Presentation (Handout 1) Instr. Assessments

Partial Test Matrix Analysis* Test Cluster # Items & Sample Format Content Domain Tested Skills Prerequisite Skills Synonyms Recognize a synonym from a printed word 18 items A filly is a kind of turtle rabbit horse frog Parts of speech, verbs, nouns, some adjectives To be able to discriminate between at least one close synonym and the precise definition. To be able to discriminate between words that "make sense" in the sentence and the one that captures the "same meaning" Ability to show conceptual under-standing by discriminating between close approximations of meaning and precise meaning Be able to answer questions and give examples that are not just "close enough" but "right on." Multiple Meanings Use context to determine meaning of a known word with multiple meanings 6 items I cannot bear to tell my mom I skipped school. In which sentence does the word bear mean the same thing as in the sentence above? I saw a bear eating my picnic lunch. The bridge will bear 10 tons. My brother bears well in school. He bears up well under pressure. Words that change their meaning depending on what part of speech they are used as or the context of a sentence. Words can be one year below, at grade level or one year above grade level. Recognize that how a word issued in a sentence (part of speech) can sometimes change its meaning. Recognize homographs. Recognize that context may change the meaning of a word. Understanding what context is. Understanding that meaning resides in use, not just in the word itself. Ability to write sentences using the same word to mean different things. Awareness of spelling patterns and homographs. Context Use context clues to assign the meaning to an unknown word 6 items Use the other words in the sentence to help you figure out what the underlined word means. --After the earthquake, the dog dug through the rubble until he found his master. yard house broken concrete tunnel Verbs, nouns and adjectives that would not likely be encountered in third grade literature but that could occur in upper elementary grades. Ability to get "main ideas" from sentences. Ability to test hypotheses about language meaning and select best guesses. Ability to predict answers to questions without complete information. Wide experience with a variety of above-grade level text that may be difficult but still comprehensible with guidance. Large vocabulary. Word attack skills (prefixes, root words, etc.). * Prepared by the Long Beach Unified Public Schools for the Grade 3 Reading - Language Arts Stanford 9.