MINI SET
TEKS ALIGNED MIDDLE SCHOOL FREEBIE
STAAR Question Answer Key & Breakdown
(New 2017 Adopted TEKS)
Task Cards Mini Set
Card
1
2
3
Reading
Level
Lexile: NA
6th-8th Grade
Lexile: 950L
5th-6th Grade
Lexile: 910L
5th Grade
Lexile: 1060L
6th-8th Grade
6
7
8
Answer
Inference
Inference
Text Evidence
6.5(F), 7.5(F), 8.5(F)
6.5(F), 7.5(F), 8.5(F)
6.5(F), 7.5(F), 8.5(F)
C
D
Inference
Inference
Generate Questions
6.5(F), 7.5(F), 8.5(F)
6.5(F), 7.5(F), 8.5(F)
6.5(B), 7.5(B), 8.5(B)
Key Ideas
Character
Prediction
6.5(G), 7.5(G), 8.5(G)
6.7(B), 7.7(B), 8.7(B)
6.5(C), 7.5(C), 8.5(C)
Key Ideas
Evidence
Author’s Purpose
4
5
TEKS
Topic
Lexile: NA
6th-8th Grade
Lexile: NA
6th-8th Grade
6.5(G), 7.5(G), 8.5(G)
6.8(E)(ii), 7.8(E),(ii), 8.8(E),(ii)
6.9(A), 7.9(A), 8.9(A)
Summary
Key Ideas
Personal Connection
6.6(D), 7.6(D), 8.6(D)
6.5(G), 7.5(G), 8.5(G)
6.6(A), 7.6(A), 8.6(A)
Summary
Key Ideas
Personal Connection
6.6(D), 7.6(D), 8.6(D)
6.5(G), 7.5(G), 8.5(G)
6.6(A), 7.6(A), 8.6(A)
Message
Context Clues
Inference
6.9(A), 7.9(A), 8.9(A)
6.2(B), 7.2(B), 8.2(B)
6.5(F), 7.5(F), 8.5(F)
Inference
Compare
Personal Connection
6.5(F), 7.5(F), 8.5(F)
6.6(B), 7.6(B), 8.6(B)
6.6(A), 7.6(A), 8.6(A)
Answers will vary.
A
B
Answers will vary.
C
B
Answers will vary.
D
D
Answers will vary.
C
C
Answers will vary.
D
C
Answers will vary.
D
C
Answers will vary.
A
C
Answers will vary.
Created by Custom Classroom by Angela Copyright © 2019
Inference
Excerpt from Tarzan and the Golden Lion by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Evidently, there was a disturbing quality
in the sound that Sabor heard,
something that inspired a certain
restlessness, if not actual apprehension,
though she could not be sure as yet that
it boded ill. It might be her great lord
returning, but it did not sound like the
movement of a lion, certainly not like a
lion dragging a heavy kill. She glanced
at her cub, breathing as she did so a
plaintive whine. There was always the
fear that some danger menaced him,
this last of her little family, but she, Sabor,
was there to defend him.
1
Based on details in the excerpt,
the reader can conclude that
Sabor is A a pet bear
B the pack leader
C a mother lion
D the lion cub
The reader can infer that A the cub will be taken
B someone is hunting Sabor
C there is nothing to fear
D there is danger coming
Short Answer: What text evidence
supports this inference?
Created by Custom Classroom by Angela Copyright © 2019
Inference
Excerpt from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
"I hate to think I've got to grow
up, and be Miss March, and
wear long gowns, and look as
prim as a China Doll! It's bad
enough to be a girl, anyway,
when I like boy's games and
work and manners! I can't get
over my disappointment in not
being a boy. And it's worse than
ever now, for I'm dying to go
and fight with Papa. And I can
only stay home and knit, like a
poky old woman!"
Based on details in the excerpt, the
reader can conclude that the –
A characters are living in a war
B narrator is usually unhappy
C characters are a close family
D narrator hates all girls
2
The reader can infer that the narrator A would like to look like a boy
B wants the freedom boys have
C thinks she is different
D does not want to grow up
Short Answer: What questions could you ask
to learn more about the narrator?
Created by Custom Classroom by Angela Copyright © 2019
Main Idea
Excerpt from Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
Doctor Dolittle was very fond of animals and kept
many kinds of pets. Besides the gold-fish in the pond
at the bottom of his garden, he had rabbits in the
pantry, white mice in his piano, a squirrel in the linen
closet and a hedgehog in the cellar. He had a cow
with a calf too, and an old lame horse—twenty-five
years of age—and chickens, and pigeons, and two
lambs, and many other animals. But his favorite pets
were Dab-Dab the duck, Jip the dog, Gub-Gub the
baby pig, Polynesia the parrot, and the owl Too-Too.
