A "SWEET" Test Prep Activity!

Sometimes I think the hardest part of "TEST PREP" season is getting the buy-in from the students. WE know it's important, but to them I'm sure it just feels like more boring review activities. Because of this, I decided to develop a true challenge for them (and I included ice cream!) 

 In a nutshell, my Test Prep Sundae Challenge is designed to foster a sense of competition WITHIN each student to do their very best. At each stage of review, they will be rewarded with a different component for building their ultimate ice cream sundae. I've made the review activities using Google Forms so they can be quickly assessed, easily administered multiple times, and also improve students' on line technology skills. 

 This program is designed to foster a sense of self competition. Thanks to the Google Form platform, students are able to retake the 6 different tests as many times as needed to achieve a desired outcome. The focus is not on comparing their performance to others around them but, rather, to challenge themselves to grow from their own performance attempts. 

Here is how I implement it: 

√  At the beginning of my test prep “season” I send home a parent letter. This will not only inform parents of the nature of the activity linked to test prep, but give parents a chance to feel involved by providing needed materials for the activity. 

 √  I then set my date for the reward sundae party and post it for students to see. I usually leave about 6 weeks leading up to the test to get the most out of this and build anticipation. I'm always amazed by their level of excitement and commitment to meeting this challenge!   

√ I create a schedule that works best for my class each year. Usually following a 6 week period of time; I focus on 1 test per week. I pass out the sundae skill builder chart and go over it with students. This is where they can set individual goals. I then provide the link and time to perform the first task (Literature Test Prep #1) (*all links are provided in a zip file for all 6 tests!) 

√  After all students have taken the first test, I access their responses and share with them. Students fill in their first attempt on their chart. I differentiate my expectations based on student ability. For example, some students need to achieve an 80% on the first try to get the “large bowl”, and other students may need to earn a 70%. It can individualized however it works best for you and your students! 

√  Based on student results, I provide needed intervention the remainder of the week. This can be done in many different ways. I have found the most effective method to be simply printing a copy of the google form assessment and making copies for each student. I project a copy of it on my smart board and we discuss test taking strategies as we go through the test together. If I see a specific skill is really causing some students trouble, I may develop a quick re-teaching mini lesson for that skill. For students who achieved their desired goal on the first try, I assign them free, on-line games to further practice skills at their level.   

√ Re-Assess: Due to the nature of the assessments (Google Forms), students are able to retake the same assessment multiple times. They will fill in their 2nd and/or 3rd attempts scores as needed and mark their desired sundae component. 

√  Set up and enjoy a fun afternoon filled with ice cream and smiles!  Since it is review, I design it so that everyone feels successful based on their level of ability. I hope you might find the value in this highly motivating and engaging test prep activity. 

 I'd love to hear how it works for you or what other ideas you have to engage students during this time of year.  Best of luck to you as you prepare your students!

Do you have a designated intervention time during your school time? I know that this time can have a lot of different names; such as Catch Up Time, No New Instruction, RTI, Flex time, PLE (personalized learning environment), WIN (what I need), etc. 

 No matter the name, it can be a very important part of your curriculum if used and presented correctly! Here’s the thing, teachers know and understand how valuable this time can be, but many students do not. Instead, they see it as a “free time” or worse, a time when they are tracked by ability. 

Because of this, my team and I have worked hard to create an intervention time that works for everyone and is something students feel successful doing so they look forward to it. Our common time is from 11:50-12:30....every, single day! I know, it’s kind of a strange time, but we can thank the school recess/lunch schedule for that! We made that time a priority for all involved. The only exception is on Friday, when we have our “weekly reward” activity that is built into our behavior management system. 

 Our intervention block includes the 4 core teachers who make up our 4th grade team, our intervention specialist, our gifted teacher, and our reading specialist. During this time, the students know they will be going to different places based on their individual needs. We each post a chart on our Smartboards that we can quickly place our students into the groups that are needed for the day. The students do not go to the same place everyday, so there is no stigma of “being in THAT group” since they are always changing based on need. 

 Here is what happens during an intervention block in my own classroom. 

 1) I have 5 identified gifted students in LA, so on Mon those students meet with the gifted teacher and receive instruction for her. She often gives them tasks that can be completed individually throughout the week and they will spend the rest of their intervention days doing this in the classroom (some meet an additional day for math as well). 

 2) The intervention specialist pulls students that need extra help in various areas based on their IEP goals. This also changes on a daily basis. 

3) The reading specialist will pull a small group for TIER 3 intervention based on our reading assessment. Students who show deficits in phonics and other crucial reading building blocks will be pulled for intensive remediation. Again, this is on a rotating basis daily. 

