Engaging Test Prep Passages

Well Spring Break is winding down and we are headed back to school with less than 2 months to prepare students for the VA SOL exams. Keep calm and keep it as fun as possible for the kiddos.

Students will have less stress if they feel prepared and know that they can do well. Up until now, I have focused heavily on teaching my struggling readers in grades 3-5 how to decode those tricky words... the ones that they skip over or give up on reading when they encounter. We work diligently and explicitly on word parts and chunking the word into those word parts until the students are doing it with automaticity.

My students even start telling me that decoding is FUN! Every year, never fails. Once they realize they can actually read those words they think they can't, they think reading is fun!

Now, my next hurdle this time of year... teaching my struggling students testing strategies and using test passages to do this. Most of the test passages are so boring it is an uphill battle, so I was so excited to come across a completely free resource this year! I have used many of the test passages with my students and they have enjoyed each one.

I have been strategic with how I have introduced each text and made sure that I introduced it the day before we started it so that the students couldn't wait to start the next day...

I have also been strategic as to when we stop for the day and make sure kids are left with a cliff hanger and can't wait to keep reading the next day to find out what happens. I have even had fourth grade struggling readers beg me to pick them up at a different time just so they didn't miss a day reading because of early release!

Anyway, you can check out these passages for yourself here . After signing up for a free account, you gain access to tons of passages for every grade level. Each passage is about 3 pages long and comes complete with 20 comprehension questions.

Want to help your struggling readers articulate their understanding of text, deepen their comprehension, and keep them actively engaged in their reading? I have created an anchor chart and graphic organizer that I use with all of my struggling readers with consistent success on state testing every year.

You can purchase it in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store . Want to try the anchor chart and graphic organizer for free? Just follow me here and comment with your email!