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English Language Arts Packet 4

Grade 6

Standard2:Studentswillread,write,listen,andspeakforliteraryresponseandexpression&Standard3:Studentswillread,write,listen,andspeakforcriticalanalysisandevaluation.

ELA6Packet4 - - CONFIDENTIAL: TEACHER'S COPY - -

1. Which sentence serves as an example of alliteration?

A) The buzz of the alarm sounded in our ears. B) The lone dove sang during the early morning hours.C) The thorns on the thistles poked through the gloves.D) There is a small brown moth flying outside. ID Answer Points DifficultyBlooms BiserialP-ValueETSHR-i-188231 C 1 Medium Understanding n/a n/a

Looking for a Rainbow

1 Rain crashed against the brick wall of the library and pounded on the window behind me. Absorbed in a book, I

heard the rain subside and felt late afternoon sunlight warm the back of my neck. I finished my chapter.

2 Half an hour later I was slogging through puddles toward a faded yellow two-story house set back into the woods.

My cousins Sara, Jason, and Kendra stood in the doorway to greet me.

3 “Did you see the rainbow?” Kendra asked.

4 “It stretched all the way down to the horizon at both ends,” Jason said.

5 “The brightest colors you can imagine,” Sara added.

6 “No, I didn’t see the rainbow,” I said. I hadn’t seen a rainbow in at least two years. I love rainbows but usually only

hear about them after they disappear.

7 Seeing the disappointment on my face, Jason beckoned me into the house and said, “Don’t worry. We’ll show you a

rainbow tomorrow.”

8 “What do you mean? You can’t store a rainbow away in a jar,” I objected.

9 “Wait and see. Come back tomorrow a little earlier than you did today.”

10 I took off my muddy shoes and set them by the door. “That makes no sense. The forecast doesn’t even say rain

tomorrow.”

11 “You just have to look in the right place,” Sara said with a twinkle. “We’ll show you where to look.”


12 “A rainbow isn’t in a place,” I replied.

13 “Of course it is. Everything is in a place,” argued Sara.

14 “That’s not true. Strength and honesty and bedtime stories and songs you’ve known all your life—lots of things

aren’t in a place.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and waited for her response.

15 “You can’t see those things. Everything you can see is in a place. A rainbow is in the sky, isn’t it?”

16 I knew she was teasing me, but I couldn’t find the flaw in her logic. Halfway up the stairs it struck me. I turned

triumphantly. “A rainbow is an optical illusion. The water in the air bends different parts of the sunlight at different angles, separating the colors that the water reflects back to your eyes.”

17 “So?”

18 “So a rainbow isn’t really there in the sky. It’s the way the light reaches your eyes. If other people are standing

somewhere else, they’ll see the rainbow in a different position in the sky.”

19 Sara gave me the kind of look that only a cousin can give. “Are you trying to tell me that you create the rainbow by

looking at it? If everyone stops looking, does the rainbow cease to exist? Are you saying rainbows aren’t real?”

20 “They’re real; they’re just not really in the sky. They’re really in your eyes and mind, and in the light that comes to

you. I wish I’d been watching some of that light this afternoon,” I said.

21 “Come back tomorrow and we’ll show you,” Jason repeated. “Then you can decide where it is and whether it’s

real.”

22 That night I dreamed about rainbows: rainbows in the sky, rainbows reaching my eyes, groups of people standing

around with a slightly different rainbow for each of them. The next afternoon I walked back to my cousins’ house. The day was sunny and clear, not rainbow weather at all.

23 “Keep your shoes on,” Kendra told me. They led me down a narrow path through the woods behind the house. The

trees were tall and dense. Pines as straight and tall as Greek columns stood contrasted with the gnarly, crooked branches of ancient oaks. On our right, a fallen log offered a home for countless forest creatures. Tall ferns danced around the end where the roots had pulled up out of the ground.

24 A haphazard pile of boulders to our left looked as if some giant had thrown them aside. A carpet of green softened

their shaded sides. Sara asked, “Now are you going to tell me you don’t see the moss, you just see the light from the moss as it reaches your eyes?”


25 “That’s different,” I said. “You can touch the moss. You can feel it. It’s really there on the rocks. You can’t feel a

rainbow.” Satisfied, or perhaps tiring of the game, my cousins led me on without comment.

