2021 NSCAS Grade 5 Classroom Assessment English Language Arts - Student's Name: Nebraska Department of Education 2021
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2021 NSCAS Grade 5
Classroom Assessment
English Language Arts
Student’s Name:
Nebraska Department of Education 2021Copyright © 2021 by the Nebraska Department of Education. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the Nebraska Department of Education.
2021
Grade 5 - Classroom Assessment
English Language Arts4
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
Directions:
On the following pages of your booklet are passages and questions for the Grade 5
Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System English Language Arts (NSCAS-ELA)
Classroom Assessment.
Read these directions carefully before beginning this classroom assessment.
This classroom assessment will include several different types of questions. Some
questions are based on one or two passages. Multiple choice questions will ask you to
select an answer from among four choices. Multiple select questions will ask you to select
multiple correct answers from among five or more answer choices. For some questions,
there may be two parts, Part A and Part B, where each part has a multiple choice or multiple
select question.
For all questions:
• Read each question carefully and choose the best answer.
• You may use scratch paper to make notes.
• Be sure to answer ALL the questions.
When you come to the word STOP, you have finished the Grade 5 NSCAS English
Language Arts Classroom Assessment.
5 STOP.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
A Traveling Experience
1 Ms. Collins raised her arm in the air. Like everyone else in the classroom, Jordan knew
that the gesture meant it was time to be quiet and listen. The students watched as their
teacher pulled down a large map of the United States.
2 “What are some ways of traveling to different states?” Ms. Collins asked. Students
offered several suggestions: by car, by bus, by train, or by airplane.
3 “I have a fun and interesting way for all of us to see other parts of the country without
packing a bag or buying a ticket,” said Ms. Collins. Students sat up a little straighter, eager
to hear their teacher’s plan.
4 “Our class is going to participate in a picture-postcard exchange,” Ms. Collins
explained. “We will send postcards with pictures of places in Nebraska to schools in other
states. Each of you will send a postcard to a class in two different states. We have twenty-
five students in our class. So we will send a postcard to each of the fifty states.”
5 The students were becoming enthusiastic about the project. They had lots of questions:
where to send the postcards, how a postcard exchange works, and what to write about.
6 Ms. Collins waited until everyone was paying attention, and then she continued. “I will
provide you with the addresses. Classes that receive a postcard will be asked to mail our
class a postcard from their state. So we will exchange postcards with students in other states.
When our class receives a postcard, we will place a pin on the class map to mark the state
from which the postcard was mailed. I am hoping that we will have a pin in each of the 50
states by the end of the project.
7 “Let’s brainstorm some possible ideas about what to write on our postcards. Who
can think of a topic that might interest other students? The ideas must be able to fit on a
postcard,” stated Ms. Collins.
8 “We could write about our school,” said Lisa.
9 “We could write about our hobbies,” suggested Wilson.
10 “I think we should write about our state,” said Jordan. “Nebraska is a really interesting
place.”
11 Ms. Collins nodded and encouraged Jordan to keep talking. “What kind of facts would
you include?” she asked.
12 “I would send a postcard with a picture of the giant porch swing in Hebron, Nebraska,”
said Jordan. “I could explain that the swing can hold 25 people at one time.”
13 “I would send a postcard with a picture of Boys Town in Omaha since it is a historical
place,” said Marcus. “I could write about the statue of a boy carrying his brother.”
14 “Those are all good ideas,” said Ms. Collins. “Let’s have the class vote to decide what
the postcards will be about.”
6 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
15 The class talked about the new project and voted that the postcards should tell something
about their state. The students would ask the classes who received a postcard to tell
something about their state as well. Then the postcard exchange would be like traveling to
other states. Ms. Collins could tell that everyone was excited and eager to start.
16 The class used postcards that displayed a place of interest in Nebraska on the front.
Students wrote some simple facts about the place of interest on the back of the postcard.
They mailed the postcards and waited.
