Open Up - Grade 3 - ELA - Module 1 - End of Unit 1 Assessment - Formative Library | Library

In this assessment, you will read a new story about a very unusual library. Read the text carefully, and answer the questions that follow.

Elephant Library
I woke up very early this morning. Even the pitter-patter of the rain couldn’t dampen my excitement! I had been counting the days. Soon, the elephant team would arrive soon with more books. I really hoped it would be today!

My family and I live in a very small village in the mountains. The only way to get here is by foot, up steep mountain trails. It can be quite dangerous. During the rainy season the ground is slippery and there are mudslides. We don’t have a school or a library, but we are fortunate because a team of elephants brings us books. The team stays here for two or three days to teach us reading and writing on metal slates. My sister and I look forward to them coming because we both love to read and learn!

The morning dragged by painfully slowly. By mid-afternoon, I started to think that they were not going to arrive today after all. I was disappointed and snapped disagreeably at my sister when she tried to ask me a question. “Perhaps they will come tomorrow,” Mom said, sensing the cause of my short temper and bad mood.

I had just about given up all hope, when I heard a shout in the distance. When the elephant team arrives, the first person in the village to see them coming up the mountain always shouts. This quickly becomes a din as we all shout with excitement and run to greet them.

I ran out hoping to see the elephants arriving. There were no elephants to be seen. The word spread quickly. The elephants were having trouble getting up the last steep trail on the slippery mud! My heart sank. Would they go on without stopping for us? My brain was working quickly. I wanted those books!

The elephants couldn’t get to us, but perhaps we could make it down to the elephants. I suggested the idea and everyone agreed. My sister and I, and our village friends walked very carefully down the slippery, muddy trail to the elephants. It took us a long time because we had to move slowly not to slip. We were all tired, wet, and muddy when we got there. But it was worth it!

The elephant handlers greeted us with big, warm smiles. The elephants lifted their trunks to say hello. They were happy we had worked so hard to see them. My sister and I didn’t waste any time choosing books to bring back to the village. I chose one about elephants because we love the library school elephants so much!

Written by EL Education 700L

This note-catcher is not assessed, but it might help you organize your thinking about the gist of the story before you answer questions.

What does dampen mean in this context? (RL.3.4)

If agreeably means pleasingly or pleasantly, what does disagreeably mean? (L.3.4b, L.3.4c)

What does fortunate mean in this passage? Use a dictionary and write the definition in your own words. (RL.3.4, L.3.4d)

Using clues in the text, what do you think din means? (RL.3.4, L.3.4a)

What part of the text gave you a clue about the meaning of din? (RL.3.1, RL.3.4, L.3.4a)

In no more than three sentences, answer the following question: What was a lesson or message in this story, and how is it conveyed through details in the text? (RL.3.2)

In no more than two sentences, answer the following question: What was the challenge in this story, and how did the main character overcome it? Use details from the text to support your answer. (RL.3.3)

Source: Open Up Resouces (Download for free at openupresources.org.)