The Essentials of the English/Language Arts TAKS Test

1. The Essentials of the English/Language Arts TAKS Test What is it like? What do you have to be able to do?

2. The test is made up of two parts: • Reading and Written Composition Section • Revising and Editing Section This is different because in the past you have either taken one part or the other; now you must do both.

3. The Reading and Written Composition Section is made up of four parts… First, there’s a “Triplet,” which is… • A published literary selection, such as a short story or a chapter from a novel • A published expository, or informational, selection, such as a essay or a magazine article • A one-page viewing and representing piece, such as an advertisement, webpage, or a cartoon • All three are connected by a theme!

4. Second, there are Multiple Choice Questions which… • deal with each piece separately as well as combination questions Third, there are three Open-ended Response Questions (OERs) that are short answers. • The first one asks a question about the literary selection • The second one asks a question about the expository selection • The third one asks a question that crosses over both the literary and expository selections • One short answer question = Three multiple choice questions when scoring • The score range is from 0 to 3

5. Lastly, there is an Open-ended Essay which… • Is also thematically linked to the literary selection, expository selection, and viewing and representing piece – so you can draw from them • Or choose to write a personal narrative based on an event from your own life

6. Open-Ended Responses (OERs) What are they? Example Questions & Responses

7. What ARE OERs? • OERs are questions on the TAKS test that require students to answer a question and provide evidence from a previously read passage to support their answer. • There are three OERs on a TAKS test; one for each reading selection (fiction and nonfiction) and one that asks for comparisons/contrasts between fiction and nonfiction passages.

8. What do the ?’s look like? • Here are a couple of examples: • How does the narrator change from the beginning of the story to the end of the story? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. • How are both narrators’ experiences with infatuation similar to one another? Use evidence from both texts to support your answer.

9. What are they looking for in your OER answer? There are THREE Parts to an OER answer: 1. Clear analysis and answer to the question 2. Incorporated Evidence (quote or specific details) to back up the answer. 3. A clear and meaningful connection between the answer and evidence is present.

10. How are OERs scored? • OERs use a rubric from score 0 to 3. • To pass, a student must earn at least a “2.” • Breakdown of OER Rubric- If a student scores a: • 0 – either didn’t answer the question/analyze or gave plot summary • 1 – provided either an answer or a evidence from the text, but not both • 2 – provided an answer and evidence, but no further analysis • 3 – provided an answer, evidence, and further analysis

11. A Remark About “Plot Summary” • Plot summary: • When you just describe what goes on in the story—involves NO analysis. • Just keep in mind all OERs will require you to analyze the passage, not repeat the plot to the reader. • Don’t tell the reader WHAT happened—tell the reader WHY it happened (etc.)

12. Quoting Effectively • Snippets of quotes are more effective than large chunks of paragraphs. Just take what you need and “insert” quotes “around the quoted areas,” like I just did. The quotes should make sense in your sentence though.

13. Let’s look at some student samples… • Here is the OER question: • Explain how the narrator’s actions reveal her feelings for her father in “In Search of Eels.” Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

14. What score should this receive? Here was the question: Explain how the narrator’s actions reveal her feelings for her father in “In Search of Eels.” Support your answer with evidence from the selection. • The narrator cares about him in a way that no one at the nursing home or anywhere else could. “The nurses are supposed to cook for him daily, but they are always too busy.”

15. Did you say…a ZERO? • It never answers the question. • The quote is irrelevant. • Just because you provide a quote does not mean you’ll receive credit for it! The quote must be able to SUPPORT your answer. Do not just randomly choose a quote.

16. What about this one… Here was the question: Explain how the narrator’s actions reveal her feelings for her father in “In Search of Eels.” Support your answer with evidence from the selection. • The narrator’s love shows through the persistence she exerts during the passage, signifying a level of commitment to her father and their love.

17. Did you say…a ONE? • It provides an answer to the question, but no textual support.

18. And this one…? • In “In Search of Eels,” the narrator’s actions reveal her love for her father. She encourages her father to walk just like he did when she was 5 and didn’t want to walk anymore. “Now—Forward March!” Also, she brought him smoked eel, which is the food she tried at 5 and ate it all without saving any for her father. Her actions show that she loves her father.

19. Did you say…a TWO? • Provides analysis/answer and evidence. • Did you notice the last sentence is just a restatement of the first? That doesn’t count!

20. And finally… • The narrator does not reveal her feelings towards her father verbally, but through kind gestures and actions. The narrator takes her father out of the home because the lunch room is crowded, the TV too loud, and the food tasteless. Once out of the “home” she backtracks to help her father remember the good times like the climb up the Washington monument…She attempts to refuel his vitality by encouraging him to march: “Now—Forward March!” By going out of her way to find his favorite food, smoked eels, and providing a “beautiful picnic,” she shows her love.

21. Yes, it’s a three. • Analysis/answer the question, provided evidence, and further analyzed the previous two parts.

22. So, in summary: • 3 parts to an OER: 1. Answer the question clearly and directly. 2. Give RELEVANT Evidence (quote or specific details). 3. Then tie the first two parts together through further analysis.