26 Into the gentle sounds of chirping birds and creaking branches broke another sound: the gurgle of rushing water.

We emerged into a clearing at the base of a tall, narrow waterfall spilling into a gleaming pool. Droplets of water splashed out from the stony ledge overhead. Jason drew me to a spot near the pool’s edge and pointed up to the droplets, sparkling in the sunlight.

27 There near the top of the waterfall—or so it appeared to my delighted eyes—was a brilliant, beautiful, perfect

double rainbow.

2. Which sentence from the passage best supports the idea that the narrator rarely sees rainbows?

A) “No, I didn’t see the rainbow,” I said. B) I hadn’t seen a rainbow in at least two years. C) “Don’t worry. We’ll show you a rainbow tomorrow.” D) The day was sunny and clear, not rainbow weather at all. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-199840 B 1 Medium Understanding n/a n/a

Associated Passages ID PassageTitle Gender Ethnicity Word countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType Subtype AreaMulticulturalNWEA-p-2625 Looking for a Rainbow Both Gende Unknown801-1000 5 to 5.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a No

3. The setting at the end of the story is important because it shows that

A) people can see rainbows more clearly near waterfalls. B) rainbows are difficult to see. C) double rainbows only exist in the woods. D) there are many places to see rainbows. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-194550 D 1 Medium Analyzing n/a n/a



4. Why does the narrator miss the first rainbow? A) She is not interested in it. B) She does not believe it is real. C) She can not see it from her house. D) She is preoccupied with her book. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-186680 D 1 High Understanding n/a n/a


5. The narrator and her cousins found a rainbow

A) in a jar. B) in the sky. C) on the rocks. D) near a waterfall. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-192797 D 1 Low Remembering n/a n/a


6. Which of the following best explains the narrator’s conflict in the story?

A) The narrator is confused about how rainbows are formed. B) The narrator does not think a rainbow can be put into a jar. C) The narrator is disappointed at not seeing a rainbow. D) The narrator thinks that rainbows are real, but Sara does not. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-161236 C 1 Low Analyzing n/a n/a



Learning to Swim

by Kyoko Mori

1 I was determined to swim at least twenty-five meters in the front crawl. As we did every summer, my mother,

younger brother, and I were going to stay with my grandparents, who lived in a small farming village near Himeji, in Japan. From their house, it was a short walk through some rice paddies to the river where my mother had taught me how to swim when I was six. First, she showed me how to float with my face in the water, stretching my arms out in front of me and lying very still so my whole body was like a long plastic raft full of air. If you thought about it that way, my mother said, floating was as easy as just standing around or lying down to sleep. Once I got comfortable with floating, she taught me to kick my legs and paddle my arms so I could move forward, dog-paddling with my face out of the water.

2 Now I was too old to dog-paddle like a little kid. My mother had tried to teach me the front crawl the previous

summer. I knew what I was supposed to do—flutter kick and push the water from front to back with my arms, while keeping my face in the water and turning sideways to breathe—but somehow there seemed to be too much I had to remember all at once. I forgot to turn my head and found myself dog-paddling again after only a few strokes. This summer, I thought, I would work harder and learn to swim as smoothly and gracefully as my mother. Then I would go back to school in September and surprise my classmates and my teachers. At our monthly swimming test, I would swim the whole length of our pool and prove myself one of the better swimmers in our class.

3 At our school, where we had monthly tests to determine how far each of us could swim without stopping, everyone

could tell who the best and the worst swimmers were by looking at our white cloth swimming caps. For every five or ten meters we could swim, our mothers sewed a red or black line on the front of the cap. At the last test we had, in late May, I had made it all the way across the width of the pool in an awkward combination of dog paddle and front crawl, earning the three red lines on my cap for fifteen meters. That meant I was an average swimmer, not bad, not great. At the next test, in September, I would have to try the length of the pool, heading toward the deep end.

“Learning to Swim” by Kyoko Mori from When I Was Your Age, copyright ©1999 by Kyoko Mori. Used by permission of Kyoko Mori.


