FAST-R Formative Assessments of Student …

1 FAST-R : Formative Assessments in Student thinking in reading Middle School Anchor AssessmentPassages and graphics are Copyright from original sources. All questions and teacher materials are Copyright 2008 by the Boston Plan for Assessments of Student thinking in ReadingName Middle School Anchor AssessmentDate Teacher/Class +On the continent of South America is the Amazon Rain Forest where it is always hot and wet, and everything grows and grows. In this rain forest there grows a great kapok tree . This is a story of a community of animals that live in a kapok great kapok tree 1 Two men walked into the rain forest. Moments before, the forest had been alive with the sounds of squawking birds and howling monkeys. Now all was quiet as the creatures watched the two men and wondered why they had come. The larger man stopped and pointed to a great kapok tree . Then he left. 2 The smaller man took the ax he carried and struck the trunk of the tree . Whack! Whack! Whack! The sounds of the blows rang through the forest.

2 The wood of the tree was very hard. Chop! Chop! Chop! The man wiped off the sweat that ran down his face and neck. Whack! Chop! Whack! Chop! Soon the man grew tired. He sat down to rest at the foot of the great kapok tree . Before he knew it, the heat and hum of the forest had lulled him to sleep. 3 A boa constrictor lived in the kapok tree . He slithered down its trunk to where the man was sleeping. He looked at the gash the ax had made in the tree . Then the huge snake slid very close to the man and hissed in his ear: Senhor, this tree is a tree of miracles. It is my home, where generations of my ancestors have lived. Do not chop it down. 4 A bee buzzed in the sleeping man s ear: Senhor, my hive is in this kapok tree , and I fly from tree to tree and flower to flower collecting pollen. In this way I pollinate the trees and flowers throughout the rain forest. You see, all living things depend on one another. 5 A troupe of monkeys scampered down from the canopy1 of the kapok tree .

3 They chattered to the sleeping man: Senhor, we have seen the ways of man. You chop down one tree , then come back for another and another. The roots of these great trees will wither and die, and there will be nothing left to hold the earth in place. When the heavy rains come, the soil will be washed away and the forest will become a desert. 6 A toucan, a macaw, and a cock-of-the-rock flew down from the canopy. Senhor! squawked the toucan, you must not cut down this tree . We have flown over the rain forest and seen what happens once you begin to chop down the trees. Many people settle on the land. They set fires to clear the underbrush, and soon the forest disappears. Where once there was life and beauty only black and smoldering ruins remain. 7 A bright and small tree frog crawled along the leaf. In a squeaky voice he piped in the man s ear: Senhor, a ruined rain forest means ruined lives .. many ruined lives. You will leave many of us homeless if you chop down this great kapok tree .

4 8 A jaguar had been sleeping along a branch in the middle of the tree . Because his spotted coat blended into the dappled light and shadows of the understory2, no one had noticed him. Now he leapt down and padded 1 Canopy - the tops of trees in the rain forest 2 Understory - the bottom of the rain forestFAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student thinking in reading Middle School Anchor AssessmentPassages and graphics are Copyright from original sources. All questions and teacher materials are Copyright 2008 by the Boston Plan for Teacher/Class silently over to the sleeping man. He growled in his ear: Senhor, the kapok tree is home to many birds and animals. If you cut it down, where will I find my dinner? 9 Four tree porcupines swung down from branch to branch and whispered to the man: Senhor, do you know what we animals and humans need in order to live? Oxygen. And, Senhor, do you know what trees produce? Oxygen! If you cut down the forest, you will destroy that which gives us all life.

5 10 Several anteaters climbed down the kapok tree with their young clinging to their backs. The unstriped anteater said to the sleeping man: Senhor, you are chopping down this tree with no thought for the future. And surely you know that what happens tomorrow depends upon what you do today. The big man tells you to chop down a beautiful tree . He does not think of his own children, who tomorrow must live in a world without trees. FAST-R : Formative Assessments in Student thinking in reading Middle School Anchor AssessmentPassages and graphics are Copyright from original sources. All questions and teacher materials are Copyright 2008 by the Boston Plan for Teacher/ClassDirections: Answer the following multiple-choice questions by filling in the circle for the best answer on your answer According to the poem, where do all the animals live? A. In different parts of the rainforestB. They are homelessC. In the kapok treeD. In the jungle 2. Which of the following animals said, All living things depend on one another ?

