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Improving Our Schools
Split the work three ways. Learners use their knowledge of fractions to solve problems dealing with splitting up work loads evenly between three groups. Scholars determine the fractional portion of work each group will do along with...
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Cady's Cats
How much can a cat eat? The five-question fraction assessment asks pupils to determine the fractional portion of a food box eaten by cats. Learners show their proficiency in adding and subtracting fractions using several scenarios...
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Bake Sale
Work with fractional cookies. The three-part assessment task checks the pupils' ability to find the product of fractions and whole numbers, mixed numbers, or fractions. Learners determine the amount of ingredients needed and how many of...
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From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer
Conduct a lesson that leads into a writing assessment. After reading an excerpt from From Seed to Pumpkin, first graders demonstrate their interpretation of sections of the passage by sketching the details from each part.
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Yum Yum Cereal
Design an efficient cereal box. Scholars use set volume criteria to design a cereal box by applying their knowledge of surface area to determine the cost to create the box. They then determine whether their designs will fit on shelves,...
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T Shirts
Which deal is best? Learners determine which of two companies has the best deal for a particular number of shirts. They begin by creating a table and equations containing each company's pricing structure. Individuals finish the seventh...
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Speedy Texting
Model the effects of practice on texting speed. Pupils develop a linear equation that models the change in texting speed based on the amount of practice. The sixth performance task in an eight-part series requires learners to solve and...
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Photos
Why do all sizes of pictures not show the same thing? Class members analyze aspect ratios of various sizes of photos. They determine which sizes have equivalent ratios and figure out why some pictures need to be cropped to fit particular...
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Miguel's Milkshakes
Moooove over, there's a better deal over there! The fourth segment in a series of eight requires individuals to determine the best unit cost for milk. Scholars calculate the least amount they can spend on a particular quantity of milk....
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Linflower Seeds
How does your garden grow? Use proportions to help Tim answer that question. By using their understanding of proportional relationships, pupils determine the number of seeds that will sprout. They create their own linear relationships...
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Least and Greatest
Squares can be magic. Pupils use their knowledge of addition of positive and negative rational numbers to create a 3 X 3 magic square where the sums are 1. Scholars create addition and multiplication expressions with a set of rational...
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Animals of Rhomaar
Investigate the growth rates of alien animals. Pupils study fictional animals from another planet to determine how much they grow per year. The investigators plot the growth of their animals over a period of time and then compare them to...
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Vincent Van Gogh
Living in someone's shadow would be difficult for anyone, including one of the most talented artists of the modern age. Middle schoolers read an excerpt from Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan...
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The Road Not Taken
An effective lesson plan truly can make all the difference. Seventh graders read, analyze, and annotate Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" before writing an essay about what they believe to be the theme of the iconic poem.
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Eleven
It is difficult to articulate how growing up feels as accurately and beautifully as Sandra Cisneros does in her short story "Eleven." After seventh graders read the story and note the author's use of figurative language, they respond to...
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Gettysburg Address
Looking for an assessment that reveals how well readers understand complex text? Check out an assessment module based on "The Gettysburg Address." Pupils are asked to craft an essay that demonstrates their understanding not only of the...
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Grapes of Wrath
To demonstrate their ability to comprehend complex text, individuals analyze the details, syntax, and diction John Steinbeck uses in a passage from The Grapes of Wrath to reveal the develop and evolution of Mae's character.
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Letter From Birmingham Jail
To demonstrate their ability to comprehend complex text, ninth graders are asked to craft an essay in which they use evidence drawn from "Letter From Birmingham Jail" to analyze how Martin Luther King, Jr. uses rhetorical devices such as...
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Glass Menagerie
As a reading comprehension assessment, ninth graders are asked to use evidence drawn from The Glass Menagerie to support an analysis of how Tennessee Williams uses specific lines to develop Amanda's character as well as her relationships...
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Hope Despair Memory
Elie Wiesel's "Hope, Despair and Memory" provides ninth graders an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to analyze complex text. Individuals craft an essay that draws evidence from the text of the speech to show how Wiesel develops...
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Women
Alice Walker's poem "Women" provides ninth graders the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to identify how a writer's choice of syntax and diction contribute to the development of the theme of the work.