9 Tips for TAKS ELA Success

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9 Tips for TAKSELA Success 11th Grade

• Developed by
• Michelle Stimpson
• Region 10 ESC

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10/11 TAKS ELA Breakdown

• There are 73 raw points possible
• 48 multiple choice questions (1 pt. ea.) 48
• 3 open-ended questions (3 pts. ea.) 9
• Composition (Score x 4)
  16
• must get a 2 to meet standard
• highest possible raw score  73
• The raw score is then converted to a scale score.

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Writing Prompt

• Write an essay explaining what courage means to
  you.

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Tip 1

• Connect Your Thoughts

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• Show sentence to sentence and paragraph to
  paragraph progression
• If student decides to include more than one
  example/anecdote, there must be a STATED, linking
  thread
• Intro/Conclusion are great places to STATE the
  connection
• No Silence of the Lambs papers (Papers that
  have to be read several times to get it)
• The scorer should never feel lost in the paper
  (a.k.a. Where did that come from?)

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Tip 2

• Stay Focused Pick One Theme
• and Do It Well

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• Consider concentrating on one person, narrative,
  or philosophical discussion rather than several
  divergent, disconnected veins
• Consider eliminating that 3rd point and
  developing the other two points further

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Tip 3

• Bring it on Home!

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• Dont underestimate the
• power of a great
• conclusion!
• What have you learned about yourself or other
  people?

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Tip 4

• Go for the Heart!

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• Cheers
• Tears
• Passion
• Instructional idea Reading/analyzing editorials
  is a good way to see how writers still manage to
  express their passions in expository writing.

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Tip 5

• Statistically,
• Length of Essay Does Matter!

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• It takes space to develop an idea!
• ¾ of the compositions that received lower scores
  were less than 1 ½ pages long
• ¾ of the compositions that received higher scores
  were more than 1 ½ pages long

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TIPS for Responding toOpen-Ended Questions
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Literary SelectionThe Kayakby Debbie Spring
16-year-old Teresa is out kayaking to get away
from her overprotective parents. The waters get
rough and she comes across an 18-year-old surfer
boy (Jamie) who is obviously in peril. They have
a few close calls on the water, but Teresa helps
Jamie get back to shore. Once on shore, the
reader learns that Teresa is paraplegic. She
loves kayaking because thats where she is free.
On land, however, she feels helpless. Jamie
asks Teresa out. Initially, she refuses because
she thinks that Jamie just feels sorry for her.
In the end, she tearfully agrees to go out with
him. ?
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Literary Open-Ended QuestionIn The Kayak,
what does the kayak symbolize to Teresa? Support
your answer with evidence from the selection.
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Expository SelectionSummits in Sightby
Stephen Madden

• This is an article a Ed and Erik Weihenmayer
  (father and son respectively). Erik who began
  losing his sight before his teen years, is now a
  rock climber. His father, Ed, has always made a
  way for Erik to succeed despite the disability.
  Ed always encouraged Erik to do his best and
  pursue life to the fullest. As an adult, Erik is
  now completely blind yet he is an accomplished
  rock climber (rock climbing is all about
  touch). One day Erik invited his father to go
  out on a climb. His father was in good shape,
  but he was no climber. With Eriks
  encouragement, Ed eventually climbs the rock
  successfully. Father and son discuss their
  perceptions of natures beauty, affirm each
  other, and shake hands at the end. ?

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Expository Open-ended QuestionIn Summits in
Sight what does Ed learn from Erik? Support your
answer with evidence from the selection.
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Expository Open-ended QuestionIn Summits in
Sight what does Ed learn from Erik? Support your
answer with evidence from the selection.
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Crossover QuestionWhat is one characteristic
that Teresa and Erik share? Support your answer
with evidence from the text.
Comment regarding 0 responses here!
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Tip 6

• Stay Focused!

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• Provide one answer and develop it well
• No beating around the bush
• Answers that seek to explain the deeper meaning
  of life may end up getting 0

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Tip 7

• Answer all Parts of
• the Question

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Watch out for these types of questions

• Single Passage
• How does one character change from beginning to
  the end of a story?
• How is a character affected by an event?
• How does the authors attitude change over the
  course of the passage?
• Crossover
• Which character is more unforgettable?
• Which character would you rather have as a
  sibling?

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Tip 8

• Good Vocabulary/
• Word Choice Can Help!

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Responses to Consider 2s and 3s

• Use thesaurus and dictionary
• Use some of the vocabulary from the story
• Precise word choice enhances a satisfactory idea
  (they keep on going vs. perseverance)

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Tip 9

• Match Idea to Text!

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• Mismatches are very common these will lower your
  score
• Instructional idea practice picking out the best
  supporting statement within a given passage (a
  matching game of sorts)
• Using more than one type of text evidence is
  admirable shows sophistication as a reader and
  a writer

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Last Thoughts

• You may use the entire box when responding to
  open-ended questions
• Quotes are a good thing we can argue their
  relevance but never their presence in open-ended
  responses
• Risk is still encouraged and rewarded
  (composition as well as open-ended questions)
• To kill two birds with one stone (TAKS SAT)
  students need to know how to express themselves
  creatively as well as concisely WHILE supporting
  their ideas with evidence