On Tuesday evening I went to a meeting of the North Sound Reading Council, of which I am a member, and heard a great presentation by Michelle Hornof. Michelle is a reading specialist and third grade teacher from Bellingham, WA who has published an article about teaching test taking as a genre.
I was a bit skeptical at first, if I am going to be completely honest. I really didn't see how you could teach test taking, the same way you teach mystery, nonfiction, or any other literacy genre. However, her session really opened my eyes to the possibility.
There are so many test specific vocabulary words and text features that are virtually only found in standardized tests that students are often unfamiliar with when taking tests. If we, as educators, teach our students strategies for taking tests, as well as test specific vocabulary and text features, our students are so much more likely to perform to their full potential on those tests, whether they be state mandated ones or just another in class exam.
I would encourage all educators to read her article, which can be found in The Reading Teacher, and think about teaching this unit to your students to demystify the tests and allow students to perform to their full ability.
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