MOV Parent: Creating mini-reading lessons from test items
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As a reading specialist in the middle school environment, I developed a remedial reading program during the school's 20-minute homeroom period for students in need of added instruction. Due to time restrictions, my lesson had to be brief. Thus, I came up with the idea of developing mini-lessons from standardized and teacher-made reading tests.
Teachers often view tests as just that -- tests. But I came up with the idea to teach my students mini-reading lessons from test items, as well as aid them with their test-taking skills.
Consider the following two mini-reading lesson examples that I used during these short reading clinics.
* Example 1: A Multiple Choice Cloze Test Item
Yesterday, Father went shopping. He returned with a _________ and three blankets for the trip. His two sons were very excited when they saw that he had camping equipment for them.
Answer Choices: trip -- trail -- stream -- road -- tent -- lake -- ball -- paper
For this mini-reading lesson, the primary objective was to teach context clues. I explained, in detail, strategies for viewing known words and their use in the sentence to determine the correct answer for the blank space. I also teach the various types of context clues students encounter while reading: synonym, comparison and contrast, familiar expressions, explanation, mood, example, etc.
A second objective involved teaching the students about multiple choice cloze tests. I emphasize how such test items are often used to evaluate student abilities in context usage skills.
Example 2: A Standardized Multiple Choice Test Item
Evan and his family were watching the news on local TV. The announcer said, "Stay tuned for a story of a brave teenager, Evan Greene, whose quick thinking this afternoon prevented a tragedy for a local family."
A deep blush came over Evan's face as his dad exclaimed, "Evan! That's you!" Evan smiled slowly and let a bit of pride show on his face before he got up to leave the room.
* Question -- What sort of person does Evan seem to be?
A. Boastful
B. Shy and Modest
C. Nervous and Sad
D. Discouraged
In this mini-lesson, the main objective is to teach reading comprehension at the interpretation level.
I stress the point that although the author does not always state the answer directly, he or she gives enough information for the reader to figure out the answer from inferences in the text.
I also address the setup of multiple-choice test items. I explain their important parts. The stem (the incomplete statement or question), the thorns (the wrong answers) and the flower (the correct answer). I offer helpful hints on how to read the stem critically to assist the students in differentiating between the thorns and the flower.
With this teaching strategy, my students not only gained reading skills knowledge during these mini-reading lessons, but they began to realize (through repeated exposure) that test-taking does not have to be a threatening experience.