support their argument, and make a valid point. When the
students began to realize that this was what they needed to do on the exam we made our
first educational turning point.
Poetry Comparison
The second major formative assessment we used was that of a poetry comparison essay.
For this assignment, we decided to use new literacies to capture the students’ attention
since the previous day’s reading did not. We decided to use a Sylvia Plath poem and a Lil
Wayne song both entitled Mirror to compare. Since the overall meaning of the two were
similar yet not quite the same, we found it to be a perfect comparison for the assignment’s
objective. For this assignment we were interested in assessing the students on their ability
to read carefully, their ability to draw inferences from the text, as well as writing a short
answer response.
First we went over all of the strategies we had discussed on previous days in regard to
reading. Then we took a look at the multiple choice questions one at a time and dissected
them so the students knew what they had to look for. For the most part the students
realized they had to pay attention to key words, but even as we read over them many of
them had read the question wrong. We corrected them before moving on but did not give
the answer. As a treat, we decided to show videos of both the song and the poem so the
students could hear this as well. While this was not a true listening section on the exam, it
still gave them the opportunity to practice listening carefully for information.
15
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
When this was over the students had the remainder of the period to answer the multiple
choice questions and write a short answer response. Many of the students worked
diligently on this assignment and did not complain as they usually did. Since the subject
matter was of more interest to the students, we found it much easier to focus the student’s
attention. As a result, the students paid closer attention to the subject matter and worked
harder on the assignment.
When it came time to assess the results, we found that there was a higher rate of correct
multiple choice questions on this assignment, and many of the students wrote higher
quality responses than on the Jacqueline Woodson assignment. We assumed this was
because we had taken the time to explain the questions to the students so they could see
where they were reading the questions wrong. Also, since the students had an idea of what
the song was about, it gave them a clue as to what the poem was about. This helped their
confidence, which showed in their writing results.
The results showed us that the students have the ability to write and read the multiple
choice carefully, but they just choose not to, which is unfortunate. However, it gave us
more confidence in their ability to take the exam since we saw that they were actually able
to produce.
The Hunger Games
Day three of the unit plan was a day dedicated to reading strategies using The Hunger
Games by Suzanne Collins. As this was another attention grabber, the students were highly
motivated to complete the assignment. Their task for the day was to read a section of the
first chapter and then answer six multiple choice questions. Since we had seen the success
in their writing, we chose not to continue pushing this. Instead we chose to focus on their
reading the multiple choice because the students found that as they read the questions too
quickly they were getting them wrong. Thus, we wanted to give them another opportunity
for practice.
16
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
One accommodation we made was for our fourth period class, which was an inclusive class
with twelve special education students. Since there was already an abundance of students,
we thought it would be beneficial for all if they worked collaboratively on this assignment.
Therefore we offered them the chance to read with a partner and answer the questions
together. Many of the students chose to work with someone else, and what we found was
that because this was another topic of interest everyone worked rather than pushing the
work off to someone else.
This time we did not go over the multiple choice first. Rather, we went over it after
everyone was finished. I intentionally included questions that would confuse them if they
read them wrong as a way to continue showing them that they have to read carefully.
Many of the students this time did not get fooled by a few of them, though there was still
one difficult question regarding irony that many students did not get right. This was a
difficult question that they really had to think about and unfortunately not many of them
took the time to do so, and thus they got it wrong. Those who did get the question right
were able to explain why which was every exciting for me because it showed that they
understood exactly what I was trying to do, and thus they would have an even higher
chance on the exam.
Castle Learning
The final day of the unit plan we wanted to focus on wrapping things up, but also the
mechanics and grammar in their writing. To do so, we utilized the Castle Learning
program, an online website that teachers can use to create mini-tests on any topic they are
interested in. Therefore we created twenty different tests that the students could choose
from to practice any of the skills they were still uncomfortable with.
Upon observation, we found that many of the students were motivated from the use of the
computers over paper and pencil. The students were more competitive about getting
responses right, and therefore many of them tried harder. There were still students who
refused to be motivated no matter what we had tried, but for the remainder of the classes
we saw them making even more progress.
When we received the results online, many of the students increasingly did better as they
continued to practice the different exams. This was an interesting finding because the tests
were in fact different, yet they must have realized that they had to read carefully to answer
the questions correctly. More than 85% of the students received high scores on the
majority of their tests which was a very positive find.
