Tips for taking the English II EOC/ STAAR TEST Mrs. Suerth English II/IIPAP Spring 2017

For Grade Level: You need to PASS the EOC in order to exempt the final in English II. For PAP: You need to get COMMENDED on the EOC in order to exempt the final.

What order should I take the test in? It does NOT MATTER in what order you take the test. Just because the testing people put the essay on the last page does NOT mean you have to do the test in that order. DO THE ESSAY FIRST – Remember, the essay is the most important part of the test. If you knock the essay out of the park, you most likely pass. IF YOU GET A 4—it is very likely you will get commended!!

What order should I take the test in? It does NOT MATTER in what order you take the test. Just because the testing people put the essay on the last page does NOT mean you have to do the test in that order. Next, do the READING SECTION! Why, you ask? Because it takes the most concentration to write an essay, which is why you should do that first. The NEXT section that requires A LOT of concentration is the reading – sometimes those sections get tedious. You have to have the brain power to get through it. RE-READ if your attention starts to drift!

What order should I take the test in? It does NOT MATTER in what order you take the test. Just because the testing people put the essay on the last page does NOT mean you have to do the test in that order. Last, do the editing section. This is an important section (hey, it’s ALL important) but it requires the LEAST amount of focus/concentration, so do this LAST.

What order should I take the test in? It does NOT MATTER in what order you take the test. Just because the testing people put the essay on the last page does NOT mean you have to do the test in that order. Remember, the SAR is GONE! YAAY! NO SARs! However, after you finish all three sections, you should go back to any questions you put a star next to and double check. WATCH CHANGING ANSWERS though….more on this later.

Multiple choice test taking strategies – Reading Section: Approach each reading section as though you will be taking a test over it. ANNOTATE and underline key words/phrases. If something seems important, make a mark next to it. When you finish reading the selection, move on to the questions. Here is a hint: The STAAR test writers usually give you 4 options. YOU CAN ALMOST ALWAYS ELIMINATE ONE right off the bat b/c it’s off the wall or just sounds wrong. Now you’re down to three. There is usually one that is SORT OF right, but something about it is wrong. Now you’re down to 2.

Multiple choice test taking strategies – Reading Section: Approach each reading section as though you will be taking a test over it. ANNOTATE and underline key words/phrases. If something seems important, make a mark next to it. Once you’ve narrowed down to 2, go back to the reading section and try to “prove” both answers. Nearly ALL questions have a throwaway answer, a “sort of” correct but not completely, and a “throw you off” answer. You have to narrow to the “right” answer and “throw you off” if you can. It ups your odds of getting the question correct. DICTIONARIES – USE them if you need them. If you don’t understand what a question is asking, you can’t answer it correctly!

Multiple choice test taking strategies – Reading Section: Approach each reading section as though you will be taking a test over it. ANNOTATE and underline key words/phrases. If something seems important, make a mark next to it. There are NO PENALTIES For guessing---but you want to be able to GUESS SMART. If you still don’t know after narrowing your answer to 2, make a mark by the question and come back to it. BE SURE TO CHECK over your answer sheet so that you don’t miss bubbling in a question. It’s better to guess than to leave it blank!!!!

THE ESSAY – The Keys to the Kingdom Remember HOOK= gracefully ease your reader into your topic. You can start with a GENERAL statement about whatever you are writing about. This should get your reader’s attention but does not have to be a SCREAMING HEADLINE. Transition sentence = should guide you reader from your hook to your thesis. THESIS = MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE you will write. Restate the prompt, add your POSITION, and then reason 1 & 2. Keep these BRIEF. You will elaborate your reasons in your body paragraph.

THE ESSAY – The Keys to the Kingdom Reason 1 = Body paragraph #1: Remember to give an example!! Think of an example from the “inner circle” – your experiences, books you’ve read, your school, church, sports team, etc. (NO 1st person though!) Think of an “outer circle” example – general knowledge such as politics, history, pop culture, etc. Be sure your example PROVES YOUR POINT. Use those persuasive transition words!

THE ESSAY – The Keys to the Kingdom Reason 2 = Body paragraph #2: If you used “inner circle” as your first example in body paragraph 1, try to think of an “outer circle” for body paragraph 2. YOU MUST INCLUDE AN EXAMPLE for each body paragraph – the more detailed you can be, the better your essay. YOU DON’T have much room though, so make sure you know what you want to say before writing it in that box!

THE ESSAY – The Keys to the Kingdom Conclusion: Restate that thesis!!!! Leave your reader with a “final thought.” Think full circle…you brought them into the topic with your hook, now you’re bringing them OUT of your essay the same way. This is a GREAT time to use a rhetorical strategy…call to action, rhetorical question, repetition, parallelism, emotional appeal, etc!

THE ESSAY – The Keys to the Kingdom A word about Prewriting: YOU HAD BETTER DO IT! Remember to list your pros/cons or for/against. This is a useful activity even if you KNOW what your position will be. WHY? Counterarguments!! 

