Preparing Students for Testing and Doing Better in School

by Rona F. Flippo

• ISBN13: 9781412953733
• ISBN10: 1412953731
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-01-31
• Publisher: Corwin Pr

Summary

"Teachers will want to runa??not walka??to get a copy of this book. Test preparation is an important real-life skill, and this book provides step-by-step guidance to help students learn how to prepare for tests and demonstrate what they know." a??Linda B. Gambrell, Distinguished Professor of Education Clemson University "If you want to help students become test-smart, this is the book for you. Rona Flippo is masterful at making a potentially difficult taska??taking testsa??easy to teach." a??Richard T. Vacca, Professor Emeritus Kent State University "All teachers and parents should read this book! It is one of the best I've read about practical approaches to test taking and studying in the current high-stakes era." a??Rosalie Fink, Professor of Literacy Lesley University Help students master test taking through preparation strategies that lead to academic success! As the stakes on high-profile student tests such as the SAT continue to rise, student preparedness is becoming increasingly important. As a result, helping students do well on tests and succeed in school has become a top priority for teachers. This indispensable guide responds to this need by providing resources to promote content learning and test-taking abilities in middle and secondary school students. This practical text provides charts, checklists, Internet resources, and sample exercises for teachers to use with students, plus a final test covering content from each chapter. Using research-based practices, educators will be able to help students develop Strategies for dealing with test anxiety Effective time management and organizational skills Note-taking and study techniques applicable across content areas Methods for taking essay and objective tests Use these proven tools and strategies to help your students develop the skills and confidence that lead to positive academic experiences.

Table of Contents

Foreword by P. David Pearson

Acknowledgments

About the Author How to Use This Book

Note to the Teacher

Note to the Student

Introduction

Doing Better in School

How to Avoid Test Panic

Psyching Up

Relaxing

Getting in Shape for a Test

Staying Calm on Exam Day

Relaxation Techniques

Organizing Your Course Content

Class Notes

Textbooks and Outside Reading

How to Develop a Game Plan

Master Test Schedule for the Term

Planning for Each Test

Test Analysis

What to Ask Your Teacher

Utilizing Old Tests Made Available for Student Review

Study Schedules for Each Test

How Much Time Is Available?

How Good a Grade Do I Need on This Test?

How Much Time Do I Need to Study Adequately?

Planning Test-Study Time

Planning for Midterms and Finals

Game Plan Checklist

Preparing for All Tests

Strategies for Test-Study

Memorizing

Organizing Your Resources

Making Study Notes

Topic Cards

Lists

Outlines

Diagrams

Condensing Study Notes

Memorization Techniques

Memory Search and Association

Mnemonic Connection

Whole Learning

Recite and Write

Cramming

Preparing for Essay Questions and Tests

Predicting Questions

Short-Answer Questions

Long-Answer, Trace, Questions

Long-Answer, Compare and Contrast, Questions

Long-Answer, Discuss, Questions

Practicing Answers

Improving Your Answers With Library Research

Preparing for Objective Questions and Tests

Practicing Multiple-Choice Questions

Practicing Matching Questions

Practicing True-False Question

Practicing Completion Questions

Group Study for Objective Tests

Standardized Tests

Taking Tests and Doing Better

Getting It Together on Test Day

On Your Way

In the Test Room

Before Starting to Answer

Taking the Essay Test

Budget Your Time

Read the Question Carefully

Outlining the Answer

Writing Out the Answer

The Opening Statement

Essay Paragraphs

Neatness

Reread Your Answers

Make a Final Check

Taking the Objective Test

Test-Taking Steps

Budget Your Time

Read the Directions

Your First Go-Through

Your Second Go-Through

Final Check

Test-Question

Cues

Inter-Item Cues

Qualifying and Absolute Words

Grammatical Agreement

Use of A and An

Singular and Plural

Verbs and Nouns

Word Associations and Synonyms

Answering Multiple-Choice Questions

Anticipate the Answer

Eliminate Unlikely Alternatives

Use Cues

The Most General Alternative

Two Similar Alternatives

Alternatives With Opposite Meaning

None or All-of-the-Above Alternatives

The Middle Value

The Length of Alternatives

The Position of Alternatives

Answering Matching Questions

Matching-Question Cues

Mixture of Categories

Position Cues

Answering True-False Questions

Answering Completion Questions

When and How to Guess

A Final Word References

A Preparing Students Final Test and Answers to Test Prep Exercises

Forms for Test Preparation and Study

Resources for Additional Test Preparation Assistance

Glossary

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.