1. Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program RP DP
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
RPDP.net
RPDP Secondary Literacy

2. Test Taking Strategies for Readingby
Jill Leone
Reading Specialist
Copyright © 2006
RPDP Secondary Literacy

3. Get ready to pass proficiency!
Today's Objective
Get ready to pass proficiency!
RPDP Secondary Literacy

4. Do these expressions look at all familiar?
Which one of these expressions fits your mood when you have to take a big test?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

5. Almost nothing scares us more than hearing the word:
Test!
Our hearts beat faster, our palms sweat a little, and we get this little knot in the pit of our stomach.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

6. When you take a test, you’re really being tested on two things:
How much you know about the subject.
How much you know about taking a test.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

7. Test-taking is like riding a bicycle.
Don't worry!
Test-taking is like riding a bicycle.
You get better and better at it with practice.
You can also develop good test-taking strategies that you can use for the rest of your life.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

8. situation and improves:
Be a winner!
Learning how to take
tests is a win-win
situation and improves:
your self confidence
your test scores
That’s right. Test taking is actually a skill. The more tests you take strategically, the better test taker you become.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

9. The Night before the Test
Prepare mentally.
Think positive.
Stay relaxed and confident.
Get lots of sleep.
Think positive (even if other people say it’s a waste of time).
Stay relaxed and confident. Tell yourself that you are going to do well.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

10. During the Test Take your time and relax.
Don’t be a clock watcher! It’s distracting.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

11. Make sure you understand the directions.
During the Test
Read Directions
Make sure you understand the directions.
Don’t skip the sample questions and answers!
RPDP Secondary Literacy

12. Read the questions first -
During the Test
Read the questions first -
Helps focus your attention.
Directs you to the most important parts of the page.
Break complicated questions into smaller parts.
This way, you know what you are reading for.
Also, mark tricky directions by circling or underlining them (if you are permitted to write in your test booklet).
RPDP Secondary Literacy

13. Three important rules –
During the Test
Three important rules –
Read all of your answer choices.
Compare choices.
Make sure you read and answer
all parts of each question.
You need to compare the answer choices because most multiple choice tests are asking you to choose the best answer.
Also, be aware that some questions have more than one part.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

14. STOP! Make sure you understand what each question is asking.
Think about what you will need to look for to answer correctly.
If you don’t understand the question, how can you possibly answer it correctly?
Circle key words in the passage, such as not, least, cause, effect, first, last, etc.
Sometimes it helps to put the question in your own words. Just be careful not to change the meaning.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

15. During the Test Write in your test booklet! Read the questions twice
before you read the passage.
Look for key words.
Circle or underline them.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

16. Sometimes you have to reread.
Don’t be alarmed if you need to read both the questions and passages more than one time.
Good test-takers go back to passages for information.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

17. Most tests ask you to choose the best answer.
Never choose an answer that’s not - supported by the selection or your own prior knowledge
Read and think!
Most tests ask you to choose the best answer.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

18. Choose the Best Answer. Answers are often stated in words
different from the reading passage.
A passage about the Civil War discusses the casualties of war, but the answer choice might use the word fatalities.
By choosing the answer choice that contains the word fatalities, a good test taker is also demonstrating understanding or reading comprehension.
Watch for this on many tests!
RPDP Secondary Literacy

19. Eliminate incorrect choices.
C or D?
Choose the best answer by eliminating choices that don’t make sense.
GUESS on questions you don’t know.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

20. Connect to what you already know.
Try to visualize.
Try to visualize what you’re reading about.
Connect to what you already know.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

21. Do all the problems in your test booklet first.
Work in your test booklet!
Do all the problems in your test booklet first.
Don’t bubble in answer sheet until
after you’ve finished the entire test –
and gone over it.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

22. Stop every paragraph or two and think about key ideas.
For long passages
Break up long passages
into smaller parts.
“Chunking” them makes
them more manageable.
Stop every paragraph or
two and think about key
ideas.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

23. During the Test Never choose an answer that contains any wrong
information.
If any part of an answer choice is wrong, don’t choose this answer.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

24. for tricky or negative words in questions:
During the Test
not
least
none
never
except
Watch out -
for tricky or negative words in questions:
RPDP Secondary Literacy

25. Which of the following is NOT a requirement for graduation?
Question
Which of the following is NOT a requirement for graduation?
Read your answer choices and either yes or no to each.
The choices that you answered yes are not correct.
The one choice you answered no is your correct answer.
answer
RPDP Secondary Literacy

26. Which of the following is NOT a requirement for graduation?
Question
Which of the following is NOT
a requirement for graduation?
American Government (yes)
English III (yes)
American History (yes)
Spanish I (no)
The answer choice you answered NO is the correct answer.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

27. Very few things in life fit into these categories.
During the Test
Be careful of answer choices with
extreme or absolute words such as:
all
always
never
no one
everyone
These answers are usually not correct. Very few things in life are always or never true. The same thing holds true for no one and everyone. They are too extreme.
Very few things in life fit into these categories.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

28. Don't ignore the little words!
Don’t ignore little words like but and yet.
They can really change the meaning of a sentence.
He tried hard
but never made
a shot.
Often, we read the big words carefully, but we often miss little words like BUT, NOT, and EXCEPT because we’re in a hurry or we think they’re not important.
A little word like BUT makes a big difference and signals the reader that everything after it is different from the part of the sentence before.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

29. Don’t choose an answer just because it’s a
During the Test
Don’t choose an answer just because it’s a
sentence you read in the passage.
Make sure each answer you choose answers
the question you’re working on NOW!
Watch for related questions - Information for
one question can be “given away” in another.
If the answer you choose is in the reading passage, make sure that it answers what the question asks This could be a trick – a choice that has information from the passage but does not answer what is being asked.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

