Example #2: Common Core quiz linked to standards (Claudette Colvin)
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Claudette Colvin, 15, sits on bus and is arrested… nine months before Rosa Parks
Lexile Measure 1080L Mean Sentence Length 16.14 Mean Log Word Frequency 3.39 Word Count 452
Readability 8.8
Everyone who hears her story may be amazed, but to hear Claudette Colvin tell it, she really didn’t have much of a choice.
In 1955, Colvin was a 15-year old girl living in Montgomery, Alabama, when she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white woman — nine months before Rosa Parks did the same.
Most everyone has heard of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a defining moment in the early Civil Rights Movement. Far less known is the story of Colvin, a high school girl who simply refused to stand up or back down.
During February—Negro History Month—her segregated high school had taught her about black activists like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. She was taking the bus home from school when the bus driver told her to get up for a white woman who wanted her seat. But standing up was never an option for Colvin, who could feel the ghosts of Tubman and Truth commanding her to take a stand. She refused, and was promptly arrested and thrown in jail for the night.
After posting bail, the NAACP considered defending her in court but decided not to when she became pregnant later that year. Unlike Parks, an NAACP secretary, Colvin wasn’t the one the Civil Rights organizations wanted as the face of the Civil Rights Movement. She didn’t have Parks’ fair skin, charisma or experience. She was only a teenager, after all.
But Colvin rejected the idea that she was too young, too small to fight. She became one of the first to truly challenge Montgomery’s bus laws, declaring herself not guilty in court. She was sentenced to probation. As a result she struggled to find work with a criminal record, shunned by a community reluctant to be associated with someone who had challenged the white establishment. But despite these obstacles, she was determined to fight segregation. She became one of only four citizens willing to sue the bus company. That 1956 suit, known as Browder v. Gayle, went to the U.S. Supreme court. On December 17, 1956, the court ruled that Montgomery’s bus laws were unconstitutional. In fact, it was that decision that brought the famous Montgomery bus boycott to a victorious conclusion.
History usually remembers the elder statesmen—Martin Luther King and others who served as the face of the Civil Rights Movement. Their gigantic reputations are more than justified. But there is another tale to tell, the tale of Claudette Colvin and so many like her. She is emblematic of countless young people who simply refused to tolerate discrimination and hatred. She didn’t wait her turn or sit idly by while others fought. She took a stand and took on the giant.
Quiz
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.2 Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Question 1-Which of the following sentences is one of the central themes of the article?
• She was only a teenager, after all.
• Most everyone has heard of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a defining moment in the early Civil Rights Movement.
• But Colvin rejected the idea that she was too young, too small to fight.
• That 1956 suit, known as Browder v. Gayle, went to the U.S. Supreme court.
Process to arrive at the answer: The student begins by determining what they think is the central theme of the article. Drawing on their knowledge of the definition of the word “theme” in the context of informational text, they may refer back to the passage to decide the passage’s main message. The student finds the theme most clearly in the last paragraph, as the article applauds Colvin for her efforts.
-The student eliminates the first answer choice because it only describes one minor aspect of Colvin.
-The student eliminates the second answer choice because the article is about Claudette Colvin specifically, and this choice does not mention her at all.
-The student reads the third choice and decides it is a possible correct answer because it describes Colvin’s defining trait.
-The student rejects the last choice because it is a minor detail that does not describe the article as a whole. The student selects the third answer choice as correct.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
Question 2-What is the best meaning of the word “face” as used in the following sentence? History usually remembers the elder statesmen—Martin Luther King and others who served as the face of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Surface
• Photo
• Visage
• Representative
Process to arrive at the answer: Since the question includes the specification “as used in the following sentence,” the student knows to use context clues to figure out which meaning of the word “face” is being used here. A relevant strategy would be for the student to read through the sentence multiple times, substituting an answer choice for the word “face” each time.
-The student rejects the first answer choice because the word “surface” does not make sense in place of “face” in the sentence from the article. “Face” is used metaphorically, and the metaphorical usage of “surface” does not work here.
-The student rejects the second choice because, again, the word “photo” doesn’t convey the metaphorical meaning of “face” in the sentence.
-The student rejects the third answer choice because the word “visage” erases the metaphorical layer completely.
-The student selects the fourth answer choice because the word “representative” describes people such as Martin Luther King Jr. as individuals who represented the civil rights movement. The “face” of a movement is its representatives.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
Question 3-Why did the author use this sentence when he did? But standing up was never an option for Colvin, who could feel the ghosts of Tubman and Truth commanding her to take a stand. She refused, and was promptly arrested and thrown in jail for the night.
• The author wanted to surprise the reader
• The author gave the rationale for Colvin’s action
• The author wanted to provide his opinion of Colvin’s action
• The author wanted to show that Colvin was brave
Process to arrive at the answer: The student begins by locating this excerpt in the passage, since its placement is important for determining the correct answer. The reader notes that the excerpt occurs when the author is explaining how Colvin did not give up her seat on the bus.
-The student rejects the first answer choice because these details are not surprising, since the first sentence of the article says that Colvin refused to give up her seat. The passage is also informational text, in which the element of surprise rarely appears.
-The student considers the second answer choice because these sentences explain why Colvin refused to give up her seat. They say that she didn’t give up her seat because Tubman and Truth were working through her.
-The student rejects the third answer choice because this excerpt is more of an account of historical events than a personal statement about Colvin from the author.
-The student rejects the fourth answer choice because, although the reader may judge Colvin as brave given this information, the excerpt is not included in the passage simply to praise Colvin; it is included to summarize her actions. The student selects the second answer choice as correct.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
Question 4– What reason do you believe the author had for putting the following sentence in the last paragraph? But there is another tale to tell, the tale of Claudette Colvin and so many like her.
• The author liked Colvin
• The author showed that Colvin’s story was important
• The author revealed that Colvin’s story was like a fairy tale
• The author was saying that Colvin’s story was just like lots of others
Process to arrive at the answer: The student may begin by rereading the last paragraph in order to refresh themselves about the author’s tone in this section. The student will note that the paragraph begins with the acknowledgement that most of the public only remembers the prominent leaders of the civil rights movement. The purpose of the entire paragraph is to point out that others besides these leaders, including children, played roles in the movement and deserve credit as well.
-The student rejects the first answer choice because, although it may be true, it’s too vague to be an accurate summation of the author’s intention behind this particular sentence.
-The student considers the second answer choice because by suggesting that Colvin’s story is worth telling, the author implies that they want the reader to recognize her importance.
-The student rejects the third answer choice because Colvin’s story is nothing like a fairy tale. This choice is meant to mislead students because of the use of the word “tale” in the sentence from the article.
-The student rejects the last answer choice because it restates the sentence but does not give further insight into the author’s purpose behind including the sentence. The student selects the second answer choice as correct.
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