SOMERSET ACADEMY

FCAT 2.0 TU

TORIAL

2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4 SC H O O L Y

E A R

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF FCAT 2.0?The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test

measures student achievement in constructing meaning from a wide variety of texts. Basically, it tests how well you can comprehend and analyze something you read.

There are two types of texts: literary and informational. In 10th grade, 30% of texts are literary and 70% are informational.

This test is taken on the computer and is broken up into two sessions, one session taken per day.

There are between 50-55 questions altogether.

WHAT DOES MY SCORE MEAN?

Types of Literary Text• Fiction:

• Short Stories• Poetry• Myths and Legends• Drama• Excerpts

• Nonfiction:• Biographical works• Autobiographical

works• Diaries and

memoirs• Essays

Types of Informational Text• Primary Sources

• Historical documents

• Essays• Letters and diaries

• Secondary Sources• Magazine articles• Newspaper articles• editorials

• Functional Materials• Consumer

documents• Graphics• How-to articles• Schedules

WHAT TYPES OF TEXT WILL I HAVE TO READ?

EASY: 1-step problemAVERAGE: Multiple stepsCHALLENGING: Analyze &

synthesize information

Questions are broken into three basic categories: easy, average, and challenging.

It’s important to remember that there will be questions that you are NOT expected to answer correctly.

HOW HARD ARE THE QUESTIONS?

EASY QUESTIO

NS:

In the author’s opinion, who is the most important swing musician of all time?

A. Glenn MillerB. Duke EllingtonC. Benny GoodmanD. Louis Armstrong

Easy

questio

ns are

Right There

questio

ns- they

will

ask y

ou to

iden

tify

meanings o

r figurat

ive la

nguage;

they

also a

sk yo

u to lo

cate

details

in a

graph

or tex

t.

AVERAGE

QUESTIONS:

Which statement best expresses the main idea of this article?

A. Art forms are fads that are enjoyed temporarily.

B. Personal preferences influence musical appreciation.

C. The value of music lies in how it enhances human lives.

D. The success of an artist is measured by future generations.

Averag

e ques

tions a

re Th

ink& Sea

rch

questio

ns- they

ask y

ou to use

contex

t clues

or word

structu

re to

identif

y mea

nings and

determ

ine multip

le mea

nings or d

eterm

ine

and in

terpret

infor

mation

such

as: m

ain

idea plot

, rela

tionsh

ips, them

e, inter

pret

informati

on in te

xt fea

tures.

CHALLENGING

QUESTIONS:

According to the essay, the client’s most notable quality is his

A. Desire for a peaceful vacation.B. Enthusiasm for a new

experience. C. Admiration for nature’s array of

colors.D. Appreciation for life’s simple

pleasures.

Challen

ging questio

ns ask

you to

analy

ze an

d evalu

ate in

formati

on fr

om

multiple

passa

ges or

parts o

f a te

xt,

including te

xt fea

tures. Y

ou will

be

aske

d to: a

nalyze

the e

ffect o

f

figurative

languag

e, dete

rmine h

ow

text f

eatures

contri

bute to

the mea

ning

of a t

ext, e

valuate

strong an

d wea

k

argumen

ts, des

cribe c

ommon th

emes

acros

s tex

ts, id

entif

y and an

alyze

word

s

and phras

es w

ith Gree

k/Lati

n

deriva

tions.

QUIZ TIME!Question 1:What is the purpose of FCAT 2.0?

QUESTION 2:How many levels of difficulty are there in regards to FCAT 2.0 questions?

QUESTION 3:What are the two general types of text that you will read?

QUESTION 4:Place each type of text into one of the

categories from the previous question:1. Poetry2. Diary3. Historical document4. Autobiographical essay5. How-to article

QUESTION 5:What is the minimum score I need to score a Level 3 (passing)?

QUESTION 6:30% of FCAT 2.0 questions

come from which category?

Bonus question: What two subjects are primarily made up of this type of information?

QUESTION 7:Identify the level of complexity of the following question:

What is the strongest evidence in support of the glacial erosion theory?

