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53 Test-Taking Skills

Page
447
from
Write Ahead

Test-Taking Skills Chapter Opener

Start-Up Activity

Share with students the definition and etymology of the following word:

Test: examination to determine the correctness of something (from 1590, derived from Latin testum, meaning an earthen pot in which gold was melted to check its quality)

That's right. Students are the gold. The whole purpose of a test is to discover the tremendous value that they have inside themselves. For that reason, students should do their best to perform well on tests. This chapter contains support for every assessment environment, from true/false questions all the way to high-stakes on-demand writing prompts.

Think About It

“As you know from school, it's when you have not prepared for the test that you have the fear of failing. And if you have prepared, even if you fail, you've done your best.”

—Alice Walker

State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.8

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.10

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.A

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.B

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.A

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.B

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.C

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.D

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.E

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.C

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.D

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.E

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.F

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.5

LAFS Covered in This Chapter

LAFS.910.W.3.8

LAFS.910.W.3.9

LAFS.910.W.2.4

LAFS.910.W.1.1

LAFS.910.W.1.2

LAFS.910.W.2.5

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

110.36.c.11.E

110.36.c.11.F

110.36.c.11.G

110.37.c.11.E

110.37.c.11.F

110.37.c.11.G

110.36.c.5.C

110.37.c.5.C

110.36.c.9

110.36.c.10

110.37.c.9

110.37.c.10

110.36.c.9.A

110.36.c.9.B.i

110.36.c.9.B.ii

110.37.c.9.A

110.37.c.9.B.i

110.37.c.9.B.ii

110.36.c.10.C

110.37.c.10.C

110.36.c.7.E

110.36.c.10.B

110.37.c.10.B

110.36.c.5.H

110.37.c.5.H

110.36.c.9.C

110.36.c.9.D

110.37.c.9.C

110.37.c.9.D

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

Page 448 from Write Ahead

Preparing for a Test

Students all too often "cram" for tests, staying up late the night before to try to pack as much information into their feverish brains as possible. Not only does this study habit make students jittery and sleep-deprived, but it also forces learning into short-term memory so that it is quickly forgotten after the test. The active study strategies on this page help students really learn material, storing it in long-term memory.

Review each strategy with your students. Ask for a show of hands to see which students use each strategy. Have students discuss their study process.

Afterward, point out how these strategies get students talking, listening, reading, writing, visualizing, and socializing—actively engaging many different neural pathways to help cement learning.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.3.8
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.11.E, 110.36.c.11.F, 110.36.c.11.G, 110.37.c.11.E, 110.37.c.11.F, 110.37.c.11.G
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.1.c, LA 10.2.1.b, LA 10.2.1.i

Related Resource Tags

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Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for Assessment

Page 449 from Write Ahead

Test-Taking Tips

Present the tips on this page prior to the first two or three major tests that students take. Have them bookmark this page to review the tips before tests in your class and others'.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.3.8
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.11.E, 110.36.c.11.F, 110.36.c.11.G, 110.37.c.11.E, 110.37.c.11.F, 110.37.c.11.G
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.1.c, LA 10.2.1.b, LA 10.2.1.i

Related Resource Tags

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Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for Assessment

Page 450 from Write Ahead

Taking Objective Tests

Use this page and the facing page to help students do their best work on true/false, matching, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions. Each type has potential pitfalls to avoid as well as specific strategies to hep students succeed.

Lead students through the three bulleted tips under "True/False," focusing on the logic of the statement.

Help students use the process of elimination to successfully complete matching questions.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.3.8
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.11.E, 110.36.c.11.F, 110.36.c.11.G, 110.37.c.11.E, 110.37.c.11.F, 110.37.c.11.G
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.1.c, LA 10.2.1.b, LA 10.2.1.i

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for Assessment

Page 451 from Write Ahead

Multiple Choice and Fill-in-the-Blanks

Review the strategies for correctly answering (and avoiding problems with) multiple choice and fill-in-the-blanks questions on tests.

With multiple choice questions, make sure students watch for multiple answers and for negating words.

With fill-in-the-blanks questions, make sure students fill all blanks with words that grammatically fit the rest of the sentence (as well as correctly completing it).

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.3.8
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.11.E, 110.36.c.11.F, 110.36.c.11.G, 110.37.c.11.E, 110.37.c.11.F, 110.37.c.11.G
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.1.c, LA 10.2.1.b, LA 10.2.1.i

Related Resource Tags

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Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for Assessment

Page 452 from Write Ahead

Taking Essay Tests

Often, tests in social studies and science include questions that require a paragraph or short-essay response. Such questions focus on testing students' understanding of key concepts, with writing ability as a secondary concern. Use this page and the two that follow to help students answer such questions.

