Sample Common Core ELA questions

The sample questions presented within this post are designed to demonstrate the instructional shifts demanded by the Common Core. These sample questions provide a model to become excellent teaching tools for students, teachers and parents.  Understand that these are not affiliated with the PARCC assessments, but were created by the New York State Board of Education.  New York has been rather proactive with their educational design towards the Common Core. 

For grades third through sixth twelve questions were created for Common Core content areas. These questions include multiple choice, short constructed response, and extended constructed response. The assessment design was created to illuminate the way the Common Core should drive instruction and how students will be assessed in the near future.  

source 

ELA sample questions

source - if questions are hard to read click this link and scroll to page 13

Nonfiction Readings with Skills Development

One page readings

One-Page Reading/Thinking Passages Aligned with Core Priorities

These passages are listed at their readability level according to the Fry formula. However, you may want to use a reading from an earlier grade level because the formula does not factor in conceptual difficulty of a text.

NONFICTION READINGS WITH SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

All provide opportunities to develop students' competence for Common Core Anchor Reading Standard 1:

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it;

cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Scaffolds to Guide and Assess Student Learning Progress

Comprehensive Nonfiction Reading Questions

Concise constructed response provide immediate data--and opportunities for feedback.

Graphic Organizers to Guide/Assess Nonfiction Reading

A graphic organizer is an open analytic question!

Nonfiction Reading Strategy Pre-Assessment

ONE PAGE READINGS

After the Chicago Fire sequence and summarize (3rd grade reading level)
American Explorers evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (3rd grade reading level)

Animal Studies infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

Block Clubs infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

The Captain's Job infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

Chicago Changes identify and support the main idea in nonfiction texts (3rd grade reading level)

Chicago Fire sequence events, infer  motive, and write about nonfiction (3rd grade reading level)

Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan locate and use information to analyze a situation, write about a topic English / Spanish (3rd-5th grade reading level)

Chicago Legacy, DuSable's Choices and Changes locate and use information to analyze a situation, then write about it English / Spanish (3rd-4th grade reading level)

Chicago's First Leader infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

The First Flyers infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

George Washington Carver (3rd grade reading level)

Grant Park write an extended response about a nonfiction reading (3rd grade reading level)

Gwendolyn Brooks, An African American Poet (3rd-4th grade reading level)

Learn about Ghana infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

Letter to the Mayor evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (3rd grade reading level)

Native American Life--Potawatomi Profile (3rd grade reading level)

Native American Life--Potawatomi Profile with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

A New Park evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (3rd grade reading level)

Pigeon Creek infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

Pioneer Families infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

Prairie Ecology analyze information in a nonfiction text (3rd grade reading level)

Prairie Ecology with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Read to Learn about Symbols, Maps, and Art evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (3rd grade reading level)

Saving Your Family's Energy Dollar infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

Settlement infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

Staying in Phoenix summarize a passage (3rd grade reading level)

Transportation Changes infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

Traveling West evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (3rd grade reading level)

A Very Helpful Resource infer and support the main idea of a passage (3rd grade reading level)

What is a Fable? evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (3rd-4th grade reading level)

Working at the Hospital evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (3rd-4th grade reading level)

Breaking the Food Chain infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

Chicago Changer, Jane Addams infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

Chicago High Schools evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (4th grade reading level)

Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan locate and use information to analyze a situation, write about a topic English / Spanish (3rd-5th grade reading level)

Chicago Legacy, DuSable's Choices and Changes locate and use information to analyze a situation, then write about it English / Spanish (3rd-4th grade reading level)

City Government infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

The Early Chicago Environment and People classify information and summarize a nonfiction topic (4th grade reading level)
Learn about Egypt infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)
The Football Team identify the main idea (4th grade reading level)
A Garden in Lawndale evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (4th grade reading level)

Gwendolyn Brooks, An African American Poet (3rd-4th grade reading level)

Illinois Pioneers and Prairies infer while reading a history (4th grade reading level)

Learning about the Solar System identify the main idea of a passage, write an extended response about a nonfiction passage (4th grade reading level)

Natural Gas: An American Treasure infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

Penguins (4th-5th grade reading level)

Pilsen, A Community Changes identify causes and effects (4th grade reading level)

Plants and Places infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

Prairie Changes identify an author's purpose, write an extended response (4th grade reading level)

Prairie Changing the Ecosystem with Multiple Choice Questions analyze information in a nonfiction text (4th grade reading level)

Seasons on the Prairie infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

Seasons on the Prairie with Multiple Choice Questions

Settlement infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

Settlement with Multiple Choice Questions

Space Food infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

Staying in Phoenix infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

Today's Telephone infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

Transportation Workers evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (4th grade reading level)

What is a Fable? evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (3rd-4th grade reading level)

Working at the Television Station evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (4th grade reading level)

Working at the Hospital evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (3rd-4th grade reading level)

The Working Tools of Insects infer and support the main idea of a passage (4th grade reading level)

American Explorers infer and support the main idea of a passage (5th grade reading level)
Animal Studies infer and support the main idea of a passage (5th grade reading level)

Better Living in Chicago: Jane Addams restate a situation presented in text; write to communicate about a situation (5th grade reading level)

Chicago Changes infer and support the main idea of a passage (5th grade reading level)
Chicago Fire infer and support the main idea of a passage (5th grade reading level)
Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan locate and use information to analyze a situation, write about a topic English / Spanish (3rd-5th grade reading level)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I can infer the author's purpose (5th grade reading level)

Election Choices infer and support the main idea of a passage (5th-6th grade reading level)

From Many Places evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (5th grade reading level)

Learn about Ethiopia  infer and support the main idea of a passage (5th grade reading level)

