How to help your students meet or exceed on the STAAR writing assessment.
The STAAR writing test is made up of two parts, the student responses to a prompt, and a multiple choice writing conventions test. Two areas that need equal attention and must be mastered to pass the STAAR writing test. At risk students must be trained to use a systematic graphic organizer. Students must have time and multiple opportunities to learn the critical tier 2 and their 3 vocabulary that they will find on the multiple choice section of the writing test. I use a STEAL Characterization chart with my students to enhance reading instruction and writing instruction when ever possible to get students thinking and using this powerful tool. I also expose my students daily to the academic writing vocabulary.
Please use the sample STEAL chart below to start getting your student ready to pass the STAAR Writing Test this spring.
Academic Vocabulary Tier 3 Writing GlossaryPDF
Word
Practice STAAR Writing Assessments
Writing Assessment Online 4th
Writing Assessment Online7th
Develop your own graphic organizers that help your students master expository/personal narrative writing.
“The Silver Bullet” STEAL Students Graphic Organizer96% Passing State Writing Test 25% Exceeding State Writing
| WORD CHOICEVerbs and Adverbs | Topic Sentence W.W.W. Who, What, and WHY! What: My first roller coaster ride Who: I am Alone Why: My parents are afraid to ride the | WORD CHOICENouns and Adjectives |
| Debated decided dedicated valued chose cleaned | S – Speech/ Speaking / Dialogue Speech What does the character say (YOU, FRIENDS, FAMILY)? | swift ancient modern bitter sweet alert sane |
| vaulted viewed visualized volunteered Captured cared for carried caught categorized challenged | T – thoughts/feelings/attitudes Thoughts What is important about the character’s thoughts and feelings (YOU, FRIENDS, FAMILY)? | attractive sticky fuzzy giant fresh graceful harsh whispering puny harsh noisy quiet shrill |
| championed changed checked cleared closed coached commanded commended | E – emotions/effects on othersEffect How do other characters feel or behave or react to the characters? | teeny massive careful cheap expensive rainy crystal sore dangerous combative |
| concentrated confronted constructed consulted continued controlled convinced cooperated copied corrected counseled | A – actionsActions What does the character do? How does the character behave? | weary dull drab dim aggressive mellow fancy excited scared filthy superior lazy excited hungry crazy |
| created customized joined judged observed tackled talked targeted tasted taught obtained offered translated | L – looks/ settings/ imagery/ what Looks What do you see? What do the characters look like? How does the character dress? | poor rich busy anxious steep skinny petite tiny miniscule salty delicious terrible dead alive huge tremendous elderly handsome ugly beautiful shiny |
| WORD CHOICEVerbs and Adverbs | Topic Sentence W.W.W. Who, What, and WHY! | WORD CHOICENouns and Adjectives |
| S – Speech/ Speaking / Dialogue | ||
| T – thoughts/feelings | ||
| E – effects/emotions on others | ||
| A – actions | ||
| L – looks/ settings | ||
| WORD CHOICEVerbs and Adverbs | Topic Sentence W.W.W. Who, What, and WHY! | WORD CHOICENouns and Adjectives |
| S – Speech/ Speaking / Dialogue | ||
| T – thoughts/feelings | ||
| E – effects/emotions on others | ||
| A – actions | ||
| L – looks/ settings |
STAAR WRITING TEST RUBRICS
| Grade 4 Writing | · Grade 4 Writing Test Design Schematic (English and Spanish) (11/04/10)· Grade 4 Expository Writing Rubric (10/05/11)· Grade 4 Personal Narrative Writing Rubric (09/26/11) |
| Grade 7 Writing | · Grade 7 Writing Test Design Schematic (11/04/10)· Grade 7 Expository Writing Rubric (10/05/11)· Grade 7 Personal Narrative Writing Rubric (09/26/11) |
| English I | · English I Test Design Schematic (11/04/10)· English I Expository Writing Rubric (10/05/11)· English I Literary Writing Rubric (10/18/11)· English I Short Answer Rubric Connecting Selections (10/25/11)· English I Short Answer Rubric Single Selection (10/25/11) |
| English II | · English II Test Design Schematic (11/04/10)· English II Expository Writing Rubric (10/05/11)· English II Persuasive Writing Rubric (10/31/11)· English II Short Answer Rubric Connecting Selections (10/25/11)· English II Short Answer Rubric Single Selection (10/25/11) |
| English III | · English III Test Design Schematic (11/04/10)· English III Analytical Writing Rubric (10/31/11)· English III Persuasive Writing Rubric (10/31/11)· English III Short Answer Rubric Connecting Selections (10/25/11)· English III Short Answer Rubric Single Selection (10/25/11) |
Study Words/Vocabulary for the Writing Test!
