Grade 3 Oregon State Released Practice Tests Booklet # 3-1

1. Most questions for Grade 3 OAKS , Develop an Interpretation, asks students to predict what would most likely happen next, the main ideas of the passage and cause and effect of why an event happened. Grade 3 Oregon State Released Practice Tests Booklet # 3-1 Specified State Standards Listed Under: Develop an Interpretation (Includes Informational and Literary Text) The Test Samples in this Booklet were taken from the Oregon State Department of Education WEB Site, unless otherwise noted.

2. Teacher Information page: Most questions for Grade 3 OAKS , Develop an Interpretation, asks students to predict what would most likely happen next, the main ideas of the passage and cause and effect of why an event happened. • Grade 3 • Oregon State Released Practice Tests • Develop an Interpretation • (Includes Informational and Literary Text) • Other state practice tests may be included as credited. Any other state practice released test included aligns with Oregon’s OAKS format and standards. • O.D.E. Standards in this booklet include: • (Note: These specific standards are assessed under the English/Language Arts Standards heading: Develop an Interpretation or D.I. on OAKS.) • EL.03.RE.30 Distinguish cause-and-effect and fact and opinion. • EL.03.LI.07 Determine what characters are like by what they say or do and by how the author of illustrator portrays them. • EL.03.LI.10 Recognize cause-and-effect relationships in literary text. • EL.03.LI.08 Predict probable future outcomes or actions. • EL.03.LI.09 Determine and discuss the underlying theme or author's message in literary text. • Note: Although these standards are NOT Power Standards they are strongly assessed on OAKS in literary text: Blank Page 14 Page 1

3. ABOUT DINOSAURS: ABOUT DINOSAURS is from a book by Peter and Sheryl Sloan. You will read about two great dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex and Ankylosaurus. THE WORD DINOSAUR MEANS “terrible lizard.” But dinosaurs were not like the lizards that we know today. There were many kinds of dinosaurs. Some were very large and others were small. The meat-eating dinosaurs were fierce beasts. They had long teeth, powerful legs, and sharp claws. We know about dinosaurs from the study of their bones, footprints and eggs. We compare these things to what we know about animals living today. Tyrannosaurus Rex (king tyrant lizard) Tyrannosaurus Rex was a meat-eating dinosaur. Tyrannosaurus Rex was a big dinosaur. It had a large body and head. Its teeth were long and sharp. It had strong back legs and huge claws. Tyrannosaurus Rex lived in the forests and grasslands. This fierce dinosaur hunted and killed other animals. Page 13 Page 2

4. Ankylosaurus (fused Lizard) • Ankylosaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur. • Ankylosaurus was as wide as a tank. It had bony plates • on the top of its body. It had spikes on the end of its long • thick tail. This large dinosaur lived in the grasslands near • lakes and rivers. Ankylosaurus ate plants. It was able to fight well with its heavy tail. • Most likely, Tyrannosaurus Rex was also called king tyrant lizard because he • lived in the forests. • had a large body. • had a strong back. • was a large, fierce hunter. • Why did the author tell us that Ankylosaurus had spikes on the end of its long thick tail? • To show us how it got food • To show us how big it was • To show us how it protected itself • To show us how it could swim • They inspire great thoughts about the importance of taking care of wild treasures. It is no wonder that giant sequoias are protected so that you and I, our children, and the children after that can continue to enjoy them. • What will probably happen after a forest fire burns sequoias? • Seedlings will start to grow. • Cones will close up tightly. • The bark will turn white. • Roots will grow very deep. • Which statement from the story is an opinion? • “Sequoias have short, blue-green needles.” • “The cones are about the size of chicken eggs.” • “Shallow roots do not offer much support.” • “To stand in the presence of sequoias is a thrill.” Page 3 Page 12

