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!!!!!!!!!!!