Put Thinking to the Test

How can teachers use the comprehension strategies put forward in books like Strategies That Work and Mosaic of Thought to help students become not just better readers and thinkers but also better test takers?

Lori L. Conrad, Missy Matthews, Cheryl Zimmerman, and Patrick A. Allen are all affiliated with the Denver-based Public Education & Business Coalition. Lori is the senior director of education and has been a classroom teacher, an adjunct professor, and staff developer for over twenty-three years. Missy is a teacher, education director, and staff developer. Cheryl is an elementary school teacher with over twenty-two years of experience as a lab classroom host. Patrick, an elementary school teacher for over twenty years, also works as a staff developer and lab classroom teacher.

Section One: Wondering About Tests; Chapter 1: Coming to Know Standardized Tests: Walking in Our Students' Shoes; Chapter 2: Tests as a Genre: What Makes Standardized Tests Unique; Chapter 3: Increasing Student Stamina: The Role of Workshop Structures in Becoming Successful Test Takers; Section Two: Thinking About Tests; Chapter 4: Test Takers: Ask Questions; Chapter 5: Test Takers: Create Mental Images; Chapter 6: Test Takers: Draw Inferences; Chapter 7: Test Takers: Synthesize New Learning and Ideas; Chapter 8: Test Takers: Activate, Utilize, and Build Background Knowledge (Schema); Chapter 9: Test Takers: Determine the Most Important Ideas and Themes; Chapter 10: Test Takers: Monitor for Meaning and Problem-Solve When Meaning Breaks Down; Section Three: Still Learning About Tests; Chapter 11: Q & A-Weaving Thinking Together with Testing; Chapter 12: Integrity: It's All About Being True to Ourselves and Our Profession