Top 3 Test Prep Ideas

We have two weeks after Spring Break before our State Testing begins.  That means we have two weeks to drive those final concepts home.  How might we do that without the drill and kill?  Well,  here's my top 3 ideas:

1.  Start with vocabulary

Academic vocabulary is comprised of the words that are most often used in informational texts (such as textbooks) and literary texts (such as novels), but not likely used in everyday speech.  This is the vocabulary that our students will find embedded in test passages and test questions.  That means that this vocabulary has to be explicitly taught.  What I did is recorded here:   http://middleschoolmob.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-secret-to-top-scores-on-state-tests.html   It involved me going through my state's test item specifications and pulling out the key vocabulary and then making games to help students learn the words.  Which brings me to #2...

2.  Use games.

May I suggest Kahoot?  It's a FREE, online quiz game.  Students love it and it is super easy to input test questions from your state's practice tests.  You could also make much more low-tech games like Tic-Tac-Toe.   Here's how I have used this game:

1.Divide the class into two teams.  One is the “x” team and one is the “o” team.

2.Draw a tic-tac-toe board on the whiteboard.

3.Ask a question to the first member of the “x” team. If he/she is correct, then he/she places the x on the board!  If he/she is incorrect, he/she simply lose the chance to place the “x” on the board.

4.Now repeat #3 with the “o” team. 

5.Continue with each member of each team until you have a winner with 3 in a row!  You might even give bonus points as a prize!

3.  Use centers.

Even big, bad middle schoolers like centers.  I would suggest that you look at your data, pinpoint the areas of need, and then set up centers or ahem, stations, around your room. Here's a list of possible activities for centers:

1.  Playing skill specific games on quia.com

2.  Reading a picture book and then drawing the main idea.

3.  Completing a cause/effect graphic organizer on a picture book.

4.  Making a poster of text features based on a non-fiction text.

5.  Making a foldable for a picture book that uses compare/contrast.

I have done this type of thing without setting up formal centers but instead using a menu. I used the picture book Miss Rumphius because of its great message for students.

Click here or on the image above to be taken to this great freebie!

If you'd like to read more about Test Prep, stop by my blog for my latest installment on a reading "boot camp" my fellow teachers and I are conducting by clicking here:

http://mrsspanglerinthemiddle.blogspot.com/2017/03/test-prep-reading-boot-camp.html

Thanks for stopping by!

Creativity in Action: Test Prep without the Boredom

It's me, Michele from A Lesson Plan for Teachers, and I'm here to make a few suggestions that are near and dear to my heart for test prep season! 

In my classroom, creativity has always been welcome, encouraged, and appreciated.  Based on the research I studied on gender gaps in the classroom back in the 90s, all students and especially females retain content more successfully when given the opportunity to process that content creatively.  So why, when it comes time to prep for the inevitable testing window, do teachers often step back from allowing creative expression and resort to lecture or paper-based reviews?  Don't do it!

So, here are a few suggestions to make your classroom more creative while still tackling the testing prep that is mandated in our classrooms now!

1. Assign students topics from your course.  Allow them to choose a method of presentation, whether it be written, drawn, sculpted, or performed.  Hold a Class Presentation Show to cover all of the topics without the boredom!
2. Create an Illustrated Timeline Wall covering all of the content you need to review.  Let your students shine with their individual talents, with some organizing the dates, others writing the concise descriptions, some illustrating the main points, and others adding creative elements to draw attention to significant themes.
3. Graffiti a Wall with illustrations and bubble letters on all the key topics covered in class.  Have students discuss the topics as they create the wall, reviewing the key points.
4. Turn your classrooms into a Living Museum with students dressed in characters from your content (Historic figures, book characters, important scientists or mathematicians).  Hold a meet and greet for interaction and discussion of themes or significant events.
5. Step back in time or into a book where students Build the Scene and models of significant role-players to recreate the past or the story.  Wrap-up with topic reviews or a graphically organized overview.
6. Play Games! Charades, Pictionary, and student created games can allow students to review the content while creating the game and while playing!

