MCAS Test Prep - Quabbin Regional High School...Unit of Study: MCAS Test Prep Anchor Lesson: 2. How...

MCAS Test Prep Page: 1

MCAS

Test

Prep

Unit of Study: MCAS Test Prep


Prior Knowledge:

What prior knowledge about

comprehension do students need to have

before entering this Unit of Study?

Monitoring for Meaning

Retelling

Asking Questions

Making Inferences

Ability to Read Grade Level Text

Definition

What is Test Prep?

Test prep is a unit designed to teach students test taking

strategies. This unit will not improve student comprehension but

rather teach students how to read test passages and answer

questions.

Concepts to Teach

What are the important concepts that

you will teach within this Unit of Study?

1. “Beat the Test”

2. How is the test organized?

3. Rules of the MCAS

4. Skim and scan the passage. What genre is this?

5. Look at the Questions. What kind of question is this?

6. Answering “Right There” Questions

7. Answering “Right There” Questions – Avoid Trick Choices

8. Answering My Mind Questions

9. Using the bubble sheet to record your answers

10. Answering Inference Questions - Read the whole text

11. Answering Inference Questions – Avoid trick choices

12. Answering Inference Questions – Finding the Main Idea

13. Answering Inference Questions – Finding an Embedded Main

Idea

14. Answering Inference Questions – Sorting the Main Idea from

Details

15. Answering Inference Questions – Main Idea on Multiple Choice

List

16. Answering Inference Questions – Writing Our Own Main Idea on

Multiple Choice List

17. Focus your thinking on the test

18. Check your answers



Anchor Charts Strategies for Beating the MCAS Strategies for Playing Games

Organization of the MCAS test

Examples of “Right There” Questions

Examples of “My Mind” Questions

Examples of Inference Questions

Ways to Record Thinking Graphic Organizers, Post-its, Journals

Post-its

Record thinking on the test booklets.

Write test taking strategies in the note taking section of a

Readers’ Response journal

Small Group



Independent Reading Conference Points

What are you noticing? How is the test organized? What do the headings tell you? What do you notice about the different passages? What is helping you to answer these questions? Show me the questions that you needed to guess the answer? Show me the questions that you were sure about your answer. Which question did you decide to answer first? What genre is this? How do you know that it is that genre? What do you know about this genre? What type of question do you think that is? How do you know

that? Are there key words that help you to know what type of

question it is? Take me to the trickiest question. Let’s problem-solve this one

together Which question are you holding in your mind? Show me how you found the answer. What is the next question you are going to hold in your mind? Show me where you found the answer to that question. How did you know that was the correct answer? Which questions are the “right there questions?” How did you

know that? Which questions are “my mind” questions? How did you know that was a “my mind” question? Show me where you will put that answer. Did you answer all of the questions in this section? How do you

know? What are you reading about now? What is the main idea? How did you locate the main idea? What is the topic you are reading about? How did you infer the main idea? What are details to support your main idea? How did you decide that this was the main idea? Why couldn’t

this be the main idea? What is distracting you? Let me see you focus your thoughts back on the test on the

answer sheet.



Let me watch you as you check your work. Did you catch any mistakes? Let me see you check to make sure you have answered all of the

questions. Let me see you check to make sure your answer is at the right

place

Evidence of Understanding and Independence (Oral and written)

Completed practice tests

Reader Response journal entries about beating the test.

Celebrations of Learning Celebration after the MCAS


Anchor Lesson: 1. Beat the Test


Title of Text

Beat the test

Lesson Plan Notes to Build Next

Lesson

Select the materials MCAS Test (1 full test for teacher modeling and guided practice. 1 full text for independent and

partner work)

Name the Strategy.

Explain.

“I have noticed that …” “A strategy readers use is …”

Over the next few weeks, we are going to begin learning how to take the MCAS. The MCAS test is a test that all 3rd, 4th and 5th graders in Massachusetts take. This test is ONE way you can show all that you have learned this year. You have all worked so hard this year and your work really shows by the things you have learned. I want to teach you how to do well on this test so that your hard work in school matches how well you do on this test.

Demonstrate the

Strategy.

Say: Think aloud. Show: Model. Explain: How this will help them as a reader.

Sometimes kids think that taking the ELA MCAS test is like reading a book and answering questions, but it is more like trying to win at a game. Let me show you what I mean. Show the students a game (monopoly, checkers, video

game). Explain how when you play the game you

are searching for the best next move, you get

excited when you get points, etc.

Provide guided practice

Invite the students to

practice the strategy with

teacher guidance.

Provide Independent

practice

Remind students before they

go off to read … “When you go to IR try …”

For homework tonight I would like you to play a game with someone in your family or by yourself and record the strategies you use to try to win the game. Tomorrow we will look at some of these strategies and start to see how we can use them to “beat the MCAS.”

Conference Points

Share/reinforce The next day create an anchor chart: Strategies for Playing Games


Anchor Lesson: 2. How is the test organized?


Title of Text How is the test

organized


Lesson

Select the

materials

MCAS Test (1 copy for 2 students to share)

Name the

Strategy. Explain.


Yesterday we talked about how taking the MCAS was like playing a game. Today I want to teach you some of the rules of the test.

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


One way to “beat the test” is already listed on our chart for strategies for playing games and that is to know the rules of the game really well. In the MCAS we should be very familiar with how the test works. One way to become familiar with the test is to just notice how it is organized and what you are asked to do. Watch me as I look through the test. I am not going to read the passages or answer any of the questions, but I am going to look through and notice how the test is organized. It is almost like exploring all the materials in a game box.

Show the test on the overhead and model reading

directions, headings, counting questions, etc…

Provide guided

practice


practice the strategy

with teacher guidance.

Display another section of the test on the

overhead and ask students to talk with a partner

about what they notice.

Provide

Independent

practice

Remind students before

they go off to read … “When you go to IR try …”

Today at I.R., I would like you and a partner to look through the test and write down 5-7 ideas that you notice about the test. How is it organized (Multiple choice, short answers, long answer)? How often are you asked to read? What are the rules? Write each idea on a post-it so that we can make a chart at the end of reader’s workshop time.

Anchor Chart: Organization of the MCAS Test


Anchor Lesson: 2. How is the test organized?


