Selective Reading Assessment

Grade Level: 4th

SOL standard(s):

English 4.6 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction texts.

h) Distinguish between fact and opinion.

WIDA standard(s): ELP Standard 2 (The Language of Language Arts)

WIDA level: Level 3, Developing

Can do descriptor:

• Sort language associated with fact or opinion in fiction or non-fiction illustrated text (e.g.,
“I think that…,” “We believe that…,” “It could be…”)

Objectives:

Content: SW tell the difference between fact and opinion in a nonfiction text.

Language: SW read a nonfiction text and tell the difference between fact and opinion
statements.
 Assessment Items

Directions: (This assessment will be completed independently with the teacher) Read the
passage to yourself. After reading the passage, read and respond to the questions or ask the
teacher to read the questions for you. (impromptu reading plus comprehension questions)

Test-takers read to themselves:

Monster Meals!
T. rex had strong jaws and bone-crushing teeth. But was the powerful dinosaur a hunter or a
scavenger? A scavenger is an animal that feeds on dead animals.
For years, scientists have been debating that question. Now an exhibit at the Natural History
Museum in London, England gives evidence for both sides.
"Everything says this dinosaur lived on dead meat," said American scientist Jack Horner. He
helped the museum prepare for the exhibit.
Scientists once believed that T. rex was a fast runner. But recent studies have shown that might
not be true. Horner says that T. rex was not fast enough to catch other dinosaurs. He also says
that its arms were too small to use for grabbing prey. Prey is an animal hunted by another animal
for food.
T. Rex Facts
Name: Tyrannosaurus rex means "tyrant lizard king." Tyrant means "cruel ruler."
Weight: 6 tons
Length: 40 feet
Height: 15 to 20 feet
Other scientists don't agree with Horner. They argue that T. rex was a hunter. Even if T. rex
wasn't fast, they say, it could have hunted slower dinosaurs. Scientists also say that T. rex did not
need its arms to hunt. Animals without arms, such as sharks and snakes, hunt prey.
Could T. rex have been both a hunter and a scavenger? One museum official thinks "the truth lies
somewhere in the middle." It is up to visitors to think like scientists and decide for themselves.
What do you think?
(Text from ReadWorks, 2009)

Directions: Read the statements to yourself or ask the teacher to read the questions for
you. Circle fact or opinion to describe the statement. Each question is worth up to 1 point. 5
total possible points. (impromptu reading plus comprehension questions)

Example:
Animals that consume dead animals are known as scavengers. Fact Opinion

1. The T. rex could weigh up to 6 tons. Fact Opinion

2. Scientists believe the T. rex was a fast runner. Fact Opinion

3. The T. rex could grow up to 40 feet in length. Fact Opinion

4. The T. rex was the most powerful dinosaur to ever live. Fact Opinion

5. There is a T. rex exhibit at the Natural History Fact Opinion

Museum in London.

Scoring

Answer Key
1. Fact
2. Opinion
3. Fact
4. Opinion
5. Fact
 References

Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. (2007). World-class instructional

design and assessment: English language proficiency standards prekindergarten through

grade 5 (3rd Ed.). Retrieved from

https://wida.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/resource/2007-ELPS-PreK-5.pdf

Brown, H.D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2018). Language assessment: Principles and

classroom practices (3rd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.

ReadWorks (2009). Monster meals! Retrieved from

https://www.readworks.org/article/Monster-Meals!/cceef647-98bb-4f46-a8f8-a3eb

52e1255f#!articleTab:content/

Virginia Department of Education. (2010). English standards of learning curriculum framework

2010: Kindergarten-grade twelve. Retrieved from

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/frameworks/english_framewks/2010/framework

_english_k12.pdf