Feb. 1-5 - Indianapolis Public Schools

ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
QUARTER 3 (January 4-March 18, 2016)
Dates:
Topic:
Curriculum & Instruction Responsibilities:
Target
Standard:
 7.RN.4.3: Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key
information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.

Target Skill within standard: Compare texts on the same topic, analyzing how author shapes information
Continue to revisit this standard as you integrate the additional ‘RN’ standards from your weekly pacing.
Instructional
Suggestions:
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Week 5
Feb. 1-5
ConstructedResponse
Question
Stem(s):
Response to
Literature
Resources:
This standard requires students to apply multiple skills to a nonfiction text they are reading. As the standard states,
this standard focuses on comparison of multiple texts around a common topic, which means identification of a topic
is the first prerequisite skill for this standard. This standard requires prerequisite knowledge of multiple standard and
skills, such as analysis of central idea, author’s perspective, and citation/evaluation of textual evidence.
To analyze multiple texts, students should identify the central idea and author’s argument or perspective in each text
respectively. As students read through each text, they will need to stop to reflect on what the author says to support
their perspective, as well as how they say it, focusing on the author’s language and style.
As students read the first text, they should visually track the evidence the author presents and how it supports their
argument, as well as how they author presents the information. As the second text is read, students should continue
this process, and additionally make connections across the two texts.
A graphic organizer will help students track the evidence presented and compare how similar evidence across each
text can be used to further each author’s specific argument, which is how they interpret and present it differently.
Words and phrases that are useful in the instruction of this standard and/or may appear on ISTEP+ in relation to
standard:
o topic, central idea, author’s argument, evidence, interpretation, compare, contrast
o What evidence does the author present to support their idea?
o What does this evidence tell us about the author? Why does the author use this evidence specifically?
o Why does the author present the evidence in this way? Are the words around the evidence positive or
negative?
o How is the evidence in this text presented differently than the first text?
Continue to revisit this standard as you integrate the additional ‘RN’ standards from your weekly pacing.
The following questions stems reflect possible assessment questions related to this skill and standard:

How do the two authors interpret facts differently?

What evidence does the author of text ____ use that differs from the evidence provided in text _____?

Why did the author of text _____ choose to include the detail in paragraph ____, but the author of text ___ did not?

How did each author emphasize different evidence to shape his/her position?
Response to Literature Resources and Prompts:

After reading the articles “Wild Animals Aren’t Pets” and “Let People Own Exotic Animals” respond to the following
text-based writing prompt. Utilize the text to construct your response and cite textual evidence.

You have just read two texts on the same topic. Write a paper comparing and contrasting the texts, identifying
similarities and differences between them and the evidence provided to support each argument. Be sure to include
examples from the texts in your paper.
**This week returns to a Response to Literature prompt that is tied to the Rigorous Read.. Use information from the ISTEP+
Practice Writing Prompt to guide area of focus for the Response to Literature prompt.**
Test-Taking
Strategy:
Constructed Response: Practice Using Constructed Response Rubrics for Scoring

Once students have mastered a constructed response strategy (like RACE, RAGE, or Yes MAAM), they should also
become familiar with the 2-point rubric for scoring constructed responses. The final pages of this week’s
materials contain a sample CR question and responses for each score (2,1,0) from another state’s assessment.

These can be used to help students identify the components of a constructed response strategy and allow them
to determine what a complete response looks like, and practice scoring constructed responses.
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After practice with items like those attached to this document, students can begin scoring their own or
classmates’ CR answers.
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The purpose of this activity is for students to understand the scoring rubric for CR items and reflect on their own
answers in connection to the rubric.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Resources:
Rigorous Read- “Wild Animals Aren’t Pets” by USA Today and “Let People Own Exotic Animals” by Zuzana Kukol for USA
Today (This text should be used to provide students’ exposure to texts that are at or above the higher end of your gradelevel Lexile band. Additionally, the purpose of this text is to reinforce the skill of the week.)
Online practice and resources:
http://www.englishworksheetsland.com/grade7/readinginfo/8/1dinner.pdf

