Essay section
What is the grading scale for the essay, and what number is considered passing?
1-4--you must get a 3 to pass!
Two people rate your paper. The score is added together and multiplied by 2.
Example:
Rater one: 3 / Rater 2: 3 3+3 x 2= 12
12 is passing!
What are 3 types of figurative language/literary devices you may see in fiction?
Metaphor
Simile
Imagery
Personification
Onomatopoeia
Oxymoron
Hyperbole
Irony
Allusion
Flashback
Aside from the text itself, what are other things you should pay attention to in informational texts?
The title
Images and captions
Charts
Graphs
What are 3 poetic devices?
Alliteration
Assonance/Consonance
metaphor/simile/imagery/personification
Repetition
Rhyme scheme
What are the two types of clauses and how can you identify them?
Dependent and Independent
Remember, a clause has a subject (a do-er) and a verb (something being done). If they are complete, we call them SENTENCES (or independent clauses); if they are incomplete, we call them dependent or subordinate clauses, phrases, or fragments.
Remember, a phrase lacks a subject/verb combination.
***Introductory clauses or phrases in a sentence have a comma after them:
After dinner, we went to the movies. (phrase – notice there is no subject/verb)
After we ate dinner, we went to the movies. (dependent clause at beginning with subject/verb).
What are 3 ways to appeal to the reader?
You are trying to make a strong argument to convince the reader to believe you. Appeal to your readers’:
emotions/fears
strong sense of right/wrong
desire to seem intelligent
need to protect their family
desire to follow traditions
desire to protect animals, environment
pride in country
ethos / pathos / logos
diction
rhetorical questions
What are 3 potential reasons an author may use figurative language?
To create imagery to help the reader picture things in the story
To stir the reader’s imagination
To emphasize something
To highlight something
To make the reading entertaining
To help create a specific mood
To help create a specific them
If you have a question that asks about figurative language, first, go back to the sentence or paragraph, identify the type of figurative language, read it over and over, try to determine why the author uses it – what is he/she trying to do? They put it in there for a reason.
What are the elements of SOAPSTone?
Speaker
occasion
audience
purpose
subject
tone
ALL of these are important when reading informational texts. Although you don't have to write out each element, be thinking about them as you read.
What are 3 ways authors can affect mood in a poem?
Speaker – the voice you hear – kind of like a narrator in fiction
Stanza structure – the “paragraphs” in a poem – they are not numbered in a poem. The numbers you see are line numbers.
Tone – the attitude of the speaker
Diction
Sound devices – alliteration, repetition, rhyme, onomatopoeia
Poets use these devices to make the poem “come alive” when you’re reading it, to emphasize, to highlight, to make it sound a certain way if the poem is read aloud
When you read a poem, you must remember to “dig beneath the surface.”
What are the 4 types of sentence structures and how can we identify them?
These are important for two reasons
1) you need to know how to identify them in order to pick out correct answers in revising and editing. If the question has 4 sentences for answer choices, and you don’t know if they’re punctuated correctly, you may miss it.
2) when you write the persuasive essay, one of the criteria for a “3” and “4” score papers is “varied sentence structure.” So that means you write with some simple, some compound, and some complex sentences. Change it up!
COMPOUND SENTENCES – at least 2 complete sentences joined by a COMMA PLUS FANBOYS.
EXAMPLE: The children laughed, AND they hunted Easter eggs.
If you put your FINGER OVER THE FANBOYS and if what is on either side of your finger is a complete sentence, then you know it’s compound. If the comma is missing, it is incorrectly punctuated and would not be an answer choice.
Complex sentences are different from compound.
They are made up of at least 1 DEPENDENT CLAUSE (not phrase), and 1 INDEPENDENT CLAUSE (also known as a complete sentence).
The dependent clause begins with a subordinating conjunction. If the Subordinating conjunction starts the sentence, you put a comma after the dependent clause.
Example: While I was sleeping, my cat tore up the toilet paper.
