Proficiency Test Questioning Techniques

Presented By Timm Mackley

Field Local Schools’ Superintendent

Reading Activities

1. There are eleven different reading activities prescribed in this instructional model. Two of the activities require students to create their own written responses. The remaining nine activities invite the teacher and students to develop possible answers to a question, and then select the best answer among those that have been suggested.

2. Activities may be teacher-led, student-led, or used in group discussion. All three methods should be used in the classroom.

3. Selections used for the Fourth-grade Proficiency Test in reading are no more than a page or two in length, and usually include an illustration, a chart, a map, or a graph. Teachers should select similar materials for use in the classroom.

4. Each activity includes four examples selected from previous proficiency tests. The actual prompts which served as the basis for the sample questions are not included with the examples. However, two prompts are included separately to be used in practicing the prescribed reading activities.

Reading Activity 1: Retell the story or poem.

Examples:

1. Imagine that you are telling a friend what happened when David Campbell sent his message in a bottle.

Finish retelling what happened: (Prompt) David sent a letter in a bottle when he was in Tahiti. Jimmy, who lives 2,700 miles from Tahiti,

2. Imagine you are Miata talking to a friend. Retell the story in detail.

3. In your own words tell what happened in this poem.

4. Imagine that the other sister had written this story. What are two things she might say about her sister?

Reading Activity 2: Use the story or poem to explain feelings.

Examples:

1. How does Tooky feel about Kyo? Use the story to explain why you think this.

2. Would you like to have Tooky for a friend? Use the story to explain why you feel this way.

3. How does this selection make you feel about sharks? Use the selection to explain why you feel this way.

4. How does this poem make you feel? Use the poem to explain why you feel this way.

Reading Activity 3: Provide a map or illustration. List three or more statements about the map or illustration. Select the one which is most accurate.

Examples:

1.        Look at the map. Davidıs bottle floated 2,700 miles. How far is 2,700 miles? It is about the distance

across

A. New Zealand

B. Mexico

C. The United States

2. Look at the picture of the dance. Why can people see both the old skirt and the new?

A. Miata is holding out the top skirt so both show.

B. Miata is moving fast and the wind is blowing the skirts up in the air.

C. Miata is kicking her legs up high.

3. What does the picture show you about Miata?

A. She has forgotten the steps to the dance.

B. She is the best dancer in the group.

C. She wants people to see both the old and new skirts.

4. Look at the picture showing shark products. Which sentence best tells about how shark products are

used?

A. Shark products are very expensive.

B. A sharkıs skin has no use and is thrown away.

C. Doctors and nurses use shark products to help people.

Reading Activity 4: List three or more resources which might be used to learn about a person, place, or event in the story. Select the best one.

Examples:

1. If David wanted to learn the names of the islands that make up Vanuatu, which book should he use?

A. Snorkeling Around the World

B. The Atlas of the South Pacific

C. Tips for a Tahitian Holiday

2. What video would be likely to show you the most about Kyoıs way of life?

A. Living in a Land of Snow and Ice

B. Seals Around the World

C. The History of the State of Alaska

3. Suppose you wanted to hear the music that is played for folklorico. Which tape would be most likely to

have this music?

A. Folk Music of the World

B. Music for Romantic Dancing

C. Childrenıs Songs and Games

4. Now that the dog has returned, which book do you think would be helpful to the speaker in the poem?

A. How to Train Your Dog in Thirty Days

B. Mammals of North America

C. How to Keep Your Pet at Home

Reading Activity 5: List three or more statements about how two or more characters or events are alike, and how are they different. Select the best one.

Examples:

1. How are David and Jimmy alike, and how are they different. Read the numbered ideas below. Fill in

the diagram with the number of each idea that tells about David, about jimmy, and about both boys. You will use each numbered idea once.

1. Fishes with a net

2. Lived in Singapore

3. Likes to go snorkeling

4. Likes to make new friends

5. Has traveled to many far-off places

David Both Jimmy

2. The writer is looking back on her childhood in this selection. How do the sistersı feelings seem to

change over the years?

