Fiction
Lena had always been afraid of the deep end of the pool. While her friends laughed and splashed, she stayed near the shallow steps, pretending she didn’t mind.
One hot afternoon, her little brother slipped near the edge and began to panic. Without thinking, Lena jumped in. The water felt colder and deeper than she expected, but she pushed forward, remembering what her swim coach had said.
“Keep moving. You can do hard things.”
Lena reached her brother and helped him back to the side. As she climbed out, her heart was racing—but she was smiling.
What is the central idea of the story?
A. Lena enjoys swimming with her friends
B. Lena learns to overcome her fear
C. Lena teaches her brother how to swim
D. Lena avoids the deep end of the pool
B
Many cities are adding more green spaces like parks and gardens. These areas help clean the air, provide homes for animals, and give people a place to relax.
Trees play an important role in these spaces. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, improving air quality. In addition, green spaces can lower temperatures in cities, making them more comfortable during hot weather.
Because of these benefits, communities are working to protect and expand green spaces.
5. What is the author’s main purpose?
A. To entertain readers with a story
B. To explain why green spaces are important
C. To describe how to plant a tree
D. To compare cities and forests
5. Author’s purpose
✅ B. To explain why green spaces are important
➡️ Informational = explain/teach (classic STAAR distractors)
POETRY
What is a stanza?
A group of lines in a poem
Interpret
“Which statement best interprets the meaning of the last stanza in the poem?”
Explain what something means
9. Which is the BEST way to combine these sentences?
Lena was scared. She jumped into the water anyway.
A. Lena was scared, but she jumped into the water anyway.
B. Lena was scared and jumped water anyway.
C. Lena jumped into the water scared anyway because.
D. Lena scared jumped into water.
Combine sentences
✅ A. Lena was scared, but she jumped into the water anyway.
➡️ STAAR LOVES conjunctions (but = contrast)
Lena had always been afraid of the deep end of the pool. While her friends laughed and splashed, she stayed near the shallow steps, pretending she didn’t mind.
One hot afternoon, her little brother slipped near the edge and began to panic. Without thinking, Lena jumped in. The water felt colder and deeper than she expected, but she pushed forward, remembering what her swim coach had said.
“Keep moving. You can do hard things.”
Lena reached her brother and helped him back to the side. As she climbed out, her heart was racing—but she was smiling.
2. Which sentence best shows Lena’s change?
A. “She stayed near the shallow steps”
B. “Her friends laughed and splashed”
C. “Without thinking, Lena jumped in”
D. “The water felt colder than she expected”
C
Many cities are adding more green spaces like parks and gardens. These areas help clean the air, provide homes for animals, and give people a place to relax.
Trees play an important role in these spaces. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, improving air quality. In addition, green spaces can lower temperatures in cities, making them more comfortable during hot weather.
Because of these benefits, communities are working to protect and expand green spaces.
6. Which detail supports the idea that green spaces help the environment?
A. People enjoy relaxing in parks
B. Trees provide shade
C. Trees absorb carbon dioxide
D. Parks are built in cities
✅ C. Trees absorb carbon dioxide
➡️ That’s direct text evidence of environmental benefit
$200
If a poem is about never giving up, the theme is—
👉 (Answer: perseverance)
Analyze
“What can the reader analyze about the speaker’s feelings based on the poem?”
tell or explain
10. Which sentence is written correctly?
A. the trees help clean the air in cities.
B. The trees help clean the air in cities
C. The trees help clean the air in cities.
D. The trees Help clean the air in cities.
✅ C. The trees help clean the air in cities.
➡️ Capital + punctuation (easy point question)
Lena had always been afraid of the deep end of the pool. While her friends laughed and splashed, she stayed near the shallow steps, pretending she didn’t mind.
One hot afternoon, her little brother slipped near the edge and began to panic. Without thinking, Lena jumped in. The water felt colder and deeper than she expected, but she pushed forward, remembering what her swim coach had said.
