What to expect on the GA Milestones English/Language Arts

Selected Response (AKA Multiple Choice) 50 Questions Includes articles and passages Will cover all topics covered this year, plus more

Constructed Response (AKA Short Answer) 2 Questions Total Worth 2 Points each Tips for answering constructed response: Answer the question! Provide at least 2 details from the text Write in paragraph form No introduction or conclusion

Extended Constructed Response 1 Question Total Worth 4 Points Tips for answering extended constructed response: Must be a narrative, NOT a summary! Stay true to the story Use imagery—appeal to the 5 senses Include dialogue

Extended Constructed Response Different examples of narrative prompts: Rewrite a scene Write a new beginning Write a new ending Write a scene from the perspective of a different character Change the point of view (from 1st to 3rd or 3rd to 1st)

Extended Response (AKA Essay) 1 Question Total Worth 7 Points Tips for answering extended response: Include a strong introduction and conclusion Must cite each text specifically by name Don’t just summarize!!!! Include your own thoughts…. Why is the information in the essay important? So what? If argumentative, you must include a counterclaim

Extended Response (AKA Essay) Second day of ELA Test 90 minutes 2 articles 3 multiple choice questions 1-2 constructed response questions Full essay Not enough time for full draft and revision

Extended Response (AKA Essay) Effective introductions (BE SURE TO INCLUDE): Hook: how are you going to grab the reader’s attention? Background information: what information does the reader need to know? Thesis Statement: what is the main idea of your essay?

Why write for only 7 or 4 or 2 points? Here’s the math: Total of 55 points for ELA 40 Points come from multiple choice Say you got EVERY multiple choice question correct and decided to not do the essay or constructed responses, or just threw something on the paper with no effort to get the points…. The highest you could possibly make would be a 73. That is barely passing, and it is very unlikely you will get every multiple choice question correct. Bottom line: YOU NEED THOSE POINTS

Constructed Response Example What does the lotion smell like? What does she look like after getting mosquito bites? Cannot change from lotion to perfume Must keep details of the story the same… just add more details!!!

Example of a 7 Point Response Animals in the wild have natural enemies; there are predators and prey, the hunters and the hunted. That is the expected order of relationships. However, unusual situations allow animals to change that dynamic. One of those unusual situations could be a litter of kittens bonding with a dog that just had puppies. The assumption is that the dog has strong mothering instincts and wants to take care of helpless babies even if they are from another species, in this case kittens. The first passage, “Animal Roles and Relationships,” gives examples of unusual connections that support the idea that a mother dog could care for kittens, as odd as that sounds. The author gave the example of the lionesses that take care of other’s cubs, or wolves that share roles in a pack, as needed, feeding and protecting the pack. The second passage, “Unusual Animal Friendships,” gives examples of unusual relationships between animals, especially at a time of loss. For example, an orangutan that lost its parents bonded with a dog. The loving nature of the dog seemed to cause the two animals to form a close friendship. This observation also supports the possibility of a mother dog caring for kittens that have recently been taken from their mother cat. These unusual relationships indicate that the caring and support for survival knows no rules or boundaries. Caring and nurturing is part of the human kingdom in many surprising ways.