2021 STAAR Grade 8 Reading

It shows Lucy’s shift in focus from herself to the project.

It signals a change in the other students’ treatment of Lucy.

It suggests that Lucy will become close friends with members of her group.

It shows that the other students have more experience than Lucy in creating a film.

A specific plan

An unexpected outcome

An existing possibility

A strange situation

She is unsure about Rodney’s motivation for speaking to her.

She knows she is more critical of herself than anyone else is.

She is beginning to feel accepted at her new school.

She thinks Rodney will introduce her to new people.

The events reveal Lucy’s regrets about registering at a new school.

The events explain Lucy’s reasons for not liking her new school.

The events hint at Lucy’s confusion as she walks to her first-period class.

The events set the conditions for Lucy’s attitude as the school day begins.

Lucy’s feelings about what takes place when she transfers to a new school

The other students’ reactions when Lucy falls down the stairs

Rodney’s initial impression of Lucy when he watches the video of her fall

The cinema teacher’s thoughts about Lucy’s midyear transfer

Lucy tries to forget the bad start to her first day at a new school by telling herself only a few people saw her fall down the stairs. However, when students begin whispering in Lucy’s cinema class, she fears the worst. Lucy is assigned to a group and is welcomed by one of the members, but the other members of the group do not acknowledge her.

Lucy is reminded of her mother’s encouraging words after her first day at ARTS Magnet School. Already late to class, Lucy falls down the stairs but is not hurt. In second period students stare at Lucy when she enters the room. Then a member of Lucy’s group tells her that a student has recorded video of her fall and that he thinks she fell gracefully.

Lucy has trouble finding her first-period class after the office staff takes a long time completing her new-student paperwork, but she meets some girls who sit behind her in class. In her cinema class, Lucy is welcomed into a group working on a 30-second film project and shares some ideas she has with her group.

Lucy falls down the stairs on the first day at her new school. Her cinema class begins awkwardly, but one member of Lucy’s assigned group welcomes her. He explains that the group will use the video of her fall in its class film project. Lucy becomes more at ease as members of her group encourage her involvement in its class project.

wonders if she should have stayed at her old school

enters her first-period class for the first time

is greeted by a classmate during second period

is ignored by a classmate in her group

Achieving academic success requires hard work and commitment.

Goals are easier to achieve when working with others.

Adjusting to new situations may take a long period of time.

Negative experiences can sometimes have positive outcomes.

Identifying a new species requires careful analysis of an animal.

Scientists are searching constantly for unknown types of animals.

Studying ocean animals is easier than studying land animals.

Most animal research is conducted by government agencies.

why the octopod lives so deep in the ocean

how far the octopod can move without having fins

why scientists named the octopod after a cartoon character

how the octopod uses its suckers to grasp objects

Government scientists were sent to Hawaii to study animal life in the Pacific Ocean. They watched video that was taken by an underwater vehicle. Watching the video from a ship and from land, they saw a ghostlike octopod. The scientists named the mysterious new specimen Casper after Casper the Friendly Ghost, an old cartoon character.

Near Hawaii a research team studied the Pacific Ocean thousands of feet below the surface. The team members became excited when they saw a white octopod appear on their video. They had not expected to see this finless animal as it was found below 13,000 feet where there is little food to support its existence.

Scientists made an exciting find in the waters near Hawaii. While mapping the ocean floor to study ocean life, scientists saw a mysterious octopod. It was so unusual that scientists decided they had discovered a new species. The octopod that scientists found was unique, suggesting there are still undiscovered species located in other parts of the world.

Dozens of researchers observed a white octopod in the ocean near Hawaii. Octopods are a category of eight-armed animals that include the octopus. The researchers used an underwater vehicle as part of their studies and were surprised to see the unusual creature. Scientists doubt that they will be able to examine a specimen of this new type of octopod.

Octopods are found in many oceans throughout the world.

The ghostly octopod is common only to the ocean area around Hawaii.

Octopods are most commonly found near islands.

