Testing Tips
What should you do the night before the STAAR?
Sleep well
To determine the meanings of unfamiliar words in a selection
Context clues or a dictionary/thesaurus
If a question asks, "What is paragraph 5 mainly about?" What is it asking for?
Main idea
Which of the following is an example of figurative language?
A. She was tall and strong.
B. The sun smiled down on us.
C. He walked to school every day.
D. The car was blue.
What is B
What 2 things can you do after the STAAR test?
READ or SLEEP!
If stressing during the test, you should
Take a mini-break for water or the restroom, breathe
A valuable test-taking strategy
Read questions carefully, read the answer choices carefully, cross out the 2 worse answers, take your time, do your best
If a question asks you "In paragraphs 7 through 13, which detail best supports the key idea that Carol is determines to explore the special qualities of the book" What is the question asking you to look for?
What is supporting details
A group of lines in a poem
Stanza
DOUBLE POINTS
What is a SCR? How much do you write? How do you start your first sentence? What writing strategy do you use.
Short Constructed Response
4 sentences using the PEEL strategy,
Use as many words from the question to start your first sentence, then answer it.
YOU MUST INCLUDE EVIDENCE/QUOTE
What should you do the morning of the STAAR test?
Eat a healthy breakfast
Which strategy helps best when you don’t know the meaning of a word?
A. Skip the word and keep reading
B. Look for clues in the sentence
C. Use only the first letter
D. Ask a friend
What is B.
This question: The reader can conclude that ... Is asking the reader to what?
Make an inference
An article about the dangers of playing video games all day is what type of text?
Informational
What does PEEL strategy stand for?
What is Point, Evidence, Explanation, and Link?
Why is the STAAR test important for students?
It demonstrates your mastery of 8th grade skills and is required to be promoted to high school
Marking through 2 wrong answers
Process of elimination
One strategy for answering vocabulary context clue questions is
Read the text surrounding the word for hints about its meaning
Non-fiction written by the author about the author's life
Autobiography
Which of the following best represents the 'L' (Link) in a PEEL paragraph?
A. This shows how uniforms help reduce distractions.
B. In conclusion, school uniforms are beneficial for focus.
C. According to a study, students are more focused in uniforms.
D. I believe uniforms are a good idea.
What is B. In conclusion, school uniforms are beneficial for focus.
Leave these at home or be prepared to give them to your test administrator
Cell phones, smart watches, and electronic devices
To get an idea of what a passage is about before reading it, what should you check first?
Title, subtitles, photos, captions
The moral of a story, or the life lesson the author wants the reader to understand
Theme
Words that tell what the characters should be doing as they speak their lines
Stage directions
TRIPLE POINTS
What is an ECR? How much should you write? How do you start? What do you HAVE to include?
Extended Constructed Response
4 paragraphs (introduction, body 1, body 2, and conclusion)
Use as many words from the prompt to start your first sentance.
Include EVIDENCE/QUOTE