INSTRUCTIONS FOR TEACHERS

RE: FIELD TEST OF SHOP SMART - FOOD TIPS

Before you begin...

• Read the tip and pick a class to test it with. Choose a class that would find it neither too hard nor too easy; an intermediate class would probably be best.
• We only need feedback from 8 - 10 students.
• Ideally, we would like the opinions of both men and women, but this is not essential.
• Because we are trying to determine if the general public can read these documents, please exclude anyone who has special knowledge of food storage or food preparation, such as someone who has worked in Nutrition Services at a hospital, or someone who has long-term experience working in a grocery store.
• We don't expect you to spend more than a total of about 45 minutes on the whole test.
• You do not need to use a tape recorder during the discussion, but do so if it would help you summarize their comments later. If you tape the discussion, promise the students that you will erase it after you make your notes.
• Please stress the fact that we are grateful for any help the students can give us with finding problems in the factsheet. Please tell them that, by helping us, they will be helping to make this information available to literacy students across the country.
• Your role in this process is vital. As you know, people who are not strong readers habitually blame themselves when something is hard to read. We want your students to understand that any difficulties they have with the text are our fault, not theirs. In addition, they may feel reluctant, if not frightened, to be critical, so they may need to be encouraged to give us their opinions.