17 Excitement grew as the mail began to arrive with picture postcards for Ms. Collins’
class. Within two weeks, the classroom map was dotted with pins indicating the different
states from which replies had been sent. Each postcard was read aloud when it arrived. Then
it was placed in a special album kept at Ms. Collins’ desk. By the end of the month, 50 pins
had been placed on the map. All the students were delighted to see a postcard from every
state in the nation.
18 Students learned more about the states than they had ever known before. They had also
gained a better understanding of their state by looking at the picture postcards of popular
places in Nebraska. Students began to look up additional facts about the states to share with
their classmates. Everyone agreed that the postcard-traveling experience had been a great
success.
7 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
1. What is a theme of the story?
A. Classroom projects can be educational.
B. Traveling to different places can be expensive.
C. Students sometimes have trouble making decisions.
D. Completing a project sometimes requires multiple steps.
2. In paragraph 4, what does participate mean?
A. to compete in
B. to profit from
C. to join in
D. to talk about
3. Based on the story, what can the reader conclude about Ms. Collins?
A. She shares her hobbies with students.
B. She enjoys traveling to different places.
C. She visits relatives who live in other states.
D. She provides interesting learning experiences.
8 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
4. What could be another title for the story?
A. How to Read a Map for Information
B. Visiting Boys Town
C. Taking a Trip Without a Ticket
D. Modes of Transportation
5. In paragraph 15, why does the author suggest that the postcard exchange is like traveling to
other states?
A. Exchanging postcards is fun and exciting for students.
B. Receiving postcards provides a way of learning about other places.
C. Learning to write postcards is beneficial and engaging for students.
D. Traveling to unknown places provides opportunities to buy postcards.
9 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
Buildings That Soar
1 At what point do people think of a building as tall? Is a five-story building tall? A ten-
story building? What about a hundred-story building? People would surely say a hundred-
story building is tall. In fact, a building that tall is often called a skyscraper.
Improvements
2 Until the nineteenth century, few buildings had more than six stories. It was not safe
for buildings to have more than a few stories. At the end of the nineteenth century, new
materials were developed to make taller buildings safer and stronger.
3 Four key improvements changed the way tall buildings were built. Steel was used to
make strong frames for buildings. Reinforced concrete also made the buildings stronger.
Water pumps let water reach all floors. Elevators made it easy for people and materials to go
to high floors.
History of Skyscrapers
4 An architect is a person who designs buildings. Louis Sullivan was a famous architect.
When designing buildings, Sullivan believed that “form ever follows function.”1 He meant
that the first thing to think about was how the building would be used. Only after that was
known should the architect think about how the building would look.
5 This idea made some architects think of design in a new way. They thought about how
the space in the building could be used. This idea shaped the design of skyscrapers.
6 William Jenney was another architect. He designed the first skyscraper, the Home
Insurance Building. The skyscraper was built in Chicago, Illinois. This building was ten
stories and 138 feet tall. It was finished in 1885.
Buildings Grow
7 Skyscrapers were useful in the cities of New York and Chicago. There was little space to
build in the downtown areas of these cities. It made sense to build up into the sky.
8 Between 1885 and 1930, more tall buildings were built. The height of buildings
stretched up to the seventy-seven-story Chrysler Building.
9 In 1931 the Empire State Building was built in New York City. It towered over other
buildings. It had 102 floors and was 1,250 feet tall. The Empire State Building was the tallest
building in the world until 1972.
10 Today buildings continue to soar higher. Records are set with each new skyscraper. How
tall will the tallest building be in ten years? In fifty years? In a hundred years?
Note:1 Louis H. Sullivan, “The Tall Building Artistically Considered,” Lippincott’s Magazine,
Mar. 1896.