The ghostly octopod was found near the Hawaiian Islands.

Vecchione is not interested in learning more about the new octopod.

Vecchione is fascinated by the discovery of new species.

Vecchione was the coordinator of the project that discovered the unknown creature.

Vecchione was first to understand the significance of finding the new octopod.

Definition 1

Definition 2

Definition 3

Definition 4

Scientists are finding tiny frogs throughout the mountain ranges of the world.

Researchers locate tiny frogs by their bold and unique coloring.

Tiny frogs can be very difficult for scientists to capture.

Tiny frogs have poisonous skin that helps to protect them.

They make their homes in the treetops.

Their bright color makes them easy to locate among the leaves.

Most of their diet consists of dead leaves.

They have adaptations that help keep them from danger.

To prove that this species is the smallest of all frogs ever discovered

To highlight the effectiveness of the frog’s natural camouflage

To emphasize how small the frog is by comparing it to a familiar object

To demonstrate that the frog has a unique call

Vecchione uses high-tech equipment to observe animals, but Pie does not.

Vecchione studies animals that can be difficult to find, but Pie does not.

Pie is employed by a government agency, but Vecchione is self-employed.

Pie conducts research about many kinds of animals, but Vecchione studies only octopods.

study animals that live in the oceans

learn about animals from the sounds they make

perform their work in isolated areas

capture the animal they each study

Moore studies animals in their natural habitats.

Moore will likely have an opportunity to observe a newly discovered animal more than once.

Moore is dedicated to finding new animal species in new locations.

Moore researches animals that are commonly found throughout the world.

He and his team have tiptoed to the location where they last heard them singing. (paragraph 1)

But they must look very carefully because these frogs are smaller than a fingernail. (paragraph 1)

The tiny amphibians were incredibly difficult to catch because they jump like crickets. (paragraph 4)

In spite of the countless challenges, new tiny frogs are being found among the planet’s habitats that have previously been understudied. (paragraph 5)

The frogs’ bodies have coloration that protects the frogs. The octopod’s body does not have coloration for protection.

The frogs are found on islands in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. The octopod was sighted off the coast of Brazil in South America.

The frogs’ size is typical for its species. The octopod’s size is smaller than normal.

The frogs are well adapted to their environment. The octopod has not adapted to its environment.

irritated that she does not have better communication skills for the experiences she has

concerned that she must continue to talk with people who speak different languages

confident that she will not feel separated from those in her family who speak a different language

relieved that she is going to a familiar place where there will be less conflict

wants to learn different languages in order to communicate with others

feels torn between two different worlds that have little in common

wants to go home again and not have to speak or listen to anyone

feels annoyed by having to spend so much time listening to others

A person’s memories become more significant as one grows older.

Moving to a new place offers a person important and unique opportunities.

The best way to remember a person is to visit the place where that person was born.

A person’s sense of identity is often linked to a meaningful location in one’s past.

Living in between two ways/of speaking/and hearing (lines 1–3)

At least we’re finally/on our way to the farm, (lines 7–8)

Horses of so many shades/that the colors can’t be/counted. (lines 22–24)

Everything looks just as wild and free/as I’ve half-remembered (lines 25–26)

The sentences emphasize the distinct contrasts found on the farm.

The sentences highlight the speaker’s memories of the farm from previous visits.

The sentences detail how spacious the farm actually is.

The sentences reveal the types of animals the speaker sees on the farm.

The speaker has a sister living on the island whom she is looking forward to seeing.

The speaker feels a bond with the land, and she believes it will always be her homeland.

The speaker feels lonely on the island, and she wishes her family were there to share the experience with her.

The speaker looks forward to spending time with close friends while she visits her homeland.

