NJSLA ELA Practice

What is main idea?

• An important detail from the story

• The life lesson that you learn

• What the text is mostly about

• Your opinion about the text

Seated on his golden throne, King Midas wore a golden crown. He had golden rings on each finger and held a golden scepter. His vest was embroidered with golden thread and even his shoes had golden ornaments. He had a golden box filled with gold coins. He named his daughter Marigold.

What is the MAIN IDEA?

• King Midas had a heart of gold.

• King Midas sold lots of gold.

• King Midas loved gold.

• King Midas was a loving father.

One the most popular musical instruments is the piano. In the traditional musical instrument classification system of string, woodwind, percussion and brass, the piano falls into two categories. It is considered a string instrument because the sound comes from the strings inside the piano. It is also considered a percussion instrument, since the player strikes the keyboard, which signals an internal hammer to strike the strings.

What is the MAIN IDEA?

• The piano is both a string and percussion instrument.

• The piano is a string instrument.

• The piano is a popular instrument.

• The strings of a piano makes the sound.

Angie loved to draw very colorful pictures, but she lost her own markers, so she borrowed her teacher’s. The school day was ending, but Angie wanted to keep coloring, so she took the teacher’s markers home and lost them in her messy room. She came back to school the next day and wanted to color again, so she asked the teacher for more markers. The teacher replied, “Sure, Angie, but this is my last pack.” Angie said she would be careful, but by the end of the day the markers were scattered all over the floor and the custodian swept them up and disposed of them. When Angie came in the next day, she asked the teacher for more markers, but she was disappointed to find that there weren’t any more. “I don’t know where all of my markers went,” said the teacher, “but I don’t have them.” Angie had to draw her pictures with only a pencil.

What is the THEME of this story?

• Be kind to others, and they will be kind to you.

• If someone has something that you want, you should just take it.

• If you are not responsible, there will be consequences.

• You shouldn't judge others.

Jenny hated reading class. She didn’t understand point of view or figurative language, and not knowing how to do the work frustrated her. She asked the teacher for help, but he spoke so fast and used such big words that she still couldn’t understand. The teacher asked if she understood, and she nodded her head, but she didn’t. Jenny’s friend Katie knew that Jenny was having trouble, and, rather than just giving Jenny all of the answers, Katie explained to Jenny how to solve the problems. Katie spoke clearly and at Jenny’s level, and Jenny was happy that she finally learned how to do the work. Later in the week, Katie was having trouble in math class. She didn’t understand coordinates and was really frustrated. Seeing that Katie was having problems, Jenny, who understood math very well, taught Katie coordinates. Both girls made honor roll that quarter.

What is the THEME of this story?

• With teamwork, you can accomplish anything.

• You should be modest and not brag.

• First impressions are lasting impressions.

• You should give everyone a second chance.

What two things do you need to make an inference?

• Background knowledge & clues from the text

• Background knowledge & a notebook

• Clues from the text & a pencil

• Background knowledge & your brain

Karina woke up with the sun shining in through her windows. She groggily rolled over and looked at her clock, which read 6:30 a.m. She yawned and crawled out of bed and dressed in her bathing suit, pair of shorts and flip flops. She grabbed a ripe banana, a hat, and her sunglasses. She swung her backpack, with its whistle attached, on her back and left the quiet house.

Based on the passage, what can we INFER about the type of job Karina has?

• Waitress

• Lifeguard

• Nurse

• Swimmer

Every day after work Paul took his muddy boots off on the steps of the front porch. His wife, Alice would have a fit if the boots made it so far as the welcome mat. He then took off his dusty, dirty overalls and threw them into the laundry bin on the porch, left there by Alice. On his way in the house, he hung up his worn Detroit Tigers baseball hat and dropped the laundry bin off at the washing machine then went straight up the stairs to the shower.

What INFERENCE can you make about Paul's job?

• He probably works on a farm.

• He probably is a baseball player.

• He probably works at a laundry mat.

• He probably works on cars.

What does it mean to cite textual evidence?

• Use the text to write a question

• Make an inference about the text

• Make a prediction about what will happen next

• Use part of the text to support your answer

Bats pollinate countless tropical plants, and they are essential for regrowing cleared or damaged rainforests because they scatter the seeds of "pioneer plants" that begin the restoration process. And a new study shows that insect-eating bats save farmers in the United States more that $3.5 billion a year in reduced pesticide use because they eat moths and other insects that destroy crops. But maybe the most important reason to protect bats is that we need to conserve wildlife species so future generations can appreciate the wonders of nature just as we can.

CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE to support the statement that bats are helpful to farmers.

• "Bats scatter the seeds of 'pioneer plants.'"

• "Bats save farmers in the United States more than $3.5 billion a year in reduced pesticide use because they eat moths and other insects that destroy crops."

• "Bats pollinate countless tropical plants."

• "Bats are essential for regrowing cleared or damaged rainforests."