6th, 7th, and 8th GRADE CRCT REVIEW FOR READING

2010-2011

READING SKILLS AND VOCABULARY ACQUISISTION-weighted 15% on CRCT

How do you determine meanings of unknown words when reading? Here are some of the most common ways:

Context Clues
There is a good research base for concluding that students can use meaning or context clues to help identify words and that instruction
can help improve their use of such clues (Johnson & Baumann, 1984).

• Semantic or Meaning Clues. There are general semantic clues. For example, when reading a story about cats, good readers
develop the expectation that it will contain words associated with cats, such as tail, purr, and whiskers. Sentence context
clues are more specific. In the sentence "My cat likes to _____," given the sentence context and what most of us know about
cats, words like play, jump, and scratch seem reasonable.

• Syntactic or Word Order Clues. In the previous example, the order of the words in the sentence indicates that the missing
word must be a verb. Other parts of speech, such as adjectives (nice, brown) or nouns (man, fence), make no sense or don't
result in what sounds like a real sentence.
• Picture Clues. Illustrations can often help with the identification of a word. In the example, if a picture of a cat leaping
through the air accompanies the text, jump seems a very good possibility.

Word Structure Clues

There are many groups of letters that occur frequently in words. These are generally perceived by more mature readers as clusters of
letters. Among these letter groups are prefixes (un-, re-, in-), suffixes (-ful, -ness, -est), and inflectional endings (-ed, -ing, -es).
Common prefixes, suffixes, and inflectional endings should be pointed out to students. Being able to associate sounds with a cluster of
letters, leads to more rapid, efficient word identification.

WORDS, WORDS, WORDS

Etymologies-et•y•mol•o•gy-Pronunciation: (et"u-mol'u-jē), —n., —pl. -gies. /1. the derivation of a word. /2. an account of the
history

• Base word-is the main word or root word-the base word of disappear is appear.
• Prefixes (before) replay
• Suffixes (after) played; playful
• Compound-2 words put together: campground, dogwood
• Antonyms-opposite Ugly:pretty
• Synonyms-same-pretty: attractive
• Denotation-dictionary meaning of the word
• Connotation-implied meaning of the word-words can have positive or negative connotations-boney and slender, both mean a
person is thin, but they imply different things about the person.
• Homonyms-words that are spelled alike and sound alike, but have different meanings. I like to shoot pool. We went
swimming in the pool.
• Homophone-different spellings and meanings, but sound the same-to, too, two
• Idiom-is a phrase or expression that has a meaning different from what the words usually suggest. “whole kit and caboodle”
means the entire collection.
• Analogy-a comparison of similar objects to help clarify on of the objects.
Example journals are like photo albums. (They both share personal details or tell a story about a person’s life.)

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Latin Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes

Latin was the language spoken by the ancient Romans. As the Romans conquered most of Europe, the Latin language spread
throughout the region. Over time, the Latin spoken in different areas developed into separate languages, including Italian, French,
Spanish, and Portuguese. These languages are considered “sisters,” as they all descended from Latin, their “mother” language.

Many Latin words came into English directly, though, too. Monks from Rome brought religious vocabulary as well as Christianity to
England beginning in the 6th century. From the Middle Ages onward many scientific, scholarly, and legal terms were borrowed from
Latin.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, dictionary writers and grammarians generally felt that English was an imperfect language whereas
Latin was perfect. In order to improve the language, they deliberately made up a lot of English words from Latin words. For example,
fraternity, from Latin fraternitas, was thought to be better than the native English word brotherhood.

Many English words and word parts can be traced back to Latin and Greek. The following table lists some common Latin roots.

Latin root Basic meaning Example words

-dict- to say contradict, dictate, diction, edict, predict

-duc- to lead, bring, take deduce, produce, reduce

-gress- to walk digress, progress, transgress

-ject- to throw eject, inject, interject, project, reject, subject

-pel- to drive compel, dispel, impel, repel

-pend- to hang append, depend, impend, pendant, pendulum

-port- to carry comport, deport, export, import, report, support

-scrib-,
to write describe, description, prescribe, prescription, subscribe, subscription, transcribe, transcription
-script-

-tract- to pull, drag, draw attract, contract, detract, extract, protract, retract, traction

-vert- to turn convert, divert, invert, revert

From the example words in the above table, it is easy to see how roots combine with prefixes to form new words. For example, the root -tract-, meaning “to pull,” can
combine with a number of prefixes, including de- and re-. Detract means literally “to pull away” (de-, “away, off”) and retract means literally “to pull back” (re-,
“again, back”). The following table gives a list of Latin prefixes and their basic meanings.

