Let’s face it! Test Prep Season is coming in full force. For many, January is a time of setting goals, developing new hopes, and planning a fresh start. For teachers, however, it is a mad race to the standardized test prep finish line. I don’t know about you, but if your principals were anything like mine, they “encouraged” you to drop what you were doing and “teach the standards,” like you weren’t doing that before! I am a firm believer that you do not have to stop what you are doing, actually teaching children, in order to prepare students for state reading comprehension tests. You can use the literature you love! You and I can do both!! When most teachers are struggling with using boring standardized test prep materials, you CAN TEACH Romeo and Juliet and prepare for reading comprehension tests!
Why should we teach Romeo and Juliet in the midst of Test Prep Season?
Students deserve the best of who we are. We did not go into teaching to merely teach students to pass a standardized test! Unfortunately though, it has become our reality. During the fall, we can luxuriate in transcendentalist short stories. We can hum to the harmonies of romantic poetry. We can immerse ourselves into the novels we loved as teenagers. Then, we slide into the home base of Christmas Break. We catch our breath and, hopefully, enjoy the holiday season. After Christmas, we gradually start thinking about the spring. Suddenly, we realize that the standardized test is around the corner, looming, looking at us, daring us to face it. I should say tests, as most students take multiple tests at the end of the year; these are not one but multiple dragons to slay.
Thankfully, we have options. Most of my former principals were pragmatic. If my team and I could get the desired results, we could teach what and how we wanted. We still had to prepare students for the standardized reading comprehension tests, but we had the freedom to integrate that preparation into what we were teaching.
A Moment of Genius: How can I use what I love to teach and also help students succeed on standardized tests?
So begins the journey into teaching Romeo and Juliet. Why this play? It is a cornerstone in most 8th and 9th grade curriculum. Plus, teachers usually teach it in the spring, because Shakespeare is the most difficult part of the year.
Now, the play is not a classic because two highly dramatic teenagers meet, get married, and “die for love,” all in the span of a week. It is a classic because of its thematic connections to love, death, loyalty, hate, ignorance, family, religion, etc. We can all relate to it in some way. Additionally, the language itself is beautiful and difficult, forcing us to delve deep within ourselves to fully comprehend it.
4 Ways to Incorporate Test Prep in Teaching Romeo and Juliet
1. Use Standards-Based Reading Comprehension Questions instead of recall questions. Instead of asking “Who are the main characters in the play?” or “What is the resolution of the story?” how about asking “How does Shakespeare establish the characters at the beginning of the story?” OR “What theme is developed through the use of the conflict between the two families?” These higher level questions reflect the complexity on state standardized tests.
2. Use Standards-Based Reading Comprehension Answers that look like the standardized test they will face. Many state tests use multiple-choice answer options; however, they also many times use multi-select responses, HOT text answers, or 2 Part Questions/Answers. By varying the types of answers/questions on your tests or quizzes, you serve your students in preparing them for any standardized test.
This question has 2 parts.
Part A: What is Romeo’s tone in the following lines?
ROMEO
By a name
I know not how to tell thee who I am:
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,
Because it is an enemy to thee;
Had I it written, I would tear the word.
A. Serene
B. Resolute
C. Confused
D. Apathetic
Part B: What 2 words from the lines above support your answer to Part A?
- “tear”
- “name”
- “word”
- “hateful”
- “myself”
- “written”
3. Use Reading Passages with Test Questions that use a length similar to one on a standardized test. Ultimately, students will need to understand the basic ideas in any act of the play; however, a standardized test calls for a close reading of 1-3 pages. For example, you could use Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Scene 1 or Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scene 2. By utilizing using shorter passages, your students may not feel as overwhelmed by an entire act or scene, but can read a portion and feel successful.
4. Use Short Response Questions that mirror what the standardized test requires. Ultimately, students need to be able to analyze any text and cite evidence to support their ideas. They can demonstrate both skills when reading Romeo and Juliet. You can teach a sentence-by-sentence short response outline for writing ANY paragraph.
BE BOLD!
Overall, you want your students to have fun and learn at the same time! With the beast that is the standardized test, you may feel like you don’t have the time to teach Romeo and Juliet. That is an unfortunate thought, and I want to encourage you to use this masterpiece! You CAN integrate test prep as you teach Romeo and Juliet and prepare for reading comprehension tests. It does not have to be the main focus, but it can be a way to kill two birds with one stone!
This Romeo and Juliet Common Core Practice Test Prep Quiz Bundle contains 130 reading comprehension QUESTIONS and ANSWERS with 10 reading comprehension passages, which focus on the Common Core standards and are modeled after various state exams. My goal is for test prep to become a natural and easy part of the curriculum, instead of something else you have to create.
PRODUCTS INCLUDED:
Romeo and Juliet’s The Prologue: CCSS Quiz (Test Prep) & Graphic Organizer
Romeo and Juliet: Act 1, Sc. 1 Common Core Reading Quiz Pack (Test Prep)
Romeo and Juliet: Act 1, Sc. 5 Common Core Reading Quiz Pack (Test Prep)
Romeo and Juliet: Act 2, Sc. 2 Common Core Reading Quiz Pack (Test Prep)
Romeo and Juliet: Act 2, Sc. 3 Common Core Reading Quiz Pack (Test Prep)
Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Sc. 1 Pt. 1 Common Core Reading Quiz Pack (Test Prep)
Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Sc. 1 Pt. 2 Common Core Reading Quiz Pack (Test Prep)
Romeo and Juliet: Act 4, Sc. 1 Common Core Reading Quiz Pack (Test Prep)
Romeo and Juliet: Act 4, Sc. 3 Common Core Reading Quiz Pack (Test Prep)
Romeo and Juliet: Act 5, Sc. 3 Common Core Reading Quiz Pack (Test Prep)
Romeo and Juliet: Act 5, Sc. 1 Common Core Reading Quiz Pack (Test Prep)