Why I Give the Comprehension Test First, Instead of Last

My district uses Pearson Reading Street for Tier 1 reading instruction.  I really like most of the passages in Reading Street, as they are tied to either science or social studies.  I don't like the fact that weekly comprehension tests are not tied to the passage we work with  all week.  So I wrote my own comprehension activity and test to go with every passage in the book. I also wrote my own comprehensive vocabulary tests.  At the end of every week, I test comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling. The comprehension tests are open book, and each one has only fourteen questions.  Even though we have read the story two or three times by Friday, I insist that my students use their books.  This  goes back to the Common Core standard of having students refer specifically to evidence in the text when answering questions.

These weekly comprehension tests have been a great source of frustration for me.  Most of my students would rather guess, or go on memory alone, instead of finding answers in the text.  They do not want to put forth the few minutes of effort that would almost always give them a good test score.  They have been content to get low scores, as long as they don't have to work for a high score.  I have talked, coaxed, pleaded, and explained the reason for referring to the text.  All to no avail.  I have sat next to kids and made them show the answer in the book before marking it on their paper.  I have gone over the test together when handing back the corrected papers, pointing out where the answer is found in the story.  I have given them a certain amount of time that they must spend on the test, and have not allowed to do anything else until that time is up.

This week, I gave the comprehension test first, on Monday morning.  We had not read the story together, I had not introduced the story or the vocabulary words.  I simply told them to open their books to the beginning of this week's story, gave them the test, and told them to use their books.  Guess what?  They used their books.  They had to.  They had no memory of the story to rely on.
Of twenty-three students taking the test, 2 had the same score as on last week's test (which was taken last Friday), 1 had a lower score, and 20 students had higher scores.  My class average last week was 79%, when taking that comprehension test after reading, discussing, and studying the story.  This week, on the first reading, my class average was 93%.

From now on, we will take the comprehension test with the first reading of the story.  This makes sense, because on standardized tests, they answer comprehension questions the first time they read the text, not after a week of discussion and re-reading.  They are in a situation of relying on the words of the text, rather than their own memory.

Summer....

Summer is finally here in northern Utah.  It has been very slow in coming this year.  We had record amounts of snowfall in the mountains throughout the winter and into the spring.  We had the wettest spring on record with lots of rain and lots of snow.  When the snowpack should have been melting, it continued to build.  When we finally did start to see some warm temperatures, there was flooding in many areas.  However, we were really blessed because the spring was so cool and long-lasting that the snow melted much slower than was expected.  The flooding came, the rivers were high and fast, but it was not nearly as bad as it could have been.

I always feel like as long as it is June, I have forever.  June is wonderful with warm days, cool nights, and time to recover, renew, and rejuvenate.  But, June seems to end quickly, and once we get into July, it's time to start thinking about school again.  ( Really, I never stop thinking and planning, but July means GET SERIOUS!)  So, I've been working on curriculum materials.  I started, years ago, creating most of my own materials.  I've always been rather dissatisfied with textbook programs.  Whenever I look at a textbook lesson, my first thought is, "Where's the practice?"  It's hard to believe that experts who write these books don't understand how much practice and repetition third graders need to become proficient.  So, I typically re-write or at least supplement every new program my district buys.

Last year, we were given Reading Street 2011.  There are many things I like about the program, and some that I dislike.  I've been busy for the last year writing activities to fill in the gaps in the program and provide extra time-on-task.  I love the way every week's lesson focuses on either a science or social studies concept.  I like having a specifice skill to focus on for spelling, comprehension, and study skills.  However, with my colleagues, we have made some changes to the yearly schedule.  We chose to focus on one study skill per unit, rather than one per week.  We chose the skills that align with our current core curriculum, and focus on them, one at a time.  We then test that skill at the end of the unit.  We also rearranged the schedule for teaching comprehension skills.  Rather than one per week, we teach two per unit, and again, we test comprehension at the end of the unit, not the end of the week.  We found that the weekly tests for Reading Street are way too hard for our kids.  We give a spelling test and a vocabulary test every week, but test compehension, study skills, and grammar skills only at the end of the unit.

The practice materials that accompany the textbooks are okay, but not great.  I personally like practice activites that pack a lot more punch!  I want lots more practice than what is provided on a page in the program.  I have written additional spelling and vocabulary units for every selection in the textbook.  I have also made a curriculum map for the year that provides for the changes I've discussed.  I've been working on activities for the study skills and the comprehension skills.  Watch for these things to be posted on Teachers Pay Teachers.  I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts and experiences with using Reading Street.