FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading
Approximate
Grade Range: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Genre: Non-fiction (biography)
Topic: How Martin Luther King’s reading life as a child shaped
his dream to better the lives of African Americans
Author: Margaret Davidson
Source: I Have A Dream (book)
Special Note: used on G4 MCAS 2003
Difficulty Index: Considerate . . . . . . . . . . . . Challenging
Structure:
Purpose:
Richness:
Relationships:
Vocabulary:
Style:
Lexile Measure: 1110L
Read this selection about Martin Luther King, Jr., from the book
I Have a Dream. Use information from the selection to answer the questions that follow.
1 Martin had some grand times with his friends. But sometimes he said, “No, not now,” when they came to play. For he also needed time to think and daydream and read.
2 Books were a kind of magic for Martin. They took him so many places. They told him so many new things. Most important, they introduced him to so many people who became heroes in his life. For Martin’s favorite books were about black history, and the men and women who had made it.
3 He read about Harriet Tubman, the slave who escaped to freedom in the North before the Civil War, and yet returned
South again and again to lead other slaves to freedom.
4 He read about Frederick Douglass, another slave who escaped to freedom but never forgot his people. Douglass was a great speaker. For years he traveled around the northern states and England telling audiences what it felt like to be a slave. And after the Civil War he continued to work for basic human rights for all.
5 Martin read about the great teacher Booker T. Washington, who in the late 1800’s founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama— the first college for black people.
6 He read about George Washington Carver, the scientist who worked at Tuskegee and found ways to make many useful products out of such plants as sweet potatoes and soybeans and peanuts.
7 And he read about people who were doing exciting things right that minute. He read about the singer and actor Paul
Robeson, who became famous around the world. He read about people like the boxer Joe Louis—the Brown Bomber, as many people were calling him—who in 1937 became heavyweight champion of the world. And the track star Jesse Owens, who
Purpose: To explain the connection between Martin’s reading life as a child and the development of his dream to help his people. The text supports readers in developing this abstract concept by making connections explicit throughout.
See especially: Questions 1, 3, 8, 9, 10
Style: Although the first paragraph has some unusual phrasings, the rest of the text generally uses simple subject-verb-object sentence constructions.
See especially: Question 2
Relationships: ¶2 introduces the idea that the people
Martin read about were inspirations for him. ¶8 revisits this idea and links it to his dreams and ambitions.
See especially: Questions 3, 4
Structure: ¶3-7 contain examples of the heroes Martin read about. Each ¶ begins with a clear topic sentence and provides evidence that each person was a key figure in black history.
However, while ¶3-6 each focus on a single historical figure, ¶7 describes several people who were contemporary to Martin’s youth. Though the first sentence hints at this contrast in chronology, students who also consider MLK “part of history” may not catch the shift in eras.
See especially: Questions 5, 6, 7
Continued on next page
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Margaret Davidson is from I Have a Dream. Copyright © 1986 by Margaret Davidson. Some questions were drawn or adapted from the G4 MCAS Spring 1999 test. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.

won four gold medals for the United States in the 1936
Olympic Games.
8 As Martin read about these men and women who had done such big things, a dream began to grow inside him.
He wanted to do something big, something important with his life, too.
9 But what? Martin wasn’t sure. Not yet. But he did know one thing. Whatever he grew up to be, he wanted to help his people . He wanted to make their lives better.
Relationships: Students must generalize from the prior references to the contributions of his heroes to black history that the reference to “his people” alludes specifically to other black Americans.
See especially: Questions 8, 9
Spotlight On:
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) was named after his father, Martin Luther King, Sr. His father and grandfather were both preachers, a path he too would follow. His mother, Alberta Williams King, was a teacher who taught him to read before he even started school. He was a very good student, but not everything about school was fun for him. King’s white friends went to a different school, and weren’t allowed to play with him during the school year. As he grew up, King skipped several grades, starting at Morehouse College when he was only 15 years old. After graduating, he continued his education by following in his father’s footsteps. King became a minister when he was 19, and got his doctorate in theology from Boston University in 1955. From there, he went on to be one of the most important spiritual and political leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
Open Response Prompt:
According to the passage, reading books was something that Martin really liked to do. Explain how books helped Martin’s dream begin to grow. Use at least two examples from the passage in your response.
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Margaret Davidson is from I Have a Dream. Copyright © 1986 by Margaret Davidson. Some questions were drawn or adapted from the G4 MCAS Spring 1999 test. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.

FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading
Note: You may find it helpful to refer to the “Types and Levels of Thinking Assessed on FAST-R” sheet from your teacher resource folder as you examine your students’ responses. The icon in the right-hand column, below, corresponds to that sheet’s more detailed explanations of the kinds of thinking each type of question asks of readers.
1. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Civil rights were Martin’s dream. - (OOB) this choice relies on prior knowledge about King.
B. Martin dreamed of winning four gold medals. - (OOP
2 feat.
¶ 7) refers to Jesse Owens’ Olympic
 C. Books helped Martin’s dream grow. - ¶2 discusses the importance of books to him, and ¶ 8, which says that as he read, “a dream began to grow inside him”
D. Martin liked to read. - (OOP
1 passage
¶ 1, 2, 8) an accurate but too narrow to be the main idea of the
MI2: Determine a singular meaning from the total text
2. A synonym for the word “grand” in the first sentence is
 A. terrific.
- the synonym of “grand,” in this context, must be positive (the positive nature of “grand” can be inferred from the association with “play” in the next sentence)
B. terrible. - (OOB) as a negative word, this is closer to an antonym of grand here
C. heroic. - (OOP
2
) heroes are mentioned as the topic of his reading
D. thoughtful. - (OOP
1 elimination
) “thoughtful” is neutral rather than positive, students could rule it out by
3. Why were books so important to Martin?
A. He read them instead of going out to play. - (OOP
1 portant to him, but not WHY they were
¶ 1) true, and a sign that books were im-
B. They helped him with schoolwork. - (OOB) there is no mention of schoolwork, but this is a reasonable application of students’ own experience
C. Reading helped him do exciting things right that minute. - (OOP
2 reading helped him dream of what he would do in the future
) a misread of ¶7; actually,
 D. They introduced him to people who became his heroes. - the only option that is in ¶ 2; also, it is preceded by the phrase, “most important”
4. Based on the information in the passage, if Martin were choosing another book to read, he would most likely choose
A. Great Battles of the Civil War - (OOP
1
) The Civil War is mentioned, and is a historical topic, but he had a clear preference for biographies or autobiographies
B. Amaze Your Friends with Magic Tricks!
- (OOP
2
) books were “a kind of magic” for Martin, but he had a clear preference for biographies or autobiographies
 C. Heroes from History: Stories of Six Black Leaders - this title evokes several of the elements (heroes, black history) that the text emphasizes
D. Mystery of the Broken Gate - (OOB) students may be answering based on their own opinion rather than distinguishing Martin’s preferences based on the text
5. One of Martin’s heroes was a great teacher who founded Tuskegee Institute in
Alabama. This person was
A. Harriet Tubman. - (OOP
2
¶ 3)
B. Albert Einstein. - (OOB) a scientist/teacher, but totally unrelated to this passage
 C. Booker T. Washington. - (¶ 5)
D. George Washington Carver. - (OOP
1
¶ 6) G. W. Carver worked at the Tuskegee Institute but did not start it; students must be attuned to such subtle distinctions
MI5: Determine meaning by using an understanding of literary concepts
FE1: Identify evidence explicitly stated in the text
MI4: Determine new meaning and apply it beyond the passage
FE1: Identify evidence explicitly stated in the text
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Margaret Davidson is from I Have a Dream. Copyright © 1986 by Margaret Davidson. Some questions were drawn or adapted from the G4 MCAS Spring 1999 test. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.

