9 Tips for TAKS

ELA Success – 11th Grade

Developed by

Michelle Stimpson

Region 10 ESC

10/11 TAKS ELA Breakdown

There are 73 “raw points” possible:48 multiple choice questions (1 pt. ea.) 48

3 open-ended questions (3 pts. ea.) 9Composition (Score x 4) +16

*must get a ‘2’ to meet standard

highest possible raw score  73

The raw score is then converted to a scale score.

Writing Prompt:Write an essay explaining what

courage means to you.

Tip # 1

Connect Your Thoughts

• Show sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph progression

• If student decides to include more than one example/anecdote, there must be a STATED, linking thread

• Intro/Conclusion are great places to STATE the connection

• No “Silence of the Lambs” papers (Papers that have to be read several times to “get it”)

• The scorer should never feel lost in the paper (a.k.a. “Where did that come from?”)

Tip # 2Stay Focused: Pick One Theme

and Do It Well

• Consider concentrating on one person, narrative, or philosophical discussion rather than several divergent, disconnected veins

• Consider eliminating that “3rd” point and developing the other two points further

Tip # 3

Bring it on Home!                                 

Don’t underestimate the

power of a great

conclusion!

What have you learned about yourself or other people?

Tip # 4

Go for the Heart!

• Cheers• Tears• Passion

• Instructional idea: Reading/analyzing editorials is a good way to see how writers still manage to express their passions in expository writing.

Tip # 5Statistically,

Length of Essay Does Matter!

• It takes space to develop an idea!

• ¾ of the compositions that received lower scores were less than 1 ½ pages long

• ¾ of the compositions that received higher scores were more than 1 ½ pages long

TIPS for Responding toOpen-Ended Questions

Literary Selection:“The Kayak”

by Debbie Spring

16-year-old Teresa is out kayaking to get away from her overprotective parents. The waters get rough and she comes across an 18-year-old surfer boy (Jamie) who is obviously in peril. They have a few close calls on the water, but Teresa helps Jamie get back to shore.

Once on shore, the reader learns that Teresa is paraplegic. She loves kayaking because that’s where she is free. On land, however, she feels helpless.

Jamie asks Teresa out. Initially, she refuses because she thinks that Jamie just feels sorry for her. In the end, she tearfully agrees to go out with him.

Literary Open-Ended Question:

In “The Kayak,” what does the kayak symbolize to Teresa? Support your answer

with evidence from the selection.

Expository Selection:“Summits in Sight”by Stephen Madden

This is an article a Ed and Erik Weihenmayer (father and son respectively). Erik who began losing his sight before his teen years, is now a rock climber. His father, Ed, has always made a way for Erik to succeed despite the disability. Ed always encouraged Erik to do his best and pursue life to the fullest. As an adult, Erik is now completely blind – yet he is an accomplished rock climber (rock climbing is all about “touch”). One day Erik invited his father to go out on a climb. His father was in good shape, but he was no climber. With Erik’s encouragement, Ed eventually climbs the rock successfully. Father and son discuss their perceptions of nature’s beauty, affirm each other, and shake hands at the end.

Expository Open-ended Question:

In “Summits in Sight” what does Ed learn from Erik? Support your

answer with evidence from the selection.

Expository Open-ended Question:

In “Summits in Sight” what does Ed learn from Erik? Support your

answer with evidence from the selection.

Crossover Question:

What is one characteristic that Teresa and Erik share? Support your answer with

evidence from the text.

*Comment regarding “0” responses here!

Tip # 6

Stay Focused!

• Provide one answer and develop it well

• No “beating around the bush”

• Answers that seek to explain the deeper meaning of life may end up getting “0”

Tip # 7

Answer all Parts of

the Question

+

Watch out for these types of questions:

Single Passage• How does one character change from beginning to the

end of a story?

• How is a character affected by an event?

• How does the author’s attitude change over the course of the passage?

Crossover • Which character is more unforgettable?

• Which character would you rather have as a sibling?

+

Tip # 8Good Vocabulary/

Word Choice Can Help!

Responses to Consider: 2’s and 3’s

• Use thesaurus and dictionary

• Use some of the vocabulary from the story

• Precise word choice enhances a satisfactory idea (“they keep on going” vs. “perseverance”)

Tip # 9

Match Idea to Text!

• Mismatches are very common; these will lower your score

• Instructional idea: practice picking out the best supporting statement within a given passage (a matching game of sorts)

• Using more than one type of text evidence is admirable – shows sophistication as a reader and a writer

Last Thoughts

• You may use the entire box when responding to open-ended questions

• Quotes are a good thing – we can argue their relevance but never their presence in open-ended responses

• Risk is still encouraged and rewarded (composition as well as open-ended questions)

• To kill two birds with one stone (TAKS & SAT) students need to know how to express themselves creatively as well as concisely WHILE supporting their ideas with evidence