English Language Arts Performance Tasks: 6th – 8th Grade

6th Grade Performance Tasks

Task 1:

From Athena to Zeus

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on Research and Writing. Students will use text evidenceto make inferences; understandsymbolism in Greek Mythology;understand how Greeks explained natural events in the world around them, and tried to resolve ethical issues through storytelling; participate in dialogue with peers and adults; research various Greek and Roman myths and deities to make connections to events/circumstances in the real world; andcompare and contrast myths from various mediums including video and written text.

Task 2:

Who’s Your Mummy

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on Research, Informational Text, Primary and Secondary Sources and Ancient Civilizations. Students will understand the reasons that mummies were important to Egyptian society; use both primary and secondary sources to identify the key steps in mummification; understand the division of society into a hierarchy of social classes of Ancient Egypt and how it affected both the living and dead Egyptians; understand what the Egyptians believed about the afterlife; understand the division of society into a hierarchy of social classes; and understand how our culture today reflects many aspects of ancient cultures.

Task 3:

Wild Things

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on using Informational Texts, Research and Problem Solving. Students will use text evidence to make inferences; determine the central idea of a text and provide an objective summary; determine author’s purpose; use the text to synthesize and infer general information on a topic; and look at three different texts to garner information to solve a problem.

Task 4:

Wonders of the World

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on using Informational Texts, Research and Problem Solving. Students will use text evidence to make inferences; use the text to synthesize and infer general information on the topic; use a map to find and discuss each natural wonder or monument; analyze what signifies a wonder of the world as well as an UNESCO World Heritage Site; research to find information and draw conclusions based on text evidence; analyze text and integrated information presented in different formats to further develop a coherent understanding of topic; and participate in dialogue with peers to gain information and evaluate text evidence.

7th Grade Performance Tasks

Task 1:

I Hear America

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on Reading Informational Text, Inferencing, Author’s Purpose and Music. Students will determine purpose from the text and its effect on the reader; look for and identify deeper meaning within the text by drawing inferences; explain how the author conveys his/her point of view; draw evidence from the text to support point of view analysis; and analyze multiple texts to determine meaning that strongly supports both explicit and inferential conclusions.

Task 2:

Living in Two Worlds

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on Informational Text, Inferencing, Author’s Point of View and Multiculturalism. Students willdraw evidence from the text to make assumptions about character development; explain how the author conveys his/her point of view; utilize prior knowledge, research and text evidence to examine the role culture can play in the development of personal identity; and prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Task 3:

On the Move

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on Informational Text, Writing Informative/Explanatory Text and Science. Students will utilize text evidence to analyze and draw inferences; understand complex text; understand the structure of the text and how portions of the text relate to one another; analyze research to establish an answer to a question; synthesize information from multiple sources; use domain specific vocabulary to inform; and utilize writing skills to both inform and persuade.

Task 4:

Swishes and Wishes: Basketball

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on Informational Text, Research, Decision-Making and Writing. Students will draw evidence from the text to make logical inferences; determine the purpose of the text and its effect on the reader; evaluate claims made in the text; analyze research to establish an answer to a question; and make connections between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).

8th Grade Performance Tasks

Task 1:

Animal Instinct

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on Informational Text, Letter Writing, Research and Argument Writing. Students will cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text; offer and support opinions and negotiate with others in communicative exchanges; read closely informational texts and viewing multimedia to determine how meaning is conveyed explicitly and implicitly through language; integrate and analyze various media formats to compare their effectiveness; write an expository essay utilizing research and textual evidence; write an argumentative essay utilizing research and textual evidence; and evaluate and analyze texts to draw conclusions, identify where texts are aligned or have conflicting information.

Task 2:

No Irish Need Apply

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on Informational Text, Primary and Secondary Sources and Social Studies/History. Students will use textual evidence to draw inferences and conclusions from the text; use multiple texts to analyze a historical event and give an objective summary; cite textual evidence to support analysis of both primary and secondary sources as well as determine central ideas and information of said sources; analyze various mediums (video, print, multimedia and digital text) that expressly discuss the issues associated with Irish immigrants; and evaluate the issues surrounding Irish immigration and struggles facing immigrants.

Task 3:

Poetry: Caged Birds

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on Poetry, Figurative Language, Inferencing and Author’s Purpose. Students will determine purpose from the text and its effect on the reader; look for and identify deeper meaning within the text by drawing inferences; explain how the author conveys his/her point of view; draw evidence from the text to support point of view analysis; define figurative language specifically similes/metaphors and identify examples; read and analyze the similes and/or metaphors used in poetry; create their own figurative language in order to learn how to apply this tool to their own writing projects; and create their own piece using figurative language.

Task 4:

Sports Experience or Specialization

Summary

This Performance Task focuses on Informational Text, Research, Writing Informative/Explanatory Text and Argument/Opinion Essay. Students will understandcomplex text; understand the structure of the text and how portions of the text relate to one another; understand how to synthesize information from multiple sources; understand the importance of supplying valid reasoning to support claims in a text; draw evidence from the text to make logical inferences; determine the purpose of the text and its effect on the reader; evaluate claims made in the text; and analyze research to establish an independent claim.