Student Answers to "Quicksilver Mess"

After I administered the "Quicksilver Mess" piece to 160 8th graders, (one team at my school), I scored the papers, and then I retyped several of their answers on overhead transparencies to give feedback to the students before returning their papers. Below is what I actually used with students in the classroom. It took approximately 15 minutes to go through the answers.

Results of Quicksilver Mess

First, I told students about the difference between thermometers with red liquid and those with silver liquid. Many of their answers indicated confusion on this matter.


1) I shared the scoring tool for question 1 with students.

Scoring Tool for "Quicksilver Mess"

Question 1

2 Points

The response reflects a clear understanding of the text, with three or more explicit text references and extensions.

1 Point

The response reflects a general understanding of the text, with two explicit text references and extensions.

0 Points

Answer Cues


2) I told students that the majority of them were able to get a two on this first question. First, it was very global. Second, there were lots of details from the story that could be used, and nearly everyone got at least three. Many found more. I showed them the model answer for question one, and told that that it was typical of the kinds of answers they wrote. In scoring their responses, I just checked off evidence as I found it, and pretty much stopped after checking 3 or 4 pieces of evidence.

3) Next I shared the scoring tool for question 2.


Question 2

2 Points

The response clearly reflects that the student was able to infer a lesson learned from the incident, supported by at least three explicit text references.

1 Point

The response generally reflects that the student was able to infer a lesson learned from the incident, although the lesson may be surface, supported by two explicit text references.

0 Points

Answer Cues

A lesson should be stated, then followed by text support, similar to cues to for question one. Answers will vary.


4) I told students that this is the question that gave them the most trouble. Although the majority of students were able to tell a lesson that was learned, most students did not back up the lesson with evidence from the text. Note that the scoring tool said three pieces of evidence. If you recall, the guidelines for answering questions about reading that were printed on the back of the article said that you needed at least two examples to get a satisfactory, which is a score point of one. So, if you stated a lesson, then gave one example, you got a zero on this question, because two pieces of evidence were needed for a two. Also, some of you stated several lessons learned, without any evidence to support your answer.

When I scored these answers, I put slashes (/ ) around the lesson that you learned, then checked off pieces of evidence that supported your answer. If I found the lesson plus three pieces of evidence, it was a two; the lesson and two pieces were satisfactory for a one, and a lesson with one or no pieces of evidence, or just several lessons, got a zero. I also told students that I was true to their language usage, and so occasionally, I would work in a mini-lesson on correct capitalization and sentence structure.

5) I shared the answers from question 2 by putting slash marks around the lesson, and then checking off the evidence, justifying my actions throughout each example. I then told students what score each one received.


Sample Answers

(The score points and comments that follow in parentheses were not shown to the students. That part I did aloud with them on the overhead. The score and comments are provided here for your information.)

I find something and you dont know what it is leave it alone because it can be very dangerous to you also the people you carry it around.
(Score 0, no text support)


The lesson I’ve learned from the Texarcana problem would be to not play or use something what I don’t know about. The teenagers acted stupidly with their find and I think it serves them right. Nearly 7% of Texarcana and a nearby town were poisoned by the mercury. I hope no one finds any mercury here because I now know what It will do.
(Score 0, incorrect text support, and even if it were correct, it would not be sufficient to score a one)


If you don’t know what it is you shouldn’t touch it or take it home. The Doctors said mercury can kill small family in a short period of time. The fumes were enought to kill a family dog.
(Score 0, one piece of incorrect text support, and one piece correct, but not enough to get a one)


The lesson I think is to be learned is that you should not sniff or hold somthing without knowing what it is and what it will do. If you want to hold somthing and you don’t know what it is or what it will do ask someone. In this article the kids sniffed the mercury and held it and caused major problems with their health and others.
(Score point 1; sniffed it and held it are two separate pieces of evidence, enough for a low 1).


