Key Cause & Effect Check:
myView Literacy • Grade 3 Unit 2 Week 2 • Teacher Answer Key Page 1 of 2 Turn over for Questions 3 & 4 and Misconception Guide
Teacher Key Weird Friends • Questions 3 & 4 and Instructional Notes
Evaluation Reference
3 Question 3 • Author's Craft & Word Choice Exemplar
Standard: 3.RI.4 / 3.RI.6
Model 4-Point Response:
[R & A] The authors chose the word "weird" in the title because these pairings involve creatures that normally would be enemies or have nothing in common. [C] In the text, the authors describe how a tiny bird walks directly inside the mouth of a reptile with "deadly, razor-sharp teeth that could crush it in one bite." [E] This phrase surprises the reader and makes the relationship feel "weird" and unexpected, because predators usually eat smaller creatures rather than protecting them.
Teaching Point: Students should recognize authorial intent—the authors use intriguing words ("weird", "unlikely", "deadly jaws") to hook reader curiosity and highlight contrast in the animal world.
4 Question 4 • Synthesis & Dual Citations Exemplar
Standard: 3.RI.9 / 3.W.9
Model 4-Point Response (Sample Claim: Survival Partnerships for Food):
[Claim] Animals in Weird Friends team up most importantly to secure hard-to-reach food. [Evidence 1] First, the text states that the honeyguide bird "calls out to lead the honey badger straight to the hive so both can feast." [Evidence 2] Second, the author points out that cleaner shrimp and fish "get their daily nourishment by nibbling parasites directly off larger fish." [Explanation] Both examples prove that without their allies, these animals would struggle to find food and would go hungry in their habitats.
Alternate Claim: Students who argue "Protection/Defense" are equally correct if they cite pairs like ostrich/zebra and goby/shrimp.
Common Student Misconceptions & Quick Fixes
Misconception 1
Student forgets quotation marks when copying direct sentences from the book.
Instructional Fix
Prompt: "If the book said it first, put speech bubbles ("...") around those exact words."
Misconception 2
Student describes only one animal in Question 2 rather than both partners.
Instructional Fix
Prompt: "Partnership means two! Tell me what animal #1 gets and what animal #2 gets."
Misconception 3
Quotes evidence but provides no explanation (stops at citation).
Instructional Fix
Use sentence frame: "This quote proves my answer because it shows that..."
myView Literacy • Grade 3 Unit 2 Week 2 • Teacher Answer Key Page 2 of 2 Scoring Calibration & RTI Intervention Support
