Testing Strategies
STAAR Vocab
Fiction
Informational
Writing
100

With what section should you start your End of Course Exam?

The Reading Section

100

What do you call the person telling the story?

the narrator

100

The main character - the character that is facing the problem.

Protagonist

100

What do you SURVEY when looking at an informational text

Headings, subheadings, bold vocabulary, the questions

100

After reading through the prompt, where do you find the BASIC thesis statement?

NOT the READ

NOT the THINK

In the WRITE and essay explaining ... 

200

Do you have to read and annotate the revising and editing portion of the test?

NO

200

What does it mean to infer?

Make a logical guess based off of what you see and what you already know. The answer is not directly stated in the text

200

Character causing the main characters problems

Antagonist

200

Why do you read the questions first?

To set a purpose for reading - to know what you are looking for

200

BEFORE if write, what do you need to do?

PLAN your essay on the blank pages of your booklet.

300

What do I do if I do not know the meaning of a word or if I am asked a spelling question?

USE A DICTIONARY!!!

300

What the story is mostly about.

the main idea
300

The moral/lesson/message of the story.

Theme

300

What do I need to do as I read the informational passage?

Annotate, highlight repeated and key words, and write blurbs (1 or 2 words) out to the side.

300

What are the 3 parts of an essay

introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion

400

Where do you find the answer to a question that asks about a specific incident in the story.  For example, "in paragraph 10" or "in line 25?"

In the passage

400

What does it mean to show how passages and characters contrast?

how they are different

400

When reading a short story, what do I highlight about the main character

What the character does, thinks, says, and how (s)he changes throughout the story.
400

After reading the informational passage and BEFORE answering the questions, I need to ...

Write a summary

400

Where does your thesis statement go?

In your introductory paragraph and is RESTATED in the conclusion
500

What do you do if you cannot focus any longer

Take a break, rest my head, go to the bathroom, splash some water on my face

500

When looking for evidence to support an idea, what am I looking for

specific DETAILS in the text

500

What do you write AFTER reading the entire story?

A summary - _____ wanted, but ____, so ______, then _______.

500

If the text is paired with another passage, what is one similarity the will PROBABLE have?

the theme

500

What do you need to remember to include in your body paragraphs

topic sentence, example, specific details.