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COMMON CORE
Assessments
Sample Items
Student Test Form
Grade 3 Reading – Volcanic Eruptions/Lessons in Lava
103188A Passage
Read Selection 1, an article about questions people have about volcanic eruptions.
SELECTION 1
Can We Predict Volcanic Eruptions?
All reading passages consist
of authentic text and are
grade-level appropriate. Here,
informational text is written for
grade 3 students.
Today, there are many active volcanoes worldwide. Is there anything we can do to predict how
and when they will erupt?
As the world’s population grows, more and more people are living in potentially dangerous
volcanic areas. Volcanic eruptions continue—as they have throughout most of geologic time*—
posing ever-greater threats to life and property.
Mt. Rainier looms over the Seattle/Tacoma area, endangering a population of more than three
million people. South of Mexico City, Popocatépetl has begun to come to life again, putting a
million nearby residents at risk. Another million people living in the Naples area are threatened by
Mt. Vesuvius’ continued unrest. The need for planning is urgent.
* geologic time: a long period in Earth’s history
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Sample Items
COMMON CORE
Assessments
Grade 3 Reading – Volcanic Eruptions/Lessons in Lava
The Inside of a Volcano
Gases, ashes,
and steam
Crater
Lava
Older layers
Upper mantle
Crust
Lower mantle
Core
Magma under
pressure
“Can We Predict Volcanic Eruptions?” from www.lerner.org/interactives/volcanoes. Copyright © 2012 by the Annenberg Foundation.
Published by Annenberg/Lerner.
“Lessons in Lava” by Michael Finkel, from magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer. Copyright © 2010 by the National Geographic
Society. Published by the National Geographic Society.
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COMMON CORE
Assessments
Sample Items
Grade 3 Reading – Volcanic Eruptions/Lessons in Lava
103189A Passage
Read Selection 2, an article about scientists who study volcanoes. Then answer the questions
that follow.
SELECTION 2
Lessons in Lava
Earth’s plates float on the liquid part of the
mantle. They constantly shift and move. Some
bump into each other. Some slide past each
other. Other plates pull apart. Goma sits on
plates that are pulling apart. When these plates
shift, magma can shoot out as lava.
It takes a full day to climb up the side of
the volcano. Dario Tedesco and Ken Sims
stand on the edge of the crater. They are
volcano scientists. They look down and see an
amazing sight. Inside, a lake of lava crackles
and pops. It is one of the largest lava lakes in
the world.
The lava is melted rock. It comes from
deep inside the volcano. It bubbles and boils.
It roars like a jet plane taking off. The lava
shoots upward. It changes from orange to
black as it cools.
Sims points down at the lake. “There,” he
says, “is where I’d really love to get a sample.”
Goma in Trouble
When the volcano erupted in 1977, the
walls holding the lava lake broke. A river of
lava raced down the volcano. It flowed through
the city. It destroyed everything in its path.
In 2002, the volcano erupted again. Lava
set fire to thousands of homes. It buried
buildings. Yet these were only small eruptions.
Future eruptions could be much bigger. They
could do much more damage. That’s why the
scientists worry about Goma.
The Volcano
They call this volcano Nyiragongo. It’s one
of the most active volcanoes on Earth. The
city of Goma sits at the base of the volcano.
When the volcano erupts, the city is in great
danger. That’s why these scientists have come
here. They want to protect the city.
Beneath Goma is a crack in Earth’s crust.
This outer layer of Earth is broken into large
pieces. The pieces are called plates.
When students answer items associated with these
Looking passages,
for Lava they are asked to show evidence that
Whendemonstrates
will the volcano
erupt
again? Sims of these learning
their
understanding
and Tedesco
want
to
know.
To
find
out, they
targets*:
need rock and gas samples from the volcano.
1. wants
I canmost
identify
What Sims
of allthe
is ameaning
“zero-ageof words and phrases
in
a
text.
sample.” A zero-age sample is a chunk of
freshly hardened
lava.
The sample
will to
help
2. I can
answer
questions
explain what readers
Sims predict the
next
eruption.
There’s
can learn from reading aonly
text.
one place to get it. It must come near the lava
3. itI can
a picture
a certain
lake. Getting
will explain
be hard.how
Gurgling
lava represents
can
phrase
from
a
text.
shoot into the air. Sims will be in great danger.
Moving Plates
Beneath Earth’s plates lies the mantle. It is
made up of mostly magma, or liquid rock. Under
the mantle is Earth’s inner and outer core.
4. I can use text features to locate information in a
text.
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5. I can identify the sentence that explains a certain
phrase in a text.
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6. I can tell the difference between the author’s
point of view and other points of view.
7. I can explain how information in one text helps in
understanding information in another text.
*Learning targets are included with Testlets.
COMMON CORE
Assessments
Sample Items
Grade 3 Reading – Volcanic Eruptions/Lessons in Lava
He can smell the bitter fumes. He can feel the
terrible heat. Sims knows he needs protection.
He puts on a special suit. It will protect him
from the heat. Now he begins to climb up the
lake’s wall. His foot slips. He smells burning
rubber. One of his shoes is melting.
