Day 1—Bell ringer
1.) Tear a sheet of paper in half (hamburger)
2.) Write a word or phrase next to each of
the following that explains its importance:
□ Thomas Jefferson
□ Nullification Crisis
□ subsistence agriculture
□ imperialism
10 Days to TAKS
Warm Ups
10th Grade Social Studies TAKS
Friday, May 2, 2008
The 8 Step Approach to
Answering Questions
Q: Isn’t 8 steps a lot to go through?
A: Yes. But if you want to get a question
correct, this will really work.
Q: But EIGHT steps?
A: It’s okay! Once you learn the steps, they
will become automatic. Oh, and these
steps will work on any kind of question,
math, English, science…
Q: I’m not convinced yet…
Cover, Category, Keys—Text Me—R3
1 Cover answer choices
2 Identify the category
3 Find the key information
4 Text it
5 Connect it to me
6 Read question with each answer
7 Reduce answer choices
8 Review your answer choice
Step 1: Cover the answer choices
Cover the answer choices with your
hand and try to answer the question
without looking at them.
Why? 3 of the 4 answer choices are
wrong. Looking at three wrong
answers might distract you from the
correct answer.
Step 2: Identify the category
• Find the folder in your brain
• Is the question about
– 8th grade history
– 8th grade politics
– World Geography
• Which part of
the world?
– World History
• Which time period
in history?
Step 3: Find key information
• If there’s a title and/or an author, circle it!
• Look for vocabulary words, key words,
graphs, etc.
Day 1—Categories
1 The Confederate capture of Fort Sumter
in 1861 was significant because it –
Day 1—Categories
1 The Confederate capture of Fort Sumter
in 1861 was significant because it –
A inspired northern voters to elect Abraham
Lincoln as president
B allowed the South to form an alliance with
France
C marked the beginning of the Civil War
D forced the border states to agree to free
their slaves
Day 1—Categories
1 The Confederate capture of Fort Sumter
in 1861 was significant because it –
A inspired northern voters to elect Abraham
Lincoln as president
B allowed the South to form an alliance with
France
C marked the beginning of the Civil War
D forced the border states to agree to free
their slaves
Day 1—Categories
• Why would did it help to try to answer
that question without looking at the
choices
• When would this strategy not work?
• Why does it help to decide the era
before looking at the answer choices?
• What information was circled?
• How was it helpful?
Day 2—Bell ringer
1.) Use the other half of your paper from
yesterday
2.) What do you remember from your 8th
grade social studies class? Do you
remember any topics or projects or special
events or lessons, etc.?
Day 2—8th grade material
What were the first 3 test-taking
strategies?
Today we’re going to practice 2 more
strategies
Text the question
Connect it to yourself
Cover, Category, Keys—Text Me—R3
1 Cover answer choices
2 Identify the category
3 Find the keys
4 Text it
5 Connect it to me
6 Read question with each answer
7 Reduce answer choices
8 Review your answer choice
Step 4: Text it
• If you had to text this question, what would
you write?
• Simplifying the question and putting it into
your own words is important.
Step 5: Connect to me
• What does this question have to do with
you? What does it remind you of?
• When did you learn it?
• What connections (inside or outside of the
classroom) do you have to this learning?
Day 2—8th grade material
1 The year 1776 is an important date in
U.S. history because it marked the –
Day 2—8th grade material
1 The year 1776 is an important date in
U.S. history because it marked the –
A beginning of the American Revolutionary
War
B signing of the Declaration of
Independence
C writing of the U.S. Constitution
D founding of the first American colony
Day 2—8th grade material
1 The year 1776 is an important date in
U.S. history because it marked the –
A beginning of the American Revolutionary
War
B signing of the Declaration of
Independence
C writing of the U.S. Constitution
D founding of the first American colony
Day 2—8th grade material
• Did you have to know the Era of Good
Feelings to answer the question?
• How did you put the question into text
language?
• How did you connect the question to
yourself?
Day 3—Bell ringer
1.) Tear a new sheet of paper in half.
