Class average: 51% on last benchmark testGoal: 80% of students make at least a 70% on this upcoming benchmark test

Benchmark Scores(Combined Classes)

Unsatisfactory Needs Improvement

Satisfactory Excellent

Scores That Would Make Miss Fil Happy

Unsatisfactory Needs Improvement

Satisfactory Excellent

Fourth Period16 unsatisfactory6 N.I.2 satisfactory0 excellent

First period18 unsatisfactory5 N.I.4 satisfactory0 excellent

Second Period1 unsatisfactory5 N.I.15 satisfactory3 excellent

Fifth Period2 unsatisfactory 5 N.I.22 satisfactory1 excellent

Sixth Period13 unsatisfactory3 N.I.7 satisfactory2 excellent

Seventh Period9 unsatisfactory2 N.I.6 satisfactory4 excellent

Standards We’ve Already Covered• “Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how

the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style. [RL.8.5]”

• Poetry Unit; Edgar Allan Poe Unit

• Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor. [RL.8.6]

• Edgar Allan Poe—“The Tell-Tale Heart”

• Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors. [RL.8.7]

• Tarzan movie vs. Tarzan of the Apes worksheet

Standards We’ve Sort of Covered

• Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept. [RI.8.5]

• Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. [RI.8.6]

Standards We Still Need to Cover• Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and

subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact). [L.8.3a]

• b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede). [L.8.4b]

• Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context. [L.8.5a]• Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of

the words. [L.8.5b]• Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar

denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute). [L.8.5c]

What can we guess is going to be on this test?

• Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept. [RI.8.5]

• Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. [RI.8.6]

• Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact). [L.8.3a]

• b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede). [L.8.4b]

• Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute). [L.8.5c]

Questions about structure in a nonfiction, informational text; questions asking how the author develops his or her argument through main ideas and supporting details.

Questions asking about the purpose of the nonfiction text. Also: figuring out how the author argues the main ideas, if the author shows any bias, how the author organizes the supporting details, and if there are any counterarguments.

Grammar questions about the subjunctive and conditional mood of verbs; also, questions about the purpose/effect of subjunctive/conditional moods.

Questions about Greek and Latin roots and what words mean based on those roots. (Pre-, post-, anti-, intro-, pro-, con-, ana-, de-)

Questions asking you to figure out what unknown words mean based on the group of words they’re in. (Example: which word (apple, tomato, corn, or pumpkin) matches this group of words? Banana, Watermelon, Cherry, Orange

The Mind of the Test-Maker• This is the standard that has to be tested: “Analyze in detail the structure of a

specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept. [RI.8.5]”

• I have an informational text about removing unhealthy foods from vending machines.

• I need to ask a question that assesses if students can analyze the role of particular sentences in developing the main argument of this informational text.

• Here are some roles of sentences in developing main arguments:• Topic sentence/thesis: identifies the main idea/main argument of the text.• Evidence: supports the main argument with facts, emotional appeals, examples, etc.• Transitions: signals the reader that a new paragraph/idea is beginning.• Counterargument: presents ideas from the opposing side of the argument.

Should unhealthy snacks be removed from school vending machines? 

By Jeremy Quattlebaum, Student Voices staff writer

Junk food and sugary snacks might be a little harder to find at school as the Obama administration has targeted the vending machines in its attempts to get the nation’s youth healthier.

After creating stricter food standards for what schools can serve you in the cafeteria (read the Speak Out to find out more), the administration has begun establishing guidelines for what can and can’t be put in the vending machines in school buildings.

The guidelines, which will be available soon, will probably be akin to the new guidelines for cafeteria food, which cut back on staples like pizza and burgers and replaced them with healthy options like salads. 

Nutritionists say that vending machines in schools are stocked with snacks like potato chips, cookies and sodas, and that healthy options are pretty hard to come by. But that is because the vending machines’ selections are often based more on what will make money as opposed to what is healthy.

Access to and consumption of sugary and unhealthy foods and drinks have led to a childhood obesity rate that has tripled in the past 30 years, with one of every five children obese, reports the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The vending machine companies are not thrilled about possible restrictions, arguing that the vending machines are already stocked with healthy options and that those options should not be banned. “(W)e are

a little concerned that they might make the rules too stringent,” said James A. McCarthy, president of the Snack Food Association, a trade group in Washington, as reported by the New York Times.

Some schools are arguing that overly strict rules will also reduce revenue from the vending machines, which goes to fund after-school athletic programs and arts programs.

It’s not only the federal government that is addressing the issue of what lies behind the Plexiglas of a vending machine. The states of Georgia and Indiana have legislation pending that would allow only healthy foods in vending machines. 

The argument as to which government should decide the content of vending machines is a complex one. Like guidelines on curriculum and cafeteria food, the federal government gives broad guidelines that are tied to federal funding. States for the most part handle the details, and the local administrations carry them out. This is considered devolution, a concept outlined in the 10th Amendment.

