PREPARING FOR THE

2015 COMMON CORE

ELA EXAM

How can we support our children to be successful on the 2015 Common Core aligned English Language Arts State

Exam?

What to Expect Across the Grades & How

to Support Your Student at Home

Sample Passages & Rubrics

Resources

Questions/Answer with teachers

AGENDA

TESTING DATES

Test Dates:

Tuesday, April 14 - Thursday, April 16

Make Up Dates:

Friday, April 17 -Tuesday, April 21

GRADE 3 ESTIMATED TIME ON TASK:

GRADE 4 ESTIMATED TIME ON TASK:

GRADE 5 ESTIMATED TIME ON TASK:

TEST BLUE PRINT GRADES 3&4

TEST BLUE PRINT GRADE 5

WHAT TYPES OF PASSAGES WILL BE ON

THE TEST?

Literary/Narrative

Informational

Argumentative

Fiction – realistic, historical, folktale, fable, myth, letter

How to, all about, interviews, etc.

Opinion paper, letter, speech, advertisement

Non Fiction- biography, autobiography, narrative nonfiction story,

memoir, personal narrative, etc.

Expository – with titles, subtitles or without

Op ed, feature article

ALSO…

WHAT ARE THE COMMON CORE SHIFTS IN

ELA?

All the passages on the test will require close reading . In

other words, students cannot speed read. Text -based details are

important.

For example, Cinderella didn’t just lose her shoe. “Cinderella

lost her right shoe--and it was on the third step to the castle."

Make sure that we teach students to be specific and to read for

details

What will the passages require students

to do on the exam?

The passages will be longer, so students will have to stay

focused and read.

Data has shown that students who read slower, but not too

slow, and read with a focus or lens seem to do better than

students who finished the exam and rushed.

The sentence structures will be challenging at times for ELLS;

paying attention to punctuation can be helpful for these

students (and all students!).

WILL THE PASSAGES BE LONG AND

COMPLEX?

Main/Central Idea Questions: When a question asks about the main idea, either of a part or the whole of a text, it is asking the reader to find a an idea that cuts across that part or whole. Sometimes these questions are written in reverse: readers will be asked to find the best supporting detail for a main idea that is given. Theme questions are very similar to main idea questions and are included in the percentage we used to

calculate priority questions. Comprised 43% of questions last year.

Vocabulary Questions: When the question asks for the meaning of a word/phrase (including academic, domain specific and figurative language), the reader must think carefully about the use of this word or phrase in the context of the part or of the

whole of the text. Comprised of 24% of questions last year.

WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS COMPRISE

THE THE MOST OF THE EXAM?

Tone/Attitude: When the question asks to determine the tone or

the author’s attitude in a part or a passage, the reader is

expected to think about the feeling the author is conveying

through a part or the whole of the text. Looking at author’s word

choice can help students answer these kinds of questions.

Structure: These questions ask the reader to consider the

structure or organizing pattern of a part or the whole of a

passage. They may ask readers to compare structures or to

discuss the way a structure supports a main idea.

Purpose: When the question asks for the author’s purpose, the

reader needs to consider the possible reasons why the author

would have written a part or the whole of the text.

WHAT OTHER TYPES OF QUESTIONS

WERE INCLUDED?

Sometimes the answers are in the text, word -for-word.

Often times, students will have to use the details to draw

conclusions or make inferences.

WHERE WILL STUDENTS FIND THE

ANSWERS?

DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE WHEEL (DOK)

Level One Questions (Right There) 10 % of the Test

Call for answers that are explicit or “on the surface,”

Answers to these questions use information or details that can be found

in the text (or readily in another part of the text, like a sidebar)

Definition questions

Answers to these questions are right or wrong. Usually there is only one

answer.

These questions often start with words like, who, when, or what

Level 1 Questions, “Right There”

Example A:

Read these sentences from paragraph 23 of the story. He grabbed the

ends of the net in his hands, put it over his shoulder, and dragged the

Sun back across the sky. Maushop was so strong that the Sun could

not resist him.

What does the word “resist” mean in these l ines?

Example B:

What did Measuring Worm do dif ferently from the others that made

her able to save the three bears? Use two details from the story to

support your response.

Example C:

When did Tomas’s feelings change in the story?

EXAMPLES OF LEVEL 1 QUESTIONS

DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE WHEEL (DOK)

Level Two/Three Questions (Think and Search) 70% of the test

These questions require analysis and interpretation. The

reader must discover the implicit or “beneath the surface”

meaning to arrive at answers, draw inferences, make

assumptions, draw conclusions, speculate, hypothesize, and

otherwise, engage in deep thought, prompted by the hints and

clues embedded in the text.

For short response questions, there may be several

reasonable answers to level two questions as long as text

evidence is used to support the answer

These questions often start with words like why,

how or explain .

Level 2/3 Questions, “Think and Search”

Examples:

Theme: What is the author's message? What does the author want you to learn from reading this? What is the argument in the text? How does the author present the argument? What is the theme or the central message?

Organization/Structure: How is the text or section organized: cause and ef fect, problem and solution, compare and contrast , chronological , etc.?

Author’s Craf t : Consider why the author chose to organize the information in a specific format. Why a flashback? Did the author use detai ls accurately and ef fectively? Why did the author choose this word?

