*No more freaking out, making sure my kids recognize the format of the questions.
*No more sleepless nights worrying that I didn't practice with them enough on their test taking strategies.
I trust my kids, and I know, they got this!
One tip we've been using this year to tackle those grueling passages is a short summary next to each paragraph. And by short, I mean 2-3 words or a picture. Just something to jog their memory to the main idea of that paragraph, without having to go through the whole thing all over again. Warning: when we first started they were obsessed with drawing. I had to have a "come to Jesus" and remind them this isn't supposed to be the next Sistine Chapel, just a little doodle....no more than 30 seconds spent on it. This has been a timesaver and I've really noticed their comprehension has improved since we started this strategy.
It's just that time of year. We're all worrying about those monster state assessments. It might be Common Core, or maybe the fear-inducing STAAR test; but we all worry. Why? We love our kids, and we want them to show all the learning they've done this year!
One of my colleagues, Miss Salinas has started posting some pretty rad stuff on TPT. She's a reading specialist, and she really knows her stuff! Best of all, she's bilingual & is making resources in BOTH english and spanish. She has some really great workstations; everything from text features to word walls, vocabulary, poetry, and also some test taking workstations. I am a believer in her strategies. I have seen my kids using them, and their scores are climbing up! So, if you get a minute sometime between lesson planning and spring fever.......stop by and say hi to Miss Salinas. Tell her I sent ya.......
What do you think of her stuff? Do you have a tried-and-true test taking tip? Leave me a comment!
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