Strategies for Success on ELA TAKS

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Strategies for Success onAnswering Open-Ended
Questions
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Open-Ended Response

• Tests your READING ability
• This is NOT about you
• DO NOT include your opinion
• Keep it simple and to the point
• Example
• I think
• My opinion is.
• ( do not include opinion unless it is asked for!)

X
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Step 1Read the Questions FIRST

• Read the question carefully (before you read the
  passage).
• Underline key words.
• For example
• What is one conflict that Newt and Catharine face
  in the selection a Long Walk to Forever?

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Step 2 Re-state the Question in your Answer

• Make sure the opening of your response directly
  addresses the question.
• Re-state the question
• For example
• In Long Walk to Forever a conflict Catherine
  and Newt face is

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Step 3 Answer the Question

• Explain in your own words
• Keep it simple and to the point
• DO NOT ECHO your quote
• Example
• A conflict in Walk to Forever is that Catharine
  is getting married in a week. The wedding is
  only a week away.

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Step 4 Support your Answer

• Use textual evidence from the selection to
  support your response.
• Your evidence could be a direct quotation.
• Make sure you have quoted the words exactly.
• Properly quote your textual evidence with
  quotation marks.

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Step 4 Support your Answer (Continued)
For example One conflict faced by Newt and
Catharine in Long Walk to Forever is that Newt
loves Catharine, but she is about to get married
to someone else. Newt told her, Remember how
much I love you. She said, What a crazy time to
tell me you love meMy wedding is in one week.
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Step 4 STOP WRITING

• DO NOT mention a new idea without textual
  evidence.
• Your score will be a O if you do this!

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Presentation of Responses

• Read over your response.
• Is it clear and easy to follow?
• Do you need to clarify information?
• Write legibly and neatly.
• A messy response suggests a poorly put together
  answer.
• IF YOU CANT READ IT, THE GRADER CANT, EITHER!

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Scoring Guide

• These items are scored in terms of content.
• 0 means insufficient
• 1 partially insufficient
• 2 sufficient (THIS IS WHERE WE WANT TO BE!)
• 3 exemplary

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This is the skinny..WRITE THIS DOWN

• Re-state the question
• Answer and make a connection to the question
• Support your answer with textual evidence from
  text
• STOP Writing

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Tips

• Students should avoid the use of slang and
  informal language in their writing.
• Cuz
• Gonna
• you
• Dont abbreviate any words