Grade 9 District Formative Assessment-Extended Response Name Teacher

Transcription

1 Name Teacher /5 ER.DFA1.9.R.RI.05 Analyze in detail how an author s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter). Debate: Are Zoos Bad News? Tiger Attack Spurs Debate The phone call reached zoo director Manuel Mollinedo shortly after 5:00 p.m. as darkness was falling on San Francisco. One of his tigers was on the loose! She had escaped her enclosure and attacked a teenager and two other young men before bounding into the zoo's dense foliage and winding paths. As Mollinedo rushed to work, police declared the entire zoo a crime scene. After some searching, they found the resting tiger, a 4-year-old, 350-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana. They shot and killed the animal, but the damage had already been done. One of the men the tiger attacked, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., later died of his wounds. No one knows why Tatiana, a favorite among zoo visitors, attacked. Some witnesses say the men were taunting the tiger, although the two survivors deny it. Police are still investigating. Zoos Deserve Boos Zoo critics see the attack as another example of why zoos are bad news. Critics say that zoos are like prisons and that zoos drive many animals crazy by confining them. If the animals don't die of boredom, they snap and revert to their wild nature, they say. Anti-zoo activists talk about big cats endlessly pacing back and forth in their cages, zoo elephants constantly swaying side to side, polar bears swimming in endless circles, and monkeys and parrots "grooming" themselves until they have no fur or feathers left. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a leader in the anti-zoo movement. "PETA is firmly opposed to keeping wild animals in captivity," Lisa Wathne, the group's exotic animal specialist, told Current Events. "There are some animals, such as tigers and elephants, which roam large areas in the wild, that should never be held captive. Since 1990, there have been at least 220 incidents in 40 states involving big cats. Four children and 15 adults have lost their lives, and more than 50 other people lost limbs or suffered other injuries after being mauled." She points out that the animals are victims too: 75 big cats, including Tatiana, have been killed because of such incidents. The solution? PETA and others say get rid of zoos. Good News On Zoos "Getting rid of zoos would be a tragedy for all animals," says Steve Feldman, senior vice president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. He says zoos play a major role in educating people about animals and promoting wildlife conservation.

2 "If visitors never got to see an elephant or a tiger, they would not have that sense of awe and wonder and not be inspired to take action to conserve the wild," he says. "A National Science Foundation study showed that people who visit zoos actually change their behavior towards animals." Feldman says most modern zoos work hard to keep animals from being bored or becoming neurotic. He rejects PETA's charge that animals in zoos are unhappy. "Most zoo animals are thriving," he says. "It is animals in the wild who are not happy. Most of the time, they're running for their lives." 2013 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Which logical fallacy is best displayed in the paragraph which begins People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals? a. appeal to authority b. generalization c. circular reasoning d. repetition 2. According to Feldman, a. zoos keep animals happy and healthy. b. zoos are used to educate the public about animals c. animals in the wild are not as happy as animals in the zoo d. all of the above Worldwide Loss of Bees a Growing Concern Alissa Fleck When we think of bees, we think of pesky, buzzing insects that sting us and ruin outdoor gatherings. We might wonder: how badly can we possibly need bees? The truth is bees are an incredibly important part of our ecosystem on earth no matter how annoying they may be to humans. Unfortunately, bees have been disappearing around the world for Revised 3/23/16 Vail School District 2016