The Swimming Pool Pantoum*

by Sophie Hannah A box of blue With water in. It calls to you The waves begin. 5 With water in, And a lid of light, The waves begin. Swim out of sight. A lid of light, 10 Wobbly and cool. Swim out of sight Around the pool, Wobbly and cool. Little blue tiles 15 Surround the pool For miles and miles. Little blue tiles Cover the floor For miles and miles 20 And even more. Cover the floor With your bare feet And even more, Follow the beat, 25 With your bare feet And your swimming cap, Follow the beat Of the water’s lap. Your swimming cap 30 Keeps your head dry. The waters lap As you float by.


Keep your head dry And full of calm 35 As you float by. Come to no harm. Full of calm And light as a wish, Come to no harm, 40 Dream of green fish. Light as a wish, They swim in the waves. Dream of green fish In watery caves. 45 Swim in the waves Like a long dream Of watery caves And the pool will seem Like a long dream, 50 A bit like sleep. The pool will seem Lovely and deep. A bit like sleep It calls to you. 55 Lovely and deep, A box so blue. *Pantoum: a poem made up of stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of a stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the following stanza“The Swimming Pool Pantoum” from The Box Room by Sophie Hannah, copyright © 2000 by Sophie Hannah. Used by permission.


7. The actions of the narrators in “Learning to Swim” and “The Swimming Pool Pantoum” best express which theme? A) the peacefulness of water B) the joys of swimming C) the demands of winning a competition D) the difficulties of trying something new ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-180530 B 1 Medium Analyzing n/a n/a

Associated Passages ID PassageTitle Gender Ethnicity Word count Flesch-Kincaid Stimulus Type Subtype Area MulticulturalNWEA-p-2629 Learning to Swim Female(s) Asian 401-600 9 to 9.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a YesNWEA-p-3559 The Swimming Pool Pantoum n/a n/a 0-200 n/a Reading Poetry Poems n/a No

8. Which is a theme common to both “Learning to Swim” and “The Swimming Pool Pantoum”?

A) Do not be afraid of a challenge. B) Learning a new skill takes practice. C) Do not be afraid of the water. D) Wishes are dreams that come true. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-196888 B 1 Medium Understanding n/a n/a

Associated Passages ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType SubtypeAreaMulticulturalNWEA-p-2629 Learning to Swim Female(s)Asian 401-600 9 to 9.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a YesNWEA-p-3559 The Swimming Pool Pantoum n/a n/a 0-200 n/a Reading Poetry Poems n/a No

9. The word pantoum describes a poem that contains

A) rhyming lines. B) repeated lines. C) short lines. D) run-on lines. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-216321 B 1 Low Remembering n/a n/a

Associated Passages ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType Subtype AreaMulticulturalNWEA-p-3559 The Swimming Pool Pantoum n/a n/a 0-200 n/a Reading Poetry Poems n/a No


10. What does “a box so blue” in the poem describe? A) the sky B) a pool C) the water D) a wave ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-172489 B 1 Medium Analyzing n/a n/a


11. The poem could be used by students who are doing research about

A) swimming safety. B) swimming contests. C) swimming lessons. D) swimming apparel. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-215319 C 1 High Evaluating n/a n/a



A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles

by Bette Bao Lord

1 Throughout the journey across the United States, Shirley stared out the window of the train. But she remembered

nothing of what she saw. Her thoughts were always with Father. Father, who knew how everything worked. Was he not an engineer with a diploma from Shanghai to prove it? Had he not explained why the stars twinkled and how submarines slunk beneath the seas? And he could fix anything. Lamps that refused to light. Doors that squeaked. Even quarrels, except for the one between Grand-grand Aunt and Grand-grand Uncle.

2 How she missed him!

3 As the wheels of the train clacked along the tracks, they seemed to chant — Four more days, just four more days . . .

Three days, just three days . . . Only two, only two, only two . . . Tomorrow, tomorrow . . . Today!

4 At last it was the hour when their year-long separation would end. Shirley clutched her seat, afraid joy would launch

her through the ceiling and whisk her high above the clouds. She fixed her gaze on Mother, who twisted her handkerchief nervously, smiling at someone who was not yet there.

5 “Can we go now?”


6 “Better wait till the train has come to a stop. You wouldn’t want to fall and skin a knee just before you see Father.”

7 “I’ll be careful.”

8 “We will be there soon enough.”

9 “Now?”

