Common Core Assessment English Language Arts Grades 6-8

by Dennis Fare

Overview

PARCC® Assessments: ELA Literacy - Grades 6-8 Study Guide
Take Control of the Common Core with REA's Study Guide!

The educational landscape is changing and REA is at the forefront of the PARCC® (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers®) assessments that millions of students face. This targeted study guide is designed for teachers and students in PARCC® states, and is fully-aligned with the Common Core standards.

Covers Must-Know PARCC® ELA Topics: Our PARCC® Assessments: English Language Arts/ Literacy Study Guide covers all the must-know PARCC® ELA Grade 6-8 material. Each chapter includes step-by-step instruction and practice for every topic tested on the PARCC® English Language Arts/Literacy exam: interactive reading, literary analysis, narrative, and research simulation tasks. Written in an-easy-to-understand style, the book also offers step-by-step procedures and tips on writing great essays.

Written by an Expert: Our author is a curriculum expert and former English teacher who has studied the format and content of the PARCC® standards and the ELA exams. Each lesson is based on actual PARCC® ELA guidelines and follows the Common Core standards.

A Handy Guide for Teachers: This book brings the common core down to the classroom level, deciphering what it all means to the way students are taught. Our author gives teachers practical guidance on how the ELA/Literary assessment should shape teaching methods and lesson plans. Easy-to-understand explanations of PARCC® standards take the confusion out of the PARCC® ELA exams.

This study guide is a must-have for students and teachers who are facing the PARCC® and the Common Core State Standards!

What Are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)?
The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The standards provide teachers and parents with an understanding of what students are expected to learn. Consistent standards provide appropriate benchmarks for all students, regardless of where they live. These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education so they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738611686
Publisher:	Research & Education Association
Publication date:	10/20/2013
Edition description:	First
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	11 - 13 Years

About the Author

Dennis M. Fare, M.Ed., has extensively studied the Common Core State Standards and the PARCC® assessments. He has presented workshops on the Common Core to teachers and parents. He is Supervisor of English Language Arts, Grades 6-12, for Mahwah (N.J.) Public Schools, where he writes curriculum and supervises English Language Arts teachers. His wide-ranging teaching experience spans both the high school and college levels.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

The Common Core State Standards Initiative

This book gives what you most need to know about the PARCC assessments for English language arts/literacy. In doing so, it proceeds from these five basic principles:

1. We believe in the PARCC assessments.
2. We believe in the Common Core Standards, which inform how the PARCC tests are being developed.
3. We believe the PARCC test battery assesses the very skills today’s students most need to succeed in college and the workplace.
4. We believe in affording today’s students the best possible shot at success in college and their chosen career.
5. We believe the PARCC assessments need the no-nonsense, practical perspective of the schoolhouse—and that’s exactly what you’ll find in this study guide.

The foundation for the PARCC tests lies in the Common Core State Standards. Adopted by the vast majority of U.S. states, the Common Core achieves for the first time in American history a near-common curriculum for the nation as a whole. In essence, the PARCC is designed to assess whether or not students are making progress toward achieving the benchmarks set forth in the Common Core.

Thus, our book is closely aligned with the PARCC, and, by extension, the Common Core. For instance, most of the readings you will find in our book are taken from the reading suggestions from the Common Core (please see Appendix B of the Common Core: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy).

By using these reading suggestions and the curricular guidelines set forth in the Common Core English language arts document, we are giving you an advantage in taking the PARCC exam. Why, you might ask? The answer is simple: The more familiar you are with the literary and nonfiction texts of the Common Core, the better prepared you will be to take the PARCC assessment.

Therefore, we are supremely confident that the reading exercises and the activities within this book will help you on the PARCC exam. While there are certainly a lot of standards, keep in mind that two standards will always be in play, regardless if the task is reading or writing. They are:

• Reading Standard One (1): Use of Evidence

• Reading Standard Ten (10): Complex Texts

Throughout this test prep guide, we have aligned each task to the Common Core standards. This is a natural alignment, as the test and Common Core standards are interlinked.

PARCC stands for Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. We know — it’s a long title! Throughout this guidebook, though, we will be referring to the test by its widely known acronym: PARCC.

The nature of the test makes it unlike any test you have ever taken. Three things make this so:
• The test is given on computer.
• The test is actually a series of tests given throughout the school year.
• What’s on the test will require you to think in new and stimulating ways—both because of the content itself and the way it’s presented.

So, how will this test be administered? First, you need to know that it’s not actually just one test but a battery of tests. Thus, it will not be taken just on a single day of the school year, but rather several times throughout the year.

Required Assessments
You will be required to take the “Performance-Based Assessment” and the “End-of-Year Assessment.” The “Diagnostic Assessment” and the “Mid-Year Assessment” are optional depending upon the state in which you live. The Performance-Based Assessments (PBAs) consist of reading activities and three writing activities based upon these reading: (a) a narrative essay, (b) a literary analysis essay, and (c) a research-simulation task. This book will address the reading skills you will need as well as the writing skills for these three types of writing assessments.

Because this test will be taken on computer, your results will be returned to you much faster than what happens with pencil-and-paper exams. It is also very important to look at these practice questions in the context of keyboarding your responses. If you do not yet feel comfortable with keyboarding, it is time to practice these skills on your own! Now that you are familiar with the structure of the PARCC, let’s look over each of its question types together.

