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2017 MCAS
Grade 6 English Language Arts
Question 10

Idea Development - Score Point 5

The essay provides a fully developed central idea of how "Keeping Warm in the Winter" and "How to Keep Warm" help the reader to understand the colonists' challenge of living in a cold climate. The essay states that "both articles give examples of real people and their struggles, explain the steps taken to solve the challenges, and tell the reader about the impact that solutions had on the colonists." Relevant and specific information is organized with a skillful selection of evidence, and explanations are richly expressed within paragraphs. The third paragraph, for example, explains how the articles help the reader to understand the colonists' challenge of living in a cold climate by referencing the inventions developed at that time: "People took time to study the movement of heat and invented systems to keep warm." Inventions such as bed warmers, hot plates, and home heating with the Franklin stove are discussed. The focus maintained by the writer throughout the essay reveals a full awareness of the colonists' challenge of living in a cold climate.

Standard English Conventions - Score Point 3

The essay clearly demonstrates consistent control of Standard English conventions relative to its length and complexity and includes a variety of sentence structures with proper grammar, usage, and mechanics, as seen in this example: "He is saying that it was really cold, even by the fire, and it was easy to get frostbite." In addition, proper punctuation of text-based evidence is consistent throughout, and a few minor errors do not detract from the overall control exhibited in the essay.
Answer for Idea Development Score Point 5, and Standard English Conventions Score Point 3 The non-fiction articles "Keeping Warm in the Winter" by Tom Kernan and "How to Keep Warm" by Kathleen Krull help the reader to understand the colonists' challenge of living in a cold climate. One reason why is because they both include examples of real people and their struggles to keep warm in the winter. In "Keeping Warm in Winter", It shares some examples of journal entries written by Warren Johnson when he was visiting his brother in New York during the winter. "December the 28th, 1760. It was so cold as to freeze almost anything even by the fire's side: The frost is soe intense, that if you walk in leather shoes and gloves, you are frostbitten", Warren had written. He is saying that it was really cold, even by the fire, and it was easy to get frostbite. "How to Keep Warm" tells us about the Franklin family and how they were concerned about their health during the winter, and also how they weren't the only ones who suffered from the inability to heat their home. "And the problem most on Franklin's mind was health. Everyone, not just the Franklin family, suffered from the brutal winters in the Colonies." These quotes from the articles really show how this struggle was a common theme for many real people in the colonies at that time. Another reason why these articles help the reader understand the colonists' challenge to stay warm is that they explain the steps that were taken to solve the challenge. People took time to study the movement of heat and invented systems to keep warm. For example, "Keeping Warm in Winter" talks about a few smaller systems that colonists used to stay warm. "By filling the pan with hot embers and running the pan under the covers, colonials could warm up their beds before getting in." Colonists who used this method had cozy, warm beds. "A small box made of either brass, wood and tin or just wood with a tin pan inside, it too was filled with hot embers and placed at the feet to keep one's toes warm." Colonists who used this method had warm feet and toes, and had a better chance of avoiding frostbite on their toes. "To keep your food warm while eating, hot plates were used. These are deep hollow plates usually made of pewter or ceramic filled with steaming ho twater." Colonists who used this method were able to keep their food warm. "How to Keep Warm" explains how the Franklin stove works and how it helps to heat homes. "He would move the fire from an open hearth into a metal box that was inside the fireplace and connected to the chiminey. Behind the metal box, he added a "winding passage" of small metal chambers that made hot air travel a longer path and kept it from escaping so quickly." Colonists who used this method would be able to heat their houses for longer because the heat would not escape as quickly as if they were to use an open fireplace. They would also be able to conserve wood by using this method because the Franklin stove uses only one-quarter the amount of wood that a regular fireplace uses. The last reason why these articles help the reader understand the colonists' challenge to stay warm is that they tell the reader about the impact that these systems had on the colonists who used them. In "How to Keep Warm", it states, "Now instead of crowding near the fireplace, people could move around a room." This means that people in a household with a Franklin stove could be further away from the fire, but be just as warm as if they were right next to it. In "Keeping Warm in the Winter", it includes a quote from the Farmer's Almanac 1784 that talks about how exercise can heat your body. This quote says, "Exercise shall sufficiently heated you." It means that if one exercises, they will feel warm. The two articles, "Keeping Warm in the Winter" and "How to Keep Warm" help the reader to understand the colonists' challenge of living in a cold climate. This is because both articles give examples of real people and their struggles, explain the steps taken to solve the challenge, and tell the reader about the impact that solutions had on the colonists.



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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Print Now | Close Window