Warm-Up for Literature Assessment
Some major assessments test your ability to read and respond to literature.
How Can I Practice for Assessment?
The best way to practice for a reading and writing assessment is to take a practice test, like the one in this unit. You will closely read a story and a poem and write about them. You'll also write a story of your own.
You’ll find a playful story about a girl who tries to get away from her shadow. You’ll also read a poem about a man speaking to his reflection. Read them closely. You’ll be drawing evidence from them to build a response. You’ll also get to experiment with telling a story of your own.
If you would like more help with closely reading literature and responding in writing, see the unit “Reading and Writing Literature for Assessment.”
Responding to a Story for Assessment
When you closely read a story, pay attention to character, setting, conflict, and theme.
Closely read a short story.
Read the following story. You will need to answer questions afterward, but you can refer back as needed.
Source 1
Friend Beneath Your Feet
By Felice Williams
Jana stretched, yawned, and jumped out of bed.
“Ow! Hey! Get off me!”
Startled, Jana jumped back in bed. “Who said that?”
A muffled voice came underneath her. “Me!”
“Who are you?”
“Your shadow, that’s who,” the shadow replied. “I’m pinned underneath you!”
“Sorry!” Jana replied, scrambling off the bed.
“You’re stepping on my feet!” the shadow growled.
Jana lifted her feet, dancing to keep from stepping on the shadow, but every time her foot came down, the shadow was right under it. “Hey, you keep putting your feet under mine!”
“Of course I do. I’m your shadow!”
Jana shook her head. “Then I can’t help stepping on your feet or pinning you to the bed, can I?”
“No, you can’t help it,” her shadow replied, “but at least you could realize you’re doing it. Maybe you wouldn’t stomp around so much if you thought about how you’re always stepping on my feet!”
“Sorry.” Jana crossed her arms and sighed. “So, you’re just going to follow me around all day?”
The shadow also crossed her arms. “That’s my job.”
“Well, try to keep up!”
Jana got dressed quickly, but her shadow also got dressed in shadow clothes. Jana darted down the stairs and through the door, her shadow right on her heels. She jumped on her bike and took off down the sidewalk. Her shadow rode a shadow bike right behind. Jana swerved up next to a chain-link fence, trapping the shadow on the other side. She leaned her bike on the fence and jumped off.
“Ha!” Jana said. “You’re on the wrong side of the fence. As long as I stand right here, you can’t get at me.”
The shadow shook her head. “Sure, for now. The sun is in the east. At noon, the sun will bring me on your side of the fence.”
“Well, maybe at noon, I’ll stand on a sewer grate, and you’ll be trapped down in the sewer,” Jana said.
“Why are you being mean to me?” asked the shadow.
Jana wasn’t sure. “I just don’t want someone following me around.”
The shadow said, “I’ve been with you every day of your life. I’ve just never spoken up before.”
“Well, why did you speak up today?” Jana asked.
“I thought we could be friends,” her shadow replied.
“I’ve already got friends.”
“Okay. When they’re around, I won’t say a word,” said the shadow, “but when they’re not, you can hang around with me.”
Jana didn’t say anything more, getting on her bike and riding to the park. Her shadow followed her, of course. She lost her shadow in the shade for a while, but when she went to the slide, the shadow was right there. It climbed down the shadow ladder while Jana climbed up. When she got to the top, though, she looked down at the shiny metal and saw her reflection. “Is that you, shadow?”
Her reflection smiled. “Yep. I look just like you.”
Jana shrugged. “All right. Let’s slide.”
They slid together, then ran around together, and climbed opposite directions and slid again. Next they played on the swings, swooping close at the bottom and pulling far away at the top. Jana’s shadow smiled at her from the lake, too, and skipped rocks with her, and ran through the tall grass with her. Jana’s shadow did everything that Jana wanted to do, took breaks at the same time, slurped shadow water from the shadow drinking fountain when she was thirsty.
As they sat side by side on a bench, Jana said, “I hardly noticed you before today, shadow, but you are probably my closest friend.”
“Yeah,” her shadow replied. “I know.”
As the sun began to set, Jana’s shadow got longer and longer. Soon, it was twice her height. Then it was three times. “Sorry I’m getting so big,” the shadow said.