“Keep moving. You can do hard things.”
Lena reached her brother and helped him back to the side. As she climbed out, her heart was racing—but she was smiling.
3. What does the phrase “You can do hard things” suggest?
A. Lena should quit swimming
B. Lena is not a good swimmer
C. Lena is capable of being brave
D. Lena needs help from others
C
Many cities are adding more green spaces like parks and gardens. These areas help clean the air, provide homes for animals, and give people a place to relax.
Trees play an important role in these spaces. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, improving air quality. In addition, green spaces can lower temperatures in cities, making them more comfortable during hot weather.
Because of these benefits, communities are working to protect and expand green spaces.
What is the meaning of the word absorb in paragraph 2?
A. To take in
B. To push away
C. To destroy
D. To create
Meaning of “absorb”
✅ A. To take in
➡️ Vocabulary in context (VERY tested skill)
Why does a poet use repetition sometimes?
👉 (Answer: emphasize idea or get a point across- show how important something is)
Structure
👉 “How does the poet’s use of stanzas help organize the poem?”
The way a story is organized
What should I always have after a comma?
Conjuction
F- for
A- and
N- nor
B- but
O- or
Y- yet
S- so
Lena had always been afraid of the deep end of the pool. While her friends laughed and splashed, she stayed near the shallow steps, pretending she didn’t mind.
One hot afternoon, her little brother slipped near the edge and began to panic. Without thinking, Lena jumped in. The water felt colder and deeper than she expected, but she pushed forward, remembering what her swim coach had said.
“Keep moving. You can do hard things.”
Lena reached her brother and helped him back to the side. As she climbed out, her heart was racing—but she was smiling.
4. How does Lena MOST LIKELY feel at the end?
A. Embarrassed
B. Proud
C. Angry
D. Confused
B
Many cities are adding more green spaces like parks and gardens. These areas help clean the air, provide homes for animals, and give people a place to relax.
Trees play an important role in these spaces. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, improving air quality. In addition, green spaces can lower temperatures in cities, making them more comfortable during hot weather.
Because of these benefits, communities are working to protect and expand green spaces.
8. Which text structure is used in the passage?
A. Problem and solution
B. Cause and effect
C. Sequence
D. Compare and contrast
Text structure
✅ B. Cause and effect
➡️ Cause: green spaces → Effect: cleaner air, cooler temps
What is figurative language?
Different types of ways to give detail to your writing.
(The test was long ----> New example: The test was forever long and never ended)
Vocabulary
What does the word Convey mean?
This word means to show or communicate
When should I add a comma to a sentence? Give an example.
If it is two simple sentences.
✏️ Short Constructed Response (SCR)
4 minutes allowed instead of 1 minute. Every member in the group must do something to go quickly.
How does Lena respond to a challenge in the story? Use evidence from the text.
👉 (Expect: Restate → Answer → Cite → Explain)
Lena responds to a challenge by overcoming her fear of the deep end. In the story, she “jumped in” to save her brother even though she was scared. This shows that Lena was brave and learned she could do hard things.
Many cities are adding more green spaces like parks and gardens. These areas help clean the air, provide homes for animals, and give people a place to relax.
Trees play an important role in these spaces. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, improving air quality. In addition, green spaces can lower temperatures in cities, making them more comfortable during hot weather.
Because of these benefits, communities are working to protect and expand green spaces.
✏️ Short Constructed Response (SCR)
Explain one benefit of green spaces using evidence from the text.
One benefit of green spaces is that they improve air quality. The text states that trees “absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.” This helps clean the air, making the environment healthier.
$500
How does the poet use imagery to develop meaning?
👉 (Answer: explains how descriptions help reader understand)
Sequence
What is a proper noun?
A specific noun.
Example: teacher is a common noun since there are lots of teachers everywhere
Ms. Rambaran is a proper noun since there is ONE Ms. Rambaran you are specifically talking about as your personal teacher, so my teacher name would be capitalized.