The STAAR reading test has changed over the years for elementary students. Third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade students will have to answer revise and edit questions on the STAAR Reading Test.
Editing questions ask students to look at a sentence and correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, or capitalization in the sentence.
Revising questions ask students to change, add, or delete words or sentences from the selection.
Most students do not have experience with these types of questions. It is important to start early in the year, so your students are ready for the revise and edit questions on the STAAR Reading test this spring.
Grammar Rules
First of all, students must be taught all grammar skills from your grade level TEKS in order to tackle revise/edit questions.
One strategy is to heavy load grammar lessons at the beginning of the year. Then students are familiar with the grammar rules when they start revise and edit questions.
Teaching grammar can be challenging. How to Teach Grammar in Your 4th Grade Classroom gives tips for your grammar lessons.
Are you struggling with what order to teach grammar skills to your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students?
Check out my grammar pacing guide. Not only is there a timeline of the order in which grammar rules should be taught, but there are also linked resources that can help you teach each grammar skill.
STAAR Stemmed Question Strategies
Revise and Edit questions on the STAAR Reading test are quite different from reading comprehension questions.
Students should be taught specific revise and edit strategies. There are many types of question stems and there are different strategies to use on these questions.
After teaching revise and edit strategies, students need plenty of practice with these strategies.
Hands-on revise and edit practice helps students understand why and how to answer specific revise and edit question stems.
Writing Notebook
After teaching grammar skills and revise/edit strategies, students need a place to store all of the valuable information they learned.
Writing Notebooks are the perfect place to put everything you have taught your students.
My Writing Notebooks include no prep notes for grammar skills, revise/edit strategies, and writing notes.
There are specific notebooks aligned to each grade level’s TEKS: third grade notebook, fourth grade notebook, and fifth grade notebook
Students can reference their notes throughout the year when working on revise/edit practice questions.
Repetitive Practice
Practice makes permanent. After learning a variety of grammar rules and many reivse/edit question stems, students must practice!
However, giving passage after passage is boooring!
Make practice fun by creating stations or group activities for revise/edit practice.
If you don’t have the time and energy to create your own stations, check out these no prep ways to practice Revise/Edit questions:
STAAR Reading Review
A few weeks before the STAAR Reading test, it is important to create a review your students will enjoy and learn from.
How to Plan Your STAAR Reading Review is full of information on how to plan an incredible review.
A STAAR review should be comprehensive and Incorporate all question types including revise and edit questions.
As you can see implementing strategies for your students to be successful on revise and edit questions on the STAAR reading test doesn’t have to be overwhelming!
Be sure to start early, provide practice, and review strategies.
