TEST Prep Help

Oooooo it's April!  You know what that means?  I wasn't necessarily referring to the countdown until summer vacation, either.  I was talking about that "T" word...TESTING time!  So, what do you do to prepare your students for testing?  I blogged last year about our S.P.O.R.T day, which was a huge success!  Our third grade team will be at it again this year wearing their SPORTY gear and reviewing in a fun, relaxing way, using games, hands on activities, and athletic events!  Here's a link to that post from last year in case you missed it!  

http://nomonkeybusinessmichelle.blogspot.com/2012/04/sport-day-sale-on-tn.html

I've also added a new pinterest board this year called TEST PREP!  Be sure to investigate it, AND leave me your pinterest information if you're interested in becoming a collaborator on that board!  :-)


So what do researchers say about getting students ready for testing?   TIPS FOR TESTING:
1.) Discuss the test with your students.  Think about it...we as adults usually don't like surprises and neither do students.  Discuss the format, time frame, and why they're taking the test.
2.) Practice with your students.  If your state provides practice or sample materials, get them out and use them.  The format will be very similar to the actual test and will not seem so foreign on test taking days.
3.)Teach test taking strategies.  I found a FREE pdf file that does a nice job explaining some strategies you should expose students to when taking tests.  *This requires some pre-planning and NOT waiting until the last minute to teach them. Teach them throughout the year for the best success. 
  http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/downloads/pdf/test_taking_skills.pdf
4.)  Review content with your students.  This can be done in a variety of ways and will take some time.  Reviewing content should occur gradually and not all in a couple of settings.  That can be too overwhelming!

SO...teacher friends...you're in the trenches WITH the students.  What kinds of activities, resources, tips, or HELP can you share with the rest of us as we all travel down the "T" path this month?  We'd love to know what has worked for you!  LINK UP with 2 of your favorite resources.  It can be a blog post, website, product (ONE FREE and ONE PAID  OR BOTH FREE!) Share your best Test Prep strategies with us!