6. Martin read about black men and women who “made history” around the time of the Civil
War, long before Martin was born. Some of these heroes include
A. Jesse Jackson and Martin Luther King, Jr. - (OOB) students may select familiar names due to a fuzzy sense of chronology or incorrect prior knowledge
B. Paul Robeson and Jesse Owens. - (OOP
2
) both are mentioned, but as “doing exciting things right that minute”; students may have a fuzzy sense of chronology
 C. Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.
- (¶ 3, 4)
D. all of them. - (OOB) the text identifies several heroes in the Civil War era and as more contemporary to Martin’s childhood
7. Paragraph 7 begins, “And he read about people who were doing exciting things right that minute,” suggesting that
A. The people listed in paragraphs 2-6 were alive during Martin’s childhood (OOP2)
 B. The people listed in paragraph 7 were alive during Martin’s childhood
C. The people listed in paragraph 2-6 were not heroic black Americans (OOP2)
D. The people listed in paragraph 7 were alive during the Civil War (OOP2)
8. Which phrase BEST describes Martin’s dream?
A. to play a professional sport - (OOB) students may have this dream, but Martin doesn’t
B. to sing and act on the stage - (OOP
2
¶ 7) Paul Robeson was a singer and actor; though Martin considered this “exciting,” it was not his dream
 C. to be helpful to his people - (¶ 9) explicit in the next-to-last sentence of the passage
D. to read more books about Harriet Tubman - (OOP
1
) Martin enjoyed reading about her and others, but his dream is broader than simply reading more
9. In paragraph 9 of the story, who does the author mean by “his people”?
A. the whole world - (OOB) students may be basing this inference on their own thinking or prior instruction about Martin Luther King, Jr., rather than on the text
 B. black Americans - inference can be made from the details throughout the passage: “people” is preceded by “his,” his favorite books were about black history ( ¶ 2)
C. the heroes Martin read about - (OOP
1
¶ 2) the heroes are in the text and they are people; however, they are not the people referred to in ¶ 9
D. former slaves - (OOP
2
¶ 9
¶ 3-4) mentioned as historical figures; cannot be the people referred to in
10. What is the author’s MAIN purpose in writing this passage?
A. To prove that people can dream when they are awake - (OOB) no evidence suggests that proving this idea is the purpose, though “dream” appears in the title
B. To persuade children to read instead of playing with their friends - (OOP rather than persuasive
2
¶ 1) Martin sometimes read instead of playing, but that’s a minor detail; the tone of the passage is explanatory
C. To describe the lives of important people - (OOP
1 isn’t the main purpose of THIS passage
¶ 2-8) the books Martin read do this, but it
 D. To explain how reading about famous black Americans helped shape Martin’s dream
- the best of the choices since the passage traces how Martin’s reading helped him form his dream
FE2: Recognize the explicit meaning from varied wording in the text
MI1: Determine implicit meaning from ideas in context
FE2: Recognize the explicit meaning from varied wording in the text
MI1: Determine implicit meaning from words in ontext
MI2: Determine a singular meaning from the total text
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Margaret Davidson is from I Have a Dream. Copyright © 1986 by Margaret Davidson. Some questions were drawn or adapted from the G4 MCAS Spring 1999 test. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.

Name + “A Dream Begins to Grow” • Nonfiction
Date Teacher/Class
Read this selection about Martin Luther King, Jr., from the book I Have a Dream . Use information from the selection to answer the questions that follow.
1 Martin had some grand times with his friends. But sometimes he said, “No, not now,” when they came to play. For he also needed time to think and daydream and read.
2 Books were a kind of magic for Martin. They took him so many places. They told him so many new things. Most important, they introduced him to so many people who became heroes in his life. For Martin’s favorite books were about black history, and the men and women who had made it.
3 He read about Harriet Tubman, the slave who escaped to freedom in the North before the Civil War, and yet returned South again and again to lead other slaves to freedom.
4 He read about Frederick
Douglass, another slave who escaped to freedom but never forgot his people.
Douglass was a great speaker. For years he traveled around the northern states and England telling audiences what it felt like to be a slave. And after the
Civil War he continued to work for basic human rights for all.
5 Martin read about the great teacher Booker T. Washington, who in the late 1800’s founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama—the first college for black people.
6 He read about George Washington Carver, the scientist who worked at
Tuskegee and found ways to make many useful products out of such plants as sweet potatoes and soybeans and peanuts.
7 And he read about people who were doing exciting things right that minute. He read about the singer and actor Paul Robeson, who became famous around the world. He read about people like the boxer Joe Louis—the Brown
Bomber, as many people were calling him—who in 1937 became heavyweight champion of the world. And the track star Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals for the United States in the 1936 Olympic Games.
8 As Martin read about these men and women who had done such big things, a dream began to grow inside him. He wanted to do something big, something important with his life, too.
9 But what? Martin wasn’t sure. Not yet. But he did know one thing.
Whatever he grew up to be, he wanted to help his people. He wanted to make their lives better.
Spotlight On:
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) was named after his father, Martin
Luther King, Sr. His father and grandfather were both preachers, a path he too would follow. His mother,
Alberta Williams King, was a teacher who taught him to read before he even started school. He was a very good student, but not everything about school was fun for him. King’s white friends went to a different school, and weren’t allowed to play with him during the school year. As he grew up, King skipped several grades, starting at Morehouse
College when he was only 15 years old. After graduating, he continued his education by following in his father’s footsteps. King became a minister when he was 19, and got his doctorate in theology from
Boston University in 1955. From there, he went on to be one of the most important spiritual and political leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Margaret Davidson is from I Have a Dream. Copyright © 1986 by Margaret Davidson. Some questions were drawn or adapted from the G4 MCAS Spring 1999 test. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.

