Dear Teacher, This lesson helps students to review and practice some of the best multiple choice strategies That will help them to be successful on Common Core tests. For this lesson, photocopy: Multiple Choice Bullseye - 1 per student Multiple Choice Strategies packet - 1 per student The slides will guide you through the lesson. Begin with an entry task (next slide). Students will list all of their best multiple choice strategies in the Multiple Choice Strategies packet. Share together as a class, encouraging students with the strategies that they already know. Present slides 3, 4, and 5. After reviewing slide 5, you can hand out the Multiple Choice Bullseye. Explain to students that this bullseye represents the process of choosing the BEST answer. You can refer back to the bullseye throughout the lesson, giving them examples of how to avoid choosing the “partially right” answer and instead determine the BEST answer. Present slides 7-13. Read through the task on slide 13, then give students the rest of class to complete part two, the multiple choice and short answer. The short answer is optional, but I found it was nice to have a task for students who are more proficient at multiple choice. Review the multiple choice. As you review, discuss strategies that you recommend for each question. You can also ask students to share the strategies that helped them the most.

Multiple Choice How to master the art of answering multiple choice questions. Entry Task: Brainstorm Strategies in Part One of your hand out.

Start with close reading! You have to understand the passage to answer the questions correctly. Preview the passage by skimming for the gist. Pay attention to the title, which often hints at the main idea. Look at pictures. Notice subtitles and bold print. Plug in to the text as you read, reading slowly and carefully, underlining and annotating the text as you go.

Why preview a text and “plug in”? When a reader reads, you will remember and understand a text better if you make connections to what you already know.

Use basic strategies: Process of Elimination Look back in the text for answers Underline and annotate the question Pay close attention to keywords: best - suggests that more than one answer is partially right, but one is the BEST most likely - indicates that you have to reread that section of the text and make an inference/draw a conclusion. The text will not directly state the answer. suggests - similar to most likely, the text/author SUGGESTS something, but does not state it directly. Make sure your answer is still based on the text and is supported by evidence from the text.

Answering the questions by type: Line Reference questions Central Idea questions Text Evidence questions Point of View questions Literary Elements questions Vocabulary in Context questions

Line Reference questions Example: What idea is introduced in lines 1 through 6? Strategy: Go back in the text and box in the lines. Reread and annotate, then answer the question using process of elimination.

Central Idea questions: Example: How do lines 44 through 48 reflect a central idea of the article? Strategy: Use subtitles or titles as hints of the central idea Look for repetition: repeated words and phrases often indicate a main idea. Go back and reread the lines, section, or skim the text Ask yourself, “What job do these lines have in the text?”

Text Evidence questions Example: Which evidence from the article suggests... Strategy: Use process of elimination: eliminate the answers that do not provide evidence for the prompt or question. Eliminate choices that highlight a counterclaim (the other side of the argument) Choose the answer that supports the argument in the strongest way.

Point of View questions Example: The author balances different points of view on the issue by including... Strategy: Remember that point of view could mean two things: In literary text, point of view means the view from which the story is told In informational texts, point of view means a view point Look back to determine both!

Literary Elements questions Example: questions about repetition, simile, theme Strategy: Be sure you choose themes that reflect an ENTIRE passage, not just part of the passage. Remember, a theme is a LESSON, not a single word or main idea. For questions about repetition, look back. Why did the author repeat? For metaphor and simile questions, read the surrounding lines to completely understand the comparisons being made. Eliminate answer choices that go too far beyond the text.

Vocabulary in Context Example: The author uses the word ______ to suggest... Strategy: Go back in the text and read the context, even if a sentence is provided for you. Replace the identified word with the definitions to see which makes the most sense in context.

Your Task: Complete Part Two of the packet using your best multiple choice strategies. Remember: Read closely, annotating and underlining as you go. Read the questions first. Use process of elimination. Look back in the text for your answers. Choose the BEST answer based on the text, not based on outside knowledge (use the bullseye graphic to help you think through the answer choices).