Victor E. Perez Penelope Ferrer Jose O. Rivas Assessment of English as a Second Language Learners EING 4046-0U1 Prof.

Cristina Guerra Monday and Wednesday 1:00 PM 2:20 PM

Name: Group:

Date: Teacher:

Diagnostic Test English 8 th Grade This test is designed for a proficient student in English for the seventh grade level. The following test will assess the students proficiency in listening/speaking, reading and writing. The test is designed for students between the ages of 13-15, with a medium to high proficiency, conforming to the standards of the Department of Education of Puerto Rico. Part I: Listening and Speaking The following will assess the student in the area of both listening and speaking, paying close attention to the following expectations designated by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico. The specific expectations assessed in this test are marked in bold. L/S 7.1 L/S 7.2 L/S 7.3 L/S 7.4 L/S 7.5 Listens and responds during a read aloud from a variety of fiction and nonfiction to comprehend, generalize, rel ate to character and setting, and make connections to text. Listens, responds to, and analyzes complex instructions and statements; applies and clarifies instructions and directions; answ ers and formul ates closed and open- ended questi ons. Uses appropriate language structure to probl em solve and to expl ain a process; interacts in discussions and presentations. Applies correct language patterns to organize events in a variety of narrative texts and identifies problem and solution within presented literature. Expl ains the mai n idea or topic; identifies important details from learned concepts or read alouds in a variety of expository texts; appli es sequence of events to summarize.

Instructions: The teacher will play a pre-recorded reading of a passage from the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton aloud for you to listen. The passage will only be played twice. After the passage is played, you will be called to a separate area and asked three questions related to the topic. A teachers assistant will supervise the classroom while you are called away.

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Part II: Reading and Writing The following will assess the student in the area of reading and writing, paying close attention to the following expectations designated by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico. The specific expectations assessed in this test are marked in bold. R.7.1 R.7.2 Analyzes the text, establishes purpose, recognizes authors purpose, and distinguishes text features to enhance comprehension. Appli es context clues, reference sources, and other vocabulary expansion strategies to assess w ord meaning using pri or know l edge to rel ate to new meaning; uses prefixes, suffi xes, and root w ords to determine the meani ng of unfamili ar, mul tiple-meani ng, and compound w ords. Di stinguishes main character from supporti ng characters, compares and contrasts characters trai ts, descri bes and explai ns setti ng i n fi ction. Sorts and organizes relevant events, states cause and effect, makes connections, predictions and inferences; draw s conclusions; states the problem and solution i n fi ction and nonfi cti on. Identifies and states fact and opinion, paraphrases and states main idea or topic, and determines important details in narrative and expository texts. Identifies imagery and the elements of poetry. Combines sentences and ideas by using simple transitional phrases; appli es commas to correctly punctuate and construct sentences; distinguishes complete sentences from fragments and run-on sentences. Appli es the parts of speech; identifies the subjects and objects in sentences; uses correct subject-verb agreement. Identifies elements in descriptive, narrative, expository and persuasive forms of writing; uses a variety of sentence types to construct a paragraph; appl ies organi zational patterns to construct narrative, descri ptive, and expository paragraphs. Uses poetry and sensory elements to develop simple poems. Uses the w riting process; applies prew riting strategi es to generate i deas; uses the di ctionary and thesaurus as an aid in the w ri ting process; revises w ri ting; proofreads to identify errors i n spell ing, capi talization, and endi ng punctuation w hen prew riti ng, drafting, revisi ng, editing, and w ri tes a final draft.

R.7.3 R.7.4 R.7.5 R.7.6 W.7.1

W.7.2 W.7.3

W.7.4 W.7.5

Instructions #1: The teacher will provide you with the story The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe to read. A total of 5 questions will be provided for you to answer. These questions should be answered in the form of complete sentences forming paragraphs, with a minimum of 70 words per question.

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The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

