Grade 3

Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division

Student Booklet
Language
Spring 2014
1
RELEASED SELECTIONS AND
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

Please note: The format of

this booklet is different from
that used for the assessment.
The questions themselves
remain the same.
 Language 1
Section A

Grade 3, Spring 2014 Section A: Reading

The In-Line Skating Lesson

Aldo and Farah sat on the steps as Aldo 1

put on his new skates.

“Here is a book called How to In-line 2

Skate,” said Farah. “Lesson one is ‘How
to Fall Down.’”

Aldo laughed. “I don’t want to fall 3

down,” he said. “I want to skate fast.”

He stood up on his new skates. 4

“I’m not getting anywhere,” he said. 5

He wiggled some more. “I’m rolling!” he shouted. He waved his 6

arms in the air.

Aldo wiggled and jiggled to a long, slow slope. “I’ll glide downhill,” 7
he called.

“Lesson number three is ‘How to Stop,’” Farah called. 8

“I don’t want to stop,” Aldo yelled. “I’m having fun.” 9

Aldo skated past bushes, past hydro poles, past houses. 10

Student Booklet: Language 1 3

Section A: Reading Grade 3, Spring 2014

“Uh-oh,” Aldo thought. “The sidewalk ends soon. I have to stop or I’ll 11
crash.”

“Farah! Read how to stop!” Aldo yelled. 12

“What?” Farah called from the step. 13

“How do I stop?” Aldo yelled. 14

“It’s complicated on a hill,” yelled Farah. “Fall down.” 15

Aldo looked at the hard sidewalk ahead. He looked at the soft grass at 16
the side. He wished he had practised lesson number one—how to fall.

Farah put down the book and ran after Aldo. “It says relax, be a wet 17
noodle and fall.”

“I am a wet noodle,” yelled Aldo. 18

He flopped on the grass and rolled—one, two, three rolls. Finally 19

Aldo stopped.

He grinned. 20

Lesson 1 “I did it,” he said. “I can 21

o
Ho w t in-line skate, and I can stop.”
kate
-line S
How to
In Fall Down
“You were wonderful,” 22
said Farah. She smiled at
her friend.

4 Student Booklet: Language 1

Grade 3, Spring 2014 Section A: Reading

“ But now let’s read the book,” she said. Aldo took off his skates, 23
and the two friends walked back up the hill.

“And start at the beginning.” 24

Adapted from “The Skating Lesson” by Barbara Owen, published in Highlights for Children magazine, volume 55, no. 5, issue 583, pages 36–37.
© 2000 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. Reprinted with permission.

Student Booklet: Language 1 5

Section A: Reading Grade 3, Spring 2014

1 Why does Farah yell at Aldo?

● He is having fun.
● He is ignoring Farah.
● He is moving farther away.
● He is looking in another direction.

2 In paragraph 15, what does the phrase “It’s complicated on a hill” refer to?

● falling
● yelling
● stopping
● wiggling

3 The phrase “be a wet noodle” in paragraph 17 means that Aldo needs to

● slow down.
● glide gently.
● enjoy himself.
● loosen his muscles.

6 Student Booklet: Language 1

Grade 3, Spring 2014 Section A: Reading

4 Explain how Farah helps to make Aldo’s skating lesson a success. Use details from
the text to support your answer.

5 Explain how Aldo’s attitude about using the book changes after he starts to skate.
Use details from the text to support your answer.

Student Booklet: Language 1 7

Section A: Reading Grade 3, Spring 2014

Two Chains

A dragonfly flew by the pond

To see if he could find a treat.
He landed on a floating leaf
And looked for little bugs to eat.

It didn’t see the frog that sat 5

Upon a mossy rock so still
That thought the dragonfly might make
A very, very tasty meal.

Behind the frog there lay a snake

Who slithered quickly toward his prey 10
And in a tree there stood a hawk
Who thought a snake would make his day.

8 Student Booklet: Language 1

Grade 3, Spring 2014 Section A: Reading

Now when a cow that eats just grass

Stepped in the pond to drink that day
A ripple moved the leaf and scared 15
The hungry dragonfly away.

The frog jumped in, the snake crept off,

The mighty hawk took to the sky
And so their chance to have a feast,
Came to an end and passed them by. 20

The cow stepped out to eat more grass,

But never even had a hunch,
That she became the only one
Who got the chance to eat her lunch.