While I was sleeping is the dependent (subordinate) clause. My cat tore up the toilet paper is the INDEPENDENT CLAUSE (complete sentence).
If the dependent clause ends a sentence, you do not punctuate before it. My cat tore up the toilet paper while I was sleeping.
What is the best way to order your paragraphs?
Introduction (hook and thesis)
Body paragraphs (Point, Illustration, Explanation)
Conclusion (restate theses, closing comment/call to action)
What are the different types of narrators/points of view?
1st person – narrator is in the story; uses “I,” “Me,” “Mine” You get to hear the thoughts of the narrator and see everything through their eyes.
2nd person – you, your – Not usually used in fiction
3rd person – Someone telling the story; an outside looking at the action;
Omniscient – the reader knows thoughts of all the characters
Limited – the reader knows the thoughts of one character
Unreliable narrator – their credibility is damaged or it is obvious the narrator can’t be reliable in their information to the reader. For example, they talk about how terrible another character is while they themselves are cheating/stealing. That means you can’t trust their opinion.
What are 3 READING strategies to use?
Hashtag summaries
Quick Questions
Text digging
Highlighting key words
Looking up words you don't know
What is the importance of stage directions?
Stage directions – that writing in the play that is not meant to be read aloud when you are a character reading a part.
For example:
Romeo: Juliet, do you play games with me?
**He looks at her with a puzzled expression and takes her hands.
Juliet: Romeo, I do not know how to play games. I am not old enough to have learned such deceptive tricks.
**The stage directions tells Romeo to look at Juliet, how to look at her, and to take her hands. Stage directions are important because they give the readers information about the play, about the setting, the characters, the mood of the play, etc.
ALWAYS READ THE STAGE DIRECTIONS IN A DRAMA SELECTION ON THE STAAR EOC.
How do you know if a word ending in S needs a possessive apostrophe?
If the word in question is in ownership of something else
Cat – 1 cat.
Cat’s toy – the toy belonging to 1 cat
Cats – more than 1 cat
Cats’ toys – the toys belonging to more than 1 cat. The apostrophe goes after the S. If it goes before, it’s singular possessive.
Child – 1 child
Child’s backpack – the backpack belonging to 1 child.
Children – more than 1 child
Children’s backpacks – the backpacks belong to more than 1 child.
PLEASE NOTE: YOU DO NOT PUT ‘S ON WORDS THAT ARE IN PLURAL FORM SUCH AS CHILDREN, MEN, TEETH, MICE, ETC. THE SO GOES AFTER THE APOSTROPHE BECAUSE THERE ARE NO SUCH WORDS AS CHILDRENS, MENS, MICES, TEETHS, ETC. THE CORRECT WORDS ARE children’s, men’s, teeth’s, mice’s.
What are 3 things you should avoid in your essay?
“it” Be specific and clear about what “it” is referring to
WRONG: It is unethical to conduct medical testing on animals.
RIGHT: Conducting medical testing on animals is unethical.
Fragments: Make sure you are stating a complete thought. Remember, if you walked up to me and stated your sentence, would it make sense to me?
Yesterday, at the game.
INSTEAD: Yesterday, at the game, I scored a homerun!
“Imagine” statements: Do not ask your reader to consider hypothetical evidence. Stick with the concrete evidence.
“I am going to talk about” “I think” “I feel” “I believe”
Asking your reader questions. One question in the opeining (hook) or in the conclusion is okay. Try to avoid questioning your reader in the body paragraphs. Stick with what you can prove using concrete evidence or examples. (Also, the reader may feel the opposite of you-this does not prove your point them)
“You” “We” “Us”: Instead, be specific-who is “you”? Scientists? Men and women? Students? Adults?
You should consider the animal’s feelings.
INSTEAD: Scientists should consider the animal’s feelings.
“Thank you for your time” “Thank you for reading my paper”
-Choosing both sides: You MUST PICK ONE SIDE AND STICK WITH IT.