Start by helping them search the question for the key word that indicates what they are supposed to do. Review each of the words and definitions in the chart. Point out that each of these is a command verb.

To help students respond to prompts in on-demand writing assessments (which focus on writing ability first and concepts second), see pages 457–458.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.2.4
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.9.A, 110.36.c.9.B.i, 110.36.c.9.B.ii, 110.37.c.9.A, 110.37.c.9.B.i, 110.37.c.9.B.ii
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.2

Related Resource Tags

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Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for Assessment
Form:
Response to Prompt
English Language Arts:
Writing

Page 453 from Write Ahead

Plan your answer.

Review the tips at the top of the page to help students quickly plan an essay response. Then show how the essay outline includes a controlling statement and supporting details. The writer could have written this response as a long paragraph but chose to break the response into three shorter paragraphs plus a conclusion. (See page 454.)

The form of the response is less important than the accuracy and completeness of the content. For this reason, the student was wise to take a little extra time up front to outline the response. Then the writer carefully followed the outline while drafting.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.9, 110.36.c.10.C, 110.37.c.9, 110.37.c.10.C
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.1.b, LA 10.2.2, LA 10.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for Assessment
Form:
Response to Prompt
English Language Arts:
WritingPrewriting

Page 454 from Write Ahead

Write your answer.

Lead students through the tips at the top of the page to help them understand how to write their responses to essay questions. Use the example at the bottom of the page to show how one student responded to an essay question. Show how the response follows the outline on page 453.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.9, 110.36.c.10.C, 110.37.c.9, 110.37.c.10.C
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.1.b, LA 10.2.2, LA 10.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for Assessment

Page 455 from Write Ahead

Taking Standardized Tests

Use the instructions on this page to prepare your students for success on standardized tests. Return to review this page the day before any standardized test your students take. Also, make sure to lead them through the tips for special question types on page 456.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.3.8
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.11.E, 110.36.c.11.F, 110.36.c.11.G, 110.37.c.11.E, 110.37.c.11.F, 110.37.c.11.G
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.1.c, LA 10.2.1.b, LA 10.2.1.i

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for Assessment

Page 456 from Write Ahead

Tips for Taking Standardized Tests

Before your students take a standardized test, find out what types of question will be on it. Then lead students through the tips on this page, helping them do their best on different question types.

You can often find a practice test or a parallel test from a previous year. If so, have students practice with these, applying the tips on this page.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.3.8
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.11.E, 110.36.c.11.F, 110.36.c.11.G, 110.37.c.11.E, 110.37.c.11.F, 110.37.c.11.G
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.1.c, LA 10.2.1.b, LA 10.2.1.i

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for Assessment

Page 457 from Write Ahead

Writing for Assessment

This page and the one that follows help students succeed in on-demand writing environments, like those found on high school exit exams and college entrance exams. Again, effective preparation does not call for "cramming." Instead, the writing skills students have practiced over and over on their classroom assignments will serve them well in the on-demand environment.

Use the bullets at the top of the page to reinforce the importance of keeping up with class work.

Use the section at the bottom to remind students about the PAST strategy for analyzing an on-demand writing prompt. Have students practice their own PAST analysis of the prompt in the tan box at the bottom of the page.

Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.9, 110.36.c.10.C, 110.37.c.9, 110.37.c.10.C
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.1.b, LA 10.2.2, LA 10.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for AssessmentExplanatory WritingPersuasive Writing
Form:
Response to Prompt
English Language Arts:
WritingPrewriting

Page 458 from Write Ahead

Writing for Assessment (Cont.)

Lead your students through the tips for forming a thesis statement that targets the prompt and listing supporting details. Then help students use a condensced form of the writing process to draft, revise, and edit their responses.

Use the prompt from the bottom of page 457 to have students practice on-demand writing. Give them a time frame for completing their work (between 40 and 60 minutes). Then have students share about their experiences in writing to the prompt. (Of course, you can also collect these responses and review them to get a sense of which students are on track and which need assistance.)

Use the material at the bottom of this page to provide students with more prompts for practice.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.W.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.9, 110.36.c.10.C, 110.37.c.9, 110.37.c.10.C
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.2.1.b, LA 10.2.2, LA 10.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing for AssessmentExplanatory WritingPersuasive Writing
Form:
Response to Prompt
English Language Arts:
WritingPrewriting