10 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
6. Why is the title, Buildings That Soar, appropriate for the passage?
A. Skyscrapers appear to leave the ground.
B. Skyscrapers rise high in the air above other buildings.
C. Skyscrapers float amongst the clouds.
D. Skyscrapers appear to wave back and forth in the wind.
7. When was the article “The Tall Building Artistically Considered” written?
A. 1885
B. 1896
C. 1930
D. 1972
8. When designing a building, what would Louis Sullivan think about first?
A. which building materials are the strongest
B. which building materials are most attractive
C. how the building would be utilized
D. how the building should be shaped
9. Which word from the passage is a compound word?
A. building
B. nineteenth
C. skyscraper
D. improvements
11 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
Elena’s Scarf
Elena’s scarf is a rushing river,
sweeping around her neck
and over her shoulders;
it tumbles past wisps of
5 dark curls,
cradles her young face,
and comforts
her icy cheeks.
Like morning mist,
10 memories arise from the scarf’s folds
and envelop her.
The scarf was a gift
from Grandmother Rosa,
whose warm hugs
15 are pure love,
whose rich laughter
could halt a parade.
Each day after school,
the two have shared adventures.
20 They’ve baked treats,
built snow castles,
and explored museums;
they’ve written long,
flowing letters to family
25 in faraway cities
and played dress-up in Rosa’s closet,
each modeling funny, floppy hats
from years gone by.
No matter what they do,
30 they laugh and laugh.
Today,
in the big, stone library downtown,
they wander through the aisles;
Elena traces her fingertips
35 along the spines
12 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
of so many books she longs to read.
People always ask Elena
what she wants to be
when she grows up,
40 and Grandmother Rosa always waits patiently
until Elena wants to say.
When Elena touches
the frayed tips of her scarf,
she sees her future
45 in its fringes:
sometimes she is wearing a baker’s apron,
rolling dough for sweet confections
just as she learned from Rosa;
sometimes she is engineering bridges
50 that span rivers,
or writing piles of magnificent books
all her own.
“Whatever you want to do,
you’ll do,” Rosa always tells her,
55 and Elena knows
it is the truth.
Grandmother Rosa takes her hand,
and they follow the steep staircase
down through the library
60 and out into the wintry dusk
A few flakes of snow
collect gently
upon their eyelashes.
They tip up their chins
65 toward the gray sky
and catch flakes on their tongues
and laugh and laugh.
Elena bundles herself tightly
in the scarf’s soft fabric
70 and looks out ahead
onto the river of her future,
already so exciting
and thriving.
13 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
10. What is the theme of the poem?
A. Memories of someone can be prompted by an object.
B. It is important to stay in contact with family members.
C. Learning how to do new things is enjoyable.
D. Visiting new places in the community can be rewarding.
11. This question has two parts. Answer part A, and then answer part B.
Part A
Based on the poem, why is the scarf important to Elena?
A. The scarf keeps Elena warm in the winter.
B. The scarf reminds Elena of Grandmother Rosa.
C. The scarf was handed down from Grandmother Rosa to Elena.
D. The scarf was something that Elena admired and was a special gift.
Part B
Which set of lines from the poem support the answer in part A?
A. sweeping around her neck / and over her shoulders
B. memories arise from the scarf’s folds / and envelop her
C. When Elena touches / the frayed tips of her scarf, / she sees her future
D. Elena bundles herself tightly / in the scarf’s soft fabric / and looks out ahead
14 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
12. How does the setting of the poem contribute to the theme?
A. The library setting leads Elena to look at books, which prompts her to think about what
she wants to be when she grows up.
B. The winter setting leads Elena to wear the scarf from her grandmother, who is the
source of all of her emotions.
C. The evening setting leads Elena to reflect on the activities that she and her grandmother
did, which reminds her how special that time together is.
D. The downtown setting makes Elena realize there are many things to see and do, which
makes her hopeful that she and her grandmother are able to do these things together.
13. In line 11, what is the meaning of envelop?
A. close tightly
B. flow smoothly
C. wrap around
D. lift up
14. In lines 16-17, how does the author use a literary device?
A. The author uses personification to explain how powerful Grandmother Rosa’s laughter is.
B. The author uses onomatopoeia to describe the sounds made by Grandmother Rosa’s
laughter.
