Department of Literacy Instruction & Interventions Office of Academics. Grade 8

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1 FORMATIVE WRITING ASSESSMENT Department of Literacy Instruction & Interventions Office of Academics Grade 8

2 Text-Based Writing Prompts: Administration and Scoring Guidelines Teacher Directions: Students will read a stimulus about a single topic. A stimulus consists of several texts written on a single topic. The stimulus may include informational or literary fiction or nonfiction texts and can cover a wide array of topics. After reading the stimulus, the students will respond to a writing prompt in which they will provide information on a topic, develop a narrative, or take a stance to support an opinion or argument. Students will be required to synthesize information from the text sets and must cite specific evidence from the texts to support their ideas. Students informative/explanatory responses should demonstrate a developed and supported controlling idea. Students opinion/argumentative responses should support an opinion/argument using ideas presented in the stimulus. Students will have 90 minutes to read the passages, and plan, write, revise and edit their essay. Students should read the prompt first. They should be encouraged to highlight, underline, and take notes to support the planning process. Scoring: The attached text-based rubric should be used to score student responses. While the total possible points on the rubric is ten, it is recommended that three individual scores be given one score for each of the three domains on the rubric. This will allow the teacher to determine specific areas of need within individual student responses, thus allowing for differentiation in the writing instruction that follows these formative writing tasks. The three domains are: Purpose, Focus, Organization (PFO), Evidence and Elaboration (EE), and Conventions of Standard English (CSE). Teachers should score holistically within each domain PFO (4-points), EE (4-points), and CSE (2-points). Each level of scoring within a domain is based on the overarching statement for the score found in the rubric. For example, on the grades 6-11 rubric for argumentation, the overarching statement for a score of 4 in the Purpose, Focus, Organization domain is, The response is fully sustained and consistently focused within the purpose, audience, and task; and it has a clear and effective organizational structure creating coherence and completeness. The bulleted points that follow the statement must be considered as factors in the scoring, but should not be utilized as a checklist. Most, but not all, of the bulleted points will be evident in the student writing for a score at a specific level. Teachers should keep in mind that a score of 3 on the rubric for a domain signals student proficiency in the addressed writing standard with a score of 4 representing mastery. In the CSE domain, a score of two represents student proficiency in the standard.

3 Eighth Grade: Informative Prompt #1 Write an informative essay examining how volcanoes affect people and environments. Include evidence from what you have read in your response. Manage your time carefully so that you can: Read the passages Plan your essay Write your essay Revise and edit your essay Your written response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay. Remember to spend time reading, planning, writing, revising, and editing.

4 Eighth Grade: Informative Prompt #1 Write an informative essay examining how volcanoes affect people and environments. Include evidence from what you have read in your response. Manage your time carefully so that you can: Read the passages Plan your essay Write your essay Revise and edit your essay Your written response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay. Remember to spend time reading, planning, writing, revising, and editing.

5 Part 1: Read Sources Source 1: Informational Article How Many Active Volcanoes Are There? by Tom Simkin and Lee Siebert, Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program AS YOU READ Identify terms and ideas that you might be able to use in your essay. For example, active volcanoes are likely to be a topic in these essays. NOTES The answer to this common question depends upon the use of the word active. At least 20 volcanoes will probably be erupting as you read these words (Italy s Stromboli, for example, has been erupting for more than a thousand years). Roughly 60 erupted each year through the 1990s; 154 in the full decade of ; about 550 have had historically documented eruptions. Some 1300 (and perhaps more than 1500) have erupted in the Holocene (the past 10,000 years), and some estimates of young seafloor volcanoes exceed a million. Because dormant intervals between major eruptions at a single volcano may last hundreds to thousands of years, dwarfing the relatively short historical record in many regions, it is misleading to restrict usage of active volcano to recorded human memories: we prefer to add another identifying word (e.g. 1 historically active or Holocene volcano ). The definition of volcano is as important in answering the number question as the definition of active. Usage has varied widely, with volcano applied to individual vents, measured in meters, through volcanic edifices 1 measured in tens of kilometers, to volcanic fields measured in hundreds of kilometers. We have tended toward the broader definition 1 edifice: cone-shaped structure at a volcano s top 2 e.g.: exempli gratia, Latin for for example Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Image Credits: Photodisc/Getty Images 58