Conference Points What do you notice? How is the test organized? What do the headings tell you?

What do you notice about the different passages?

Share/reinforce Ask students to put their post-it notes on a class chart. Discuss what they noticed and share ideas

about how the test is organized.


Anchor Lesson: 3. Rules of the MCAS


Title of Text Rules of the MCAS

Lesson Plan: Notes to Build Next Lesson

Select the

materials Choose a text that

supports the strategy.

Past MCAS test

Name the

Strategy. Explain.


Yesterday we learned about the format of the MCAS test. Today we are going to learn some of the rules of the test. If we are going to “beat the test” we are going to need to know the rules very well.

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


Show the students a list of 3-5 rules for the

test.

Rule 1: Answer all of the questions. If you

leave it blank, you get it wrong.

Rule 2: Take your time. You have all day.

Rule 3: You don’t have to answer the questions

in order.

Today I want you to watch me read a passage and answer some multiple-choice questions using these rules. I want you to notice how I use these rules. Model for the students how you read a few

questions, read the passage, guess when you

are unsure and answer the questions in the

order that makes sense to you.

Provide guided

practice Invite the students to



As you are modeling how to take the test, ask

the students to help you decide whether to

rush and/or skip items.

Provide

Independent

practice

Today at reader’s workshop, I would like you and a partner to read one passage from the MCAS and answer the questions. Work together to answer all of the questions, take


Anchor Lesson: 3. Rules of the MCAS


Remind students before


your time and answer the questions in any order.

Conference Points What is helping you to answer these questions?

Show me the questions that you needed to guess the answer?

Show me the questions that you were sure about your answer.

Which question did you decide to answer first?

Share/reinforce What did you notice about taking the MCAS test today?


Anchor Lesson: 4. Skim and Scan the Passage. What genre is this?


Title of Text Skim and Scan

Lesson Plan: Notes to Build Next Lesson

Select the

materials

3 Passages without questions from the MCAS

Name the

Strategy.

Explain.


Yesterday we learned some of the rules of the MCAS test. Today I want to teach you what to do before you begin reading one of the reading passages to help you “beat the test”.

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


One strategy that is helpful to use is to “skim and scan the passage and the questions before you begin reading.

Watch me: 1. I skim and scan the first passage. (Read

the directions, title, bold print) 2. I ask myself, “What genre is this or

what is this? 3. Now that I know it is a folktale, I think

about what I know about a folktale. I know folktales have characters, setting, problem, solution and that they always have a lesson at the end.

Provide guided




Ask students to work with a partner to skim and

scan a passage from the MCAS. Students should

ask themselves what genre is this and what do I

know about this genre? Have students write on

the passage their answers to these questions.

What genre is this? What do we know about this genre?

Provide

Independent

practice Remind students

before they go off to

read … “When you go to IR try …”

Ask students to work independently to skim and

scan another passage from the MCAS. Students

should ask themselves what genre is this and

what do I know about this genre? Have students

write on the passage their answers to these

questions.


Anchor Lesson: 4. Skim and Scan the Passage. What genre is this?


Conference Points What genre is this? How do you know that it is that genre? What do you know about this genre?

Share/reinforce Who would like to share their answers to the questions?

What genre is this?

What do you know about this genre?

Add this strategy to the anchor chart:

Strategies for Beating the MCAS.


Anchor Lesson: 5. Look at the Questions. What kind of question is this?


Title of Text Look at the Questions

Lesson Plan Notes to Build Next Lesson

Select the

materials

Passages from prior day’s lesson with questions This lesson may need to be

repeated several days in a row.

Name the

Strategy. Explain.


Yesterday we learned how to skim and scan the passages. Today I want to teach you strategies for answering the questions. During reader’s workshop this year, we discussed how readers ask their own questions when reading. When you are taking a test, the reader DOES NOT ask his/her own questions. Instead the reader needs to think about the questions that the test maker asked.

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


Watch me, as I get ready to read this MCAS passage and answer the questions. Before I start reading, I read the questions and decide what type of question the test maker is asking. Step 1: Skim and scan passage. What genre is this? What do I know about this genre? Step 2: Read the questions. Figure out what kind of question the test maker is asking. Question Type 1: Answer is right in the passage. (RT= Right There) Question Type 2: Answer is not in the passage. You are going to have to use your own mind. (MM= My Mind) Question Type 3: The answer is going to be an inference. I have to take the information in the text and my own background knowledge and put them together so that I can infer the answer. (I=Inference) Today we are not going to answer any questions, but I am going to think aloud about each question to figure out what the test maker is answering. If I think about what kind of question it is, I will probably have an easier time answering it.

Provide guided


After you have finished modeling, ask the

students to turn and talk with their partner

about a new question. What kind of question do

they think it is? How do you know?


Anchor Lesson: 5. Look at the Questions. What kind of question is this?




Provide

Independent

practice Remind students before


Today I would like you and your partner to go back to the passages you read yesterday but this time, take a look at the questions. Instead of answering the questions, please write a quick note next to each question, explaining what type of question you think it is.

Conference Points What type of question do you think that is? How do you know that?

Are there key words that help you to know what type of question it is?

Take me to the trickiest question. Let’s problem-solve this one together.

Share/reinforce Let’s talk about a few of the questions today. I want to talk about what types of questions you found and how you knew it was that type of question.

Add this strategy to the anchor chart:

Strategies for Beating the MCAS.


Anchor Lesson: 6. Answering “Right There” Questions


Title of Text Answering Right There

Questions

Lesson Plan: Notes to Build Next

Lesson

Select the materials MCAS passages and questions from the prior day’s lesson.

Name the Strategy.

Explain.


Yesterday we learned how to look at the MCAS questions and decide what kind of question the test maker was asking. Today I want to teach you how to answer those right there (RT) questions.

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


I have already skimmed and scanned the text and read the questions. Now I am going to answer these “right there” questions by going back into the text to find the answer.

Modeling flipping back and forth

between the text and the questions

to answer those questions. Show

the students how to pay attention

to clues such as:

Reread paragraph 1, or

according to the selection, etc…

Provide guided practice Invite the students to


teacher guidance.

After you have finished modeling,

ask the students to work with their

turn and talk partner to choose one

“Right There” question and hold it in

their mind. Next read the rest of

the passage. Go back to the rest of

the “right there” questions and flip

back and forth between the text

and the questions to locate the

answers.

