8th Grade ELA Final Exam Study Sheet

Genres - N/F/D/P/P
1. Non-fiction (Literary Non-fiction/Informational)
a. Literary Non-fiction
i. Memoir - One memory moment in a person’s life.
ii. Autobiography - The personal account of a person’s life written by the
person.
iii. Biography - The account of a person’s life written by another person.
b. Informational
i. Main Idea
ii. Summary
iii. Facts/Opinion
iv. Text Structure
v. Author’s Purpose
2. Fiction
a. Plot - The sequence (order) of events in a story.
i. Exposition
ii. Rising Action
iii. Conflict
iv. Climax
v. Falling Action
vi. Resolution
b. Characterization - Character traits: Feelings, Actions, Saying, Thoughts,
Relationships
c. Theme - The (central) message (lesson) the author wants the reader to take
away from the story.
d. Figurative Language - Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Onamonapia,
Hyperbole
e. Sensory Language - 5 senses (touch, smell, hear, seeing, taste)
3. Drama
a. Playwright - The author of a play.
b. Cast of characters - Actors in play.
c. Dialogue (Lines) - What the characters are saying.
d. Stage Directions - Instructions given in the text of a play.
e. Plot - The sequence (order) of events in a story.
f. Characterization - Character traits: Feelings, Actions, Saying, Thoughts,
Relationships
g. Theme - The (central) message (lesson) the author wants the reader to take
away from the story.
h. Figurative Language - Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Onamonapia,
Hyperbole
i. Sensory Language - 5 senses (touch, smell, hear, seeing, taste)
4. Poetry
a. Lines
b. Stanzas - A group of lines separated by a line break
c. Figurative Language - Repetition, Rhyme Scheme (AABB, ABAB), Onamonapia,
Simile, Metaphor, Personification,Hyperbole
 8th Grade ELA Final Exam Study Sheet

d. Sensory Language - Descriptive details of the 5 senses (touch, smell, hear,

seeing, taste)
e. Theme - The (central) message (lesson) the author wants the reader to take
away from the story.
5. Persuasive
a. Claim
b. Supporting details

Inference​ (What you know + What the text says = Inference)

Stated​ (direct text evidence) inference (words directly from the text)
Implied (indirect text evidence) ​inference (a conclusion drawn by making a strong
prediction about what the text states)
Vocabulary - ​IOOI - Inside, Outside, Outside, Inference
Root Words
Prefix
Suffix
Base word
Latin root

Expository/Informational Text​ - Text Features and Text Structure

Captions
Text Structure
Compare/Contrast
in comparison, by contrast, similarly, but, on the other hand, on the contrary, yet,
however, despite, as opposed to
Problem/Solution
problem, solution, because, research, develop, cause, since, as a result, in order to,
so that, goal, investigate
Descriptive
No signal words - instead look for lots of descriptive details
Sequence
first, second, next, last, finally
Chronological
first, next, then, before, after, last, finally, time
Cause/Effect
for this reason, thus, since, in order to, as a result, therefore, consequently, because,
 8th Grade ELA Final Exam Study Sheet

due to, on account of

Author’s Purpose - ​P.I.E.E. - Persuade, Inform, Entertain, Explain

Perspective
Point of View
First Person - I, me, my, we
Third Person - They, them, he, she
Limited - Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of 2 or less characters
Omniscient - Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of 3 or more
Theme - ​THE Me​ (the message)
Central message - central idea

Summary - G.I.S.T >>> BME

What, Who, Where, When, Why, How (G.I.S.T)
Main Idea
M​ - Main ideas only: from the Beginning, Middle and End
N​ - too Narrow (too little information)
B​ - too Broad (too much information)
Whole Summary - entire(all) text
Paragraph Summary - parts of the text
Line Summary - line of the text (specific detail)

Author’s Craft/Literary Techniques

Word Choice
Sensory Language
Figurative Language
Imagery
Premise
Claim
Assertion
Fact
Opinion
Loaded Terms