Mr. Taylor's Kid Friendly Academic Vocabulary
Third Grade
atlasA book of maps or a book of tables, charts, pictures on one subject.Mr. Taylor has a world atlas in his classroom.
abbreviationA shorter form of a word or phrase, i.e. AZ for
adverbA word that modifies a verb by identifying time, place, speed, etc.Quickly is an adverb in the sentence "Jose quickly finished his homework. "
antonymsA word opposite in meaning to another word.Cold is the antonym of hot.
apostropheThe mark used to show a letter or letters have been left out of a word or phrase or to show ownership.Example of letters left out: You've is short for "you have" and an apostrophe shows that "have" is missing two letters.Example of ownership: Mr. Taylor's class reads several books each year.Example of ownership: The apostrophe in the sentence "Mr. Taylor's class reads several books each year." shows the class belongs to Mr. Taylor.
biasOne meaning of "bias" is to like or dislike one thing over another.Claudia has bias for chocolate over all other candy.
chronological orderTo arrange events in the order they occurred.In chronological order, our class has computer lab on Monday, music on Tuesday, gym on Wednesday, library on Thursday, and art on Friday.
complete sentenceA complete sentence includes at least a subject and a verb."Claudia ran." is a complete sentence.
context cluesWords, phrases or sentences around a new word that helps the reader make a logical guess about the meaning of the new word.Use context clues to figure out what a new word means.
contractionA word or phrase shortened by leaving out one or more letters or sounds."You'll" is the contraction of "you will."
compound wordA compound word is made when two words are joined to form a new word.The words "shoe" and "string" are joined to form the compound word "Shoestring."
biographyThe history of a persons life.If you become famous, someone will write your biography.
describeTo tell or write about something.Please describe your backpack.
declarativeA sentence that makes a statement."The earth is round." is a declarative sentence.
dictionaryA book of alphabetically listed words with their meanings and other information.Students need a dictionary when they go to college.
exclamatoryA sudden, angry outcry; to cry out; shout; or speak suddenly in surprise, etc."Lillian, be quiet! shouted her mother is an exclamatory phrase.
factSomething that really happened; truth; actuality; things as they exist.It is a fact that the moon revolves around the earth.
fairy takeA fairy tale is a type of short story with fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments.The story "Jack and the Beanstalk" is a fairy tale.
folk taleA story or legend originating and traditional among a group of people (folk = people), especially one forming part of the spoken tradition of the everyday people.The stories about Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox are folk tales.
interrogativeAsking a question."Do you like chocolate ice cream?" is an interrogative.
indexOne meaning of "index" is an alphabetical list of names, subjects, etc., together with page numbers where they can be found--usually placed at the end of a book.In this book, the index says there is information about the moon on pages 31 and 73.
instructionsEducation; teaching; lessons or a list of steps to be followed to complete an assignment.(1) Every teacher at Rio Vista gives instructions to their students. (2) It is hard to use a TV remote without reading the instructions.
main characteristicsThe most important things that identify a person, plant, object--or anything in the universe.The main characteristics of most cars are four wheels, a body where the driver and passengers sit, a steering wheel, an engine, and headlights and taillights.
