Hints for FCAT Reading
Mrs. Marrero
Basic Test Taking Skills
Only Positive Attitudes!! Read the title Always read the directions
Sometimes they tell you what the story is about. Look at text features
They are clues-pictures, graphs, captions, charts, footnotes Read the questions first (optional)
Time to ReadRead!!!
must underline new or important events visualize as much as possible
Circle names, places, dates Ready to answer questions
Read the question carefully Go back and verify! Read ALL choices Eliminate poor choices (Yes, No, Maybe)
From Title: Means it is a part of a “real” story (excerpt)
Main Idea You have to read the whole story There are clues in the 1st or last
sentence/paragraph.
Facts and Details Easiest kind of question You can usually find the answer in one
sentence Always verify.
Cause and Effect
Example: She went to get an ice-cream because she was hungry. Cause: She was hungry. Effect: she went to get an ice cream.
What happens = effect Why it happens = cause
Sometimes the answer must be found in a few
places-not just one sentence as in the example
above.
Key words
Effect Words
Therefore
So/So That
As a result
Then…
Cause Words
Because
Since
Due to
If…
Compare and Contrast compare= similarities, same,
synonyms, similar, things in common
contrast=differences, opposites, antonyms
if there are 2 articles read article 1 then answer
questions about article 1 only Then read article 2 and answer the
remaining questions.
Keywords
Compare Words
Both In common
Alike Similar/similarly Same
Contrast Words
Different Instead Unlike Contrary However But Whereas
Context Clues Read the sentence and paragraph
that the word is in. and usually means two or more
words are the same (synonym) but usually means two or more
words are opposite in meaning (antonym)
Example: She is kind and sweet. She is kind but strict.
Study roots/ prefixes/ suffixes
Text Features Help readers by giving clues Pictures: Help you visualize the story Italicized and BOLD words : put emphasis on the
word (important or shows emotion). Footnotes: found on the bottom of a page
(provide additional information, definition, or important fact).
Quotation marks: Show when a character is speaking- helps you hear voice.
Charts/Graphs: These show statistics There is usually a question based on
these if they are in a story.
Author’s purpose
Must read the entire passage. You have to figure out what the
author is trying to tell you. Why did he write this? What might the author think
about another idea? (includes inference)
Types of author’s purpose
Entertain
Explain
Persuade/Convince
Describe
The passage tells a humorous story or teaches a lesson.
The passage gives facts about something or tells you how to do something.
The passage tries to get you to do or buy something.
The passage mostly gives details about a person, place, or thing.
Inference
Infer = conclude Inference = conclusion Figure out something that is
not directly stated. What you read + what you
know = Inference.
Figurative Language Simile: Compare two or more using
LIKE or AS. Examples: She is LIKE a breath
of fresh air. He is AS slow AS a turtle.
Metaphor: compares two or more things-saying one thing is the other. Examples: He is a chicken. They
were sitting ducks Hyperbole: Exaggeration
Example: It’s so hot, I might melt.
Figurative Language Idiom: Phrase (group of words) that use
words in a different way than usual. Example: She passed with flying
colors. Example: It’s raining cats and
dogs. Personification: gives human qualities
to non-human things like animals and objects. Example: The stars were looking
down upon us.
Poems Rhyme Scheme:
Look at the last word in every line. Assign the letter “a” to the last
word in the first line. Look at the next line’s last word. If it rhymes with the word labeled
“a” then it also gets labeled “a”. If it does not rhyme with the word
labeled “a” then it gets labeled “b”.
Repeat this process until the end of the poem using letters a-z.
PoemsExample
The sun goes down a
In all our towns. a
We all are mad b
There’s more time to be had. b
The rhyme scheme for this example is aabb.
The rhyme scheme changes depending on the
poem.
How to read a poem
Stop/pause only at punctuation marks-periods, commas, colon, semi-colon.
A paragraph in a poem is called a stanza.
Source Questions Almanac: published every year (annually).
Contains information about the stars, the rising and setting of the sun, eclipses, high and low tides, weather, and a timeline of main events.
Textbook: an organized manual of instruction on any branch of study.
Encyclopedia: complete and accurate information about all branches of study. One article per subject. Organized alphabetically.
Biography: a book written on a person’s life. Accurate and complete information.
Source Questions Auto-biography: a biography written by the same
person it is about. (Written by me and about me). Lecture: an oral presentation intended to teach
people about a subject. Teachers, professors, doctors may hold a lecture.
Propaganda: a piece of information that is sending a message trying to influence people’s opinions. Also known as advertisement, brochures, and flyers. These may be about any subject from trying to recruit you into the army or a church to trying to sell you something.
Source Questions Websites: WebPages that may or may not have
accurate information. It depends on which site. Pamphlet: a short (not complete) piece of
information. It can be folded into a booklet or leaflet. It could be about any subject.
Program: A book given out at shows or performances
indicating the people performing or involved with the show, indicating the order of the show.
Computer software
TV show.
Last Hints
Don’t Freak Out!!!!!!!!!!!
Succeed!!!!!!!!!!!
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