A. When young, the sisters often fought; when older, they became friends.

B. When young, the sisters often fought; when older, they did not speak to each other.

C. When young, the sisters were friends; when older, they often fought.

3. How is the cat different today from when the speaker first got it?

A. From a hungry kitten, it has become a loving, happy cat.

B. From a hungry kitten, it has become a good hunter.

C. From a hungry kitten, it has become a prize-winning cat.

4. In the selection, how is snow like a blanket?

A. It is good for plants and animals.

B. It is fluffy and white.

C. It covers and provides warmth.

Reading Activity 6: List three or more one-sentence summaries of the story, or of a main idea in the story. Select the best one.

Examples:

1. Which sentence best tells what happens in this story?

A. Kyo goes for a swim with a seal named Tooky.

B. Kyo and a seal named Tooky become friends.

C. Kyo tries to follow Tooky and meet other seals.

2. Which idea from the story tells about why sharks are dangerous?

A. Sharks sometimes attack people to find food.

B. Many different products are made from sharks.

C. Sharks often attack people for no good reason.

3. Why are thousands of sharks killed by people each year?

A. To make them disappear from the oceans

B. Because they are mean, dangerous animals

C. For food and other products and for sport

4. Choose the sentence that best tells what this selection is about.

A. Two sisters find many ways to be mean to one another.

B. A younger sister tries to catch up with her older sister.

C. A younger sister wants to take music lessons with her older sister.

Reading Activity 7: List three or more one-sentence explanations of an event in the story. Select the best one.

Examples:

1. Why did David Campbell drop his bottle into the ocean?

A. To tell about his trip to Tahiti

B. To see if anyone would find his message

C. To make the ink on the message smear

2. Why does Kyo want to visit the sea with Tooky?

A. To hunt for food

B. To catch some fish

C. To have an adventure

3. Why does Miata wear the old skirt?

A. Her mother says she must.

B. It was her motherıs.

C. The new one is not as pretty.

4. Which sentence best tells why Miataıs mother is smiling proudly at the dance?

A. Miata is the leader of the group.

B. Miata is wearing the old skirt.

C. Everyone is watching Miata.

Reading Activity 8: List three or more one-sentence explanations of a phrase in the story. Select the best one.

Examples:

1.        At the beginning of the story Kyo "inched toward" Tooky on his hands and knees. This means that

A. He moved slowly and with great care.

B. He used a ruler to find Tooky.

C. He counted his steps moving toward Tooky.

2. What are the "spinning colors of Mexico" in the story?

A. A pinwheel spinning on the ground

B. The flags waving in the breeze

C. The colors of the two skirts as Miata dances

3. The selection says that sharks and people are "important links in the chain of living things." What does

this mean?

A. Dangerous living things are not as important as other living things.

B. All living things are important because they are all connected.

C. Sharks and people are more important than other living things.

4. "Great reward" means something different to the heron and the wolf. How do we know that the heron

expects a different kind of reward than the one she gets?

A. She tells the wolf she will not accept his reward.

B. She gets angry and yells at the wolf.

C. She asks the wolf where the reward is.

Reading Activity 9: List three or more words or phrases that might describe the feelings or characteristics of a person in the story. Select the best one.

Examples:

1. How did David feel about receiving a letter from Jimmy?

A. Happy to get his bottle back

B. Surprised to hear from an old friend

C. Surprised because he did not expect anyone to find his message.

2. While the dog was gone, how do you think the speaker in the poem felt?

A. Worried

B. Relaxed

C. Relieved

3. Choose the sentence that tells about Mrs. Sylvester.

A. She likes to share stories from the past.

B. She is patient with the neighborhood children

C. She is neat and clean about her home.

4. In the circles write words and groups of words from the poem to tell about the cat.

A. (prompt) loves the sun

B.

C.

Reading Activity 10: List three or more people who might be telling the story. Select the best one.

Examples:

1. Who is talking in this poem?

A. Reuben Ranzo

B. The owner of Ruben Ranzo

C. A firefighter

2. Who is telling this story?

A. The mother

B. The older sister

C. The younger sister

Reading Activity 11: Predict three or more possible courses of action for a character or event in the story. Select the best one.

