Resource Round-Up: Motivating Students During Standardized Testing

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The material has been taught. Testing strategies have been reviewed. Number 2 pencils have been sharpened. The name and test ID bubbles on the answer page have been filled in completely (making sure to erase all marks outside the circles). It's time for state testing.

Most of my students never seemed to be too anxious about test-taking. Maybe it was because they were older. Maybe it was just "old hat" to them. They had other testing issues that needed to be addressed. My 5th grade teaching team focused on three areas to help students get through testing:

1. Building stamina 

Standardized test are long. There are a lot of questions, and the time period for each test requires superhuman attention spans. This means that even when students finish them, they still have to stay quiet and seated until the allotted test time passes. Our students also took tests just as the weather was turning nice so kids were chomping at the bit to get outside after test-taking. To help get our students accustomed to test length and encourage them to maintain focus during such long assessments, we created half-length exams for each subject, which we administered one or two times during the year, using previous years' questions that had been released by the state. After grading the tests (a completion grade most of the time), we'd spend time each week to go over each question with the students. In the end, we thought it did help some students to endure such a long period of focus. 

2. Familiarizing students with format

It was important that students had some exposure to the testing format and language before the actual tests so that nothing was shocking or confusing to them when they tested for real. Therefore, the teaching team would incorporate testing language and question format into the assessments for our regular content material. For example, on tests and quizzes, we'd use multiple choice with bubbles, short answer questions, and constructed response questions, all modeled after the types and structures of questions we had seen on previous years' tests. Another way we familiarized students was to use sample passages to model how to do close reads and respond to the questions about the passages. The feedback we received from students is that it did help them as they tested.

3. Motivating students

By 5th grade, our students got that they weren't being graded on the test, nor did it determine whether they'd move on to the next grade or not. So how do you encourage students with nothing to lose or gain to do their best? In an ideal situation, intrinsic motivation would run rampant among students, but that's just not realistic. We used a valuable resource at our school--the swimming pool--as motivation for the students. Once test results arrived in the summer, our guidance counselor planned a pool party for all students who passed at least one of the tests. She'd send invitations to their homes, provide a tasty picnic lunch and cold treats, and set up outdoor games to play. Students really enjoyed it, and the looks on the faces of children who struggled academically throughout the year but persevered during state testing were priceless!

In honor of state testing season, this week's resource round-up is all about free and creative ideas to motivate students in preparation for standardized testing. It's clear from all of the options out there that teachers really care about encouraging their students, and I think that helps!

Before I get to this week's list of resources, though, I thought I'd share what some of my colleagues on Teachers Pay Teachers had to say when I asked them for their best test prep advice for students. 

Some of it is mental:

ESL Nexus said:

"I told my students to be sure and get a good night's sleep on the nights before tests and, also, to go sleep saying to themselves over and over, "I will do well. I will do well." I'd read that the power of positive thinking really worked as you were falling asleep, and if you fell asleep thinking you would do well on a test, then you were more likely to actually do well on it." 

Counselor Chelsey said:

"I think the best advice to just to remind kids that they know the material! Tests can be so daunting, especially because they are often a different format than the traditional classroom tests, but reminding students that they have all of the knowledge in their brain to do well on the test! I think that helps students feel more confident and less intimidated!"

Mary Carr shared:

"I have made fortune cookies for students with fortunes specially written to encourage test-takers. Kids love the special messages from their teacher."

Some of it is strategic:

Renee from Share2Learn said:

"I always told my 2nd and 3rd graders to just relax and do your best. That was after I told them that the people who write the tests are trying to trick them, and sometimes more than one answer will seem okay so just go with the one that seems best."

Some of it is physical:

Advanced Instruction Resources offered:

"I tell the kids to try their best and show what you know. The class will get back to "regular" instruction after it's finished. I try to include many different brain breaks and activities between tests. The kids are completely drained so they need to get out of their seats and move around between tests."

Renee of Teacher Ink said:

"Run in place for three minutes beforehand, and make silly, crazy faces...afterward."

And some of it just puts the whole testing business 

into a much-needed, humorous perspective:

Pamela Kranz of Desktop Learning Adventures shared:

"The sun will come up tomorrow. Your friends will still like you. Your parents will still love you. And your pets will still enjoy cuddle time with you--unless your pets are fish."