TRUE! nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why WILL you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses, not destroyed, not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How then am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily, how calmly, I can tell you the whole story. It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain, but, once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture -- a pale blue eye with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold, and so by degrees, very gradually, I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever. Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded -with what caution -- with what foresight, with what dissimulation, I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night about midnight I turned the latch of his door and opened it oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern all closed, closed so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly, very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this? And then when my head was well in the room I undid the lantern cautiously -- oh, so cautiously -- cautiously (for the hinges creaked), I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights, every night just at midnight, but I found the eye always closed, and so it was impossible to do the work, for it was not the old man who vexed me but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed , to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept. Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers, of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was opening the door little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea, and perhaps he heard me, for he moved on the bed suddenly as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back -- but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for the shutters were close fastened through fear of robbers), and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily. I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening , and the old man sprang up in the bed, crying out, "Who's there?" I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed, listening; just as I have done night after night hearkening to the death watches in the wall. Presently, I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief -- oh, no! It was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself, "It is nothing but the wind in the chimney, it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or, "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp." Yes he has been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions ; but he had found all in vain. ALL IN VAIN, because Death in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel, although he neither saw nor heard, to feel the presence of my head within the room. When I had waited a long time very patiently without hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little -- a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it -- you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily -- until at length a single dim ray like the thread of the spider shot out from the crevice and fell upon the vulture eye. It was open, wide, wide open, and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness -- all a dull blue with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones, but I could see nothing else of the old man's face or person, for I had directed the ray as if by instinct precisely upon the damned spot.
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And now have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the senses? now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage. But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eye. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder, every instant. The old man's terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! -- do you mark me well? I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me -- the sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old man's hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once -- once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But for many minutes the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more. If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. I took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly so cunningly, that no human eye -- not even his -- could have detected anything wrong. There was nothing to wash out -- no stain of any kind -- no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. When I had made an end of these labours, it was four o'clock -- still dark as midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart, -- for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the premises. I smiled, -- for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I bade them search -- search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim. The officers were satisfied. My MANNER had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears; but still they sat, and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct : I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness -- until, at length, I found that the noise was NOT within my ears. No doubt I now grew VERY pale; but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased -- and what could I do? It was A LOW, DULL, QUICK SOUND -- MUCH SUCH A SOUND AS A WATCH MAKES WHEN ENVELOPED IN COTTON. I gasped for breath, and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly, more vehemently but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why WOULD they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men, but the noise steadily increased. O God! what COULD I do? I foamed -- I raved -- I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder -- louder -- louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly , and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! -- no, no? They heard! -- they suspected! -- they KNEW! -- they were making a mockery of my horror! -- this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! -- and now -- again -- hark! louder! louder! louder! LOUDER! -"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! -- tear up the planks! -- here, here! -- it is the beating of his hideous heart!"

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Answer in complete sentences forming a paragraph, with a minimum of 70 words per answer: 1. Describe in your own words what occurred in sequence.

2. Describe in detail the speaker of the story.

3. Describe in detail the old man character in the story.

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4. Explain what the speaker meant by the evil eye or vulture eye.

5. Explain why the man confessed to the murder.

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Instructions #2: Using the story The Tell-Tale Heat by Edgar Allan Poe as a guide, you will write a persuasive essay. The topic of the essay will be assigned to you and you will need to argue your position in the essay. The essay will conform to the steps of the writing process and will be done during the course of 3 days. A rubric will be provided to show you what areas will be assessed. A sample of each of the steps must be included with the final work. The final work must be at least 500 words long (2 pages). Schedule: Day 1: Prewriting and Drafting (2 samples) Day 2: Revising and Editing (1 sample) Day 3: Final Draft (final work) Topics: A. You will argue that the man in the story should be prosecuted for his crime. You will use facts within the story to support your argument of the mans guilt as well the crime that he should be prosecuted for. B. You will argue that the man in the story should not be prosecuted for his crime. You will use facts within the story to support your argument of the mans innocence and the reasons why his actions do not fit the crime.

