Show:
Reading Strategies
Multiple Choice
Open Response
Testing Tips
Popular Bad Ideas
100
What does an Expert Tester read BEFORE beginning an MCAS passage? TWO POSSIBLE ANSWERS
The italics OR the directions
100
What is the most important strategy you have for doing well on the MCAS?
Read carefully (Read three times, etc.)
100
What do the letters in IREST mean?
IREST
100
Name 3 ways that you can make sure your body and mind are ready for the challenge of the MCAS on Wednesday and Thursday? (multiple answers)
answers will vary
100
What’s wrong with this Popular Bad Idea? “I made sure to bring snacks to keep me energized! I’ve got Cheetos, Sprite, chips, and a Snickers bar!”
Junk food can give you some quick energy, but the resulting fatigue comes back even stronger than before. (Eat a healthy breakfast!)
200
Name two strategies you have for decoding (reading all of the words on the page).
Chunking and summarizing, stopping and thinking
200
Describe two different strategies for figuring out the answers to MCAS questions after you have read the passage.
Answers may vary: eliminate answers that don't make sense, go back and reread, highlight or underline important information, etc.
200
What is the purpose of creating a web? How does it help you?
It helps you to organize your ideas and make sure you have enough evidence to prove your ideas.
200
The test begins. Everyone is working. Suddenly, you panic, worrying you will forget everything you know. What are some ways to keep calm, cool, and collecte? (multiple answers)
answers vary
200
What’s wrong with this Popular Bad Idea? “I don’t have to read the whole passage…I already found the answers in the text!”
MCAS Man designs the distractor so that it looks like the right answer…to someone who didn’t carefully read the whole passage!
300
Name two strategies you have for making sure you are understanding what you are reading, not just decoding it (reading it smoothly).
Chunking and summarizing, stopping and thinking
300
What if there are two choices that seem like they make sense? What do you do?
Go back and reread. Think about what would make sense. What is the BEST answer?
300
How many pieces of evidence from the passage do you need to use to get a perfect “4” score? Why?
3 pieces of textual evidence, because that proves that you’ve FULLY answered the question.
300
Research shows that stretching during breaks in a test increases your energy and confidence. Why might this be true?
Sitting down for hours without moving your body is not good for you. Stretching reinvigorates your body and mind!
300
What’s wrong with this Popular Bad Idea? “I know how important it is to mark up the text…that’s why I’m highlighting every other word!”
Highlighting without knowing WHY you are highlighting is a waste of time. Only highlight what you think is important.
400
When you find an answer to a question in the passage, what should you immediately do? MULTIPLE POSSIBLE ANSWERS.
Write the question number in the part of the text where you find the answer. Highlight that part of the passage. See which multiple choice option best matches your answer.
400
Name all the major genres that you could see on the MCAS.
Poetry: rhyme, rhythm, stanzas Fiction: problem and solution, characters change from beginning to end Nonfiction: facts and details Plays: stage directions, learn about characters by how they speak and what they do Folktales: Teach a lesson
400
How do you write a strong open response (Level 4)?
Include at least 3 pieces of evidence from the text and explain your evidence (use IREST)
400
TRUE OR FALSE: Closing your eyes and imagining your success is silly and childish.
COMPLETELY FALSE. Here’s Jack Nicklaus, considered the greatest golfer of all time: “I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head. First I see the ball where I want it to finish, nice and white and sitting up high on the bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes, and I see the ball going there; its path, trajectory, and shape, even its behavior on landing. Then there is a sort of fade-out, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality.”
400
What’s wrong with this Popular Bad Idea? “On the open response, I did everything right! I answered the question and listed 3 pieces of textual evidence.”
A list of textual evidence is not enough for an open response! The whole point is for you to explain HOW your evidence proves your answer.
500
TRUE OR FALSE: On the MCAS, you can read the questions first and then just look for the answers in the text.
FALSE: If you don’t read the WHOLE passage from beginning to end, you WILL get tricked.
500
How can knowing each genre help you figure out the answers to multiple choice questions? Explain the special features of each genre...fiction, nonfiction, plays, poetry, folktale.
Poetry: rhyme, rhythm, stanzas Fiction: problem and solution, characters change from beginning to end Nonfiction: facts and details Plays: stage directions, learn about characters by how they speak and what they do Folktales: Teach a lesson
500
Which open response would score higher: one with 3 pieces of evidence and no explanation, or 2 pieces of evidence with great explanations?
The second one, because in order to get a high score you need to clearly connect your evidence and your support to the fully answer the question.
500
What should you do if you think you are running out of time during the MCAS?
TRICK QUESTION!!! You can’t run out of time on the MCAS. ?It is untimed! You have as much time as you need. Isn’t that nice of MCAS Man?
500
What’s wrong with this Popular Bad Idea? “Man, this passage is really boring…I’m going to hurry up and get through it so I can read something more interesting!”
The MCAS is NOT meant to be entertaining. It is a test of your reading and writing ability, show-what-you-know.