January 2010
People who have read good literature
have lived more than people who cannot
or will not read.
~ S. I. Hayakawa
Testing Tips
• Multiple Choice. Try to predict
the correct answer before looking at
all of the choices. Read all of the
answers even if one looks correct.
Cross out any answers that you know
are wrong. Look for clues that
provide evidence for the response you
think is correct.
• Fill in the Blank. Read all of the
responses. Eliminate those you are
sure are wrong. Try each remaining
answer in the blank to see which one
is correct.
• Vocabulary. Read all of the
answer choices. Look for surrounding
words that in the sentence or text
that provide clues to the meaning.
Think about the part of speech of the
word or blank. Eliminate any answers
you know are wrong. Try each
remaining response.
• Proofreading. Try to identify
the type of error. Is it spelling,
punctuation, capitalization, or
grammar? Do the subject and verb
agree? How would you correct it?
Books with Historical
Connections
Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great
Irish Famine 1845-1850
Susan Campbell Bartoletti recreates the
famine that killed a million people in
Ireland and forced others to leave the
country through newspaper stories and
true accounts.
Fields of Fury: The American Civil War
James McPherson explains the Civil
War in 41 easy to understand childfriendly one- and two-page chapters.
Children of the Fire
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is seen
through the eyes of an orphan and
embedded with racial and economic
themes as well in this historical fiction
book by Harriette Gillem Robinet.
L OST SKIL L
Can your child locate words in a
dictionary or names in a phone book?
Locating information alphabetically is
becoming a lost skill. Improve these
skills by playing scavenger hunt
games like asking your child to locate
different types of entertainment for
your area in the phone book.