Grade 5: “Looking for Lunar Ice” by Mary Kay Carson
Rating: 
Common Core Standards
Reading Informational Text
RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RI.5.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
RI.5.3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
RI.5.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
RI.5.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
Writing
W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Description of Assessment
This Grade 5 annotated mini-assessment titled, “Looking for Lunar Ice by Mary Kay Carson” cited on achievethecore.org is intended to inform instruction about a student’s ability to engage in the close reading of an informational text to demonstrate deep understanding. In this mini-assessment there are six selected-response questions and one paper/pencil equivalent of technology enhanced items that address the targeted Reading Standards. Additionally, there is an optional writing prompt, which is aligned to both the Reading Standards for Informational Texts and the Writing Standards listed above.
Cautions
While it is helpful to have students complete the mini-assessment in one class period, Connecticut educators are encouraged to give students the time that they need to read closely and write to the source. It is strongly recommended that the writing prompt not be made optional. This mini-assessment may be most appropriate for advanced 5th graders early in the year or all 5th graders later in the year due to the complexity of the text in regard to sentence structure, vocabulary, and knowledge demands.
Rationale for Selection
This mini-assessment is an exemplary example of how to design text-dependent questions aligned to specific Common Core Standards. It could be used to assess students’ abilities to engage in the close reading of a complex text (see note in the caution above). An annotated Teacher’s Guide for the assessment gives specific rationale for each answer option and lists which standards it addresses. There is an aligned rubric for the writing prompt as well as assessment guidelines. Information about determining text complexity (quantitative and qualitative data) is included with assessment materials. (“Looking for Lunar Ice” has a Lexile of 860 and a Flesch-Kincaid of 6.1.)