2.) Write the following in chronological order:
□ U.S. Constitution
□ Declaration of Independence
□ Magna Carta
□ Articles of Confederation
3.) Next to each document, explain briefly
what makes it important
Day 3—8th grade material
What are the first 5 strategies?
Today we’ll be practicing the final 3
strategies:
Read each answer choice with
the question
Reduce answer choices
Review your choice
Cover, Category, Keys—Text Me—R3
1 Cover answer choices
2 Identify the category
3 Find the keys
4 Text it
5 Connect it to me
6 Read question with each answer
7 Reduce answer choices
8 Review your answer choice
Step 6: Read
• Read the question with each of the
answer choices
• It sounds silly, but sometimes one
answer choice A or B might seem
good enough…so it might seem
easier to stop there…when the best
answer is actually C or D.
Step 7: Reduce
• Trust me! If I haven’t taught it to you,
it’s probably not the correct answer.
• Cross out incorrect answers
with your pencil.
• If an answer choice has ―only,‖ ―all,‖
or ―never‖ it’s probably wrong
Step 8: Review
• Do you have any odd feelings about your
answer choice?
• What was your reason for choosing the
answer you did?
• Take the time to read through it one more
time.
Day 3—8th grade material
Excerpt from Retired Union General Ben Butler’s
Report to the 43rd Congress
There, in a space not wider than the clerk’s desk,
and three hundred yards long, lay the dead
bodies of 543 of my colored comrades, slain in
the defense of their country….Feeling I had
wronged them in the past, and believing what
was the future duty of my country to them I
swore to…defend the rights of the men who
have given their blood for me and my country
this day and for their race forever.
Day 3—8th grade material
Excerpt from Retired Union General Ben Butler’s
Report to the 43rd Congress
There, in a space not wider than the clerk’s desk, and
three hundred yards long, lay the dead bodies of 543
of my colored comrades, slain in the defense of their
country….Feeling I had wronged them in the past, and
believing what was the future duty of my country to
them I swore to…defend the rights of the men who
have given their blood for me and my country this day
and for their race forever.
1 In the excerpt above, General Butler recounts
the sacrifices of African Americans killed in a
battle during the –
Day 3—8th grade material
Excerpt from Retired Union General Ben Butler’s Report to the
43rd Congress
There, in a space not wider than the clerk’s desk, and three hundred yards
long, lay the dead bodies of 543 of my colored comrades, slain in the
defense of their country….Feeling I had wronged them in the past,
and believing what was the future duty of my country to them I swore
to…defend the rights of the men who have given their blood for me
and my country this day and for their race forever.
1 In the excerpt above, General Butler recounts the
sacrifices of African Americans killed in a battle during the
A American Revolution
B War of 1812
C Mexican War
D Civil War
Day 3—8th grade material
Excerpt from Retired Union General Ben Butler’s Report to the
43rd Congress
There, in a space not wider than the clerk’s desk, and three hundred yards
long, lay the dead bodies of 543 of my colored comrades, slain in the
defense of their country….Feeling I had wronged them in the past,
and believing what was the future duty of my country to them I swore
to…defend the rights of the men who have given their blood for me
and my country this day and for their race forever.
1 In the excerpt above, General Butler recounts the
sacrifices of African Americans killed in a battle during the
A American Revolution
B War of 1812
C Mexican War
D Civil War
Day 4—Bell ringer
1.) Use the other half of your paper.
2.) Of all of the 8th grade terms, which ones
do you feel like you know the least well?
What could you do to learn them better?
Day 4—8th grade material
What are the 8 steps?
Practice them all on every question!