Introduction to Interactive Reading
In every other test prep book you’ve ever read, or any English language arts classroom you’ve ever attended, you’ve most likely worked on strategies to engage with a printed text. While these strategies should not be forgotten, it is important to begin thinking of them in the context of brainstorming and working with a text via computer. Many of you surf the Web daily. At this point, you’re probably used to casually skimming, scanning, and reading texts online. If this isn’t part of your daily, or even weekly, routine, then you should start. Since the PARCC is administered entirely as a computerized exam, it is time to think about this test in a different way.

The reading skills you will learn will help you on the “Performance-Based Assessment” and the “End-of-Year Assessment.” Specifically, in Chapter 2 of this guidebook, you will begin looking at how to appropriately read, and take notes, from a screen. You will learn how to take what you’ve learned in your English language arts classes, and modify those techniques for the purposes of preparing for this test.

You’ve likely encountered reading comprehension sections in many tests, including any state test or even the SAT. Generally, you would read the passage or selection, and then answer a series of multiple-choice questions and/or open-ended questions. The PARCC, however, will assess reading in a more interactive manner. Often, you will answer questions as you read, as opposed to answering those questions after you’ve read.

Not only will you have to read a short reading selection, but you will also have to answer questions as you do so. You will need to electronically highlight text in relation to questions. You will need address how the reading selection raises specific points to support their viewpoint or argument. As you read, you will need to interactively investigate. While this sounds complicated, it is actually quite doable. The key is to be prepared, which is where this guidebook comes in!

As you read through the question types during the interactive reading chapter, be sure to review our “Thought Process” (a feature utilized throughout this book) as we navigate through the questions. This should serve as a model for you as you complete the interactive reading questions on your own.

Throughout your reading of this chapter, pay careful attention to the ways in which close-reading is modeled. If you are not aware of the language of authors in relation to their purposes, the questions will be more difficult to answer accurately. Think about how writers craft their viewpoints and project a desired effect upon the reader. You’ll find that many of the question types in this particular chapter look closely at how you, as the reader/test-taker, can recognize how writers put together their viewpoints or arguments. This is what close and active reading successfully will clarify to you as you begin to have a greater understanding.

Table of Contents

The PARCC Assessments At-a-Glance

Chapter 1: Introduction
The Common Core State Standards Initiative
Reading the Standards
Overview of the PARCC
Introduction to Interactive Reading
Introduction to Chosen Texts
Introduction to the PARCC’s Performance-Based Tasks
Introduction to the Narrative Writing Task
Introduction to the Literary Analysis Task
Introduction to the Research Simulation Task
Introduction to the Speaking/Listening Task
Special Education/Accommodations
Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs)
End-of-Year (EOY) Assessment
Looking at the Acronyms

Chapter 2: Interactive Literacy
Introduction
Key Literacy Skills: Vocabulary and Context
Key Literacy Skills: Reading Comprehension and Comparative Thinking
Literacy Analysis: Independent Practice
Narrative Section: Sample Questions
The Narrative Selection: Practice Question
The Research Simulation Task: Tested Literacy Skills
Research Simulation Task Practice Question

Chapter 3: Narrative Writing Task
Introduction
Evaluating the Narrative Writing Task
English Language Arts Narrative Writing Task
Freytag’s Pyramid
English Language Arts – Practice Narrative Writing Task
English Language Arts – Practice Narrative Writing Task #1
English Language Arts – Practice Narrative Writing Task #2
English Language Arts – Practice Narrative Writing Task #3
Narrative Writing Task: Historical Account – Introduction
Historical Account – Practice Narrative Description Task #1
Historical Account – Practice Narrative Description Task #2
Historical Account – Practice Narrative Description Task #3
Narrative Writing Task: Scientific Process – Introduction
Scientific Process - Practice Narrative Description Task #1
Scientific Process - Practice Narrative Description Task #2
Scientific Process - Practice Narrative Description Task #3

Chapter 4: Literacy Analysis Task
Introduction
Writing the Literary Analysis Essay
Practice Literary Analysis Task #1
Practice Literary Analysis Task #2

Chapter 5: The Research Simulation Task
Introduction
Research Simulation Essay Practice

Chapter 6: The Research Simulation Task: English
Introduction
Writing the Research Simulation Essay for English
The 11 Steps for Success on the RST
Sample Outline for Space Exploration RST
Writing the Essay
Looking at the Verbs
Analysis of Sample Essay
Summary of the RST in English
RST #2: Native American Contributions
RST #3: African American Literary Experience
RST #4: Bullying

Chapter 7: The Research Simulation Task: History
Introduction
RST #1: Fighting Segregations (Model)
The 11 Steps for Success on the RST
Analysis of Sample Essay
RST #2: Winston Churchill
RST #3: The Titanic

Chapter 8: The Research Simulation Task: Science
Introduction
RST #1: Anti-Antibiotic? (Model)
The 11 Steps for Success on the RST
Analysis of Sample Essay
Summary of the RST in Science
Practice RSTs in Science
RST#2: Life on Other Planets
RST#3: The Safety in Science

Chapter 9: Research Simulation Task Practice Questions
Introduction
Practice RST: Art
Practice RST: Life Skills
Practice RST: World Languages
Practice RST: Physical Education

Chapter 10: Final Thoughts
Bibliography

Appendices
Appendix A: Commonly Used Action Verbs
Appendix B: Transitional Words
Appendix C: Key Charts
Appendix D: Suggested Reading
Appendix E: Charts Used in This Book
Appendix F: Scoring Checklist and Scoring Rubrics