Latin prefix Basic meaning Example words

co- together coauthor, coedit, coheir

de- away, off; generally indicates reversal or removal in English deactivate, debone, defrost, decompress, deplane

dis- not, not any disbelief, discomfort, discredit, disrepair, disrespect

inter- between, among international, interfaith, intertwine, intercellular, interject

non- not nonessential, nonmetallic, nonresident, nonviolence, nonskid, nonstop

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 post- after postdate, postwar, postnasal, postnatal

pre- before preconceive, preexist, premeditate, predispose, prepossess, prepay

re- again; back, backward rearrange, rebuild, recall, remake, rerun, rewrite

sub- under submarine, subsoil, subway, subhuman, substandard

trans- across, beyond, through transatlantic, transpolar

Words and word roots may also combine with suffixes. Here are examples of some important English suffixes that come from Latin:

Latin
suffix Basic meaning Example words

-able, -ible forms adjectives and means “capable or worthy of” likable, flexible

-ation forms nouns from verbs creation, civilization, automation, speculation, information

forms verbs and means “to make or cause to

-fy, -ify purify, acidify, humidify
become”

-ment forms nouns from verbs entertainment, amazement, statement, banishment

subtlety, certainty, cruelty, frailty, loyalty, royalty; eccentricity, electricity, peculiarity, similarity,
-ty, -ity forms nouns from adjectives
technicality

Greek Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes

The following table lists some common Greek roots.

Greek root Basic meaning Example words

-anthrop- human misanthrope, philanthropy, anthropomorphic

-chron- time anachronism, chronic, chronicle, synchronize, chronometer

-dem- people democracy, demography, demagogue, endemic, pandemic

-morph- form amorphous, metamorphic, morphology

-path- feeling, suffering empathy, sympathy, apathy, apathetic, psychopathic

-pedo-, -ped- child, children pediatrician, pedagogue

-philo-,
having a strong affinity or love for philanthropy, philharmonic, philosophy
-phil-

-phon- sound polyphonic, cacophony, phonetics

The following table gives a list of Greek prefixes and their basic meanings.

Greek prefix Basic meaning Example words

a-, an- without achromatic, amoral, atypical, anaerobic

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 anti-, ant- opposite; opposing anticrime, antipollution, antacid

auto- self, same autobiography, automatic, autopilot

bio-, bi- life, living organism biology, biophysics, biotechnology, biopsy

geo- Earth; geography geography, geomagnetism, geophysics, geopolitics

hyper- excessive, excessively hyperactive, hypercritical, hypersensitive

micro- small microcosm, micronucleus, microscope

mono- one, single, alone monochrome, monosyllable, monoxide

neo- new, recent neonatal, neophyte, neoconservatism, neofascism, neodymium

pan- all panorama, panchromatic, pandemic, pantheism

thermo-,
heat thermal, thermometer, thermostat
therm-

Words and word roots may also combine with suffixes. Here are examples of some important English suffixes that come from Greek:

Greek suffix Basic meaning Example words

-ism forms nouns and means “the act, state, or theory of” criticism, optimism, capitalism

forms agent nouns from verbs ending in -ize or nouns ending in -ism and is
-ist conformist, copyist, cyclist
used like -er

formalize, jeopardize, legalize, modernize, emphasize, hospitalize,

-ize forms verbs from nouns and adjectives
industrialize, computerize

-gram something written or drawn, a record cardiogram, telegram

something written or drawn; an instrument for writing, drawing, or

-graph monograph, phonograph, seismograph
recording

-logue, -log speech, discourse; to speak monologue, dialogue, travelogue

-logy discourse, expression; science, theory, study phraseology, biology, dermatology

-meter,
measuring device; measure spectrometer, geometry, kilometer, parameter, perimeter
-metry

