ELAR Winter Benchmark Review

Benchmark Review

Bluebirds

Some text here about the topic of discussion

A bird flies down and lands on a fence post. It sings “Tur-lee!” It has some of the bluest feathers of all birds in the United States. It’s called a bluebird.

2 Bluebirds eat berries. They eat seeds. But mostly they hunt for bugs. Some birds catch bugs in the air. Bluebirds find bugs on the ground. The bluebirds sit on a high fence post or in a tree. Then they wait. They wait a little longer. They look at the grass. They see a bug. Then they swoop down.

3 Bluebirds like open spaces. They like parks and fields. They like big yards, too. The male bluebird chooses a place for a nest. He might find a hole in a tree. He might choose a birdhouse.

4 The male puts on a big show at the nest. He flaps his wings. He brings things to put inside the nest. He wants the female to see him. Soon, she does.

5 Then she comes to the nest and takes over. She builds the nest. She uses grass and pine needles. The male’s job is done, so he flies away.

6 Bluebirds lay four to six eggs in their nests. The mother bird keeps the eggs warm. In a few weeks, they will hatch.

Multiple Choice

What would be another good title for this selection?

• "All About Bluebirds"

• " Nests for Bluebirds"

• "Birds of the United States"

Multiple Choice

In paragraph 2, the word longer means-

• most amount of time

• more amount of time

• least amount of time

Multiple Choice

What is paragraph 2 mostly about?

• What time bluebirds eat

• Where do Bluebirds live

• How bluebirds get food

Multiple Select

Which two details support the central idea of paragraph 5?

• She builds the nest

• She uses grass and pine needles

• The male's job is done, so he flies away

The Pilgrims

1 A long time ago, there were some people called Pilgrims. They left their country and sailed on a ship called the Mayflower. There were many people on the ship. They didn't have a lot of food, and what they did have soon turned bad. They started to run out of water too.

2 They sailed for two months. They were very glad to see land. Now it was time to build their town. The first winter was very hard. They didn't have enough to eat, and they were very cold. Some of the Pilgrims died.

3 When Spring came, everything was better. They met some good Native Americans that showed them many things. One of the Native Americans they really liked was named Squanto. He was very nice to them. He taught them how to hunt and showed them where the fish were. He also taught them how to plant corn and other vegetables. All of the children loved him. He taught them some Indian words too.

4 The Pilgrims worked very hard all summer long. Soon they had houses and big gardens. They had so much to be thankful for. They had plenty of food to last them through the winter. That Fall, they set aside three days and celebrated. This was the first Thanksgiving. They had a lot of food and the Native Americans joined them for their feast. It was a happy time.

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

What was the name of the ship that the Pilgrims sailed on?

• The Big Ship

• The Mayflower

• The Big Boat

• The Santa Maria

Multiple Choice

Who was the Native American that taught the Pilgrims to plant corn?

• Sacajawea

• Squanto

• Little Big Horn

• Sitting Bull

Multiple Choice

How did the Pilgrims show that they were not going to give up?

• They became very tired and discouraged

• They kept working very hard even in hard times.

• They complained about everything

• They asked the Native Americans to do everything for them.

Multiple Choice

What character trait did the Native Americans show?

• They were greedy

• They were kind

• They were selfish

• They were lazy

8 Just then, the doorbell rang. My grandparents from France

had arrived.

9 “Aimee!” my grandmother said. She gave me a big hug. I was

so glad to see them.

10 But at dinner, Dad placed a frog leg on my plate.

11 I put it under my mashed potatoes. I did not want to get a

stomachache. But Grandmother would not start eating. She

said, “I’ll eat after Aimee tastes it.”

12 I sucked in my breath. Then I took a bite. I chewed and

smiled. It tasted like chicken, my favorite food.

13 “That’s really good! May I have some more?” I asked.

My mother and I got ready for dinner. I set the table. We used

our best tablecloth.

2 Something smelled good in the kitchen. I looked in the pan.

“What are you cooking, Mom?” I asked.

3 Mom laughed. “It’s Grandpa’s favorite dish. We ate it a lot

when I was a little girl.”

4 It smelled so good. “But what is it? I can’t wait to taste it.”

5 Mom said, “This may surprise you. They are frog legs.”

6 I made a face. “Ew, gross! I can’t eat legs from a frog.

That’s disgusting!”

7 “Not at all,” Mother said. “They’re quite tasty. But I understand.

We like the things we know. When I was your age, I thought

eating hot dogs was pretty strange. Children in France eat foods

like snails and frog legs every day.”

Tastes Like Chicken

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

Which sentence shows that this story is told from the first-person point of view?

• Mom said, "This may surprise you."

• But at dinner, Dad placed a frog leg on my plate.

• She said, "I'll eat after Aimee tastes it."

Multiple Choice

Which sentence shows how the narrator feels about eating frog legs at the beginning of the story?

• It smelled good

• I made a face.

• "They're quite tasty."

Multiple Choice

Which sentence uses the word pretty the same as paragraph 7?

• The dress she wore on Sunday was pretty.

• The sky was so pretty last night

• The test was pretty hard!

Open Ended

What do Aimee and Mom disagree about? Use text evidence to support your answer.

​Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

1 Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

2 How I wonder what you are.

3 Up above the world so high,

4 Like a diamond in the sky.

5 Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

6 How I wonder what you are!

7 When the blazing sun is gone,

8 When there's nothing he shines upon,

9 Then you show your little light,

10 Twinkle, twinkle, through the night.

11 Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

12 How I wonder what you are!

13 In the dark blue sky so deep,

14 Through my curtains often peep.

15 For you never close your eyes,

16 Til the morning sun does rise.

17 Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

18 How I wonder what you are!

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

Which lines in the poem rhyme?

• Lines 1 and 3

• Lines 9 and 10

• Lines 4 and 5

• Lines 10 and 11

Multiple Choice

What does the word blazing mean in Line 7

• cold

• hot

• beautiful

• dull

Multiple Choice

Which phrase does the author repeat?

• Up above the world so high

• In the dark blue sky

• Like a diamond in the sky

• Twinkle, Twinkle little star