Provide Independent

practice Remind students before they


Today I would like you to go back to the passages and questions you read yesterday. Please read your questions and choose one RT question to hold in your mind as you are reading. Read the passage and


Anchor Lesson: 6. Answering “Right There” Questions


find the answer. Then finish reading and go back and flip back and forth between the test questions and the passage to answer all of the right there questions.

Conference Points Which question are you holding in your mind?

Show me how you found the answer.

What is the next question you are going to hold in your mind?

Share/reinforce Who would like to show us how they followed all of the steps for “beating the MCAS”? I would like one student to demonstrate the steps so that we can observe what that looks like.


Anchor Lesson: 7. Answering “Right There” Questions - Avoid Trick Choices


Title of Text Answering Right question –

Avoid Trick Choices


Lesson

Select the materials MCAS Passage and Questions for Millions of Mummies

Name the Strategy.

Explain.


Yesterday we learned how to answer “right there” questions. Today I want to teach you a strategy for avoiding tricks answers to these questions. The test makers know that students don’t always pay attention to the whole question. They want to test you to make sure you are really reading the passage so they put wrong answers in the multiple choice section that might be true but the information is not listed in the article.

Demonstrate the

Strategy. Say: Think aloud. Show: Model. Explain: How this will help them as a reader.

Let me show you. Let’s look at question 30. According to the first paragraph, what was the MAIN reason people wanted to unwrap mummies?

A. They wanted to give the mummies a proper burial.

B. They wanted to study diseases of ancient Egyptians.

C. They wanted to satisfy their curiosity.

D. They wanted to preserve the bodies before they crumbled.

Many students know a great deal about mummies but I know that the test maker tries to trick students to answer the question with their own ideas (schema) rather than what they learned from the article. I am not going to be fooled. I am going to reread that first paragraph and find the answer that matches the choices




listed. If you are going to beat the MCAS you need to choose an answer for the “right there” questions based on what the text says, not what your background knowledge tells you. (Don’t use your life to answer a question.)



teacher guidance.

Turn to your partner and try to answer question 31. Please remember to use the text and not your background knowledge to answer the question. Read to find the answer.

Provide Independent



Today at reader’s workshop, I would like you to answer the questions that accompany this passage. Please practice flipping back through the text to find the answer. DO NOT rely on your background knowledge to answer “right there” questions.

Conference Points Show me where you found the answer to that question.

How did you know that was the correct answer?

Which questions are the “right there questions?” How did you know that?

Share/reinforce Who would like to share with us a question where the test maker tried to trick you into using your background knowledge and NOT the information in the text?




English Language Arts, Grade 4

Session 3, Reading Passage #1

Mummies are dead bodies that were wrapped in cloth and preserved in ancient Egypt. Read this passage to learn about how

mummies were made and used. Then answer the questions that follow.

Millions of Mummies by Janet J. Kosky

Dr. and Mrs. James Sullivan cordially invite you to witness the

unwrapping of a mummy, recently acquired on a tour of Egypt,

on Saturday, October 31 at 8:00 p.m. sharp.

Refreshments will be served.

SOUND LIKE A joke for a Halloween party? Actually, even though this isn't an actual invitation,

it isn't too far from reality. During the 1800s, mummy unwrapping became quite popular.

All of Europe had heard of the magnificent temples and tombs rediscovered by Napoleon

when he invaded Egypt in 1798. Later, many people traveled there to see these curiosities

for themselves. Some even brought mummies home with them. But many more were

shipped to Europe by dealers who specialized in selling mummies, sarcophagi, and other

ancient artifacts. Often these treasures were taken without permission from the Egyptian

authorities and without respect for tile religious beliefs of the dead.

Although mummies are considered rare today, at one time there were so many of them,

it seemed unlikely that the supply would ever run out. The custom of making mummies in

Egypt lasted for over 3,000 years and was practiced not only by the Pharaohs and other

members of the royal court, but also by any citizen with enough money to afford it.

At times there were so many wrapped bodies that cemeteries couldn't hold them all. Tombs have

been discovered where mummies were stacked on top of each other six feet deep.

Sometimes people even had to keep a mummy in their house until there was a vacancy in a

cemetery.

And humans weren't the only ones mummified. Sacred animals and favorite pets were also preserved.

Cats and dogs were the most common animals to be buried, but archeologists have also

found mummies of monkeys, gazelles, falcons, crocodiles, mongooses, snakes, beetles, and

scorpions.

1

2

3

4





The ancient Egyptians made mummies because they believed that all living things

consisted of two parts: the body and the spirit. Life ceased when the spirit left the body,

and in order for someone to be reborn in the afterlife, spirit and body had to be reunited. If

the body was destroyed before the spirit came back from its judgment, there couldn’t be a

rebirth. Animals were preserved not only because they were sacred, but also to provide

companionship in the afterlife. Including both people and animals, some experts have

estimated that several million bodies were turned into mummies. So, what would it matter

if a few hundred were taken away by collectors?

Mummies were valued for a more important reason than collecting: people believed

that the powder from ground-up mummies was a valuable medicine. It was used to treat

headaches, coughs, skin rashes, nausea, ulcers, and other ailments. Supposedly, it was the

resin and oils used in embalming that were beneficial. Mummies were also believed to

contain bitumen, an oily tar people thought was medicinal. As it turns out, bitumen was

never used for wrapping. However, the Arabic word for bitumen – mumiyah – is where

we get the word mummy.

Medicine was not the only unusual use for mummies. In 1859, an Egyptian farmer was

plowing his field when he discovered a gigantic cat cemetery. A total of 300,000 cat

mummies were removed from the site, many of them in such poor condition that they

crumbled when touched. Most of them were shipped to England to be used – believe it or

not – for fertilizer.

Only relatively recently have authorities taken measures to preserve Egypt’s national

treasures from further destruction and deterioration. However, even though so many

mummies have been lost forever, those remaining can still teach us much about life – and

death – in ancient Egypt. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System:

Release of Spring 2000 Test Items

35





Session 3, Multiple-Choice Questions

29 "Millions of Mummies" is a good title for this selection because

A. someone counted all the mummies made.

B. mummies are so valuable.

C. mummies have so many uses.

v D. so many mummies were made of people and animals.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 29: Literature/learning Standard 13 (p. 17)

30. According to the first paragraph, what was the MAIN reason people wanted to unwrap mummies?

A. They wanted to give the mummies a proper burial.

B. They wanted to study diseases of ancient Egyptians.

v C. They wanted to satisfy their curiosity.

