6.RL.4-9 Common Assessment
Name: ______
Date:______
Document #1:
Summer at the Polka Dot Café
by ReadWorks
The year her parents filed for divorce, Alice began spending a lot of time at the Polka Dot Café. It was the only place she could really think, and her mother didn’t seem to mind that Alice passed much of the summer in the air‐conditioned, one‐room restaurant, picking at stale grilled cheese sandwiches.
Two important things had happened before summer began. (They were monumentally important, her best friend Sarah would say.) The first, of course, was that her father had moved out of their house and in with his new girlfriend. (When Alice thought of her dad’s girlfriend, she thought in general nouns, as if Ms. Russell was not just another woman, but a mountain or a city.) Alice had not been to this house yet. “We’re waiting for the dust to settle,” her father said. “We’ll have you over for dinner soon.” But he had said this in June, and it was August now, and Alice was beginning to think the invitation would never arrive.
The second thing that had happened was that her best friend Sarah was now her ex‐best friend. Alice couldn’t be sure how things had gotten so bad. They had gotten in a fight at school shortly after her parents announced they would no longer be together.
Alice had not told her friends that her parents were getting divorced. “My dad is away on business,” Alice explained when they noticed he stopped dropping her off at school each morning. She didn’t invite them over to play anymore, either. She made a lot of excuses not to hang out with anyone else. “I have other plans,” she told Sarah.
One day, while they were walking home from school, Sarah turned to Alice and said, in a rather frustrated tone, “Alice, what’s going on? Why won’t you talk to me?”
Alice pretended she hadn’t heard Sarah, and continued to walk down the street, her backpack swinging from side to side. She didn’t want to talk to Sarah about this right now. She didn’t want to talk to anyone about this. It was bad enough that every Thursday, her mother drove her to Mrs. Peters’ office, where she sat for an hour answering mindless questions about her feelings.
“I’m serious, Alice. My mom told me what’s going on,” Sarah said. “I know about your parents.”
This stopped Alice in her tracks. It was true they lived in a small town and secrets didn’t stay secrets for long. But Alice thought this secret might not get out. Or at the very least, she hoped it would stay hidden long enough for her to figure out how to bring it up. She was embarrassed and hurt. She wanted to tell Sarah when she wanted to.
Alice exploded in anger. “How dare you claim to know anything!” she had shouted. “You’re a rotten friend. I never want to speak to you again!”
Now it was August, and as Alice sat in the Polka Dot Café, she counted the things that had not happened. One, she and Sarah were still not friends. Two, her father and mother had not gotten back together. And three, her father had not invited her over for dinner.
Alice took a bite of the grilled cheese sandwich in front of her. It was cold. The cheese had hardened between the two slabs of hard toast. She sighed. This was not the summer she planned. The summer she planned involved trips to the lake with Sarah’s family, a visit to the city with her father, and lots of birthday parties. But Alice spent most days at the café, waiting for the time to pass.
Suddenly the door of the café opened and Alice looked up. It was Sarah. She walked over shyly to the booth where Alice was sitting. “Can we talk?” she asked.
“Sure,” said Alice, moving her backpack so Sarah could sit.
“I’m so sorry about our fight,” Sarah said. “It wasn’t my place to make you talk about your parents until you were ready. I should’ve waited. I just wanted you to know that you had someone you could talk to.”
Alice felt warm tears trickle from her eyes and spill onto her t‐shirt. “Thanks, Sarah. It’s been a really hard summer. I was just afraid to talk about it.”
Sarah reached across the table and squeezed Alice’s hand. “Everything will be OK. Don’t worry.”
No one had said that to Alice yet—not her mother, not her father, not Ms. Russell or even Mrs. Peters.
“Thanks, Sarah. That means a lot to me. I needed that.”
“Come on, I’ll walk you home. And tomorrow, we can go to the lake!” Sarah said brightly.
Alice smiled. She looped her arm into Sarah’s and together they left the café. They talked and talked until Alice felt tired from talking so much. When they reached Alice’s house, Sarah gave her a hug. Then, with a smile, she said, “I’m glad we talked.”
“Me too,” Alice replied. They hugged again, and Alice walked inside.
“Alice,” her mother said when she got home. “Your father called. He wants you to come over for dinner tonight. He made your favorite.”
Alice smiled. Her summer was beginning to look up.
Document #2:
Alone
by Maya Angelou
Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Assessment Questions
6.RL.4
1. From document #1, paragraph 2, the father said, “We’re waiting for the dust to settle.” What is his connotative meaning of the above phrase?
A. He is waiting for the dust storm outside to dissipate/settle.
B. He is waiting for Alice to finish school before she comes over for dinner.
C. He is waiting for the right time to expose Alice to his new life and girlfriend.
D. He was waiting until the end of summer.
2. Circle the correct answer. The term “Monumentally Important” means extremely/mildly important.
6.RL.5
3. Read the following passage from Document #1, “Now it was August, and as Alice sat in the Polka Dot Café, she counted the things that had not happened. One, she and Sarah were still not friends. Two, her father and mother had not gotten back together. And three, her father had not invited her over for dinner.” Provide two pieces of evidence from the text to support how the above passage supports the theme, “Expectations create disappointment.”______
______
6.RL.6
4. Determine the point of view for Document #1.
A. first person
B. second person
C. third person
5. Determine the point of view for Document #2
A. first person
B. second person
C. third person
6. Determine the author’s point of view and explain how the third stanza of Document #2 supports that point of view.
There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
______
6.RL.9
7. Compare (analyze the similarities) how Document #1 and Document #2 convey (show) a similar theme. Provide at least two pieces of evidence from each text to support your response.
______
6.RL.5-6
Choose either Document #1 or Document #2 for your response. Evaluate the effectiveness the author demonstrated in developing and supporting the text’s theme. Provide at least three pieces of evidence from your chosen text to support your response. ______