THE ESSAY – The Keys to the Kingdom OTHER WRITING TIPS: Remember your grader!! (the old lady who taught high school in 1985). NO SLANG, no first person. Handwriting: Try to write as NEATLY AS POSSIBLE. Yes, I know it should not matter, but it sort of does. If they can’t read your essay, that’s going to be a problem! PARAGRAPHS – this should go without saying, but it should be very clear when you are transitioning to another paragraph.

The Essay, Continued…. GRADER A GRADER B The old lady with cats, birds, and a collection of jigsaw puzzles. She’s a retired teacher who taught in the 80s. She doesn’t know your slang. Her hobbies include playing canasta and diagramming sentences for fun. She has to get her grandkids to help her understand how to get to the internet on her computer, and she only just got an iPhone last year. The unemployed millennial who is getting his second master’s degree in English literature. (His first one is in philosophy.) He knows your slang, but is super pretentious and will critique your grammar and writing within an inch of his life. His hobbies include iced caramel lattes and brunch. He is almost NEVER impressed.

Grader A – The Crazy Cat Lady who taught English at Memorial HS in 1985 (probably to Mrs. Suerth). “Oh, my stars, these students can’t spell. And what does this kid mean by the words “salty” and “Epic”? I thought salty was a flavor and ‘Epic’ is a type of poem! What does she mean by LOL?!? I guess I have to give this kid a 1. She doesn’t write in proper English!” –Mrs. CCL She is super into grammar and spelling and is really “old school” about it all. She doesn’t “get” your slang or text language. She is not cool at all.

“Oh, no, she didn’t just use first person. How BASIC can you get!?? Grader B: The Millennial Hipster who is mad because he dropped his avocado toast on the floor this morning. “Oh, no, she didn’t just use first person. How BASIC can you get!?? And who uses ‘gonna’? The correct way to say that is ‘going to’! I’m so over this essay. What kind of sad kid doesn’t know how to write a thesis? IDEK!” -Mr. Avocado Toast He’s really pretentious and knows a lot of big words. (He also knows “a lot” is spelled with a space, not like “alot”). He is hoping you do, too. He understands your lingo, but doesn’t appreciate it being used in a formal essay. He thinks he’s super cool.

Let’s look at a few of the most common mistakes you’ve made this year in your writing, shall we? 

Common mistakes neither grader A nor grader B will appreciate: A lot is spelled with a space…there is no such word as “alot” and “allot” means something else! It is COULD HAVE, not COULD OF. Same with SHOULD HAVE – not SHOULD OF No such word as “gonna” It is too much if you are talking about an item that is a collective – like “too much food”; It is too many if you are talking about more than one item – like “too many students” DO NOT USE the word “stuff”!!!

Common mistakes neither grader A nor grader B will appreciate: Lose – means you’ve lost something. You lose the game, you lose your shoes, you lose your mind. Loose – Means something is NOT TIGHT. My pants are loose, the dog is loose, the rules are loose. Cause – is the reason something happens. It is not interchangeable with BECAUSE. For example, I do not want to cause a panic by saying this test is hard because I want my students to do well. It is their class; they’re going to take this test, and the testing room is over there.

The Editing Section: Last but not least! GUESSING – Use the same strategy as for the reading section. Remember there are usually one or 2 that are OBVIOUSLY wrong. Eliminate these first. If something sounds wrong, it probably is! Use your “gut” on this. Remember your comma rules! FRAGMENTS – how do you tell? Does it have a SUBJECT and a VERB/ACTION? If the sentence does not contain both, then it is incomplete. RUN ONS – This is where your comma rules will come in handy. Read the sentence to yourself quietly. Are you gasping for breath? It’s probably a run on. Affect/Effect: This will probably appear somewhere. Affect = A verb that influences something Effect = A noun that was influenced by something

Final Tips: The night before/ morning of the test: Get a good night’s sleep. You don’t have to go to bed at 9, but don’t go to bed at 2 am either. This is a 5 hour test, which requires focus and test taking stamina. Wake up a little earlier than usual, but not TOO early. Let yourself ease into the day. EAT BREAKFAST. Have some protein. Don’t eat a HUGE breakfast, but be sure you have something in your stomach so it isn’t growling by 10am. A breakfast taco is perfect. Get one with some bacon. ;) Bring a sweater, a book, and a bottle of water for the test. Have an extra pencil & eraser just in case. Bring a highlighter.

Final tips: During the test Remember – Essay first (don’t forget prewriting), then reading multiple choice, then editing section. If you need to take a break or stand up, DO IT. Go to the bathroom. Get a drink. Then get your focus back. You can close your book, stretch, and take a “brain break” without getting up as well. Do this if you need to. If you find your mind wandering, take a few deep breaths. Get some oxygen to your brain. Stretch. Then get your focus back and resume the test. Much of this test is just the ability to sustain focus for the time it takes to get through it. Trust your gut – you’ve learned a lot this year! USE YOUR brain! It’s a good one!! YOU’VE GOT THIS!! 

TAKE YOUR TIME – YOU HAVE A LOT OF IT! ***USE the dictionary! What separates pass/fail, and pass/commended is often ONE OR 2 questions. Don’t rush through the test. You have plenty of time to sit & be bored, trust me!

Good Luck! You are going to do GREAT!