Creating DIY History Practice Questions for the ELA Common Core

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - September 19th, 2014

While many parents choose to purchase ready-made history practice questions in study guides and software when preparing their children for standardized tests, the cost can be quite high. This is especially true if you have two or more children in school. With the growing number of standardized tests being administered to children at all grade levels, the cost of purchasing a study guide for every single one can add up quickly.

This is precisely why many parents are turning to DIY methods when it comes to test prep. There are many resources out there for this purpose. You can view a released set of history practice questions at http://www.cde.ca.gov/Ta/tg/sr/documents/cstrtqhss8.pdf. Resources such as this offer valuable insight into how questions are worded and structured, even though the questions themselves are not in current use.

Textbook Practice

For a free, easy and convenient option, read through your child’s current history and social studies textbooks. Be sure to concentrate on the chapters and sections they have already studied, as testing follows curriculum and it’s unlikely that your child will face a question on a subject they have not yet studied.

When choosing questions, include a broad range. Try to touch on each subject your child has studied this year. In each subject, include a variety of types of questions. Some should focus on English language skills such as reading and comprehension. Others should focus on more traditional history practice question aspects such as recalling names, dates and other specifics.

Keep it Relaxed

Regardless of whether you choose DIY methods, purchased study materials or a combination thereof, one of the most important things you can do for your child is to keep test prep relaxed. Studies show that children who are pressured by their parents can develop testing anxiety, a recognized and potentially debilitating condition in which children face extreme anxiety on testing day. This phenomenon is not only unpleasant, but it can lead to drastically inaccurate and low test scores.