Strategies that Work
By
Latonya L. Leeks
Professional Development Schools Coordinator
Agenda
 Offer alternatives for assistance with Praxis 1.
 Provide test taking strategies for different learning
styles.
 Enrich your knowledge base in reference to reading
and reading strategies.
 Participate in vocabulary exercises to evaluate context
clues and word meanings.
Webinars
The Educational Testing Service or
ETS offers Free Webinars to help
students prepare for tests in the
Praxis series.
These tests are usually offered on a
monthly basis at no cost to the
user.
Participants will need a phone
(with long distance service) and a
computer to participate in
Webinar.
You can begin by going online to
www.ets.org to register for the next
webinar, which will be held
Thursday, October 28 at 1:00 p.m.
Purpose of the
Workshop…
This workshop is designed to
provide the learner with test
taking strategies that will assist in
evaluating knowledge of the two
types of Praxis I comprehension
questions:
1.
Literal Comprehension—
about 45% of the reading test,
deals with main idea,
vocabulary in context,
organization, details, etc. ,
about 21 questions.
2. Critical and Inferential
Comprehension—about 55%
of the reading test, deals with
inferential reasoning, author’s
tone, generalizations, about
25 questions.
Strategies for Taking the Reading
Test
 The reading test consists of passages followed by
multiple choice questions. Although reading seems to
be a natural process, reading about reading and about
steps to taking the reading test can seem tireless and
confusing.
 In this workshop, we will look at six steps to taking a
reading test.
Six Steps to Taking a Reading Test
 Skim to find the topic of each paragraph
 Read the questions and answers
 Eliminate incorrect answers
 Scan the details to find the answers
 Be aware of what may be implied
 Use context clues to define unfamiliar vocabulary
words.
Skim to find the Topic of Each
Paragraph
 Your first job is to find the topic of each paragraph.
The topic is what the paragraph or passage is about.
 The topic is usually found in the first and last
sentences.
 Remember that you can write the topic in the margin
next to the passage on your paper based test. You may
mark on the test to help you with answering the
questions.
Skimming cont…
 If it is a factual passage, the author will present the fact
and support it with details and examples. If the
passage presents an opinion, the author will give the
opinion and support it with arguments and examples
 A fact is a statement that can be proven to be true.
 An opinion is a personal belief.
Read the Questions and the
Answers
 Read questions one at a time. Read the answers for the
question that you are working on and be sure that you
understand what each question and its answers mean.
 Be sure before answer a question if it is asking to
identify a fact, detail or main idea (literal
comprehension) or an inference, conclusion, author’s
purpose, tone (inferential comprehensions).
 If it helps, read the questions before reading the
passage. Sometimes it gives you an indication of what
key words to look for.
Eliminate Incorrect Answers
 Read the answers and eliminate the ones that you
absolutely know are incorrect.
 Read the answers literally. Look for words such as
always, never, must, all. If you can find a single
exception to this type of sweeping statement, then the
answer can’t be correct. ELIMINATE IT!
Scan the Details to Find the Answer
 Once you have eliminated answers, compare the
answers to the passage. When you find the answer
that is confirmed by the passage---STOP! That is your
answer choice.
 Scanning means skipping over information that
doesn’t answer your question.
 Beware of VAGUE ANSWERS! A vague answer can be
a correct answer. Vague answers may not be chock full
or details and sometimes they are hard to prove wrong.
Reading and comparing all answer choices may help
you find the best answer for the question.
Be Aware of What May Be Implied
 Author’s Purpose—
 Describe: Present an image of physical reality or




mental image.
Entertain—Amuse or perform
Inform—Clarify, explain, state
Narrate—relate, tell as story
Persuade—Argue, convince, prove
Implied cont…
 Bias—
 A statement or passage reveals bias if the the author
has prejudice or has a predisposition to a doctrine, idea
or practice. Bias means the author is trying to
convince or influence the reader through some
emotional appeal or slanted writing.
 Bias can be positive or negative.
Implied cont…
 Author’s Tone—
 The author’s tone is the author’s attitude as reflected in
the passage.
 How do you think the author would sound if they were
speaking?
 What impression would you form about the author’s
feelings or attitude?
 Examples: amusing, comical, depressing, tragic,
calming, sentimental, cruel, nostalgic, serious,
pessimistic, malicious, arrogant, etc.
Vocabulary in Context
 Understanding vocabulary is essential in
comprehending text.
 Gain a working knowledge of prefixes, root words and
etymologies.
 Look for familiar words surrounding the vocabulary
word to help you understand how it’s being used in the
sentence.