There you have it. So here is this week's resource round-up. As usual, these suggestions are geared toward upper elementary and middle school students but can be creatively adapted for other grades as well. Without further ado, here we go....

Read a book aloud to students.

Melissa at More Time 2 Teach shares how she uses the book The Big Test by Julie Danneberg to relieve students' jitters and help them to see that testing isn't all bad. A quick search brings up other read-alouds that fit the theme of testing, too!

Adapt the test environment.

Scholastic offers several ideas to keep stress low and motivation high for middle school students in this article, but my favorite is creating a comfortable, home-like environment for students before and while they test. 

Keep students active.

During test breaks, we'd let students stand up, stretch, and do silent jumping jacks to help them refocus. This article from the National Education Association shares something similar as well as other ideas for keeping students focused when attention spans are short. 

Use music.

This music video starring 5th grade students at Centennial Arts Academy is so good! Sung to the tune of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face," students sing about their "Test-Taker Face." If you're brave enough, maybe YOU could direct your students in a music video of their own!

Write a letter to your students.

This letter from a teacher to her students reminds me of a question that I saw posted on Facebook: Name one thing that standardized tests cannot measure about students. 

Use humor.

Check out this video based on the Hunger Games made by 6th graders at a Connecticut middle school as they prepare to "show everything they know."

Invoke a success mindset.

Building intrinsic motivation in students sounds like a daunting task. We can't get inside their minds to make them care. Larry Ferlazzo writes for MiddleWeb about having students make personal connections with success. One activity is to write about an ancestor who had success in his or her life immediately prior to a test. Research shows that writing and sharing about a genetic relative who possessed qualities that led to achievement helps students to believe that they also possess characteristics that will make them successful. 

Offer sweet treats.

Okay, this one isn't exactly free, but it doesn't cost much. (And shhh...a basic tenet of teaching that no one likes to admit is that students almost always respond to the promise of candy.)  Jen at Runde's Room provides some cute ideas and printables for providing little treats to sweeten testing season. 

Roll out a special welcome mat.

I thought this was a fun idea provided by Carol Miller at the Middle School Counselor. Write encouraging messages in sidewalk chalk outside of the doors of the school. 

Decorate for success.

When I was in marching band in high school, our section members would take turns making locker signs for everyone to pump us up for weekend competitions. (Yes, we got excited about competitions. Hey, we were good and liked to win. If you can't relate to marching band, I'm sure you've seen similar signs for athletes on their lockers. Just bear with me here....) Consider making a bulletin board that emphasizes and encourages individual students. Just make sure you it doesn't have anything you have cover up come testing day! I saw some cool ideas at Smartchick Teacher and Nerdy Teacher Confessions.

You know your students best. You can tell what motivates them and what needs you must address to put them in the best position to do well. Here's hoping that these suggestions will help you do just that!

Have another suggestion? Leave a comment!

FREE Design a T-Shirt Book Reponse Project

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Happy Wednesday to you followers, fans, and freebie-lovers! 

I've been working on a freebie that I plan to release later this week on Teachers Pay Teachers and want to share it with you as an exclusive. No need to log in to anything. It's just a simple download to say thanks for coming by!

This Design a T-Shirt Book Response Project is a creative alternative to traditional book reports because let's face it: Book reports can be boring for students to do and boring for teachers to grade. Students will choose a scene or character from the book to illustrate on their t-shirts. Then, they write a project description of what they illustrated and why it is important to the story. 

This resource includes everything you and your students need to make a t-shirt all about a book. Just add a plain t-shirt and fabric markers or paint!

• Detailed project description and requirements
• T-shirt template to sketch and record information about the design
• Final project description for students to complete 
• Rubric

Students plan their project on the included template.

Download this freebie here. I hope that your students enjoy this fun option for responding to literature. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Must-Read Mentor Text: Mysteries of the Mummy Kids

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I was inspired to write about the mentor text for this week's Collaboration Cuties' link-up by an article I recently read about Inca mummy kids found frozen high in the Andes. The story of these children is one of many told in Kelly Milner Halls' Mysteries of the Mummy Kids. This book is particularly special to me because before I became a teacher, I worked on it as an editorial assistant at its original publisher, Darby Creek Publishing. My job was to do photo research and secure rights to many of the images used in the book. For days and weeks, I was "wrapped" up in images of mummies from around the world! My students were pretty excited when I shared that I had been a part of this book project, and I think that made it all the more interesting to them.