Graphic Organizer included (after text)- Comparison of two texts
Biweekly
Assessment
Assessment to gauge student performance on the target skills- text structure and analysis of text on same topic- will be
administered on February 5. The biweekly assessment will also determine student performance on the target skill for
week 5.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Rigorous Read-Grade 7
Quarter 3, Week 5: February 1-5
“Wild Animals Aren’t Pets”
USA Today, October 23, 2011
In many states, anyone with a few hundred dollars and an
urge for the unusual can own a python, a black bear or a big cat as
a "pet." For $8,000 a baby white tiger can be yours. Sometimes,
wild animals are even offered free: "Siberian tigers looking for a
good home," read an ad in the Animal Finder's Guide.
Until this week, though, few people knew how easy it is to
own a wild animal as a pet. Or how potentially tragic.
But just as a 2007 raid on property owned by football star
Michael Vick laid bare the little known and cruel world of
dogfighting, a story that unfolded in a small Ohio city this week
opened the public's eyes to the little known, distressing world of
"exotic" pets. We're not suggesting that people who own these
animals are cruel. Many surely love them. But public safety,
common sense and compassion for animals all reach the same
conclusion: Wild animals are not pets.
If that weren't already obvious, it became more so on Tuesday, when collector Terry Thompson opened the
cages on his Zanesville farm, springing dozens of lions, tigers, bears and other wild creatures before killing himself. With
animals running loose and darkness closing in, authorities arrived with no good choices to protect the public. They shot
all but a handful of the animals as the nation watched, transfixed and horrified.
Owners of "exotic" animals claim they rarely maim or kill. But is the death rate really the point?
In 2009, a 2-year-old Florida girl was strangled by a 12-foot-long Burmese python, a family pet that had gotten
out of its aquarium. That same year, a Connecticut woman was disfigured by a neighbor's pet chimp. Last year, a
caretaker was mauled to death by a bear owned by a Cleveland collector. This week in Zanesville, it was the animals
themselves, including 18 rare Bengal tigers, who became innocent victims.
Trade in these beautiful creatures thrives in the USA, where thousands are bred and sold through classified ads
or at auctions centered in Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee. There's too little to stop it.
A 2003 federal law, which forbids the interstate transport of certain big cats, has stopped much of the trade on
the Internet, according to the Humane Society of the U.S. But monkeys, baboons and other primates were left out, and
measures to stop that trade were stopped in Congress.
Only collectors who display or show animals need a federal license. Those, such as Thompson, who keep the
animals as "pets" are left alone, unless states intervene. And many do not. Eight — Alabama, Idaho, Ohio, Nevada, North
Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin — have no rules, and in 13 others the laws are lax, according to
Born Free USA, which has lobbied for years for stronger laws.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
After the Cleveland bear-mauling, then-Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland issued an emergency order to ban possession
of wild animals. While it exempted current owners, Thompson might have been forced to give up his menagerie because
he had been cited for animal cruelty. We'll never know. Strickland's successor, John Kasich, let the order expire.
“Let People Own Exotic Animals”
by Zuzana Kukol for USA Today, October 20, 2011
This week's tragedy in Zanesville, Ohio, brought back the question of whether private ownership of wild and
exotic animals should be legal.
The simple answer is yes. Responsible private ownership of exotic animals should be legal if animal welfare is
taken care of. Terry Thompson didn't represent the typical responsible owner. He had a criminal record and animal
abuse charges. What Thompson did was selfish and insane; we cannot regulate insanity.
People keep exotic animals for commercial reasons and as pets. Most
exotic animals — such as big cats, bears or apes — are in commercial,
federally inspected facilities. These animals are born in captivity, and not
"stolen" from the wild. Captive breeding eliminates the pressure on wild
populations, and also serves as a backup in case the animals go extinct.
Dangers from exotic animals are low. On average in the United States,
only 3.25 people per year are killed by captive big cats, snakes, elephants and
bears. Most of these fatalities are owners, family members, friends and trainers voluntarily on the property where the
animals were kept. Meanwhile, traffic accidents kill about 125 people per day.
If we have the freedom to choose what car to buy, where to live, or what domestic animal to have, why
shouldn't we have the same freedom to choose what species of wild or exotic animal to own and to love?
Would the Ohio situation be any different if the animals
were owned by a government and their caretaker released them?
Is this really about private ownership, or is it about certain people's
personal issues with exotics in captivity?
If society overreacts and bans exotics because of actions of
a few deranged individuals, then we need to ban kids, as that is the
only way to totally stop child abuse, and we need to ban humans,
because that is the only way to stop murder. Silly, isn't it?
Zuzana Kukol is president and co-founder of Responsible Exotic
Animal Ownership (REXANO).
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
RN.4.1- Comparing texts on the same topic
Text #1:
Name: _________________________________
Text #2
Topic:
Central Idea:
Central Idea:
What is the author’s argument?
What is the author’s argument?
What evidence does the
author provide to
support?
How does the evidence
support the argument?
What evidence does the
author provide to
support?
How does the evidence
support the argument?
What details or evidence are provided in both texts?
How is it used in Text #1?
How is it used in Text #2?
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Grade 7- Biweekly Assessment #2 (RN.3.2 and RN.4.3)