George Washington Carver (5th grade reading level)

Gwendolyn Brooks, An African American Poet (5th-6th grade reading level)

How Did People Solve a Problem? (5th grade reading level)

How Have Students Made Community Progress? analyze a problem and solution in a text, identify and support the main idea  (5th grade reading level)

Penguins (4th-5th grade reading level)

Prairie Keepers analyze information in a nonfiction text (5th grade reading level)
Prairie Keepers with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities
Public Transportation evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (5th grade reading level)
Read to Learn about City Systems evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (5th grade reading level)
Read to Learn about Elections evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (5th grade reading level)
The Recycle Center evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (5th grade reading level)

Reversing the Chicago River identify cause-effect relations and infer predictions (5th grade reading level)

Seasons on the Prairie analyze information in a nonfiction text (5th grade reading level)
Seasons on the Prairie with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities
Settlement infer and support the main idea of a passage (5th grade reading level)
Settlement with Multiple Choice Questions
Valley Forge infer and support the main idea of a passage (5th grade reading level)
Who Am I sequence events, infer  motive, and write about nonfiction (5th grade reading level)


Before Chicago infer and support the main idea of a passage (6th grade reading level)

Chicago's First Leader (6th grade reading level)
The Early Chicago Environment and People classify information and summarize a nonfiction topic (6th grade reading level)
Election Choices infer and support the main idea of a passage (5th-6th grade reading level)
Gwendolyn Brooks, An African American Poet (5th-6th grade reading level)
Inferential Questions: Harold Washington's Acceptance Speech (6th-8th grade)
Labor Day Address--Barack Obama Speech infer and support the main idea of a passage (6th-8th grade)
Learn about Zambia infer and support the main idea of a passage (6th grade reading level)

Nutrition Lesson evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (6th grade reading level)

Plants and Food infer and support the main idea of a passage (6th grade reading level)

Prairie Ecology evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (6th grade reading level)

Prairie Ecology with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Settlement analyze information in a nonfiction text (6th grade reading level)

Settlement with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Seasons on the Prairie infer and support the main idea of a passage (6th grade reading level)

Seasons on the Prairie with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Traveling West infer and support the main idea of a passage (6th grade reading level)

PARCC Assessment

link

What Does The PARCC Assessment Blue Print Signal for Teaching and Learning?

If you live in a state that has signed on to PARCC—The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career, you should be interested in the chart below. It presents two types of student English/literacy assessments, aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), scheduled to roll out in PARCC states in 2014. These are game changing student assessments that have the potential to significantly change instruction in the majority of ELA/literacy classrooms because they will ask students to articulate their understandings of reading selections while using evidence from them to develop those explanations and arguments. This kind of academic writing is far different from the current multiple-choice questions on state tests that ask students to recognize and identify correct answers.

The English/literacy assessments will ask students to read multiple related selections, to analyze those readings, and to then write about the readings and their analyses in ways that have not been tested in the US before on large-scale assessments. Students may have seen something like these in very good schools on teacher-made tests, but even that is probably unlikely unless students are fortunate enough to be in college preparatory classes.

PARCC's assessment plan means to gauge whether public school students are on track for college and careers. To do this, they'll field diagnostic, mid-year, performance, and end of year assessments. Some of these tests will be innovative forced choice and short answer items to replace more traditional multiple choice questions. Others though will be performance tasks created from the blue print below. As you read the chart, notice that the two kinds of performance assessments—the research simulation task and the literature task—invite students to read multiple related selections and to write about and across those selections so that the individual tasks add up to a coherent set on a topic or big idea.

One of the first things you might notice, aside from the invitations to read and write about multiple selections, is the amount of time it will take students to complete these. My best estimate for grades 9 - 11, depending on the length and complexity of the selections, is two hours for the research simulation and another two for the literary analysis.

On the other hand, imagine students who have worked on these kinds of tasks in their on-going instruction beginning in elementary school. Imagine how good they might be at this kind of reading, writing, and thinking by the time they leave high school. I like to imagine that because it gives me a glimpse of the kinds of intellectual work that all students could become good at, if they regularly practiced it in their classrooms with all sorts of topics in nonfiction, fiction, drama, poetry, primary sources, digital media, and so on.

Add to this imagining another ingredient, another layer of intellectual work parallel to the writing. Add to it opportunities as well for students to talk amongst themselves in groups of two or three as they solve the problems posed by the tasks and support each under the attentive eyes of a skilled teacher.

Working together in such focus groups, enacting the CCSS Speaking and Listening standards, they would learn to express, discuss, and critique each other’s analyses. Imagine then that these students, both individually and with others, would be doing the same kinds of thinking in their talk that they do through their writing.

To extend this example, students in the groups could post drafts of their thinking on chart paper or smart boards, so that their thinking is displayed and visible for all to see. The entire class could then do a note-taking gallery walk to see how others thought about the problems, to learn other ways of thinking, to rub up against others’ language, and to talk then as a class with their teacher's guidance about what they learned and how they learned it.

At their best, the CCSS open doors to these kinds of game changing possibilities for teaching and learning because they invite students to articulate their understandings in talk and in writing. Their understandings grow more and more complex from grade to grade as the reading selections and tasks grow more complex. The complexity and demands on them spiral, but so does their thinking and learning through writing and speaking in response to those complexities and demands.

Currently, in response to the multiple choice tests put in place as a result of No Child Left Behind, students in schools across the country spend months drilling on test-like questions to prepare for assessments that provide little genuine work and even less data about whether or not students are actually college and career ready. Wouldn't it be wonderful if that couldn’t happen again because the kinds of tasks on the assessments are so demanding as to make it pointless? Because the assessments are so demanding as to require a completely different approach to teaching and learning grounded in students' talk and writing about their thinking with and across multiple selections?