Study Guide for Middle of Year E.L.A.R. Assessment

1. Study Guide for Middle of Year E.L.A.R. Assessment

2. Do Title PowerWhat is Title Power? Read the title and all text features throughout ENTIRE passage! Notice all the bold, different, colored, highlighted, italicized words, text boxes, captions, sidebars, Examine all the graphics and graphic features like charts, diagrams, maps, timelines, photographs and graphs

3. Text and Graphic FeaturesYou must read all the text features and examine all the graphic features. Never ignore these features Text Features Graphic Features Drawings Photographs Graphic Organizers Maps Diagrams Timelines Charts, tables and graphs • Bold, highlighted, or underlined words • Text boxes • Sidebars • Titles, subtitles, headings, subheadings • Captions • Labels • Table of Contents • Index • Glossary

4. What are stop and jots?Stop and jots are what a section of text is mainly about and what is important. Read a section of text. I’d say about 7-10 lines of text Ask yourself what it was mainly about and what was important. This is what you will write as your stop and jot. You can write like a cave man, draw pictures, and you can highlight dates, or information you feel is interesting. If you read a paragraph or about 7-10 lines of text and cannot figure out what it is mainly about or what is important you will need to go back and re-read it. This is a signal to you that you don’t know understand what you read.

5. See my example of a good stop and jot:Notice I highlighted interesting info. I also wrote just a little for a stop and jot and also “drew” a picture. Text Brainprint of text Delta= landform of earth Formed by river dropping earth materials at mouth. • A delta is a physical feature on Earth’s surface. It has a triangular shape and is created when moving water slows down and deposits, or drops sediment at its mouth. As more and more sediments drop and pile on top of each other grasses and plants start to grow. The delta grows larger as more and more sediments are deposited on it.

6. Infer or Make Predictions When you infer you are looking at the clues given to you about the characters to predict what will happen next. You cannot go to another universe. Stay in the text. Look for details/clues in the text given to you from the author. Look at the setting (where and when) to help you as well. Also look for patterns in the text (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) You must look at what the character says, does, thinks and feels. You are not that character… You need to use what you know with your prior knowledge to help you, but you are not the character. must be backed up by the clues in the text. You may need to read between the lines.

7. Infer now… Mrs. Tarango reminded the students that homework was due the next day, which is Thursday. Mrs. Tarango collected all the homework the next day. The homework expectation has been the same all year, and she reminded students about the homework’s due date. Eight children did not have homework. What can you infer about the children without homework? What can you infer about the students with homework? What can you infer about Ms. Tarango? What evidence supports your inferences?

8. Now take Mrs. Tarango out of the situation and read the same scenario with just another teacher. Notice how your own schema with Mrs. Tarango helps you understand. Mrs. Watkins reminded the students that homework was due the next day, which is Thursday. Mrs. Watkins collected all the homework the next day. The homework expectation has been the same all year, and she reminded students about the homework’s due date. Eight children did not have homework. What can you infer about the children without homework? What can you infer about the students with homework? What can you infer about Ms. Watkins? What evidence supports your inferences?

9. Cause and Effect is one way writers can structure of build a selection. Text structure can also be called the organizational pattern of a text.Signal words such as since, as a result, and because could be telling you your passage or paragraph is cause and effect Cause is why something happened. Effect is what happened. Why did the chicken cross the road? Why? Looking for the cause. The effect is usually stated in the why question. What happened? The chicken crossed the road. The effect is the same event asked in the why question. The effect is the chicken crossed the road. Because the chicken wanted to get to the other side. This is the cause…

10. There can be multiple cause and effects!One thing affects another and it continues. Cause Effect & cause Effect & cause effect A candle was left burning The house burned down We had to find a new house. We had to move to a new school.

11. See here that because a candle was left burning, the house burned down. The house burning down is the effect of the cause which is a candle left burning, but then it becomes a cause of having to find a new house. So finding a new house is a new effect of the cause of the house burning down. The effect of finding a new house is having to move to a new school. This pattern continues… Cause Effect & cause Effect & cause effect A candle was left burning The house burned down We had to find a new house. We had to move to a new school.

12. Multiple cause and effect example:Notice how one thing leads to another.Signal words since, as a result, because, and so might be a hint you have cause and effect text structure. Cause Effect 1the house caught on fire. 2 The house burned down. 3 We had to find a new house 4 We had to go to a new school • 1 Because someone left a candle burning • 2 Because the house caught on fire • 3 Because house burned down • 4 Because we found a new house

13. Read the following passage written by Mrs. Tarango and see if you can pick out the 3 causes and 3 effects. • Because of wind, water, ice, wave action, and gravity’s work on the earth, the surface of earth is constantly changing. Due to these destructive forces. The constructive and destructive forces are what shape our planet to be unique.

14. Read the following passage written by Mrs. Tarango and see if you can pick out the 3 causes and 3effects. • Causes are in blue and effects are in green. Because of wind, water, ice, wave action, and gravity’s work on the earth, the surface of earth is constantly changing. Due to these constructive and destructive forces, our planet acquires more and more physical features on its crust.Since landforms are made by nature, humanity can enjoy the beautiful world and all its splendor.

15. Context Clues • Context has to do with the situation or background in which a word is used. • A context clue can be found in the same sentence, a nearby sentence or paragraph. • You must read IN THE WORD and AROUND THE WORD. • A context clue might be a synonym, antonym, example, definition, description, or explanation. • A context clue can be as simple as a comma, and a conjunction. • The locomotive, or vehicle swerved and missed hitting the building. • The locomotive swerved, but it still hit the building.

