Test prep time is here! We may have felt like spring would never come but it finally has and along with spring comes the time of test preparation.
Testing can be stressful for students and for teachers! We’ve put in so much time on teaching and learning. It is now time for our classes to shine!
We have 5 test prep ideas for you that are easy to implement and make great reminders for your students as they head towards assessment times.
Test Prep #1 – READ & JOT
You’ve probably already taught this skill, but it is worth cycling back and reminding students to jot down notes as they read to remind themselves of important information as they go. If they are using a paper test, they may be able to make notes in the margins of the pages. If not, teach them to use their scratch paper for notes. Most of our students know this skill by this time of year, but sometimes need a little nudge to actually USE this important skill. 😁
Test Prep #2 – WHAT ABOUT NAMES?
There are a lot of names used in testing materials that do not look familiar to all students or that do not seem to follow the phonetic rules the student has learned so far. It can get confusing and hard to keep in mind which characters are doing what when reading if you cannot pronounce their names. I know some teachers direct students to rename the name with a name that begins the same way.
For example, the name Chrysanthemum may intimidate some students, especially our developing readers. So some teachers might teach to call this character by another name that begins with a C. Or you can make it even easier and just call that character “C”. Whatever you have students do, helping them have a plan for handling names they may not be ready to decode yet is a good thing!
Test Prep #3 – GET ON THE VOCABULARY VAN
You’ve taught these strategies before. I just know you have! But it is worth reminding students that author’s like to leave clues for them that explain what words mean.
Commas around a vocabulary word and words in parenthesis after an important word can be clues to the word’s meaning. Using words like “this” and “like” can also be clues. Sometimes it just takes a few practices to bring this back to our students’ minds the strategies they can use to help them be successful! You can find these reading comprehension and fluency passages here!
Test Prep #4 – ALL ABOUT SETTINGS
I know a lot of students get stuck on looking for days of the week when they face a question on a test about settings. Or they look for the clock time stated in first paragraph. We need to help students notice other clues about settings than these two items. The elements of a story, like the setting, contribute to its overall meaning. Being able to identify the more complex settings will contribute to a deeper understanding of the story that students sometimes miss.
Test Prep #5 – PRONOUNS: WHO IS IT?
When a story uses many characters and names of things and places and then begins to use several pronouns, it can really cause some confusion! Some of our developing readers may struggle with who is doing what. When my classes come to paragraphs like this and I ask to whom that pronoun is referring to they often get it incorrect due to confusion of what is happening.
Teach students to back up a few sentences and map out on the test, scratch paper or in their head who is doing what to untangle what is truly going on in the story.
Extra Tip – DOUBLE PRACTICE
Be sure to demonstrate these tips with students with both paper and pencil AND digitally. On paper tends to be the best way to introduce the skills or to review them before moving to digital practice. But we need to be sure students have opportunities to practice digitally if that is the way they will take their end of the year testing. Some of your schools will have district reading tests at the end of the year that are not digital. But most students will take at least part of their end of the year tests digitally. Check out our reading comprehension and fluency passages by clicking here!
Are you a member of our Literacy Group? We sure would love to have you join us! Short weekly newsletters that include teaching tips and ideas, Free Resource Library, notification of new activities at 50% off, giveaways, and more! Join us now by clicking here!
Leave a Reply