Sahara Shield Assessment
ASSESSMENT • ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT (GRADES 6-8) LEVEL: TRANSITIONING / EXPANDING
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SAHARA SHIELD
Directions: Read the passage below about Africa's Great Green Wall. Use the Academic Word Bank at the bottom of the page to help you understand difficult words.
The Great Green Wall
The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world. It is also growing larger every year. This dangerous process is called desertification. It happens because of climate change and because humans cut down trees. When the trees are gone, the strong wind blows away the rich soil. The land becomes dry, sandy, and bad for growing food. This makes it very hard for local families to survive.
To stop the growing desert, eleven countries in Africa started a bold project. They are planting a giant forest of trees across the entire width of the continent. This is called the Great Green Wall. It will stretch 8,000 kilometers from west to east. It acts like a green barrier to block the hot desert winds and hold the rich soil in place.
This wall is about more than just trees; it is about saving communities. The trees restore the soil so farmers can grow crops again. They also bring back water to the ground and create cool shade. Thousands of people have found jobs planting and caring for these trees. The Great Green Wall is proof that nature and humans can work together to benefit our planet.
Academic Word Bank
desertification (noun)
When healthy land turns into dry desert. (Spanish: desertificación)
barrier (noun)
A wall, fence, or shield that blocks movement. (Spanish: barrera)
restore (verb)
To return something back to its good, healthy state. (Spanish: restaurar)
benefit (verb)
To help or be very useful to someone or something. (Spanish: beneficiar)
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SAHARA SHIELD
Part A: Reading & Cause-Effect
1. Cause & Effect Map
Directions: Use details from the reading passage to complete the Cause & Effect map below. Write your response clearly in the blank box.
The Ecological Problem
Cause:
Climate change and cutting down trees make the land dry and sandy.
Effect:
The Sahara Desert grows larger (desertification) and blocks food growth.
The Human Solution
Action:
Eleven countries in Africa plant millions of trees to form a giant green wall barrier.
Effect:
2. Comprehension Questions
Q1. What is the central idea of the reading passage?
A The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the entire world.
B Cutting down trees is the only reason why soil becomes dry and sandy.
C The Great Green Wall is a forest project to stop the desert and help people.
D Eleven different countries in Africa do not agree on how to grow crops.
Q2. In paragraph 2, the text says the wall "acts like a green barrier." What does the word barrier mean in this context?
A A bright light that helps people navigate during heavy sandstorms.
B A protective shield or wall that blocks a dangerous force.
C A type of tool used to dig holes for planting small saplings.
D A native animal species that lives in the dry African savannah.
Q3. According to the text, how does the Great Green Wall benefit local farmers?
A It gives them large tractors to move sand dunes away.
B It allows them to move their families to a cooler climate.
C It provides them with imported food directly from other continents.
D It blocks dry winds and restores the soil so they can grow crops.
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SAHARA SHIELD
Part B: Written Response
Paragraph Writing Task
PROMPT:
Write a structured paragraph explaining how the Great Green Wall protects both the earth (environment) and the people living in Africa. Use at least two words from your Academic Word Bank in your paragraph.
Paragraph Frame (Optional Support)
You may use these sentence starters to organize and write your paragraph in the writing space below:
Topic Sentence: The Great Green Wall is a powerful project because ________.
Detail 1 (Earth): First, planting these trees protects the earth by ________.
Detail 2 (People): Second, the project benefits the local people because ________.
Conclusion Sentence: In conclusion, restoring this land shows ________.
Your Written Paragraph: Write on the lines below
Student Self-Checklist (Read and check your work!)
Reading complete
Used 2 bank words
Completed frames
Checked caps/stops
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SAHARA SHIELD
Teacher Grading Guide
Grades 6-8 ELL Scoring Rubric
Designed to assess linguistic growth and reading retention for students at the Transitioning & Expanding levels.
| Dimension | 1 • Emerging / Dev | 2 • Expanding / Meets | 3 • Bridging / Exceeds | Score |
|---|
| Reading & Cause-Effect | Answers 0-1 questions correctly. Graphic organizer is blank or inaccurate. | Answers 2 questions correctly. Graphic organizer is complete but lacks text detail. | Answers all 3 questions correctly. Graphic organizer successfully describes tree benefits. | / 3 |
| Vocabulary Use | Does not include target Word Bank terms, or uses them incorrectly in isolation. | Includes 1 or 2 target terms (e.g., barrier, restore) with minor spelling/meaning errors. | Successfully integrates 2+ terms within complete sentences to illustrate ecological benefits. | / 3 |
| Sentence Mechanics | Paragraph consists primarily of disjointed fragments or copying from the prompts. | Relies on paragraph frames. Minor errors in capitalization/punctuation, meaning is clear. | Writes coherent simple/compound sentences independently. Consistent capitalization & punctuation. | / 3 |
| Content & Evidence | Struggles to address prompt. Does not show how trees benefit soil or residents. | States trees help earth/people, but explanations are repetitive or missing supporting details. | Clearly articulates how trees block sand/wind AND create local jobs/farming opportunities. | / 3 |
Assessment Summary
Total Score: ____ / 12
Scale: 10-12 = Bridging
Teacher Comments / Next Steps:
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