The student strategies section of our ParaPro Study Guide will go beyond asking you to demonstrate your reading skills and knowledge. It will examine the ways in which paraprofessionals are expected to help students learn and grow in the classroom.
Helping Students With Pre-reading Strategies
This exam content will focus on what you, as an instructor, should do to help students with interact with, understand, or make inferences about the material they are working with.
Examples of questions you might see on the ParaPro exam include:
- What would be a good pre-reading strategy for students learning about the subject?
- By looking over the passage, what genre does the story likely fall under?
- By reading the title, what prediction could you make about the type of story this is?
Pre-reading strategies help a reader prepare to absorb all information in a text. Getting in the proper mindset and having the right tools at your disposal sets you up for success before you even read the first paragraph.
Students can use pre-reading strategies independently, or they can be guided through pre-reading activities by a teacher or ParaPro who knows the content. Pre-reading strategies and activities are important both for the student to prepare to read and for the instructor to gauge what the students know.
Pre-reading strategies include:
- Scanning the text. The title, structure, and any underlining or formatting choices of a work all prepare students for what they are about to read. For example, if a work has short lines that are center-justified, it’s likely that a student can tell it is a poem upon first glance.
- Making predictions. Once students have scanned a text, they should be able to make predictions about what they will read. For example, a title like “Adventures in a Time Machine” should indicate to a student that they will be reading a science fiction story.
Pre-reading activities include:
- Activating existing knowledge. Activities where students are asked to write down what they know and what they want to learn are always a good place to start. A common structure for this strategy is creating a K-W-L chart, where students write what they know, what they want to know, and what they will learn.
- Learning the background. The context that surrounds a literary work is helpful to know before engaging with the text. For example, if you’re getting ready to read “A Christmas Carol,” learning about Charles Dickens and what life was like in England in the mid-1800s would be a good way to prepare students for the story.
- Expanding vocabulary. Before getting into the text, go over new words students may come across and what they mean.
Example 1
A paraprofessional is about to do a unit on medieval romance, including stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. What would be a good pre-reading activity to determine what students know about King Arthur?
- have students read a story about King Arthur
- ask students to complete a K-W-L chart to determine their knowledge about King Arthur
- have students read about the history of England
- ask students out loud what a medieval romance is
Reading a story about King Arthur may help students learn something new about him, but it doesn’t show you how much the students already know. The same can be said of reading the history of England — which also doesn’t directly tie in to the subject. Asking students questions orally won’t gauge the knowledge of the whole class; you may only get the answers of a few students who know something about medieval romance or are comfortable speaking.
However, option (B), making a K-W-L chart, gives every student the chance to write down what they already know along with what they want to learn. They can also go back at the end and write down what they learned after the unit. This combines a good pre-reading activity with a post-reading activity.
Example 2
Students are asked to make predictions about a story by reading its title and skimming through an excerpt of the exposition:
The Princess and the Cook
Once upon a time, in a castle far, far away, there lived a princess who hated every meal that was ever served to her. In the span of one year, more than 200 cooks were dismissed by the princess. One bite and they were out.
The princess continued to send out her servants to find the perfect cook but they kept coming back with failures. Finally, the princess made a mandate to them. “If you don’t find a cook that pleases me, I will feed you all to the dragons.” So her servants went out to search in faraway lands everywhere to find a cook that would make the princess happy.
The paraprofessional asks the students, “What genre do you think this story fits under?” Which response from the students would be most accurate?
- science fiction
- fairy tale
- nonfiction
- play/drama
The best answer is (B). The title is an important clue, because many well-known fairy tales involve princesses. Further, by just skimming the first line, students can find language that is generally used in fairy tales or fantasy works. Plays or dramas can also be fictional works with fairy tale elements, but they are written in a specific style with stage directions and character lines.
Guiding Students Through Reading Roadblocks
It’s important for paraprofessionals to know effective ways to assist students when they are confused about or struggling with a text. Parapros can help students:
- Understand that words can have different meanings
- Learn effective ways to define words within passages
- Identify main ideas and details
The following question is an example of what you might be asked on the exam:
Students are struggling to understand the word “gait” within a passage they are reading. What would be an effective strategy a paraprofessional could use to help the students understand that word?
As a paraprofessional, you might have the students look at the words around the one they don’t understand and use context clues to help determine its definition. You can also ask if there are any root words, prefixes or suffixes that they are familiar with to help them determine the word.
There are a few things you should not do, as they are not helpful to students:
- Tell students to look up the word in the dictionary
- Provide students with the answer directly
- Have them ask other students
- Tell students to skip over the word and come back to it later on
No matter what a student needs help with, it is your responsibility to guide them in figuring out an answer using critical thinking skills and reading strategies.
Example 3
A New Way to Detect Illness
A woman from England recently found a new way to detect Parkinson’s disease via an unusual scent. Joy Milne discovered this unique power when her husband unfortunately became stricken with Parkinson’s, and she had noticed a musty smell replacing his usual scent.
Milne was brought in to Edinburgh University and successfully identified 12 out of 12 patients with Parkinson’s, including a control member who was in the very early stages of the disease and would only be officially diagnosed a few months later. Scientists believe an alteration in a person’s skin can lead to this change in odor, which Milne alone seems able to detect.
As a result, Milne has helped scientists come up with new ways to test for Parkinson’s disease. By catching the disease early on, it can delay the most severe of effects until later on in life, perhaps indefinitely.
A paraprofessional is trying to help students find the main idea of the passage. What would be an effective strategy to share with the students?
