1. technology and computing

COMMON CORE
Assessments
Sample Items
Student Test Form
Grade 8 Reading – Is Google Making Us Stupid?/You Decide
103805A Passage
Read Selection 1, an excerpt from a book.
SELECTION 1
Is Google Making Us Stupid?
YES
Paired passages for reading selections include either informational or
Who doesn’t love Google? In the blink of an
literary texts; such as, authentic literary stories, play scripts, historical fiction,
eye, the search engine delivers useful information
informational
brochures, or science-based articles.
about historical
pretty muchdocuments,
any subject imaginable.
I use it
all the time, and I’m guessing you do too.
But I worry about what Google is doing to our
brains. What really makes us intelligent isn’t our
ability to find lots of information quickly. It’s our
ability to think deeply about that information. And
deep thinking, brain scientists have discovered,
happens only when our minds are calm and
attentive. The greater our concentration, the richer
our thoughts.
If we’re distracted, we understand less,
remember less, and learn less.
Graphic 1
That’s the problem with Google—and with the
Internet in general. When we use our computers and
our cellphones all the time, we’re always distracted.
it’s also encouraging us to think superficially. It’s
The Net bombards us with messages and other
making us shallow.
bits of data, and every one of those interruptions
If you’re really interested in developing your
breaks our train of thought. We end up scatterbrained.
mind, you should turn off your computer and your
The fact is, you’ll never think deeply if you’re always
cellphone—and start thinking. Really thinking. You
Googling, texting, and surfing.
can Google all the facts you want, but you’ll never
Google doesn’t want us to slow down. The faster
Google your way to brilliance.
we zip across the Web, clicking links and skimming
words and pictures, the more ads Google is able
Nicholas Carr, Author
to show us and the more money it makes. So even
The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
as Google is giving us all that useful information,
1
©2012 Measured Progress. All rights reserved.
Go On
COMMON CORE
Assessments
Sample Items
Grade 8 Reading – Is Google Making Us Stupid?/You Decide
103806A Passage
Read Selection 2, an article from the director of research at Google, Inc. Then answer the questions that follow.
SELECTION 2
Is Google Making Us Stupid?
NO
Any new information technology has both
advocates and critics. More than 2,000 years
ago, the classical Greek philosopher Socrates
complained that the new technology of writing
“will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls
because they will not use their memories.”
Today, Google is the new technology. The Internet
contains the world’s best writing, images, and ideas;
Google lets us find the relevant pieces instantly.
Suppose I’m interested in the guidance computers
on Apollo spacecraft in the 1960s. My local library
has no books on that specific subject—just 18 books
about the Apollo missions in general. I could hunt
through those or turn to Google, which returns
45,000 pages, including a definitive encyclopedia
article and instructions for building a unit.
Just as a car allows us to move faster and a
telescope lets us see farther, access to the Internet’s
information lets us think better and faster. By
considering a wide range of information, we can
arrive at more creative and informed solutions.
Internet users are more likely to be exposed to a
diversity of ideas. In politics, for example, they are
likely to see ideas from left and right, and see how
news is reported in other countries.
There’s no doubt the Internet can create
distractions. But 81 percent of experts polled by the
Pew Internet Research Project say the opportunities
outweigh the distractions.
Graphic 2
Socrates was wrong to fear the coming of
the written word: Writing has improved our law,
science, arts, culture, and our memory. When the
history of our current age is written, it will say that
Google has made us smarter—both individually and
Aswe
a part
thisand
assessment,
collectively—because
haveof
ready
free access students will be
required to answer a constructed-response
to information.
item (#7). They will be asked to analyze
Peter Norvig, Director
of Research
conflicting
text between the two passages and
Google, Inc.
identify where the text disagrees on matters of
fact or interpretation. The level of rigor for this
item is DOK 2.
As teachers prepare students for this type
of analysis, their instruction would focus on
the concepts and elements students must
understand
order
to present a coherent
“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr and Peter Norvig, from The New York Times Upfront.
Copyrightin
© 2010
by Scholastic
and the New York Times Company. Reprinted by permission of Scholastic Inc.
argument. Follow-up classroom lessons might
include discussions on students’ first-hand
2
experiencesGo
or a On
more formal debate.
©2012 Measured Progress. All rights reserved.
COMMON CORE
Assessments
Sample Items
Grade 8 Reading – Is Google Making Us Stupid?/You Decide
STUDenT naMe:
TeacheR naMe:
DaTe:
Reading Informational Texts
Is Google Making Us Stupid?/You Decide
For each question, choose the correct answer. Then completely fill in the circle for the answer you chose.
