on the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade assessment, you will write a narrative in response to a prompt assessment, you will also respond to reading comprehension questions before writing your narrative.

Question

Narrative prompts will vary depending on passage type. The sample provided in this resource is an example of a narrative prompt based on an informational passage.
Read the passage and answer questions 12 through 15.
Messages from the Sea
In 2018, Tonya Illman was walking on a beach in Australia. Suddenly, she spotted a yellow glass bottle partly hidden under the sand. At first, she thought the bottle would make a nice decoration in her home. When she looked closely, though, Illman realized this was not just a beautiful bottle. It contained a piece of paper with writing. Could she solve the mystery behind it?
Clues from the Past
When Illman got home, she removed the paper from the bottle and gently unrolled the paper. It had German words on both sides. Illman and her husband could decode some of the handwriting. They could read the date June 12, but the year was impossible to read. They also noticed part of a word, with the letters "aula." Could that be the name of a ship?
Illman contacted Ross Anderson, an employee at a nearby museum. Anderson told her that indeed there had been a German ship named the Paula. Then a phone call from Anderson to experts in Germany helped solve the mystery. These experts found logbooks from the Paula's ocean voyages.
During one trip, the captain of the Paula had written in his logbook that, on June 12, 1886, he tossed a bottle overboard. The captain often did this to try to measure ocean currents. The note inside this bottle asked the finder to report where it was discovered. The handwriting in the captain's logbook matched the writing in the bottle's note. All these clues proved that Illman had made an extremely rare discovery! She said, "This has been the most remarkable event in my life. ... [It's astounding] that this bottle has not been touched for nearly 132 years and is in perfect condition." As of 2019, Illman holds the record for the oldest message in a bottle ever found.
Bottle Overboard
The captain of the Paula was not the only person to throw bottles from a ship. Centuries ago, many ship captains tossed bottles with messages into oceans and seas. They hoped the bottles would be found by people on shore. Then the bottles' __cpLocations might tell the captains about the patterns of ocean currents. There are even stories about the ancient Greeks sending bottles into the Mediterranean Sea. However, these stories cannot be verified because none of the bottles were found.
Many bottles with messages are damaged or never reach land. Often, bottles leak, letting water inside and destroying the paper. Other bottles may simply break and sink to the ocean floor. Some bottles that do reach land end up hidden out of sight like buried treasure. Scientists, too, have dropped many bottles into oceans and seas. Between 1904 and 1906, a scientist named George Bidder tossed over 1,000 bottles into the North Sea. Each bottle contained a posteard that mentioned a modest reward of one shilling. A shilling was an English coin worth about 24 cents in American money in 1906. For those who found Bidder's bottles, receiving a reward was simple. The finder had to fill in the requested information on the bottle's postcard and mail the card to the Marine Biological Association in England.
Hundreds of Bidder's bottles were eventually found. Waves carried them onto the shore. People caught them in fishing nets. One of his bottles was discovered over 100 years later. In 2015, retired postal worker Marianne Winkler stumbled upon one of these bottles in Germany. Then Winkler did what Bidder had requested. She filled out the postcard from the bottle and mailed it. She received her shilling reward!
The Drift Bottle Project
In 2000, Canadian scientist Eddy Carmack became fascinated by messages in bottles and started the Drift Bottle Project. Carmack and many volunteers drop bottles into the water from different ships throughout the world's oceans. They keep track of when and where each bottle is dropped. The bottles are sealed with wax that prevents leaks, and every bottle contains a note with Carmack's contact information. Whenever a bottle is discovered, researchers record the details about when and where it was found. Carmack reports that about one in every 25 bottles is found.
Like other scientists before him, Carmack planned to use his bottle data to help track ocean currents. But his research has turned out to be far more useful than that. His data on the bottles' journeys have provided important clues about the climate, such as the melting patterns of ice in the Arctic. The drift bottles have also shown which direction oil spills and other types of pollution are moving around the world.
Messages in bottles might contribute much more to science in the future. So, those who find themselves on beaches should look and step carefully. Clues might be just ahead, peeking out of the sand On the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade assessment, there will be writing standalone Items that assess your understanding of argumentative, informational/explanatory, and narrative writing and revision skills.
There will also be writing standalone items that assess your writing planning and research skills.
Item 16
Selected-Response
Read the draft of a letter to the school newspaper.
Dear Editor,
4 appreciate the article you printed in the March newspaper about school clubs and extracurriculars. *It is important to highlight ways students can become more involved in school activities. "Not everyone is tuned in to whatever's going on, right? *Your proposal, to host an open house for clubs and extracurriculars, makes a lot of sense. "That way, students are not depending on sheer luck or knowing the "right" person to get into a club or activity.
"Students can see what's available, talk to others who are involved, and then decide for themselves if they want to join.
Which revision would maintain the formal style of the letter?
A. Change sentence 1 to "I support your March article about clubs and extracurricular activities."
B. Change sentence 2 to "It is really important to show students ways they can do more things at school."
C. Change sentence 3 to "Not all students are fully aware of the range of activities they can join."
D. Change sentence 4 to "Your open house proposal of an open house for clubs is a very good idea."Read the draft of a student's letter to the city council.
Dear Council Members,
My friends and I are excited about the new bike trail being built from Old Bridge Park to stop on North Ferguson, a couple blocks short of Main Street. We would like to ask you to downtown. However. we noticed on the man for the pronosed route that the bike trail will and bus routes, and it is many people's destination when they go downtown. Having the bike consider extending the bike trail all the way to Main Street. Main Street has more stores trail extend farther would provide a safe path for people who need to catch a bus or do other
activities on Main Street.
Which sentence BEST concludes the letter?
A. I think we all know what is the right thing to do for the citizens of our city.
B. I hope that vou will seriously consider this request and reach out to the communitv for more input.
c. I wonder if vou have reallv imagined how diffienlt it will be to get to Main Street with no bike trail?
D. I thank you in advance for agreeing to my proposal and extending the bike trail another two blocks.
Item 18
Selected-Response
Read the paragraph from a student's informational essay.
*No one knows for certain who first came up with the idea to invent an automobile. 21t is possible that this person was actually the famous artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci. 3We know from early drawings that he was the first guy on the planet to think something could be used to take people from place to place. Throughout history, many people have had ideas about transportation. However, the first true automobile was invented by a man named Karl Benz in 1885 or 1886.
Which revision of sentence 3 BEST maintains the formal style of the paragraph?
A. Some of his early sketches led experts to think da Vinci was the first person to imagine a vehicle that could transport people.
B. Based on his sketches from a long, long time ago, da Vinci knew that people could use some kind of vehicle.
C. Experts saw da Vinci's mega-famous sketches and realized he was the first person to find a way for people to get wherever they wanted to go.
D. You can tell from da Vinci's Sketches that he had a gut feeling about inventing a better way for people to get around. Selected-Response
Read the draft of a student's narrative.
After several weeks of rehearsals, it was finally time for opening night of the school play.
As the minutes crept closer to showtime, the whole cast of the play became more and more nervous. Despite this, our theater teacher, Mr. Collins, remained calm. A few minutes before the play was about to begin, he gathered all of us backstage. He shared words of encouragement with us.
Which revision of the underlined sentence BEST uses dialogue to improve the narrative?
A. "The play will begin in just a few moments, so be sure you are ready to take your place onstage!"
Mr. Collins announced proudly.
B. "I am glad you are all here on time. Remember that we will need to meet again before tomorrow's show," Mr. Collins said to all of us.
C. "I am so proud of how hard you all have worked to prepare for tonight. Let's have a great show!" Mr. Collins said with a smile.
D. "After we take our final bows, please thank your friends and family who are here tonight to see the play," Mr. Collins said cheerfully.

