8th Grade Main Idea Quiz

According to the passage, what is being presented?

• An argument

• An argument about grading

• An argument about students grading each other papers

• An argument about announcing a student's grade

Which gives an accurate synopsis (summary) of the passage?

• The songs of Gucci Mane were played locally before he became famous around the country.

• Radric Davis sold crack cocaine, was arrested, and lost his college scholarship, before becoming a music artist.

• Radric Davis had a rough childhood in Atlanta, where he was forced to sell drugs. He wrote poetry and music to make himself feel better.

• The rap artist known as Gucci Mane started as a young boy in the South writing poetry. He made some poor decisions which got him into trouble, but started his successful musical career in 2005.

What is an accurate summary of the second paragraph (lines 8-12)?

• Aaliyah worked with Timabland and Missy Elliott.

• One in a Million sold eight million copies around the world.

• Aaliyah was the first artist to have a song top the Billboard charts based solely on airplay.

• With many talents, she was in movies, had songs on their soundtracks, and had an album that was successful around the world.

Which sentence is not important enough to be included in a summary of the passage?

• Aaliyah was an American recording artist during the 1990s and early 2000s.

• She sold millions of records during her career.

• Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed to Atlantic Records.

• She was killed in an airplane crash when she was 22 years old.

Radric Davis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and moved with his single mother to Atlanta in the fourth grade. There he met Otis Williams, who is now fellow Atlanta rapper OJ da Juiceman. For many years, Davis sold crack cocaine, before being arrested and losing his college scholarship. Since elementary school, he had enjoyed writing poetry, and he began rapping at age 14. He signed to Big Cat Records after his debut single "Black Tee" was frequently played on local radio. In 2005, Davis released his independent debut album entitled Trap House, which featured the successful single "Icy" with Young Jeezy. Disputes over the rights to this single caused a rift between the two artists. Hard to Kill followed in 2006.   Hard To Kill included the hit single "Freaky Gurl". The song peaked at #12 on the Hot Rap Tracks, #19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and at #62 on the Hot 100. The official remix featuring Ludacris and Lil Kim was included on his 2007 commercial debut album Back to the Trap House.  Gucci Mane signed to Warner Bros.Records in May 2009. Which of the following is important enough to be included in a summary of the passage?

• Otis Williams is now rapper OJ da Juiceman.

• He moved to Atlanta in the fourth grade.

• Hard to Kill included the hit single “Freaky Gurl”.

• Davis was arrested and lost his college scholarship.

What is the main legal reason the article presents against student grading?

• The Buckley Amendment

• Right to privacy of records

• Peer abuse

• Prohibiting students to grade

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), who performed under the mononym Aaliyah, was an American recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At an early age, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and Blackground Records by her uncle, Barry Hankerson. He introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing But a Number. The album sold two million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed to Atlantic Records. Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million; it sold two million copies in the United States and over eight million copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first major film, Romeo Must Die. She contributed to the film's soundtrack, which spawned the single "Try Again". The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this feat. "Try Again" earned Aaliyah a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist. After filming Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her part in Queen of the Damned. She released her third and final album, Aaliyah, in 2001. On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in an airplane crash in The Bahamas after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat".   What is the TOPIC of this entire passage?

For three years, Manny has been collecting stamps.  As a Boy Scout, he can earn a badge for this hobby.   Grandpa helped Manny get started.  Grandpa knows a lot about collecting stamps.  He has been doing it since he was a young boy.  Manny began to love collecting stamps because of Grandpa’s help.  He can hardly wait for new stamps to arrive at the post office.     Manny needed to do many things to earn his badge.  He wrote about the post office.  He used stamp-collecting tools like a magnifying glass and stamp tongs.  He even designed his own stamp.  There was an award ceremony today.   Manny received his merit badge.  Grandpa was there.  It was an exciting time for both of them.    Who is this story mostly about?

What is this person doing?

What other important information is in the story?

Write a summary of the story on the lines below.

1. The Supreme Court says the practice doesn't violate a student's right to privacy, but is it right for students to grade one another?
2. Document A: PRO
3. The Supreme Court was absolutely correct to say it’s OK for students to grade one another’s homework, quizzes, and tests; in fact, it’s a great idea.
4. By grading one another’s papers and seeing the problems their peers encounter, as well as their own, students double their exposure to the troubles that they may meet on future exams and tests. The basic purpose of school is to learn not just what others have done right, but to learn from what they have done wrong. How better to teach this than to put it directly into the lives of students?
5. Teachers are underappreciated and underpaid for the number of hours they have to work to be able to really teach well. Grading all their students’ papers can take hours on end. Some of that time and energy can be saved by spending a few minutes in class, while providing an invaluable learning experience.
6. I understand that some individuals are sensitive to their classmates seeing their work or grades. School is a place where every mistake can be learned from, and self-esteem can be built. Any good teacher would make allowances for students who don’t want their classmates to grade their assignments.
7. Grading one another’s papers may be one of the best ways for students to reinforce within themselves the ways to respond to the most difficult parts of what they are learning. It simply can’t be denied that in-class grading of assignments is a great way to learn, and those with personal issues can resolve those issues if they just present their problems to their teachers. Allowing students to learn in the best way they are able should be the responsibility of society. If learning in school upsets some students and their parents, perhaps they don’t really realize what they are upset about.
8. Document B: CON
9. A girl cringes as her classmate announces her failing test grade and hands her the paper, bathed in the red ink of the student grader. The composure of the classroom gradually deteriorates.
10. With the increase in student grading over the past few years, scenes like this have become a bitter reality in schools across the nation. Teachers are not only instructing their students to grade one another’s papers, but also to announce the final grades to the class, subjecting them to the harsh judgment of their peers. Teachers and schools should not advocate student grading and public announcement of grades because it provides a traumatizing breach of privacy for students and families and it subjects students to harsh judgments and treatment by their peers.
11. Since 1974, a law known as the Buckley Amendment has prohibited the release of education records maintained by schools in order to preserve the privacy of students and their families. I strongly disagree with the Court’s ruling that this law [the Buckley Amendment] does not pertain to student grading.
12. I can think of no greater breach of privacy than the exposure of one’s personal information to a group of peers. This can be very embarrassing and cause unfair judgment by one’s colleagues. Releasing this sort of personal information should be avoided, especially by institutions that seek to provide a supportive environment conducive to mutual learning during essential years of human development.

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