3 some time now, and their mass disappearance continues to present new problems around the planet. According to Reuters news source, scientific researchers have been trying desperately for the past 15 years to understand why honeybees around the world are dying off at frighteningly high rates. Over 1 million bee colonies disappear every year, never to return, Reuters reporters noted in Kevin Hackett, the national program leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) s bee and pollination program, called the massive honeybee disappearance the biggest general threat to our food supply. How could something so small be so important to us as humans? Bees are used to pollinate many crops, for instance a large portion of California s almond crop, which relies heavily on bee pollination. Bees are also essential for the pollination of apple and citrus fruit crops. Without the pollination by bees, these plants are unable to survive. A Growing Concern The mass deaths of honeybees have been linked to something known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) a mysterious loss of bee colonies with many potential causes as well as a variety of pesticides, parasites and disease, all of which hurt bee populations. Other possible causes include land development and changes in agricultural practices around the world. While the dangers of losing bees, such as the damage to our food supplies, have long been known, researchers are uncovering even more distressing information about the loss of these ecologically crucial insects. Additionally, there are numerous kinds and species of bees, and honeybees are not the only ones disappearing in large quantities. Bumblebees can be added to the list of pollinators whose widespread disappearance worries scientists. According to researchers who published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2013, the disappearance of bumblebees offers new cause for concern: certain plants are having difficulties reproducing with the loss of their bumblebee pollinators, and are at higher risk for extinction. Two scientists, who conducted research on the impact of bumblebee loss on plant reproduction, found that when a particular species of bumblebee was removed from the pool of pollinators, other bees did not completely take over the pollinating duties. Instead, with less competition from the bees which had been removed from the pool, the remaining bumblebees flew between many different plants and were less likely to be faithful to one kind of plant. The researchers noted this experiment had damaging effects. For instance, the larkspur, a purple wildflower, requires pollination from its own species other larkspurs to survive. The researchers found with fewer bumblebees, the remaining bees were less faithful to a particular plant, meaning the larkspur was unable to survive as it would have before the loss of bumblebees. This particular study highlights the importance of bees to the continuation of, not just our food supply, but also all biodiversity, as the effects of this study do not end with the

4 larkspur plant alone, but point to a much larger issue. The larkspur is just one example of this issue. In 2012, the USDA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a joint statement discussing the issue of bee loss, and the search for a solution to the cycle of problems caused by bees dying off ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved. 3. What is the author s point of view about the loss of bees? a. there are no repercussions due to the loss of bees. b. the loss of bees is a natural part of life. c. the loss of bees has far-reaching effects on our environment. d. the loss of bees is not a significant event that should be studied. 4. Evaluate and explain how the author of Are Zoos Bad News? utilizes logos as a persuasive technique within the text. Incorporate text evidence within your answer. Revised 3/23/16 Vail School District 2016

5 5. Evaluate and explain how the author of Worldwide Loss of Bees a Growing Concern utilizes persuasive techniques to develop her perspective. Utilize text evidence to validate your claim.

6 Name Teacher /5 AK.ER.DFA1.9.R.RI.05 Analyze in detail how an author s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter). Debate: Are Zoos Bad News? Tiger Attack Spurs Debate The phone call reached zoo director Manuel Mollinedo shortly after 5:00 p.m. as darkness was falling on San Francisco. One of his tigers was on the loose! She had escaped her enclosure and attacked a teenager and two other young men before bounding into the zoo's dense foliage and winding paths. As Mollinedo rushed to work, police declared the entire zoo a crime scene. After some searching, they found the resting tiger, a 4-year-old, 350-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana. They shot and killed the animal, but the damage had already been done. One of the men the tiger attacked, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., later died of his wounds. No one knows why Tatiana, a favorite among zoo visitors, attacked. Some witnesses say the men were taunting the tiger, although the two survivors deny it. Police are still investigating. Zoos Deserve Boos Zoo critics see the attack as another example of why zoos are bad news. Critics say that zoos are like prisons and that zoos drive many animals crazy by confining them. If the animals don't die of boredom, they snap and revert to their wild nature, they say. Anti-zoo activists talk about big cats endlessly pacing back and forth in their cages, zoo elephants constantly swaying side to side, polar bears swimming in endless circles, and monkeys and parrots "grooming" themselves until they have no fur or feathers left. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a leader in the anti-zoo movement. "PETA is firmly opposed to keeping wild animals in captivity," Lisa Wathne, the group's exotic animal specialist, told Current Events. "There are some animals, such as tigers and elephants, which roam large areas in the wild, that should never be held captive. Since 1990, there have been at least 220 incidents in 40 states involving big cats. Four children and 15 adults have lost their lives, and more than 50 other people lost limbs or suffered other injuries after being mauled." She points out that the animals are victims too: 75 big cats, including Tatiana, have been killed because of such incidents. The solution? PETA and others say get rid of zoos. Good News On Zoos Revised 3/23/16 Vail School District 2016