16. Context clues can help you figure out multiple meaning words. • The doctor massaged the sailor’s calves to get the blood flowing again. • The veterinarian gave the calves new vitamins to help them thrive. • Did you find my permission slip? • Please don’t slip on the floor. • I put the groceries in the trunk of my car. • The elephant sprayed the audience with water from his trunk. • The office workers went on strike until they received a raise in pay. • My brother hopes he doesn’t strike out in his first baseball game.

17. Sequence of Events • Sequence of events is the same thing as chronological order or time order. • In order to find the correct order of a sequence of events, you need to find whatever event you are asked about. • Then if it asks you about what happened before… you will look back in the text before the event occurred. You may have to go back several paragraphs to find the event that is listed as a choice. You just need to go backwards for what happened before. • If it asks you about what happens after, you will do the same thing except you will need to find the event and then proceed to the paragraphs after that event until you find the event listed as answer choice.

18. Sequence of events • First, next, then, last are definite key words. • First, second, third, fourth are also key words. • There may not be ANY key words… • There may be a time line or number line. • There may not be a time line, but if there are many dates listed then make your own number line. • Anytime you see dates, times, months, and even seasons notice those to keep order straight in your head. You can highlight, box, circle or even underline them. • You may also go back in and start numbering events yourself. • THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO GO BACK TO THE TEXT AND FIND THE EVENT! DO NOT TRUST YOUR MEMORY. GO BACK TO THE TEXT. Find your proof!

19. COMPARE AND CONTRAST • Whenever you have a paired passage… you KNOW you will need to compare and contrast.(notice the genre, and text and graphic features) • You should always read the first passage first, do your brainprints. • Answer the questions about the first passage. • Then read the second passage. Do your brainprints. • Then answer the questions about the second passage. • After doing both, make a list or a venn diagram that shows how the passages are similar and different. • Answer the questions on both passages.

20. Compare and Contrast • High quality brainprints that tell what each paragraph is mainly about and what is important about that paragraph are vital. We also use the strategy of READ, COVER, REMEMBER AND RETELL. (RCRR) • You can always peak during the remembering or retelling part. • Venn Diagram… blue is one passage, green is the other passage that show the differences. • Red shows the similarities.

21. Vocabulary • Whenever you see a word underlined in a passage, you need to figure out what that word means in context. Draw your arrow and explain what the word means as you read. • If you come across another word that isn’t underlined and you don’t know what it means, try to use context clues to figure out what the word means. DO YOUR BEST TO FIGURE OUT WHAT UKNOWN WORDS MEAN. • These are some good hints: , but means the opposite, , or is an example, even a comma can do this. • Read around the word to figure out the meaning of the word. Look for key words that help you figure it out.

22. Try it out to see for yourself. • I’d let you go outside and play now, but it is raining. • Whatever I just said will take on the opposite meaning because of the , but. • In order for a species to perpetuate and thrive, it must be able to survive in it’s habitat. Thriving and surviving help you know what perpetuate means in this context. • I was so tired after my long walk that I came home, kicked off my shoes and laid down on the davenport, watched a movie and took a nap. What makes the most sense here? What synonym would fit? (couch, sofa, loveseat)

23. Idioms are ways we use language figuratively speaking. • Idioms are phrases that do have a meaning other than it’s literal meaning. • You are a breath of fresh air. This means you are pleasant and enjoyable to be around. • You are a ray of sunshine. You brighten up the world. • It’s water under the bridge. It’s already done. • My hands are tied. There’s nothing I can do. • Don’t go down that rabbit trail. Don’t get off task. • Don’t burst my bubble. Don’t spoil it.

24. Pace yourself, pace yourself, and pace yourself even more. • Focus and don’t stress • Do stop and jots by asking who or what is this about and what is important or Read, Cover, Remember and Retell but you can peek back in the text. (RCRR) • Chunk your test with sticky notes to help yourself not rush or go to slow. Take little breaks at the beginning of each new story(3 minutes) unless it is a paired passage. Kids know to read and do stop and jots and answer questions on the first story, and then go back and do the same with the second passage, and lastly answer the questions on both stories. • Most kids are tired by the time they start the last story, so please take a 7-10 minute longer break before starting the last passage. Then jump back in and focus and do your best. • Put a star or circle all tricky questions so you can come back later and look at them again. Sometimes there is a hint in the text to help you. • Check your bubbling. Make sure if you chose A or C in the test booklet, that you also chose that same answer on your answer document. Bubbling is so important.

25. New Strategic Idea • I have told/or will tell your kiddos on Monday --- a suggestion I learned in a training I attended. The strategy will start in a familiar way by having the kids chunk the test with sticky notes to see when they should take a break. Then they will choose the most interesting and the least interesting passages. They will do the least interesting passage first, and save the most interesting one for last. • This is not mandatory… It is just another tool we can try to help them pace themselves and approach assessments strategically. 

26. Links to resources/worksheets or videos • Worksheets • Interactive Lesson Sequence of Events • American Revolution Timeline Sequence of Events • Compare and contrast • Inferencing with Non Fiction • Making Inferences – YouTube • www.brainpop.com • Context Clues • iStation as an app. or downloaded to a device (anything and everything in Reading with Isipor ELAR assignments