The Journey Down
Sims’ small team starts to climb into the
crater. They each wear a safety harness. They
move very slowly.
Sims goes first. He attaches a rope to the
rock. Then he clips his harness onto the rope.
Slowly he steps down the volcano’s walls. His
team follows in a single file. Loose rocks fall
away beneath their feet.
They climb down until the sun begins to set.
Then the team stops. They set camp up on a
ledge. The lava lake glows fiery hot below them.
Beating the Odds
Sims keeps going. He peeks over a ridge
of freshly hardened lava. The boiling lava lake
bubbles below. Steady now. Steady. He slams
his fist into the hardened lava. A piece breaks
off. He grabs his sample. Success!
Sims risked his life, but it was worth it.
What he holds could save many lives. He
looks at the hot rock in his hands. It isn’t
enough. Days of hard work still lie ahead. He
starts to climb back up. He thinks, “Now it’s
time for us to get to work.”
Getting to Work
In the morning, Sims and the team get to
work. They put on gas masks. The masks will
protect them from toxic gases that come from
the volcano.
Then they begin to collect samples. Sims
thinks he is the best one to get the zero-age
sample. He is a good climber. He can find the
right sample, but it will be dangerous. Sims
is worried. He thinks about his family. His
children need him. Should he do this? In the
end, he decides he must.
Key Words
lava: melted rock that comes out of a volcano
crust: outermost layer of Earth
mantle: a layer inside Earth
inner core: hottest part of Earth
outer core: liquid layer below the mantle
magma: liquid rock
plates: large pieces of the outer layer of Earth
To the Lake
Sims throws his rope over the ledge. He
climbs down to the crater floor. Here, he can’t
see the lake. The steep sides of the lake’s walls
block his view. He can hear the hissing gases.
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COMMON CORE
Assessments
Sample Items
Grade 3 Reading – Volcanic Eruptions/Lessons in Lava
STUDENT NAME:
TEACHER NAME:
DATE:
Reading Informational Texts
Can We Predict Volcanic Eruptions?/Lessons in Lava
For each question, choose the correct answer. Then completely fill in the circle for the answer
you chose.
105392A Multiple Choice C Common
105390A Multiple Choice A Common
1. In Selection 1, the author uses the word
active to mean
3. In Selection 1, which phrase does the
photograph mainly represent?
large in size.
A
high above the ground.
B
full of force.
C
one of a kind.
D
A
“has begun to come to life again”
B
“ever-greater threats to life and
property”
C
“endangering a population of more
than three million people”
Students are asked
D
“Volcanic eruptions continue”
to use written
words and visuals to
extract meaning. This
standard addresses
105393A Multiple Choice C Common
4. In Selection 2, what is a mantle? the prevalence of
media in all aspects
the outer layer of Earth
A
of life. Focusing
the hottest part of Earth
B
classroom instruction
on how to interpret
a layer inside Earth
C
various elements helps
liquid rock inside Earth
D
students build realworld skills.
105389A Multiple Choice B Common
2. In Selection 1, readers can learn that the
volcanoes are
located in the same area.
A
a danger for people.
B
difficult to see.
C
far away from people.
D
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COMMON CORE
Assessments
Sample Items
In this selected-response item, students are assessed on logical connections within
the text: understanding comparison, cause and effect, and sequencing. Their grasp of
these concepts will be evident when answering the constructed-response item, which
calls for an integration of individual skills, showing evidence of learning progressions.
Grade 3 Reading – Volcanic Eruptions/Lessons in Lava
105553A Multiple Choice B Common
105555A Multiple Choice C Common
5. In Selection 2, which sentence explains
what Sims is looking for when the
author says A piece breaks off?
6. A student in your class believes it
is easy to go into a volcano. Which
sentence from Selection 2 would
distinguish the student’s point of view
from the author’s point of view?
A
“Loose rocks fall away beneath their
feet.”
A
“Sims goes first.”
B
“Sims throws his rope over the
ledge.”
B
“A zero-age sample is a chunk of
freshly hardened lava.”
C
“The steep sides of the lake’s walls
block his view.”
C
“He can feel the terrible heat.”
D
“He peeks over a ridge of freshly
hardened lava.”
D
“He smells burning rubber.”
For this question, write your answer in the box provided. Be sure to support your answer with details.
105558A Constructed Response Common
7. Identify what the author in Selection 1 is trying to find out. Then explain how
Selection 2 may help with what the author wants to know. Provide evidence from the
selections to support your answer.
This item is a DOK 2 level. This target standard (ELA -Literacy.RI.3.3) calls for
students to display their understanding of relationships between a series of
historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a
text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
Competencies that can be
assessed in a constructedresponse item like this one
include vocabulary, writing
competency, and reading
comprehension.
A well-crafted answer would include information on what Selection 1 is “trying to
find out,” with further explanation and support from Selection 2 that helps answer
the author’s question in Selection 1. The scaffolding in this item calls for students
to build an argument that describes the relationship between the two passages,
using concepts like time, sequence, and cause and effect. When students answer
accurately and completely, it shows evidence of their mastery of the standard.
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