Get Ready! For Standardized Tests : Reading Grade 2: (Get Ready for Standardized Tests Series)

This follow up to the six lead titles in the "Get Ready Series" will help parents help their children to develop the core skills they so desperately need to do well in their classes and to perform at grade level on standardized tests. Mathematics and reading comprehension are the two most important areas where children must learn mastery, and they are also those where students struggle most to attain competence. Especially for those students who have a weakness in a specific area, these targetted books will provide expert techniques and practice exercises to bring performance up to speed on state-mandated tests. Among the states the basic curriculum in reading and mathematics is consistent from grade to grade, and the new "Get Ready" titles will be filled with tips and techniques for parents who want to help optimize their children's performance in these essentials. Every book will be geared to a specific grade level with sample problems and practice exercises written to reinforce each skill and mirror the actual material used in the discipline, in classroom work and on the standardized tests. Each type of problem or question will be related to its equivalent as used on the most-widely known standardized tests, and clear explanations of what skills students should be learning in first, second or third grade. Creative techniques are included which help children master grade-appropriate concepts and a skill review after every section helps parents gauge their child's progress with the skills checklist. An appendix with further information on sources for help and table of state-mandated tests - which states give which tests and when they're given - concludes the book.

Table of Contents:
Skills Checklist. Introduction. Chapter 1: Test-Taking Basics. Chapter 2: Vocabulary. Chapter 3: Word Meanings in Context. Chapter 4: Synonyms, Antonyms, and Homonyms. Chapter 5: Word Sounds. Chapter 6: Word Recognition. Chapter 7: Spelling. Chapter 8: Capitalization and Punctuation. Chapter 9: Grammar Skills. Chapter 10: Breaking It Down. Chapter 11: Reading Comprehension. Chapter 12: Understanding Genres. Chapter 13: Study Skills. Appendix A: Web Sites and Resources for More Information. Appendix B: Read More About It. Appendix C: What Your Child's Test Scores Mean. Appendix D: Which States Require Which Tests. Appendix E: Testing Accommodations.

About the Author :
Louise Ulrich is a veteran teacher with more than 27 years of experience in public and private elementary schools. A graduate of West Virginia University with a B.S. in elementary education, she also holds a master's degree in education from Millersville University. Over the past 27 years Louise has taught every grade from preschool through sixth and has served as assistant director of a private day camp for children for the past 11 summers. For the past four years, she has taught second grade at the Lancaster Country Day School in Lancaster, PA. Carol Turkington (Morgantown, PA) is the author of several books, including Reflections for Working Women and Reflections for Working Parents, both available from McGraw-Hill.