Students need both information stored in long-term memory and test-taking strategies in order to do well on tests.  Without both of these skills, our students are at a serious disadvantage.

While many teachers and parents often teach students to think positively and use relaxation techniques before a test, one important factor of test taking that is often overlooked is teaching students test vocabulary.  This is the vocabulary most frequently seen on essay questions, although they might be seen in multiple choice questions, too.

If we teach test vocabulary, what the words mean, and how they may look in different forms on a test, our students will be well prepared at test time.  Even when we must teach material below grade level to ensure understanding of content, it is imperative that we teach test vocabulary at grade level to ensure success at test time.

The following are test vocabulary words with definitions of what they mean on a test. This is not the classic definition, but the way the tests wants you to respond to them.

Discuss: Consider important characteristics and main points
Enumerate: List or discuss one-by-one
Explain: Give facts and details that make the idea or concept clear and understandable
Illustrate: Explain, using examples that demonstrate or clarify a point or idea
Compare: Show how items are similar as well as different; include details or examples
Contrast: Show how the items are different; include details or examples
Define: Give an accurate meaning of the term with enough detail to show you really understand it
Trace: Describe the development or progress of a particular trend, event, or process in chronological order
Evaluate: React to the topic in a logical way; discuss the merit, strengths, weaknesses, advantages, or limitations of the topic
Summarize: Cover the major points in brief form; use a sentence and paragraph form
Describe: Tell how something looks or happened, including how, who, where, and why
Justify: Give reasons that support an action, event, or policy
Criticize: Make judgments about quality or worth; include both positive and negative aspects
Prove: Demonstrate or establish that a concept or theory is correct, logical, or valid

Excerpted from Memorization and Test-Taking Strategies by Susan Gingras Fitzell.

credit for completing a vocabulary square using the ‘nerd word’.  This process motivates students to explore new words and to experience a larger vocabulary.

Another issue students often face is unfamiliar vocabulary on tests.  I discuss the importance of teaching test vocabulary in some of my seminars, but sometimes students need other options. Rachael Woolbright from Rockwell Charter High School in Utah suggests allowing written responses on multiple choice tests. If a student is unsure of an answer, they can write in another answer they think is correct.  This strategy also benefits extroverts who need to be able to process their answers more deeply than multiple choice testing allows.

Joelle Brummitt-Yale offers some additional vocabulary specific strategies in her article, “Effective Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary.”  Take a look and remember to consider the vocabulary you use  when working with your students.

Visual

Quack! SAT Vocab Success!
This educational video set has earned high praise for it’s ability to blend an irreverent sense of humor with an “educational assisting program designed to beef up students’ language skills before taking the SAT test.” ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Auditory

Who hasn’t had a song stuck in their head, at one time or another? Using the naturally catchy nature of tunes to have your students leaving your classes humming the answers to next weeks test seems to sell itself. The following are a couple of links that offer educational songs for download. There are songs for all grade levels as well as subjects.

SongsForTeaching.com

HaveFunTeaching.com

KidsKnowIt.com

Kinesthetic

The following was an idea suggested to me by Megan Taylor of Ozark, MO, as a method for getting physical learners to take hold of abstract ideas. kinesthetic spelling: Use your body as the letters on the line. For example: “Political” – P-stand, o-sit, l-stand, i-sit, t-stand, i-sit, c-sit, a-sit, l-stand. When an entire class spells out a word and performs this, it also adds a visual and auditory dimension to the idea.