1. STAAR EOC 2016! STAAR!

2. What’s on the Test? 1.Passages with Revising and Editing Questions 2.Persuasive Essay 3.Reading Passages with questions 4.Three SAQs related to the passages ( Visuals/Charts embedded in passages)

3. Reading Section Strategies 1. First read the questions and SAQ questions that go with Passage 1.

4. 2. Code your questions before reading the passages! (5) The banana slug is namely found in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. (6) It gets its name from its yellow hue. (7) While not a delicacy, the banana slug is extremely high in protein. (8) In fact, while attending sixth grade survival camp, Ms. Bech roasted and ate a banana slug. Q#4

5. 3. Take notes or highlight as you read the passage. If you use a highlighter, don’t touch it to your answer sheet!

6. 4. Answer questions in the booklet first. Aeat 8 hotdogs Bbarf Cmake a fart noise Ddance a jig

7. 5. After you finish in the booklet, bubble your answers.

8. 6. Do the Two -Finger Check! Make sure your bubbles match the answers in your booklet!

9. Reading Section Tips STAAR

10. Take the time to reread parts, paragraphs, or the entire passage.

11. Be wary of answers that sound totally great, but that are actually made-up lies!

12. Remember: You can use a dictionary on the whole test!

13. If a question asks for the “best summary,” you’re looking for an answer that includes the beginning, middle, AND end of the story.

14. STAAR: Operation SAQ Obliteration Take that, you tricky SAQ!

15. What to do to score a 0 be totally wrong about the theme, characters, or conflict misinterpret the passage give only a plot summary offer a really general or vague answer do not answer the question or answer a completely different question

16. What to do to score a 1 Give a right answer but offer NO evidence from the text to support your answer Offer evidence from the passage that does not support your answer Write something so confusing or filled with errors that the reader doesn’t know what you’re trying to say

17. What to do to score a 2 (passing score) Give a specific, clear, right answer to the question being asked Support the answer with evidence from the passage. offer reasonable analysis (explanation of your answer) Evidence can be a direct quote, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis

18. What to do to score a 3 (fewer than 1% of responders gets a 3, don’t let it stress you out!) Be especially insightful—draw an inference from the text. Give plenty of evidence to support your answer Show your genius with complex analysis

19. SAQ TIPS SAQ

20. Write a rough draft for each SAQ Most importantly, write a rough draft of your answer— you need it to be solid and clear

21. Remember to stay in the box WRITE ONLY INSIDE THE BOX This might be Shakespeare you’re writing down here, but nobody will read it because it’s not in the box.

22. Don’t draw extra lines or write too small or messily __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ _________________________

23. Write in your neatest handwriting If nobody can read it, nobody can score it!

24. Choose your words carefully There’s no room to ramble or repeat with the SAQs. That’s why a rough draft is such a good idea. Be direct and clear. Make every word count.

25. Don’t Quote Dump! Avoid “This quote says that…”

26. When using a quote, weave it! Alfred could tell by the way his mother’s hand “trembled as she raised the cup to her lips” that his actions impacted her life. WEAVE IT!

27. Careful with the crossover SAQ ! Remember, you MUST have a quote from each passage to support your answer!

28. Support your opinion with strong evidence!

29. Think about TDEC! Thesis (answer) Detail (what?) Elaboration (how?) Commentary (why?)

30. PERSUASIVE ESSAY

31. Don’t forget to write a crappy ROUGH DRAFT Use the blank space in your test booklet to write a first draft. Just get something down. You’re going to fix it.

32. Remember, you can use a dictionary and thesaurus BUT, don’t obsess over this, and beware the thesaurus. Don’t use words you’ve never used before! You might want to check on common words that you think you misspelled.

33. Take a moment! Once you have finished your rough draft and are finished with the dictionary. TAKE A BREAK FROM YOUR WRITING!!!!!!!!

34. Possible Breaks go to the restroom take a little rest (not more than a couple of minutes – some people need all 5 hours to finish!) Do the one of the multiple choice parts of the test Eat a snack

35. After a break, work on revising and editing your rough draft!

36. Get rid of repetitive writing!

37. Make sure your writing is organized and that you use strong transitions between paragraphs!

38. Then…write your final draft

39. If you think you might get tired or distracted before you get done, write your persuasive essay FIRST. It is the most important part of your score, so don’t choose this point in your STAAR journey to give up! Stay strong! Save your best snack for when you’ve finished this part!!!

40. Persuasive essay TIPS Essay

41. Write about YOU with YOUR VOICE! Don’t write about people in general or teenagers in general. Write something that only could have been written by you.

42. Take a stand! You can’t argue both sides in 26 lines! If you don’t care about what you’re writing, how can anyone else care?

43. Remember your audience I’m so bored! Stop telling me what to do with the word “you”! STAAR READER

44. BE SPECIFIC! BE SPECIFIC

45. Don’t offend your audience! Remember that your grader may not have the same belief system you have! It is unlikely that he or she likes the same politicians or has the same views about drug use as you do.

46. Try to read your paper out loud (quietly). If it doesn’t make sense to you, it won’t make sense to anyone else!

47. Fix your mistakes! fix run-ons fix fragments look for missing words make sure you’ve been clear Special tip: after you’ve read your work from the top to the bottom, proofread from the end to the beginning. You’ll catch more mistakes this way!

48. Don’t forget: -Pack snacks (not too loud, not all sugary) -Be quick in the restroom (everybody else is waiting!) -Bring a book to read when you are finished (don’t be a jerk to people who need more time than you)

49. You’ve got this! If you do your best, you will be fine, and you will NEVER have to take a STAAR English test again!!!