D. They wanted to preserve the bodies before they crumbled.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 30: Literature/Learning Standard 13 (p. 17)

31. According to this selection, why were mummies stacked on top of each other in ancient Egyptian tombs?

A. They would not dry out as fast.

B. It was thought to confuse bad spirits.

C. Family members were always buried together.

v D. There was not enough room in cemeteries.


32. According to this selection, one reason Egyptians mummified animals was to

A. send messages to the living.

v B. have company in the afterlife.

C. protect their tombs.

D. save them as national treasures.






33. Which of the following were most likely NOT mummified in ancient Egypt?

A. pharaohs

v B. archaeologists

C. members of the royal court

D. sacred animals and favorite pets


34. In paragraph 4, the commas between ". . . monkeys, gazelles, falcons, crocodiles, mongooses, snakes, beetles, and scorpions,"

are used to

A. indicate a pause.

B. set off the meanings.

v C. separate words in a series.

D. help the reader pronounce the words.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 34: Language/learning Standard 5 (p. 16)

35. In the sentence that begins, "Life ceased when the spirit left the body

v A. ended.

B. improved.

C. burst.

D. flowed in.


36. The writer uses the last paragraph of "Millions of Mummies" to explain

A. what happened to the millions of mummies.

B, why Egypt now has the last few mummies.

C. how mummies start to crumble and are destroyed.

v D. why the mummies that remain must be protected.



Anchor Lesson: 8. Answering My Mind Questions


Title of Text Answering My Mind

Questions


Lesson

Select the materials Passages and questions from yesterday

Name the Strategy.

Explain.


Yesterday we learned how to answer RT questions by holding the question in our mind and reading to find the answer. Today I want to teach you how to answer those questions that have nothing to do with the passage and can only be answered by using your own mind. When we use our own mind, we are using our schema or our background knowledge. As we noticed the other day, My Mind questions sound like this: What is the subject of this sentence? A synonym for the word _______ is? Which of the words listed is a contraction? They have nothing to do with the text. For these questions, I simply read the question and all of the choices and pick the best answer.

Demonstrate the

Strategy. Say: Think aloud. Show: Model. Explain: How this will help them as a reader.

Watch me as I answer one of these “My Mind” questions. Think aloud as you answer the question. Show the students how you use your schema to answer the question. Explain the students that text is irrelevant for answering this type of question.



teacher guidance.

After you have finished modeling,

ask the students to work with their

turn and talk partner to choose one

“My Mind” question to answer. Ask

students to read the question and


Anchor Lesson: 8. Answering My Mind Questions


all of the multiple-choice options.

Have them talk about which answer

is correct.

Provide Independent



Today I would like you to go back to the passages and questions you read yesterday. Please read your questions and choose the My Mind Questions to answer. Mark your answers on the answer sheet.

Conference Points Which questions are “My Mind” questions?

How did you know that was a “my mind” question.

Share/reinforce Create a list of “my mind” questions.


Anchor Lesson: 9. Using the Bubble Sheet to Record Your Answers


Title of Text Using the bubble sheet


Lesson

Select the materials MCAS passage, questions and the answer sheet

Name the Strategy.

Explain.


Over the past few days we have talked about how to answer the RT and MM questions. Today I want to show you how to record your answers on the bubble sheet.

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


Watch me as I pay careful attention to where I am putting the answers on the bubble sheet. Since I answered the RT and MM questions, I need to look carefully at the question number and place my answer in the correct bubble. Now after I finish the questions for the entire passage, I am going to go back through and double check that the answer on my test booklet matches the answer on the bubble sheet. Sometimes I did not answer the questions in order so I need to go back and make sure I answered all of the questions.

Provide guided



teacher guidance.

Now I am going to answer a few more questions for this passage. As I answer each question, I want you to record the answer in the correct box on the bubble sheet and check that I answered all of the questions.

Provide Independent



Today at reader’s workshop, I want you to practice recording your answers on the bubble sheet. Go through the steps for answering the questions for this passage. Step 1: Skim and scan passage. What

genre is this? What do I know about this

genre?

Step 2: Read the questions. Figure out

what kind of question the test maker is

asking.

Question Type 1: Answer is right in

the passage. (RT= Right There)

Question Type 2: Answer is not in the




passage. (MM= My Mind)

Question Type 3: (I=Inference)

Step 4: Hold one RT question in your mind

and read the passage. Answer the question

and finish reading the passage.

Step 5: Flip back and forth between the

text and the questions to answer all of the

questions.

Step 6: Record your answers on the test

booklet and the bubble sheet.

Step 7: Check to make sure you answered

all of the questions in that section and that

the answers are put in the right places.

Conference Points Show me where you will put that answer.

Did you answer all of the questions in this section? How do you know?

Share/reinforce Please turn and talk with your partner about strategies you used to make sure you answered all of the questions for this passage.


Anchor Lesson: 10. Answering Inference Questions – Read the Whole Text


Title of Text Answering Inference

Questions – Read the whole


Lesson

Select the materials MCAS passage and questions

Name the Strategy.

Explain.


Over the past week, we have been learning how to “beat the MCAS test” by learning to answer different types of questions. Today I want to give you some strategies for answering questions that require you to make an inference. In order to answer these questions, you have to take the information in the text and your own background knowledge and put them together so that I can infer the answer. (I=Inference) These questions can be tricky to answer because the answers ARE NOT written in the passage. Here are some different ways the test makers write inference questions: What is the main idea? What does the author mean when he/she says? What is the lesson in this fable? What word BEST describes? What is the theme of this poem? What does the word ___mean?

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


Watch me as I answer one of these questions. The first thing before answering these types of questions is to make sure I have read the entire passage, especially the last few paragraphs. I can’t answer an inference question without understanding the whole passage.

Model how to do this.

Now that I have read the entire passage, I am going to reread the question and the answers. I am going to look at the answers the one that best answers the question.