- have students write down key details about Joy Milne and tell them to look for one overall message
- tell them the last sentence is critical in determining the main idea
- indicate that the main idea directly stated in the middle of the passage
- look online to find the main idea
The correct answer is (A). Main ideas are based on supporting details; thus, the details should all point to one overall message that the passage is trying to convey. The main idea is not directly stated in the passage, and both the introduction and conclusion are essential parts in determining the main idea, not just the last sentence.
Making Accurate Observations About a Student’s Ability to Understand a Text
Students’ abilities to comprehend what they read vary widely. Paraprofessionals should be able to identify a student’s reading comprehension so that they can assist those having trouble.
On the ParaPro exam, this skill will be tested with passages and questions that parapros can ask their students. You must be able to answer the questions yourself and know what questions are helpful in gauging a student’s reading comprehension.
Example 4
Excerpt from The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman
It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work. When I get really well, John says we will ask Cousin Henry and Julia down for a long visit; but he says he would as soon put fireworks in my pillow-case as to let me have those stimulating people about now.
I wish I could get well faster.
But I must not think about that. This [wall]paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!
There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down.
I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and the everlastingness. Up
and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are every
where. There is one place where two breaths didn’t match, and the eyes go all up and down the line, one a little higher than the other.
A paraprofessional asks the students, “The narrator fixates on the wallpaper in her room while recovering from an illness. What does the narrator believe about the wallpaper?” Which of the following is an appropriate answer to this question?
- it is contributing to her not feeling well
- it is a living thing
- it is helping her heal faster
- its pattern would make for good doll clothing
The correct answer is (A). The narrator, after stating she wishes she could get better soon, says the wallpaper has “a vicious influence” and then goes on to describe the pattern with very negative imagery, including broken body parts, staring eyes, and crawling. These details show she has a negative opinion of the wallpaper, so (C) and (D) must be incorrect. Though she describes it with words of living things, there is nothing to indicate she believes the wallpaper has actually come alive; she is just using figurative language to express her opinion.
Helping Students Use a Dictionary
As an instructor, you don’t want students to rely solely on a dictionary to learn what a word means. However, students need to know how to read a dictionary and the proper way to use it as a tool in the classroom.
A proper use of the dictionary is showing students how the same word can function as a noun, a verb, or an adjective. For example, the word “ship” can be a noun when it is referring to a boat, but it can also be a verb in that you “ship” something through the mail.
Students can also use a dictionary to learn new vocabulary words and make graphic organizers. For example, prior to a unit, you might have students look up the word “incredulous.” Students can write down its definition and then make columns for synonyms and antonyms, or write example sentences using their new vocabulary.
Finally, dictionaries are also a helpful tool to verify the spelling of a word when writing a paper.
Conversely, there are a few ways that you should not use a dictionary in the classroom:
- When reading, tell students to look up any word they don’t know rather than encouraging them to look for context clues
- Have students look up words and go with the first definition that is listed
Example 5
A student does not understand the meaning of the word “restraint” as it is used in the following sentence:
Jane’s mom told her she needed to be better at practicing restraint when the cooks in the cafeteria set out cookies each Friday.
The teacher asks students to use a dictionary to come up with the proper definition of the word. Which definition fits the way the word restraint is used?
Restraint: (Noun): 1. The state of being restrained. 2. A device that restricts movement. 3. A control over the expression of one’s emotions or thoughts.
- definition 1
- definition 2
- definition 3
- none of the above fit how the word is used
The third definition is correct. Jane’s mother is asking her to control herself around a strong temptation like free cookies. She is not asking her to use a physical restraining device or to put herself in a state of being physically restrained; rather, she says Jane should practice restraint.
Interpreting Written Instructions
The ParaPro Exam also examines your ability to assess how well students follow instructions — which means, of course, that you have to follow instructions well, too. Just as it is important for your students to read their assignments carefully, it is important to read these questions on the exam carefully.
The question will provide a classroom scenario. Don’t skim the scenario; if you have loose-leaf paper, you may want to write down the instructions in order before reading your answer choices. When reading the question, underline key words like “first,” “once,” or “after,” which indicate where in the series of instructions you should focus your attention.
Example 6
Students are given the following instructions for an assignment after reading the novel Frankenstein:
You will work in pairs of two. Using the graphic organizer, find eight examples from the text that describe the monster’s appearance. Cite the exact quote and the page number. After you’ve completed the organizer, grab a large sheet of paper on the table in the front of the room. With your partner, sketch an outline of a body; one student will outline while the other lies on the paper on the ground. Once finished with the sketch, use your graphic organizer to add the details that you found in the text. Be sure to draw an arrow pointing to the parts of the body described in each quote. Look at the example in the front of the room to guide you. Once you’re complete, use the tape from the front of the room and hang it on the wall. Be prepared to present your poster.
What should students do once they’ve sketched the body of Frankenstein’s monster?
- hang the poster up on the wall and be prepared to present
- grab a large sheet of paper
- tape their graphic organizer to the back of their drawing
- draw arrows to point out body parts and features that are mentioned in the text
The correct answer is D. If you thoroughly read the instructions, you know students should draw the outline of a body and then add details from the text to the body, complete with arrows to highlight things mentioned in the text. The other answer options are out of order or are not even listed in the instructions.
You should now be prepared for all questions on the ParaPro Exam regarding student reading and learning strategies, including pre-reading, overcoming roadblocks, reading comprehension, using a dictionary, and following instructions. Test your knowledge with our brief 10-question review below.