106255A Multiple Choice D Common
1.
In Selection 1, the author states that the Net
bombards us with messages. This phrase
impacts the meaning of the selection by
showing
confusion of thought.
A
wandering of thought.
B
inaccuracy of thought.
C
destruction of thought.
D
106257A Multiple Choice A Common
3.
How does the last sentence of Selection 1
contribute to the development of the selection?
It states the disadvantage of using Google.
A
This itemB
aligns
to the Craft
and Structure
It introduces
background
about the history
cluster, andofthe
standard is asking the
Google.
student C
to demonstrate
of power
It reinforces theunderstanding
idea that unlimited
the meanings
of wordsonand
phrases that are
is available
Google.
used in textItinemphasizes
a variety of
ways. Students
the concept that brainpower
D
must analyze
the
impact
of
specific
word
increases when using
Google.
choices.
103807A Multiple Choice D Common
2.
Which statement from Selection 1 supports
what brain scientists have discovered about
Google?
106253A Multiple Choice B Common
4.
A
“Who doesn’t love Google?”
to inform people of the advances that have
A
been made since the time of Socrates
Key Ideas
and Details is another cluster;
to show that
resisted
change the
for
B
this
standard
asksSocrates
students
to identify
the
same
reason
people
do
today
text evidence that most strongly supports
to encourage
people
to doStudents
research on
theC
main
idea of the
author.
Google
to find out about
Socrates
cannot
use preconceived
notions,
to explain
how
the technology
personal
bias, or
popular
thoughtofinwriting
D
has changed
sinceanswer—they
the time of Socrates
choosing
the correct
must
rely on their comprehension of the text.
B
“In the blink of an eye, the search engine
delivers useful information about pretty
much any subject imaginable.”
C
“Google doesn’t want us to slow down.”
D
“So even as Google is giving us all that
useful information, it’s also encouraging
us to think superficially.”
3
©2012 Measured Progress. All rights reserved.
In Selection 2, why does the author compare
technology to the classical Greek philosopher
Socrates?
Go On
Sample Items
COMMON CORE
Assessments
One standard (ELA-Literacy.RI.8.8) belonging
to the Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
cluster calls upon students to delineate and
evaluate specific claims in the text, assessing
whether the reasoning is sound and the
evidence is relevant and sufficient. In turn,
students differentiate when irrelevant text is
introduced, as well.
Grade 8 Reading – Is Google Making Us Stupid?/You Decide
106261A Multiple Choice B Common
106258A Multiple Choice D Common
5.
6.
How does referring to old technology in
Selection 2 strengthen the argument in
support of new technology?
What is the advantage of using Graphic 1 and
Graphic 2 to help convey the meaning of the
selections?
It shows that there will always be new
A
They provide ways to apply the
A
It shows that new technology is eventually
B
accepted.
They make additional arguments beyond
B
technology.
It shows that fears about new technology
C
are wrong.
It shows that what may seem new has
D
been seen before.
information given by the authors of the
selections.
those made by the authors of the
selections.
They highlight the authors’ opinions about
C
the quality of information on the Internet.
They support the authors’ beliefs about
D
how people use information on the Internet.
For this question, write your answer in the box provided. Be sure to support your answer with details.
103808A Constructed Response Common
7.
Analyze how the authors’ arguments differ in Selection 1 The
and standard
Selection 2.(ELA-Literacy.RI.8.7)
Cite textual evidence for
to this item asks
support your answer.
students to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of
using difference mediums to present a particular topic or
idea. This helps prepare students for college and careers as
they learn how to collect research and use resources that
support written work, discussions, and presentations.
Here, students who answer correctly show evidence of
understanding the conceptual differences between two
different graphics. One graphic conveys the difficulty of
processing the information and the other conveys the
amount that can be processed. Students must use critical
thinking skills to make these distinctions.
Skills that students can be taught in the classroom that help them display mastery of Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
might include:
§§ Differentiating between main ideas and supporting details—important for both writing a complete and accurate
response and for reading comprehension.
§§ Making proper and relevant annotations—organizing thoughts to craft the response, build the argument, and include
supporting evidence.
4
©2012 Measured
Progress. Allskills—how
rights reserved.
§§ Integrating
real-world
to access resources (mixed media, the Internet, etc.) to research and build arguments,
support discussions, and create presentations.
§§ Using critical thinking to compare and contrast.
Each skill is important to assess; constructed-response items allow teachers to assess how a student integrates those skills
in a meaningful way.