TAKS Skill of the Day: Compare and Contrast

Finding out how two things are alike and different is to compare and to contrast. To compare is to look for similarities and find out how things are the same. To contrast is to look for differences and find out how things are not alike.

• Key words that indicate how things are the same: like, same as, more, similar, likewise.
• Key words that indicate things are different: unlike, in contrast to, different from, less, whereas, however.
• All persons, places, things and events can be compared and contrasted.
  

TAKS Skill of the Day: Cause and Effect

What happens and why it happens is called cause and effect.

• Why sometheing happens is the cause.
• What happens is the effect.
• A cause is the reason why something happens.
• The effect is the result of the cause.

TAKS Writing Tips

Writing (Like Science) Must be Taught at Every Grade Level
Writing in all content areas
Make fluent writers through practice, practice, and more practice (the same way you build reading fluency)
Writing internalizes what is being learned
Use graphic organizers to plan writing
District Up-to-Date Writing Tips
Gradually decrease support activities
Students should complete composition in 1-2 periods (prewriting thru conclusion)
Write uninterrupted for one hour (teacher silent)
Write without feedback from peers
Length does matter
Multiple errors of different types hurt most
District Up-to-Date Writing Tips, cont.
Sentence combining with correct punctuation helps score (compound sentences)
Don’t worry about voice (naturally occurring) {not a biggie anymore}
Conferencing with teacher critical (make time)
All writing teachers need 7 hours of updated training annually
Teach a variety of leads and conclusions
Make leads interesting, i.e., use onomatopoeia : the formation or use of words which imitate sounds, like whispering, clang and sizzle
Planning Graphic Organizer, I LUV U
I LUV U strategy
I is for tons of information
LUV is for strong emotion associated with topic
U is for unique experience, unusual, uncommon
I LUV U in Action
The strategy
Prompt is written in circle
Prompt inspires 4 ideas
Each idea is placed in each box
Student selects idea with the most information, strongest emotion, and the most unique, unusual, uncommon experience
Selected idea becomes controlling idea for the composition
Enter Second Graphic Organizer
Composition Flow Chart
Controlling idea is developed using flow chart
Each box represents paragraph with main idea and details
Other way to teach it for lower elementary: top box main idea, following boxes details
Begin Writing Composition
Take information from flow chart and begin writing
Edit and revise on the go
Waste no time
Penmanship counts
Now Go Write Something!

TAKS Skill of the Day: Main Idea/Details

The most important idea in a paragraph is called the main idea.
The main idea tells what the paragraph is mainly about.

• Sometimes we find the main idea in the first sentence of a paragraph.
• Sometimes we find the main idea in the last sentence of a paragraph.
• Other times the main idea is not in the paragraph at all. We have to think about what the paragraph in mainly about and deduce, extract, or inference the main idea.