OBM Unit 4 Review 8th Grade

Read the paragraph.

(1) Sequoya, a member of the Cherokee Nation in the eighteenth century, is regarded as the creator of the Cherokee alphabet. (2) Although he never learned to read and write in English, Sequoya was fascinated by people’s ability to use written language. (3) Sequoya has worked for more than a decade to create a system of writing in the Cherokee language. (4) In 1824, the Cherokee Nation presented him with a specially crafted silver medal for his accomplishment.

Which change should be made to the paragraph to correct the inappropriate shift in verb tense?

• Change is to had been in sentence 1.

• Change was to is in sentence 2.

• Change has worked to worked in sentence 3.

• Change presented to has presented in sentence 4.

Tags

CCSS.L.5.1.B-D

CCSS.L.4.1B

CCSS.L.3.1E

CCSS.L.2.1D

Jungle of Secrets by John Micklos Jr.1 In the midst of Cambodia’s steamy jungle looms a majestic medieval temple. Called Angkor Wat, the nearly 900-year-old structure was built in the capital of the Khmer Empire, a powerful civilization in Southeast Asia. Now the site receives more than two million visitors a year. But until recently, few were aware of something tucked in the forest beyond the temple—a hidden city. Missing Metropolis 2 The Khmer Empire thrived between the 9th and 15th centuries. Many people worshipped at the temple of Angkor Wat in the capital city of Angkor, which was about the size of New York City. Scientists believe that in the 14th and 15th centuries, droughts and other extreme natural disasters caused many people to abandon the region and move south. Eventually thick forests grew over much of the area. 3 Built in the 12th century. . . Angkor Wat was in continual use even after the capital city was abandoned. When a French explorer came across the temple in the 1800s, he spread word of its beauty, drawing visitors and archaeologists to the area. But while Angkor Wat had been studied extensively, little was known about what lay in parts of the jungle around the temple. 4 Scientists suspected that another old city from the Khmer Empire called Mahendraparvata was hidden in the jungle, based on information they found in old texts. According to the writings, the city was established in A.D. 802 on a mountain and served as the Khmer Empire’s capital before it moved to Angkor. People had even hiked through the jungle . . . trying to locate the metropolis. They did come across temple ruins, but a city was never found. Airborne Detectives 5 In 2012 a team of scientists wanted to investigate about 140 square miles of the region in search of the remains of Mahendraparvata and other parts of the Khmer Empire. A thick tangle of trees covering the land made exploring such a large area on foot extremely difficult. So instead the team took to the skies. 6 Crisscrossing over forest canopies in a helicopter, archaeologist Damian Evans used an instrument called LiDAR to scan the ground. LiDAR works by rapidly firing off pulses of laser light—up to 200,000 pulses a second. A sensor on the instrument measures how long it takes for each pulse to bounce back from the ground. If a set of laser beams has a shorter return time than the previous pulses sent, it could mean the beams have hit something elevated, such as a building. A longer return time could mean that the beams are bouncing off of a low valley or deep riverbed. Using GPS technology, cartographers then combined all of the measurements to create a digital map of the terrain that revealed mountains, canals, roads, and ruins under the trees. 7 As scientists analyzed the map, they noticed an area with a network of roads, and canals built into a mountain. It appeared to match the description of Mahendraparvata found in the old texts. Evans and his team knew this had to be the hidden city. “It was a ‘Eureka!’ moment,” Evans says. Using their map, the team set off to see the old settlement for themselves. It’s a Jungle Out There 8 The archaeologists started their expedition north of Angkor Wat under the heat of a sizzling sun. They cut away tree leaves blocking their path with machetes, waded knee-deep in bogs, and dodged dangerous land mines that had been left in the jungle after a war. 9 Finally they stumbled upon dozens of crumbled temples and evidence of roads and canals, all organized into city blocks. They had reached their destination, and it was indeed Mahendraparvata. And there’s more to find—many of the city’s artifacts are buried underground. 10 In the coming years, Evans and his team will continue to investigate the area, and it’s likely that more discoveries will be made around Angkor Wat. But just as they did to uncover Mahendraparvata, the scientists will have their work cut out for them. After all, this jungle is very good at keeping secrets.

Which tone does the author establish through his word choices in paragraph 1?

• celebratory

• cynical

• dramatic

• solemn

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.6

Parenting and the Future Athlete

by Bonnie Kestner

Yale Women’s Varsity Swimming Captain 1973–74

Yale Women’s Varsity Swimming Assistant Coach 1974–76

Delivered April 10, 1999, as part of a Panel Presentation for Pioneers and Competitors—a special event to recognize women’s athletics at Yale.