Anchor Lesson: 10. Answering Inference Questions – Read the Whole Text


Provide guided



teacher guidance.

Ask the students to work with their turn and talk

partner to answer the next inferential question. Have

them read the entire passage and reread the question

and all of the possible answers. Choose the answer

that best answers the question.

Provide Independent

practice

Today at independent reading, I would like you to work with your partner to answer the inferential questions that accompany this passage. Please read the questions and decide which require you to make an inference. Then read the entire passage, the questions and the answers. Choose the answer that best answers the question. Once you have answered the question, please talk about why you think it is the best answer.

Conference Points Which questions require you to make an inference? How did you decide on an answer to that question? What information in the text helped you to answer

that question?

Share/reinforce Who would like to share with us, how they answered a question that required you to make an inference? Please share your thinking with us.


Anchor Lesson: 11. Answering Inference Questions – Avoid trick choices



Questions – Avoid trick choices


Lesson

Select the materials MCAS Passage and Questions: A Dream Begins to Grow

Name the Strategy.

Explain.


Yesterday we learned some strategies for answering questions that require us to make an inference. Today I want to teach you how to answer these questions correctly by avoiding “trick choices.” When test makers create multiple-choice tests, they often put choices to confuse kids and trick them into choosing an incorrect answer.

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


Let me show you what I mean. Let’s take a close look at this passage and one inferential question: Which phrase BEST describes Martin’s dream?

A. To discover cures for diseases B. To sing and act on the stage C. To be helpful to his people D. To compete in the Olympics

Read the passage aloud and then model how to choose the best answer. When I look at these choices, I notice that the words used in choice D and right from the text. This is called a trick choice because some kids who didn’t pay attention to what the question was asking would choose D because they saw those words in the text. I am not going to be fooled by the test maker. I know that an answer to an inferential question will not be stated directly in the text. I know that I have to use my background knowledge and the ideas in the text to come up with an answer. I know that Martins dream wasn’t about the Olympics. I am going to make sure that I don’t choose D because I know that it is definitely wrong. I am going to read the other choices and cross out any others that are definitely wrong. Now I know that the answer must be C because that really gets at the big idea of the passage.




Provide guided

practice



teacher guidance.

I would like you and your partner to read the passage and the questions for, Dogs Giving a Hand. Please talk with your partner about how to answer question 6. This question is an inferential question and the test maker put in some “trick choices.” Please choose the correct answer and find the trick choices.

Provide Independent



Today at independent reading, I would like you to practice reading and answering inferential questions on your own. Please read the passage and answer the questions. Remember to avoid the trick choices.

Conference Points Which questions are inferential questions? Have you found any trick choices? How did you know it was a trick choice?

Share/reinforce Who would like to show us how they answered one of the inferential questions? What was the correct answer? Were there any trick choices?




Session 1, Reading Passage #2 There are many ways that dogs show that they are our friends. Read the selection below

and answer the questions that follow:

Dogs Giving a Hand By Catherine O’Neill

As traffic comes to a halt at a busy intersection, a Labrador retriever steps off the curb. The dog walks confidently to the other side of the street. His owner, a blind college student, walks

just behind him, holding on to the handle of the dog’s leather harness.

For the student, owning a well-trained dog guide means freedom and independence. The

student can go to and from class without depending on anyone else for help.

Working in partnership with a dog guide, a blind person can go almost anywhere a sighted

person can. Together, dog and owner walk up and down stairs. They board subways and buses.

They go to restaurants. The dog acts as the blind person’s eyes, guiding its owner safely wherever

they go.

Dog guides for the blind are probably the most familiar of the service dogs. But did you

know that dogs also act as ears for the deaf? Hearing dogs learn to notice such important sounds

as those made by alarm clocks, doorbells, smoke detectors, sirens, and crying babies. They alert

their owners to a noise, and let them know where the sound is coming from. Dogs can be helpful

partners for physically disabled people, too. At Canine Companions for Independence, in Santa

Rosa, California, dogs learn to respond to 89 commands. These dogs can push elevator buttons with

their paws and pull wheelchairs up steep walkways. They carry their owners’ belongings in special

dog packs, open and close doors, turn on lights, and even pay for purchases. For some disabled

children, having a canine companion gives them the chance to go places they’ve never gone before.

The dogs often enable adults to take jobs and live on their own for the first time.

At some hospitals and nursing homes, dog visitors actually help improve the physical as well

as the mental health of patients. Researchers have discovered that stroking an animal lowers a

person’s blood pressure. Because high blood pressure can lead to many illnesses, including heart

disease, petting a dog can be good medicine. Some experts think that touching an animal may

release chemicals in the human brain that make people relax and feel good. Some nursing homes

allow elderly residents to keep their own pets. In others, volunteers bring trained “therapy dogs”

to visit on a regular basis. Some of these dogs have worked wonders. The elderly people look

forward to the dogs’ visits. One 90-year-old woman had stopped caring about life. She just stayed

in bed. But once dogs became frequent visitors, she was always up and dressed, eager to greet

them.




Session 1, Multiple-Choice Questions

6. The MAIN idea of this selection is that dogs assist people with disabilities by

helping them

A. with noises.

B. cross the street.

C. be more careful.

D. be more independent.

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 6: Literature/Learning Standard 9 (p.17)

7. In the sentence, “The dogs often enable adults to take jobs …,” the BEST

meaning for the word enable is

A. stop.

B. help.

C. follow.

D. like.


8. The purpose of this selection is to

A. give you information about dogs.

B. convince you to like dogs.

C. encourage you to buy a dog.

D. warn you about dangerous dogs.


9. According to this selection, petting dogs can help people

A. feel better.

B. notice sounds.

C. cross the street.

D. go many places.





English Language Arts Session 3

Read this selection about Martin Luther King, Jr, from the book I Have a Dream. Use information from the

selection to answer the questions that follow.

A Dream Begins to Grow

from I Have a Dream

by Margaret Davidson

I

Martin bad some grand times with his friends. But sometimes he said, "No, not now," when they

came to play. For he also needed time to think and daydream and read.

Books were a kind of magic for Martin. They took him so many places. They told him so many new

things. Most important, they introduced him to so many people who became heroes in his life. For

Martin's favorite books were about black history, and the men and women who had made it.

