Passage-Related Reading Items for Informational Text

Enhanced Assessment

NECAP Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) for Reading End of Grade 5

Passage-Related Reading Items for Informational Text - "A Whale of a Tale"

This article tells about a whale named J.J. that scientists are preparing to release into the ocean. Read the article and then answer the questions that follow.

A Whale of a Tale

A gray whale raised at Sea World must learn to live in the Sea

As a scientist studying gray whales, Jim Sumich needs a lot of patience. He has spent years out at sea quietly waiting for baby gray whales to come to the surface. Sometimes he uses small balloons to trap the air from their blowholes, the openings on the tops of their heads. By studying their breathing, Sumich hopes to learn more about how a gray whale's body works.

One day in January 1997, Sumich got a big break. A 1,660-pound newborn gray whale washed up on a California shore. Animal-rescue workers brought the tired, hungry orphan, a female, to Sea World in San Diego and named her J.J. "Suddenly we had this week-old gray whale drop in our laps," Sumich says. J.J.'s arrival gave scientists the rare chance to study one of the sea's great giants up close. They learned new information about how gray whales breathe, hear and feed. But the scientists had an even bigger plan for J.J. They decided that someday they would try to release her back into the ocean.

J.J.'s Jumbo Progress

Before she could return to her natural home, J.J. had to grow strong. She needed to gain a lot of weight, so workers cooked up a high-fat formula that was like whale's milk. The recipe? Heavy cream, clams and powdered milk. It may sound fishy to you, but J.J. gulped it down and started growing and growing and growing. Since arriving at Sea World, J.J. has been gaining about two pounds every hour! She now weighs more than 17,000 pounds and is 29 feet long. And she's not nearly full grown.

J.J. is so healthy that scientists think she is almost ready to return to the ocean. They hope to release her in the next few weeks, when gray whales are migrating from southern Pacific waters near Mexico to colder waters near Alaska. "She'll have other gray whales to follow and to teach her where to feed," says Kevin Robinson, J.J.'s chief caretaker at Sea World.

A Risky Return

But J.J.'s release won't be easy. For one thing, she's huge! A 32-foot long sling has been designed to load her onto the back of a truck and then onto a boat. "Anything could happen," says Keith Yip, Sea World's supervisor of animal care. "Nothing like this has ever been done before."

Scientists are also concerned that J. J. may have problems eating on her own. J.J. is a baleen (buh-leen) whale, which means she has stiff bristles instead of teeth. The bristles trap tiny, shrimplike creatures called krill, as well as small fish and worms. It takes a lot of krill to fill a gray whale's giant belly-2,400 pounds a day! It's too hard for scientists to collect that much krill, so they've fed her squid and fish instead. Now they are hoping that J.J. will learn to eat krill once she's back in the ocean.

Even if J.J. does develop a taste for krill, scientists are worried she may not realize that killer whales have a taste for her! Killer whales are a natural enemy of gray whales. But J.J.'s tank at Sea World is near the killer whale tank, and she may not fear them the way she should.

Riding A Wave Of Support

Still, J.J.'s sheltered life at Sea World may give her some advantages. "She is probably the healthiest, best rested 14 month-old gray whale on this planet," says Sumich.

Did You Know?

The blue whale is the world's largest animal. An elephant can fit on a blue whale's tongue!

Gray whales were hunted almost to extinction during the 19th and early 20th centuries. But their population has bounced back since they gained legal protection in 1946. Today there are more than 20,000 of them.

A Whale's skin is coated with oil to help it slide through the water. The skin feels smooth and rubbery, like a hard-boiled egg.

A whale's tooth forms a new ring every year, just like a tree. Scientists can tell a whale's age by cutting a tooth in half and counting the rings.

A blue whale's heart weighs as much as a Volkswagen Beetle car!

Whales are able to grow to such a huge size because their weight is held up by the water in the ocean. Their bones are lightweight and full of holes, like sponges.

Killer Whales are the fastest whales-they can swim as fast as 34 miles an hour! They got their name because they rule as the ocean's top hunters. They eat fish, seals, dolphins and other whales. But they do not eat humans.

Whales cannot see well underwater, but they have very good hearing. Whales and bats are the only animals to use a system called echolocation. They find their way by following sounds and echoes. They also use sounds to find food.

Male humpback whales sing to attract females. Each whale has his own song. A recording of humpback songs flew onboard the voyager spacecraft as a greeting from Planet Earth!

The humpback has the longest flippers of any whale, up to 17 feet!

Whales, like humans, are mammals. Baby whales are called calves, and they drink milk from their mothers.

Used with permission from TIME For Kids magazine.

Passage-Related Reading Items for Informational Text - "A Whale of a Tale"

Sample Reading Items for End of Grade 5

Information about the Items

1. What is the meaning of rare as used in paragraph 2?

A. uncommon
B. typical
C. popular
D. lightly cooked

Key: A

R-5-3.2 (multiple meanings)

Item Type: MC - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-3.2: Shows breadth of vocabulary knowledge through demonstrating understanding of word meanings or relationships by … Selecting appropriate words or explaining the use of words in context, including, words with multiple meanings

Depth of Knowledge: Level 2 - Use context cues to identify the meaning of unfamiliar words

2. Which section would you most likely find information about what life in the ocean will be like for J.J.?

A. the first section
B. "J.J.'s Jumbo Progress"
C. "A Risky Return"
D. "Did You Know?"

Key: C

R-5-7.1 (use text features - subheadings)

Item Type: MC - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-7.1: Demonstrate initial understanding of informational texts (expository) by… Obtaining information from text features (e.g., headings, subheadings)

Depth of Knowledge: Level 2 - Obtain information using text features of informational text

3. The headings in this article are used to show

A. the different stages of J.J.'s life.
B. what each section will be about.
C. the conflict J.J. faces in each of the sections.
D. what information the author feels is the most important.