-oid forms adjectives and nouns and means “like, resembling” or “shape, form” humanoid, spheroid, trapezoid

-phile one that loves or has a strong affinity for; loving audiophile, Francophile

-phobe,
one that fears a specified thing; an intense fear of a specified thing agoraphobe, agoraphobia, xenophobe, xenophobia
-phobia

-phone sound; device that receives or emits sound; speaker of a language homophone, geophone, telephone, Francophone

WORDS THAT ARE CONFUSED THE MOST OFTEN BY STUDENTS AT KRMS

• To, too, two

• Their, there, they’re
• Were, where, we’re, wear
• It’s, its
• Whose, who’s
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 • Your, you’re
• No, know
• Want, won’t
• Principal, principle
• Affect, effect
• Bare,bear
• Cents, sense
• Weather, whether

LITERACY COMPREHENSION-WEIGHTED 40% on CRCT

TYPES OF LITERATURE

All literature falls into two categories: fiction (not true) and non-fiction (true stories). All stories have essential elements: character
(people/animals), setting (place and time), and theme (the big message, like love, revenge, survival) plot (exposition, conflict,
complications, climax, and resolution)
• Fiction:
1. Short story
2. Drama-play-written in dialogue form
3. Fable-animal characters-teaches lesson
4. Myth-usually tells where something came from or how it began-origin of strawberries; how the moon got into the sky
5. Legend-was based in truth, but everything got very exaggerated/hyperbole-Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
6. Fairy Tale-fanciful characters like witches and trolls, princes, etc.
7. Folk Tales-told primarily for entertainment and use humans or animals with human like qualities
8. Science Fiction- A literary or cinematic genre in which fantasy, typically based on speculative scientific discoveries or
developments, environmental changes, space travel, or life on other planets, forms part of the plot or background.
9. Romance-love stories; broken hearts-Romeo and Juliet
10. Allegory- A story which represents an idea or belief. An allegory can be religious or political. The most famous example of
an allegorical work in English literature is John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress...

• Nonfiction
1. Biography-a true story about a person
2. Autobiography-when a person writes his/her own life story
3. Essay-is a short piece of nonfiction that deals with one subject
4. Research paper
5. Report-short research paper
6. Newspaper (watch out for biased writing)

Plot:
A story has a beginning, a middle, and an end, or to put it differently, an introduction, conflict, tension, or some kind of rising action, a
key moment that is a turning point or climax, and a resolution or dénouement (the point at which elements are tied together for some
conclusion). The plot is simply the arrangement of events in the story or the structure of the action. The action in a plot is usually
progressive because one force acts upon the other.

The plot of the story is the pattern of events in a story, or how the story is worked out. The plot in The Wizard of Oz is that Dorothy
tries to find her way home. A subplot, like a plot, also contains a series of related actions, often revolving around the other characters
in the story. A subplot also contains a climax and often connects to the main plot in some way. The Scarecrow wanted a brain, so he
decides to join Dorothy on her way to see the wizard, hoping that he will be granted his request as well. The turning point of a story is
its climax. The climax occurs in The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy kills the witch and she returns to the wizard for her reward and
discovers that he is a fraud.

Point of View:
A critical issue in any story is point of view. The importance of point of view may be easily overlooked, but the choice of the narrator
influences the total structure of the story. The reader knows only as much as the person acting or narrator because everything is seen
through his eyes. If one character acts as the narrator, the point of view is said to be limited to that character. A character who tells his
or her own story will only know what goes on inside his or her own head. The observer who is a participant in the story is less directly

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and emotionally involved. With the omniscient point of view, the author acts as an all-knowing narrator, free to comment on the
action; thus, all the thoughts and experiences of every character could become a part of the story. The author may choose to use an
objective point of view in which case actions and conversations are presented objectively without authorial comment.

Point of view also dictates distance. Anything written in first person ("I") will seem immediate and personal; the reader will almost
feel himself or herself a part of the action. An author must decide what point of view best suits his or her material and purpose.

The third-person or dramatic point of view involves a narrator who is a detached observer. He or she generally makes no judgments;
the narrator relates the story as though he or she were watching the events and telling us about them. This type of narrator usually
becomes aware of the event and action along with the reader and is probably more objective than the first-person narrator.