5. Even Giants Fall Sequoias have deeply grooved, cinnamon-colored bark as much as two feet thick—excellent defense against fire and insects. The bark alone is thicker than the whole trunk of many other kinds of trees! This bark contains chemicals called tannins which help the tree fight off pests and diseases. Despite their amazing size and ability to survive many threats, sequoias do die. Strong windstorms and landslides topple them because their roots go down only 10 to 15 feet into the soil—not very deep for a huge tree. Instead, the roots spread out and form a mat. Why not a deep “tap” root? Probably because water is so easily available near the surface in this rainy part of the world that deep, water-seeking roots are not necessary. However, shallow roots do not offer much support. Can you imagine standing in a grove of giant sequoias in a big windstorm? You’d want to run for your life! A Glimpse of Forever Do sequoias die of old age? That is hard to say. In America’s earlier days, sequoias were not protected and logging was allowed. The tree rings of one tree cut down at that time showed it was 3,200 years old. Who knows how much longer it would have lived? Wow! That tree was growing at the time of ancient Egyptian civilization. Although it seems likely that sequoias must die of old age at some point, scientists cannot say for sure at what ripe old age that might be. To stand in the presence of giant sequoias is a “goosebump” experience, a thrill, AWESOME. ALONG CAME A TIGER: Have you ever dreamed of being an explorer? In TIGERS AT TWILIGHT by Mary Pope Osborne, you will meet Jack, Annie and Teddy. These three have an adventure with a tiger they will never forget. ANNIE PULLED JACK DOWN behind the black rock. “Wait—what about Teddy?” he cried. “Don’t worry!” Annie said. “He’s okay—he told me!” Jack heard Teddy’s barks turn to fierce growls. ARF! ARF! GRRR! GRRRR! The growls grew louder and louder. “That doesn’t sound like Teddy,” said Jack. Then suddenly, there was silence. A strange silence. “Teddy?” Annie asked. Now she sounded worried. Annie raised her head. She and Jack both peered over the rock. Teddy stood tall and brave in the grass. The tiger was limping away. He disappeared between the trees. All the forest seemed to hold its breath—until Annie broke the silence. “Teddy, you’re a wonder dog!” she said. Arf! Arf! Teddy was just like a small scruffy dog again. He wagged his tail and ran to Annie and Jack. Annie scooped him into her arms. “You saved us!” she said. “How did you drive away that tiger?” asked Jack, rubbing Teddy’s head. “Did you turn into a wild dog?” Page 11 Page 4

6. IT’S A BIG THING: African elephants can grow 13 feet tall and blue whales can weigh 200,000 pounds. But IT’S A BIG THING by Thomas Vulla tells about a living thing that is even bigger. THE BIGGEST LIVING THING on Earth does not walk on land, fly high in the sky, or swim in an ocean or lake. In fact, it doesn’t move at all, except to sway in the wind. It is the giant sequoia (si-KWOY-uh) tree. Royalty of the Forest Sequoias are the king of trees. These humongous plants live high on the western slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sequoias can grow more than 300 feet tall and 110 feet around the trunk. That’s about as tall as a 26-story building and wider than most city streets! Sequoias are related to the redwood trees that grow on the Pacific coast of northern California and southern Oregon. Like their relatives, sequoias are evergreens. They have short, blue-green needles. Their cones are about the size of chicken eggs. Each cone contains 150 to 250 seeds so tiny that 125,000 of them weigh only one pound. While it might seem strange, the cones need fire’s heat in order to pop open and release their seeds. Have you ever visited a sequoia park? If so, you surely recall how you had to throw back your head and look up, up, up before you could see even the lowest branches of this astounding tree. Its tapered trunk towers straight up 100 feet or so before the first massive limbs appear. The lower limbs drop off as the tree grows. • Teddy just panted and licked them both. Jack pushed his glasses into place and looked back at the forest. • “Well, I guess we won’t be getting a thank-you gift from that • tiger,” he said. • What is most likely to happen next? • Teddy will run off to chase the tiger. • Jack will run home to get help. • Teddy will be scared when the tiger comes back. • Annie and Jack will think Teddy is a hero. • Which of these words BEST describes Teddy when he faces the tiger? • playful • scared • brave • sad Page 5 Page 10