6 30 in our compilations, allowing the record of a single large plumbing system 3 to be viewed as a whole, but this approach often requires careful work in field and laboratory to establish the integrity of a group s common magmatic 4 link. The problem is particularly difficult in Iceland, where eruptions separated by many tens of kilometers along a single rift may share the same magmatic system. A volcanic field, such as Mexico s Michoacán-Guanajuato field (comprising nearly 1,400 cinder cones 5, maars 6, and shield volcanoes 7 derived from a single magmatic system, dotting a 200 x 250 km area) may be counted the same as a single volcanic edifice. Perhaps the most honest answer to the number question is that we do not really have an accurate count of the world s volcanoes, but that there are at least a thousand identified magma systems 8 on land alone likely to erupt in the future. NOTES Erupting now: perhaps 20 Each year: Each decade: about 160 Historical eruptions: about 550 Known Holocene eruptions (last 10,000 years): about 1300 Known (and possible) Holocene eruptions: about 1500 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Image Credits: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Note that these figures do not include the large number of eruptions (and undescribed volcanoes) on the deep sea floor. 3 single large plumbing system: underground chambers of liquid magma that run beneath volcanoes in a series of pipes 4 magmatic: made of molten rock found under the earth s crust 5 cinder cone: the simplest type of volcano, created when particles and blobs of congealed lava explode from one vent. Cinder cones have a circular or oval cone around their vent. 6 maar: depressed crater caused by an eruption during which ground water makes contact with lava or magma, resulting in an explosion. The explosion makes a hole in the ground, which is the maar crater. 7 shield volcano: large volcanoes that are built almost completely from lava. They are named for their sloping sides, which resemble a warrior s shield. 8 magma system: the underground sysstem of pipes through which magma flows

7 Source 2: Informational Article Volcanic Soils by Russell McDonaugh V NOTES The rate at which volcanic loam is formed often depends on geographical factors. In Hawaii, for example, weathering from wind and rain occurs quickly because of the tropical climate. Hawaii s lush vegetation is due to the rapid formation of soil from volcanic deposits. Ash also contributes to soil formation. However, smaller particles of ash often less than a millimeter in diameter are more quickly embedded in the existing soil and more quickly broken down into nutrients. These smaller particles of ash are usually found farther from the volcano than larger particles. Once volcanic deposits have been broken down, they enrich the soil both by adding important nutrients for plants and by providing excellent drainage. The extent to which these deposits enrich the soil is well-illustrated in Italy. The soil in southern Italy is generally quite poor except for the area around Naples. This region includes Mount Vesuvius, which experienced two major eruptions more than 10,000 years ago. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Image Credits: Corbis olcanic eruptions produce deposits of rock and ash in the surrounding area. These deposits are rich in minerals, but the minerals are not immediately available to plants. Depending on the location of the volcano, it can take thousands of years of weathering for the ash and rock deposits to form a rich soil. When they do become soils, they are often among the richest soils on Earth. AS YOU READ Take notes about the use of volcanic soils.

8 This area has been intensively cultivated for crops for over 2,000 years. The soil is so rich that farmers often plant different crops intermingled with each other to maximize the use of every square inch available. NOTES 30 In addition to enriching soil nutrients, volcanic deposits improve soil in other ways. By improving moisture retention, they make soil easier to till for farming. Also, volcanic soils are good for pasture growth because of how well they hold water for plants. The North Island of New Zealand, which is rich in volcanic loam, has a large and prosperous dairy industry that depends on the verdant pasturelands of the island. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Image Credits: rook76/shutterstock A stamp printed in 1996 shows Pukekura Park Gardens in New Plymouth, a major regional city on the North Island of New Zealand. New Plymouth is known for having rich volcanic soil and lush gardens. The stamp shows a still-active volcano in the background, Mt. Taranaki. Unit 2: Informative Essay 61

9 Source 3: Informational Article On the Slopes of Mauna Loa, Hawaii Island 62 AS YOU READ Underline key ideas and evidence that you might use in your essay. NOTES Highway 11 is the route a traveler would normally follow from the Kona (west side) direction and driving towards the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The western slopes from Manuka State Park to the entrance to the Kahuku section of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park feature a forest reserve and broad vistas with sweeping views of the ocean and mountain. This section includes landscape passing over relatively new lava so the traveler can experience transitions from substantially untouched to well vegetated volcanic terrain and rain forest. The southern slopes from Kahuku to the county park at Honuapo Bay include the green segment that winds into the Waiohinu Valley then down towards the ocean, with a panorama that may extend to a distant view of the Kilauea volcano. The eastern slopes cover the area from Honuapo to the main entrance to the Hawaii Volcanoes National park and offer long, sweeping green views towards the Mauna Loa summit as well as the spectacular and unusual Ninole Hills. The road rises from sea level to over 4,000 feet and is partly within the boundary of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The Kau Scenic Byway offers by far the longest stretches of unspoiled natural scenery to be found anywhere in the inhabited Hawaiian Islands. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Image Credits: Corbis