His sister used to grumble about all these animals and
said they made the house untidy. And one day when
an old lady with rheumatism came to see the Doctor,
she sat on the hedgehog who was sleeping on the
sofa and never came to see him anymore, but drove
every Saturday all the way to Oxenthorpe, another
town ten miles off, to see a different doctor. Then his
sister, Sarah Dolittle, came to him and said, “John,
how can you expect sick people to come and see
you when you keep all these animals in the house?”
What is the main idea?
A Doctor Dolittle loves animals.
3
B Doctor Dolittle’s sister was worried
about his business.
C Doctor Dolittle’s many pets drove
away his patients.
D Doctor Dolittle had too many
animals at his house.
Which of the following is true about
Doctor Dolittle?
A He is not a very good Doctor.
B He likes animals more than people.
C He does not agree with his sister.
D He enjoys caring for people.
Short Answer: What do you think will
happen next?
Created by Custom Classroom by Angela Copyright © 2019
Main Idea
Youth Voices by Ricardo
Plastic Pollution is a serious problem. Many times, the
plastic is polluting the Ocean. There are ways to
help like recycling, reusing plastic, and not using
single-use plastic. However, I believe people should
reduce the amount of single-use plastic they use.
The first thing we can do is “refuse any single-use
plastics that we don’t need” (Hutchinson 2). There
are a lot of single-use plastics that we don’t need.
For example, water bottles, plastic bags, food
wrappings like sandwich bags, bubble wrap for
packaging, and utensils like forks, spoons, knives,
and cups. All these have alternatives or “alternative
versions of those products” (Hutchinson 2). You can
easily use a reusable water bottle like a hydroflask.
You can use reusable grocery bags, paper bags,
old newspaper, foam, metal utensils, and reusable
cups. In 2015 alone, 448 million tons of plastic was
produced around the world (Anastasia 1). By using
alternatives, we’re already reducing the amount of
single-use plastic being thrown out.
The main idea is that -
4
A the main pollution
problem is single-use plastic
B the overuse of plastic is a huge
problem
C the earth needs us to use less
plastic
D there are ways for people to use
less plastic
The details support the idea that A plastic is bad for the Ocean
B people do not need plastic
C there is not enough plastic
D there is too much plastic
Short Answer: What is the author’s
main purpose?
Created by Custom Classroom by Angela Copyright © 2019
Summarizing
Excerpt from Dracula by Bram Stocker
Beyond the green swelling hills of the Mittel
Land rose mighty slopes of forest up to the lofty
steeps of the mountain themselves. Right and
left of us they towered, with the afternoon sun
falling full upon them and bringing out all the
glorious colors of this beautiful range, deep
blue and purple in the shadows of the peaks,
green and brown where grass and rock
mingled, and an endless perspective of jagged
rock and pointed crags, till these were
themselves lost in the distance, where the
snowy peaks rose grandly. Here and there
seemed mighty rifts in the mountains, through
which, as the sun began to sink, we saw now
and again the white gleam of falling water.
One of my companions touched my arm as we
swept round the base of a hill and opened up
the lofty, snow-covered peak of a mountain,
which seemed, as we wound on our serpentine
way, to be right before us.
What is the best summary of the
excerpt?
5
A The narrator and his companions were
speechless by the beauty of the
mountains.
B The hills and mountains were stunning
and full of color.
C The mountains were an amazing sight
to see as they came into view on the
narrator’s journey.
D The mountains were tall, colorful jagged
and full of snow.
The excerpt is mainly about the A hills
C mountains
B view
D water
Short Answer: Describe a view of nature
you have experienced.
Created by Custom Classroom by Angela Copyright © 2019
Summarizing
Youth Voices by Lining
People
who
have
higher
education will live longer, and
people with a high school
diploma live seven years longer
than
people
without
one.
According to the CBA Website,
certain things impact a person's
death, like smoking and obesity.
However, a new study noted that
obesity is more common among
the less educated, and recent
research suggests that obesity
might contribute to nearly as
many deaths as tobacco does.
Therefore, people with higher
education tend to be less
overweight and live a longer life.
Which of the following is the best summary?
6
A It is important to get a high school diploma and
eat a healthy diet.
B Tobacco and obesity are major problems
among uneducated people.
C People who are educated eat a healthier diet
and live longer.
D Research shows that a lack of education can
lead to being overweight and a shorter life
span.
The excerpt is mainly about A education
C obesity
B tobacco
D high school
Short Answer: How do you feel about the author’s
claim?
Created by Custom Classroom by Angela Copyright © 2019
Informational Text
Excerpt from America: The Book By Jon Stewart
It is often said that America "invented" democracy. This
view is, of course, an understatement; America
invented not only democracy, but freedom, justice,
liberty,
and
"time-sharing."