Cover, Category, Keys—Text Me—R3
1 Cover answer choices
2 Identify the category (era)
3 Find the keys
4 Text it
5 Connect it to me
6 Read question with each answer
7 Reduce answer choices
8 Review your answer choice
Day 4—8th grade material
1 George Washington played an important
role during the American Revolution
while serving as –
Day 4—8th grade material
1 George Washington played an important
role during the American Revolution
while serving as –
A ambassador to France
B attorney general for the colonies
C commander of the Continental army
D president of the Continental Congress
Day 4—8th grade material
1 George Washington played an important
role during the American Revolution
while serving as –
A ambassador to France
B attorney general for the colonies
C commander of the Continental army
D president of the Continental Congress
Day 4—8th grade material
• Why does it help to cross out
incorrect answers?
• What should you do if you can only
cross out one or two answers that you
are sure are wrong?
Day 5—Bell ringer
1.) Tear a sheet of paper in half
(hamburger)
2.) Which of the following was the
most important invention?
Explain!
computer
printing press
assembly line
Day 5—World Geography
What are the 8 steps?
Which one is hardest to remember?
Which one takes the longest to do?
Cover, Category, Keys—Text Me—R3
1 Cover answer choices
2 Identify the category (era)
3 Find the keys
4 Text it
5 Connect it to me
6 Read question with each answer
7 Reduce answer choices
8 Review your answer choice
Day 5—World Geography
Day 5—World Geography
1 Based on the map, what conclusion can be
drawn regarding the locations of cities in ancient
Mesopotamia?
Day 5—World Geography
1 Based on the map, what
conclusion can be drawn
regarding the locations of cities
in ancient Mesopotamia?
A They were along the
shore of the Persian
Gulf.
B They were clustered
between Lake Urmia
and Lake Van.
C They were located in the
Syrian Desert.
D They were located near
the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers.
Day 5—World Geography
1 Based on the map, what
conclusion can be drawn
regarding the locations of cities
in ancient Mesopotamia?
A They were along the
shore of the Persian
Gulf.
B They were clustered
between Lake Urmia
and Lake Van.
C They were located in the
Syrian Desert.
D They were located near
the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers.
Day 6—Bell ringer
1.) Use the other half sheet from yesterday
2.) What parts of a map should you read
before looking at the question?
Day 6—Map Reading
Quick! Name the strategies!
Which strategies seem the most
helpful to you?
Cover, Category, Keys—Text Me—R3
1 Cover answer choices
2 Identify the category (era)
3 Find the keys
4 Text it
5 Connect it to me
6 Read question with each answer
7 Reduce answer choices
8 Review your answer choice
Day 6—Map Reading
Day 6—Map Reading
1 A megalopolis is an urban area made up of adjoining
cities and their suburbs. The feature shared by all the
megalopolises on the map is that they –
Day 6—Map Reading
A are located along
the East Coast
B extend through
two or more states
C are adjacent to
1 A megalopolis is an urban
area made up of adjoining bodies of water
cities and their suburbs. D are located in
The feature shared by all
the megalopolises on the
river valleys
map is that they –
Day 6—Map Reading
A are located along
the East Coast
B extend through
two or more states
C are adjacent to
1 A megalopolis is an urban
area made up of adjoining bodies of water
cities and their suburbs. D are located in
The feature shared by all
the megalopolises on the
river valleys
map is that they –
Day 7—Bell ringer
1.) Tear apart another sheet of
paper.
2.) Write down as many eras or
time periods of World History as
you can remember. (Example:
the Renaissance)
Day 7—World History
Believe it or not, some of the TAKS
test will actually cover World History,
the social studies course you’ve been
taking this year…
Cover, Category, Keys—Text Me—R3
1 Cover answer choices
2 Identify the category (era)
3 Find the keys
4 Text it
5 Connect it to me
6 Read question with each answer
7 Reduce answer choices
8 Review your answer choice
Day 7—World History
1 Since the late 1700s, technological
innovations such as the steam engine
have affected daily life by –
Day 7—World History
1 Since the late 1700s, technological
innovations such as the steam engine
have affected daily life by –
A increasing industrial efficiency
B guaranteeing workers’ wages
C causing mass migration to rural areas
D decreasing agricultural production
Day 7—World History
1 Since the late 1700s, technological
innovations such as the steam engine
have affected daily life by –
A increasing industrial efficiency
B guaranteeing workers’ wages
C causing mass migration to rural areas
D decreasing agricultural production
Day 7—World History
• Which strategies worked well with this
question?
