So you have a state test and don’t know what to do next. Don’t fret! This will be a helpful guide to getting you and your students ready. Why you should listen to me After twelve years into my teaching career, I was given the task of heading up the English classes of a freshmen group of high risk students. My principal told me flat out my task was to get these students to pass the state test. At this point in my state’s history, passing the English I End of Course Exam was mandatory to passing the English I course. Even if a student took summer school, there was a state test waiting for them to pass at the end of it. I had to learn how to do this and how to do this quickly. I spent a lot of time revamping my course so that I was not just teaching literature, but teaching how to read literature. Quite a difference. That helped, but it was not enough. I studied the test as best I could. The state did not release much and their website was not very helpful to a teacher searching for information. I found some old released practice sheets in one teacher’s classroom and a few others in a different teacher’s classroom. I started putting things together and I put them all online and found my webpage was becoming a hotspot for teachers in my state who were also searching for information. What I Learned You can’t beat modeling how to break down texts. Reading with the students, thinking aloud as I read about what I think the questions would be, breaking down the questions, and showing how to eliminate probable wrong answers. A big challenge was to get these students to make a guess when they didn’t know the answer right away. I had to create other activiites that required them to put down an answer when there was little to no way they could know the actual answer just to break them from that bad habit of believing that it’s not wrong if they do not answer it. The final revelation is what then pushed my scores over the top. Most states grade their standardized tests based on algorithyms rather than the number of questions a student gets right or wrong. This changes EVERYTHING. Understanding the Rules of the Game – or – Outrunning the Bear I tell the students the story of two campers sitting on the mountainside when they spot an angry bear charging up the mountain toward them. One camper grabs his shoes and starts to put them on. The other camper yells, “What are you doing? We’ve got to go! Putting on shoes isn’t going to help you outrun a bear!” The other camper calmly continues to tie his shoes and says, “I don’t need to outrun the bear. I just need to out run you.” Unfortunately, when a state grades a test based on how many other students get an answer right or wrong, there will always be a bell-curve grading. Do you notice in the papers each June that there is the same number of schools considered “failing” from using test data? This method of grading allows states to draw the line of what is failing and what is passing wherever they want to. Also unfortunately, that line tends to land squarely in the regular and EC inclusion classes. Fortunately, you now know this. The bear in your situation is the test and most teachers and students try to beat it. You can’t. However, you tell your students that you are the camper with shoes and you are going to outrun (insert rival school here). Once students realize this, they can accept that in order to bump their scores up the highest, all they have to do is what students in regular English classes across the state will not do. It is the same things that they have not done in past years – read the passage. All of your work during the year to get them to infer, predict, learn literary terms, etc. mean nothing if the student doesn’t read the passage. I don’t blame them. If your state test is like mine, the passages are boring. On top of that, there will be plenty of sections that the students do not understand. There will be words in some questions that the students do not know, making it impossible to answer with any certainty. However, they can go with confidence since they know they do not have to beat the honors kids. They do not have to beat the AP kids. All they have to do is to beat the kid sitting in the same level English class over at (insert rival school here). If your student doesn’t recognize a word in the question, chances are neither will that other rival school student. If your student found the passage difficult, so will the rival school student. Plus the rival school student will skip reading the passage and your student will not. It makes ALL the difference. GOOD LUCK! The Presentation The tips provided in the presentation are all about keeping your kids focused enough to try one more passage. They work. They can make it so your students can actually use what you’ve taught them all year. My scores have been in the blue for a decade now (that’s the highest you can get in my state). Yours can be too. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1o4xEvXZpAykdA90 0PmR3T3PK7eYjjzWL339fznoq1xo/edit?usp=sharing But Wait! There’s More! Try out these daily reading comprehension practice blogs. They are designed primarily for each of the state tests that we have in my state, but they work for any standardized reading comprehension tests. These are useful for warm ups, quiz questions, or just class-wise practice. • • http://dailymsl.blogspot.com/ https://dailyeoc.blogspot.com/ Credits: Credible Hulk – used with permission Bear Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay Graduate Spider-Man – Peter Norbot (Chi-Town Spidey) from the Spider-Man Crawlspace Barb Wire – Image by gisoft from Pixabay Extreme Engish Teacher Logo and background designs by Mark Alford Thank you for purchasing an EET product! If you enjoyed it, please visit my store and rate it. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Extreme-English-Teacher Also check out my Extreme English Teacher blog. http://extremeenglishteacher.blogspot.com/ Last Minute Tips for the State Reading Comprehension Test Good luck on your state test! You will want to read the introduction PDF that goes with this presentation. Feel free to make a copy of this presentation and alter it as you see fit, but keep the following information here on your first slide: This presentation was originally created by Marcus Alford. Check out his Extreme English Teacher Teacher Pay Teachers store here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Extreme-English-Teacher Questions, comments, complaints, praise? Email me at extremeenglishteacher@gmail.com If you alter the presentation, complete this - The presentation has been altered by: Links to all images are on the final slide. Read the Passage You don't want to. There's a little voice inside of you that says, "Just look for the answers in the passage." Don't listen to that voice. It is the voice of Satan who wants you to fail this test. Say: The makers of the test know you are going to skip the passage and search for answers. That may have even worked in elementary and middle school tests, but not here. On the plot level questions, seek and find won't help because the wrong answers are in the text as well. Most questions are going to be answerable only to those who read the whole thing (theme, purpose, prediction, etc.) Teacher Notes: This is the biggest obstacle to overcome. You may wish to remind students that the test is graded based on how other kids do (at least, most standardized end of course state exams are). This means that they must do something different than the kids at (insert hated rival school). You may wish to ask them how many of them have resorted to the “seek and find” method. Most students will raise their hands. Then point out that (hated rival school)’s kids are going to do the same. In order to change their score, they HAVE to do something different. This is that thing. All other tips are to help students stay focused just one more passage. Stretch Stop. You will now get a two-minute stretch break... The less you want to stand up, the more you need to. Say: Every so often you'll get a stretch break. You are told you can stand beside your desk to stretch. You will not want to do this, but it is important to do so. The longer you sit still, the slower your blood pumps. The slower your blood pumps, the less oxygen your brain gets. This makes you sleepy and causes you to lose focus and make poor decisions. By standing up and stretching, you get your blood pumping and keeps your focused just a little longer. Teacher Notes: Depending on your state’s regulations, you may also wish to encourage your kids to get up and go to the bathroom if they get sleepy or dazed during the test. This gets the blood pumping. Depending on your test’s rules on time allotment and your school’s ability to escort kids to the bathroom, this may or may not be a good option. Look Up Well, not up as much up as away from your screen or test booklet. Say: No, not now! (You will have 2-3 students who immediately stare up at the ceiling to be funny.) After you've finished answering all the questions on one of the passages. Before you start the next one, look away from the test book or screen. This will make it so that you can refocus your thoughts and use this as a mini-break. Teacher Notes: We will be incorporating other tips during this look away from the test. Reinforce that they need to do this between passages. Once they have finished the last question of a passage, they do this before starting the next one. This also encourages them to do one passage at a time. Plus, it is easier to do one passage at a time. Stare at the Clock Don’t be the chump that gets interrupted during a passage. Know when your breaks are! Say: Who here has ever gotten caught with a break in the middle of reading? (Some hands are sure to go up.) This puts you in a no win situation. After your break, you will most likely have forgotten most of the details of that boring passage you just read. So now you either go back and re-read the passage from the start, which you won’t want to do, or you pick up where you left off and hope for the best, also bad choice. There should be a time device in your room. When you look up from your test after finishing a passage and before starting the next one, take the time to glance at the clock. Then look at the board. The board should tell you when the next break is. Judge whether or not you can finish the next passage before break time. If you can't, stop and wait for the break. Teacher Notes: If you know how many passages there are on your state’s test, then you can figure out how long per passage your students have. For example, for my state, students have 20 minutes per passage. This is helpful for them to gauge if they are moving too slow. You may wish to encourage them to keep track of how long they are taking per passage. Most state tests are broken up so that two passages can typically be completed before the first break. If a student knows that the first two passages took her 12 minutes and 15 minutes and she notices that she only has 7 minutes before break, then my advice is that she wait it out and start up again after break. Eat a Good Breakfast Without fuel in your belly, You will be distracted by hunger Say: Your parents say they want you to do well in school, right? Well, now is the time to put their words to the test. You need a hearty breakfast that will give your body plenty of fuel to stay focused. Maybe you can talk your mom into making homemade pancakes. Mmmmmm......pancakes..... Teacher Notes - if gum is not prohibited for your test like mine, you may wish to encourage chewing gum to keep blood flowing and for staving off hunger. Go to Sleep No - not during the test! A good night sleep = better focus the next day. Say: You aren't going