Social Studies STAAR Test Taking Tips for Students

Social Studies STAAR Test Taking Tips for Students Bill Shuttlesworth

Objectives • To give students information about the STAAR test; • To demonstrate to students various strategies and options for taking the Social Studies STAAR test; • To study past items and show students how these questions could be approached and what pitfalls they may encounter.

Rules Concerning the Test: 2016 • No dictionaries; • No information on the walls; • Teachers may clarify words and phrase but not define; • Each test will contain 8 “Field test items” that do not count to the student’s score. • Unanswered items are wrong. • Students may use blank scratch paper; • Students may write on the test; • Breaks are allowed; • Students have four hours to complete the questions.

Skills most likely to be used. • Cause and Effect* • Reading for the main idea • Analyzing information • Sequencing • Summarizing • Point of View

Cause and Effect Cues. Result/Resulted in Contributed How … affect … In response … /Due to … Because Therefore Caused Prompted

US History Understanding the Parts of the Item No Prompt Question Stem Answer Distractors

US History Prompt Question Stem Distractors Answer

Prompts • Reading (Excerpts) • Quotes or primary sources • Bulleted list • Secondary sources • Sequenced information • Charts or Tables • Images (paintings or photos) • Fill – in Graphics • Maps • Graphics

Information Check • Here are 8 True or False questions that teachers can use for a formative assessment of the student understanding of the information provided in section 1. Click here for Quiz!

Be prepared to read! RR E E A A D D Take a Breath! ead the entire prompt, question stem, and distractors xamine what you already know about the topic dopt a strategy that will lead you to the answer ecide on the best answer and Double-check later

The Internal Dialogue • To answer each item you must have an Internal Dialogue: • What is the stem asking? • What information does the prompt supply, if any? • What information do I know about the topic? • What is the best/correct answer? • If I do not recognize the correct answer, how can I make the best possible choice?

Study Sheet Prompt • Obviously you cannot bring in a study aid to the test. • After the test has started you can write down important information you have memorized on a piece of paper to help you as you analyze the questions. • • • Dates* Names Characteristics of Eras Events / Timeline Amendments Draw a map. Brain Dump!

For Example: Dates of the TEKS 1607, founding of Jamestown; 1620, arrival of the Pilgrims and signing of the Mayflower Compact; 1776, adoption of the Declaration of Independence; 1787, writing of the U. S. Constitution; 1803, Louisiana Purchase; 1861 -1865, Civil War. 1898 Spanish-American War 1914 -1918 World War I 1929 the Great Depression begins 1939 -1945 World War II 1957 Sputnik launch ignites U. S. -Soviet space race 1968 -1969 Martin Luther King Jr. assassination and U. S. lands on the moon 1991 Cold War ends 2001 terrorist attacks on World Trade Center and the Pentagon 2008 election of first black president, Barack Obama

Prompts • Reading (Excerpts) • Quotes or primary sources • Bulleted list • Secondary sources • Sequenced information • Charts or Tables • Images (paintings or photos) • Fill – in Graphics • Maps • Graphics

Grade 8 Chart/Graph Prompts What is the relation between the Prompt and the Question? Read the Title! What information is being provided?

US History Chart/Graphs Prompts Trap! Un-needed information • Many times charts and graphs will give you extraneous information. • Internal Dialogue! • • Berlin Airplanes 1948 or Post WWII/Cold War Which best describes the Berlin Airlift? What happened in Berlin in 1948 involving airplanes?

Grade 8 Read the Stem Carefully! Read the Key Carefully! This is the map commonly used to teach the US – Mexican War.

US History Maps Take a Breath! “… best support the conclusion. ” What information does the map/chart provide? • Title • Key • Information Analyze each possible answer to the graphic to see which one holds true.

Maps Internal Dialogue: Where are these three cities and what do they have in common? You must be able to visualize the map in your head.

Grade 8 Unfamiliar words Use context clues to determine the meaning of words and phrases.