nonfictionBooks and stories which only include real people, animals, plants, science, events, etc.A book about birds in
main ideaThe main idea of a passage or reading is the the most important thought or message. (In contrast to the term topic, which refers to the subject under discussion.)The main idea of Mr. Taylor's instructions is that it is important to follow directions.
multi-meaning wordsWords which have more than one meaning.Multi-meaning words will have the different meanings listed and numbered (1, 2, 3, etc.) in the dictionary.
opinionA person's belief based on what seems true, or probable; a person's judgment.Many people have the opinion that French cooking is the best in the world.
organizationA group of persons organized for some specific purpose, such as a club, business, team, etc.The Rio Vista band is an organization of students with an interest in music.
personal narrativeA story that tells a story based on a personal experience of the writer.Jasmine wrote a personal narrative about a trip to visit her grandmother.
pluralMore than one of something.The plural of bone is bones.
plotThe arrangement of the main events in a book, story, poem, or film, also known as the "story line."The plot of most mysteries starts with a murder.
point of viewA way of viewing things; an attitude or the position from which something is observed or considered; a standpoint.It is Mr. Taylor's point of view that students must be held responsible for completing their work.
possessiveThe form of a word that shows ownership.The possessive form of John is John's. For example, to say John owns the airplane, you would say "It is John's airplane."
predicateIn a sentence, the verb (action word) or the verb and words that describe the verb."Runs fast" is the predicate in the sentence "Magaly runs fast."
prefixA prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to change its meaning.In the word "unhappy," "un-" is the prefix.
prefixesPrefixes are placed at the beginning of words to change their meanings.The prefixes we will see often are "pre-" (before), "post-" (after), "un-" (opposite of), "anti-"(against), "hemi-" (half), "non-" (absence of), "out-" (exceeding), "trans-" (across), etc.The sentence "John was unhappy in preschool" has two prefixes.
punctuation (commas)Special marks in sentences or phrases that make the sentences or phrases easier to understand. Some common punctuation marks are: . , ' ; ? !The comma ( , ) tells where to pause or take a breath.root wordA word that can start to build the meaning of many words."Corn" is the root word of : popcorn; cornflower; cornmeal; cornbread; and cornmeal: all the words mean something about corn.
run-on sentenceA run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences) are joined without appropriate punctuation ( ; ) or a conjunction (and, for, nor, but, or, yet and so)."Sydney and Sabrina were in the band
introductionThe introduction is at the beginning of a story and it tells you what the main idea(s) will be; it lets you"meet" the main idea.An introduction to your teacher lets you meet.
singularIn grammar, the form of a word that says there is only one of something.In the sentence "There was only one Juliana in the class, but there were two Gabriels," Juliana is singular and Gabriels is plural.
signThe word "sign" has many meanings. Among them are: to write your name (signature); a symbol with a specific meaning ( $ meaning dollars); and hand gestures that give information (sign language).When you vote in any election, you have to sign your name.story elements (character, setting, plot)The who, what, where and why--the parts that make up a story.In Harry Potter, the main characters are Harry, Hermione, and Ron; the setting is Castle Hogwarts; and the plot is to learn to be wizards and keep Harry safe from Voldemort.
scheduleThe way things are planned to happen in our lives, schools, or work.Sometimes Mr. Taylor's class schedules a trip to the gem and mineral show in February.
subjectThe person, place or thing that does the action in a sentence.In the sentence "Michael finished his report before lunch," "Michael" is the subject, and "finished" is the action (verb).
suffixesLetters or syllables added to the end of a word to change its meaning.Suffixes such as "-ish" and "-er" can be added to the word "small" to change its meaning to smallish and smaller.
summarizeTo state briefly; to shorten to its most important parts.Mr. Taylor asked us to summarize the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone.
supporting detailsThey come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a paragraph. What do they do? They give details to develop and help the reader better understand the topic sentence (main idea).If your topic sentence is "Harry Potter has a special wand," you could add supporting details about the wand, such as where he got it, what it's made of, and why it's a special wand.
synonymsDifferent words that have the same meaning.Synonyms of "bend" are curve and twist.
verb (types and functions)A word that in a sentence that tells you the action (bring, read, walk, run, learn), or a state of being (be, exist, stand).In the sentence "Anthony ran his race and is now standing next to the track," "ran" (the action) and "standing" (state of being) are both verbs.
