Looking for an assessment that reveals how well readers understand complex text? Check out an assessment module based on "The Gettysburg Address." Pupils are asked to craft an essay that demonstrates their understanding not only of the speech itself, but also of the tone, the figurative language, and rhetorical devices Lincoln employs to support his purpose in the speech. 

Concepts

reading comprehension, reading comprehension strategies, the gettysburg address

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the resource as a guided practice opportunity to model how to approach such a formative assessment, as a pre-assessment to identify the need for targeted instruction, or as a formative assessment

Classroom Considerations

• Designed to directly assess Common Core State Standards for ninth graders

Pros

• The Word document is editable permitting customization
• Assessment exemplars are based directly on Common Core standards for the targeted grades
• The three-part plan is carefully scaffolded and models how to approach such an assessment

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.5 RI.9-10.1 RI.9-10.2 RI.9-10.4 W.9-10.2.a W.9-10.4 W.9-10.9.a SL.9-10.1.a