STAAR STRATEGIES
How do you fold your white paper?
Fold them into eights
What is predictions?
Predictions – analyzing details and information to make a logical guess about what will happen next
What are some of the characteristics of poetry?
rhyme, rhyme scheme, mood, tone, theme, plot, stanzas, lines, free verse, line break, voice, speaker, theme
What are some of the characteristics of informational text?
facts, controlling idea, key ideas and details, subhead, heading, text features, print features
What are some of the characteristics of argumentative?
persuasive, claim, evidence, facts, opinion, logical fallacy, author's purpose, audience
What are some characteristics of fiction?
plot, point of view, not real, story telling, theme, main idea
What are some examples of literary nonfictions?
biography, autobiography, memoir
Real life events using story elements such as plot
What are some of the characteristics of drama?
punctuation(.!?)
Start with capital letter
Subject, verb, predicate (SVP)
What is problem and solution?
Problem/Solution – the author presents a problem and then provides ways to solve the problem
What is simile?
Simile – a comparison of two things using the words like or as (Her smile was as bright as the sun.)
What is repetition?
repeated use of the same word or phrase, usually for emphasis
How do you answer questions?
Read then highlight key words and write important words down on a piece of paper
or
Highlight and write the important words on a piece of paper then read
What is drawing conclusions?
Drawing Conclusions – putting pieces of information together to figure out something not directly stated in the text
What is first person point of view?
written from the perspective of the narrator (I, me, we)
What are some graphic features and/or print features?
graphic features: pictures, graphs, charts, table, timeline, maps
print features: bold, italics, underline, highlighted, heading, subheads, title
What is audience?
the specific group of people to whom the author is writing
What are the elements in plot?
What is message?
Message – what the author wants to communicate to the reader
What is dialogue?
the lines the characters speak out loud in a drama
What is the three ways you can combine to independent clauses?
Comma and FANBOY (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
punctuation (.!?) and Capital letter on the first word
Semicolon ;
What is compare/contrast?
the author shows how two things are similar and different
What is metaphor?
Metaphor – a comparison of two things by stating that one thing is another thing (The world is a stage.)
What is hyberbole?
an extreme exaggeration of the truth (It took me a million years to finish last night’s homework!)
What strategy do I use for SCR?
R.A.C.E
Restate, answer, cite, explain
What is inference?
Inference – an educated guess made by connecting what you read with what you already know
What is second person point of view?
Second-Person – written directly to the audience (you)
What are some examples of organizational structures?
Organizational Pattern – the way the information is arranged in the text Definition – the author explains what something is by giving examples and describing it Classification – the author organizes ideas into groups and gives important information about each group Advantage and Disadvantage – the author discusses the positives and negatives of a topic Logical Order – the author puts ideas in an order that makes sense; how a writer organizes a text to build an argument Order of Importance – the author presents ideas from most to least important or least to most important Compare/Contrast – the author shows how two things are similar and different Cause/Effect – the author explains why something happened or the results of something that happened Problem/Solution – the author presents a problem and then provides ways to solve the problem Chronological Order – the author puts the events in the order they occurred Description – the author describes a topic by providing details about it
What is author's purpose?
why the author wrote the text (to inform, entertain, explain, persuade, describe, etc.); the reason an author included certain elements
What is theme?
– the big idea or lesson you learn from a story; the message the author wants to share with you (Treat others as you want to be treated. Honesty is the best policy.
What is key idea?
Key Ideas – the main points in a text that support its main message
What is stage directions?
information about the setting and characters that are not spoken out
How can you combine dependent clause and independent clause?
Dependent clause in the beginning needs a comma after it. Then add the independent clause to the sentence.
Independent clause in the beginning, no comma needed.
What is cause/effect?
Cause/Effect – the author explains why something happened or the results of something that happened
What is onomatopoeia?
Onomatopoeia – a word that sounds like the word it describes (buzz, boom, bang)
What is anecdote?
a brief story that the author uses to make or support a point
What strategy do I use for ECR?
Read and highlight key words in prompt
Restate and answer the question. Provide evidence 1 and explain 1. Provide evidence 2 and explain 2. Then conclude or sum up your paragraph.
(RACECES)
What is synthesize?
Synthesize – putting pieces of information together to create a new understanding
What is mood?
– the feeling the author creates for the reader (cheerful, gloomy, mysterious, peaceful, fearful, etc.)
What is evidence?
information, facts, examples, and details that support the controlling idea/thesis
What types of evidence?
ethos: ethical (right vs wrong, good vs evil, experts, celebrities)
pathos: emotion (sad, funny, stories, angry)
logos: logical (facts, statistics, research based)
What is flashback
– the end of the story where the conflict is resolved in one way or another Flashback – the author pauses the story to describe something that happened earlier so that readers better understand what's happening right now or will happen later in the story
What is details?
Details – the small pieces of information in a text that support the key ideas
What is act?
the main division within a play
When do you use commas?
Commas in Compound Sentences – two independent clauses (ICs) combined with a coordinating conjunction (CC) should have a comma before the CC (IC, CC IC) (The girl walked, but the boy ran.)
Commas in Complex Sentences – when the dependent clause (DC) comes before the independent clause (IC) in a complex sentence, use a comma after the DC (DC, IC) (Because it was the last day of school, my mom took me to get ice cream.)
Commas with Transitions – if a transitional word or phrase is at the beginning of a sentence, it should be followed by a comma (First, gather the ingredients.)
Commas after Introductory Elements – place a comma after introductory words, phrases, and clauses
Commas in a Series – a list of three or more items should be separated by commas (dog, cat, and mouse)
Commas between Two Adjectives Preceding a Noun – a comma should separate two adjectives that come before a noun and describe it equally (a cold, wet dog
What is advantage and disadvantage?
Advantage and Disadvantage – the author discusses the positives and negatives of a topic
What is alliteration?
Alliteration – the repetition of the sound of the first letter in a group of words (Patty picked pansies.)
What is stereotyping?
Stereotyping – broad, often uncomplimentary, statements about a group based on limited knowledge
What strategies do I do for nonfiction (informational, argumentative) vs. fiction (poetry, drama, fiction, literary nonfiction) on the blank paper?
All: highlight key words, look for evidence
nonfiction: hashtags per paragraph
fiction: plot diagram: scene, character, conflict, resolution, climax, falling action, rising action
What is generalizations?
Generalizations – using a small amount of information to make a broad statement about a whole group
What is voice?
how authors share their ideas in their own distinct way (thoughtful, humorous, serious, playful, etc.)
What is controlling idea/thesis?
what the whole text is mainly about; it connects all the pieces together and helps the reader understand the main point and purpose of the writing
What is claim?
he position the author takes on the issue presented in the tex
What is third person point of view?
Third-Person – written from an outside perspective (she, her, he, they) Third-Person Limited – written from a single character’s perspective Third-Person Omniscient – written from an “all-knowing” perspective
What is text evidence?
Text Evidence – specific details from the text that support an idea or inference
What is scene?
a subdivision of an act in a play, happening in one specific time and place
When do you use apostrophes
Apostrophes in Possessives – a possessive is a word that shows ownership (dog’s bowl, cats’ collars)
Apostrophes in contractions– contractions combine two words (don't, won't, shouldn't, it's)
What is chronological order?
Chronological Order – the author puts the events in the order they occurred
What is personification?
Personification – human-like qualities are given to things that aren’t human (The stars danced in the sky.)
What is logical fallacy?
Logical Fallacy – an argument based on reasoning that doesn’t make sense or isn’t correct