In the totally omniscient point of view the narrator is god-like, knowing everything about the characters and their pasts, presents, and
futures. The perspective is not limited to one character; the narrator gets into the consciousness of all. The omniscient narrator often
intrudes with comments, judgments, and opinion.

On nearly every reading passage the CRCT folks ask the author’s purpose (why they wrote it), but look how many ways they phrase
it: Is the author’s purpose to ---- tell a story, persuade the reader, describe a setting, give information, receive instruction, be
educated, be entertained, obtain guidance, describe, explain, tell a funny story, list some facts, debate, argue, compare, analyze, to
show how, to explain, to compare, to inform, to give directions , analyze, stimulate thought)

Another thing that I have noticed is that the writers of the CRCT purposely try and see if you read discriminately. They might word a
question like: Which statement does the author use to support the main idea of the paragraph? OR Which statement does not
support the paragraph…be careful!
Could you distinguish a passage as being an example of fiction, fantasy, biography, fable, myth, tall tale, fiction, non-fiction, essay or
drama? You’ll have to do this on the test!

What is the theme of the text? The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction
is its view about life and how people behave.

Here are some ways to uncover the theme in a story: Check out the title. Sometimes it tells you a lot about the theme. Notice repeating
patterns and symbols. Sometimes these lead you to the theme. What allusions are made throughout the story? What are the details and
particulars in the story? What greater meaning may they have? Sometimes they even ask you to pick another name for a text after you
have read it. What do you think about that?

Remember that theme, plot, and structure are inseparable, all helping to inform and reflect back on each other. Also, be aware that a
theme we determine from a story never completely explains the story. It is simply one of the elements that make up the whole.

Common Themes in Literature

1. Person vs. Person

Person vs. Person is when, in a novel, there is a conflict of two forms of like beings. An example is the hero's conflicts with the
central villain of a work, which may play a large role in the plot and contribute to the development of both characters. There are
usually several confrontations between them before some kind of duel, like a sword fight, within the story's climax. Example – In the
Wizard of Oz- Dorothy was certainly up against other humans as she battled the woman who tried to take her dog, a witch and the
wizard.

2. Person vs. Nature/Environment

Person vs. Nature/Environment is the theme in literature that places a character against forces of nature. Many disaster films focus
on this theme, which is predominant within many survival stories. It is also strong in stories about struggling for survival in remote
locales, such as the novel Hatchet. Example- In the Wizard of Oz- Dorothy survived a tornado in one of the opening scenes. The
captain and the whale in Moby Dick.

3. Person vs. Himself

Person vs. Himself is the theme in literature that places a character against his own will, his own confusion, or his own fears. Person
vs. Himself can also be where a character tries to find out who they are or comes to a realization or a change in character. Although
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the struggle is internal, the character can be influenced by external forces. The struggle of the human being to come to a decision is the
basis of Man vs. Himself. Examples include Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" or the novel Grendel on the character taken
from the epic Beowulf. More recently, there have been movies about Man vs. Himself such as the Academy Award winning movie, A
Beautiful Mind. Example-Malcolm in Malcolm X had to come to grips with his stereotypes.

4. Person vs. Society

Person vs. Society is a theme in fiction in which a main character's, or group of main characters', main source of conflict is social
traditions or concepts. In this sense, the two parties are: a) the protagonist(s); b) the society in which the protagonist(s) are part of.
Society itself is often looked at as a single character, just as an opposing party would be looked at in a Man vs. Man conflict. An
example in literature would be Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. . Example: In Inherit the Wind-a character in the play goes
against his society because he tries to teach the theory of Evolution in his high school class. This results in a much publicized trial,
with many town members alienating him.

Sometimes they ask you to compare and contrast two different passages on the CRCT and pick out similar themes. Could you do it?

Character:
Just as plot reveals theme, characters reveal plot as theme. Character can be developed through dialogue and through action.
Characterization can also be developed through the character's thoughts and by authorial comment. Characterization presents human
beings--their thoughts, attitudes, prejudices, and mental states--all of the aspects that make up a person. The character must be
consistent to be believable.

