ELA CAHSEE Preparation

1. ELA CAHSEE Preparation We will work together and you will pass that test!

2. Bart Simpson Promises….

3. Session 1: Vocabulary • CAHSEE 411 • Test-Taking Tips • Literal Language/Figurative Language • Vocabulary in Context • Word Origins • Denotation/Connotation • Talking to the Text

4. What do you already know about the English Language Arts section of the CAHSEE?

5. What Exactly is on the CAHSEE? • Approximately 72 multiple choice questions about reading and writing strategies • One essay response question • The nitty-gritty: You have to be correct on a little more than half of the questions (including a passing essay score) in order to pass. You a have to have about a 70% to be marked “Proficient” on the test.

6. Reading on the CAHSEE • 7 Vocabulary Questions • 18 Reading Comprehension Questions (read a passage and answer questions) • 20 Literary Response Questions (read literature and answer questions)

7. Test-Taking Tips for Multiple-Choice Questions see page xiii • Process of elimination: you improve your chances of getting the right answer every time you can eliminate an obvious wrong choice. If you can get it down to two choices, you have a 50/50 chance of being correct! • Go back and reread: many questions refer to a specific paragraph in a text. Go back and reread the section before answering the question. • Treat Right There and Between the Line questions differently: Once in a while, the answer can be found right there on the test, in black and white. More often, you have to use your higher order thinking skills to infer (make an educated guess) the correct answer. Don’t assume all the answers on the CAHSEE will be found in the pages of the CAHSEE. Some of them are in your brain!

8. Literal Language see pgs. 2 & 10 • The literal meaning of a word is its dictionary definition. For example: A biographyis the life story of a real person. Read and TtT on page 2 of MU, Early Preparation

9. Using Context Clues see pg. 23 • On the CAHSEE, you may run into a word you have never seen. How can you figure it out? In context (using the clues of the words surrounding it). Exp: The tree oozed with a sticky • What are the clues? Circle them on your paper. • If the word resin was just a blank line, what word could you substitute for it?

10. Context Clues see p. 23 • You may find different types of context clues within the sentence or paragraph that the difficult world is in: • Synonym/restatement • Antonym/contradiction • Definition or description • Example • Comparison and contrast • Cause and effect See page 23 for examples of each

11. Tips to Remember Literal Definitions see p. 2 • Mnemonic devices- memory tricks to remember the meaning of a word. • Rhymes, silly sentences, or letter clues • Personal: The mnemonic needs to be something you will remember. Exp: Mnemonic for remembering spelling:I before E except after C,and when sounding like "ay" as in Neighbor or Weigh

12. see p. 2 Mental Images-create a picture or cartoon in your mind to help you remember the word. Exp: Imagine the letters in the word frigid (“extremely cold”) shaking because they are freezing cold, and are in an icy place. Tips to Remember Literal Definitions Possible mental image: Frigid

13. Figurative Language see p. 10 • Also called figures of speech • It changes the literal meaning of words • to express complexity,• to capture a physical or sensory effect, or • to extend meaning. • There are a number of figures of speech. Some of the more common ones are:

14. Simile see p. 10 • Making a comparison between unlike things, using “like” or “as.” Exp: Forrest Gump’s famous simile is “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” What two things are being compared in this simile?

15. Metaphor see p. 10 • Making a comparison between unlike things without the use “like” or “as.” An example is, “You are my sunshine.” – What two unlike things are being compared in this quote?

16. Personification see p. 10 • Giving human qualities to an animal, thing or idea. • The telephone screamed to be answered. • The door flew open. • The birds shouted their songs.

17. Idioms see p. 10 • An idiom is a figurative, sometimes strange, expression that cannot be understood if taken literally. Exp: “It is raining cats and dogs” “This test will be a piece of cake” “She decided to quit cold turkey”

18. Word Origins see p. 15 • Where do words come from? In other words, what makes up the parts of a word? • Root: The base from which a word is built by adding word parts, such as suffixes and prefixes. Many come from Latin and Greek. • Prefix: Letters or groups of letters added at the front of the word base/root to change its meaning • Suffix: Letters or groups of letters added to the end of a base word or root to change its meaning or part of speech.

19. Prefix see p. 15 • A letter or group of letters added to a base word or root to change its meaning. • Example: perhaps, impress

20. Prefix Chart

21. Root see p. 16 • A root is the base from which a word is built by adding parts such as prefixes and suffixes. Many roots come from Latin and Greek. • Example: popular the root pop=people

22. Suffix see p. 15 • A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a base word or root changes its meaning or part of speech. • Example: constellation, disgustingly

23. Grammar Review The test will not ask you directly about the “parts of speech”, but they are important in order to understand how suffixes change them. • Noun: person, place, or thing (dog, New York, OFL) • Verb: action word (talk, study, run) • Adjective: word that describes (happy, bright, fast) • Adverb: a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb; usually ends in ‘-ly’ (happily, consciously, slowly)

24. Suffixes Change Parts of Speech

25. Suffixes…

26. Example • Root=Act • The suffix “-tion” makes it a noun meaning “state of” • Therefore actionis a noun meaning “the state of acting” • But “-or” means “one who”, so actormeans “one who acts”

27. Don’t forget the prefix! • If act is still our root, and we add “re-”, a prefix meaning “again”, we have • React, meaning “act in response”, in other words, act again

28. Put it all together… • Since prefixes, suffixes, and roots all work together, many words have all 3, and knowing them can help you figure out the meaning and way to use a new word. Pro (forward) + act (do something) + ive (makes the word an adjective)= Proactive (adjective) (def.=taking the initiative by acting rather than reacting to events) exp. “My coworker is very proactive; she always gets her work done before being asked” It’s not just the acne soap, but you are being proactive when you use Proactiv, taking steps to clear your skin before it gets too bad….