 4) The remaining students are placed into 2 flexible groups based on any current skill assessments.

         CLICK HERE for a link to the formative assessments that I use!

Flexible Group 1: Those who didn’t show mastery of a specific topic will travel to one of the core teacher classroom in order to receive an additional lesson/review of this topic. This could be a game, a review packet, etc. 

Flexible Group 2: The students who did show mastery of this skill will work on activities that will extend or review our current skills. I developed a “Bingo Board” that provides the students with a chance to complete an activity of their choice. They will eventually complete all of the activities, but I find the element of “choice” is very helpful to keep kids engaged and feel empowerment in their learning path! 

 I’ve included a picture of what one my Bingo Board looks like below. I actually have 2 levels of my Bingo Boards. For students who need a little more enrichment with their critical thinking skills, I include activities such as logic puzzles, word games, analogies, Brain Pop videos/quizzes, and vocabulary extensions. For students who need a little more review over just basic skills, I include word review matches, spelling city games, Quizlet review for vocabulary, Boom card reviews, etc. Both groups also have options for silent reading and working on their individualized computer pathway that we use (iReady). 

 This program has worked extremely well for our grade! However, it wasn’t that we just got lucky with this intervention time. We really put the time in beforehand to develop a plan that would work for all involved. We all helped to develop the activities and prep the materials that are used on a weekly basis. Because of this, commitment, we feel confident that our students are getting exactly what they need and can say with certainty that our program is a success! 

Here are my 5 “MUST HAVES” when developing a successful intervention time: 

1) Make sure to set a designated time that everyone knows and respects! 

2) Have a plan! 

3) Flexible grouping is key! 

4) Build in activities that students feel successful with to build confidence 

5) Communicate with team members! 

 Please let me know what things you try for your intervention time. We are always willing to implement new ideas and strategies that will help students! Happy Teaching!

:) Jen

                                                 

                            CLICK HERE for my FREE Writing Guide!

As an upper elementary Language Arts teacher, I can honestly say that writing instruction is one of the most challenging things to teach! When you think about it, writing truly is the compilation of a ton of supporting skills. Having to develop original ideas to support an opinion while juggling spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and format can get pretty overwhelming to a new writer. 

 I have found that the best practice of “modeling” is essential when it comes to teaching writing. I like to leave a good chuck of time when beginning a modeled writing project because it’s important to leave time for discussion, example sharing, and re-direction. I also really feel that having a strong graphic organizer for students can really help guide them through this entire process in a way that does not appear too overwhelming. 

 My first area of emphasis with the students is always on the prompt. I’ve seen so many students who struggle to stay on the topic when they begin writing. As a result, I like to begin with a little discussion about what specifically is being asked and what all should be included in a response. This is a good time to review the different types of writing as well (persuasive, informative, opinion based, narrative, etc.) 

 After students have a good understanding of what they need to focus on, it’s good to discuss the way in which they are going to grab the reader’s attention from the start. I refer to this as “the hook”. Some examples of good hooks include asking a question, sharing an interesting fact or statistic, using an onomatopoeia (sound word), or sharing a personal statement. I find that by using a topic to model how each of these “hooks” would sound really gives students a good idea of how each can be utilized. I then give time for students to select their own hook and write it down on their graphic organizer. 

 Following this and based on the type of writing being asked to use, we are ready to dive into the actual content that will support their view on the topic. Whether they are being asked to persuade, inform, or entertain, students will be writing sentences that support their topic. In my graphic organizer, I try to have little reminders for what needs to be included such as supporting details, strong vocabulary, and transition words. Again, I feel that modeling this is a crucial step. I will ask students for ideas on how they would introduce the first supporting detail and make sure that it relates back to the topic. I would write these down for students to use as a guide. I then give them time to write their own sentences. 

 When we are coming to the end of their writing, I like to remind them how you never want to leave their reader “hanging”. Instead, this is their chance to re-direct their writing and thoughts back to the topic. I try to give them some options to use such as the phrase “As you can see”, “In conclusion” or “To sum it up”. This seems to help them re-focus their writing back to the prompt. In addition, I have them provide an opinion that helps complete their writing. 

 Again, I feel that it is very beneficial to model this step by step. As writing is a very individual skill, I have found that many students will require this modeled process to be repeated where others can have a little more independence on the writing progresses. 

 This modeled lesson and graphic organizer that I use for the writing process are available by signing up for my weekly email where I love to share additional tips, strategies, and teaching stories! Please join me there! I love to connect with fellow upper elementary teachers!

 CLICK HERE for my FREE Writing Guide!