1. Various Strategies to be Successful in ELA & Beyond!
How do I Restate Questions?
How do I plan for an ERQ (extended Response Question) using RAP graphic organizer?
How do I write a 3.8 paragraph?
How do I find/create a main idea statement?
How do I summarize a passage?
How can I understand poetry?
How can I be successful on tests?

2. Restating the Question Notes
In this class, you will always be required to restate the question when creating a written response.
Many times, when students restate questions, they want to use the question words in their response. That’s not okay!
Here are some samples of ways to restate questions correctly.

3. Examples of Restating the Question
Not Acceptable: How the chicken crossed the road was using his two feet. Acceptable: Use the word “by.” The chicken crossed the road by using his two feet. Not Acceptable: When the chicken got hit by the bus was when he crossed the road. Acceptable: Use “when” at the right spot; OR use “on + date” The chicken got hit by the bus when he crossed the road. Or: The chicken got hit by the bus on Saturday. Not Acceptable: Why the chicken crossed the road was to get to the other side because he was about to get his head chopped off! Acceptable: Use the word(s) “To/Because.” The chicken crossed the road to get to the other side because he was about to get his head chopped off!
How?
How did the chicken cross the road?
When?
When did the chicken get hit by the bus?
Why?
Why did the chicken cross the road?

4. Examples of Restating the Question
Where?
Where did the chicken cross the road?
What?
What is the chicken’s worst fear?
Who?
Who is the chicken’s worst enemy?
Not Acceptable: Where the chicken crossed the road was the intersection of KFC Boulevard and Popeye’s Lane. Acceptable: Use a preposition. The chicken crossed the road at the intersection of KFC Boulevard and Popeye’s Lane. Not Acceptable: What the chicken’s worst fear is is becoming someone’s dinner. Acceptable: Use a linking verb (Is/Are/Was etc) at the right spot. The chicken’s worst fear is becoming someone’s dinner. Not Acceptable: Who the chicken’s worst enemy is is Colonel Sanders! The chicken’s worst enemy is Colonel Sanders!

5. Restate, Answer, Prove: RAP Pre-Writing Organizer
Restate: “Cheat off the test” (NOT to be confused with cheating ON a test!!)- Meaning, use your test as a resource. Include information from the prompt such as: proper nouns, power verbs, and vocabulary words.
Answer: Create your response to the question. Complete the task asked of you.
Prove: Prove your answer is true by: cite evidence from the text, quote something from the passage you’re given, in math show your work, use details, explain your thinking, “I can prove this by…”, use what you’ve marked as important in the passage.

6. 3.8 Paragraph: 3 points, 8 sentences: for informative & argumentative writing;
NOT NARRATIVE
Topic Sentence, main idea, central idea, thesis statement, controlling idea (all the same thing)
1st point
Support for 1st point
2nd point
Support for 2nd point
3rd Point
Support for 3rd point
Conclusion- rephrase topic sentence

7. Two steps to find a main idea statement:
Find WHO or WHAT the text is MAINLY about.
Then, CATEGORIZE the DETAILS... meaning, look for what all the details have in common.
example of how to find a main idea statement:
igloo
apartment
condominium
mobile home
house
teepee
Main idea statement: Dwellings for people to live in come in many different forms.

8. Plan and Label-Summarizing
When asked to summarize a text:
Read Text
Outline each paragraph and number them
In each paragraph, find 3-5 vocabulary words that are unique to that paragraph
Use those words to write a sentence or two
Combine the sentences you just created to make a good summary of the entire text.

9. Understanding Poetry
Usually, in order to understand poetry, you have to read them VERY carefully.
Make sure you know what all the words mean
Look carefully at word order
Look for hints about the setting of the poem
“a yellow wood” represents that poem takes place in the fall, when the leaves are turning yellow
Look for figurative language
Simile, metaphor, personification, idiom, hyperbole, rhyme, repetition, etc.

10. “Frequency” Multiple Choice Strategy
If you’re stuck on a question has multiple correct answers, look for the frequency of answer choices.
In the sample below, Answers 1, 2, 3, & 4 show most frequently in the options. The answer with “5" can probably be eliminated because it only shows up in the answer choices once.
ex. Which of the following are examples of fallacies of arguments?
1. Cherry Picking
2. Straw Man
3. Slippery Slope
4. Masked Man
5. Whale Tale
a. 1, 4, & 5
b. 1, 2, & 3
c. 2, 3, & 4
d. 1, 2, 3, & 4
Note: As with all test-taking strategies, this is not a guarantee.
But, it is a good strategy!

11. Taking your time: The faster you go through the test, the more likely you are to make mistakes, and the less time you have to catch them.
Using pre-writing strategies: Use RAP for Short Answers and ERQs.
Taking PRIDE in your work: Reread questions/passages when you don’t understand them the first time rather than just giving up and guessing. When you’re finished, look over your work to make sure it’s work you DESERVE to be proud of. (You’re not allowed to get out a book or put your head down after you’re finished anyway, so you will really have nothing else to do other than look over your work )

12. And… RESTATE, RESTATE, RESTATE!
100% of the time! Use the test as a resource. If an ERQ prompt begins with a statement before the question, use that same statement as YOUR first sentence, too! Use all of- EVERY ONE OF THEM!- the proper nouns, power verbs, and vocabulary words that were given to you in the question. When you restate the question exactly as it is using important words from the question, the test has already done some of your work for you!
Restating makes you sound much more knowledgeable and confident with your response. Like anyone would, scorers are much more likely to feel “good” when reading your response if you start off sounding very knowledgeable about the topic.