7. BIRTHDAY HORSE: In this story called LITTLE APPALOOSA by Berta and Elmer Hader, a young boy gets a special birthday present. Read this part of the story and answer the questions that follow. “JIMINY CRICKET!” Little Ben stared at the colt running beside the big black horse his father was riding. The dust, raised as they trotted past the house, made the Wind River Mountains at the far edge of the grassy range disappear from view for an instant. Ben rubbed the dust from his eyes and looked again. Then he dashed from the ranch house porch to the corral. “Hey, Dad,” he shouted. “What kind of a colt is that? Where did you get him?” Ben’s father smiled as he lifted the saddle from his horse’s back. He looked at the little spotted colt standing close by. “He is an Indian pony,” he said. “A little appaloosa. The Indians used to raise a lot of them. They are hard to find now. I bought him for your birthday from Chief Lone Eagle over at the Wind River Reservation. His mother died and we’ll have to raise him on a bottle. When he is big enough and you have trained him to be a good cow pony, you can come with me on the roundups.” He took the bridle off his horse and turned him loose. The little appaloosa followed the big black horse across the corral. Little Ben loved horses. He was a born rider. He had been in the saddle ever since he was a baby. He looked with shining eyes at HIS colt—his very own. “Gosh, Dad,” was all he could say. He turned and ran as fast as he could to the ranch house. “Mom,” he called. “Come on out and see my birthday present. It’s a surprise. Hurry, Mom.” Little Ben’s mother came out of the kitchen and followed him to the corral. “Look, Mom,” said little Ben. “He’s a uh-uh, a appaloosa. I’ve never seen a colt spotted like that before. Have you?” • In winter, there was ice and snow everywhere. The feathers were buried underneath. Try as he might, the squirrel could not dig them out. He said to the magpie, “I’m afraid I can’t find feathers in winter.” • “Nor can I find nuts at this time,” said the magpie. • And the squirrel remembered his loan and his words to the magpie, and he was ashamed. He said, “I should expect you to return the nuts when you can, not when you cannot. A loan is meant to help a friend, not to give him trouble.” • From then on they helped each other in winter and repaid their debts in summer. They continued to live happily and became even better friends thereafter. • The story is mostly telling about • how to live in winter • cooperation between friends • winters in the Himalayas • paying back debts • What do you think will happen the next winter? • Squirrel and Magpie will move to warmer ground. • Squirrel and Magpie will not borrow anything. • Squirrel and Magpie will not borrow from others. • Squirrel and Magpie will loan nuts and feathers again. Page 9 Page 6

8. “No, son. I never have. Isn’t he pretty?” She smiled • as the colt lifted his head and whinnied a greeting • from the far side of the corral. “Be gentle with him, • son,” she said, “And he will be your friend.” She • looked toward the barn. “Call your father now. Your • supper is on the table.” She walked back to the house. • After supper, Ben warmed some milk and filled a • pan with a bran mash. The colt was hungry. He • quickly finished the bottle of milk and licked the pan • of mash clean. • Before going to sleep that night, Ben slipped out of • bed and tiptoed to the window. The stillness of the • moonlit night was broken by the steady chirping of • crickets. The spotted pony stood close beside Blackie, • his father’s best riding horse. Thrilled by the thought • that he had a horse of his very own, little Ben went • back to bed. The spotted colt was a wonderful • birthday present. • What do you think Little Ben will do with his new horse? • He will spend the summer caring for it. • He will ride it to town that day. • He will sell it to Chief Lone Eagle. • He will let it pull a wagon. • Which word BEST describes the way Little Ben felt about his new appaloosa colt? • afraid • excited • sad • silly THE SQUIRREL’S LOAN: This story of a magpie, a kind of bird, and a squirrel has a great lesson to teach. THE MAGPIE AND THE SQUIRREL LIVED on the lower slopes of the Himalayas. One cold and snowy winter, the magpie borrowed some nuts from the squirrel, and the squirrel borrowed some feathers to warm his hole in the tree. In summer, the magpie brought some nuts to return the loan, but the squirrel said, “It’s summer and I have plenty of nuts now. You took them from me in winter, so return them to me in winter.” The magpie wondered what he would do because he knew there would be no nuts to be found in winter. So when the squirrel came to return the loan of the feathers, he said, “I have plenty of feathers in my nest now. You took them from me in winter, so return them to me in winter.” “Very well, “ said the squirrel, and he stored the feathers along with his horde of nuts. But it was a hot summer, and the squirrel’s house felt like a furnace with all those feathers in it. So he threw the feathers out, thinking he’d pick them up when winter came around and it was time to return the loan. Page 7 Page 8