But
representative
democracy
is
unquestionably
our
proudest
achievement, the creation most uniquely our own, even
if the rest of the Western world would have come up
with the idea themselves by the 1820s. So why, then, has
participation in this most wondrous system withered? As
heirs to a legacy more than two centuries old, it is
understandable why present-day Americans would
take their own democracy for granted. A president
freely chosen from a wide-open field of two men every
four years; a Congress with a 99% incumbency rate; a
Supreme Court comprised of nine politically appointed
judges whose only oversight is the icy blade of Death—
all these reveal a system fully capable of maintaining
itself. But our perfect democracy, which neither needs
nor particularly wants voters, is a rarity. It is important to
remember there still exist many other forms of
government in the world today, and that dozens of
foreign countries still long for a democracy such as ours
to be imposed on them.
What is the author’s overall
message?
A We need to understand that
other countries want to be like us.
7
B We were the beginning of democracy.
C We need to learn more about Congress
and the Supreme Court.
D We need to stop taking our vote for
granted.
Which words from the text help the reader
understand the meaning of withered?
A participation in this most wondrous
system
B As heirs to a legacy more than two
centuries old
C take their own democracy for granted
D A president freely chosen
Short Answer: What do you believe is the
author’s view of America? Explain.
Created by Custom Classroom by Angela Copyright © 2019
Informational Text
Excerpt from American Heroines By Kay Bailey Hutchison
Mary Austin didn't grow up dreaming of a life in Texas. As a child in New Haven,
Connecticut, during the closing years of the eighteenth century, this daughter of a
prominent mercantile family may have imagined faraway places but probably
expected to spend a comfortable life close to home. Mary was born in 1784, the
fourth of Elijah and Esther Phelps Austin's eight children. Her father helped develop
the lucrative shipping trade between the young Republic and China, but when
Mary was ten years old, Elijah Austin died of yellow fever. Although the Austins
weren't plunged into poverty, Esther Austin couldn't afford to keep her family
together, so Mary was sent to live with her uncle, Timothy Phelps, another
prosperous New Haven merchant, and his family. In 1805, Mary Austin married
Horace Holley, a Yale graduate from Salisbury, Connecticut, who turned his back
on a promising legal career in New York to return to Yale and study divinity. His first
posting, at a Congregational church in the small Connecticut town of Greenfield
Hill, left Mary feeling isolated from the cultural life she craved. In 1808, Rev. Holley
was invited to serve as minister of Boston's Hollis Street Congregational Church, and
Mary and Horace jumped at the chance to become part of Boston's vibrant social
and intellectual world. Mary, whose first child, Harriette, was born that same year,
found the cultural atmosphere bracing, while Horace, whose religious ideas were
growing increasingly liberal, quickly found himself quite at home among Boston's
philosophers and politicians. A serious thinker and impassioned speaker, Horace
rapidly gained a place for Mary and himself among New England's intellectual
elite. He was invited to join the Harvard University Board of Overseers, quite an
accomplishment for a "mere" Yale graduate, and when the Hollis Street church
closed down during the construction of a larger building, William Emerson, father of
the philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson and minister of First Church, arranged for
Horace to alternate as preacher there until Hollis Street reopened. At one dinner
party that included, among other guests, John Quincy Adams, Horace engaged
the former president in an argument about religion.
The reader can
conclude that -
8
A many decisions were
made out of Mary’s control
B Mary has a strong will and
character
C Horace only looked out for
himself
D Mary had a hard upbringing
What do both Mary and Horace
have in common?
A Their adventures in travels.
B Their love for their family.
C The need for a social life.
D A connection to the church.
Short Answer: How would you feel
if you had to move from your
home?
Created by Custom Classroom by Angela Copyright © 2019
Name:
Date:
Class:
Read the text on each task card and record your
answer to each question on the recording sheet below.
Card
Number
Multiple
Choice
Answers
Short Answer Responses
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Created by Custom Classroom by Angela Copyright © 2019
for downloading this resource!
I hope you found this resource helpful.
Please consider leaving me feedback at my store or email me if you have
any questions at customclassroombyangela@gmail.com
Follow my store to receive notification
of my latest products and freebies.
Terms of use:
Copyright © Custom Classroom by Angela. All rights reserved by author.
Permission to copy for individual single classroom use only.
Redistributing, editing, selling or posting any part of this product on the
internet is strictly prohibited. Doing so is a violation of the
Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Thank you for respecting my work!
Credit
If you liked this product,
you might like these resources.
Get more and save!
SELF-GRADING GOOGLE FORMS!
Reading Test Prep Bundles
Want to see more?
Visit my store
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Custom-Classroom-By-Angela