Grade 8: Dance Mama Dance
Rating: 
https://www.commonlit.org/texts/dance-mama-dance
Directions: Before selecting the link listed above, you will be required to create a free account with www.CommonLit.org. Once you are logged into the site, enter the title of the assessment listed above.
Common Core Standards
Reading Literature
RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
RL.8.5 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
Description of Assessment
This grade 8 assessment titled “Dance Mama Dance” cited on commonlit.org is based on a poem by Daniel Beaty. The assessment is intended to inform instruction about a student’s ability to engage in the close reading of complex literary poem, in order to demonstrate deep understanding. In this assessment there are four text-dependent questions that address the reading standards listed above and one constructed-response question.
Cautions
Connecticut teachers are cautioned that it is unclear the amount of time it will take for students to complete this assessment. Since there is a writing prompt included in the assessment, writing and language standards that apply should be added and assessed.
Rationale for Selection
This assessment is a good example of how to design text-dependent questions aligned to specific Common Core Standards. The task could be used as a formative assessment to assess students’ abilities to engage in the close reading of a complex poem. Assessment guidelines that provide sufficient guidance for interpreting student performance are included in the Teacher’s Guide along with which standards each question addresses. Guiding questions, discussion questions, paired texts, related media, and a parent guide are included in the assessment materials.