17
8th Grade
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
Post-Assessment__________________________________
At the end of the fourth day, we finished the unit plan with anticipation guide we had used
on the first day. The students completed it and turned them in as an exit slip. Upon
assessing the data, I was rather pleased with what I saw. Of the entire eighth grade, 85% of
the students felt confident in their ability to perform on the ELA exam, which was an
increase from the 79% found in the pre-assessment. That meant of 140 students, only 15%
did not feel ready to take the exam.
Confidence Level on ELA: Day 4
Not
Confident
15%
Confident
85%
While this was not a very high increase, it was an increase nonetheless. When we assessed
the breakdown of where the student’s felt they had made gains, we found that the majority
of the increase was in their reading ability. Few students gained in the writing, though no
one admitted to knowing less than before. Either the lessons taught them something new
or it did not teach them anything at all. However, there was no negative impact.
Student Confidence Levels in
Specific Areas after Unit Plan
3
2
1
Writing 76%
Confidence
82%
Reading 96%
18
8th Grade
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
Based on the information we collected, we were able to see specifically which students had
grown and which had not. Overall there was the greatest increase in students learning
something compared to students who did not change at all.
Overall Unit Improvement
No
Improvement
16%
Steady High
Results
28%
High
Improvement
56%
As stated above, 28% of students felt completely confident in every area before the unit
plan. However, 56% of the students had improved in some area of reading, writing or
confidence, which was an exceptional growth. Only 16% of the entire eighth grade did not
have any type of improvement, although no students admitted to feeling less confident
after the four days.
I was pleased that so many students had grown, though I was not pleased to see that the
writing area did not have a vast improvement like the other categories. Looking back on it,
I feel we should have focused even more on the writing and less on the reading, though I
feel each section was just as important as the other. Unfortunately we had motivation
working against us; that is, if the students did not like the topic they were writing about,
they did not put as much effort into their task. Perhaps if I had included a writing
assignment with The Hunger Games, I would have had more success in teaching them.
19
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Reflection__________________________________________
Overall the results were satisfying since I only had four days to teach them as much as I
could before they took the exam, but if I could do it over I would certainly change some
things. For example, as I stated earlier, rather than focusing so much on the reading since
the students seemed to have grasped most of this, I would have focused more on the
writing assignments. I feel I should have taken even more time to go over the writing
components so that the students could see the essence of it broken down even further.
Perhaps had I done this, there might have been a larger growth in this area.
I do not regret spending so much time on the reading component, however, because the
students did still need assistance in this area. They mostly needed help understanding how
to read the questions carefully and what key things to look out for. By the end of the unit I
feel many of the students were very close to mastering how to do this, while some had
already crossed over and proved their ability through the assignments.
Including so many reading practices was also important because the students needed help
dissecting passages and identifying important information. After a few of the discussions
where students were able to identify and defend their points in regard to the answer was
very enlightening to see that the students understood. In fact, I let them keep debating
until they came to a conclusion before giving them the correct answer. Although only one
person was right in the debate, I still allowed them to strengthen their speaking skills and
then delivered the correct answer in a way that would not cause the student who was
wrong to shut down.
Unfortunately motivation was a key component to why students did not excel. From
informal observations, I noticed that the students who did want to improve did, while those
who were indifferent to the subject matter did not improve. The unfortunate part is that
there were many students who did not want to have anything to do with this unit plan, and
as such it was much more difficult to motivate them and keep their interest so they would
do well. I feel including the new literacy components of the lesson plans (such as the video
of The Hunger Games, the computer based learning programs, and the music videos for the
poetry assignment) was an important aspect to the lesson plans because it brought in
media that the student’s respond positively to. Without this, it’s possible that The Hunger
Games would have been the only successful day overall because the students were already
interested in the topic because of the movie release.
In conclusion, even though I came into this eighth grade classroom feeling blind about what
I would be teaching, I feel I did the best with what I had to face. I could see where my
teaching had improved the student’s within their academics, and as such that made me feel
like I had been successful. Though I would have liked to see more students make gains for
the exam, I was still pleased to see that some of them had made some improvement. I
would have liked to have more time to focus on this with the students, but I feel I did the
best I could with the time that I had.
20
8th Grade
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
Appendix A_________________________________________
CONFIDENCE
Answer the following questions as honestly as possible! For each question use
+ (confident), – (not confident) to describe your confidence level.
Monday
Thursday
1. I am ready to take the 8th grade ELA exam.
_________
___________
2. I know at least two reading strategies I will use.
_________
___________
3. I know how to write a strong paragraph.
_________
___________
4. I know how to carefully read the multiple choice.
_________
___________
5. I feel like I can get at least a 3 on the exam.
_________
___________
6. I know all of the parts of an extended response.
_________
___________
21
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
Name ______________________________________
Poetry Comparison
8th Grade
Read the poems “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath and “Mirror” by Lil Wayne. Then answer the multiple choice
questions and write a response based on the text.