On the CRCT sometimes they ask you to analyze a character’s traits (personality), emotions (feelings) and give supporting
evidence. Could you predict what a character in a story might do next? Could you support that interpretation or judgment citing
examples of how the character had been developed throughout the story??

Atmosphere and Setting:

Authors strive to create a particular mood or feeling in us by establishing a certain atmosphere. This not only develops action and
theme, but also informs us of the time, season, and environment, and gives the story the quality of a "real" experience. A setting can
also be symbolic. For example, light and dark can symbolize knowledge and ignorance respectively or youth and age.

Technique and Style:

Style is that special quality that makes a writer's work unmistakably his or her own. Just as the theme is very personal to each author,
so are the style, tone, and the use of rhetorical devices such as symbolism and figurative language. The tone of a work reflects both
the author's attitude toward the subject and his or her attitude toward the reader. An author's style is his or her particular characteristic
way of writing; and it involves all of the elements of writing, such as sentence structure, diction, tone, and the use of figurative
language. The author may write very long involved sentences or very short clipped sentences; he or she may use a lot of description or
none at all; statements may be vague and general or very precise. One characteristic of an author's style is the extent to which he or
she uses or doesn't use figurative language and symbolism.

Different authors use dialogue in different ways to reveal something about characters or to advance action. Dialogue can become an
integral part of the action, plot, theme, and characterization. Dialogue also plays an important part in creating the atmosphere and
mood.

The order or sequence in which action and events occur can be chronological, or the author can deliberately move us to events of
another place and time. These flashbacks often reveal special insights into characters by giving the reader additional information
about a particular character and his or her motivations. The flashback can be an organizational device in that it rearranges time and
causes us to focus our attention on a particular aspect of plot or character.

Another technique authors use is suspense. Often the author will provide a hint about events that are to come (foreshadowing). This
tends to build up tension and suspense. Foreshadowing can be so subtle that at times we must read the story a second time to
appreciate the skillful use of this technique. Foreshadowing links various elements within a story and is therefore an important
unifying device.

An author's style is the unique way in which he or she or she says what he has to say through the use of various techniques and the
skillful use of the various elements of fiction.

POETRY is a very compact form of literature; here are some of its distinctive features:
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 • Form-the way the poem looks on the printed page; poetry is written in lines, which may or may not be sentences. These lines
are often grouped into stanzas.
 Haiku: A haiku is a Japanese poem with seventeen syllables. It is split into three lines. The first line has five syllables.
The second has seven .The third has five.
through the fingerprints
on my window-
cloudless blue sky.
 Sonnet- A fourteen line poem; has a fixed pattern of meter and rhythm. William Shakespeare is known for his love sonnets.
 Narrative Poem tells a story of a person or subject. An epic poem describes the doing of heroes in battle between
human beings. Other epics are poems of history or people's origins. An epic poem is one of the oldest surviving
narrative poems. The Iliad and The Odyssey are two of the best western epic poems of all times.
These two poems were written during 700 B.C. They were written from the Greek poet, Homer. (Not Homer Simpson!)
 Free Verse: A fluid form of poetry which conforms to no set rules
 Lyric poetry refers to either poetry that has the form and musical quality of a song, or a usually short poem that
expresses personal feelings, which may or may not be set to music.

• Sound-this gives poetry its “musical quality”