US History Strategy: Unfamiliar Words Use context clues to determine the meaning of words and phrases.

Grade 8 Interpreting the Visual • Read the stem - what does the question require of you? • What information is provided with the visual, such as a title, date, artist, etc. ? • Study all of the visual: • Objects • Caption • Identify the correct choice

Grade 8 Read the Title! This is where to find the answer! Internal Dialogue: What did each of these deal with elections? Take a Breath! The painting really does add any information!

US History Internal Dialogue: What is the effect of the people, the shadows, and the captions when put together? Define each of the possible answer and which has the most to do with stopping immigration? Why are the shadows different from the real people? What does the caption imply?

Strategy : Reading the Excerpts • Pause and take a breath! • What information is provided in the prompt? • What does the stem ask you to do with the reading? • Read for the Main Idea • Re-read for details and specific information/key words

Grade 8 Reading Prompts Mark unfamiliar words Take a Breath! Who Said it? Title of the Document or Source Date

False Date: Proper citation of a source requires the date the information was accessed! DO NOT CONFUSE ACCESS DATE WITH THE CONTENT OF THE QUOTE

Grade 8 Emancipation Proclamation. Looks/sounds important but it is not! • Take a breath! • Grab your pen/ highlighter • READ!!!! Reading for the main idea! Wait!!! We never studied the New York City Drafts Riots of 1863? What should I do? Trap Strategy: Take each answer individually Does it match with what the reading is talking about?

US History What is the main idea of the three bullet points?

Completion questions • Sequencing • Cause and Effect • Similar Characteristics • Fill in each distractor/answer to the ? • Which is correct?

Grade 8 Completion Questions The Trap! You know it should be a compromise, but which one?

US History Completion Questions Internal Dialogue: Which of the options make the most sense? Which can I rule out? Which are causes and which are effects?

The following five strategies will help while you are taking the test and for students who are unsure of the correct answer.

Strategy #1: Cover up the Distractors/Answer! • Have a blank sheet of paper for the test and cover all distractors/answer. • BEFORE you look for the answer, thoroughly study the stem and the prompt (if applicable) • Internal Dialogue: What does the question want from you? What do I know? What is in the Prompt? • What is a corridor? • What are the responsibilities of the AZ game and Fish Dept. ? • Is this about movement! What is the BEST answer? Qualifier! So there might be multiple logical choices.

Strategy #2: If I don’t know what it is … What is it NOT! What goal sound most logical? Where is Oregon? Visual Map! Not in Southwest! Not in South!

Strategy #3: Ranking Possible Answers +++ +/-/+ --- = = Good Choice Maybe/Can’t rule out Probably Not But … Not possible. +++ +/-/+ --- Students should create their own ranking key!

Strategy #4: Brain Dump! Write down everything you know about the topic or the words you see. Yes! you can write on the test! Monroe was an early president Doctrine is a policy or idea Start Internal Dialogue between what you know and the choices. As a policy, we never discouraged immigration to the USA That’s familiar … but Washington said “No alliances” Now that is something we would find important. This is the Nullification Crisis Issue

US History Strategy #5: Key Words/Phrase • Look for key words and phrases which might hold the key to the questions. • What do you know about those words? -/+ + -+++ Atomic bombs were how WWII in the Pacific ended.

Grade 8 Strategy #5: Key Words • Look for key words and phrases which might hold the key to the questions. • What do you know about those words? Temperance? What does temperance mean and what did the society want?

Information Check: Section II - Strategies Here are questions that teachers can use for a formative assessment of the student understanding of the information provided in section 2.

s l l a f t i P d n t s a e s T p a e r T of th

Grade 8 Trap: No Direct Route to the Answer 15 14 Now that slaves were free, what can they do? Abolished Slavery Often there is NOT a direct route from the stem to the correct answer.

US History Trap: No Direct Route to the Answer Scopes Trial Teaching Darwinism v. Biblical Literalism in schools Often there is NOT a direct route from the Stem to the correct answer.