Mirror
by Sylvia Plath
I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
What ever you see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful--The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.
4
8
12
16
22
8th Grade
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
Mirror
Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars
With everything happening today
You don't know whether you're coming or going
But you think that you're on your way
Life lined up on the mirror don't blow it
Look at me when I'm talking to you
You looking at me but I'm looking through you
I see the blood in your eyes
I see the love in disguise
I see the pain hidden in your pride
I see you're not satisfied
And I don't see nobody else
I see myself I'm looking at the
4
8
12
Mirror on the wall, here we are again
Through my rise and fall
You've been my only friend
You told me that they can understand the man I am
So why are we here talkin' to each other again?
Uh, I see the truth in your lies
I see nobody by your side
But I'm with you when you are all alone
And you correct me when I'm looking wrong
I see the guilt beneath the shame
I see your soul through your window pane
I see the scars that remain
16
20
24
23
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
1. The poem “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath is an example of:
a. Personification
b. Symbolism
c. Mood
d. Irony
8th Grade
2. What can be inferred from lines 2 and 3 of Sylvia Plath’s poem?
a. The mirror is laughing at the narrator
b. The mirror reflects exactly who the person is without judgment
c. The mirror reflects exactly who the person is with judgment
d. The mirror loves what it sees
3. In “Mirror” by Lil Wayne, which of the following is the best response for what the mirror is
symbolic for?
a. Feeling bad about yourself
b. Looking at your life as a whole
c. Looking at your reflection
d. Seeing the person for who they really are
4. What can be inferred about both authors?
a. They are unhappy with their lives
b. There are things they would like to change about themselves
c. Their lives are passing by them and they don’t feel successful
d. All of the above
5. Who is speaking in each poem?
a. The author
b. The mirror
c. Bruno Mars
d. None of the above
6. Which of the following is not the main idea of both poems?
a. You should accept yourself for who you are
b. You should face yourself through challenges
c. You should continue to lie to make yourself feel better
d. You should look inside yourself to find your inner strength
24
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
Short Answer Response
8th Grade
“Mirror” by Sylvia Plath and “Mirror” by Lil Wayne are two poems by two very different people but
whose poems share a meaning. Discuss the similarities and differences between the two poems. Then
explain what an audience can infer about human nature from these two poems.
Your Task:
• Discuss the similarities and difference between the two poems
• Explain what an audience can infer about human nature from these two poems
• Use details and evidence from the text
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
25
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
26
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
The Hunger Games
8th Grade
Chapter One Excerpt
At one o’clock, we head for the square. Attendance is mandatory unless you’re on
death’s door. This evening, officials will come around and check to see if this is the case. If not,
you’ll be imprisoned.
It’s too bad, really, that they hold the reaping in the square—one of the few places in
District 12 that can be pleasant. The square’s surrounded by shops, and on public market days,
especially if there’s good weather, it has a holiday feel to it. But today, despite the bright
banners hanging on the buildings, there’s an air of grimness. The camera crews, perched like
buzzards on rooftops, only add to the effect.
People file in silently and sign in. The reaping is a good opportunity for the Capitol to
keep tabs on the population as well. Twelve- through eighteen-year-olds are herded into roped
areas marked off by ages, the oldest in the front, young ones, like Prim, toward the back. Family
members line up around the perimeter, holding tightly to one another’s hands. But there are
others, too, who have no one they love at stake, or who no longer care, who slip among the
crowd, taking bets on the two kids whose names will be drawn. Odds are given on their ages,
whether they’re Seam or merchant, if they will break down and weep. Most refuse dealing with
the racketeers but carefully, carefully. These same people tend to be informers, and who hasn’t
broken the law? I could be shot on a daily basis for hunting, but the appetites of those in charge
protect me. Not everyone can claim the same.
Anyway, Gale and I agree that if we have to choose between dying of hunger and a bullet
in the head, the bullet would be much quicker.
The space gets tighter, more claustrophobic as people arrive. The square’s quite large,
but not enough to hold District 12’s population of about eight thousand. Latecomers are directed
to the adjacent streets, where they can watch the event on screens as it’s televised live by the
state.
