Skills
What is the difference between a central idea and a theme?
Central idea = what the text is mostly about
Theme = message/lesson about the topic
“The story takes place in a small town during the winter.” Is this a claim? Why or why not?
No
Because this is simply a detail/fact from the text, not something arguable.
What strategy should you use to figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word in a passage?
Context Clues, Looking Back in the text
If a question asks, “Which line from the text best supports the answer?” what should you do?
Look back in the text and find which evidence proves your answer
What is a strategy to help explain your evidence?
Say-Mean-Matter
What is the difference between tone and mood?
Tone = the writers/authors feelings
Mood = the readers feelings
True or False: When you find the perfect multiple choice answer, you should circle it and not bother reading the others in order to save time.
False - always consider every answer.
In this sentence, what does the word glistened most likely mean?
"The morning dew glistened on the leaves, sparkling in the sunlight."
shined or sparkled
If a question asks how something "contributes to the plot," what do they mean?
Explain how that event or detail moves the story forward or affects what happens next
What do you need in a short response to get a 2?
RACECE, 2 pieces of evidence, explain your evidence well, answer should be on topic
If an author writes: “The wind howled and the sky darkened, making everyone shiver in fear”, what mood is being created?
suspenseful or scary
List at least 2 strategies you can use to help you answer questions on the state test.
Process of Elimination
Cover and Think
Annotate/5W's
Breaking down the prompt
Looking Back in the text
In this sentence, what does the word ambiguous most likely mean?
"The instructions were so ambiguous that no one was sure what to do first."
unclear or confusing
If a question asks about the “perspective” in a text, what is it really asking?
Who is telling the story or how a character/narrator thinks and feels about the events
What is the purpose of a topic sentence in a paragraph?
It states the main idea the paragraph will explain
Which of these is an example of a theme?
A) Courage helps people overcome obstacles
B) Trees lose their leaves in autumn every year
C) Friends often play games together after school
D) Summer is usually hot and sunny in many places
A) Courage helps people overcome obstacles
What is the term that means: to make an educated guess based on evidence
Inference
In this sentence, what does the word meticulous most likely mean?
"She was meticulous when organizing her notes, making sure every detail was in the correct place."
Very careful and precise
If a question asks about "structure," what do they mean?
How the author organizes the text and what role each section plays in the text
What is a thesis statement?
The answer to the prompt/question (R+A)
What can you look for in a text to help you identify the tone or mood?
Word Choice or Imagery
How can a reader determine a character’s traits?
By looking at the character’s words, thoughts, actions, and interactions with others
In this sentence, what does the word stamina most likely mean?
"By the end of the long exam, Maya used all of her stamina to stay focused and finish strong."
Strength or the ability to keep going for a long time.
Which word is a clue that a question wants you to look for differences?
A) analyze
B) support
C) contrast
D) determine
C) Contrast
What is in an essay outline?
Introduction: Hook, Background Info/Summary of the texts, Thesis Statement (Answer to the question)
Body Paragraphs 1 & 2: Topic Sentence (What the paragraph is about), Cite Evidence #1, Explain Evidence #1 (Say-Mean-Matter), Cite Evidence #2, Explain Evidence #2 (Say-Mean-Matter)
Body Paragraph 3: Same format as BP 1 & 2 (Usually focused on both texts)
Conclusion: Wrap up, Summary of your essay (2-3 sentences), Ending Sentence (Make a final statement!)