• Are there any strategies that can be used
on every question?
Day 8—Bell ringer
1.) Tear a sheet of paper in half (hamburger)
2.) Why do you think that the State of Texas
retests you on 8th grade material? Why do
they include World Geography as well on
the 10th grade social studies TAKS?
Day 8—Practice
Are the 8 steps automatic yet?
Just like breathing!
Cover, Category, Keys—Text Me—R3
1 Cover answer choices
2 Identify the category (era)
3 Find the keys
4 Text it
5 Connect it to me
6 Read question with each answer
7 Reduce answer choices
8 Review your answer choice
Day 8—Practice
1 Mongolia is a landlocked country in north
central Asia with a harsh climate and few
resources. Livestock outnumber people
many times over. It can be inferred that
Mongolia’s economic system is a –
Day 8—Practice
1 Mongolia is a landlocked country in north
central Asia with a harsh climate and few
resources. Livestock outnumber people
many times over. It can be inferred that
Mongolia’s economic system is a –
A subsistence economy based on farming
B subsistence economy based on herding
C market economy based on agriculture
D market economy based on light industry
Day 8—Practice
1 Mongolia is a landlocked country in north
central Asia with a harsh climate and few
resources. Livestock outnumber people
many times over. It can be inferred that
Mongolia’s economic system is a –
A subsistence economy based on farming
B subsistence economy based on herding
C market economy based on agriculture
D market economy based on light industry
Day 9—Bell ringer
1.) Use the other half sheet from day before
yesterday
2.) If you could travel to another country
rather than take the TAKS test, which
country would you visit? Why?
Day 9—Practice
Cover, Category, Keys—Text Me—R3
1 Cover answer choices
2 Identify the category (era)
3 Find the keys
4 Text it
5 Connect it to me
6 Read question with each answer
7 Reduce answer choices
8 Review your answer choice
Day 9
1 How were legislators chosen to serve in
colonial assemblies in North America
chosen to serve in colonial assemblies in
North America?
Day 9
1 How were legislators chosen to serve in
colonial assemblies in North America
chosen to serve in colonial assemblies in
North America?
A They were elected by eligible citizens.
B They were selected by church officials.
C They were appointed by royal governors.
D They were chosen by the king.
Day 9
1 How were legislators chosen to serve in
colonial assemblies in North America
chosen to serve in colonial assemblies in
North America?
A They were elected by eligible citizens.
B They were selected by church officials.
C They were appointed by royal governors.
D They were chosen by the king.
Day 9
• This was one of the most frequently
missed questions in the state in 2004.
Why do you think students might have
chosen answers ―B,‖ ―C,‖ or ―D‖?
Day 10—Bell ringer
1.) Use your leftover half sheet from
yesterday.
2.) Describe what you will do this evening
and tomorrow morning to review, relax,
and mentally prepare yourself for the
Social Studies TAKS test.
Day 10—Jeopardy
Look at what we have done in 10
days…
Are the 8 test-taking automatic now?
What are the new connections you’ve
made to the material?
Cover, Category, Keys—Text Me—R3
1 Cover answer choices
2 Identify the category (era)
3 Find the keys
4 Text it
5 Connect it to me
6 Read question with each answer
7 Reduce answer choices
8 Review your answer choice
Day 10—Jeopardy
1 Which principle of government does the chart
illustrate?
Day 10—Jeopardy
1 Which principle of government does the chart
illustrate?
A federalism C republicanism
B popular sovereignty D separation of powers
Day 10—Jeopardy
1 Which principle of government does the chart
illustrate?
A federalism C republicanism
B popular sovereignty D separation of powers
Day 10—Jeopardy
• What can you do to make reading through
long questions easier?
• What parts of the passage gave the most
clues towards the answer?
Day 10—Jeopardy
• Relax, take your time, and use
your strategies on TAKS!