Reading Test Prep

After looking at reading benchmark data from my two classes, I saw a need to give some test prep instruction to my struggling readers. I have introduced the following test strategy to all students, but are only recommending some students to use it. I have told my other students to feel free to use the test strategy, only if it has proven beneficial for them to do so.

This is what I've instructed my struggling students to do before looking at any test question:

1. Read the text. If you didn't understand it the first time then reread for clarification.
2. Next, analyze the text to discover the genre.

For fiction texts, ask yourself:

• What's the author's purpose?
• What are the most important parts of the story (summary)?
• What's the story's theme?

For non-fiction texts, ask yourself:

• What's the author's purpose?
• What are the most important parts of the text (summary)?
• How is the text organized?

We have five school weeks before our state testing, and I am hoping that this will help some of my students who seem to be struggling. Anyone have any other suggestions?