Vocabulary: Grade 5 “Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes,” and, “Determine the meaning of general academic and domain -specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5-8 topic or subject area .”

EXAMPLES OF LEVEL 2/3 QUESTIONS

Level Four Questions (Global Questions ) 20% of the test .

These questions will be found sprinkled across the test, not

just in short responses

These questions are open-ended

They are usually about values, themes, ideas, arguments and

issues

Often these questions start with words like why, In the world,

If it were you, or describe

Level 4 Questions, “Global”

Examples:

Why does his mood change and what caused it to change?

Why does the author use comparison to help the reader

understand Manuel’s problem?

Describe why the setting is so important to the story.

EXAMPLES OF LEVEL 4 QUESTIONS

The test includes some prompts that are explicitly about

vocabulary.

But in addition to this, the language of the test itself (the way

the prompts are crafted as well as some possible choices in

multiple choice items) can be challenging for students

Teachers are working with test type questions starting now!

HOW IS VOCABULARY IMPORTANT ON

THE TEST?

Punctuat ion C lues : Sometimes the author uses punctuat ion —parenthesis , commas, dashes , co lons— to inc lude the def ini t ion.

Footnotes : Sometimes the author footnotes a word, prov iding more information or def in i t ions that g ive c lues to the meaning.

Text Boxes : Sometimes there are tex t boxes wi th the word and def ini t ion.

Af fixes & Roots : Use your knowledge of pref ixes , suf f ixes , and root words . Remember that pref ixes change the meaning and suf f ixes changes the form of a word. This wi l l help students to e l iminate answer choices .

Look at c lue words that come f rom the st ructure of the sentence or paragraph such as cause and ef fect or compare and cont rast .

Use what you know about metaphors for phrases and how they help you understand the set t ing and/or the characters and thei r feel ings .

Fa l l Back One & Hop Ahead Two : Go back one sentence in the tex t and read ahead two sentences . How the author uses the word in d iscuss ion g ives c lues to the meaning.

WAYS TO SUPPORT VOCABULARY

You can prepare students for these questions by getting them used to thinking in a more analytical way about how texts are put together, and about craft moves author’s make for dif ferent reasons. Why is the author doing what they are doing?

Consider why the author chose to organize the information in a specific format. Why a flashback?

Nonfiction Text Features: The charts, photos, maps, timelines, sidebars, cartoons, etc. add information to the text. These features do not repeat information presented in the passage. Count on finding some answers in the nonfiction text features.

Non Fiction or Fiction Text structures: Cause and effect, chronological confl ict, resolution, anecdote to informational, etc. How is the text structured?

How will the study of author’s craft be

important on the test?

HOW MANY POINTS IS EACH

QUESTION WORTH?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.7

Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps,

photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate

understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how

key events occur).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.8

Describe the logical connection between particular sentences

and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect,

first/second/third in a sequence).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.9

Compare and contrast the most important points and key

details presented in two texts on the same topic.

INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND

IDEAS

One pair of texts will be below grade level

One pair above

The rest will be on grade level

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT TEXT

COMPLEXITY?

Grade 4:

INDEPENDENT READING BENCHMARKS

FOR MARCH

Ask students to analyze central idea, style elements, character and plot development,

and vocabulary.

Four answer choices

Questions will require more than rote recall or identification

Students will also be required to negotiate plausible, text -based distractors—there may be more than one answer that appear correct

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

ANNOTATED QUESTIONS

https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-

state-common-core-sample-questions

SAMPLE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

(GRADE 3)

3-5 ELA SHORT RESPONSE RUBRIC

The Cave of the Oilbird, short response

A QUICK ACTIVITY!

SAMPLE SHORT RESPONSE (GRADE 4)

Engage

P.37

SAMPLE STUDENT RESPONSE

3-5 ELA EXTENDED RESPONSE

HOLISTIC RUBRIC

4 POINT RUBRIC GRADE 3

4 POINT RUBRIC GRADE 4&5

TEACHERS COLLEGE READING/WRITING

PROJECT RUBRIC

GRADE 5 EXTENDED RESPONSE PROMPT

Remain positive

Staying calm will help your child stay calm. If he/she gets nervous about the test or is l ikely to experience anxiety during the test, help her practice some relaxation techniques that she can try once she's taking the test.

Make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast

Make sure your child is prepared

On test day…

Assisting your child with homework and ensuring that your child is completing all homework assignments

Helping them to develop good study habits, thinking skills, and a positive attitude towards education from an early age

Ensuring that your child has good attendance at school

Staying in communication with your child's teacher

Encouraging your child to read as much as possible, and to increase her vocabulary - even reading magazines, newspapers, and comic books regularly will help improve her reading skills

Looking for educational games and programs that engage your child

Helping your child learn how to follow directions carefully

ON AN ONGOING BASIS...

ENCOURAGE VOLUME

AND STAMINA!

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I

SHOULD BE DOING AT HOME?

GRADE 4 ESTIMATED TIME ON TASK:

GRADE 5 ESTIMATED TIME ON TASK:

https://www.engageny.org/resource/new -york-state-common-

core-sample-questions

https://www.engageny.org/resource/test -guides-for-english-

language-arts-and-mathematics

GREAT RESOURCES

A Word From Our Parent Coordinator…

Q & A FROM OUR FIELD EXPERTS