What are the different types of characters you may see?
Protagonist – central character in a work of fiction. They can also be a dynamic, round character (go through changes and have many qualities)
Antagonist –(remember anti- means against) – character who opposes the protagonist – it can also be a force. In TKAM, racism could be considered an antagonist of Tom Robinson.
FOIL – a foil character is usually a character paired with another for a purpose. For example, Shrek is a FOIL for Lord Farquuad. They are both vying for Princess Fiona, but where Shrek is kind and considerate, Lord Farquuad is evil and selfish.
FLAT/Static characters – not very interesting, not many traits, do not change. A stereotyped character is always the same.
Archetypes – character types that appear over and over, for example: damsel in distress, the rebellious princess, the wicked witch, the hero, the villain, etc.
What are 3 strategies to use when answering questions?
Look up words you don't know
highlight/underline key words
Eliminate answer choices
Find text evidence
What are the 3 types of irony?
Irony – just like in good fiction, irony is present. In drama, sometimes it is a little different.
Verbal irony – what an actor says that is kind of like sarcasm.
Situational irony – an unexpected twist
Dramatic irony – when the audience (reader) knows something that is going to happen or that is happening that the actor does not. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, Romeo does not know that Juliet isn’t dead – she’s just in a sleep-state that looks like she’s dead. The audience knows this.
What is a contraction?
These are two words joined together by removing one or more letters and adding an apostrophe to indicate where the letters are missing. Remember that the apostrophe is like a scar to show where the letter were “cut out.”
A contraction is not a possessive word.
It’s = it is
Isn’t = is not
Wouldn’t = would not
Try to avoid writing with contractions in your persuasive essay. You are trying to sound strong; IS NOT SOUNDS STRONGER THAN ISN’T.
What is the process you should go through from the time you get your prompt until you finish the essay?
1. READ and ANNOTATE the prompt (writing about the wrong thing will drop your score!)
2. PLAN: Make a pro-con list, brainstorm, outline, etc.
3. DRAFT: craft your thesis, body paragraphs, and everything else in the essay.
4. REVISE/EDIT: Read through what you have drafted, and make any necessary changes.
5. FINAL DRAFT: Be sure to actually write on the STAAR lined paper.
What are 3 ways we can identify mood in a fiction piece?
Diction/connotations: Darker words and phrases will create a darker mood. Think about the cold, depressing diction words from "To Build a Fire" and how it created a cold, depressing vibe.
Figurative language: If an author uses a metaphor to compare someone to the shining, warm sun, this will create a more uplifting mood than if they compared them to the hot, blistering, overwhelming sun.
Sentence structure: Quick, choppy sentences have a different effect than long, winding sentences.
What are strategies you can use to manage time?
--Figure out how many questions there are and decide how much time you can spend on each one
--skip hard questions and come back to them at the end
--bubble as you go
What are the elements of TPCASTT?
Title
Paraphrase
Connotations
Author's attitude
Shift
Title again
Theme
You do not have to write out each element on the test, but be aware of each one and how it plays a role in the poem.
What is the difference between They're, their, and there?
Except vs. accept – except means “every one but” – accept means “to receive” “to come to terms with”
There, they’re, their
There – over there
They’re – they are
Their – belongs to them
You’re vs. your
You’re is you are
Your – belongs to you
Then vs. than – then – first this, then that; Than is used for comparison – more than you, smarter than him
Affect vs. effect – affect is to influence; effect is a result
It’s vs. its – it’s is it is; its is belonging to it
Through, threw – go through trouble; threw the ball
Lead vs. led – lead is a type of metal; led is past tense of lead
Lose vs. loose – lose is a verb that means to misplace something; loose is an adjective telling you the opposite of tight
Breathe vs. breath – breathe is a verb; breath is what you take in when you breathe
Cite vs. sight vs. site – cite means to quote or document your sources; sight is what you see with; site is a place.