 Rhyme-it is neat to be sweet
 Rhyme Scheme- At the edge of each line, a letter is given that corresponds to the rhyming sound of the line's final word. The
pattern of letters, as you follow them down the edge of the page, is called the rhyme scheme of the poem.
 Internal Rhyme- is rhyming within a line. Example: I awoke to black flak.
 Rhythm-the beat
 Meter- In most poems, the lines are written according to patterns of rhythm. The recurrence of a similar stress pattern in
some or all lines of a poem.
 Repetition-phrases are often repeated in poetry
 Alliteration-repetition of sounds-“six, slick, slimy, seals”
 Onomatopoeia-words that “sound” like what they are-the bang of the gun, sent us on the run. The drip, drip, drip of the
faucet drove us to the closet. (I also made use of rhyme and alliteration here.)
• Imagery-words and phrases used that appeal to the five senses (seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling)
• Figurative Language
 Simile- You are like a mule. A comparison between two things using the word like.
 Metaphor-You are a rock. A comparison between two things that does not use the word like.
 Personification-an animal or object that has human like qualities. The fog sneaked up on the little boy. Okay fog can’t sneak-
I gave it a human like quality-that’s personification. Don’t be surprised if they ask you to read a stanza of a poem and ask
you what is personified in this poem? The horse screamed at us when we brought it some apples. A horse can’t really
scream-that’s personification. It just makes your writing more expressive when you use these conventions.
 Hyperbole-uses exaggeration for a special, often humorous effect. It’s a million degrees on the thermometer and I still can’t
go swimming.
 Allusion- A reference to an idea, place, person or text (or part of a text) existing outside the literary work.
 Irony- The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. Incongruity between
what might be expected and what actually occurs: A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking
frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from
the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood by the back door, breaking his arm in two places. Till that
moment he had been happily listening to his Walkman.
• Ambiguity: A word or expression which has more than one meaning. Ambiguity is not necessarily negative in literary criticism.
• Paradox: A paradox is a proposition that is or appears to be contradictory but expresses some measure of truth.
• Theme: is the message or purpose
• Symbolism: often in writing the author wants the reader to associate more than one meaning with certain elements in a
poem or story. Example in literature the evil characters are often represented by wearing dark colors; the innocent characters are
in light colors.

By the way, all good writing contains the elements listed above. It’s just very common in poetry!

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 INFORMATION AND MEDIA LITERACY-Weighted 45% 0n CRCT

PARAGRAPHS, ORGANIZATION AND THE AUTHOR’S PURPOSE

Why do we write? There is always one of the following purposes behind an author’s pen for the audience who is reading:
• Writing that gives information, directions, describes-expository genre
• Writing that tells a story-narrative genre
• Writing that persuades, argues, debates or tries to convince-persuasive genre
How does an author organize his/her writing? Well that depends on the main idea and the intent or purpose of the writing. Organizing
your writing just means how you arrange it on the paper, but the way you arrange it needs to match the purpose. There are several
ways to do this:
• Chronological order (by time)

The rodeo has developed in three major stages. Rodeos began in the Old West as contests of skill among cowboys
during cattle roundups. By 1920 rodeos had become a popular spectator sport for the general public. Today rodeos combine
traditional western events with a circus like atmosphere and the marketing techniques of big business.

• Cause and effect (events described as a reason and a result, motive and reaction, stimulus and response)
My brother is a natural student; I am a natural non-student. Women have a long way to go before they have genuinely equal
opportunity and recognition, but they have gone some of the distance since my mother finished high school. Foreign small cars
may have virtues, but if we compare them carefully to their American counterparts, we'll choose the American.

• Comparison and contrast (measuring things against one another to show similarities and differences)
My father is a public high-school teacher. He and the other teachers face a growing number of problems that seem to have no
solutions. Having observed my father's behavior for several years, I have concluded that high-school teachers are suffering from a
disorder formerly associated with war veterans-shell shock. Besides teaching five or six classes a day, teachers are also expected
to sponsor clubs, coach athletic teams, raise money, head committees, chaperone dances, arrange parades, light bonfires, publish
newspapers, and sell pictures. In my father's work, paper work means more than just grading papers. It also means filling out a
never-ending stream of forms that insure racial equality in the classroom, that provide free lunches to the needy, that reassure
administrators that everything is in its place, and that even request more forms to be filled out. Discipline has also taken on a new
meaning in public schools. Today, discipline means searching for drugs, putting out fires, disarming students, and breaking up
gang fights. Faced with these daily problems and demands, it is no wonder that teachers like my father are becoming less like
educators and more like soldiers suffering from combat fatigue.

• Posing and answering a question (question and answer)

Why is there a higher rate of cancer among financially disadvantaged people? One possible explanation for these
statistics on cancer can be found in the high levels of stress associated with poverty. Studies have found that stress can
dampen the immune system, the body's first line of defense against cancer, and experiments with animals have shown that a
stressful environment can enhance the growth of a variety of tumors. The link between poverty, stress, and cancer mortality
in humans has not been proven, but studies have shown a link between stress and other illnesses.

