At The Head of Her Class, And Homeless

What makes Rashema Melson such an exceptional student?

• She lives in a homeless shelter that houses over 800 people.

• She always does her homework even though she lives with her mother and two brothers.

• She graduated at the top of her class even though she is homeless.

• She takes all of the hardest classes at school.

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TEKS.ELA.3.9D.I

TEKS.ELA.4.9D.I

TEKS.ELA.5.9D.I

TEKS.ELA.PSW.5B

TEKS.ELA.RI.4D

What phrase best describes the homeless shelter where Melson lives?

• large but quiet

• loud and busy

• peaceful and relaxing

• exciting and fun

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TEKS.ELA.5.8D

TEKS.ELA.6.7D

TEKS.ELA.7.7D

TEKS.ELA.8.7D

TEKS.ELA.E2.6B

How was Melson able to be a successful student while she was homeless?

• by taking a leadership role on her sports teams

• by quitting sports and getting a job to help her focus on school

• by sharing the details of her life with other students

• by focusing on her education and getting help from teachers

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TEKS.ELA.3.9D.I

TEKS.ELA.4.9D.I

TEKS.ELA.5.9D.I

TEKS.ELA.PSW.5B

TEKS.ELA.RI.4D

Which of the following statements would Melson most likely agree with?

• Kids should drop out of school if they need to help support their family.

• Even when life is hard, you have to keep on trying.

• Only poor kids have problems.

• People with a lot of money have no reason to ever be embarrassed.

Which of the following best describes the central idea of the article?

• A homeless high school student is motivated to help support her fellow students get scholarships for college.

• The best way to succeed in school is to study hard in and out of the classroom.

• Scholarships should be given to homeless high school students who excel both in and out of the classroom.

• A high school student perserveres through the difficulties of homelessness and is awarded a full college scholarship.

Tags

TEKS.ELA.3.9D.I

TEKS.ELA.4.9D.I

TEKS.ELA.5.9D.I

TEKS.ELA.PSW.5B

TEKS.ELA.RI.4D

Part A: What does the word "reluctantly" mean as used in paragraph 2?

• unenthusiastically

• patiently

• surprisingly

• angrily

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TEKS.ELA.5.3B

TEKS.ELA.6.2B

TEKS.ELA.7.2B

TEKS.ELA.8.2B

TEKS.ELA.CR.2F

Part B: Which of the following phrases from the text best supports your answer to Part A?

• "The shelter houses up to 300 adults and 500 children" (Paragraph 1)

•  “I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite place.” (Paragraph 3)

• "She would often wake up in the middle of the night" (Paragraph 4)

•  "Melson says she didn’t keep her homelessness a secret from classmates" (Paragraph 4)

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TEKS.ELA.6.8C

TEKS.ELA.E1.11H

TEKS.ELA.E4.11H

TEKS.MATH.7.8C

TEKS.MATH.8.8C

Which statement best describes Rashema Melson's plans for college?

• Melson wishes she could go to college, but she is instead planning on staying at home to support her family.

• Melson is attending a college far from home because she because she wants to forget about her rough childhood.

• Melson wants to go to college so she can start a homeless shelter that is more helpful than the one where she lived.

• Melson is attending college with a scholarship and already has plans about what to do after graduating.

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TEKS.ELA.6.6D

TEKS.ELA.7.6D

TEKS.ELA.8.6D

TEKS.ELA.E2.5D

TEKS.ELA.RI.4D

Answer the following statement in 4 sentences.

1.Topic (restate the question/statement)

2. Evidence (give a piece of evidence to explain your answer)

3. Explain (explain how your evidence supports your answer or what your evidence means)

4. Conclusion (restate your topic or sum up your answer)

Explain why the author added paragraph 14 to the article.

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TEKS.ELA.ABJ.3A

TEKS.ELA.CM.3B

TEKS.ELA.J.2B

TEKS.ELA.J.3A

TEKS.ELA.J.4A