Fourth Grade
acronymA word that is made by putting together parts of other words.The word "radar" is an acronym that was built from "radio detecting and ranging"( "ra + d + a + r" ).
adjectiveA word or phrase that modifies (describes) a noun .The word "brilliant" is an adjective in the sentence "Yatzari is a brilliant student". "Brilliant" describes the noun "student".
adverbA word that Modifies (describes) a verb."Suddenly" is an adverb in the sentence "Anthony suddenly remembered his homework assignment". "Suddenly" describes the verb "remembered."
almanacA book that gives useful information about a particular subject; sometimes published in a month-by-month order.For example, a gardening almanac might tell when to plant different flowers and vegetables.
analogyA phrase or sentence that shows how different things may be alike in some ways."A human heart is like a pump" is an analogy. The heart and pump are alike in one way: they each pump something.
anthologyA book that is a collection of different writers' works (essays, stories, poems, etc.)."Mr. Taylor had so many interesting stories to tell. One day he was going to publish his collection as 'An Artist's Anthology.' "
antonymA word that has an opposite meaning.An antonym of "hot" is "cold"; an antonym of "fast" is "slow".
aphorismA short, clear, wise statement that tells an opinion or a saying that many people believe is true.An aphorism about a famous musician is the sentence "Irving Berlin has no place in American music - he IS American music."audience (as listeners and readers)A group of people that gather to see or hear a performance - when the performance is an "out-loud" reading, the performers are the readers and the audience are the listeners.For example: "Mr. Taylor and Maria were taking turns reading 'The Chamber of Secrets' to the class. The audience was very quiet as the readers reached a scary part of the story."
author's purposeThe reason for writing - to inform, to question, to entertain."Fernando worked hard on his first prompt. His author's purpose was to entertain his readers with his funny story."
autobiographyThe story of someone's life, written by that person."Mr. Taylor had given the students their first assignment of the year: a one-page autobiography."
bibliographyA list of the books and materials consulted; appearing at the end of the text. "Leslie was sure to include her bibliography at the end of her science report."
brochureA booklet or pamphlet that describes a subject; often an advertisement."Mrs. Kuhn carefully read the brochure that announced the opening of the University Science Fair."
captionA short description or title of an illustration in a text."Gloria had written the caption ' What I Want to be When I Grow Up ' under her drawing of a jet pilot ."
categoryA set of things that are grouped together because they have something in common."Eric had lots of homework to do. Which category would he start with? Reading, Writing, Science, Math ...? "
cause/effect characteristicsCause is the action that makes something happen; Effect is the something that happens."Sarah knocked over a glass of water onto her homework pages. Knocking over the glass was thecause of soaking her homework. Wet homework was the effect of knocking over the glass."conclusionThe part that brings something to an end ORa decision that is made after looking at all the facts."Andrew thought the conclusion of ‘Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets‘ was really exciting!""After much thought, Anthony came to the conclusion that the answer to the long division problem was '286' "conjunctionA connecting word that links sentences or words ("and", "or", "if", "but" ...)."David and Jose wanted to talk to Gage or Sam before school, but the bus was late."Conjunctions in this sentence were "and", "or", and "but".
contestAn organized test among entrants to find out which is best at doing something."On Tuesday there was a contest between the two fourth grades to see which class was best at playing cricket."
conversationA talk with someone."Mrs. Kuhn would have a conversation with the "Wheels in Motion" people to learn whether their contest would come to Rio Vista this year."
diaryA book of a person's daily happenings and thoughts."George Washington's diary was full of interesting things that happened before the United States became a nation."
double negatives Using two negative forms together in a phrase or sentence; not good English.