If you read a paragraph on the CRCT, would you be able to determine how it is organized? You need to be able to do this. Could you
name the parts of a paragraph (introduction, body, closing)? Could you pick out the topic sentence (main idea) or find the clincher
sentence (closing idea)? Could you evaluate and determine relevant details or arguments? Could you determine and evaluate whether
details were extraneous? You need to be able to do this. Could you identify point-of-view (that’s means whose perspective)? Could
you demonstrate your knowledge of research by analyzing primary and secondary sources used to support writing? Could you tell if
it was written in first person or third person?

REFERENCE MATERIALS
When we do reports, research, or other types of technical writing, we can use many texts as resources. Here are some of the most
commonly used.

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 • Almanac-that resource book that tells you all sorts of interesting information-it can provide lists, tell you when to plant your
crops, how much rain fell in a certain area-all sorts of statistics about different regions of the U.S. or the world.
• Atlas-collections of maps
• Encyclopedia (book, CD, Web site) with articles on almost every topic
• Periodicals-any type of magazine, newspaper
• Dictionary-most reliable source for learning the meaning of words. Also-syllable divisions, spelling, pronunciations,
etymology (history of word). When using a dictionary it is very helpful if you use the key words at the top of each page (boat
boy), so you want waste your time looking at every single word to find the one you really want.
• Internet-computer based resource
• Thesaurus-like a dictionary, but it gives you lots of synonyms, so you don’t keep using the same old words over and over.
• Magazines-also known as periodicals could have fiction or non-fiction articles
• Newspaper-another type of periodical-it is considered a primary source

When we are writing reports, we must be careful not to plagiarize another person’s work. If you plagiarize, that means you steal
someone’s words and pretend that you spoke or wrote the words yourself. For that reason, you cite the work (give the true
writer/speaker credit) in your bibliography.
EVALUATING SOURCES
When you write a report or a research paper you have to consider several things.
1. Is it a primary source (firsthand account-diaries, journals, letters, interviews, museums, and surveys-person reporting
actually there) or a secondary source (visiting a web site, TV documentary, biography)?
2. Is it fact or opinion?
3. When you use resources you must realize that everyone has an opinion. Some opinions are objective and some are not.
Therefore, you have to determine if there is bias. Bias means a person can only think one way and does not see both sides of
the argument. Like you might say a teacher took sides for a particular student because she was biased. Stereotyping is
another thing to look for in sources. Stereotyping is a generalization that is usually negative. “All Jewish people are wealthy
and have large noses,” is an example of a stereotype.)
4. Often writers (this could be TV as well) try to persuade their readers or viewers. They often use a technique known as “jump
on the bandwagon.” (“You’re not cool if you don’t wear FUBU” or “Everyone drinks Coke.”) Commercials are notorious
for using big athletes or famous people to promote or endorse their products. This is a technique known as testimonial.
(Michael Jordon, Shack O’Neil to name a couple.) In 'card-stacking', deliberate action is taken to bias an argument, with
opposing evidence being buried or discredited, whilst the case for one's own position is exaggerated at every opportunity.
Thus the testimonial/prestige identification of supporters is used, but not that of opponents. Example: A politician just
happens to be in town when a new school is opening - so they just drop in, hi-jacking the press for their own means. Be a
smart consumer and reader-watch out for propaganda!

RESEARCH STEPS
1. Choose a topic
2. Think of some questions to answer about your topic
3. Choose resource books or sources
4. Skim resources to make sure they are what you need to write an effective paper
5. Take notes (make sure to paraphrase as much as possible; you must give credit (cite) if you quote someone directly or use their
idea so you will not be guilty of plagiarizing. You give people credit for borrowing their words in the bibliography of your
research paper.)
6. Organize notes
7. Write paper (involves pre-write or outline, rough draft; feedback and edits, final draft, proof-read)
8. footnote- A note placed at the bottom of a page of a book or manuscript that comments on or cites a reference for a designated
part of the text.