He read about Harriet Tubman, the slave who escaped to freedom in the North before the Civil War,

and yet returned South again and again to lead other slaves to freedom.

He read about Frederick Douglass, another slave who escaped to freedom but never forgot his people.

Douglass was a great speaker. For years he traveled around the northern states and England telling

audiences about what it felt like to be a slave. And after the Civil War he continued to work for basic

human rights for all. Martin read about the great teacher Booker T. Washington, who in the late 1800's founded Tuskegee

Institute in Alabama-the first college for black people.

He read about George Washington Carver, the scientist who worked at Tuskegee and found ways to

make many useful products out of such plants as sweet potatoes and soybeans and peanuts.

And he read about people who were doing exciting things right that minute. He read about the singer

and actor Paul Robeson, who became famous around the world. He read about people like the boxer Joe

Louis---the Brown Bomber, as many people were calling him-who in 1937 became heavyweight

champion of the world. And the track star Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals for the United States

in the 1936 Olympic Games.

As Martin read about these men and women who had done such big things, a dream began to grow

inside him. He wanted to do something big, something important with his life, too.

But what? Martin wasn't sure. Not yet. But he did know one thing. Whatever he grew up to be, he

wanted to help his people. He wanted to make their lives better.

From I HAVE A DREAM by Margaret Davidson. Copyright (0 1986 by Margaret Davidson. Reprinted by permission of Scholastic Inc.

55




English Language Arts Session 3

37. Why were books so important to Martin?

A He read them before going out to play.

B. They helped him with schoolwork.

C. He liked to collect books.

D. They contained stories of role models.

38. One of Martin's heroes was a great teacher who founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. This person was

A. Harriet Tubman.

B. Frederick Douglass.

C. Booker T. Washington.

D. George Washington Carver.

39. Which phrase BEST describes Martin's dream?

A. to discover cures for diseases

B. to sing and act on the stage

C. to be helpful to his people

D. to compete in the Olympics

Read the sentence in the box below.

Martin had some grand times with his friends.

40. A synonym for the word grand in the sentence above is

A. terrific

B. terrible

C. tragic

D. thoughtful


Anchor Lesson: 12. Answering Inference Questions – Finding the Main Idea



Questions – Finding Main

Idea


Lesson

Select the materials Choose a text that supports

the strategy.

Text: Grade level paragraphs that clearly model titles,

first sentences, concluding sentences as main ideas.

(See examples).

Name the Strategy.

Explain.


Yesterday we learned some strategies for answering questions that require us to make an inference. One type of inference question on the MCAS is a main idea question. What is the main idea of this selection? Today we are going to learn how to find the main idea of a paragraph or passage. The main idea is a sentence that states (or summarizes) what the author is explaining about the topic. We find the main idea by naming the topic and then asking, “What about it? What is the author explaining about the topic?” Sometimes authors use a text structure that just tells the reader the main idea. For example:

o The author may state the main idea in the title.

o The author may state the main idea in the first sentence by telling you what you are going to read about.

o Sometimes an author states the main idea in last sentence as a way to summarize all the information.

o And other times the author doesn’t tell you the main idea.

o You have to think, “What is the topic? What about it is the author explaining about this topic?”

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


Today we are going to analyze text structure to find the main idea. Display a paragraph on the overhead. (Goldfinches) Begin to read the passage aloud. Think

aloud, “What is the topic of this paragraph” (one word or phrase) Then ask, “What is the author explaining about this topic?” Read the title. “Does the author tell me here is the main idea? Read the first sentence. “Does the author tell me the main idea here?” Read to the end of the paragraph. Reread the last sentence.

Does the last sentence summarize what the paragraph is mostly about? Is this the main idea?” Explain how




the main idea summarizes what the author is explaining

about the topic.

Provide guided



teacher guidance.

Do a second paragraph. Invite the students to think

aloud with you. Ask questions to guide their thinking. What is the topic? What is the author explaining about the topic? Read the title. Does the author tell me here? Read the first sentence. Does the author tell me here? Read to the end of the paragraph. Reread the last sentence. Does the author summarize the main idea here? Have students partner read a third paragraph and identify the main idea.

Provide Independent



Provide students with a fourth paragraph to work on

their own.

OR

Have them select a short passage from their

independent reading and use a post-it to identify the

main idea.

Conference Points What are you reading about now? What is the main idea the author is making? How did you locate the main idea?

Share/reinforce Select 2-3 students to share the main ideas of what they are reading and how they figured it out.



Anchor Chart


Anchor Chart

Finding the Main Idea

1. Look at the title.

It might tell you the topic or the main idea.

2. Read the first sentence.

Sometimes the author just tells you the main idea.

3. Read the last sentence.

Sometimes the author summarizes the paragraph with

the main idea.

4. Sometimes the author doesn’t tell you.

You have to ask,

“Who or what is the topic?”

“What is the author explaining about this topic?”



Goldfinches and Pandas


Goldfinches

Watch how carefully goldfinches put their nest together: The female

chooses a good place for the nest to rest. It might be a fork in a tree or a

tall weed near the water. She then begins weaving, weaving, weaving a

perfect cup. As she works, her mate brings her some of the supplies she

needs. She first uses thin strips of plant stems and tree bark. Next she

may wind threads from spider webs into the nest to make it stronger.

Finally she fills the inside of the nest with the softest stuff around:

thistle down, cattail fluff, and wispy seeds from milkweeds. Just look at

that cozy cup!

Taken from Ranger Rick. “Get Going Goldies!. July 1994.

Pandas

Giant pandas live only in the bamboo forests of a few mountainous areas

of Southwest China. The mist and clouds swirling through these forests

make conditions constantly damp, ideal for the moisture-loving bamboo

that is the panda’s main food.

Taken from: Johnson, J. (2001). Highlights for Children. “Pandas.”



Smile! It’s Sarah Bear


Smile! It’s Sarah Bear

On her thirteenth birthday, Morrighan Clinco sloshed

through crunchy, muddy snow and entered a Russian

hospital.

What brought this young American to a bedside in

Russia? Clowning. When Morrighan was eleven she

attended a camp in northern California. There, she met

Patch Adams, a doctor made famous by a 1988 movie

about his efforts to bring humor to health care. Dr.