“Two Chains” by Judy Young, from the book R Is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet, published by Sleeping Bear Press, an imprint of Canpage
Learning, 2005. Reprinted with permission.

Student Booklet: Language 1 9

Section A: Reading Grade 3, Spring 2014

6 How are the events in this poem organized?

● large to small
● action and reaction
● order of importance
● problem and solution

7 In line 5, the word “it” refers to

● a treat.
● a meal.
● the frog.
● the dragonfly.

8 What does the word “prey” refer to in line 10?

● the frog
● the cow
● the hawk
● the snake

9 Which animals are hungry at the end of the poem?

● hawk, frog, cow and snake

● bugs, hawk, dragonfly and cow
● dragonfly, frog, snake and hawk
● frog, dragonfly, bugs and snake

10 Student Booklet: Language 1

Grade 3, Spring 2014 Section A: Reading

10 Explain why the animals in the pond behave differently than the cow. Use details
from the poem and your own ideas to support your answer.

11 Explain how the word “chains” in the title “Two Chains” helps the reader
understand the poem. Use examples from the poem to support your answer.

Student Booklet: Language 1 11

Section A: Writing Grade 3, Spring 2014

12 Write a paragraph describing your favourite way to stay in touch with your friends
and explaining why you like this form of communication.

Write your answer on the next page.

Ideas for My Paragraph

This page will not be scored.

12 Student Booklet: Language 1

Grade 3, Spring 2014 Section A: Writing

Write your paragraph here. Remember to check your spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Do not write
in this area.

Student Booklet: Language 1 13

 Language 1
Section B

Grade 3, Spring 2014 Section B: Reading

Ryan’s Well

Ryan Hreljac sat in his Grade 1 1

classroom in Kemptville, Ontario, and
listened to his teacher, Ms. Prest, talk
about water. She said that people could
get sick if they didn’t have clean water
to drink. She told the class that people
in some countries do not have indoor
sinks and have to walk for hours to get
clean water. There were only nine or
10 steps between Ryan’s classroom
and the drinking fountain.

Ryan wanted to find a way to pay the 2

cost of digging wells near people who
needed them. Wells are holes dug
deep into the ground to provide clean
water. The water comes from rain and
snow that seeps into the ground and is
trapped there.

So Ryan worked for four months doing chores around the house and 3
earned $70. Then he learned that wells cost a lot more, but he was
determined. “I’ll just do more chores,” he said. Ryan’s first well was
built in 1999 in Africa, when he was seven years old.

Ryan’s family is very proud of him. “I’m just your regular, average 4
kid,” Ryan says humbly. He plays basketball and ice hockey. He also
loves playing video games.

Student Booklet: Language 1 15

Section B: Reading Grade 3, Spring 2014

Now a young adult, Ryan visits schools to teach students that, though 5
everyone needs clean water, not everyone has it. He wants to encourage
young people to make a difference in the world. He has visited over
two dozen different countries to tell people about the need for clean
water. Ryan has also told his story on television. He works with the
Global Kidz program, which teaches Canadian Grade 4 students about
building healthy communities worldwide.

Adapted from “Ryan’s Story.” Story and photo from the Ryan’s Well Foundation Web site (www.ryanswell.ca). Reprinted with permission.

16 Student Booklet: Language 1

Grade 3, Spring 2014 Section B: Reading

1 What did Ryan learn from Ms. Prest’s lesson?

● He learned how wells work.

● He learned how to raise money.
● He learned how to teach other students.
● He learned how clean water is hard to find.

2 What does the phrase “I’ll just do more chores” in paragraph 3 suggest about
Ryan?
● He is worried.
● He is convinced.
● He is determined.
● He is disappointed.

3 What does “average” mean as used in paragraph 4?

● fair
● proper
● familiar
● ordinary

4 What parts of Ryan’s life are covered in the text?

● from Grade 1 to adulthood

● from his birth to high school
● from Grade 1 to raising money for the first well
● from high school to his journey to other countries

Student Booklet: Language 1 17

Section B: Reading Grade 3, Spring 2014

5 Explain how a well is helpful to communities. Use details from the text to support
your answer.

6 Explain how Ryan is making a difference in the world. Use examples from the text
and your own ideas to support your answer.

18 Student Booklet: Language 1

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