Examples:

1. What do you think the speaker will do with Reuben Ranzo in the future?

A. Watch the dog more carefully

B. Introduce the dog to the local firefighter.

C. Hold a parade to celebrate the dogıs return.

2. Do you think Jesse succeeded in doing what coach Riley told him to do, train for the future?

A. Yes, because Jesse set junior high school records for the long jump and the high jump.

B. Yes, because Jesse won many races throughout his life.

C. No, because Jesse did not break any records even though he won races.

3. If the cat in this poem had a chance to go outside for a day, what do you think he would most like to do?

A. Chase other cats

B. Sleep in the sun

C. Hunt with other cats

4. What might happen to plants if they are not covered with snow during the winter?

A. They would begin blooming much earlier in the spring.

B. Animals such as chipmunks and mice would eat them.

C. They might die because of cold winds and ice.

Citizenship Activities

1. There are nine different citizenship activities prescribed in this instructional model. In some cases, the

activity can be integrated with a topic of study selected by the teacher, in other cases, the activity may

actually be the topic of study. For example, statements of fact and opinion can be generated about almost

any topic of study. On the other hand, examples of state and local government are most effective when

government is the topic of study.

2. Activities may be teacher-led, student-led, or used in group discussion. All three methods should be

used in the classroom.

3. Prompts used for the Fourth-grade Proficiency Test in citizenship are no more than a single paragraph in length, and make frequent use of charts, maps, and graphs. Teachers should select similar materials for use

in the classroom.

4. Each activity includes four examples selected from previous proficiency tests.

5. The citizenship test requires a certain amount of factual recall about Ohio history, state and local

government, and geographical features. The accompanying content map is intended to identify the

subject-matter content which is necessary for this test.

Citizenship Activity 1: Choose a public issue related to the topic of study. List three or more civic activities. Select the activity most closely related to the public issue.

Examples:

1. You and your friends want to improve your neighborhood. Which of the following is something you can safely do?

A. Solve crimes

B. Clean up litter

C. Patch potholes

2. It is a problem to get rid of garbage and other waste. Some of this waste is dangerous if it gets into our

air, water, or soil. What are two things people can do to help solve this waste problem?

A.

B.

3. Littering is when people carelessly throw away candy wrappers, paper cups, or other trash. What are

two things you and your classmates could do about the littering in a park near your school?

A.

B.

4. Children and parents in the neighborhood want another playground. What can they do to get a new

playground?

A. Buy a playground

B. Talk to community leaders

C. Move to another neighborhood

Citizenship Activity 2: List three or more statements about the topic of study. Identify which are statements of fact, and which are statements of opinion.

Examples:

1. Which statement is an opinion rather than a fact?

A. There are more than 1,000 poison waste sites in Ohio.

B. The state of Ohio has passed laws to clean up the sites.

C. These laws will cause some businesses to leave Ohio.

2. The following stories were on two television channels.

Channel 2: A new train line has started running in central City. It runs from City Hall to the airport.

Channel 4: A new train line in Central City runs to the airport. It should have been built many years ago.

Which channel gives the viewers an opinion? Explain why you think so.

3. Which is a statement of fact rather than opinion?

A. Ohio has enough public schools

B. Ohio law says that children must get schooling.

C. Ohioıs public schools have the best teachers in the country.

4. Shirley has heard that a new public swimming pool might be built in her town. Much is being said about the pool in the newspapers and on radio and TV. Shirley wants to know what is fact and what is opinion. The following are some statements about the pool. Select one statement and tell whether it is a fact or an opinion. Explain why you think so.

A. People should swim in lakes and rivers.

B. A public swimming pool needs lifeguards.

C. Taxpayers should not pay for a swimming pool.

Citizenship Activity 3: Provide a map, illustration, or timeline associated with the topic of study. List three or more statements about the map, illustration, or timeline.

Select the one which is most accurate.

Examples:

1. Why is iron ore shipped from Duluth to Cleveland? (Map)

A. To make steel

B. To make gasoline

C. To make aluminum

2. What event took place when Milliard Fillmore was president? (Timeline)

A. Ohio became the 17th state.

B. The first steamboat was on the Ohio River.

C. The second Ohio Constitution was approved.

3. Use the graph to answer the question. The ancestors of the people of Ohio came from many places.

Out of every 100 Ohioans, about how many are African Americans?

A. 3

B. 10

C. 87

4. Use the chart to answer the question. Rashad Singleton just moved to Ohio. He hopes to get a teaching job. Which government department could help him get permission to teach?

A. Department of Education

B. Department of Highway Safety

C. Department of Natural Resources

Citizenship Activity 4: Choose a branch of state or local government. List three or more examples from the topic of study which are associated with that branch of government.

