1. “Reading is the New Civil Right!”
Testing genre
Strategies for Readers
Dr. Dimple J. Martin, Reading/Language Arts, K-5
“Reading is the New Civil Right!”

2. Hope is not a strategy
We are all doing great things- we are recognizing and appreciating the diversity in our students and their families, we are setting goals, we are differentiating curriculum... It’s is not a matter of doing more, it is being strategic about our teaching. Test prep can and should be integrated into the reading workshop.
Hope is not a strategy- Test Talk, Greene & Melton, 2007

3. Testing as a genre
Why do our students need to pass standardized tests?
How can we help our students show what they know on standardized tests?

4. Why do our students need to pass standardized tests?
Life skill
ACT Aspire
High School Exams
SAT/ACT
College Exams
Job Placement

5. How can we help our students show what they know on standardized tests?
Teach Test Talk
Teach Strategy Use
Teach Test Navigation
Teach Readiness

6. Test Talk Testing language is hyper-English (Calkins, 1998)
Vocabulary of the directions or questions uses a very proper language
Students need to know how to translate the words and phrases

7. Language of Testing ARTICLE DETAIL OPPOSITE PASSAGE PHRASE SELECTION
SEQUENCE
SIMILAR
STATEMENT
THEME
TOPIC
BEST DESCRIBES
BEST COMPLETES
CAN TELL
CHOOSE THE BEST
DOES NOT BELONG
MAIN PURPOSE
MAINLY ABOUT
MOST IMPORTANT
MOST LIKELY
RIGHT AFTER

8. Genre Specific Vocabulary
Poetry
mood, tone, stanza, line
Fiction
character, setting, plot, solution, events
Non-fiction
caption, bullets, text box, diagram, chart
Specific terms can be found in the state and Common Core standards.

9. Strategy Use
The month of the test should not be the first time students are taught reading strategies
Infer, Visualize, Question, Determine Importance, Make Connections, Synthesize, etc
Active Reading
Using Schema (Background Knowledge)
Using the Author’s Clues to Recognize Important Information
Identifying and Following Directions
Re-Reading
Skim & Scan
Navigating the Text

10. Test Navigation Read the questions and choices carefully.
Read the questions first, but don’t try to answer them before reading the passage.
Read the questions and choices carefully.
Reread the text before choosing an answer.
Be alert for signal words in questions.
Questions are asked in different ways.
Bolded words in questions are clues for you to use.
Use all the information you are given- titles, captions, arrows, etc.
Reading the questions first gives the kids a preview of what to look for as they read. However, if kids think too hard about the questions, they may devise their own answers, rather than finding the answers/evidence in the text.
Test makers often include key words in more tan one answer to see if you are reading carefully or just skimming.
Don’t just skim or rely on memory, because test makers will often put true information as choices, but that information may have nothing to do with the question.
“Why” questions are usually inference, “Who, what, when & Where” questions are usually asking for information directly stated in the text.
Also be on the lookout for underlined, italicized or words in different fonts.

11. Readiness Practice building stamina at a desk
Don’t linger on hard questions
Read the question carefully, looking for signal words, bold or italicized words
Read each question choice
If you skip a question, be sure to come back
Kids can’t test in a comfortable spot on the floor- they need to be prepared to sit at a desk or computer for long periods of time.

12. Understanding the Questions
“Reading tests have predictable kinds of questions, and each kind requires a unique approach.”- Harvey & Goudvis
Multiple Choice Tests Have Four Main Types of Questions
Vocabulary Questions
Literal Questions
Summarizing & Synthesizing Questions
Inferential Questions

13. Literal Questions What… When… Which… Where… How…
Which of these events happened first? (sequence question)
When you touch poison ivy, you…
(asks information from the passage)

14. Teaching Literal Questions
The answers are “right there” in the text
Teach Skim and Scan
Look for key signal words
(what, when, which, where, how)
Match the words of the question to specific words in the text
Scan several paragraphs to notice events or steps in sequence
Eliminate answers you know are not true

15. Summarizing & Synthesizing Questions
Which statement best summarizes…
What is the main idea…
What is the main reason…
What is the most important idea in this article/passage/poem…
This story/article/poem is mainly about…
This section mainly describes…
This story/article/passage was written in order to…
Another title (good name) for this story might be…

16. Teaching Summarizing & Synthesizing Questions
“Author and Me” Questions
Teach strategies to DETERMINE IMPORTANCE
Read for the gist of the story/article
The distracter is often the answer that is most interesting, but not most important
Screen out your personal opinion and stick to the information from the passage
Wrong answers are usually facts or details from the passage
Use the process of elimination

17. Inferential Questions
Why
What can you conclude…
What lesson does this teach…
What is the problem…
Which of these is most likely true about…
From the story you can probably guess…
How does the author feel about…
After reading this, what will probably happen next…
How did (the character) feel about…

18. Teaching Inferential Questions
Students must use the author’s words and personal background knowledge to infer
Students often try to guess based on their personal thoughts/feelings- REINFORCE referring back to the text
Search for evidence to support answer
Look for text clues
Focus on the author’s purpose
Don’t over think

19. References
Calkins, L. Montgomery, K. & Santman, D. (1998). A teacher’s guide to standardized reading tests. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Greene, A.H & Melton, G.D. (2007). Test talk: Integrating test preparation into reading workshop. Portland: Stenhouse.
Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2005). The comprehension toolkit: Extend & investigate. Portsmouth: Heinemann.