Various Strategies to be
Successful in ELA & Beyond!
1. How do I Restate Questions?
2. How do I plan for an ERQ (extended Response Question) using RAP
graphic organizer?
3. How do I write a 3.8 paragraph?
4. How do I find/create a main idea statement?
5. How do I summarize a passage?
6. How can I understand poetry?
7. How can I be successful on tests?
Restating the Question Notes
• In this class, you will always be required to restate
the question when creating a written response.
• Many times, when students restate
questions, they want to use the
question words in their response.
That’s not okay!
• Here are some samples of ways to
restate questions correctly.
Examples of Restating the Question
How?
How did the chicken
cross the road?
Not Acceptable: How the chicken crossed the road was
using his two feet.
Acceptable: Use the word “by.”
The chicken crossed the road by using his two feet.
Not Acceptable: When the chicken got hit by the bus was
When?
When did the chicken when he crossed the road.
get hit by the bus? Acceptable: Use “when” at the right spot; OR use “on +
date”
The chicken got hit by the bus when he crossed the road.
Or: The chicken got hit by the bus on Saturday.
Not Acceptable: Why the chicken crossed the road was to
Why?
get to the other side because he was about to get his head
Why did the chicken
chopped off!
cross the road?
Acceptable: Use the word(s) “To/Because.”
The chicken crossed the road to get to the other side
because he was about to get his head chopped off!
Examples of Restating the Question
Not Acceptable: Where the chicken crossed the road was
the intersection of KFC Boulevard and Popeye’s Lane.
Acceptable: Use a preposition.
Where did the chicken cross The chicken crossed the road at the intersection of KFC
the road?
Boulevard and Popeye’s Lane.
Where?
Not Acceptable: What the chicken’s worst fear is is
becoming someone’s dinner.
What is the chicken’s worst Acceptable: Use a linking verb (Is/Are/Was etc) at the
right spot.
fear?
The chicken’s worst fear is becoming someone’s dinner.
What?
Not Acceptable: Who the chicken’s worst enemy is is
Colonel Sanders!
Acceptable: Use a linking verb (Is/Are/Was etc) at the
Who is the chicken’s worst right spot.
enemy?
The chicken’s worst enemy is Colonel Sanders!
Who?
Restate, Answer, Prove:
RAP Pre-Writing Organizer
• Restate: “Cheat off the test” (NOT to be confused with
cheating ON a test!!)- Meaning, use your test as a resource.
Include information from the prompt such as: proper nouns,
power verbs, and vocabulary words.
• Answer: Create your response to the question. Complete the
task asked of you.
• Prove: Prove your answer is true by: cite evidence from the
text, quote something from the passage you’re given, in
math show your work, use details, explain your thinking, “I
can prove this by…”, use what you’ve marked as important in
the passage.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
3.8 Paragraph: 3 points, 8 sentences: for
informative & argumentative writing;
NOT NARRATIVE
Topic Sentence, main idea, central idea, thesis
statement, controlling idea (all the same thing)
1st point
Support for 1st point
2nd point
Support for 2nd point
3rd Point
Support for 3rd point
Conclusion- rephrase topic sentence
Two steps to find a main idea
statement:
1. Find WHO or WHAT the text is MAINLY about.
2. Then, CATEGORIZE the DETAILS... meaning, look for
what all the details have in common.
1. example of how to find a main idea statement:
igloo
apartment
condominium
mobile home
house
teepee
Main idea statement: Dwellings for people to live in
come in many different forms.
Plan and Label-Summarizing
 When asked to summarize a text:
 Read Text
 Outline each paragraph and number them
 In each paragraph, find 3-5 vocabulary words that are unique
to that paragraph
 Use those words to write a sentence or two
 Combine the sentences you just created to make a good
summary of the entire text.
Understanding Poetry
 Usually, in order to understand poetry, you have to read them
VERY carefully.
 Make sure you know what all the words mean
 Look carefully at word order
 Look for hints about the setting of the poem
 “a yellow wood” represents that poem takes place in the fall, when the
leaves are turning yellow
 Look for figurative language
 Simile, metaphor, personification, idiom, hyperbole, rhyme, repetition,
etc.
“Frequency” Multiple Choice Strategy
If you’re stuck on a question has multiple correct answers,
look for the frequency of answer choices.
In the sample below, Answers 1, 2, 3, & 4 show most frequently in the options. The
answer with “5" can probably be eliminated because it only shows up in the answer
choices once.
ex. Which of the following are examples of fallacies of arguments?
1. Cherry Picking
2. Straw Man
3. Slippery Slope
4. Masked Man
5. Whale Tale
a. 1, 4, & 5
b. 1, 2, & 3
c. 2, 3, & 4
d. 1, 2, 3, & 4
Note: As with all test-taking strategies, this is not a guarantee.
But, it is a good strategy!
 Taking your time: The faster you go through the test,
the more likely you are to make mistakes, and the less
time you have to catch them.
 Using pre-writing strategies: Use RAP for Short
Answers and ERQs.
 Taking PRIDE in your work: Reread
questions/passages when you don’t understand them
the first time rather than just giving up and guessing.
When you’re finished, look over your work to make sure
it’s work you DESERVE to be proud of. (You’re not
allowed to get out a book or put your head down after
you’re finished anyway, so you will really have nothing
else to do other than look over your work )
And… RESTATE, RESTATE, RESTATE!
100% of the time! Use the test as
a resource. If an ERQ prompt
begins with a statement before
Restating makes you sound
the question, use that same
statement as YOUR first sentence, much more knowledgeable
and confident with your
too!
response.
Use all of- EVERY ONE OF THEM!the proper nouns, power verbs, Like anyone would, scorers
and vocabulary words that were are much more likely to feel
“good” when reading your
given to you in the question.
response if you start off
When you restate the question
sounding very
exactly as it is using important
words from the question, the test knowledgeable about the
topic.
has already done some of your
work for you!