Grade 8 Trap: Qualifiers Watch for Qualifiers which means that all the answer might be correct. All possible answers are pull factors: Which answer is best for Chinese Immigrants?

All choices are civic responsibility; which one is the duty? Trap: Qualifiers Vote = Responsibility Donate = Responsibility Boycott/civil disobedience = Responsibility

Trap: Misdirection “Religious University” jumps out at you but “forced” make the answer incorrect! First amendment: The Freedom of Speech, Press, and Freedom of Religion “Antiwar Rally” jumps out at you, but being “arrested” is not positive Looking for positive action! The correct answer is the positive action

US History Trap: Misdirection When you saw “Dr. Jonas Salk” were started looking for Polio. However, the correct answer is “A. ”

US History Trap: Read the Whole Distractor The first part of the distractor is correct! The second part of the distractor is incorrect and nullifies this as a possible answer.

Grade 8 Trap: Read the Whole Distractor The first part of the distractor is correct! The second part of the distractor is incorrect and nullifies this as a possible answer.

Grade 8 Trap: Saying the Same Thing in a Different Way Potato! Good answer; but not the best answer for the 1840 s!

US History Trap: Saying the Same Thing in a Different Way Which is better known as the Draft! Notice how all answer have to do with the Military.

Trap: Lack of Chronology of the Test 2014 Grade 8 STAAR 2014 US History EOC Item Number Topic 27 Colonial America 5 Bill Gates 28 New Republic 6 World War II/Victory Gardens 29 1863: New York City Draft Riots 7 Cultural Diffusion (Hip-Hop) 30 Civil War 8 19 th Amendment (1919) 31 Colonial America: Thomas Hooker 9 Brown Decision (1954) 32 Sectionalism: Compromise of 1850 10 Roaring Twenties Item Number Topic

Information Check: Section IV - Traps Here are questions that teachers can use to for a formative assessment of the student understanding of the information provided in section 3.

Recap! • Take your time! • READ all the parts of the question. • Engage in an Internal Dialogue • What for Traps! • Check your work.

End of Presentation

Where to find Practice Test Questions

Where to find Questions • Released STAAR Test • http: //tea. texas. gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Testing/State_o f_Texas_Assessments_of_Academic_Readiness_(STAAR)/STAAR_Released_ Test_Questions/ • New York State Regents Test • http: //www. nysedregents. org/USHistory. Gov/home. html • TAKS Test • http: //tea. texas. gov/student. assessment/taks/released-tests/

Clipping Programs • Snipping Tool • MS Windows package • Jing by Tech. Smith • http: //www. techsmith. com/jing. html • Skitch by Evernote • https: //evernote. com/skitch/

Assessment Sheet Full Sheet of Paper Create a 2 x 2 table to match the above. • Pass out Assessment sheet to each student; • Show multiple choice question on screen; • Student fold sheet to where the correct answer is showing; • Hide your answer; • When instructor say “Show answers”, hold up your answer; • Keep it up while teacher checks the room.

1. Information check: Section 1 – STAAR Info. 1. You are not allowed to write on the test or use scratch paper. 2. You have four hours to complete the test. 3. Every question on the test counts on my score. 4. We are currently in Phase – in III and the scores will scaled to meet the districts’ needs. 5. Parts of the question include the trunk, item, and the distractors. 6. Most of the questions on the test are causes and effect items. 7. STAAR stands for “State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness. ” 8. All questions will have a prompt of some kind.

Information Check: Section 2 - Strategies • Rank the five strategies according to which you feel would be most helpful to you on the TEST: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Covering the Distractors Identifying what the answer is NOT Ranking the Answers Brain Dump Key Word Identification • Compare what you think with a person/group around you.

Information Check: Section IV - Traps How is the best way not to fall into any of the “Traps and Pitfalls” on the Social Studies STAAR? Share with a partner.