QUESTION 8:Identify the level of complexity of the following question:

Read this sentence from the poem “Offspring.”Face slanted upward toward a threatening sky,Which word, if used to replace threatening, would create

the most opposite image of the sky?A. EagerB. NurturingC. ProddingD. Watchful

Bonus: answer the question.

QUESTION 9:Identify the level of complexity of

the following question:What can the reader conclude from the poet’s use of apostrophes in place of the letter g in the words reachin’, landin’, and turnin’?

QUESTION 10:Identify the level of complexity AND the Reporting Category of

the following question:

Read this sentence from “Walking.”They are all, somehow, one plant, each with a share of

communal knowledge.What does the word communal mean as used in the sentence

above?A. ActualB. BasicC. DiverseD. Mutual

Bonus: answer the question.

QUESTION 11:Identify the level of complexity of the following question:

Read this sentence from the article.Jaded thrill seekers must be wondering why there are so few really tall

mountain ranges on Earth, and why the ones we have aren’t taller.The word jaded comes from the middle English word iade, which means “a

worn-out horse”. Based on the meaning of the root word, the sentence implies that some mountain climbers have become

A. Bored with the sport of scaling Earth’s available mountain peaks.B. Resentful of the superior skill to climb Earth’s mountains shown by

others. C. Frustrated at their inability to successfully ascend Earth’s highest

mountains.D. Exhausted by their efforts to reach the summits of Earth’s highest

mountains peaks.

Bonus: answer the question.

QUESTION 12:Identify the level of complexity of the

following question:Read this sentence from the essay.It was a green and sleeping bud, raising itself toward the sun.

What literary device does the writer use in the sentence above?

QUESTION 13:Identify the level of complexity of the following question:

What was the author’s purpose in writing this essay?

QUESTION 14:Identify the level of complexity of the following question:

What caused Nicholas Brozovic and his fellow geologists to first believe that glaciers influence the height of mountain ranges?

QUESTION 15:Identify the level of complexity of the following question:

What is the theme of both the poem and the autobiography?

QUESTION 16:Identify the level of complexity of the following question:

Which statement from the article is best supported by the diagram on the third page of the passage?

11/12 CLASS PROCEDURES:Warm Up

(10 minutes)

When you come into the class, pick up your folder and take your seat. Copy the learning goal and activity into the “Warm Up” section of your folder.

Vocabulary

(20 minutes)

As a class, we will learn new vocabulary or review vocabulary from various text. You will always have homework after the first day of class and you will always have a quiz on the final day of class each week. This will go in the “Vocabulary” section of your binder.

Skills Study

(30 minutes)

Move into your Home Group and work on the activity assigned for the day. I will be monitoring your progress and will help you with any problems you encounter, but you should work as a group to complete the activity. Parts of the activities will require you to complete work on your own as well. Completed work should be kept in “Class Work”. Any work not completed in class will be assigned for homework.

ACT Study

(30 minutes)

Move into your Satellite Group. We will work as a whole class, in groups, and as individuals on ACT passages and activities. Place all passages in your folder. . Any work not completed in class will be assigned for homework.

10 CLASS PROCEDURES:Warm Up

(10 minutes)

When you come into the class, pick up your folder and take your seat. Copy the learning goal and activity into the “Warm Up” section of your folder.

Vocabulary

(20 minutes)

As a class, we will learn new vocabulary or review vocabulary from various texts read during the week. You will always have homework after the first day of class and you will always have a quiz on the final day of class each week. This will go in the “Vocabulary” section of your binder.

Whole Class Instruction

(30 minutes)

This time will consist of minilessons designed to improve comprehension of both reading passages and test taking strategies. I will model thinking and guide you through each passage as you use active reading strategies (summarizaing, Text Codes) to actively read along. We will then analyze questions in a Think/Pair/Share format, highlighting areas that support your answers. Completed work should be kept in “Class Work”. Any work not completed in class will be assigned for homework.

Study Groups

(30 minutes)

At this time, you will independently read the Upfront magazine article and complete Steps 1 & 2 from the Group Study Steps handout. You will then move into your assigned Study Group to work on Steps 3 & 4; we will jigsaw into Satellite Groups (1 person from each Reporting Category) and work on Steps 5 & 6. I will be monitoring your progress and grading accordingly. . Any work not completed in class will be assigned for homework.