standardized testing review Archives

We are not happy about standardized testing taking place during a pandemic.

But we know we must prepare our students for the test. We have combined for over 50 years or teaching experience in grades 4-6 and want to share our tips, ideas, and resources to help you prepare for state testing.

The biggest thing this year is easing students’ fear of such a huge test in such a crazy and stressful year for not only students, but educators as well. We have some great ideas and tips below that will help you get ready for the test.

If you are looking for a way to have your students de-stress before the test, take a look at our FREE Stress Breaker Chain activity. This resource is intended to help your students share their concerns/fears before the common core test is administered. The best part is for the students to tear up the chain at the end of the testing!

If you want to put together a fun little test kit for your students, look no further than our FREE Test Taking Survival Kit! The kids love the contents of their test taking survival kits and I’m sure yours will too!

Who doesn’t like a little treat and some motivation during testing? We have our Student Gift Tags that are perfect for this! Your students will love these inspirational cards with treats attached. It is a sure way to help lower stress before the test!

Showing evidence is always a part of the standardized test. We have our ELA Test Prep Citing Text Evidence activity that is a perfect way to get your students ready. This high interest test prep resource includes: a 13-page kid friendly resource that will walk students through what citing evidence is, some examples to work through together, and then an assignment at the end to practice.

We all know test vocabulary is hard for students to understand. So we created a Test Prep Vocabulary bundle of resources. This bundle NOW contains five activities intended to help your students understand some of the key vocabulary that they may see on a standardized test.

If you are looking for the complete package, then take a look at our TEST PREP BUNDLE!! This is a test prep bundle that features 14 different resources including: informational text, vocabulary, games, activities and more to get your students ready for standardized testing.

Take some of the stress away with our resources for your classroom today!

SBAC Vocabulary Cards

One obstacle that we have found with the upcoming test is a lack of kid -friendly SBAC vocabulary terms. All of the lists that we have found are too difficult for students in grades 3, 4 and 5 to understand. So we have created kid-friendly vocabulary cards for you to review with your students before they take the exam!

Each SBAC vocabulary card will have the following:
-the main vocabulary word at the top in big bold letters
-synonyms for the word so students can relate the word to others they may know
-a kid-friendly definition which will help them understand the SBAC vocabulary at a higher level

SBAC Vocab Review by the Wise Guys – 32 vocabulary cards in kid-friendly language for SBAC review + a frayer model template for INBs and a worksheet.

Also included will be a student recording sheet, so the student will be responsible to copy the above down for better retention, and to review at home if required before the test.

As an added bonus, we have also included a graphic organizer sheet. You could have your students use for each vocabulary word!

The goal of these cards is obviously to increase comprehension of your students when reading directions. Also, it is for your students to be able to answer the questions more accurately and with more detail.

The use of these cards either at the beginning of the year, after winter break, or right before the test should help your students be more confident in their abilities when reading and following the directions on the test.