“We better get you home.” Jana rode her bike back, cringing as her shadow spilled off the sidewalk and into the street. She kept it from getting run over. At dinner, her shadow was even bigger, hulking there behind her. Mom and Dad didn’t even notice, but Jana could sense her friend crouching silently in the corner.
That night, as Jana lay down in bed, she reached for the light. “Where do you go at night, when I turn off the light?”
“I go everywhere. Night is when I’m free. I’m as big as the world.”
“Well, come back tomorrow,” Jana said, switching off the light.
“Oh, I will,” her shadow replied, already faraway. “I will, friend.”
Teaching Tip
This material simulates the reading and writing that students will do on high stakes assessments. Students who work through these pages will be better prepared for reading and writing literature on these assessments.
Respond to the short story.
Answer these questions to think about character, conflict, and theme.
- Who is the main character of this story?
A. Jana
B. Her shadow
C. Her mom
D. Her dad
A. Jana
B. Her shadow
C. Her mom
D. Her dad
- What conflict does the main character face?
A. Person against person
B. Person against society
C. Person against machine
D. All of these
A. Person against person
B. Person against society
C. Person against machine
D. All of these
- At the beginning, how does Jana feel toward her shadow?
A. She thinks of her shadow as her closest friend.
B. She feels terrified that her shadow has come to life.
C. She feels surprised and annoyed.
D. She thinks her shadow is entertaining.
A. She thinks of her shadow as her closest friend.
B. She feels terrified that her shadow has come to life.
C. She feels surprised and annoyed.
D. She thinks her shadow is entertaining.
- What evidence supports your answer for number 3?
A. Jana gets dressed.
B. Jana tries to escape her shadow by running and riding.
C. Jana traps her shadow on the wrong side of the fence.
D. Both B and C show Jana’s feelings.
A. Jana gets dressed.
B. Jana tries to escape her shadow by running and riding.
C. Jana traps her shadow on the wrong side of the fence.
D. Both B and C show Jana’s feelings.
- How does Jana feel toward her shadow at the end?
A. She thinks of her shadow as her closest friend.
B. She feels terrified that her shadow has come to life.
C. She feels surprised and annoyed.
D. She thinks her shadow is entertaining.
A. She thinks of her shadow as her closest friend.
B. She feels terrified that her shadow has come to life.
C. She feels surprised and annoyed.
D. She thinks her shadow is entertaining.
- What evidence supports your answer to number 5?
A. Jana sees her reflection in the slide.
B. Jana sees her reflection in the lake.
C. Jana tries not to let her shadow get run over.
D. Jana calls her shadow her closest friend and wants it to return.
A. Jana sees her reflection in the slide.
B. Jana sees her reflection in the lake.
C. Jana tries not to let her shadow get run over.
D. Jana calls her shadow her closest friend and wants it to return.
- In the paragraph about dinner, what does the word “hulking” mean?
A. Powerful
B. Green
C. Big
D. Quiet
A. Powerful
B. Green
C. Big
D. Quiet
- What context clue supports your answer to number 7?
A. “She kept it from getting run over”
B. “her shadow was even bigger”
C. “Mom and Dad didn’t even notice”
D. “crouching silently in the corner”
A. “She kept it from getting run over”
B. “her shadow was even bigger”
C. “Mom and Dad didn’t even notice”
D. “crouching silently in the corner”
- How is Jana changed during the course of this story?
A. She learns to put up with her shadow.
B. She learns to never let anyone know that she has a shadow.
C. She recognizes a friend who has always been with her.
D. She learns strategies to stay safe from her shadow.
A. She learns to put up with her shadow.
B. She learns to never let anyone know that she has a shadow.
C. She recognizes a friend who has always been with her.
D. She learns strategies to stay safe from her shadow.
- What is the writer trying to say about life? (theme)
A. Shadows are our best friends.
B. Shadows run wild at night.
C. People shouldn’t argue with imaginary creatures.
D. People should appreciate those who are always with them.
A. Shadows are our best friends.
B. Shadows run wild at night.
C. People shouldn’t argue with imaginary creatures.
D. People should appreciate those who are always with them.