Examples:

1. What does the legislative branch of Ohioıs state government do?

A. Makes laws

B. Enforces laws

C. Interprets laws

2. One purpose of local government is to protect peopleıs health and safety. Name four things local

government does to see that people are healthy and safe.

A.

B.

C.

D.

3. Some of the taxes collected by the Ohio state government are spent on state parks. This includes taking

care of beaches and rental rowboats. Which purpose of state government deals with state parks?

A. Providing public services

B. Providing a system of justice

C. Protecting the rights of individuals

4. Use the chart provided to answer the question:

(1) City governments make sure there are public parks.

(2) City governments make sure there is police protection.

(3) City governments make sure there is clean water.

What do city governments do to provide places for public recreation?

A. (1)

B. (2)

C. (3)

Citizenship Activity 5: List three or more examples from the topic of study related to production or consumption .

Examples:

1. Which of the following people is producing something?

A. Ms. Gonzales makes fishing poles.

B. Mr. Chung gives out fishing licenses.

C. Ms. Everett sells worms for fishing bait.

2. A strip of land along a river is flat. It is used for farming. What else might that land be used for? Give a reason why?

3. Coal is mined in eastern Ohio. What is coal used for?

A. Something to wear

B. Something to build

C. Something to burn for energy

4. Lumber cut from trees is used in making furniture. Which factor of production do trees represent?

A. Land

B. Labor

C. Capital

Citizenship Activity 6: List three or more rules associated with the topic of study.

Identify which are fair, and which are unfair.

Examples:

1. Read the following paragraph to answer the question:

Linda and Stefan were asked to choose games for a school party. They set the following rules:

Rule 1. Everyone may take part in the game he or she chooses.

Rule 2. Only boys may choose sides for team games.

Rule 3. Nobody may leave the party early.

Which rule favors one group over another?

A. Rule 1

B. Rule 2

C. Rule 3

2. Your teacher asks each student to look up five words in the dictionary. You are one of four students

who have dictionaries. What is the fair thing to do?

A. Share your dictionary after you have completed your work.

B. Let the best student use your dictionary and then copy her work.

C. Look up the words slowly so you wonıt have to share your dictionary.

3. Which of the following playground rules is made to give everyone a fair chance?

A. Children must play ball every day.

B. Children must run at least two miles.

C. Children must take turns jumping rope.

4. Derrick and Jerome are waiting in the lunch line at school. tom comes along and cuts in front of them.

Derrick and Jerome are upset with tom. Why is what Tom did unfair?

A. He did not wait his turn.

B. He did not bring his lunch.

C. He did not stand up straight.

Citizenship Activity 7: List factual examples mentioned in the topic of study.

Examples:

1. Read the paragraph to answer the question. Name two ways that the St. Lawrence Seaway helped people in Ohio.

2. Read the paragraph to answer the question. Give two examples of how the Amish have helped in the growth of Ohio.

3. Read the paragraph to answer the question. What are two examples of how life was different for

Chaska and Winona than it is for you today?

4. Read the paragraph to answer the question. Explain how they would best work together to do the job.

Citizenship Activity 8: List contributions made to Ohio by cultural groups.

Examples:

1. Erie, Miami, and Wyandot are the names of some counties in Ohio. From which group of people do these names come?

A. Irish Americans

B. German Americans

C. Native Americans

2. There are many cultural celebrations in Ohio every year. Among them are the German Village Octoberfest and the Italian Festival in Columbus. the people whose backgrounds are celebrated in these events come from

A. Asia

B. Africa

C. Europe

3. Many people enjoy the Midwest Tejano Mexican Festival every year in Toledo. Which group created

this event to celebrate their background?

A. Asian Americans

B. Native Americans

C. Hispanic Americans

4. Use the diagram to answer the question. Choose an immigrant group from above or any other

immigrant group in Ohio. Describe how they made a living in Ohio when they first came to the United

States.

Citizenship Activity 9: Recall facts from Ohio History.

Examples:

1. During the colonial period, two foreign countries claimed the Ohio area. Name one of the foreign countries.

2. During the Nation-Building period, what was one event that happened to Ohio?

3. What is one way that people traveled in the Ohio area about 300 years ago?

A. By cars

B. By canoes

C. By steamboats

4. Native Americans have lived in Ohio for thousands of years. Some of them were called the Delaware, the Miami, and the Shawnee. What was the name of another Native American people who lived in Ohio?

A. The Erie

B. The French

C. The Spanish