STAAR writing
What do you do before submitting your work?
Revise and edit
What is theme?
The lesson learned or the message in the story.
What is a metaphor?
Comparing two unlike things without like or as
David crouched down into the starting position and waited for the gun to signal the start of the race. He steadied his breathing and focused his eyes on the finish line ahead. The roar of the crowd faded away.
In the selection, what does the word crouched mean?
A. bent
B. defended
C. laid
D. ran
A. bent
(2) He thought to him, “This is not good enough.”
What change should be made in sentence 2?
A Change thought to thinks
B Change him to himself
C Change is to are
D Delete the period after enough
B Change him to himself
What is the difference between a short constructed response and an extended constructed response?
A short response will be written using RACE. It starts with "Read the question carefully." An extended response will be written as an essay using Introduction, RAC(CI)E, Conclusion. It will start with EXPLAIN.
What is the problem and solution?
Sarah missed the bus. Her mom had to take her to school.
Problem: Sarah missed the bus.
Solution: Her mom had to take her to school.
Choose the hyperbole.
A.) The kite soared like an eagle.
B.) Bang went the hammer.
C.) The sun shines like a diamond.
D.) I'm drowning in homework.
D.) I'm drowning in homework.
As David approached the starting line, he steadied his mind for the race. He knew it wasn’t very far, but to beat the other boys, he would have to give it his all. David stretched each arm across his body, then he dipped down to stretch out his legs. While he warmed up, he replayed in his mind everything his coach had told them during practice.
David stretches out his body before the race most likely because he wants to –
A. stop thinking about his nervousness
B. help his body get warmed up and ready to race
C. find out whether or not he is the best runner
D. show the other racers he knows what he is doing
B. help his body get warmed up and ready to race
(5) As we made our way up a hill, we past rocky cliffs, patches of low cactus, and tall juniper trees.
What change should be made in sentence 5?
A Change past to passed
B Delete the comma after cliffs
C Change cactus to Cactus
D Change trees to tree
A Change past to passed
What are some transition words you can use to start a new paragraph?
To begin with, In addition, The text states, furthermore, In conclusion, To sum it up, According to the text
What is plot?
The events in the story.
B: Characters, Setting
(Problem introduced) (Rising Action)
M: Climax (OMG Moment)
(Falling Action)
E: Solution. (Sometimes theme.)
Give an example of a metaphor and a simile.
Simile: My dad is like a monster in the mornings.
Metaphor: Dad is a monster in the mornings.
Which sentence from the story shows that the class had been preparing Earth day?
A. Mr. Miller directed the students, “Class, it is time for us to go outside to the playground.”
B. Marcus and Chance went ahead to bring the small potted tree the class had purchased.
C. The students all took turns digging until the hole was big enough.
D. Lawrence was so excited that today was Earth Day.
B. Marcus and Chance went ahead to bring the small potted tree the class had purchased.
(4) Dale finded nothing that would be a wonderful gift for his favorite teacher, Mrs. Smith.
What change should be made in sentence 4?
A Change finded to found
B Change would be to had been
C Change his to their
D Change favorite to more favorite
A Change finded to found
How do you CITE text evidence?
Sentence starter (The text states)
COMMA! QUOTATIONS! CAPITAL LETTER! CLOSE QUOTATIONS!
What does central idea mean?
What the text/story is mostly about.
Choose the Alliteration:
A). She ran as fast as a cheetah.
B). Darcy duck dawdled down the ditch.
C). Boom! Pow!
D). You are all brain!
B). Darcy duck dawdled down the ditch.
Which detail from the selection supports the central idea that the octopus is a carnivore, or meat eater?
A. The octopus has eight limbs attached to its body.
B. Octopus live in shallow, warm waters.
C. The octopus uses its beak to open the prey’s shells.
D. The head of the octopus is glove-shaped.
C. The octopus uses its beak to open the prey’s shells.
(24) Over time the event has grown in popularity. (25) There are Acton Children’s Business Fairs in cities across the country.
Which transition should be added to the beginning of sentence 25?
A Fortunately
B Then
C Certainly
D Now
D Now
What are the steps to using RACE?
Restate
Answer
Cite Evidence
Explain Evidence
What are organizational patterns? (List them all)
Sequential, Descriptive, Cause & Effect, Problem & Solution, Compare & Contrast
What is personification?
Giving non-living things humanlike qualities.
The French are known for their cuisine, or food. You can find popular favorites such as baguettes, which are long bread sticks.
Which word or words from paragraph 3 help the reader know the meaning of cuisine?
A. are known for
B. food
C. popular favorites
D. long bread sticks
B. food
What is the MOST effective revision to make in sentence 22?
A At this booth, fourth grader Hannah Nguyen sold slime, she had made it by herself with no help from her parents.
B At this booth, fourth grader Hannah Nguyen sold slime that she had made by herself.
C With no help from her parents, fourth grader Hannah Nguyen sold slime that she had made by herself at this booth.
D With no help from her parents, fourth grader Hannah Nguyen sold slime at the booth that she made by herself.
B At this booth, fourth grader Hannah Nguyen sold slime that she had made by herself.
Every ECR/ESSAY (Extended Constructed Response) should include what?
RA: Restate & Answer-introduction- restate the prompt and answer the question.
CI: Central Idea Statement
C: "Cite TEXT evidence"
E: Explain-connect your evidence with your answers.
RA: In conclusion-restate your introduction.
What are some text features?
photographs, captions, graphs, bold print, diagram, illustrations, charts
What form of figurative language is the following phrase?
It's raining cats and dogs.
A.) Personification
B.) Idiom
C.) Metaphor
D.) Simile
B.) Idiom
Read the line below from “Iguanodon.”
The largest Iguanodons measured up to 33 feet long, over 11 feet tall, and could weigh around 5 tons.
Which sentence from “Tyrant Lizard” suggests that the dinosaurs were similar in size?
A. His head alone was five feet long.
B. One tooth scientists found was a whopping 12 inches long.
C. T-Rex walked on his two powerful back legs and balanced his huge head with a long, heavy tail.
D. Fossils tell us that T-Rex could measure up to 42 feet long and weigh up to 7 tons.
D. Fossils tell us that T-Rex could measure up to 42 feet long and weigh up to 7 tons.
(2) Children talk excitedly about topics like slime, magic tricks, and pet daycare inside the tents.
What is the MOST effective way to revise sentence 2?
A Excitedly, children talk inside the tents about topics like slime, magic tricks, and pet daycare.
B Children talk excitedly about topics inside the tents like slime, magic tricks, and pet daycare.
C Inside the tents children talk excitedly about topics like slime, magic tricks, and pet daycare.
D Children talk inside the tents about topics like slime, magic tricks, and pet daycare excitedly.
C Inside the tents children talk excitedly about topics like slime, magic tricks, and pet daycare.