Poetry - S. S. I. F. T. T. ​and/or​ P. A. P.
Stanza
Lines
Line Breaks - Shift in the central message/theme
Rhyme (internal and external)
Rhyme Scheme
Rhythm
Meter
Figurative Language
Simile
Metaphor
 8th Grade ELA Final Exam Study Sheet

Extended Metaphor
Personification
Hyperbole
Imagery
Repetition
Alliteration
Symbolism
Sensory Language - 5 Senses (See, Touch, Taste, Smell, Hear)

Fiction - Adapted Plot Map

Plot Development
Exposition
Conflict
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Sign Posts
Contrast and Contradiction - CC
Aha Moment - Aha
Tough Question - ???
Words of the Wiser - WW
Again and Again - AA
Memory Moment - MM

Characterization - FASTR
Character Traits (qualities)
FASTR​ - Feelings, Actions, Sayings, Thoughts, Relationships
Character Motives
Character Conflict (internal, external)
Protagonist
Antagonist

So What Strategies Can Readers Use to Interpret the Texts?

Title - Predictions, Main Idea of text

 8th Grade ELA Final Exam Study Sheet

Text Evidence
MTT- Mark the text
Key words
Inside, Outside, Outside (vocabulary)
Signposts (word gaps, numbers and statistics, contrasts and contradictions, quote
words, absolute and extreme language)
Process of Elimination (POE)
Dictionary
Tally System - Self Monitoring Strategy
Inferences
Inside-outside-outside
Writing In The Margin (​WITM​) = (​CCVSRQ​)
Text Structure - Signal Words (text structure frame)
Summary - ​BME​ and Whole, Part, Sentence
S.N.O.T.S​ (Small notes on the side)
Double Bubble Thinking Map (synthesis, make connections)
TGPRSITE (mnemonic) - Tim’s Grandmother Picked Red Strawberries in the Evening
Title
Genre
Paragraph
Read or Reread
Summarize
Important Words
Text
Evidence
 8th Grade ELA Final Exam Study Sheet

RIP​ - Attacking the STAAR Test.

Read
Infer
Prove

NFDPP​ - How to remember the genres we will be tested on.

Non-Fiction
Fiction
Drama
Poetry
Persuasive

POE​ - Strategy for answering multiple choice questions

Process
Of
Evidence

2 Wrong answers - No Way Jose answers

1 Wrong answer that is a distractor - Maybe Baby
1 Correct Answer - Maybe Baby

WITM​ - Writing in the Margins = ​CCVSRQ​ - Connection, Clarify, Visualize,

Summarize, Respond, Questions

TGPRSITE​ - Tim’s, Grandmother, Picks, Red, Strawberries, In, The,

Evening

If you can’t prove it, I can’t use it.

FASTR​ - Use when analyzing a character/characterization

Feelings
Actions
 8th Grade ELA Final Exam Study Sheet

Sayings
Thoughts
Relationships

Inside, Outside, Outside - Use this strategy for vocabulary questions

Inside - Look inside the sentence
Outside - Look outside to surrounding sentences
Outside - Look outside in the dictionary

AO​ - Author’s Organization

Cause - Effect
Description
Problem - Solution
Sequence
Chronological

AP​ - Author’s Purpose

POV​ - Point of View

PIEE​ - Remembering the reasons authors write
P​ersuade
I​nform
E​ntertain
E​xplain

MI​ - Main Idea

The​ME ​- THE MEssage + So What?

SWBST​ - Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then

AAAWWUBBIS​ - Words used in complex sentences

 8th Grade ELA Final Exam Study Sheet

After
Although
As
When
While
Until
Before
Because
If
Since

CUPS​ - Revising and Editing

Capitalization
Usage
Punctuation
Spelling

QQSD​ - How do authors begin their writing

Question
Quote
Sensory Language
Dialogue

BME​ - Beginning, Middle and End - Summary Strategy, also Whole, Part,
Sentence

S.N.O.T.S​ (Small notes on the side) - Annotation Strategy

8th Grade ELA Final Exam Study Sheet