10 FINAL English Language Arts Text-based Writing Rubrics Grades 6 11: Informative/Explanatory UPDATED OCTOBER 2014

11 FINAL ELA Text-based Writing Rubrics, Grades 6 11: Informative/Explanatory Florida Standards Assessments Score Purpose, Focus, and Organization (4-point Rubric) 4 The response is fully sustained and consistently focused within the purpose, audience, and task; and it has a clear controlling idea and effective organizational structure creating coherence and completeness. The response includes most of the following: Strongly maintained controlling idea with little or no loosely related material Skillful use of a variety of transitional strategies to clarify the relationships between and among ideas Logical progression of ideas from beginning to end with a satisfying introduction and conclusion Appropriate style and objective tone established and maintained 3 The response is adequately sustained and generally focused within the purpose, audience, and task; and it has a clear controlling idea and evident organizational structure with a sense of completeness. The response includes most of the following: Maintained controlling idea, though some loosely related material may be present Adequate use of a variety of transitional strategies to clarify the relationships between and among ideas Adequate progression of ideas from beginning to end with a sufficient introduction and conclusion Appropriate style and objective tone established Grades 6-11 Informative/Explanatory Text-based Writing Rubric (Score points within each domain include most of the characteristics below.) Evidence and Elaboration (4-point Rubric) The response provides thorough and convincing support, citing evidence for the controlling idea or main idea that includes the effective use of sources, facts, and details. The response includes most of the following: Smoothly integrated, thorough, and relevant evidence, including precise references to sources Effective use of a variety of elaborative techniques (including but not limited to definitions, quotations, and examples), demonstrating an understanding of the topic and text Clear and effective expression of ideas, using precise language Academic and domain-specific vocabulary clearly appropriate for the audience and purpose Varied sentence structure, demonstrating language facility The response provides adequate support, citing evidence for the controlling idea or main idea that includes the use of sources, facts, and details. The response includes most of the following: Generally integrated and relevant evidence from sources, though references may be general or imprecise Adequate use of some elaborative techniques Adequate expression of ideas, employing a mix of precise and general language Domain-specific vocabulary generally appropriate for the audience and purpose Some variation in sentence structure Continued on the following page Conventions of Standard English (2-point Rubric begins at score point 2) 1 UPDATED OCTOBER 2014

12 FINAL ELA Text-based Writing Rubrics, Grades 6 11: Informative/Explanatory Florida Standards Assessments Score Purpose, Focus, and Organization (4-point Rubric) Evidence and Elaboration (4-point Rubric) Conventions of Standard English (2-point Rubric) 2 The response is somewhat sustained within the purpose, audience, and task but may include loosely related or extraneous material; and it may have a controlling idea with an inconsistent organizational structure. The response may include the following: Focused controlling idea but insufficiently sustained or unclear Inconsistent use of transitional strategies with little variety Uneven progression of ideas from beginning to end with an inadequate introduction or conclusion 1 The response is related to the topic but may demonstrate little or no awareness of the purpose, audience, and task; and it may have little or no controlling idea or discernible organizational structure. The response may include the following: Confusing or ambiguous ideas Few or no transitional strategies Frequent extraneous ideas that impede understanding Too brief to demonstrate knowledge of focus or organization The response provides uneven, cursory support/evidence for the controlling idea or main idea that includes partial use of sources, facts, and details. The response may include the following: Weakly integrated evidence from sources; erratic or irrelevant references or citations Repetitive or ineffective use of elaborative techniques Imprecise or simplistic expression of ideas Some use of inappropriate domain-specific vocabulary Most sentences limited to simple constructions The response provides minimal support/evidence for the controlling idea or main idea, including little if any use of sources, facts, and details. The response may include the following: Minimal, absent, erroneous, or irrelevant evidence or citations from the source material Expression of ideas that is vague, unclear, or confusing Limited and often inappropriate language or domainspecific vocabulary Sentences limited to simple constructions The response demonstrates an adequate command of basic conventions. The response may include the following: Some minor errors in usage but no patterns of errors Adequate use of punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling The response demonstrates a partial command of basic conventions. The response may include the following: Various errors in usage Inconsistent use of correct punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling 0 The response demonstrates a lack of command of conventions, with frequent and severe errors often obscuring meaning. 2 UPDATED OCTOBER 2014