C. The author uses alliteration to focus on the beautiful sound of Grandmother Rosa’s
laughter.
D. The author uses a simile to compare Grandmother Rosa’s laughter to something
familiar.
15 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
The items on this page are not passage-based.
★ 15. A student is writing a research report called “The History of the Hammock.” Read the
sentences from a section of her report and the directions that follow.
Why a Hammock?
Having a bed suspended from the ground kept people clean and safe from snakes and
rodents. Some experts claim that a hammock can be good for your health. People fall asleep
faster and sleep more deeply in a hammock.
The student took additional notes about hammocks. Choose two notes that can logically be
included in this section of the report. Choose two.
A. Heavy canvas hammocks are hot and uncomfortable.
B. Traditional hammock weavers use a variety of materials.
C. Many people find the rocking motion of a hammock relaxing.
D. Using a woven hammock in warm climates kept sleepers cooler.
E. Sailors slept in hammocks aboard the ships of the Spanish navy.
★ 16. Read the first paragraph of a story a student is writing.
A cold gale whooshed around and through Dante as he waited for the bus. It was late
this morning. Dante had been waiting for 15 minutes. He had been shivering.
Which concluding sentence should the student add to his paragraph to advance the action?
A. At last Dante heard the rumble of the engine as the bus climbed the hill.
B. Dante huddled against the wind because his ears were freezing.
C. The bus had never been late before, but it was today.
D. Gales of wind in the morning made him cold.
16 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
The items on this page are not passage-based.
★ 17. A student is writing a paragraph about the history of toys. He is looking for more precise
words to use. Read the paragraph.
What did pioneer children play with? Homesteading families often did not have access
to manufactured toys. Many families made toys from objects that were easily available.
Children created dolls from cornhusk, clothespins, and scraps of fabric. With a little
imagination, a broomstick could become a horse to ride. A little bit of clay could be used to
form marbles. Essentially, children played with anything they could find.
Select two words that could replace the underlined word to make the paragraph more
precise. Select two.
A. crafted
B. organized
C. fashioned
D. started
E. established
F. discovered
★ 18. Read the student’s paragraph.
Justine walked down the street. She was going home. The sky was a soft blue that
reminded her of ocean water. The grass was green. It reminded her of sparkling emeralds.
Which sentence shows how the underlined sentences can be rewritten to improve sentence
variety?
A. The grass was green, it reminded her of sparkling emeralds.
B. The grass was green, but it reminded her of sparkling emeralds.
C. The grass reminded her of sparkling emeralds it was so green.
D. Because the grass was green, it reminded her of sparkling emeralds.
17 Go on to the next page.ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS - CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
The items on this page are not passage-based.
★ 19. A student feels that her city should have a bike-share program. In this program, bicycles
are placed around the city in locked racks. Then, people can pay to use the bikes and return
them at a different spot.
Which two sources would provide the student with the BEST evidence of how this program
is helpful in other places? Select two.
A. a story about a teen who tried to get her city to have a bike-share program
B. a news video that shows how bike-share programs in various cities have reduced traffic
C. an interview with a mayor who is thinking of ways to fund a bike-share program in her
city
D. a website that shows the number of people who use bike-share programs in European
cities
E. an online article that tells how citizens in one U.S. city challenged the need for a bike-
share program
★ 20. Read the passage.
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States of America. He was
born near Hodgenville, Kentucky. His birthday was February 12, 1809. When he was seven
years old, he and his family moved to Indiana. Abraham Lincoln loved to read but had very
little formal education. Lincoln was 21 years old when his father moved the family to
Illinois. He wouldn’t become the president until 1860.
A student wants to paraphrase part of the passage. Which sentence would avoid plagiarism?
A. He loved to read but had very little formal education.
B. Abraham Lincoln moved to Illinois with his family when he was 21.
C. When he was seven years old, he and his family moved to Indiana.
D. The 16th president of the United States of America was Abraham Lincoln.
18 STOP.You can also read
