Wabash River Challenge ELA Worksheet
ILEARN Prep: Checkpoint 1
Wabash River Challenge
Name:
Date:
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
The Secret of the Wabash
The golden afternoon sun cast long shadows over the trail winding alongside the Wabash River near Lafayette, Indiana. Ben zipped his jacket tighter against the cool autumn breeze, keeping a watchful eye on his younger sister, Sarah. She was constantly darting off the paved trail to inspect odd-looking leaves or weird mushrooms, while Ben preferred to stay on the designated path, checking his map to trace their route.
"Ben, look over here!" Sarah’s voice chirped from a dense thicket of sycamore trees near the riverbank. "I found some kind of stone wall hiding in the dirt!"
Ben sighed and cautiously stepped off the gravel. He pushed aside a curtain of golden-brown vines. Buried deep in the moist earth was a row of thick, hand-carved limestone blocks, weathered grey and covered in damp moss. It looked like the foundation of an ancient building.
"Be careful, Sarah. It might be unstable," Ben warned, though his heart beat faster. He knew this area was once a bustling port for the Wabash and Erie Canal back in the 1800s. He crouched down and brushed some dirt off a flat surface. There was an engraving of an anchor and a year: 1847.
"We shouldn't try to excavate it ourselves," Ben said thoughtfully. "The historical society warned that digging up artifacts without tools can destroy them. We need to document our find and report it to the park rangers."
Sarah nodded, her eyes wide with excitement. "A real piece of Indiana history! Let’s take a picture and draw a map so they know exactly where to find it."
1 Based on the passage, what can the reader infer about Ben's character?
A He is reckless and enjoys taking dangerous risks.
B He is responsible, cautious, and respects rules.
C He is easily bored by nature and history.
D He is jealous of Sarah’s ability to find artifacts.
2 Read this sentence from the passage:
"We shouldn't try to excavate it ourselves," Ben said thoughtfully. "The historical society warned that digging up artifacts without tools can destroy them."
Based on the context clues, what does the word excavate mean?
A To hide or bury deep underground
B To clean and polish with soap
C To dig up or uncover carefully
D To paint a copy of an old structure
Grade 4 ILEARN Checkpoint 1 ELA Review Page 1 of 2
ILEARN Prep: Checkpoint 1
Wabash River Challenge
Name:
Date:
Multi-part item: Answer Part A, then answer Part B.
3A Part A: How does the riverbank setting influence the plot of the story?
A It creates a dangerous barrier that forces the characters to turn back home.
B It provides a scenic path that makes Ben and Sarah forget about their route.
C It contains historical structures because of its proximity to the old canal system.
D It causes Sarah to get lost in a dangerous swamp along the Wabash River.
3B Part B: Which sentence from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?
A "Ben zipped his jacket tighter against the cool autumn breeze..."
B "He knew this area was once a bustling port for the Wabash and Erie Canal back in the 1800s."
C "Sarah nodded, her eyes wide with excitement."
D "Ben sighed and cautiously stepped off the gravel."
4 How do Sarah's actions in the thicket change Ben's focus?
A They make him decide to abandon his route map to search for ancient buried gold.
B They shift his attention from tracing the map's trail to documenting a historical artifact.
C They cause him to panic and run back to look for park rangers on the main road.
5 Write a 3-4 sentence summary of the passage. Include the characters, setting, and key plot events.
Grade 4 ILEARN Checkpoint 1 ELA Review Page 2 of 2
Hoosier Numbers Math Worksheet
ILEARN Prep: Checkpoint 1
Hoosier Numbers
Name:
Date:
Part 1: Place Value, Rounding, & Arithmetic
1 In the number 455,200, how does the value of the digit 5 in the ten-thousands place compare to the value of the digit 5 in the thousands place?
Fill in the missing values to complete the sentence.
The value of the 5 in the ten-thousands place (50,000) is times as great as the value of the 5 in the thousands place (5,000).
2 An Indiana limestone quarry shipped 382,548 blocks of limestone last year.
Part A:
Round the number of blocks to the nearest thousand.
Answer:
Part B:
Round the number of blocks to the nearest ten-thousand.
Answer:
3 The Indianapolis Motor Speedway had 246,850 visitors on Saturday and 153,485 visitors on Sunday. How many visitors did the speedway have in total over both days?
Use the standard addition algorithm. Show all carrying.
Workspace
Final Answer:
visitors
4 A cargo ship on Lake Michigan traveled 600,000 meters. A barge on the Ohio River traveled 342,815 meters. How many more meters did the cargo ship travel than the barge?
Use the standard subtraction algorithm. Show all regrouping.
Workspace
Final Answer:
meters
Grade 4 ILEARN Checkpoint 1 Math Review Page 1 of 2
ILEARN Prep: Checkpoint 1
Hoosier Numbers
Name:
Date:
Part 2: Factors, Patterns, & Multiplication
5 This question has two parts about the number 32.
Part A:
List all of the factor pairs of 32.
Part B:
Is 32 prime or composite? Explain.
Prime Composite
6 A student generates a pattern starting with the number 5.
The rule for the pattern is: Multiply by 2, then subtract 3.
Part A:
Write the next four terms of the pattern.
5 , , , ,
Part B:
Describe one rule feature of this pattern (even/odd behaviors, etc.).
7 Solve 48 × 26. Show your work using either the area model or standard algorithm.
Checkpoint Challenge Teacher Guide
Teacher Resource: Checkpoint 1
Wabash River ELA Answer Key & Guide
Indiana Academic Standards Aligned
ILEARN Checkpoint 1: ELA Focus Areas
This checkpoint targets 4th-grade literature standards (Characters, Setting, Plot, Inferences, Summarizing) and vocabulary standards (Context Clues). Emphasize Part A/Part B questioning, which requires students to connect a claims-based inference with specific textual evidence.
Question 1: Inference & Characterization (RL.4.1, RL.4.3) Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Ben's character is demonstrated by his actions: zipped jacket (careful), watchful eye on Sarah (responsible), prefers to stay on path, checks map (cautious), and refuses to excavate without rangers/tools (rules-oriented).
Question 2: Context Clues / Vocabulary (RV.4.1) Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The second sentence explicitly references "digging up artifacts," which provides a direct synonym/conceptual bridge to "excavate."
Question 3: Setting Influence - Part A / Part B (RL.4.1, RL.4.3) Part A: C | Part B: B
Rationale Part A: The proximity to the river/canal allows the limestone blocks to be located where a 19th-century port once existed.
Rationale Part B: "He knew this area was once a bustling port for the Wabash and Erie Canal back in the 1800s" connects the physical setting directly to the historic canal system history.
Question 4: Plot & Character Change (RL.4.3) Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Sarah's shout forces Ben off his gravel path to discover history. This shifts his mental frame from merely reading a route map to documenting a real-world monument.
Question 5: Summarizing Prompt (RL.4.2) - Rubric Guide 2-Point Prompt
Scoring Criteria:
- 2 Pts: Includes characters (Ben & Sarah), setting (Wabash River), and plot climax (finding the 1847 marker and deciding to report it safely).
- 1 Pt: Missing either setting details or the safe resolution, or lacks logical structure.
Exemplar Student Response:
"While walking along the Wabash River near Lafayette, Ben and his sister Sarah find an old hand-carved limestone canal marker from 1847. Sarah is excited and wants to touch it, but cautious Ben advises against digging it up. Instead, they decide to take photos and draw a map to safely report their historic find to the park rangers."
Grade 4 ILEARN Checkpoint 1 Teacher Guide Page 1 of 2
Teacher Resource: Checkpoint 1