30. Don’t use it as a substitute for careful reading!
Skimming is glancing quickly at a page to get an idea of topics and important ideas.
Don’t use it as a substitute for careful reading!
RPDP Secondary Literacy

31. A test question asks about the setting
Example
A test question asks about the setting
of Pearl Harbor. Once you have read
the passage all the way through, go
back and skim until you find the parts
that discuss the time and place, which
make up the setting.
Now, read this part carefully.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

32. This is the most important reading strategy you’ll ever learn.
Many tests ask you to identify the main idea.
This is the most important reading strategy you’ll ever learn.
The main idea is the key thought or idea in a passage.
It’s what authors want you to understand and remember most.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

33. Don’t confuse a supporting detail with the main idea!
For Main Idea Questions
Don’t confuse a supporting detail with the main idea!
Supporting details just explain or give more information about the topic.
Main idea questions can be worded: What is the best summary, central focus, key thought or idea?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

34. For Main Idea Questions
Reread the first and last sentences.
Then, sum up everything in one sentence.
Skim the reading passage to see how many times each answer choice is discussed.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

35. Main Idea Practice Question
RPDP Secondary Literacy

36. On some East coast beaches, flags are used to indicate the condition of the surf. A red flag indicates to swimmers that the surf is dangerously rough. A yellow flag is a warning or caution; swimmers should stay near the shore. A green flag means that the surf is calm. Whatever the condition of the surf, a swimmer should always be careful.
What is the main idea?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

37. On some East coast beaches, flags are used to indicate the condition of the surf. A red flag indicates to swimmers that the surf is dangerously rough. A yellow flag is a warning or caution; swimmers should stay near the shore. A green flag means that the surf is calm. Whatever the condition of the surf, a swimmer should always be careful.
What is the main idea?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

38. The main idea of this paragraph is – surfing the waves.
Practice Question
The main idea of this paragraph is –
surfing the waves.
safety precautions for swimmers.
flags used to tell surf conditions.
East coast beaches.
(After reading the passage), you can skim through it and see that the writer used the words flag and surf four times each, so it’s pretty clear that the main idea is letter C – flags used to tell surf conditions.
How did you do?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

39. Time and Sequence Questions
Don’t always expect to find all of the events given to you in correct order.
Pass up your homework after you sit down.
First, sit down, and second, pass up your homework.
incorrect
correct
RPDP Secondary Literacy

40. For Vocabulary Questions
When you have to choose the correct
meaning of a word, remember to read
The sentence the word is in
The sentence right before
The sentence right after
                                       
                                       
The area of the passage surrounding the word is called the context, and writers often leave clues here to help you figure out word meaning.
Also, be sure to substitute each of the answer choices in the context of the passage.
Context Clues
RPDP Secondary Literacy

41. For Fact and Opinion Questions
Facts can always be verified to be true or false.
With facts, there’s no other reasonable point of view.
An opinion is a statement made by someone who believes it is true.
There can be other points of view.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

42. For Questions about the Writer
Think about the writer’s:
purpose for writing
key points or main ideas
style and techniques
overall tone
intended audience
viewpoint
use of content, text
features, and structure
RPDP Secondary Literacy

43. Writers use them for a reason.
Pay careful attention to these text features:
Headings/subheadings
Words in capital letters
Bold print
Underlined words
Italicized words
Bulleted words
Writers use them for a reason.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

44. For Inference Questions
When you’re asked to make an
inference or conclusion-
You have to make an intelligent guess.
The correct answer is usually not in one specific place.
Expect to look in more than one place on the page to answer questions that ask you to draw conclusions.
Corbis.com
RPDP Secondary Literacy

45. For Inference Questions
Good readers –
combine prior knowledge with
the words on a page.
Your job is to interpret meaning.
There are many messages under the surface of a page.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

46. Try each answer choice to see if it answers the question.
Keep trying!
Try each answer choice to see if it answers the question.
Cross out answers that aren't sensible.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

47. Bubble carefully! Make sure you fill in all blanks
completely so the machine that grades the test records all your answers.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

48. A blank answer will be a wrong answer.
Do not leave any answers blank.
A blank answer will be a wrong answer.
On the Nevada High School Proficiency Exam
RPDP Secondary Literacy

49. Is it OK to change an answer?
Big Question
Is it OK to change an answer?
What do you think?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

50. Sometimes we’re nervous the first time we go through a test.
The answer is yes.
Sometimes we’re nervous
the first time we go through a test.
We’re concentrating on finishing.
Once we know the end’s in sight,
we relax
and think more clearly.
Just be careful not to change answers without good reason.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

51. Don’t get upset if other students finish before you.
Some advice for you
Don’t get upset if other students finish before you.
Take your time, don’t panic,
and keep working till you’re done.
Don't rush!
RPDP Secondary Literacy

52. A good reader is also a good detective.
Remember -
A good reader is also a good detective.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

53. Check answer sheet. After the Test Make sure you bubbled correctly.
Use test booklet as marker to check each line.
Check line by line. A
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54. Be quiet and respectful. Don’t disturb others still working.
After the Test
Be quiet and respectful.
Don’t disturb others still working.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

55. Are you ready? ? Estás listo? Ipasa mo! Si, se puede!
RPDP Secondary Literacy

56. Copyright © 2006 by Jill M. Leone
Copyright Notice
Permission is granted to copy (unmodified) all or part of this PowerPoint for educational, personal, non-commercial use off-line as long as the copyright message (Copyright © 2006 by Jill Leone) is maintained on the title page. This material may not
be sold, duplicated on other websites, incorporated in commercial documents or products, or used for promotional purposes.
Copyright © 2006 by Jill M. Leone
RPDP Secondary Literacy