As we get closer to the end-of-year testing, let’s make sure our elementary students are ready and confident. This post is full of simple testing strategies to help your students better understand what they are reading, know what kinds of questions to expect, and how to manage their time during the reading test. ELA test prep can help students feel prepared to tackle the test!
I know test prep can be stressful teachers and students alike. That’s why I am giving away this incredible free resource that will help your students prepare for end-of-the-year testing! Sign up above to get yours today!
Testing Strategy #1: Active Reading Strategies
Let’s make test prep fun by turning our students into “super sleuths” of reading! Imagine giving them a secret mission: to underline the most important parts of a story, circle any words they don’t know yet, and jot down quick clues (notes) to solve the puzzle of what the story’s really about. This detective work isn’t just a game—it’s a clever way to get better at understanding complex text, which is super handy for those big end-of-year tests.
This method not only engages your elementary students more fully but also increases their comprehension skills. To get them ready for the types of reading comprehension questions they’ll face on the test, offer them a short story as practice, like the one linked above. Guide them to…
- underline the main ideas
- circle vocabulary words that are new or challenging
- write a quick summary of the story or section
This exercise not only familiarizes students with active reading strategies but also equips them with the skills to navigate reading passages more confidently during their end-of-year reading test.
Testing Strategy #2: Question Types
Understanding the types of questions on a test is so important for our students. Your elementary students will encounter many types of questions, but most will fall under 1 of the following 3 categories:
- Direct Questions: These are straightforward and ask for information explicitly stated in the text. The answer can be lifted directly from a passage without needing to infer or interpret.
- Analytical Questions: These require students to think beyond the text. They might need to analyze the text’s structure, understand a character’s motives, or infer the meaning of a phrase based on context. These questions test deeper comprehension and critical thinking skills.
- Personal Interpretation Questions: Here, students are asked to draw on their own experiences or opinions. They might need to relate a theme of the story to their own life or give an opinion on a character’s decision. These questions assess a student’s ability to connect with the text on a personal level.
To get students ready for these tests, mix up the types of questions you ask them after they finish a reading assignment. This helps them get used to the different kinds of questions they’ll see on the test and teaches them how to think in different ways. By practicing with lots of examples, students will build up a set of skills that will make them more confident and ready to tackle any question they come across on their tests.
Using a resource like these Reading Comprehension Passages and Quesions | RACES Strategy is a great way to help your students prepare for the different question types they will be seeing on the EOY Assessment.
Testing Strategy #3: Knowing the Test
We also need to make sure we are introducing our elementary students to the various question formats they’ll see on the test, such as multiple choice, true/false, part A/Part B, and fill-in-the-blank. Here are some tips and tricks for each question type.
- For multiple-choice and “select all” types of questions, highlight the importance of reading every option carefully before making a selection. Teach students to put an “X” next to the answers that are wrong and a “?” next to the answers that could be correct before selecting an answer.
- With true/false questions, encourage them to pay attention to absolute terms like “always” or “never,” which can often indicate a false statement.
- For Part A/Part B questions, it’s crucial to read the questions carefully, making sure they understand what’s asked before finding evidence in the text to support their answers—linking their responses clearly.
- For Fill-in-the-Blank questions, students can use hints from the sentences around the blank to help guess the missing word.
Testing Strategy #4: Watch the Clock
Helping students get better at managing their time on tests is so important. One tip is to have them quickly check out the questions before they start reading the text. That way, they know what to look for and how many questions they are going to need to answer. A good way to practice this is by doing a timed reading activity in class. This helps them learn how to balance their time between reading and answering questions, making sure they can finish everything when it’s test time.
Bring these strategies to life with the Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions. Using the tips from this post, you’ll be well on your way to getting your elementary students ready and confident for their end-of-year reading tests.
Looking for more test prep ideas? Check out this blog post all about how to keep your students engaged and motivated during testing!
Pin the image below to save this post for later and share it with other educators!