And there are so many other options that get students up out of their desks and active in their learning and review.  What ideas do you have for making your test prep fun, engaging, and CREATIVE?

Happy Review!

Assessing with Technology

Hey all! Stephanie from The Marvelous Middle here. Today I want to talk to you about painless and quick ways you can assess in your classroom using technology. My school is a 1:1 school but you don't have to be in order to use these assessments. They are all online and can be easily shared on the teacher's computer linked to a projection screen or Promethean Board / Smartboard. I'm really excited to share what I do in my classroom so let's get started.

This quote guides my classroom activities.

If you are anything like me, I am always looking for new and interesting ways to assess my students in real time, whether I am wanting to get a quick status of the class or looking to do a review type of game. The following websites are ones that I have personally used in my classroom as formative assessments and are my "go-to" choices. It's always good to shake things up often with middle schoolers so they keep interested...so having many choices in your toolbox is key.

Kahoot
Kahoot is a free learning space where educational content can be delivered by asking questions in real-time. It's a social, game-like environment where teachers involve students by questioning, discussing, and surveying. Kahoot's motto is "Great learning starts by asking questions."

Example from my Etymology Challenge Kahoot

Currently, there are three types of Kahoot.

1. Quiz: This is the most commonly used in my classroom. With this type, a teacher can create a series of multiple-choice questions. Each question can have an associated picture or video with it. There is a time-limit (that the teacher sets) for each question. Players answer questions that are displayed at the front of the room on their personal device (laptop, phone, tablet, etc.). Students are motivated to answer correctly and score the most points.. The faster a students answers the question correctly, the more points they get. The top 5 highest point scorers are displayed on a leaderboard between each question. The ultimate winner is shown at the end. It's a great way to engage and focus a whole group of students. Quizzes can be used to formatively assess each student in your classroom. Each game's data is saved and can be downloaded into a spreadsheet in order to track progress over time.
2. Discussion: This type is designed to facilitate a conversation among students. They are simply one quick question with no right or wrong answer. This question can also have a picture or video associated with it. I typically use a short video that requires my class to give an opinion or come to a conclusion about the subject of the video. Players answer the question using their personal device and the collective results of the question are displayed in the front of the room. These results can be used as a launching pad into a class discussion. I often use this as a bell-ringer or an introduction to a new unit. It's quick and sets up a great class discussion.
3. Survey: This type is just like a traditional survey, except questions are asked in real-time. There are no right or wrong answers and there is no limit to the number of questions that can be included on the survey. Again, students answer using their personal device. At the end of each question, results are shown, which allows for debating and discussion at that time. I have used this as an anticipation guide in my classroom. You could also use as a way to pace your discussion because of pre-set questions or to make sure the necessary questions are asked while allowing for robust classroom discussions. As with the quiz, results can be downloaded at the end of the survey.

Quizzizz
This is very similar to Kahoot. The only difference is it is self-paced, not teacher-paced. This puts the responsibility on the student to guide instruction. I would recommend Quizzizz if you have students who can work independently and have good self-pacing skills. The other main difference is the question and the answer options show up on student devices. Again, this allows for student pacing. I have used this in my classroom as review homework and as centers.

Socrative

This is very similar to Kahoot and Quizzizz, but with much greater functionality. Quizzes can be student-paced or teacher paced. But the features that make Socrative so useful, in my opinion, is the question types and the exit slip option. Questions can be not only multiple choice, but also true/false and short answer. I use short answer questions the most, especially when used as exit slips. There is an actual template already in place for you to use as an exit slip. This alone makes this my choice most days in my classroom. and unlike the other two, there is an actual app for Socrative, which I find useful for students who have difficulty getting a URL typed in correctly.

Plickers

If you are looking for something completely different than the above choices or you have a classroom where devices are hard to come by, Plickers is the solution. Plickers is a classroom polling system that displays results in real-time. The only difference is that students hold up a card that shows the chosen answer. 

My students using Plicker

The teacher then scans the room with an Apple or Android phone or tablet. As you scan, the space above the card shows the student's name in either red or green. Green = correct answer and red = incorrect answer. The results also appear on the screen at the front of the room. Pluckers also created an app that was released in January 2016. I have yet to try it yet. 