Your topic: ___

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Appendix 1: Excerpt from the passage from the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton which will be played for the students and the questions that will be asked orally.
Ponyboy wakes up in the abandoned church, and at first thinks he has dreamed everything that has happened. He pretends for a moment that he is back home, and it is a usual weekend morning. When he gives up pretending, he realizes that Johnny is gone, and has left a note in the dust on the floor that he's gone to get supplies. Ponyboy wanders outside to get a drink from the pump behind the church. He feels overwhelmed, and can't keep track of how much time has passed since the night before. Johnny returns, and Ponyboy is so glad to see him that he trips and falls down the steps. They go inside the church, and Johnny reveals that he's bought food (including a week's supply of baloney) and a copy of Gone with the Wind for Ponyboy, since he remembered that Ponyboy had wanted to read it. Johnny has bought peroxide, and reveals his plan to cut their hair and bleach Ponyboy's, as a disguise. Ponyboy is horrified, since he is proud of his hair. After it's all done, Ponyboy looks at himself in the mirror and thinks that he looks "younger and scareder," not at all like himself. Then Johnny washes the grease out of his hair, and Ponyboy cuts it off. Ponyboy sulks about losing his hair, but Johnny is optimistic, saying "It's just hair." The boys talk about the little store that Johnny bought the goods from, and how Two-bit would have stolen everything easily from it because the products were just lying out. Thinking about Two-bit makes them homesick for the gang, though, and when Ponyboy starts talking about the night before, Johnny tells him, "Stop it!" and begins to cry. Ponyboy comforts him, but starts to cry himself. Soon they fall asleep, and when they wake up, they decide they're "all cried out now," and that they can "take whatever was coming now." Over the next four or five days, Ponyboy and Johnny kill time by playing cards and reading Gone with the Wind. Johnny becomes interested in the idea of gallant southern gentlemen, and says he thinks that Dally is most like them. Ponyboy is shocked, but realizes for the first time "the extent of Johnny's hero-worship for Dally Winston." They stay in the back of the church so they won't be seen by the rare passers-by. One morning, Ponyboy wakes up early and goes to sit outside and have a smoke. He watches the sunrise, and soon Johnny joins him, commenting on the beauty of the sunrise and saying it's "too bad it couldn't stay like that all the time." That reminds Ponyboy of the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost, and he recites it for Johnny. They are both baffled by the poem, and Ponyboy admits that "I never quite got what he meant by it." Johnny brings up Ponyboy's family, and they decide that the two of them are different from the rest of the gang. On the fifth day, Ponyboy is sick of eating baloney and also sick from smoking so much, and just as he curls up to fall asleep, he hears a whistle. It is Dally, and Ponyboy sees him as representing "one thing: contact with the outside world." He hands Ponyboy a letter from Sodapop, who suspected that Dally knew where the boys were hiding, and asked him to bring the letter to Ponyboy. It says that Darry feels terrible for the events of the night the boys ran away.

Questions based on above passage 1. Connect personally with what was just read to you. Does the story remind you of anyone you know or have heard or read about? Give general ideas. 2. Based on the title and on what you just heard, can you predict the book is about? What do you think will be the final outcome and why? 3. Formulate three questions that you would want and could possibly be answered if you had the opportunity to complete the book

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Appendix 2: Checklist for the assessment of questions asked in the Listening/Speaking section. 1. Connect personally with what was just read to you. Does the story remind you of anyone you know or have heard or read about? Give general ideas. Student summarizes the passage through his connections. Student makes personal connection and states valid reasons why. Student shows understanding of the passage and question. Student speaks fluently. Student speaks accurately. Student shows use of auto-correction.

2. Based on the title and on what you just heard, can you predict the book is about? What do you think will be the final outcome and why? Student makes logical predictions. Student explains his reasoning. Student makes connections to the passage. Student shows understanding of the question. Student speaks fluently. Student speaks accurately. Student shows use of auto-correction.

3. Formulate three questions that you would want and could possibly be answered if you had the opportunity to complete the book. Student formulates 3 questions. The questions are logical. The questions are varied. The questions are formulated correctly. Student shows understanding of the question. Student speaks fluently. Student speaks accurately. Student shows use of auto-correction.

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Appendix 3: Rubric for assessing the students work using The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. Criteria 0 Points 1 Point The title is unrelated to the essay. 2 Points The title is related to the essay, but shows no originality. 3 Points An original title is presented that is related to the essay. Total

Title

No title is given.

Grammar and Punctuation

There are more than six grammatical errors in the essay. There is no thesis statement or thesis statement is unrelated to the essay. Did not include any evidence to support the position.

There are more than four, but less than six grammatical errors in the essay. The thesis statement outlines some or all the points that will be discussed, but does not name the topic. Included one element to support the position, but did not clearly establish its connection to the story. Little support is given to the order of the arguments given, the order is not clearly logical. Some transitions work well, but the connections arent well established.

There are more than two, but less than four grammatical errors in the essay. The thesis statement names the topic of the essay, but not the main points to be discussed. Included two elements to support the position, but did not clearly establish its connection to the story. Some support is given to the order of the arguments given, the order is clearly logical, but isnt fluid. Transitions show how the ideas are connected, but there is little variety.

There are less than two grammatical errors in the essay. The thesis statement names the topic of the essay and outlines the main points to be discussed. Included two elements to support the position and clearly established its connection to the story. Arguments are in logical order and are completely fluid and easy to follow. A variety of thoughtful transitions are used. They clearly show how the ideas are connected. All sentences are well constructed with varied structures.

Thesis Statement

Support for Position

Sequence

There is no logical order to the arguments given.

Transitions

There are no transitions OR the transitions are not used correctly. There is little variety of sentence structure and many mistakes.

Sentence Structure

Most sentences are well constructed, but there is no variation.

Most sentences are well constructed and there some variation.

Closing Paragraph

There is no conclusion.

The authors position is restated in the closing paragraph, but not clearly.

The authors position is restated clearly, but not very effectively.

The authors position is restated clearly and effectively. Total

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