What do you think?Should the federal government establish guidelines as to what kinds of foods can be stocked in school vending machines? At what level of government should this decision be addressed, the state, federal or local level? Will restricting unhealthy foods from vending machines, in addition to the new food guidelines for school cafeterias, help curb childhood obesity? Join our discussion and let us know what you think!

Should unhealthy snacks be removed from school vending machines? 

By Jeremy Quattlebaum, Student Voices staff writer

Junk food and sugary snacks might be a little harder to find at school as the Obama administration has targeted the vending machines in its attempts to get the nation’s youth healthier.

After creating stricter food standards for what schools can serve you in the cafeteria (read the Speak Out to find out more), the administration has begun establishing guidelines for what can and can’t be put in the vending machines in school buildings.

The guidelines, which will be available soon, will probably be akin to the new guidelines for cafeteria food, which cut back on staples like pizza and burgers and replaced them with healthy options like salads. 

Nutritionists say that vending machines in schools are stocked with snacks like potato chips, cookies and sodas, and that healthy options are pretty hard to come by. But that is because the vending machines’ selections are often based more on what will make money as opposed to what is healthy.

Access to and consumption of sugary and unhealthy foods and drinks have led to a childhood obesity rate that has tripled in the past 30 years, with one of every five children obese, reports the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The vending machine companies are not thrilled about possible restrictions, arguing that the vending machines are already stocked with healthy options and that those options should not be banned. “(W)e are

a little concerned that they might make the rules too stringent,” said James A. McCarthy, president of the Snack Food Association, a trade group in Washington, as reported by the New York Times.

Some schools are arguing that overly strict rules will also reduce revenue from the vending machines, which goes to fund after-school athletic programs and arts programs.

It’s not only the federal government that is addressing the issue of what lies behind the Plexiglas of a vending machine. The states of Georgia and Indiana have legislation pending that would allow only healthy foods in vending machines. 

The argument as to which government should decide the content of vending machines is a complex one. Like guidelines on curriculum and cafeteria food, the federal government gives broad guidelines that are tied to federal funding. States for the most part handle the details, and the local administrations carry them out. This is considered devolution, a concept outlined in the 10th Amendment.

What do you think?Should the federal government establish guidelines as to what kinds of foods can be stocked in school vending machines? At what level of government should this decision be addressed, the state, federal or local level? Will restricting unhealthy foods from vending machines, in addition to the new food guidelines for school cafeterias, help curb childhood obesity? Join our discussion and let us know what you think!

What sentence in this passage can I use to highlight one of these four

sentence roles?• Topic• Evidence• Transition• Counterargument

healthy options and that those options should not be banned. “(W)e are a little concerned that they might make the rules too stringent,” said James A. McCarthy, president of the Snack Food Association, a trade group in Washington, as reported by the New York Times.

Evidence: supports the main argument by

providing examples and quotes.

The vending machine companies are not thrilled about possible restrictions, arguing that the vending machines are already stocked with healthy options and that those options should not be banned. “(W)e are a little concerned that they might make the rules too stringent,” said James A. McCarthy, president of the Snack Food Association, a trade group in Washington, as reported by the New York Times.What is the purpose of the underlined sentence in the paragraph? A. It serves as the main idea.B. It offers evidence to support the main idea.C. It provides transition to the next paragraph.D. It presents evidence that conflicts with the main idea.

This is the right answer.This answer is a “red

herring”—almost right.This is the wrong answer.This is the wrong answer.

The vending machine companies are not thrilled about possible restrictions, arguing that the vending machines are already stocked with healthy options and that those options should not be banned. “(W)e are a little concerned that they might make the rules too stringent,” said James A. McCarthy, president of the Snack Food Association, a trade group in Washington, as reported by the New York Times.What is the purpose of the underlined sentence in the paragraph? A. It serves as the main idea.B. It offers evidence to support the main idea.C. It provides transition to the next paragraph.D. It presents evidence that conflicts with the main idea.

This is the right answer because the passage is a quote (fact) that backs

up the main argument, which is that the Obama administration is

imposing guidelines on what goes into school vending machines.

This answer is almost right, but this quote/example does

not conflict with the main idea.

This is the wrong answer, because the next quote in the

essay actually provides transition to the next idea.

This is the wrong answer, because the main idea is

located in the beginning of the essay..

Now You Try!

• I will send you an article on DyKnow.• Read through the article.• Pretend you are a test maker for this upcoming benchmark test, and

you have to create a question that assesses one of these two standards on reading informational text:

• “Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept. [RI.8.5]”

• “Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. [RI.8.6]”

• Come up with a question, an answer, a red herring answer, and two wrong answers. Give me a thumbs-up when you’re done.