Syracuse City School District

Transcription

1 Syracuse City School District Grade 08 Unit 03 Assessment A Grade 08 Unit 03 Hybrid Name Date Teacher ELA-Gr08-Unit03-AA-Level A 1

2 Nana Jean in New Orleans: Remnants of Hurricane Katrina In November 2008, I was in New Orleans for a meeting. I visited the ninth ward, the area hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. It was a shocking experience, especially because I was able to speak to people who had lived through the event. As I drove, I wondered what the numbers and letters on the houses meant. The numbers showed which agency had searched the house and when. It also told whether there were dogs or cats to be fed and how many dead people had been in the house. ELA-Gr08-Unit03-AA-Level A 2

3 As I crossed the bridge into the Ninth Ward, I drove slowly through the streets. I felt very much alone and isolated in the midst of those almost ghostly neighborhoods. Where were the sounds of children playing? I also saw closed and boarded- up schools. The next day we met people who survived the hurricane. We met Royce, he talked about the neighborhood. He told us that the house across the street had just been torn down. He told us about his struggles, how insurance covered only a small amount of the damage. He talked about the work he had to do himself and the new items he had lost in the flood. He lost a new sofa, washer and dryer. Next we drove to Tennessee Avenue where we saw house on stilts with solar panels. ELA-Gr08-Unit03-AA-Level A 3

4 We saw a memorial for two people who had died in Katrina: a three-year-old child and her great grandmother. We met a man named Robert who told us stories of how his family left the ward twice and were told to return, how a barge hit the levee three blocks from his home and caused a 20-foot wave to surge into his neighborhood sweeping his home off the foundation and moving it blocks away. He struggled to protect his family. (Barge hitting the levee- concrete wall) He and his brother were able to get their wheel-chair-bound mother, a mentally disabled adult cousin, and three grandbabies into the attic before the home was swept away. It caught another house and as Robert moved the children to the roof of the other house, Nai Nai and his mother fell off the roof into the water. He screamed for them. He was able to rescue his mother but the child disappeared into the water. The older grandchild fell in to the water also but was able to swim to a truck and stay safe. The grandmother that he had saved later died. Her last words were, I ll take care of Nai Nai. ELA-Gr08-Unit03-AA-Level A 4

5 Hurricane Hurricane Katrina The week before Labor Day in August it was, In 2005 the whole town was a-buzz. There was a killer coming; a huge hurricane Headed for New Orleans, Katrina was her name. The storm had been brewing for days in the gulf. She increased her size and blew in with a huff. The warnings were broadcast that this was THE ONE. Please leave and find shelter, the warnings were done. Why the whole town did not flee is unclear to us all. A mandatory evacuation was what the officials called. Still some people stayed, and ignored the warnings And a lot of families now are in mourning. Katrina was the size of the great state of Texas. She packed winds in excess of 150 they tell us. But still she hit to the east of New Orleans And spared that town in spite of the warnings. At daybreak officials surveyed the damage Mississippi and Alabama caught the brunt of her rage. But later in New Orleans a new catastrophe hit Floodwaters breached the levee and went over it. Broadcast warning Flee: run Texas So as hurricanes go, Katrina was tough, But with all she gave it wasn t enough. In New Orleans the winds did not blow it down, The weak levee was what destroyed the town. Weak levee: A wall was supposed to hold the It looked like New Orleans had gotten off light Just after the storm in broad open daylight. There were hours between when the hurricane hit And when floodwaters came and destroyed all of it. Now some people say that help came too late. They said they were ignored because of their race. That just was not so, it was all about timing. So get on with the clean up and stop all the whining. Bemoaning: complaining Quit pointing and blaming and bemoaning your fate Maybe next time you ll leave before it s too late. Listen well to the warnings, pack up and get started. For a fool and his money will soon be parted. Donna McCord A fool and his money will soon be parted. ELA-Gr08-Unit03-AA-Level A 5

6 SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Grade 08 Unit 03 Assessment A Informational & Literary Reading Reading Standards: RL.8.4, RL.8.5, RI.8.2, RI.8.3, RI.8.4, RI.8.5,RI.8.6, RI.8.8, RI.8.9 Name Date Directions: Read the article, Nana Jean in New Orleans: Remnants of Hurricane Katrina and the poem, Hurricane Katrina by Donna McCord. The first three questions are short response questions. The last question is an extended response. Question #1: (Two Point Response RI.8.2, RI.8.3) Closely reread the following lines from Nana Jean in New Orleans: Remnants of Hurricane Katrina: As I crossed the bridge into the Ninth Ward, I drove slowly through the streets. I felt very much alone and isolated in the midst of those almost ghostly neighborhoods. Where are the sounds of children playing? I also saw closed and boarded-up schools. In your paragraph be sure to: 1. Identify a central idea in the article. 2. Explain how these words or phrases contribute to the central idea. 3. Explain how Nana Jean s experiences relate to the events and ideas presented in the text. 4. Use details from the passage to support your answer. ELA-Gr08-Unit03-AA-Level A 6

7 Question #2 Closely reread the last line from Hurricane Katrina. A fool and his money are soon parted. In your paragraph be sure to include: 1. What is the literal versus figurative meaning of this line? 2. How does it contribute to the overall meaning of the poem? 3. Use two or more details from the passage to support your answer. (Two Point Response (RL.8.4, RI.8.4) ELA-Gr08-Unit03-AA-Level A 7

8 Question #3 Complete the graphic organizer below. Use details from the article and poem to support your answers. (Two Point Response RL.8.5, RI.8.5) Identify the text structure of each piece and explain how you know. Article Nana Jean in New Orleans: Remnants of Hurricane Katrina Text structure: Poem Hurricane Katrina Text structure: I know this because I know this because Choose one aspect of style that the author uses (Point of view or imagery), and find one example of that style. Example Example ELA-Gr08-Unit03-AA-Level A 8

9 Planning Page: Use this planning page to organize your response to question 4. Question #4: Authors purposefully make decisions about how to present information to readers. The way in which an author structures a piece, contributes to its meaning and style. The authors of both Nana Jean in New Orleans: Remnants of Hurricane Katrina and the poem, Hurricane Katrina present conflicting viewpoints about Hurricane Katrina. Identify the author s viewpoint in both texts. Distinguish how the facts differ in the article versus the poem. Identify specific paragraphs in the text and stanzas in the poem that show the conflicting viewpoints of the authors. (Extended/ Four Point Response RL.8.5, RI.8.9) In your response, be sure to: Identify the viewpoint of the author in Nana Jean in New Orleans: Remnants of Hurricane Katrina Identify the viewpoint of the author in Hurricane Katrina Distinguish how the facts differ in the article versus the poem Use details from both the article and the poem to support your response. Nana Jean in New Orleans: Hurricane Katrina Remnants of Hurricane Katrina Author s View point : Author s View point : Facts 1. Facts ELA-Gr08-Unit03-AA-Level A 9

10 Question #4: Use your organizer to answer the question completely. (Extended/ Four Point Response RL.8.5, RI.8.9) In your response, be sure to: Identify the viewpoint of the author in Nana Jean in New Orleans: Remnants of Hurricane Katrina Identify the viewpoint of the author is Hurricane Katrina Distinguish how the facts differ in the article versus the poem. Use details from both the article and the poem to support your response. ELA-Gr08-Unit03-AA-Level A 10

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