Are Science Practice Questions Necessary?

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - June 17th, 2016

Well-Rounded Education

Lots of parents wonder if science practice questions are necessary. Since the ELA (English Language Arts) Common Core testing battery places an emphasis on English language skills, many parents are confused when it comes time for test preparation and study. Are practice questions for other tested subjects, including science, history, math and social studies really necessary?

In short, the answer is yes. Although the ELA tests are more English-oriented than other standardized tests, their goal is to ensure a thorough, well-rounded education for each student. For this reason, they’ve included other core subjects. While science may not be the main focus of the ELA Common Core tests, it’s definitely a relevant and important portion.

What About Younger Children?

Science practice questions are necessary for children in lower grades as well as those in grades six and up. Although children in grades five and below are not given separate test portions for history, social studies, science and math, these subjects are integrated into the ELA portion which they are given.

Create Questions at Home

You can find a wide variety of home-study options for ELA testing. Some examples of practice questions and quizzes can be found at http://www.homeinstructionschools.com/shack/3-8examreview.html. Purchased options include hard-copy study guides and software programs, all tailored to meet the needs of each grade level and age.

A growing number of parents are choosing to create their own set of science practice questions at home. This is relatively simple to do once you’ve gotten a good grasp of how ELA questions are worded and formatted. Simply look through your child’s current science textbook. The best pieces of text for practicing include both traditional learned knowledge, such as facts, dates and figures, as well as text which places an emphasis on English skills and comprehension.

Here’s How It Might Look

As an example, you may have your child read a page or paragraph, then answer some traditional questions. Next, ask them to identify several English concepts based on what they’ve read. Some options include sentence structure, grammar or identifying steps in a process.

It all goes together!  So you cannot go wrong in covering all the subjects with your child.