On my blog, The Marvelous Middle, I have gone into further detail about setting up and using Plickers. You can find that post here. I have just started using Plickers but so far, it's going to be added to my assessment toolbox . The kids loved it and found it easy to use. 

Poll Everywhere

I just participated in a PD session that showed it being used in a classroom. It appeared to be another quick way to poll your students. The one thing I noticed was it didn't require students to use their names so all answers were anonymous. I could see this be helpful as a way to gauge your entire class' level of understanding.I have not used in my classroom yet, but I will post a review on The Marvelous Middle once I do.

Whew! Thanks for letting me share what I use in my toolbox for quick, tech-based formative assessments. I hope your students enjoy them as much as my students do!

Until next time...

The Secret to Top Scores on State Tests!

I recently read an article where David Coleman, the President of the College Board and architect of the Common Core, stated that in order for students to do well on standardized tests, they must fully understand and be able to use the academic vocabulary being used.

That doesn't seem like very much of a secret until you consider this:

Academic vocabulary is comprised of the words that are most often used in informational texts (such as textbooks) and literary texts (such as novels), but not likely used in everyday speech.

This means our students need to know words like integral, function, parallels and convey, perspective, and affect (which is different from effect.)

Of course, these words are not presented in the big tests in isolation.  They are embedded in sentences and students will have to use their context clues.  Again, sounds simple enough, but it's more than that.  They will be required to focus not just on the word itself or the clues, but how the word is being used in relation to the clues in the sentence.

To me, this means these words have to be explicitly taught and constantly used in class to get the job done.

So what did I do?  I went through the sample state test for my state (Florida) and pulled out the academic vocabulary.

First, I will have to familiarize my students with the words.  I will start by doing a concept sort and asking pairs or small groups to sort them into fiction and non-fiction.  Naturally we'll discuss the categories chosen based on the definitions.  Then we can put the words on the Word Wall with the proper definitions.

Then, I will make it a game to use the words in class as part of any discussion.  The students that uses the word correctly earns a reward as part of our "Super Improver" system.  

Soon after we will play "vocabulary relay" where all the words and the definitions are scattered on the ground at one end of a field and the students are lined up at the other.  The objective:  Race to the words and definitions, grab a matching pair, and take it back to the team.  The next team member then rushes off to do the same.  The team with the most matching pairs wins! 

Lastly, I will be placing the words and their definitions onto Quizlet.com so students can practice with the words digitally with fun games and even quizzes.  We will also use other apps like Kahoot and Plickers where context clues will be necessary yet fun!

Get a FREE copy of Academic Vocabulary ELA Test Prep for a limited time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Digging Up History

This is Michele from A Lesson Plan for Teachers, and I wanted to give you a creative idea for those dreaded testing reviews!  Instead of having students complete the traditional worksheets or reviewing the course content through the projector, get students up and digging for the information they need!

Creating an archaeology dig in your classroom is easy!

1. Start by asking your Guidance Office to save the shredded paper for you for about a week.  This should give you ample supply of dig material.
2. Create a frame for the dig site.  This can be as simple as a wooden frame or one made of taped cardboard.
3. Fill the frame with the shredded paper and divide into quadrants with twine.
4. Place topic cards into the dig materials.
5. Let the fun begin!

Since my subject area is Social Studies, I created a topic card for each unit I taught in the year.  I assigned students into pairs or small groups, and as they dig the cards, they complete a SPRITE Graphic Organizer to review the topic.  If they can't remember the facts, they can refer to their notebook or other sources.

As the class finishes up all of the topic cards, share as a whole group with each team summarizing their SPRITE review.  For a more comprehensive written review, have all students complete SPRITEs on all topics.  Place the SPRITEs in chronological order in notebooks for further study, added research, or other tasks for review.

SPRITE SOCIAL STUDIES GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

What other ideas can you contribute for making review more engaging?

Semester Exams in Middle School

It's that time of the year where the semester is winding down. If your students are like mine, they have one thing on their mind...Christmas Break. But before they can cross that finish line, they have to survive the dreaded semester exams (insert scary deep voice here!).

