What are at least 2 things you should do BEFORE reading each passage?
1. Read the directions 2. Read the questions you will have to answer. 3. Read the title of the article, story or poem 4. Read the subheadings 5. Look at any pictures and captions
What should you do if you are not sure what answer choice is the correct one? a) Don't bubble in any answer and leave it blank b) Spend 15 minutes trying to decide on an answer c) Eliminate the obvious wrong answer choices and then make an educated guess
C
How can you get full credit (2 out of 2) on your short answer questions? In other words, what should you do when you are answering the short answer questions?
1. Restate the question & answer it (making an inference). 2. Provide 2 pieces of evidence (quotes!).
True or False: you shouldn't chunk and code the passages as you read because it is distracting and wastes time.
FALSE! You SHOULD annotate the text because it helps you better understand what you are reading and will help you answer the questions. Also, the test is not timed, so you can take as long as you need to!
Why should you underline or circle key words in the questions?
To help you understand EXACTLY what each question is asking you and help you know what to focus on when you read the passage. The questions are often tricky and if you don't read them carefully and focus on the key words you might make a careless mistake when answering the question!
True or False: You should always reread what you wrote before moving on to the next question. Why or why not?
TRUE! You should always reread what you wrote as your answer to make sure that... 1. You didn't make any careless mistakes in spelling, punctuation or grammar that would make it difficult for someone to understand. 2. You made an inference in your answer and provided TWO pieces of evidence. 3. You actually answered the EXACT question you are being asked to answer
What are at least 2 things you can do to annotate/code the passages you are reading?
1. Underline or highlight important words and sentences. 2. Circle words you don't know and use context clues to try to figure out what the words mean. 3. Write questions and notes in the margins.
What are some ways you can use your planning page before starting to write your essay?
(1) Make a T-chart, a Venn Diagram or a 3-Column chart for compare & contrast essays. (2) Jot down notes about what you plan to write in each paragraph of your essay. (3) Look back at the text and then write down all the possible pieces of evidence you might want to use (that way you can choose from those pieces of evidence while writing your essay). 4. Students may offer another option (as long as it sounds reasonable/logical, answer may be accepted and points granted)
Your teachers always tell you to "go back and check your work" when you are done. How should you "check your work" on the state test?
Reread each question carefully and the answer you chose, and check the text again to make sure you still think that is the right answer. Also, make sure you have bubbled in ALL the questions on your scantron
How many paragraphs should your essay have?
The number of paragraphs will vary depending on the question; however, you should have an introduction, at least 1 body paragraph, and a conclusion. If the essay question asks you to compare and contrast two texts, then you should have 2 body paragraphs. If the essay question asks you to state an author's argument, and then evaluate whether the author provided sufficient evidence, then you should also have 2 body paragraphs (the first paragraph to talk about the author's argument, and the second paragraph to discuss whether the author provides sufficient evidence).