Tuesday, April 2, 2013

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! 


9 comments:

iTeach 1:1 said...

Your S.P.O.R.T. day idea is too cute. I may have to try something like that next year. Good luck on the test!:)
Kristin
iTeach 1:1

Tara said...

Just found your too cute blog:) Newest follower! I have been looking for/racking my brain for some test motivators.....I'll link up once I come up with something:)

4th Grade Frolics

Unknown said...

I just found your blog through a TpT friend and linked my standardized test unit up. I LOVE your blog...too cute:) I'm your newest follower.

Jen

Andrea said...

I also just found your blog through a link a TpT friend shared. I linked up my ELA Task Card Bundle because it has worked wonderfully with my students. I am your newest follower and look forward to reading more posts!

Andrea

Michelle said...

Happy you all stopped by! :-) Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Michelle

Third Grade Galore said...

There are so many great resources here. I need to sit down and check them out. Thanks for sharing.

Jeanette
Third Grade Galore

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Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing this wonderful post...
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