Grade 3 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS Sample
Read the passage and answer questions 1 through 5.
by Kerry Mc Gee
One afternoon, Jessie spotted a tiny bird fluttering around Mrs. Baxter’s front door. Mrs. Baxter had just moved into an apartment.
It’s probably looking for somebody to fill the bird feeders, Jessie thought.
The bird perched on the edge of the wreath. Then it disappeared.
Disappeared? Jessie ran over to Mrs. Baxter’s door. Where had it gone?
A jumble of sticks and grass stuck out from the middle of the wreath. Suddenly, Jessie understood. A nest! A bird’s nest sat right in the middle of Mrs. Baxter’s wreath. The bird poked its head out and looked at Jessie. Then it fluttered away.
Jessie crept up to the front door. Tucked inside the nest were four speckled blue eggs.
Jessie ran home to call Mrs. Baxter. “Guess who moved into your old wreath!” Jessie said. “A family of birds!”
Mrs. Baxter sounded just as excited as Jessie was. “Tell me what they look like. What color are the eggs?”
Jessie and Mrs. Baxter talked about the birds for a while. “They sound like house finches,” Mrs. Baxter said. “Keep an eye on them for me, will you?”
“I will,” Jessie said.
And she did. Jessie checked the nest whenever she could. Sometimes the mother finch was there. Other days, the red-headed papa was nearby. Jessie tried to notice everything so she could tell Mrs. Baxter.
One morning, Jessie saw a pink head poking out of the nest. Babies! Jessie strained her neck to get a better look.
Jessie told her dad about the baby birds at Mrs. Baxter’s house.
“That reminds me,” Dad said, “Mrs. Baxter has movers coming tomorrow to clear out the house. I told her I’d unlock the door for them.”
“But what about the nest?”
Dad shook his head. “We’ll just have to tell the movers to be careful.”
Jessie thought about the movers tromping in and out, squeezing heavy boxes and furniture past the tiny nest. She thought about the door swinging and slamming all day long. It seemed risky.
The next morning, Jessie watched the moving truck pull up in front of Mrs. Baxter’s house.
Dad saw the truck, too, and came outside with the key.
Jessie jumped up. She ran ahead of the movers and Dad to Mrs. Baxter’s front door. “Wait!” she shouted, spinning around to face them.
Behind her, the mama bird burst out of its nest. It landed in a tree. The movers looked at Jessie in surprise.
“You can’t use this door,” Jessie said, holding her arms out stiff.
“I’m sorry,” one of the movers said. “We have a job to do.”
Jessie didn’t move. “There’s a nest in the wreath,” Jessie explained. “If you open the door, it will fall.”
The other mover sighed, “Do you have any ideas?”
Jessie nodded. “I do have an idea. Dad, can I have the key?”
As carefully as she could, Jessie unlocked the front door and eased it open. When it was just wide enough to slip through, she ducked into Mrs. Baxter’s house.
She’d been in there many times, so it didn’t take her long to find the side door and unlock it from the inside.
“Got it!” Jessie called, running around to the front of the house. “The side door is open!”
One of the movers was peering into the wreath. “Hey,” he said, “There are babies in there.” He grinned at Jessie. I bet that mama bird is glad you’re watching out for her babies.”
Jessie smiled as she and Dad thanked the movers for their help. Then she ran and disappeared into her own house. She couldn’t wait to call Mrs. Baxter.
“A Few New Neighbors” by Kerry McGee, from Highlights for Children.
Jason is writing a report for his teacher about keeping lizards as classroom pets. The student wants to revise the draft to have a better opening. Read the draft of the paragraph and complete the task that follows.
Lizards are easy to take care of. First, you need to find a small glass tank. You should place some twigs, some grass, some leaves, and plenty of food inside the tank. Lizards eat insects such as flies, worms, and crickets, which can be found easily. There is not as much cleaning to do for lizards as there is for hamsters or birds. Clean out the lizard's tank each day by wiping up spills and removing uneaten food. You should wash out the tank with warm, soapy water weekly. Rinse and dry everything before putting your lizard back in the tank.
Choose the sentence that best introduces the topic of the student’s report.
A student is writing an opinion paper for class about serving flavored milk in school cafeterias. Read the draft of the essay and complete the task that follows.
Some people believe that schools should not serve flavored milk at lunch. According to them, students get too much sugar. It is true that flavored milk has more sugar than plain milk, but some students just will not drink plain milk. If that happens, they will not get the necessary vitamins. That can't be good. Drinking flavored milk is certainly healthier than not drinking any milk at all.
The beginning of the student’s essay does not state her opinion. Write an opening paragraph that states the opinion and explains what the topic is about.
Allison is writing a story for her teacher about a trip to a state park. Read the draft of the story and complete the task that follows.
My family went to a state park to see the sandhill cranes. Sandhill cranes are noisy creatures who stick close together in flocks. The birds are grayish with a touch of dark red on their forehead. Sandhill cranes live in marshes, which are low-lying areas often covered in water. My sister saw one crane eat a worm it found on the dirty ground. We were amazed that the cranes got along with each other. The cranes threw their heads back and sang loudly. We liked watching the cranes dancing and leaping high in the air. My sister and I were thrilled to see how these cranes behaved.
The writer wants to replace the underlined word to make her meaning clearer. Which two words would make her word choice better?
Choose the sentence that contains a spelling error.
Which of the following sentences has an error in grammar usage?
A student is writing a report about squirrels. Read the sentences from the source and the directions that follow.
The Virginia northern flying squirrel is a small animal that lives in the treetops of forests; however, it has an amazing ability. It is able to “fly,” or glide, over 100 feet at a time.
The squirrel’s flying gift comes from a flap of skin that goes from the front leg to the back leg that allows the squirrel to glide distances of up to 135 feet! The squirrel can move across the treetops, gliding from branch to branch. When it gets to where it wants to land, it pulls back and slows down, preparing for a soft landing! When it is gliding, it uses its tail to help it change direction.
The parts of the student’s report are listed below. Where in the report should the student place the information from the source?
A student is writing a research report about elephants. The student took notes and thought of three main ideas for her report. For each note, select the main idea it best supports
Main idea A: | Main Idea B: | Main Idea C: | |
|---|---|---|---|
Note 1: Elephants need 300 pounds of food every day | |||
Note 2: An elephant has a long nose called a truck | |||
Note 3: Elephants like grass, leaves, and roots for their meals | |||
Note 4:Elephants live in deserts and rain forests |
A student is writing a report about how to build a tree house. Which source would most likely have information for the report?
Read the sentence and directions that follow.
Children and adults can work together.
Choose the two details that best support this conclusion.
This question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.
Part A
Which sentence best describes the lesson of the passage?
Read the sentence from the passage.
A jumble of sticks and grass stuck out from the middle of the wreath.
What does the word jumble most likely mean?
Why is including dialogue important to understanding the passage? Pick three choices.
Read the sentence from the passage.
As carefully as she could, Jessie unlocked the front door and eased it open.
What does the phrase “eased it open” tell the reader about Jessie?
Part B
Which sentence from the passage best supports your answer in part A?