Answer 1

Narrative Prompt Response

Reading Comprehension Questions

1. Which revision would maintain the formal style of the letter?

   • Correct Answer: A. Change sentence 1 to "I support your March article about clubs and extracurricular activities."
     This change maintains formality by using clear and direct language while keeping a professional tone.

2. Which sentence BEST concludes the letter?

   • Correct Answer: B. I hope that you will seriously consider this request and reach out to the community for more input.
     This sentence is polite and encourages further engagement from the council, keeping the tone respectful and formal.

3. Which revision of sentence 3 BEST maintains the formal style of the paragraph?

   • Correct Answer: A. Some of his early sketches led experts to think da Vinci was the first person to imagine a vehicle that could transport people.
     This revision uses formal language and removes any informal phrases, preserving the academic tone of the essay.

4. Which revision of the underlined sentence BEST uses dialogue to improve the narrative?

   • Correct Answer: C. "I am so proud of how hard you all have worked to prepare for tonight. Let's have a great show!" Mr. Collins said with a smile.
     This revision adds the teacher’s expression of pride and encouragement, enhancing the emotional impact of the narrative through dialogue.

Narrative Writing

Prompt Response: Write a narrative about a time you took a risk and what happened next.

The school auditorium buzzed with excitement, vibrant chatter bouncing off the walls as we gathered backstage for the opening night of our school play, "The Mystery of the Missing Treasure." As the minutes crept closer to showtime, the whole cast of the play became more and more nervous. Even though my heart pounded with anxiety, I made a decision that would challenge me in a way I had never anticipated.

Mr. Collins, our theater teacher, stood tall among us, projecting calmness that somehow managed to reassure the entire cast. Just a few moments before the curtains would part, he gathered us backstage. "I am so proud of how hard you all have worked to prepare for tonight. Let's have a great show!" he said with a smile.

With those words still echoing in my mind, I felt a spark of courage. I had memorized my lines, perfected my expressions, and learned to dance across the stage, but there was one thing I hadn’t anticipated: speaking to the audience without a script.

As I took my place in the limelight, I realized that the script had a fun little monologue in which my character addressed the audience directly. It was an opportunity—one that would either make or break my performance. Months of rehearsals flashed before my eyes, a whirlwind of laughter, mistakes, and camaraderie. I knew I had to seize this moment.

With a deep breath, I stepped forward, gripping the edge of my prop treasure chest. Rather than simply reciting my lines, I took a risk and added my own twist. “Treasure isn't just gold and jewels, my friends. It’s the friends we make along the way,” I declared, looking directly at people in the front row, some familiar faces of classmates and teachers. The instant I stepped off-script, a wave of fear washed over me, but it was quickly followed by exhilaration as the audience responded with applause and cheers.

After the show, in the glow of the stage lights and the buzz of excitement, Mr. Collins approached me with a proud look in his eyes. “You found a way to connect with the audience,” he said. “That’s what great actors do.”

In that moment, I learned that taking risks, even if they seem daunting, can spark moments of magic. My words resonated with people in a way I hadn’t expected, and I felt a surge of confidence. Opening night became not just a performance; it was a lesson in courage, creativity, and the importance of taking risks.