7 "Getting rid of zoos would be a tragedy for all animals," says Steve Feldman, senior vice president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. He says zoos play a major role in educating people about animals and promoting wildlife conservation. "If visitors never got to see an elephant or a tiger, they would not have that sense of awe and wonder and not be inspired to take action to conserve the wild," he says. "A National Science Foundation study showed that people who visit zoos actually change their behavior towards animals." Feldman says most modern zoos work hard to keep animals from being bored or becoming neurotic. He rejects PETA's charge that animals in zoos are unhappy. "Most zoo animals are thriving," he says. "It is animals in the wild who are not happy. Most of the time, they're running for their lives." 2013 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Which logical fallacy is best displayed in the paragraph which begins People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals? a. appeal to authority b. generalization c. circular reasoning d. repetition 2. According to Feldman, a. zoos keep animals happy and healthy. b. zoos are used to educate the public about animals c. animals in the wild are not as happy as animals in the zoo d. all of the above Worldwide Loss of Bees a Growing Concern Alissa Fleck When we think of bees, we think of pesky, buzzing insects that sting us and ruin outdoor gatherings. We might wonder: how badly can we possibly need bees? The truth is bees are an incredibly important part of our ecosystem on earth no matter how annoying they may be to humans. Unfortunately, bees have been disappearing around the world for some time now, and their mass disappearance continues to present new problems around the planet. According to Reuters news source, scientific researchers have been trying desperately for the past 15 years to understand why honeybees around the world are dying off at frighteningly high rates. Over 1 million bee colonies disappear every year, never to return, Reuters reporters noted in 2012.

8 Kevin Hackett, the national program leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) s bee and pollination program, called the massive honeybee disappearance the biggest general threat to our food supply. How could something so small be so important to us as humans? Bees are used to pollinate many crops, for instance a large portion of California s almond crop, which relies heavily on bee pollination. Bees are also essential for the pollination of apple and citrus fruit crops. Without the pollination by bees, these plants are unable to survive. A Growing Concern The mass deaths of honeybees have been linked to something known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) a mysterious loss of bee colonies with many potential causes as well as a variety of pesticides, parasites and disease, all of which hurt bee populations. Other possible causes include land development and changes in agricultural practices around the world. While the dangers of losing bees, such as the damage to our food supplies, have long been known, researchers are uncovering even more distressing information about the loss of these ecologically crucial insects. Additionally, there are numerous kinds and species of bees, and honeybees are not the only ones disappearing in large quantities. Bumblebees can be added to the list of pollinators whose widespread disappearance worries scientists. According to researchers who published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2013, the disappearance of bumblebees offers new cause for concern: certain plants are having difficulties reproducing with the loss of their bumblebee pollinators, and are at higher risk for extinction. Two scientists, who conducted research on the impact of bumblebee loss on plant reproduction, found that when a particular species of bumblebee was removed from the pool of pollinators, other bees did not completely take over the pollinating duties. Instead, with less competition from the bees which had been removed from the pool, the remaining bumblebees flew between many different plants and were less likely to be faithful to one kind of plant. The researchers noted this experiment had damaging effects. For instance, the larkspur, a purple wildflower, requires pollination from its own species other larkspurs to survive. The researchers found with fewer bumblebees, the remaining bees were less faithful to a particular plant, meaning the larkspur was unable to survive as it would have before the loss of bumblebees. This particular study highlights the importance of bees to the continuation of, not just our food supply, but also all biodiversity, as the effects of this study do not end with the larkspur plant alone, but point to a much larger issue. The larkspur is just one example of this issue. In 2012, the USDA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a joint statement discussing the issue of bee loss, and the search for a solution to the cycle of problems caused by bees dying off ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved. Revised 3/23/16 Vail School District 2016

9 Grade 9 3. What is the author s point of view about the loss of bees? a. there are no repercussions due to the loss of bees. b. the loss of bees is a natural part of life. c. the loss of bees has far-reaching effects on our environment. d. the loss of bees is not a significant event that should be studied. 4. Evaluate and explain how the author of Are Zoos Bad News? utilizes logos as a persuasive technique within the text. Incorporate text evidence within your answer. Student responses will vary but should include an awareness that the author uses many different examples of logos. Text evidence should include but not be limited to 1990, there have been at least 220 incidents in 40 states involving big cats, four children and 15 adults have lost their lives, and more than 50 other people lost limbs or suffered other injuries after being mauled, 75 big cats, including Tatiana, have been killed because of such incidents 5. Evaluate and explain how the author of Worldwide Loss of Bees a Growing Concern utilizes persuasive techniques to develop her perspective. Utilize text evidence to validate your claim. Student responses will vary but should include an awareness that the author uses logos and expert testimony. Text evidence examples could include Kevin Hackett, the national program leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and over 1 million bee colonies disappear every year, never to return, Reuters reporters noted in 2012.