Put Thinking to the Test

by Lori L. Conrad

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? The four authors of Put Thinking to the Test have spent years pursuing that question and have developed a groundbreaking approach, as their colleague Ellin Keene writes in the foreword to the I knew that Lori, Patrick, Cheryl and Missy met frequently to discuss professional issues and that they were working on a book related to testing. I had no idea, however, that their proposal would be so fresh, so original and, simultaneously, so sensible and immediately useful.

Just as comprehension strategies have helped millions of students learn to read like proficient readers, they can also help students think like effective test-takers. The authors show how students can use background knowledge, mental images, synthesizing, monitoring, inferring, questioning, and determining of importance to understand the genre of tests and to think through the problems they are given. Instead of engaging in artificial and disconnected activities to cram for upcoming tests, students learn skills and strategies that will serve them throughout their school careers and beyond.

Presenting numerous classroom vignettes featuring students in grades 38, Put Thinking to the Test of the direct application of thinking strategy instruction to test taking;actual work samples from lessons used with students;additional lesson ideas that go beyond the teaching described in the vignettes;detailed anchor charts;background on how the authors came to understand this work so that a staff, team, or individual teacher can apply these concepts in their own school setting.

Genres: Education

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2008

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Put Thinking to the Test explains how to apply the brilliant idea of using reading comprehension strategies to prepare students for standardized tests. This artful resolution to the false dilemma of choosing between teaching with integrity or conducting test preparation reminds us that tests are just another genre of reading that students will face throughout their lives. The authors include full descriptions, including many examples of student work, of how to lead students through the process of analyzing and synthesizing what they learn about tests, and about themselves as test-takers.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whole new way of thinking about teaching kids how to be successful on assessments. No more test prep. Use thinking strategies to help students understand how to crack open the meaning of test directions and questions by treating assessment like another reading genre. If you loved Mosaic of Thought, you will love this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting look at how to get students to think about what test questions ask for. I read it two weeks ago and thought that it gave me a lot to consider in terms of how to get students to think about testing.

[Oplandam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good ideas for lessons that develop students thinking about tests and helps to define test taking as its own genre.