to want to hear this, but a good night's sleep will give your body the energy it needs to stay alert and focused. Because your body gets on a schedule, you will really need to go to sleep early two nights in a row before the test. Teacher Notes - You may want to do this - count the number of hours a semester of English class. Now count the number of hours you'll lose if you go to bed by 10:00 at the latest. I think you'll find going to sleep early is a better deal than repeating the course next year! Do NOT Go Back to Double Check Your Answers When You Finish the Test Yes, you read that correctly I know you’re suspicious, but it’s still good advice. Say: For your other state tests, it is a good idea to do this, but this is a reading comprehension test. This means your best answer was right after you read the passage. Teacher Notes - This sounds like a completely bad idea at first, but a student will have their best shot at answering that question when the passage is fresh. Unless that student goes back and reads the passage again, any answer they change to is not likely to be better. Plus, by the end of the test, the student is going to be mentally tired. Best to leave the answer as is. DON’T PANIC Say: You think this test is hard. Well it is but it's hard for everyone else taking it too. So just do your best and know that since everyone else doesn’t have your great and awesome teacher, they are freaking out. You'll be calm, and that's an advantage. Teacher Notes - Many of these state tests are graded based on how many other students got a question right or wrong. If your state test is like that, then you may wish to tell students that the other students in the state will also find the questions and passages hard, so it evens out in the long run. SAY: There WILL be passages that they do not understand completely. There WILL be questions with long answer choices. There WILL be words that appear in the questions or answers that they do not know. That is OK. The students at (insert rival school here) will struggle with those also, but they do not have (insert your name) to guide them through it and they WILL panic while you sit back and smile. Just something light hearted to break up the tension of talking about the state test. Remind them that we all make mistakes and on the state test, that’s OK. The students are not trying to defeat the test - just to outscore that rival school. Don’t Be Thrown off by Figurative Language "His face is all bubukles, and whelks, and knobs, and flames of fire; and his lips plows at his nose, and it is like a coal of fire, sometimes blue, and sometimes red; but his nose is executed, and his fire is out." Say: Figurative language is, simply put, words that are not meant to be taken literally. Take this example from King Henry V: *have student read slide quote* Ask a student what he/she thinks this person looks like. Point out that we don’t need to know what a bubukle or a whelk is to know that we would rather not have them on our face. Say: When it says, “flames of fire,” is his face on fire? Students say no Say: Unless Shakespeare was writing about the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four, I highly doubt it too. Why do you think he said there were flames of fire on his face? Students respond his face was red Say: Right. Now, if you are reading the passage and all of a sudden something doesn’t make sense - they keep referring to a clown when there is no clown in the story - then it as probably figurative language. So when you run across something that doesn't make sense, chances are the author has used some sort of metaphor, personification, simile, etc. that you missed. Either figure out what the weird phrase means, or block it out and focus on what makes sense. Poetry Can Be Tough ● Almost all poems are about either love or life (death counts as a part of life) ● Look for seasons - this is often a hint it is about life ● Look for obvious symbolism ● Does the rhyme scheme break? ● But, Yet, Therefore Say: Poetry can be tough for some. If it is for you, chances are you just don't understand what the author is doing. Remember this - poets have to get a lot of meaning into only a few words. So they use little tricks to help them pack a lot of meaning into as little a space as possible. Seasons: Spring - young childhood; Summer - youth/20s, 30s; Autumn - middle age, approaching death; Winter - old age, death Archetypes - colors like white being goodness, black being unknown, setting sun meaning the end, etc. Rhyme Scheme - if the poet keeps a regular rhyming pattern, but breaks it (especially near the end), that line is probably important to meaning of the poem Lines (especially after the halfway point) that start with “but”, “yet”, or “therefore” often have important information for figuring out the meaning of the poem. All images in public domain or used with permission.. Credible Hulk used with permission from artist. All images are in the public domain except Credible Hulk, which was used with permission. Bored Girl: https://pixabay.com/photos/book-bored-college-education-15584/ Devil: https://pixabay.com/vectors/devil-satan-dancing-dance-red-32429/ Woman Stretching: https://pixabay.com/photos/people-woman-yoga-mat-meditation-2557547/ Man Looking Up: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1563953 Clock: https://pixabay.com/photos/clock-alarm-alarm-clock-dial-time-1031503/ Pancakes:https://www.flickr.com/photos/joyosity/30220441091 Sleeping Woman: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cartoon_Black_Woman_Sleeping_At_Work.s vg Suspicious Boy: https://publicdomainvectors.org/en/free-clipart/Suspicious-boy/41082.html Don’t Panic: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/dont-panic-panic-button-stress-1067044/ Shcool: https://www.deviantart.com/sorah42/art/School-187284185 Poet: https://binged.it/39ehwZz Credible Hulk