To show that the majority of food forests are unsuccessful due to damage from pests

To highlight that food forest projects are often fully funded with grants from the government

To emphasize that even though they are self-sustaining, food forests must be managed well to be successful

To suggest that because it takes so long for crops to grow, food forests are not a realistic option for most communities

To explain the food forest concept and design model

To encourage nonprofit groups to seek assistance from volunteers

To highlight existing food forests that have been successful

To describe how to maximize sustainable agricultural production

Food forests are self-sustaining gardens that produce various fruits and vegetables. These public areas, which can be found in several cities across the country, are similar to community gardens but offer additional benefits to local residents. Two such food forests are Thorne-Rider Park in Wyoming and Coastal Roots Farm in California.

Food forests are not a new concept, and many cities have taken advantage of these edible landscapes. However, critics warn that there are many drawbacks that should be considered, such as issues with funding, labor, and pests.

The first food forest was founded in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1997. Since then, organizations across the country have taken note of the permaculture design and have implemented it into similar projects such as Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas, California, and Thorne-Rider Park in Sheridan, Wyoming.

Carol LeResche is a food forest coordinator who enjoys creating edible gardens so that local residents can have access to free vegetables such as zucchini and potatoes. She received a grant to begin a food forest at Thorne-Rider Park in Sheridan, Wyoming.

They both feature crops that do not need much maintenance over time.

They both provide crops that are shared with local food banks.

They both offer residents public areas to harvest food.

They both require residents to make a monetary investment.

People prefer food forests over community gardens.

Food forests are a valuable asset to communities around the country.

Some food forests emphasize the plants’ beauty over their practical use.

Residents are required to maintain food forests in order to gather food from them.

To describe a unique way that people can get involved in their communities

To convince community leaders to establish food forests

To detail an alternative agricultural practice that is becoming more popular

To expose flaws in the implementation of food forests

The main reason the food forest in Thorne-Rider Park was started

The high level of interest communities have in starting food forests

The concerns raised by critics about starting a food forest at Thorne-Rider Park

The motivation behind the rules that govern community gardens

To reveal problems caused by the amount of time it takes for community gardens to produce crops

To give reasons why food forests include more perennials than community gardens

To note objections to charging residents for use of plots in community gardens

To highlight distinctions in costs, labor, and plants between food forests and community gardens

alternating both descriptions and specific examples of food forests with more general information about the reasons behind creating edible forests

describing a typical day of the food forest coordinator and then explaining how edible forests are primarily funded

providing a general overview of where edible forests are located and then describing why it is important to have volunteers who are knowledgeable about the care of plants

listing the requirements residents must meet before foraging in the edible forests and then offering specific examples as to where most edible forests are located

All of a sudden

With care

For the most part

In the end

wants Samantha to realize that Samantha is abandoning the orchestra

believes that Samantha has chosen the newspaper over their friendship

worries that Samantha is writing for the newspaper because she doubts her musical talents

thinks Samantha will miss playing the violin while writing for the newspaper

has never truly enjoyed being in orchestra with Alyssa

wants to write a newspaper article about Alyssa

wants to have friends other than Alyssa

is determined to be honest with Alyssa

Samantha’s mom is in the living room when Samantha enters, and she immediately asks Samantha if she has told Alyssa about her decision to join the newspaper.

Samantha comes home from school and begins to tell her mom about her decision to quit orchestra, and Samantha’s mom tells her daughter she must live with the results of her decision.

Samantha and her mother discuss Samantha’s conversation with Alyssa, and then Samantha makes a decision to take a break from orchestra.

Samantha’s mom is waiting when Samantha returns home from seeing Alyssa, and Samantha says she wants to explore new options in middle school.

decision to try robotics

reluctance to talk to Samantha in the hallway

excitement about continuing with orchestra

acceptance that Samantha is a talented violinist

Both girls will try to participate in each other’s new interests.

Alyssa will eventually quit the orchestra to pursue her interest in robotics.

Both girls will enjoy their own activities while still remaining friends.

Samantha will ask to participate in the orchestra’s upcoming competitions.

Samantha has played with the orchestra longer than any other student has.

Samantha has proved herself to be the most talented violinist in the orchestra.

Samantha practices more than the other violinists in the orchestra.

Samantha is envied by many of the other orchestra players.