Let me begin by saying how delighted I am to be here today and how much it means to me. Little did I realize when I stepped onto the Yale campus in the fall of 1970 as the only female competitive swimmer that I would be speaking in front of such a distinguished group of alumnae and student athletes 28 years later! I am deeply grateful to Melanie Ginter and the others involved in organizing this event for extending me the invitation!

Our topic this morning is “parenting and the future athlete,” and I would like to begin by introducing two young athletes who happen to be my son and daughter. They are sitting in the back of this room.

My son, Wiley, is a first-year student here at Yale planning to major in art. As a child, he played T-ball, baseball, soccer, basketball, and received his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. His first love is soccer, and he started his own recreational traveling team at age 13 since our local recreation department did not sponsor one in his age group. In high school he was captain and Most Valuable Player of his varsity team for two years. Now he plays on the intramural team for Timothy Dwight and on a recreational league team in the summer.

My daughter, Kristen, is finishing her high school senior year by taking courses at Sweet Briar College and will be a freshman at Kenyon College next year. In the last 12 years, Kristen participated in gymnastics, dance, T-ball, softball, soccer, horseback riding, and tennis. She was captain on her high school varsity tennis team for the last two years and number one seed in singles and doubles this year.

In preparing for this talk, I asked both Wiley and Kristen to tell me what they felt was significant about how their parents influenced their participation in sports. Wiley said one of the things that meant the most to him was our coming to his games. He said he always hoped his dad and I would be in the stands when he scored goals in soccer. Kristen said she appreciated the fact that we let her try so many different activities.

I can’t resist making a comment at this point on how far sports opportunities for girls and women have come in the last 40 years. I can remember as a 9- or 10-year-old going with my younger brother to watch his little league practice and wishing I could play—but girls weren’t allowed. Then there was that fall at Yale when Joni Barnett tried so hard to interest me in synchronized swimming, and I just wanted to be a competitive swimmer, even if it meant swimming with the guys.

First point: In parenting, one thing you need to realize is the commitment for you that is involved when your children participate in sports. It’s not easy when your child chooses a sport like swimming or ice hockey where practices may be held as early as 5:30 a.m. and you have to be the driver! When both parents are working and there are two or more children wanting to go in several directions, it becomes even more complicated. The activities you and your child choose need to fit in with the priorities and schedules of other members of the family. Be aware that pursuing a sport seriously can mean a major commitment and sacrifices for the whole family!

Second point: My second point is to let your kids be themselves. They are not miniature versions of you! Let them seek and pursue activities that interest them. Let me give you an example in the area of music, which can be, by the way, very much like a sport. I have had an interest in and passion for music since I was very young, and was eager to have my children experience this as well. When Wiley was 4½ we started him on piano lessons. He did not turn out to be the young Mozart I had hoped he would be, and in spite of (or perhaps because of) my urging him to practice, he lost interest in pursuing music by the age of 8 or 9. He was too young, and he wanted to do other things.

Since then, I have learned to let the interest come from the child, and then to be there and support them when it does. Wiley’s passion turned out to be for oil painting—a field that is completely foreign to me—but he has my 100% support to develop it. When you become very eager to have your child participate in an activity, ask yourself: “Is this for me or for them?” Encourage rather than push. They have to want to do it!

As it turns out, I took up playing the organ and piano about eight years ago and discovered that it was I who wanted to do music, and I was trying to live this out through my son. Now I do my thing and the kids do theirs, and everyone is happy (except my husband who has to put up with my practicing when he wants to watch TV).

At younger ages, it is good to let children be exposed to and try out a variety of sports and other activities. At age 12 or 13, they will need to make some choices and specialize. You can support them by helping them to identify their strengths and encouraging them to pursue the sports best suited to their abilities and interests. Some parents make the mistake of asking their children to specialize too early. The child may get burned out from too much of one activity and then lose out on the opportunity to experience and develop in other areas.

Third point: My third point is to play with your kids as well as watching them play. When I asked Kristen what she remembered most about how we as parents encouraged her in sports as a child, she said, “I remember how you used to play running bases with us out in the front yard, and how we used to go down to the courts and hit tennis balls together.”

As a coach, I would like to offer a few tips for parents:

