State testing is no one's idea of fun. Not the teacher and not the students. We have to do them regardless.
There's a lot of pressure to do well on state tests. When I taught at a Title 1 school, there was always the pressure to bring up the scores. When I taught at a "High Performing" school, there was the pressure to keep the scores high. You just can't escape it.
Every year there's that push for state test prep and it's a lot of extra work. Here are 5 easy ideas to get students ready to ace the test.
1. Game Boards
Use generic game boards to make reviewing content more fun. With generic game boards you can review any content and making anything into a game makes it more fun. Give a student dice and they don't even realize they are doing work.
If you have any game boards sitting around, repurpose them. You can also have the students make their own. They draw a path split into parts and decorate around it. I love digital game boards because there's no prep and no storage space needed. Try this free one. It's also printable if you prefer more hands-on.
2. Task Cards
Are you like me and have a hoard of task cards? I love how versatile they are with so many uses and you can find task cards on just about any topic you could possibly need. One of my favorite ways to use task cards is to hang them up around the room. Students walk around the room (I have mine work in pairs) and answer the questions. They can go in any order they want, giving them choice) and it gives them the chance to get up and move around.
3. Do a Hunt
I bought some plastic Easter eggs from Dollar Tree, numbered them, and put a test prep style question in each one. (I used questions from our textbook materials) Then I hid them around the room. Students found them, answered the question next to the correct number (they had a piece of binder paper numbered with the number of questions). Then they put the egg back where they found it and moved on to the next one. Students loved this activity.
Want to do a non-holiday hunt? Use vending machine capsules or coin envelopes labeled "Top Secret."
4. Teach the Vocabulary
No student is going to be successful on the test if they don't understand what the question is asking, even if they know the content. That's why it's important to directly teach the vocabulary that is commonly used on standardized tests. Make sure to cover words that would be found in both ELA and math questions.
5. Get the Students Excited
Make a fun bulletin board. Some great themes include Be a Testing Ninja, "Tune" into the Test, Rock the Test, and Out of this World Test Takers. Last year we did Donut Stress: Do Your Best on the Test.
Right before the test I like to read the book Testing Miss Malarkey. It's a fun story that the students really enjoy.
Another way to get students excited is to have a little themed treat for the students each day of the test. Some examples include: "You're a smartie." (Smarties); "You are one smart cookie." (cookie); "You're on a roll!" (Tootsie Roll); "You're a star." (Starburst); and "You're mint to do great." (mint). To keep it simple you could write the saying on the board and have the treat on their desk for them.
State test prep doesn't have to be boring. Make it fun and engaging for the students to take off a little stress and get them excited to share what they've learned.
What are your favorite ways to prepare for state tests? Comment below and let me know.
~Jill
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