Things Good Readers Do and Know
What does a Good Reader read before beginning an MCAS passage?
The directions, italics, and the questions.
What part of speech is a person, place, idea or thing?
A noun.
What is a form of figurative language that compares two things and does NOT use the words "like" or "as" EXAMPLE: Love is a beautiful rose.
Metaphor
Just like prose is chunked in paragraphs, poems are chunked into these
stanzas
What should the first sentence (topic sentence/CLAIM) of your open response should do?
It should restate the question.
What does a Good Reader HIGHLIGHT or TAKES NOTES in the questions and the text?
In a question, good readers highlight/take notes of the WHERE (paragraph 3) and WHAT in a question. In the text, good readers highlight the answers to questions (EVIDENCE) . Good readers DO NOT highlight random sentences or words that do not answer questions.
What word describes a noun? (Example: The FUZZY, BLUE blanket was on the couch.)
adjectives
What is a form of figurative language that directly compares two things by using the words "LIKE" or "AS"? EXAMPLE: Her eyes sparkle like diamonds.
Similes
What is the pattern rhymes in a poem called? EXAMPLE: abab, abba, abcb
rhyme scheme
How many examples should you include in your open response?
At least three examples.
What story elements make up the plot?
1. Exposition/background, 2. Conflict, 3. Rising Action, 4.Climax, 5. Falling Action and 6. Resolution
What is the verb in the following sentence: The child thought about her dog all day.
thought (to think)
What is a form of figurative language that gives human traits to objects, animals or ideas? EXAMPLE: The rain danced on the roof all night long.
Personification
What is the name of the musical beat to a poem?
rhythm
Name a pre-writing activity that will help you organize your thoughts before you begin writing your open response.
Creating a graphic organizer, such as CER for Open Response or the hamburger (Introduction, paragraph 1, paragraph 2, paragraph 3, Conclusion).
Name the four reasons why an author writes something (author's purpose):
PIE- 1. to persuade 2. to inform/explain 4. to entertain
Use a pronoun in place of the capitalized nouns: ANGELICA and RUBEN swept the entire classroom.
They
What is obvious and intentional exaggeration? EXAMPLE: I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
hyperbole
What is the name of the poetry device which begins two or more consecutive words with the same letter and sound? EXAMPLE: Two terrible tigers tortured two tiny turtles.
alliteration
Restate the following MCAS open response prompt: Based on the article, describe how roller coasters have changed over time. Support your answer with important details from the article.
Roller coasters have changed over time because ...
How does a good reader double-check their MCAS test?
Good readers reread each story, reread each multiple choice and make sure they picked the best answer, and reread the open response question and their response to make sure they have done their absolute best on the entire test!!!!
What is the adverb in the following sentence: Jamari quickly walked home through the neighborhood.
quickly
What do you call a word that imitates (sounds like) the sound it represents? EXAMPLE: buzz, bang, crackle, pop
onomatopoeia
Matching the final sound in two or more words is called? Example: rose, hose, doze, toes
rhyme
It is important that your open response has a good balance of your own words and direct quotes from the text. Remember the whole point is for you to explain HOW your evidence proves your answer. What sentence frames can you use to create this balance?
In paragraph ______ it states "_____________________." This shows _________________________________.