Adams taught clowning as a means of connecting with

people rather than simply entertaining them.

Morrighan learned that Dr. Adams and a group of thirty to

forty volunteers made annual clowning trips to Russia.

They visited the poor, the orphaned, sick, and dying to

dispense a special kind of medicine – laughter.

Taken from: Highlights for Children. “Smile! It’s Sarah Bear”. Dec. 2004.


Anchor Lesson: 13. Answering Inference Questions – Finding an Embedded Main

Idea



Questions – Finding

Embedded Main Idea


Lesson

Select the materials Text: Animals in Armor

Name the Strategy.

Explain.


We have been talking about how to find the main idea. The main idea is a summary sentence that explains what the passage is mostly about. Sometimes the author just tells you in the title, in the first sentence, or in the last sentence by summarizing the details. However other times the author doesn’t simply just tell you the main idea. The reader must use details from the passage to infer the main idea. It is like a jigsaw puzzle. The details come together in pieces to create the big picture. The reader needs to ask, “Who or what is the passage about. This is the topic. The reader then asks, “What about it? What is the most important idea that author explaining about the topic?

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


Let me show you how to find the main idea when the author doesn’t just tell you. Read the title”: Animals in Armor. Think aloud, “This might be the topic. But what about it? What is the author explaining about animals and armor? What is the main idea? I need to read further.” Read the first sentence. Think aloud how it does not state the main idea. Continue to read

the passage. Reread the last sentence. Explain how it

does not simply state the main idea. It gives some

clues but does not describe what the author is

explaining about the topic. Say, I have to infer the main idea by connecting the details. The topic is armor. What about it? What is the author explaining about armor? The author is saying that different animals use armor to protect themselves from enemies. That is the important point (the main idea) about the topic that the author is explaining.”

Provide guided



teacher guidance.

Provide students with a copy of a second paragraph.

Read it aloud. Have the students label the topic of the

passage. Ask: “Who or what is the passage about?” Say, now we need to find the main idea. “What is the important point the author is explaining about the topic?” Have the students search the title, the first sentence, and the last sentence for the main idea. Say

to the students, “Ask yourself these questions: What



Idea


is the topic? What about it? What is the main idea that the author is explaining about this topic?”

Provide Independent



Provide students with a third copy of an article to work

on independently or have students identify the main

idea from a short passage in their independent reading

book.

Conference Points What is the topic you are reading about? What is the main idea of that section? How did

you infer the main idea?

Share/reinforce Select one or two students to share the main idea of what they are reading today. Invite them to explain

how they located the main idea.



Idea

Animals in Armor


Animals in Armor

If you saw a pangolin you might say it looked like a pinecone with legs and a tail.

A pangolin is one of the animals that is protected by armor. It’s covered with

scales like the scales on a pinecone, only bigger. When a pangolin is frightened it

rolls itself into a ball. It tucks its head between its legs and covers its stomach with

its tail. Its sharp-edged scales stick up. Not even a tiger would care to try to bit

through them.

The armadillo is another animal in armor. In fact, the word armadillo means little

armored thing. Armadillos are born with soft skin. But as they grow, their skins

become covered with small, flat pieces of bone. This bony armor covers an

armadillo’s back, sides, head, tail, and the insides of its legs. The armadillo

protects itself by rolling into a ball as the pangolin does. Then it’s a hard, bony

ball that a wolf or bobcat finds hard to bite.

Porcupines, hedgehogs, porcupine fish, and sea urchins wear a sort of armor, too.

Their bodies are covered with sharp stickers that keep other animals from biting

them.

Pangolins, armadillos, porcupines, hedgehogs, and sea urchins can’t run fast, hide,

or fight well. Wearing armor helps them stay alive.

Text of “Animals in Armor” from ABOUT ANIMALS, Volume 5 of CHILDCREAFT - THE HOW

AND WHY LIBRARY c 1989 World Book, Inc. By permission of the publisher.

MCAS, Grade 3, Spring 2004



Idea

Sleep


Title: Sleep

Tired of puzzling over a problem? Sleep on it! German scientists

released a study last week that shows why a good night’s sleep really is

important. They found that people who sleep for at least eight hours

each night are better at solving problems and thinking creatively.

The scientists divided people into groups. The group that had at least

eight hours of sleep was more than twice as likely to find a shortcut for

solving a problem than the group that had stayed awake all night. There

were 106 people in the study.

Experts say the results are big news for kids who should be getting more

sleep. Maybe now you can make your dream of doing better in school

come true.

Time for Kids, January 30, 2004, vol. 9 no. 15.


Anchor Lesson: 14. Answering Inference Questions – Sorting the Main Idea from

Details


Title of Text Sorting the main idea from

details


Lesson

Select the

materials

Text: short passage - Beethoven

Name the

Strategy. Explain.


We have been talking about how to find an embedded main idea. Today we are going to discuss how you can distinguish between the main idea and the details. The main idea is a general statement that summarizes the information in a passage. The details are specific information that support or explain the main idea. If you cannot find details to support your main idea, then you probably haven’t identified the main idea.”

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


Introduce the Beethoven passage.

Beethoven was a master composer and musician who lived in the early 1800’s. Beethoven went deaf and could no longer hear his own music. Read the passage. Think aloud a word for the topic. Ask “Who or what is this passage about? Beethoven. Beethoven is the main topic.” Now I ask:”What about him? What is the author explaining about Beethoven?” Think aloud: “It talks about how he figured out ways to keep composing music.” That is the main idea. “I know this is the main idea because these are the details that further explain the main idea. Each of these details is an example of how Beethoven figured out ways to compose music” Complete the Main Idea/Detail Chart.

Provide guided




Introduce a second passage. Guide the students

through distinguishing the main idea from the

details by guiding them with questions and

completing a Main Idea/Detail Chart.

Provide

Independent


they go off to read … “When you go to IR try

Provide students with another passage to work on

independently

OR

Have students identify the main idea and details

from a short passage in their independent reading

book.



Details


…”

Conference Points What is the topic you are reading about? What is the main idea of that section? How did you find the main idea? What are details to support your main idea?

Share/reinforce Select one or two students to share the main idea of what they are reading today. Invite them to

share details about their main idea.