10 “The train is slowing down. Soon.”

11 “Now?”

12 “Now.”

13 Hand in hand they made their way down the crowded aisle toward the exit, peering out the windows at the people

waiting on the platform.

14 “There he is!” Mother whispered.

15 “Where?”

16 “By the far pillar.”

17 “I see him. Father! Father!”

18 Shirley freed herself and burrowed through the passengers to the door. Leaping off the train, she ran to the dapper

man in a bow tie.

19 He lifted her into his arms and swung her about, hugging her tightly. “What disgraceful behavior!” he exclaimed in

a mocking tone so familiar that it made her teary. “Has your mother taught you no shame — embracing in public? Who are you anyway?”

20 “Father, it’s me. Shirley. Shirley Temple Wong.”

21 He shook with laughter. “Shirley? Where did you get such a name?”


22 She started to explain, but suddenly he was still. He set her down. Before them stood Mother. Her face looked so

solemn. His did too. Something was happening. Mother did not blink when a man smashed a bottle nearby. Father did not react when another jostled him. For a long moment, Mother and Father simply glowed, as if they were caught in a spell.

23 Father bowed. “It is good that you are here, my wife.”

24 “It is good to be here, my husband.” Mother, too, bowed.

25 Taking one of Father’s hands in her left and one of Mother’s in her right, Shirley jumped up and down. “Take us

home, Father. Take us home.”

26 Home was Brooklyn, New York, but Shirley would not know that for a while. To her, it was simply Mei Guo,

Beautiful Country.

From In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord, copyright © 1984 by Bette Bao Lord. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

12. Read the sentence from the story.

Hand in hand they made their way down the crowded aisle toward the exit, peering out the windows at the people waiting on the platform. At this point in the story, Mother and Shirley most likely walk hand in hand because they are A) afraid of the motion of the train. B) eager about their reunion with Father. C) excited to see passengers in line for the train. D) worried they have arrived too late to see Father. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-192946 B 1 High Analyzing n/a n/a

Associated Passages ID PassageTitle Gender Ethnicity Word count Flesch-Kincaid Stimulus Type Subtype Area MulticulturalNWEA-p-3351 A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles Female(s) Asian 401-600 4 to 4.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a Yes


13. Paragraph 22 is mostly about A) how Shirley behaves when she steps off of the train. B) the way Mother and Father react when they meet. C) the reason Mother is startled by a broken bottle. D) why Father is jostled by someone in the crowd. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-199147 B 1 Medium Understanding n/a n/a

Associated Passages ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulus Type SubtypeAreaMulticulturalNWEA-p-3351 A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles Female(s)Asian 401-600 4 to 4.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a Yes

14. When she finally sees him again, how is Shirley affected by her Father’s teasing?

A) It upsets her because he is not friendly. B) It reminds her of his usual manner with her. C) It saddens her because he has not missed her. D) It helps her forget about her fears of traveling. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-201725 B 1 Medium Analyzing n/a n/a


15. What is the main setting of this story?

A) airport B) California C) Shanghai D) train station ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-179087 D 1 Low Understanding n/a n/a


16. What type of writing style is used in this story?

A) narrative B) persuasive C) exposition D) business writing ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-170531 A 1 Medium Applying n/a n/a



17. In which of these types of writing would suspense be most important?A) article B) comedy C) mystery D) autobiography ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-207105 C 1 Medium Analyzing n/a n/a

18. Which choice includes an example of onomatopoeia?

A) She finished reading that book in a snap. B) He held down the fort until they returned. C) I could hear the clatter of dishes being washed. D) They laughed like hyenas when they heard the joke.ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-185742 C 1 Low Analyzing n/a n/a

19. Read the sentence.

Kendra accepted the responsibility for planning the banquet, but she had the misfortune to have only one helper. Which underlined word in the sentence has a prefix meaning “wrong or bad”? A) accepted B) responsibility C) banquet D) misfortune ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-ValueNWEA-i-163370 D 1 Medium Remembering n/a n/a

20. Which of the following characteristics would best indicate that a passage is poetry?

A) It uses the first-person point of view. B) It is not very long. C) It is arranged in a rhythmic pattern. D) It discusses a serious subject. ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value NWEA-i-168474 C 1 Medium Understanding n/a n/a

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