"I won't never use double negatives when I write a story!"
dramaWorks written for performance on stage, television, or radio; usually serious subjects and manner of performance. Sometimes anything that is not a comedy is called a drama.The book “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was dramatized into a movie.
drawing conclusionsReaching a conclusion, or a final decision, about something. "After Mr. Taylor sees the results of the test, he will be drawing conclusions on on the next homework assignment."
encyclopediaA reference book or set of books giving much information on all areas or specialized areas of knowledge."Jade, did you find 'Mount St. Helens' in the encyclopedia?"
fableA make-believe short story that teaches a moral, especially with animals as characters. In the fable “The Tales of Peter Rabbit“, a young rabbit has adventures and learns about the world.
genreA category of artistic works, based on form, style or subject matter.For example, a detective novel is a genre of fiction.
index....Copied from 3rd and 5th
nounA word (or group of words) that names a person, place, or thing.The sentence "Ellie quickly gathered up her books to fill her backpack ,"contains three nouns.
making inferencesReaching a conclusion or decision from facts and reasoning."Hector and Alexis were making inferences on the cost of their field trip by adding up their lunch expenses."
metaphor...Copied from 3rd and 5th
myth...Copied from 3rd and 5th
outlineA rough plan of a written work or speech; a list of main points or features to be covered."Mr. Taylor's drew an outline of his chapter on the smart board."
possessive nounsPersons, places, or things that show ownership.In the sentence "Sally’s car is with yellow stripes," the possessive noun is "Sally's" .
prepositionA relation or function word that connects a noun or pronoun to another part of a sentence ( "in", "by", "for", to", etc.).In the sentence "Steven hit the ball and ran for first base," the word "for" is a preposition that joins "first base" to the rest of the sentence.pronounA word that may be substituted for a noun ("I", "you", "them", "who", "ours", "he", "she", "anybody", etc.)."Adriana has been working hard on long division, and it has been worth the effort because shescored high on her math test!" The three pronouns in this sentence are "it", "she", and "her".
proofreadTo check written work for errors and mark the changes to be made."Pedro just needed to proofread and correct his 'Read and Response' chapter, and he would be finished."
sentence fragmentWords that do not form a complete sentence of subject and verb."Mr. Taylor for the first time." is a sentence fragment because it has no verb.
simple predicateThe verb or action word of a sentence or phrase, without words that modify the verb."Ran" is the simple predicate of the sentence "Monique expertly ran the cotton candy booth for the Rio Vista's Fantasy Fair."
simileA figure of speech that compares two different things (often with "as" or "like") ."Red as a beet" is a simile in the sentence "Tim's face was red as a beet."
simple subjectThe subject of the verb of a sentence, without words that modify the subject.In the sentence "The shiny spotted horse frisked around the pasture," the word "horse" is thesimple subject.
synonymA word that means the same, or almost the same, as another word.The word "scholar" is a synonym for "student".
tall taleA story with characters or happenings that are exaggerated or made bigger than real life."Pecos Bill" is a tall tale of a cowboy who could do unbelievable things, like rope a tornado with his lariat.
thesaurus"...Copied from 3rd and 5thtitle page (parts of)A title page is a page at the beginning of a book that gives the book’s title, the author, and the publisher.The title, “HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE”; the author, “J.K. ROWLING”; and the publisher, “Arthur A. Levine Books” all appear on the title page for the first Harry Potter book.
verb tenseThe form of a verb that shows not only the action, but when the action happens (in the past, present, or future).In the sentence “ Mr. Taylor’s class will leave for lunch in 15 minutes”, the verb tense is future; In the sentence “The class is leaving now”, the verb tense is present; In the sentence “The classleft,” the verb tense is past.
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