FCAT Tips

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FCAT Tips

• Short Response (SR)
• Extended Response (ER)
• Created by Debi Rice

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Error Analysis

• 1. A. A two-part question requires a two part
  answer.
• B. If the question asks for benefits, reasons,
  the response should include more than one.
• 2. Students should not quote page paragraph
  numbers in their response, the text must be
  included.

• 3. Students should not put personal opinions in
  responses, strictly text based information only.
• 4. Students should not restate the prompt or
  question in the ER or SR. Some students use too
  many lines restating and dont leave enough room
  to answer the question.

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Error Analysis (cont.)

• 5. Students are to answer the questions and not
  summarize the entire passage.
• 6. Students do not have to fill up every line of
  ER or SR box.

• 7. Students need to use quotes and support
  judiciously.
• 8. This is not an FCAT writes activity the
  answer does NOT require an introduction, body,
  and conclusion

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Specific Suggestions
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LA.A 1.4.2 (Vocabulary)

• Use context clues in the item being questioned,
  not prior knowledge
• If given lines to interpret, use support from the
  passage to explain the lines dont get creative
• If given poemsdont jump in to creatively
  interpret. The poems questions will be concrete.

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LA.A 2.2.7 (compare/contrast)

• Make sure it is clear what is being compared or
  contrasted---------- name it or them

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LA.A 2.4.1(Organizational Patterns)

• Questions will direct the student to specific
  text pieces (i.e. intro., whole article, side
  bar, etc)
• Students may be asked to identify the
  organizational pattern

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LA.A 2.4.2(Authors Purpose)

• The answer is not just to inform, to persuade, to
  entertain
• Question why did the author write this particular
  pieceuse text specific examples
• (Ex. To entertain he used humor to)

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LA.A 2.4.4(Locates, gathers)

• If told to use different sources (i.e. text,
  graphic, picture) students need to use all
  sources that are stated. Differentiate between
  the sources.

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LA.A 2.4.7(Analyzes validity, reliability)

• There will be specific information and/or
  evidence in the passage that makes the author a
  reliable source or the article valid.
• Think about what made this person or study a
  reliable source

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LA.A 2.4.8(Synthesizes information from Multiple
Sources)

• Information will come from 2 or more sources,
  differentiate between sources. (Dont just quote
  or paraphrase. Use support from all to draw
  conclusions.

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LA.E. 2.2.1(Cause Effect)

• Look for more than one cause and more than one
  effect
• Be aware of plurals

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LA.E. 2.4.1(Literary elements complexities of
plot)

• Explain how character X changed and what caused
  the changed
• Typically what the character is like at the
  beginning of the story and how the character is
  at the end of the story, but leave change out.

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A Final Word

• Did you know
• Answers to all FCAT reading questions can be
  found in the text
• All answer choices are also text based