ELA Practice Test Scoring Guide Grade 4 Performance Task - Animals and Their Surroundings Informational Performance Task

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by Đào

Grade 4 English Language Arts performance task directions guide students to research how animals survive in different environments and to use multiple library sources to answer research questions and write an informational article. Students briefly scan sources and questions, then read carefully and take notes using Global Notes or scratch paper. Part 1 focuses on answering three scored research questions with evidence from the sources, supporting the informational writing required in Part 2.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

English/Language Arts Practice Test Scoring Guide

Student Directions

Research Questions

Part 1: Sources for Performance Task

Smarter BalancedAssessment Consortium: # English/Language Arts Practice Test ScoringGuideGrade 4 Performance Task 5/16/2014 Student Directions # Animals and Their Surroundings InformationalPerformance Task Task: Your school's science fair is taking place soon.Yourclass has decided to focus on doing science projectsabout animals.You become interested in learningmore about where animals live.You have found threesources about this topic in the school library. After you have looked at these sources,you willanswer some questions about them.Briefly scan thesources and the three questions that follow.Then,goback and read the sources carefully so you will havethe information you will need to answer the questionsand complete your research.You may click on theGlobal Notes button to take notes on the informationyou find in the sources as you read.You may also usescratch paper to take notes. In Part 2,you will write an informational article usinginformation you have read. Directions for Beginning: You will now look at several sources.You can look atany of the sources as often as you like. ## Research Questions: After reviewing the research sources,use the rest ofthe time in Part 1 to answer three questions aboutthem.Your answers to these questions will be scored.Also,your answers will help you think about theinformation you have read,which should help youwrite your informational article. You may click on the Global Notes button or refer backto your scratch paper to review your notes when youthink it would be helpful.Answer the questions in thespaces below the items. Both the Global Notes on the computer and yourwritten notes on scratch paper will be available to youin Part 1 and Part 2 of the performance task. ## Part 1 Sources for Performance Task Source \#1 You have found an article that describes how animalssurvive in different environments,the places whereplants and animals live. It's a Cold(Hot,Dry,Dark)Cruel World! by Dawn Baertlein Living creatures survive in all types of environments.Each environment creates different challenges foranimals that live there.Some living creatures surviveat the bottom of the sea where it is dark as night andvery cold.Other plants and animals live in dry,hotenvironments.People can use tools like flashlights or fans to help them survive.Animals and plants,however,must rely on nature to help them survive. Near the South Pole,in Antarctica,it is very cold.It isusually about minus 57 degrees Fahrenheit.Waterfreezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit,so Antarctica ismuch colder than ice.Scientists live at the South Pole,but they live in buildings with thick walls and heating.What do animals do? Some animals have bodies that help them live in thecold.The icefish lives in water so cold that even insummer,chunks of ice continue to float in the water.How do icefish keep from freezing?The only wayicefish can survive in this extreme environment isbecause they have a special substance in their bloodthat keeps ice crystals from forming inside theirbodies. Penguins have thick layers of fat or blubber to helpthem stay warm,but sometimes even that is notenough!Often penguins must rely on each other forsurvival.They cuddle up together as close as they canto share their body heat. Another area that can be hard to live in is the dry,hotdesert.People who live in the desert often wearspecial clothes to protect them from the heat.Whenthey build homes they have air conditioners to keepthem cool and to find water they dig wells that providewater from deep in the ground.How do animalssurvive in the hot,dry conditions? Many desert animals come out only at night,when it'scool.Snakes,lizards,mice,and squirrels live in Grade 4 burrows.During the day,they stay under the groundand out of the sun. In the hot Sonoran Desert of Arizona,an owl lives in anest that sits on a tall cactus.The cactus stems storewater.Rain doesn't fall often in the Sonoran Desert,but when it does,it falls quickly

FAQs

What is the topic of the Grade 4 informational performance task?

Students focus on science projects about animals and where animals live, using sources to learn how animals survive in different environments.

What should students do before answering the research questions?

Students briefly scan the sources and the research questions, then read the sources carefully so they have the information needed to answer and complete their research.

How do students complete Part 1 of the performance task?

In Part 1, students use the notes tools (Global Notes and/or scratch paper) to answer three scored questions in the spaces provided.

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by Đào