Multiple-choice analogies found on standardized tests are word
problems using the pattern:
A is to B as X is to
Y
where A, B, X and Y are each words.
To solve for Y in such word problems, students need to know:
- The meaning of each word in the problem.
- The kinds of relationships that are possible between
words.
- How to interpret the format of the problem.
You can cover points 1 and 2 with a collaborative activity in
which students discover common types of word-pair relationships
using course vocabulary words. Point 3 is most easily handled
through a constructed response technique.
If you are required to do test preparation lessons for standardized
tests that include these kinds of word problems, you can do students
and yourself a big favor by using teaching the solution process
as a review technique within the context of your English
language arts course.
Call for constructed responses
A construction response word problem is one in which the respondents
supply a missing word rather than selecting one. In other words,
the questions give students the words for A, B and X, but no list
of choices for Y. Click to see 15
ELA constructed-response items.
Encourage students to come up with as many appropriate answers
as they can. Allow students to discuss why some answers are "better"
— more precise — than others.
This kind of teaching forces students to go beyond recall and
recognition. The activity involves
application, analysis, and evaluation. Students must employ
critical thinking strategies to find the best solution to the
problem from among the words in their vocabularies.
Use informal oral assessment
Instead of giving students a quiz over this material, let students
give 2-3 minute oral presentations in which they discuss for the
class how they solved the word problem.
You might have students work in pairs or teams. The presentations
can be informative, persuasive, or even presented as arguments
in favor of one solution over another.
The oral activities promote vocabulary retention by giving students
opportunities to speak the words on their vocabulary lists, instead
of merely reading them.