Directions: Read the following two articles about recycling and answer the questions about each individually, as well as
the questions analyzing both articles. Both articles come from a text set produced by Newsela, titled “Should we throw
away the recycling program?”.
Text A: “The costs of recycling outweigh the benefits”
by William F. Shughart II for Tribune News Service, adapted by Newela staff
1
If you’re worried about the planet, please make sure your garbage is buried in a landfill. There is plenty of space
available.
2
On the surface, the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” may seem like a realistic call to action. It makes particular
sense to those who want to reduce the amount of oil and gas that are burned and halt climate change, and reduce the
amount of garbage we will leave for future generations to deal with.
3
The truth, however, is that the cost of the recycling process almost always outweighs the benefits.
4
Even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it only makes sense economically and
environmentally to recycle about 35 percent of our trash. Among those materials are paper and aluminum cans,
according to the government department.
More Expensive And More Electricity
5
Recycling 1 ton of paper or aluminum cans, the agency says, can save
about 3 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over producing new materials. Carbon
dioxide, a gas, is produced during the recycling process and can lead to climate
change. A ton equals 2,000 pounds.
6
Not so fast.
7
Paper mills pay for the trees they process. If it was cheap enough to recycle scrap paper, producers would be
beating down your door to buy it. There is a good reason why they aren’t.
8
It’s more expensive and takes more electricity and water to recycle old paper than to cut down pine trees, turn
them into paper, and then grow new trees.
9
Plastic, which is made from oil, is another problem. Recently the price of oil has gone way down. It has now
become cheaper to make a new plastic container than to recycle an old one.
10
Also, the EPA says that recycling a ton of plastic saves only about a ton of carbon dioxide. However, that doesn’t
take into account the water to rinse their plastic containers before people put them into a recycling bin.
11
John Tierney is a science writer for The New York Times newspaper. He pointed out that if people use hot water
to wash plastic containers, they actually contribute to sending more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Coal or gas is
burned to heat the water up in the first place.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Are We Pretending About Recycling?
12
Glass is even worse. To reduce emissions by 1 ton you have to recycle 3 tons of glass. Including the cost of
collecting old glass from neighborhoods, and the pollution produced by the collection trucks and the recycling process
itself, glass recycling creates more emissions. It is also more expensive than making glass from scratch. New glass is
made mainly from sand, and we have plenty of cheap sand in the world.
13
Many cities pick up glass in recycling trucks only to dump it at the local landfill.
14
Why are they pretending? Because people feel emotional about the motto “reduce, reuse, recycle.” They learn
it in school and hear it everywhere they go. Most Americans are blind to the evidence about recycling programs.
15
More environmentalists should consider the costs and benefits of recycling programs. They should get rid of
those that waste money and harm the environment.
16
If recycling saved money, companies would be lined up at your doorstep to buy your trash. Don’t look now,
because they’re not there.
17
The true recycling test is whether someone will pay you to sort and save your trash. If they’re not, what you’ve
been told about recycling is probably just garbage.
1. (RN.3.2) Why does the author MOST LIKELY include the sentences below in the introduction of the article?
Even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it only makes sense economically and environmentally
to recycle about 35 percent of our trash. Among those materials are paper and aluminum cans, according to the
government department.
a. The author includes the information to provide support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
so the reader will know their position is supported by the government.
b. The author includes the information to provide a statistic from a reliable source early in the article to
provide a preview of the information they will provide.
c. The author includes the information to provide a statement that contrasts with the perspective of a
government agency.
d. The author includes the information to persuade the reader to join the cause against the continuation of
recycling.
2. (RN.3.2) How does the information in the section titled “More Expensive and More Electricity” further support
the author’s argument? Cite specific details in your response.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Directions: Read the second text below and answer question 3.
Text B: “Recycling cuts down the amount we waste”
by Michael Kraft for Tribune News Service, adapted by Newela staff
1
We Americans use a lot and waste a lot. We dump far more trash than we need to into landfills. In fact, we make
twice as much garbage per person as Western Europe.
2
The amount of trash produced annually in the United States has tripled since 1960. In 2013, it totaled 254
million tons, which comes to 4.4 pounds per person every day. A ton equals 2,000 pounds.
3
We’ve made a lot of progress over the years in handling garbage. People started recycling much more after the
mid-1980s. On average, Americans today recycle or compost about one-third of their trash.
Seattle's Pay-As-You-Throw System
4 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a government department. It
reports that we recycle about two-thirds of paper, and just over half of aluminum
cans. Yet, we recycle only 4 out of 10 electronics items such as cellphones and
computers, and only about one-third of glass containers and even slightly less of
plastic bottles and jars.
5 We should be able to do much better than this. So why don’t we? Some people
just don't want to bother recycling. A number of states say that people have to