Model good sportsmanship and positive attitudes. When young athletes hear their parents yelling at the refs from the stands, what are their attitudes going to be like down the road? Don’t try to be the coach, unless, of course, you are the coach! If you have a concern or disagree with the coach, discuss it with him or her, and not in the presence of the child. To talk negatively to or about a coach in the presence of the child only undermines the authority of the coach in the child’s eyes and leaves him or her confused as to who to listen to. Support the coach. If you have a major philosophical difference of opinion with the coach and you cannot resolve it, it may be appropriate to place your child on a different team or in a different program. Otherwise, support the coach! Perhaps most important, keep winning and losing in perspective. Our culture is obsessed with winning and losing. As far as placing first is concerned, there are only a few winners— sometimes only one. Everyone else may be seen as a loser. You can counteract this by helping your child see the positive aspects of any competitive effort. Kristen had an experience in tennis where she lost a singles match 6–1, 6–0. However, the girl she was playing was ranked number two in the state of Virginia, and to win even one game against this player was a real victory for Kristen! This was the best thing to focus on—not the fact that she lost. In situations in which the team is losing, play down winning and losing and help to create opportunities for personal success. Redefine “winning” as “giving it your best effort,” or “making a personal breakthrough.” Wiley sent me an e-mail in which he commented on this aspect of his sports experience as a child:“I was always so frustrated at losing and I couldn’t stand you trying to put a positive light on the game, because I was so frustrated by the fact that we always lost. But really, what could you have done? That was just an attitude problem on my part. It would have been much worse if you had said negative things about the way we played. And I was then and am now very proud that you didn’t just blame the ref or the coach, who are easy targets, and for the most part, popular scapegoats that other parents mistreat liberally. In retrospect, your approach was definitely the best one I can think of.” Very few children will be the next Michael Jordan or Katie Hazelwood or Helen Hyde. It is best not to pressure them or lay heavy expectations on them to win or to be someone they are not. Encourage them to be the best they can be. And finally, make it fun! The best gift we can give our children in sports is to help them to enjoy the activity so they will continue to pursue it when they get older, not just as spectators, but as active participants. We have far too many “armchair athletes” in this country! If you handle kids positively, you can help them learn valuable lessons through sport that will stay with them through life.

And don’t forget to stay active yourself—we are all still kids at heart!

What does the word retrospect mean as it is used in the speech?

• contrast

• hindsight

• forethought

• agreement

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Read the following passage and answer the questions.

Seeing in Stereo

1 Have you ever asked yourself why you have two eyes instead of one, three, or even hundreds as some insects have? Have you wondered why your eyes are set close together on the front of your face rather than on the sides of your head, as on animals like rabbits, antelopes, and horses? The reasons are simple—and important to the way you see the rest of your world.

2 Your eyes are like two small cameras. A camera captures an image of an object and records this image in miniature on a small piece of film. Similarly, when you look at something, each eye takes in what it sees and sends this image to the back of the eyeball. From each eye, an optic nerve then sends the image to the brain. Because your eyes are set close together, they view the world from about the same height but from slightly different angles. While your right eye sees an object a little to the right, your left eye sees the same object slightly to the left. Working as a team, the eyes send the images to the part of your brain called the cerebral cortex, which assembles them into a single, centered image.

3 Seeing with two eyes working together is called stereoscopic vision. This allows you to view the world in three dimensions, or 3-D. These dimensions are height, width, and depth. Perceiving depth allows you to judge the distance between you and the objects you see. It also helps you to adjust to the changing angle at which you see something as you move closer to or farther away from it. As you walk along a sidewalk, for example, seeing in stereo helps you to know how close you are to the street, how far you need to walk to arrive at a certain building, and how close you are to stepping on a rock or a piece of glass. As your body moves, your eyes give you a continual flow of information about where things are in relation to where you are.

4 If images are coming from only one eye, however, only two of these dimensions—height and width—can be perceived. A world seen with one eye is thus two-dimensional, as in a photograph. Depth perception is lacking, making it more difficult to move around safely.

5 Now consider why your two eyes are located on the front of your face. Think of other animals with this same arrangement. Some examples are lions, wolves, and owls. What do these creatures have in common? They are all animals that hunt. These animals have eyes facing directly in front of them. This provides a field of vision that is about 180 degrees wide, like a half-circle. This kind of sight is called binocular vision.

6 On the other hand, animals that are hunted have eyes on the sides of the head. This provides nearly a 360-degree field of vision. Because these animals need to be on the alert in order to stay alive, they need to see things coming from the sides and from behind. However, without stereoscopic vision, these animals have a more difficult time determining how far away a threat is.

7 With vision that is both stereoscopic and binocular, humans share with predators the ability to see clearly from side to side and to accurately determine how far away objects are. If you think it would be great to have another type of vision, perhaps with hundreds of tiny eyes like many insects do, think again! Each tiny insect eye sees only a tiny part of what the creature is viewing. Besides, what if you needed glasses? Be glad for the eyesight that you have.

What does the author of this passage conclude about “seeing in stereo”?

• It helps people to have better vision than animals have.

• It would be better if it allowed for a wider field of vision.

• It is similar to the way cameras work.

• It is an ability humans are fortunate to have.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

Read the sentence from the "Stereo" passage.

If images are coming from only one eye, however, only two of these dimensions— height and width—can be perceived.

In this sentence, perceived means which of the following definitions?

takenseenunderstoodset

• taken

• seen

• understood

• set

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RI.7.4