Key: B

R-5-7.1 (use text features - subheadings)

Item Type: MC - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-7.1: Demonstrate initial understanding of informational texts (expository) by… Obtaining information from text features (e.g., headings, subheadings)

Depth of Knowledge: Level 2 - Obtain information using text features of informational text

4. According to the article, the scientists are waiting to release J.J. until

A. she gains enough weight.
B. it is time to migrate.
C. she has learned to protect herself from killer whales.
D. they find better equipment to help her.

Key: A

R-5-7.2 (key details)

Item Type: MC - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-7.2: Demonstrate initial understanding of informational texts (expository) by…Using information from the text to answer questions related to key details

Depth of Knowledge: Level 1 - Locate or recall facts or details explicitly presented in text

5. According to the article, which is one way that J.J.'s life will be different when she is released?

A. She will eat more in the wild.
B. She will become dangerous to people.
C. She will sing more songs.
D. She will need to eat different things.

Key: D

R-5-7.2 (key details)

Item Type: MC - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-7.2: Demonstrate initial understanding of informational texts (expository) by…Using information from the text to answer questions related to key details

Depth of Knowledge: Level 1 - Locate or recall facts or details explicitly presented in text

6. Fill in the chart using information from the article.

What will help J.J. survive in the ocean?
How will this help J.J. survive in the ocean?

6. See item above.

R-5-7.3 (organize information) Key: Scoring Guide

Item Type: CR - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-7.3: Demonstrate initial understanding of informational texts (expository and practical texts) by…Organizing information to show understanding (e.g., representing main/central ideas or details within text through charting, paraphrasing, summarizing)

Depth of Knowledge: Level 3 - Explain, generalize, or connect ideas, using supporting evidence from the text

7. Fill in the chart comparing and contrasting J.J.’s life at Sea World with what her life will most likely be like in the ocean. Use details from the article as support.

Categories
J.J.’s life at Sea World
J.J.’s life in the ocean

Food and Diet
1.

Safety
2.

7. See item above.

R-5-7.3 (organize information) Key: Scoring Guide

Item Type: CR - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-7.3: Demonstrate initial understanding of informational texts (expository) by…Organizing information to show understanding (e.g., representing main/central ideas or details within text through charting, paraphrasing, summarizing, or comparing/contrasting)

Depth of Knowledge: Level 3 - Explain, generalize, or connect ideas, using supporting evidence from the text

8. Describe the relationship between J.J. and the scientists. Use details from the article to support your response.

R-5-8.1 (connect information in text) Key: Scoring Guide

Item Type: CR - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-8.1: Analyze and interpret informational text, citing evidence as appropriate by… Connecting information within a text

Depth of Knowledge: Level 3 - Explain, generalize, or connect ideas, using supporting evidence from the text

9. The boxed information is most likely included in the article to

A. prove that whales are interesting.
B. show some of the dangers whales face.
C. give interesting information about whales.
D. encourage the reader to find other books about whales.

Key: C

R-5-8.3 (inference - author's purpose)

Item Type: MC - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-8.3: Analyze and interpret informational text, citing evidence as appropriate by…Drawing inferences about text, including author's purpose (e.g., to inform, explain, entertain, persuade) or message

Depth of Knowledge: Level 3 - Draw inferences about author's purpose, author's message or theme (explicit or implied)

10. Which sentence from the article is a statement of fact?

A. "As a scientist studying gray whales, Jim Sumich needs a lot of patience."
B. "J.J. is so healthy that scientists think she is almost ready to return to the ocean."
C. "But J.J.'s release won't be easy."
D. "Killer whales are a natural enemy of gray whales."

Key: D

R-5-8.4 (fact/opinion)

Item Type: MC - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-8.4: Analyze and interpret informational text, citing evidence as appropriate by… Distinguishing fact from opinion

Depth of Knowledge: Level 2 - Distinguish between fact and opinion

11. What dangers does J.J. face once she is released into the ocean? Use specific details from the article to explain the dangers.

R-5-8.5 (inference - cause-effect) Key: Scoring Guide

Item Type: CR - related to passage

Alignment to GLE R-5-8.5: Analyze and interpret informational text, citing evidence as appropriate by… Making inferences about causes or effects

Depth of Knowledge: Level 3 - Make and support inferences about implied causes and effects

Supplemental Information about Text Passages Used for End of Grade 5

Title of Passage

Text Type

Text Descriptors

"A Whale of a Tale," from Time for Kids (1998)

Informational

Magazine Article

Includes complex information presented through factual details and brief summaries
Varied and challenging vocabulary, including use of technical words; content-specific terms are described or explained (e.g., baleen, use of bristles) in context
Multiple ideas, based on factual content are included
Text features include subheadings, pronunciation help ("buh-leen" for baleen), and inset text (Did you Know?) to support understanding
Full range of punctuation used

For more information about "Increasing Text Complexity," see NECAP Reading GLEs Grades 3-8 - Appendix F For more information about Suggested Informational and Literary Texts, see NECAP Reading GLEs Grades 3-8 - Appendix A

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© January 2005. Produced in partnership with New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont Departments of Education, Education Development Center, and the Center for Assessment. Permission to photocopy is granted for use in individual classrooms and professional development settings.