Details


from: Ludwig Van Beethoven: Master of a Silent World

By 1902, Beethoven was so unhappy and angry (from his deafness) that

he almost decided to give up writing and performing music. In a letter

to his brothers, he wrote, “How terrible I feel that someone beside me

can hear a flute in the distance, or a shepherd singing, and I cannot.”

Beethoven did not know what to do.

Yet Beethoven knew in his heart that he was meant to write great music.

So he decided he would continue to write and perform. He also made up

his mind to live differently. He began using a special object called an ear

trumpet to hear what few sounds he could. He also carried a notebook

or a chalkboard on which people wrote things they wanted to say to him.

He did eventually give up playing piano concerts, but he composed more

music than he ever did before.

Taken from: Ludwig van Beethoven: Master of a Silent World. MCAS, Grade 3. Spring 2004


Anchor Lesson: 15. Answering Inference Questions – Main Idea on Multiple

Choice List

Sorting the Main Idea and the Details Chart


Main Idea:

Su

pp

ort

ing

Det

ail

s



Choice List



Questions - Main idea on

multiple choice

Lesson Plan Notes to Build

Next Lesson

Select the

materials

Text: Short passage (examples: “Beethoven” and

“Monk Seals Need Help”)

Name the

Strategy. Explain.


We have been talking about how to find the topic and the main idea and how to distinguish between the main idea and details. In our discussions we have seen that sometimes we come up with different ideas for the wording of the main idea. This is because we are active readers and we all understand text through different schema. Today we are going to learn how to determine the main idea from a possible list. Sometimes when taking a test, the author wants you to identify the main idea from a list of possibilities. You have to infer what the author has determined as the main idea. We have to use our knowledge of what a main idea is to make that inference.

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


Show students the familiar passage entitled,’

Beethoven”. Read through it one time.

Say, “We have already determined what we think is the main idea of this passage. Now I am going to show you what the test makers wrote as possibilities for the main idea.

I know that a main idea answers the question: “What is the important idea that the author is explaining about this topic?” I know that the main idea is a sentence that summarizes the important information in the passage. Details support or explain the main idea.

Read aloud each possible main idea and think aloud

how it may or may not be a main idea.

Beethoven carried a notebook. This cannot

be the main idea because it is too specific.

It is only one detail.

Beethoven stopped writing music. This

cannot be the main idea because it isn’t

true. The paragraph says he composed



Choice List


more music than he ever did before.

Beethoven finally gave up playing concerts.

This cannot be the main idea because it is

not the most important idea in the

paragraph and it is also one specific idea.

Beethoven learned to live with his deafness.

This must be what the author thinks is the

main idea because it is a sentence that

explains the most important idea of the

paragraph.

Provide guided




Show students the second passage, Monk Seals

Need Help. Read the passage aloud. Talk through

each possible main idea sentence and discuss of it

could be the main idea the author was writing

about.

Label whether it is:

o Too specific a detail

o Not true – incorrect information

o Too broad – the topic

o The main idea – the most important idea

about the topic.

Provide

Independent



Provide students with additional passages and

possible main ideas to work through with a partner

or independently.

Conference Points How did you decide that this was the main idea?

Why couldn’t this be the main idea?

Share/reinforce Have students discuss their findings with the class and the reasons that they made their decisions.

Discuss possible tricky points such as different

wording, embedded main ideas, or difficult

vocabulary.



Choice List

From: Ludwig von Beethoven: Master of a Silent World


from: Ludwig Van Beethoven: Master of a Silent World

By 1902, Beethoven was so unhappy and angry (from his deafness) that

he almost decided to give up writing and performing music. In a letter

to his brothers, he wrote, “How terrible I feel that someone beside me

can hear a flute in the distance, or a shepherd singing, and I cannot.”

Beethoven did not know what to do.

Yet Beethoven knew in his heart that he was meant to write great music.

So he decided he would continue to write and perform. He also made up

his mind to live differently. He began using a special object called an ear

trumpet to hear what few sounds he could. He also carried a notebook

or a chalkboard on which people wrote things they wanted to say to him.

He did eventually give up playing piano concerts, but he composed more

music than he ever did before.

Taken from: Ludwig van Beethoven: Master of a Silent World. MCAS, Grade 3. Spring 2004



Choice List

From: Monk Seals Need Help


Monk Seals Need Help

Hawaiian monk seals are endangered for many reasons. They were

hunted until there were almost none left. Monk seals also get caught in

fishing nets that people have lost or thrown away. Finally, monk seals

need beaches to care for their babies. When people visit the beaches,

mother monk seals leave their babies. The babies can’t live on their

own. Monk seals need help to survive.

Scholastic News. (vol. 57, no. 7, Edition 2) April 2001.


Anchor Lesson: 16. Answering Inference Questions – Writing our Own Main Idea

on Multiple Choice List


Title of Text Answering inference

questions – writing our

own main idea


Lesson

Select the

materials

Text: Short passage (examples: Bono and Winter)

and student’s own writing

Name the

Strategy. Explain.


We have been talking about how to determine the main idea from a possible list. Sometimes when taking a test, the author wants you to identify the main idea from a list of possibilities. You have to infer what that author has determined as the main idea. We have to use our knowledge of what a main idea is to make that inference. We know that the main idea is a summary sentence of what the author is explaining about the topic. The main idea cannot be too broad like a topic. It cannot be too narrow, like the details. The main idea must answer the question, “What is the important idea that the author is explaining about this topic?”

Demonstrate the

Strategy.


Today we are going to practice locating the main idea from a list by writing our own possible main ideas. Show students a short passage that you wrote. (see sample) Think aloud and write four possible main idea sentences. Write one that is too broad. Write one that is too narrow (a detail). Write one that is incorrect. Write one that is the main idea.

Provide guided




Show students a second passage that either you

wrote or one that a student wrote. Invite the

students to write four possible main idea

sentences. Focus on too broad, too narrow,

incorrect, and just right (the main idea).

Provide

Independent



Give students the passages that they wrote in an

earlier lesson (using text structure to find main

idea). Have them write four possible main idea

sentences.

Conference Points What kind of sentence is this? Could it be the main idea?





Why? Why not?

Share/reinforce Have students share their passage and main idea possibilities with the class or in small groups




Possible Main Ideas

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