This document provides strategies for teachers at Donaldson Elementary to help students master reading skills in the month before the PSSA test, including focusing instruction on lower-level identification skills from the eligible content, using drill practices and released items to assess skills daily, emphasizing test-taking strategies like eliminating answer choices, modeling and using graphic organizers for open-ended questions, monitoring student progress daily and adjusting instruction to meet individual student needs through small group instruction and sending homework for additional practice.

1. 1 month to go!Specific strategies for Donaldson teachers to help master reading eligible content.

2. What can really be done at this point?Teach what is left in the eligible content. If you don’t understand the concept, get help.

3. Review/drill the lower level skills i.e. identify.

4. If anything could be mastered in a month, they are the lower level skills. See links below for grade level eligible content – ‘Identification’ skills highlighted.3rd grade4th grade5th grade

5. How to Practice, Practice, Practice Drill those lower level skills.QuizletsJeopardy LabsTeacher Sites -> 5th Grade, (4th Grade, 3rd Grade coming soon!)List of Harcourt sites by SKILL. (For 5th, it’s in Fifth Grade web page.)HARCOURT Practice book pages….see back of book for skills and page numbers.Use released items or another test (on PSSA Reading Resources, Buckle Down, Coach, etc) to assess daily.

6. Test Taking StrategiesEliminate choices. Teach it. Expect it on every multiple choice activity they do.OtherOtherOther1 graphic organizer to use with ALL open ended. More on that…..

7. Open Ended QuestionsModel, model, model.

8. Use released items.

9. Re-discover Harcourt and write your own questions to go along with previously read stories. Look at the “Making Connections” page after the selection and they usually have 1 decent starting point.What to know: Any eligible content with the words “explain, describe, summarize, compare, or infer” could be an open ended question. Use existing open ended question phrasing to help you write your own questions. And now the writing problems begin……

10. Graphic Organizer – Pick 1 and Stick With It!Ever notice how some kids can ‘tell’ you the answer but can’t write it down? They are STUCK!

11. You find yourself ‘pulling them up’ to your desk to discuss, restate or expand upon their answer. It could be a writing issue not a reading issue.

12. Using the SAME graphic organizer WILL help them gain confidence, give them a starting point to write, and allow them to focus on the content.

13. Students aren’t scored lower for missing topic sentences, but if you are going to teach it, may as well teach it right! Have them rephrase the question as their topic. Style doesn’t count!

14. If you have been using a graphic organizer to teach paragraph writing, use that! (Big I explained)Open Ended – TipsUse the same graphic organizer EACH and EVERY time they write an open ended.Copy graphic organizer. (See Virginia.) BTW - Copy on both sides.Once they master using the copied graphic organizer, train them to draw the same graphic organizer on paper.

15. Monitor and AdjustAdminister practice/assessment daily.1 passage with questions & open ended – eliminate choices!Find out what they don’t know. You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken. (Focus on realistic stuff – lower level skills and writing skills to improve open-ended.)(Insert Lynanne here!)Re-teach concepts to whole class that even your capable kids are missing. If they can’t get it…..Address individual needs

16. Meeting Individual Needs – A lot easier said than done!Pull small groups of kids. Use the same passage and do a ‘think-aloud’.

17. Instead of journaling?

18. Instead of silent reading?

19. Instead of__________?

20. Send home homework.

21. Have a standard note to use with hard copy materials. (Discuss) 4th grade has lots of practice; what about 3/5?

22. Have a standard note to use with online resources. 5th grade website (4th/3rd coming!!!!)

23. Ask for it back and confer with the child. Do you see progress?

24. Use your resource people: Ruth, Leah, Beth S., Beth K. etc.