I find myself standing in a clump of sixteens from the Seam. We all exchange terse nods
then focus our attention on the temporary state that is set up before the Justice Building. It holds
three chairs, a podium, and two large glass balls, one for the boys and one for the girls. I stare at
the paper slips in the girls’ ball. Twenty of them have Katniss Everdeen written on them in
careful handwriting.
27
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
Two of the three chairs fill with Madge’s father, Mayor Undersee, who’s a tall, balding
man, and Effie Trinket, District 12’s escort, fresh from the Capitol with her scary white grin,
pinkish hair, and spring green suit. They murmur to each other and then look with concern at the
empty seat.
Just as the town clock strikes two, the mayor steps up to the podium and begins to read.
It’s the same story every year. He tells of the history of Panem, the country that rose up out of
the ashes of a place that was once called North America. He lists the disasters, the droughts, the
storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for
what little sustenance remained. The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen
districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the
uprising of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated.
The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that
the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.
The rules for the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the
twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate. The twentyfour tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning
desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the
death. The last tribute standing wins.
Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this
is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we
would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they use, the real message is clear.
“Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a
finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.”
To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires us to treat the Hunger
Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the others. The last tribute
alive receives a life of ease back home, and their district will be showered with prizes, largely
consisting of food. All year, the Capitol will show the winning district gifts of grain and oil and
even delicacies like sugar while the rest of us battle starvation.
“It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks,” intones the mayor.
Then he reads the list of past District 12 victors. In seventy-four years, we have had
exactly two. Only one is still alive. Haymitch Abernathy, a paunchy, middle-aged man, who at
28
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
8th Grade
this moment appears hollering something unintelligible, staggers onto the stage, and falls into the
third chair. He’s drunk. Very. The crowd responds with its token of applause, but he’s
confused and tries to give Effie Trinket a big hug, which she barely manages to fend off.
The mayor looks distressed. Since all of this is being televised, right now District 12 is
the laughingstock of Panem, and he knows it. He quickly tries to pull the attention back to the
reaping by introducing Effie Trinket.
Bright and bubbly as ever, Effie Trinket trots to the podium and gives her signature,
“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!” Her pink hair must be a wig
because her curls have shifted slightly off center since her encounter with Haymitch. She goes
on a bit about what an honor it is to be here, although everyone knows she’s just aching to get
bumped up to a better district where they have proper victors, not drunks who molest you in front
of the whole nation.
Through the crowd, I spot Gale looking back at me with a ghost of a smile. As reapings
go, this one at least has a slight entertainment factor. But suddenly I am thinking of the boys.
And maybe he’s thinking the same thing about me because his face darkens and he turns away.
“But there are still thousands of slips,” I wish I could whisper to him.
It’s time for the drawing. Effie Trinket says as she always does, “Ladies first!” and
crosses to the glass ball with the girls’ names. She reaches in, digs her hand deep into the ball,
and pulls out a slip of paper. The crowd draws in a collective breath and then you can hear a pin
drop, and I’m feeling nauseous and so desperately hoping that it’s not me, that it’s not me, that
it’s not me.
Effie Trinket crosses back to the podium, smoothes the slip of paper, and reads out the
name in a clear voice. And it’s not me.
It’s Primrose Everdeen.
29
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
1. Which District does the narrator belong to?
a. District 4
b. District 8
c. District 12
d. District 13
8th Grade
2. Which literary term best describes this excerpt?
a. Personification
b. Irony
c. Symbolism
d. Foreshadow
3. Why were the Hunger Games created?
a. To starve the people of Panem
b. To have a celebration for the districts
c. To suppress the districts from uprising
d. To show that the districts have total control
4. Which is the best definition for the word ‘reaping’?
a. Gather
b. Kill
c. Sweep up
d. Lottery
5. Panem is a country that rose out of:
a. South America
b. Africa
c. Europe
d. North America
6. What can be inferred about the narrator from this passage?
a. She is excited for the Hunger Games
b. She is impatient for the reaping to be over
c. She hopes Gale is chosen
d. She resents the Capitol for the Hunger Games
7. Who is Haymitch Abernathy?
a. Katniss’s uncle
b. A previous victor
c. The mayor
d. All of the above
30
ELA TEST PREP UNIT PLAN
References
8th Grade
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. 1. 1. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Print.
Sitomer, Alan Lawrence, and Michael Cirelli. Hip-Hop Poetry and the Classics. 1st Ed. New
York: Milk Mug, 2004. Print.
Wayne, Lil. Mirror. 2012. Web. 21 Apr 2012.
Woodson, Jacqueline. Hush. New York: Speak, 2010. Print.
31