There is a lesson to be learned from this article and incident and it is to not do something so stupid. Like to crack up a thermometer and spread it on your arms and hands. Then on your floor. I would of asked a scientist first. You shouldn’t be smoking cigarettes anyway. But then you dumped it in some contents that you don’t know a thing about. One person coughed up blood.
(Score point 1; spread it on arms and hands; coughed up blood; other evidence is incorrrect or too general)


I think that the lesson to be learned is that you should not play with something or mess with something because you think that it looks interesting. The text says, ---"didnt know what they were playing with---", and "They didn’t know that the expressions "mad as a hatter" refers to the 19th century workmen who used mercury to cure beaver skins for top hats and over time developed nervous twitches, drooled and spoke incoherently." These boys did not know what they were dealing with. They did not think before they acted.
(Score point 1; two separate quotes to show their ignorance)


There is a lesson to be learned from this situation. I think the lesson is that you can’t always touch, feel, smell, or taste something you find. In the article it states that a boy was smoking the mercury and in a few days he was rushed to the hospital when he was having difficulty in breathing. Also, the boys that found it poured it all over every thing in a convenience store, causing lots of things to be messed up. You can get in trouble for things you do, so be careful if your ever in a similar situation.
(Score point 1; smoking mercury and poured it all over everything)


The to be learned from this Article is that mercury can and will kill you if you consumed in some form. It also shows that if you come across an unknown substance get the police to handle the situation before an outbreak acourse.
(Score point 0; this is really just two lessons)


The lesson to be learned from this incident is very important. I think the lesson is "Never touch or get near cetain liquids or items that you have no idea what it is. Like the boy who smoked the mercury-dipped cigarette, he ended up choking and coughing up blood. Also in one house the fumes, which accumulated near the floor killed the family dog and caused health officials to rush several children to a hospital. Also one of the boys who had found the mercury was readmitted due to seizures.
(Score point 2; mercury-dipped cigarette, family dog, and seizures)


Using evidence from the text, there is one obvious lesson to be learned from the "Quicksilver Mess." That lesson is that you shouldn’t come in contact with a substance unfamiliar to you. The boys in the article touched all over the mercury they found. They even gave some away. Also, the kids with the mercury spread it around and other people came into contact with it. All of this caused 170 people to become contaminated and sick. It even caused a dog to die. If they had left the mercury alone or reported it to the authorities, they could have avoided the toxic emergency.
(Score point 2; touched, gave away, spread it around, 170 people sick, dog died)


There is a lesson to be learned from this incident. I think the lesson is that you shouldn’t play with things that you don’t know what they are or what they can do. Little kids might not know not to play with matches. Mercury kills brain cells. If people play with it and breath it in they could get very sick or die. Mercury "killed a family dog." In the article it says that the two kids "grew up in a time of digital thermometers." They didn’t know what problems the mercury could cause. If they didn’t play with it ("The kids poured mercury over everything including themselves." The kids also "dipped a ciggarett in it and smoked it.") the bad things would not have happened.
(Score point 2; even though the little kids with matches is irrelevant, all the remaining text support, including quoted evidence, is appropriate)


6) After discussing the students' answers on the overhead transparency, pass back the students' papers, and they should be very clear on why they received the scores they did.

7) This article was followed up in science class by two articles recently in our newspaper that dispute the claim that Edgar Allen Poe died of alcoholism. One theorized that he died of rabies, and the other theorized that he died of mercury poisoning. Because the students were studying Poe in language arts class, and they had just finished elements and compounds in science, there was a great connection to be made. Isn't teaming wonderful? Anyway, in the Poe articles, the students had to use evidence from both texts to support their answers, another experience they need to have for MSPAP.


I am willing to do any of these topics (RBI, comma-quote, CUCC, etc.,) as either a full day or a half day inservice in your school. Please contact me for details.
For comments and inquiries, send email to:
Cam Miller
Curriculum Planner
Stephen Decatur Middle School
(formerly Berlin Middle School)
Worcester County