PARTS OF A BOOK (what you find there)

• Copyright page-date the book was last published-usually the second page
• Table of Contents-chapters and topics
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 • Index-back of the book-where you go to find if something is even mentioned in the book
• Glossary-explains special words used in book
• Appendix-extra stuff like maps, graphs, tables-back of book
• Preface/foreword/introduction page-near the beginning of book-tells why book was written and/or to whom it is dedicated
• Bibliography-lists books, articles, and other sources that the author used while writing book

As a review-Text Structures

Narrative Expository Technical Persuasive

Fiction or Non-Fiction Non-fiction Non-fiction Fiction or Non-fiction
Text Structure Text Structure Text Structure Text Structure
• Compare/Contrast • Compare/Contrast • Compare/Contrast • Compare/Contrast
• Cause/Effect • Cause/Effect • Cause/Effect • Cause/Effect
• Description • Description • Description • Description
• Sequence • Sequence • Sequence • Sequence
Text Organizers Text Organizers Text Organizers
• Headings • Headings • Headings
• Topic Sentences • Topic Sentences • Topic Sentences
• Summary Sentence • Summary Sentence • Summary Sentence
• Graphic features such as • Graphic features such as
graphs, maps, etc. graphs, maps, etc.
Vocabulary Vocabulary Vocabulary Vocabulary
• Use of Context Clues to • Use of Context Clues to • Use of Context Clues to • Use of Context Clues to
determine meaning: determine meaning: determine meaning: determine meaning:
definition, restatement, definition, restatement, definition, restatement, definition, restatement,
example example example example
• Use of dictionary or • Use of dictionary or • Use of dictionary or • Use of dictionary or
glossary to determine glossary to determine glossary to determine glossary to determine
meaning meaning meaning meaning
• Synonyms • Synonyms
• Antonyms • Antonyms
• Homographs • Homographs
• Homophones • Homophones
• Figurative Language • Figurative Language
such as: similes, such as: similes,
metaphors, and idioms. metaphors, and idioms.

Elements of Narrative Elements of Expository: Elements of Expository:

• Characters (and their
relationship to each
other)
• Setting – where & when
• Plot – initiating event,
problem & resolution
• Theme / Author’s
purpose / Morale
• Point of View -
Omniscient, 1st, 2nd, or
3rd Person Narrator
Draw Conclusions
Supporting Details
• Topic Sentence • Problem / Solution
• Body • Bias
• Summary Sentence • Fact / Opinion
• Illustrations
• Graphics
• Headings & Proposition/Support
Subheadings • Grades 5 & 8 – only one
• Facts / Opinions side of the argument
• 11th both sides
Draw Conclusions Draw Conclusions Draw Conclusions
Main Idea/ Supporting Supporting Details Main Idea/ Supporting
Details Details

The two descriptors I am having difficulty finding examples of are

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1. Apply information from a variety of consumer, workplace, and public documents such as job applications to explain a situation or
decision and to solve a problem (Examples: contracts, product information, instructional materials, warranties, tax forms, identity
forms, licenses, insurance forms, employee notices, work manuals, bank documents, loan documents, communication and travel
brochures.)
2. Interpret and evaluate the various ways in which visual image makers communicate information and affect
impressions and opinions. Types of visual images or graphic aides one could find in texts: tables, line graphs, bar graphs, symbol
graphs, Venn diagrams, spider maps, H-Maps, timelines
Ways questions might be worded on CRCT:
What best summarizes…..
What can you infer?
What is ambiguous about….
What is gained in the text by introducing subtleties such as ------
What is the author’s purpose or motivation for writing this text?
What is the figurative meaning of ………
What is the main conflict in the story?
What is the most probable reason…
What is the significance of………….
What is the tone of the passage? Or What kind of tone does the author use in the passage?
Where do you find the paradox in this passage?
Which lines in this passage contain an analogy?
Which sentence best describes the climax of the story?
Which statement is an opinion?
Which word could be substituted for ____________
Why should you validate your resources?

TEST TAKING STRATEGIES

1. Relax-easy for me to say, right?
2. You will not know nor should you know everything-so calm down!
3. Read the question before you read the text to guide your reading.
4. Look for key words.
5. Read every answer carefully, before you make your decision.
6. If you don’t know something, skip it and come back.
7. You should get a good night’s sleep the day before
8. You should eat breakfast
9. You are bright, smart students-let it show-let’s blow them away-KRMS!!
Don’t stress!
Do your best,
On the CRCT test! 

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