recycle, but they don’t enforce their laws. In most cases, they do not offer people
much reason to recycle.
6
Some states and cities do much better because they take recycling seriously. Cities such as Seattle, Washington,
encourage recycling. Seattle charges people money for throwing out their garbage. People call it a pay-as-you-throw
system. Even if the cost is small, it encourages people to recycle, and they do.
7
In 2014, half the people in Seattle recycled their trash. This rate continues to improve. The city is trying to
reduce as much garbage as possible. Few other cities have set such a high goal.
Critics Sending The Wrong Message
8
Some critics see matters differently. They argue that recycling costs too much and is not effective. Some states
seem to agree with them. They do not want to contribute to the cost of city recycling programs and say the cities should
end their programs or pay for the cost themselves.
9
Is this the right action to take? Recycle only if there are enough benefits? Doing that would send exactly the
wrong message.
10
Some experts believe that we should start way before this point. We should prevent or reduce waste when
things are made. Then we should reuse what is left over, and only then throw out what cannot be recycled.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
11
No one argues that the cost of recycling is not important. Still, there are ways to deal with that cost rather than
say it is too high and abandon recycling programs. We could follow the lead of cities like Seattle by putting a price on
trash. If people have to pay more, they will find ways to reduce the amount of trash they throw out. Also, the fees can
cover the cost of recycling programs.
12
We are in the early stages of an important change. It will reduce waste and pollution and get people to change
what they use and what they throw out. That’s the way to go.
3. (RN.3.2) How does the information in paragraph 7 connect to the information presented in paragraph 6?
a. The information in paragraph 7 provides concrete evidence of the positive effect recycling programs can
have by using Seattle’s program as an example.
b. The information in paragraph 6 explains how Seattle came to develop their idea for recycling, which is
further explained in paragraph 7.
c. The information in paragraph 7 provides the reader with an understanding of the amount of money
people have been charged as a result of Seattle’s recycling program.
d. The information in paragraph 6 describes the problems Seattle has had in the past with recycling and
paragraph 7 explains the solutions they have created.
Directions: Answer questions 4-6 using information from both texts about recycling.
4. (RN.4.3) How do both authors use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further develop their
arguments?
a. Both authors use the U.S EPA to provide evidence from an authority; the author of Text A uses their
information to demonstrate how ineffective most recycling is, while the author of Text attempts to
prove that we do not recycle enough based on their statistics.
b. Both authors include information from the U.S. EPA to convince the reader that our current recycling
efforts are not effective enough to be rewarding.
c. Both authors use the U.S. EPA to provide evidence from an authority; the author of Text A focuses on
the lack of financial gain and the author of Text B focuses on the wasted electronics that are thrown
away.
d. Both authors include information from the U.S. EPA to provide statistics that demonstrate our lack of
recycling across the entire country.
5. (RN.4.3) Based on the information provided in each article, which statement BEST explains each author’s beliefs
about the topic?
a. The author of Text A wants to further investigate the true cost of recycling, while the author of Text B
wants to avoid talking about the cost of recycling.
b. The author of Text A supports the creation of more recycling programs in different states, while the
author of Text B is against more recycling programs.
c. The author of Text A wants to reduce the overall cost of recycling, while the author of text B thinks that
the cost needs to be increased.
d. The author of Text A supports the idea of eliminating recycling programs, while the author of text B is
against eliminating recycling programs.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
6. (RN.4.3) Explain the difference between the evidence each author chose to include to shape their position. Cite
specific details and evidence in your response, as well as how each supports the author’s position.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Grade 7- Biweekly Assessment #2 (RN.3.2 and RN.4.3)
Answer Key
Question
1
2
Standard
7.RN.3.2
7.RN.3.2
3
4
5
6
7.RN.3.2
7.RN.4.3
7.RN.4.3
7.RN.4.3
Correct Answer
B
Possible Answer: The information in the section titled “More Expensive
and More Electricity” supports the argument by providing multiple
examples of different materials, such as paper and plastic, that cost
more to recycle than produce. The author states, “It’s more expensive
and takes more electricity and water to recycle old paper than to cut
down pine trees, turn them into paper, and then grow new trees.”
A
A
D
Possible Answer: The authors each provide different types of evidence
to shape their positions. The author of Text A focuses on the expensive
cost and outcomes that harm the environment as a result of recycling.
The author of Text B focuses on statistics of how much trash Americans
produce and provides an example of a city that has created an effective
program to increase the number of people recycling.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Test-Taking Strategies: Constructed Response Rubrics and Scoring
Quarter 3, Week 5: February 1-5
Checklist to use when scoring responsesChecklist: Did the response….
o
Restate the question
o
Answer all parts of the question
o
Provide information/details from the text
o
Answer in more than one word
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
What would you score this response? ___________
Reasoning? ___________________________________________________________________________
Actual ISTEP+ Score: ________
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Sample Score 2
Sample Score 1
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Sample Score 0