In our district, all students in grades 7-12 are required to take a comprehensive semester exam. Our middle schoolers will have their first experiences with these exams and it's always important for teachers to frame the exams in a positive way. In my ELA classroom, I make a point of reviewing test study skills,  and ways to combat test anxiety.  Semester exams are typically the longest tests my students have been required to take so far in the school year and it's important to help them improve their test stamina. Students also have a chance to offer their own strategies that work for them.

Here are the top ten student strategies and advice that came from class discussions this week:

1. Get a good night's sleep before test days. Being tired because you stayed up all night to study isn't going to help you get a good grade on the test.

2. Eat a healthy breakfast and make sure you eat lunch. Remember from Health class--your brain needs fuel.

3. Don't wait until the last minute to study. Cramming isn't smart. And it adds to the stress!

4. Divide the content into easily studied portions. It's not as scary and overwhelming.

5. Don't assume you know the information just because you have been in class every day. But if you have missed multiple days at school, make sure you have everything you missed. You don't get a pass for those days...

6. Take the tests seriously and don't blow them off. Christmas may not be as enjoyable if you fail your exams.

7. Ask your friends to study with you. Your family can help you too!

8. If you come to a question that you don't know, circle it and come back to it. Something on the test may remind you of the answer.

9. Just breathe!! (My personal favorite from an always stressed student)

10, Be confident in what you know. Don't be nervous. Take a deep breathe and relax. All the knowledge will come to you. (From my lowest student)

The next two days are exam days. Wish us all luck :)

Baseball: Test Review Students Love!

Hi, all! Mandy from Caffeine and Lesson Plans here to share a bit about the way I review for tests in my classroom.

First of all, I gotta give it up to my fabulous teammate for bringing this idea to us when she transferred in from another school. It's seriously genius. 

Planning lessons to engage and motivate my kiddos is one of my favorite things to do. Seriously! Research shows that they are more likely to learn when they are engaged- we all know that. Beyond that, I just enjoy my day a lot more when we get to have fun! If the kids are happy, they are more likely to participate and listen. Motivation is especially important on test review day. Fifth grade is the first year of middle school in my district, so the kids are getting used to a higher level of independence. A great motivational and engaging review day activity is just what they need. Higher engagement and interest means better recall, which means better test scores. Win for everyone! So, what do I do? We play baseball!

To start, I project this image on my whiteboard. The kids are broken up into random groups, and each group is given a different color dry erase marker.  I have a practice test, a bucket of numbers, and a bucket of "runs." This will make sense soon, I promise.

Each group comes up and chooses a number from the bucket. Whatever number they get is the problem we will all be working on from the practice test.

The group works together to get an answer. Everyone has to talk with their group, even if they are unsure. This lets the kids that really understand the topic help those who don't understand as well. While they are working, all the other groups are trying to solve it, too. If the group that is "up to bat" gets it wrong, it goes to the next group with no additional time to work. You have to be ready with your answer when the question comes to you! This keeps them all working and on task because they never know when they will have the opportunity to score another point. Once everyone is ready, the group answers. If they get it right, they get to choose from the "run" bucket.

The choices are:

• Single - move one base
• Double - move two bases
• Triple- move three bases
• Homerun- score!
• Steal- steal the next base if you are already on base. If you were out last time, you can't steal!
• Out - your player is off the diamond and back to the dugout. 

 Here's where the diamond comes in. The designated hitter from the group draws their player on the correct base, depending on what they choose. This is totally their favorite part.

Since there are so many teams playing, it can look like the bases are loaded pretty easily. My kids that LOVE sports debated this with me for a while, because they thought they should get 3 points if they got a homerun. However, if the bases are loaded with other teams, I don't think that counts. :) 

Every time a player reaches home, the scorekeeper records one point in the scoreboard. The game gets really exciting near the end, because depending on what a group draws they could win it all or lose it all in just one turn. 

So, there it is! Test review with baseball. This game is a great way to help kids work collaboratively, ensure engagement, and practice for an upcoming test. I'm a big fan- and I hope you can use it in your classroom, too!