How to Read TAKS Materials
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Read as much as possible.read #3 image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
Read widely. In the months leading up to the TAKS reading test, students should read as much as they can on a wide variety of topics. This will increase familiarity with different types of writing, new vocabulary, and writing styles. - 2
Look for clues in the passage to help learn new words.magnifying glass image by .shock from Fotolia.com
Look for clues to help learn what words mean when you read samples from past TAKS tests. Look around the word for context clues, such as those that define a word in a sentence or are antonyms or synonyms of an unknown word. - 3
Ask questions about the characters, setting, and plot.question mark image by Dumitrescu Ciprian from Fotolia.com
Focus on the characters, setting, and plot when reading.
The student should ask himself questions like, "How does this character change?", "How does the character feel?", "Why does the character act in a certain way?", "Does the setting change?" and "Why is the setting important to the story?"
Try to understand the problem in a story and how a character deals with the problem when thinking about the plot. - 4
Why did the author write what the student is reading?think 6 image by chrisharvey from Fotolia.com
Think critically about the passage. Doing so will help the student understand the author's reasons for writing. Use reading strategies to help think critically such as retelling the order of events (time lines), organizing story information (story maps), and thinking about the type of text in the passage to help determine the author's purpose for writing (For example, a newsletter gives information about a topic and a sign may help a reader avoid danger.) - 5
Think about what has happened in the story and what might happen next.barometer image by Peter Baxter from Fotolia.com
Look for the main idea. Make one sentence stating what the passage is about.
Think about the cause and effect relationship in the passage. What made something in the story happen and what happened as a result?
Make predictions about what will happen next in the story by looking at what has already happened and what the characters have done and said.
Draw conclusions about what has happened in the passage. The passage may not give all of the important information about the story, but the reader can fill in the blanks with other information given. - 6
Learn how the TAKS is formatted and the types of questions asked.vacation study image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com
Study TAKS reading passages for short blocks of time over a long period of time. Become familiar with the test format and questions. Go over past test samples and check answers with the answer key. Look for categories of questions the student repeatedly misses and focus on improving those types of questions.
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