Put Thinking to the Test was a great way for me to begin the year as a support teacher. I have always struggled with the contradiciton of giving students the tools to be decision makers as learners and then taking that control away during the already stressful time of assessment. By helping students transfer the skills that they are already mastering (visualizing, making connections, etc.) and then applying those skills to released sample items you are able to help students transfer their learning when they need to work independently.
The Stories from the Classroom sections help to see how to use what is discussed on a variety of grade levels. Working with a variety of grade levels (and with teachers that have a range of experiences and background knowledge on best practices) I need to be to move between concepts and reading levels (as well as working on other content areas) and this book will be an essential tool for me to do this. The craft lessons included in the chapters allow teachers to apply what is being covered in their classroom and the anchor charts/figures included help to clear up any confusion. This text will definitely be one of my major resources when I am supporting instruction in the classrooms throughout my school. I am also recommending it to friends who are now teaching in other schools. Lisa -------------- Original message -------------- From: "Beverlee Paul" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Once again, I'm reminded of worksheets (such as some phonics or math > practice worksheets) and how we just tend to look through what they're > actually doing, forgetting to examine what they *are* doing (as compared to > what we wish they'd do or what we think they do at first glance). > > Filling in sample items alone serves only 1 purpose: assessment. Scoring > the sample items shows the teacher who can take that particular test. It > doesn't, however, do anything to TEACH kids to take tests, which is > what taking sample tests is purported to do. This is exactly what many > phonics worksheets do and what all math computation worksheets do: test > whether given children can do whatever phonics skill or comput ation skill > you need kids to do. > If the teachers and students actually teach/learn those skills, it will have > to be done outside of the worksheet, then it can be tested by the > worksheet. But let's not confuse assessing with teaching. Same with sample > tests. If you administer them and score them, you'll probably know how each > of your kids do at taking that test. But SOMETHING will have to be done to > teach them if we want to raise performance on tests. Discussing sample > items, discussing why one choice was eliminated and how one item is a better > answer than another - modeling mental processes - think alouds - guided > practice ...all these have the potential to teach test taking, which is an > altogether different skill than assessing test-taking which administering > sample item pre-tests does. > > I'm glad to read these reviews. Thanks to those who do this for us. Bev > On Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 9:34 AM, Katie Stover wrote: > > > First of all, everything I've read in this book affirms my belief about > > teaching and test preparation. I do not feel that preparing for tests means > > getting out sample released items and answering them. That is just busy > > work. Besides, what good does that do for students? How is that teaching > > them anything? This book however demonstrates how to incorporate test > > preparation in an authentic way by encouraging students to use thinking > > strategies and by pointing out (both explicitly and implicitly) how test > > formats may vary from other genres. > > > > I too liked how the authors connected to various content areas. I love the > > example on pg. 75 of how "Mathematicians... Create Sensory Images." > > Extending students thinking in their work as test takers can be an easy > > transition if students are already familiar with making inferences as > > scientists, mathematicians, readers, historians, etc. > > > > The "Stories From the Classroom" were a great way to see how it can be put > > into practice in the classroom. I enjoyed reading about what the authors > > have done with real students. > > > > If this book interests you, I may also recommend, Test Talk by Greene & > > Melton. > > > > Katie Stover > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "gina nunley" > > To: > > Sent: Friday, October 24, 2008 2:00 PM > > Subject: [MOSAIC] "Put Thinking to the Test" book review > > > > > > This is the first post from the Mosaic Professional Book Review Team on > >> thebook "Put Thinking to the Test" by Lori L. Conrad, Missy Matthews, > >> CherylZimmerman, Patrick A. Allen. Foreword by Ellin Oliver Keene. The > >> book > >> ispublished by Stenhouse: http://www.stenhouse.com/0731.asp. Since the > >> day high stakes testing darkened the door of my classroom Iconsidered > >> totally ignoring the test, and simply clinging to the notion that > >> goodteaching would prove itself on test day. In moments of panic and doubt > >> I > >> also thought about creating anentire unit around the test genre. In the > >> end > >> neither approach seemed satisfying orfair to my students. I feel like I > >> discovered a gold mine when I was reading "Put Thinking to theTest." I > >> realize the focus is on bridging the disconnect between classroomstrategic > >> reading and showing proficiency on reading test passages, but there were > >> so > >> many o riginaland new ways to teach metacognition that it became a tool > >> kit > >> for reading comprehension any day of the week. > >> > >> Powerful StrategiesI loved the continual focus on students noticing and > >> thinking...the way the authors led kids totheir own analysis and ownership > >> of thinking about whatever genre was infront of them. There is a > >> consistent > >> theme about monitoring the kids and then allowing them tocreate the > >> teaching > >> points. (P.16,26) Wow.exploring poetry through tests! The Venn diagram > >> comparing the two was"deep" as it led the kids to notice their thinking > >> about poetry will need tochange on the test (page 33) On page 102 there is > >> a > >> model of a great visual, a time line, for teacher andstudents to track > >> their > >> thinking through a piece. The idea of making connections can be a bit > >> sticky > >> when students bring nobackground knowledge to the material. Problems also > >> arise when theirbackground knowledge would mislead them rather than > >> enlighten, and we knowthis happens on test passages. The lessons about > >> teaching students to decidewhen to ignore their own schema were the first > >> of > >> that kind that I have everseen. (P. 118-119) I think what most impressed > >> me > >> was the intelligent use of testing passageswhich honored sophisticated > >> thinking, rather than distilling it to somesurface level list of tips on > >> how > >> to outsmart the test maker. I think it is rare to find a book that > >> illuminates my perspective on acontroversial subject and becomes one of > >> those activity books that I milk allyear long. Gina > >> _________________________________________________________________ > >> Want to read Hotm ail messages in Outlook? The Wordsmiths show you how. > >> > >> > http://windowslive.com/connect/post/wedowindowslive.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!20E > > E04FBC541789!167.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_092008 > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Mosaic mailing list > >> [email protected] > >> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > >> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > >> > >> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > >> > >> > >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Mosaic mailing list > > [email protected] > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic _literacyworkshop.org. > > > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. 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