29. Denotation vs. Connotation see p. 28 • Denotation is the same as the literal meaning of a word. • A Connotation is like figurative meaning, or the feelings and associations a word brings to mind.

30. An example… Stubborn vs. determined Both denote (literally mean) persistence and determination, but while determinedconnotes (brings to mind) positive feelings abut someone who is focused on a goal and strong-minded, stubbornconnotes negative associations, and you may think of someone who is bull-headed and unable to listen to reason or advice.

31. stubborn and determined… mean the same thing in the dictionary (have the same denotation), but have very different connotations (feelings/attitudes they bring to mind). What other words can you think of that have specific connotations for you? exp. cheap, scrawny, slow

32. A pneumonic devise… • This may not work for you, but the person who wrote this slide remembers the difference between denotation and connotation using the following pneumonic device: • A connotation “cons” you to feel a certain way about a word. • A denotation starts with a “d” like dictionary. If this doesn’t work for you, make up your own pneumonic!

33. Reading Strategy: Talking to the Text • Talking to the Text (TttT) means “talking” with your pencil on a text. • You can write down whatever helps you, including • underline important phrases or sentences • write your questions, clarifications, summaries, connections, predictions, or visualizations in the margins • even mark places you are confused or don't understand something.

34. Talking to the Text

35. How does homework work in this class? • Complete all assigned homework from the Measuring Up book, using the Talk to the Text (TtT) . Each session, you will tear your homework out of the book and turn it in to your teacher. • You will be making flash cards for all the terms we go over in class. These will have more than just definitions in them (see pg. 3 of your packet)

36. Homework for Next Session • Page 3-9, 11-14, 17-22, 25-34, Measuring Up • Talk to the Text on all reading assignments • Vocabulary Flashcards for all bolded words p. 1-28 • Use definitions from glossary, but follow page numbers for what terms are included

37. Session 2: Reading Comprehension and Literary Response • Test-Taking Tips #2 • Talk to the Text Review: Owning What You Read • Reading Comprehension Strategies • Reading Informational Texts • Reading and Analyzing Literature

38. Test-Taking Tips 2 • Read all directions carefully before answering any questions. • Breath! Relax! The test is untimed, so there is no reason to rush. • Believe that you will pass the test. See yourself opening up the envelope of test results and receiving a passing score. You will pass if you believe you can.

39. Reading on the CAHSEE • 7 Vocabulary Questions • 18 Reading Comprehension Questions (read a passage and answer questions) today • 20 Literary Response Questions (read literature and answer questions) today

40. Talking to the Text (TtT) Review • Talking to the Text (TttT) means “talking” with your pencil on a text. It helps you “own” what you read! • You can write down whatever helps you, including • underline important phrases or sentences • write your questions, clarifications, summaries, connections, predictions, or visualizations in the margins • even mark places you are confused or don't understand something.

41. Other reading strategies to use: See p. 65 • Analyze- break down the information to examine the individual ideas • Infer- make educated guesses based on the evidence in the text and what you already know • Predict- guess what will happen based on what you know. • Main ideas/Details- analyze how the author organizes information using main ideas and details.

42. A new reading strategy: Chunking

43. Chunking • Chunking is exactly what it sounds like. • You break down a tough word, sentence, or paragraph into easier-to-read chunks. • Chunk in a way that is clear to you, either by circling pieces of text or using dashes (/) to separate chunks. You wouldn’t eat a whole cake in one meal, so why try to digest an entire text at once?

44. Chunking Example

45. Distinguishing Between Different types of Texts on the CAHSEE • Question to ask: What type (genre) of text is this? • Literary Text (something you may see in an English class) • Poem • Play • Short Story • Informational Text (something you would see in the real world) • Job Application? • Brochure? • Business Letter? • History/science/biographical text? • Etc.

46. Reading Informational Texts • These types of texts are ones you read to find out information, not for pleasure • Usually, they are laid out so that you find information fast • The structural features like headings, bullets, graphics, and numbers are there to help you find the information you need. • Most times, they have already chunked the text for you with these features. Use them!

47. Reading Consumer Documents see p. 39 • What type of text is a consumer document? • Informational document • Consumer Document-document made for a consumer (person who buys products), and include: • Warranties • Contracts • Product Information • Instructional Manuals

48. Features of Consumer Documents see p. 39 Some of these features are found in other instructional/nonfiction documents • Headings • Numbers • Bullets • Graphics • Special Type Treatment: boldface, italic, underlined, colored

49. (More) features of consumer documents see p. 39 • Table of contents • Indexes • Glossaries • Works Cited • Bibliographies

50. Workplace Documents see p. 45 Include texts you may see on the job.. • Procedure manuals • Job applications • Memos • Guides to health benefits • Email messages • Organizational charts • Instructions for operating machinery