Name _______________________________________ Period ________ May 18, 2015

DUE Friday, May 22, 2015

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK: Teen's pencil project

puts thousands in the hands of those in need

Instructions & Checklist
1) ______ Read the article through once. On the second read, complete margin
notes. See rubric for specifics. (10 points)
2) ______ Write an opinion statement using evidence from the text. (5 points)
3) ______ Write an article summary. See rubric for specifics. (10 points)
4) ______ Answer the constructed response question using R.A.C.E. - Reword,
Answer, Cite Evidence, Explain. See rubric for specifics (5 points)

Scores:
Margin Notes

______/10

Opinion Statement

______5

Summary

______/10

Constructed response

______5

Total ________/30 points

Teen's pencil project puts thousands in

the hands of those in need
By The Record, adapted by Newsela staff

4-29-15

Word Count 761

Margin Notes:
WAYNE, N.J. Here in the United States, countless pencils are discarded,
wasted, unused. They roll around classroom floors, lie forgotten in drawers
and backpacks and sit wedged between car seats. Yet elsewhere in the
world, one pencil is a rare and treasured thing.
Kyle VanDerVelden, a 16-year-old junior at Wayne Hills High School, was so
bothered by that inequality that he set out to do something about it.
"I just decided there was definitely something that I could do, he said.
Klye's idea began as a modest plan to collect and donate stray pencils. It
has since mushroomed into a campaign that has pulled in thousands of
writing tools some used but most new from local schools, businesses
and churches.

Collect, Deliver And Distribute

With the help of Kim Oppenheimer, who runs the organization Right-to-Write,
Kyle's pencils have reached people in impoverished areas of Ethiopia,
Panama and Haiti, and other far-flung countries.
At a local elementary school this month, Kyle moved boxes crammed with
pens, pencils, crayons, markers and mechanical pencils with his moms help.
The month-long pencil drive yielded an impressive haul: 3,790 writing tools.
Children giving to children is really valuable, Oppenheimer said, praising
Kyles ability to appeal to fellow teenagers, and to motivate students in lower
grades to be part of the project.
The idea behind her one-person organization is simple: People learn about
her mission from her website, then mail in or hand-deliver pencils to her. She
packs them, fitting around 200 pencils in sealed bags, then hands the
packages to travelers heading for developing countries, who carry them in

Predictions,
Connections,
Questions/ Vocabulary,
Judgments about
authors ideas, authors
purpose

their suitcases. When they arrive at destinations off the beaten track, often
on humanitarian trips, the travelers themselves deliver the bags of pencils.
Oppenheimer said she has managed to send pencils to schools, hospitals
and orphanages in Mexico, Brazil, Liberia, Namibia, India and Vietnam.

"It's A Simple Idea"

Kyle, a soft-spoken athlete who hopes to become an architect, said the idea
to help came around this time last year, as he left volleyball practice and
noticed school janitors sweeping up discarded pencils. Later that summer,
the rapid spread of the deadly Ebola virus put a spotlight on hardships faced
in West Africa, where the outbreak was centered.
There was a desperate need for any kind of help, he said, and thats what
made me think, Wow, not only do these people need vaccines and help, but
they need something to start a foundation with they need to learn.
He researched organizations where he could be a volunteer and discovered
Right-to-Write, run by Oppenheimer, a special-education teacher who has
traveled extensively.
Its a simple idea, and works so easily, Oppenheimer said. When any
traveler is going overseas, for the most part, you can fit that bag into your
suitcase, like a hardcover book.

The Need Was There

She said she came up with the idea when volunteering with a medical
mission to Peru in 2005. She had taken a suitcase of clothing to donate, but
soon realized that people wanted her pen. Even the nurses wanted my pen
as I walked around the hallway, Oppenheimer said.
I figured if I hadnt realized there was such a need, that many other people
hadnt as well, she said. The group began three years after her Peru trip,
and to date, she has collected more than 80,000 pencils.
Kyle reached out last summer and was super interested and energetic,
Oppenheimer said.

No Shortage Of Donations
Since he started his drives, the donations have been pouring in from local
businesses, churches and schools. At schools, he speaks to students during
assembly and tells them students just like them need pencils.
The recent elementary school drive that netted more than 3,700 writing
implements was the biggest to date. Throughout February, students dropped
pencils and markers into shoe boxes outside classrooms and the cafeteria.
Kyle took them home and said he planned to pack them in the sealed bags
and bring them to Oppenheimer so she could coordinate their delivery.
As for the elementary students, the act of giving has made them think about
how hard life can be in other countries. It led them to reflect on the reality
that an everyday item like a pencil that we might see as expendable can be
so needed by other children around the world.
Christopher Bacchioni, a fifth-grader, said he donated to help people in
need.
He can imagine children being happy because they can write now, that they
dont have just one pencil to use all year, he said. They can have a few.