Name + “A Dream Begins to Grow” • Nonfiction
Date Teacher/Class
Directions: Answer the following questions by filling in the circle with the best answer on your answer sheet.
1. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Civil rights were Martin’s dream.
B. Martin dreamed of winning four gold medals.
C. Books helped Martin’s dream grow.
D. Martin liked to read.
2. A synonym for the word “grand ” in the first sentence is
A. terrific.
B. terrible.
C. heroic.
D. thoughtful.
3. Why were books so important to Martin?
A. He read them instead of going out to play.
B. They helped him with schoolwork.
C. Reading helped him do exciting things right that minute.
D. They introduced him to people who became his heroes.
4. Based on the information in the passage, if Martin were choosing another book to read, he would most likely choose
A. Great Battles of the Civil War
B. Amaze Your Friends with Magic Tricks!
C. Heroes from History: Stories of Six Black Leaders
D. Mystery of the Broken Gate
5. One of Martin’s heroes was a great teacher who founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. This person was
A. Harriet Tubman.
B. Albert Einstein.
C. Booker T. Washington.
D. George Washington Carver.
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Margaret Davidson is from I Have a Dream. Copyright © 1986 by Margaret Davidson. Some questions were drawn or adapted from the G4 MCAS Spring 1999 test. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.

Name
Date
School
Teacher/Class
6. Martin read about black men and women who “made history” around the time of the Civil
War, long before Martin was born. Some of these heroes include
A. Jesse Jackson and Martin Luther King, Jr.
B. Paul Robeson and Jesse Owens.
C. Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.
D. all of them.
7. Paragraph 7 begins, “And he read about people who were doing exciting things right that minute,” suggesting that
A. the people listed in paragraphs 2-6 were alive during Martin’s childhood.
B. the people listed in paragraph 7 were alive during Martin’s childhood.
C. the people listed in paragraph 2-6 were not heroic black Americans.
D. the people listed in paragraph 7 were alive during the Civil War.
8. Which phrase BEST describes Martin’s dream?
A. to play a professional sport
B. to sing and act on the stage
C. to be helpful to his people
D. to read more books about Harriet Tubman
9. In paragraph 9 of the story, who does the author mean by “his people”?
A. the whole world
B. black Americans
C. the heroes Martin read about
D. former slaves
10. What is the author’s MAIN purpose in writing this passage?
A. To prove that people can dream when they are awake
B. To persuade children to read instead of playing with their friends
C. To describe the lives of important people
D. To explain how reading about famous black Americans helped shape Martin’s dream
Open Response Prompt:
According to the passage, reading books was something that Martin really liked to do. Explain how books helped Martin’s dream begin to grow. Use at least two examples from the passage in your response.
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Margaret Davidson is from I Have a Dream. Copyright © 1986 by Margaret Davidson. Some questions were drawn or adapted from the G4 MCAS Spring 1999 test. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston Plan for Excellence.

Teachers: Please duplicate and use this answer sheet only for students for whom you did not receive a pre-printed answer sheet!
Name
Date
Passage Title
Completely fill the circle for the correct answer.
School
Grade
Teacher Name
Class
Write your answer to the open response prompt in the lined space below if your teacher directs you to do so.
1. A B C D
2. A B C D
3. A B C D
4. A B C D
5. A B C D
6. A B C D
7. A B C D
8. A B C D
9. A B C D
10. A B C D
RESEARCH:
OFFICE USE ONLY
Y N
OPEN RESPONSE: 1 2 3 4