Test Prep Reading Book for CASAS Reading STEPS Level B, Forms 623R & 624R

Preface

Dear Instructors,

Get ready to transform your ESL classroom with our Test Prep Reading book for CASAS Reading STEPS Level B, specifically designed for the Form 623R & 624R reading comprehension tests. This essential tool aligns with the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) for Adult Education. It satisfies the National Reporting System (NRS) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) expectations, ensuring your ESL students are on the path to success.

This reading textbook is more than just a teaching aid; it's a comprehensive program tailored to bolster reading comprehension among ESL learners. With a structured layout of five units and one practice test, totaling 17 learner-centered reading lessons, your students will navigate essential topics like basic communication, consumer economics, community resources, health, employment, government, and law.

Harness the power of Bloom Taxonomy's six levels of objectives and competencies (remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating) to enhance your teaching methods. Each lesson in the book is a stepping stone that equips you with the strategies to teach reading effectively, focusing on important skills such as identifying main ideas, uncovering details, making inferences, summarizing content, applying knowledge, understanding the author's perspective, and contextual vocabulary. The clarity and depth of the lessons will enable you to deliver content that resonates with your students and solidifies their understanding.

Finally, this textbook isn't just about reading—it's about providing your students with the academic and life skills they need to thrive. As they progress through the book, they'll gain valuable insights and abilities to navigate the complexities of community life, family responsibilities, and the workplace. By using this book, you'll be equipping your students for standardized testing and real-world challenges. 

Introduction

Dear Students,

This book is your guide to prepare for the CASAS Reading STEPS level B test. It's filled with lessons to help you read better.

This book has five units and one practice test. Each unit has three to six lessons, for a total of 17 lessons. The lessons teach important skills like basic communication, understanding money, finding community help, staying healthy, finding a job, and learning about government and laws. These skills will help you in many parts of your life.

When you read this book, you will interact with different texts and information about reading and real-world activities. After you read, you will answer questions. These questions make sure you understand the main points, details, the writer's thoughts, and the words they use.

Remember, reading is a skill that gets better as you use it. This book is a unique tool. It will teach you about school and life and give you information to help you in your community, with your family, and at work.

Good luck as you practice your reading! Every lesson you finish will take you closer to your goals. 

Reading Strategies:

Here are ten ways you can improve your reading comprehension skills:

Preview the chapter: Look at titles and subtitles to get an idea of what you will read.

Set a purpose: Decide why you are reading. Is it to answer a question or learn something new?

Read aloud daily: This can help you better understand texts. The more you read, the better you will get.

Use pictures: They can help you guess and understand the text.

Re-read: If you don't understand something, read it again.

Summarize: After reading, tell yourself what the text was about.

Ask questions: While reading, ask who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Make connections: Relate the text to your own life or things you already know.

Learn to infer: Guess what the author means based on clues in the text.

Use a dictionary: If you don't know a word, look it up.

Vocabulary Building:

Here are seven strategies to increase your vocabulary: 

Keep going; you can do it!

UNIT 1: Communication

Look at the picture below. What is it about?

What is going on in it?

Lesson 1: Social Interactions

Objectives:

Students will read short texts and answer questions about social interactions.

Students will demonstrate an understanding of simple communication and conversations.

Exercise 1- Draw lines connecting each word to its correct definition.

Exercise 2- Read the text and answer the questions. 

Text 1

Anna greets her teacher every morning. She smiles and says, Good morning!

The teacher smiles back and asks, How are you?

Questions:

1. Who does Anna greet in the morning?

______________________________________________________________

2. What does Anna say to her teacher?

______________________________________________________________

3. How does the teacher respond to Anna?

______________________________________________________________

4 What does this conversation tell us about Anna and her teacher?

______________________________________________________________

Exercise 3- Read the text and answer the questions. 

Text 2

Bob goes to the cafe and orders a coffee. He thanks the server and sits at a table. He invites his friend to join him.

Questions:

1. Where does Bob go?

______________________________________________________________

2. What does Bob do after ordering coffee?

______________________________________________________________

3. Who does Bob ask to sit with him?

______________________________________________________________

4. What does this show us about Bob?

______________________________________________________________

Exercise 4- Read the email message and answer the questions. 

Questions:

1. What is Pablo's message about?

______________________________________________________________

2. Whose birthday is it?

______________________________________________________________

3. Where is the party?

______________________________________________________________

4. When is the party?

______________________________________________________________

5. What does Pablo hope?

______________________________________________________________

Exercise 5- Read the dialog and answer the questions.

Dialog 1

Jane: Hi, I'm Jane. It's my first day here.

Tom: Hello, Jane. Welcome to the team! It’s nice to have you!

Jane: Thank you, Tom! It's great to be here.

Questions:

1. What is special about the day for Jane?

______________________________________________________________

2. How does Tom greet Jane?

______________________________________________________________

3. What does Jane