Margin Notes Rubric

10 Mastery

7.5- Proficient

5- Not Proficient

____ Margin notes demonstrate

connections made with the text
____ Margin notes include a variety
of questions or new vocabulary
introduced
____ Margin notes make predictions
____ Margin notes make supported
judgments about the authors ideas
____ Margin notes identify the
authors purpose

____ Margin notes demonstrate vague

connections made with the text
____ Margin notes include a few
questions or new vocabulary
introduced
____ Margin notes make vague
predictions
____ Margin notes attempt to make
judgments about the authors ideas
____ Margin notes DO NOT identify
the authors purpose

____ Margin notes DO NOT

demonstrate connections made with
the text
____ Margin notes DO NOT
include questions or new vocabulary
introduced
____ Margin notes DO NOT make
predictions
____ Margin notes DO NOT
attempt to make judgments about
the authors ideas

Article Questions
1) Which paragraph in the section "It's A Simple Idea" BEST provides insight into Kyle's desire to
help others?

2) Read the paragraph from the section "Collect, Deliver And Distribute." With the help of Kim
Oppenheimer, who runs the organization Right-to-Write, Kyle's pencils have reached people in
impoverished areas of Ethiopia, Panama and Haiti, and other far-flung countries. Which answer choice
is a central idea of the text that emerges in the paragraph?
a.
b.
c.
d.

The pencils that Kyle collects go to countries that need them

Kim Oppenheimer runs the organization called Right-to-Write.
The pencils that Kyle collects have traveled far distances to other countries.
The countries of Ethiopia, Panama and Haiti are poor.

3) What is the connection between Oppenheimer's trip to Peru and the organization called Right-toWrite?
a. Oppenheimer founded Right-to-Write after she discovered that people in Peru wanted to learn how
to use writing tools.
b. Oppenheimer founded Right-to-Write after she discovered that the people she worked with in Peru
preferred donated pens to donated clothing.
c. Oppenheimer's experience in Peru led her to start a pencil manufacturing business that she called
Right-to-Write.
d. Oppenheimer's experience in Peru led her to start a company called Right-to-Write that supplies
medical missions around the world with pencils.

4) Which is the MOST likely reason why the article ends with quotes from a child?
a.
b.
c.
d.

to emphasize that children are the main source of the pencils that Kyle collects
to suggest that children get enjoyment from helping other children
to suggest that children are happiest when they have more than one pencil
to illustrate that children can imagine positive results of their actions

5) Which sentence BEST explains how the author develops the idea of Kyle's plan over the course
of the text?
a. The author describes what motivated Kyle to think of his plan, and then provides details of how
Kyle has been able to accomplish his plan.
b. The author describes different actions Kyle took to start his plan, and then shows how he had
problems and needed help with his plan.
c. The author describes how Kyle looked for help with his plan, and then describes children who
helped him with his plan.
d. The author describes the different places Kyle went to in the community to achieve his plan, and
then describes how those places helped him with his plan.

Summary:
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Nonfiction
Article
Summary

5- Mastery

4- Approaching
Mastery

3- Proficient

2/1- Not Proficient

Content

* Content shows in-depth

understanding of the text
* Main ideas chosen are
essential to the understanding
of the text

* Content shows a good

understanding of the text
* Main ideas chosen are
relevant and important

* Content shows
understanding of the text
* Main ideas chosen are
useful

Organization

* A strong summary topic

sentence exists with author
and title of article
* Main ideas are clearly
organized within 3 body
sentences effectively
* Conclusion addresses how
the author closes the article
effectively

* A good summary topic

sentence exists with
author and/or title of
article
* Main ideas are clearly
organized within 3 body
sentences
* Conclusion addresses
how the author closes the
article

* A summary topic
sentence exists with
author and/or title of
article
* Main ideas are written
within body sentences.
* Conclusion may be
vague as to how the
author ends the article

* Content does not

show a correct
understanding of the
text
* Main ideas chosen are
vague or random
* A summary topic
sentence may exist but
does not include an
author or title
* Main ideas are not
organized well
* Conclusion may be off
topic or missing

5 points

4.25 points

3.75 points

2.5 points

Constructed Response Question

Question: How has Kyles initial plan for collecting pencils
changed as more people have become involved?

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Constructed
Response
Scoring Rubric

1 Not Proficient

3 - Proficient

4 Approaching
Mastery

5 - Mastery

Answer is not based on

the text

Answer is correct
AND

Answer is confusing or
unclear

BUT

Evidence is so vague that

it does not support the
answer

Answer is particularly
thoughtful
AND

Text: Evidence is present

to support answer

Answer is off topic

Only text evidence/ no
answer

Answers is correct and

beyond the literal meaning of
the text
AND
Provides good evidence to
support answer

Provides strong and

thoughtful evidence
AND

No Explanation/
connection: does not explain
how the evidence supports
the answer

AND
Connections are attempted
but explanation may be weak.

Connects and explains how

the evidence supports the
answer