6 A. A toucanB. A beeC. A boa constrictorD. An elephant3. Read the sentence from paragraph 5 in the box below: In the sentence above, the word canopy most nearly means:A. the cover formed by the leafy upper branches of a tree B. a fabric cover suspended on poles above a bed C. a particularly large branch D. a big canvas or blanket4. What is the main purpose of paragraph 5?A. To explain global warming B. To explain why it is called a rainforest C. To explain where birds live D. To explain the effects of chopping down trees in the rainforest5. In paragraph 2, the most likely reason the author uses the words Chop! and Whack! more than once, and with exclamation marks (!), is to: A. show that the kapok tree was easy to chopB. indicate the loud sounds made by the axC. show that the spelling of these words are unusual D. show what the animals are saying A troupe of monkeys scampered down from the canopy of the kapok tree . FAST-R : Formative Assessments in Student thinking in reading Middle School Anchor AssessmentPassages and graphics are Copyright from original sources.

7 All questions and teacher materials are Copyright 2008 by the Boston Plan for Teacher/Class6. Which of the following details best suggests that the rainforest is full of life? A. The larger man stopped and pointed to a great kapok B. Now all was quiet as the creatures watched the two men and wondered why they had come. C. Two men walked into the rainforest. D. Moments before, the forest had been alive with the sounds of squawking birds and howling monkeys. 7. Read the sentence from paragraph 10 in the box below: Which of the following does the big man most likely represent?A. People who are very rich B. All the people living in the rainforest C. Companies that need trees for lumber D. An influential person in the community 8. Which of the following best states the author s main message in this passage? A. Animals and plants depend on each other for survival B. Animals need to be protected C. The rainforest is a peaceful natural environment D.

8 kapok trees are beautiful and sacred, and should not be cut down OPEN RESPONSE: The story, The great kapok tree , contains a message about rainforests. What message is the author trying to tell the reader? Use specific and relevant information from the passage to support your big man tells you to chop down a beautiful tree . He does not think of his own children, who tomorrow must live in a world without trees. FAST-R : Formative Assessments in Student thinking in reading Middle School Anchor AssessmentPassages and graphics are Copyright from original sources. All questions and teacher materials are Copyright 2008 by the Boston Plan for live in a global marketplace. Many of the things we wear, use, or eat every day come from other countries. For example, our cell phones may come from China, our clothes may be made in Mexico, and the grapes we eat may have come from Chile. Globalization1 Americans buy goods from all over the world because of globalization. This means the development of a global, or worldwide, society.

9 In a global society, people, money, information, and goods flow fairly freely across national Globalization affects every country in the world. But no region is more involved than Asia. Countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan have played a major role in the global spread of manufacturing and trade. Asian countries are key players in the global Growth of Globalization3 Globalization is the result of several factors. Advances in communication and transportation have played a big part. Another major factor is the movement toward free trade. Free trade is the flow of goods and services across national borders, with few controls by Support for free trade has grown over the past 60 years. In 1947, the United States and 22 other countries signed the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). They agreed to reduce tariffs and other barriers to trade. A tariff is a tax on goods imported from another country. This agreement led to the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

10 The WTO also works to reduce trade barriers. By 2005 the WTO had 148 member countries. 5 Globalization has also been helped by the rise of multinational corporations. These are large firms that operate in more than one country. They are key actors in the global economy. They produce and sell goods and services around the world. 6 Globalization has brought economic growth to many developing countries. This has meant jobs for millions of people. It has also increased economic interdependence among countries. Interdependent countries rely on one another for resources, technology, and Trade between China and the United States is a good example of economic interdependence. Factories in China make all kinds of goods for export to the United States. When the economy is booming, Americans have plenty of money to spend on Chinese products. When the economy is not doing so well, Americans spend less on goods. So the jobs of many factory workers in China depend on the economic health of the United Shoe Production: Sneaking Away from the The history of sneaker production shows globalization at work.