This nonfiction book focuses on child mummies from throughout history that have been discovered around the world. The book is organized by continent and mummy, which makes it easy to read in small sections. The author begins with an explanation of why she wrote the book, which was inspired by a postcard she received with a photo of a mummy from Mesa Verde National Park. She then explains the natural and man-made processes of mummification.  Despite its subject matter, the author is careful not to sensationalize or exploit the mummies, but rather she thoughtfully and respectfully explains how they came to be in their conditions within historical, cultural, and geographic contexts. The images in the book help young readers to visualize so much about what is being described in the book, from locations to the mummies themselves. The photographs are somber, yet fascinating. The illustrations and diagrams are appealing and easy-to-follow. At the end of the book, the author includes several references for readers to use to learn more, including "Mummy Miscellany," which lists museums around the country where readers can see preserved mummies and a list of suggested titles for further reading; a bibliography; a glossary; and an index. The book is appropriate for upper elementary to middle school students based on the reading level and the content.

When I became a teacher, I was able to use this book in my fifth-grade social studies classes in a number of ways. When studying the Inca Indians, I read aloud the section of the book pertaining to child mummies discovered in the Andes mountains (referred to in the article link in the first paragraph). These children were thought to have been sacrificed to their gods by the Incas. The author describes how these children were chosen, how they lived in preparation for their sacrifice, and how they ultimately passed away and became mummified.

As part of our study of American Indians, students completed a graphic organizer for each Indian group with information about their location & geography; religious beliefs; government; food sources; inventions; and other cultural elements. As I read aloud from Mysteries of the Mummy Kids, I asked students to jot down any information that fit into the categories of their organizers.

Sample graphic organizer used for note-taking about American Indian groups

Based on the facts presented in the book, they were able to add details to many of the categories on their organizers. Through the stories of these children, students were able to get a picture of not only the lives of the chosen children, but also the daily lives of the everyday Inca, including what they ate, their government structure, arts & crafts, and the roles of men and women. It was rewarding and fun to watch students connect what they read about in their traditional textbooks with the information in this trade book. 

In addition to the note-taking practice, I allowed time for students to ask questions, too, in light of such extreme cultural practices. We also discussed how the context of time and culture shaped the perspectives that the Inca children probably had at the time of their sacrifices, and we compared those to what the students, who were about the same age, thought.

The Maiden of Llullaillaco was about 14 years old and was found with
two other children--a 6-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy--on the peak of Mount Llullaillaco in Argentina.

In addition to the mummies of South America, Milner Halls also writes about the well-known mummies of Egypt, as well as those found in Europe, Asia, and North America. All have their own circumstances surrounding their mummification, and each could be discussed at length in terms of their historical, cultural, and geographic contexts. I actually referred to and shared the story of the Caucasian mummies discovered in the Taklamakan Desert along the Silk Road in China during our discussion of European explorers. Of the many different child mummy discoveries, I personally found the stories of the bog mummies from Europe the most interesting.

Many mummies, many mysteries

I did end up reading the entire book to my homeroom class as a read-aloud instead of a traditional novel. I found it a bit challenging because it required more attention and thinking from the students to process what I was reading to them, especially with new vocabulary and the explanation of processes. If the book is read aloud, it's important to spend time showing students images and reading in small sections so that meaningful discussions can be held about the content. 

Detailed diagram of a false cabeza ("head") mummy bundle shows readers what was included in these burial masses.

In addition to the social studies elements of this book (geography, history, and culture), Mysteries of the Mummy Kids also includes a strong science content as well, with scientist interviews and descriptions of the mummification process. This book is also a great choice for reluctant readers with its interesting subject matter, vivid images, and organization into small, but content-rich sections.

I'm a big fan of using cross-curricular trade books to teach social studies, and I highly recommend Mysteries of the Mummy Kids as one of these!

Rocket Day: Having a Blast with Math, Science, and Reading

Pin It Now! Pin It Now! Wow! This looked like it was a blast...literally. A fellow 5th grade teacher at my school held the first annual Rocket Days in which students applied math, science, and reading skills to send off a rocket and keep it within 150 feet after the launch. Students studied the physics of rocketry, rocketry safety, and related math. Using a rocketry packet she created, she asked students to calculate wind speed, direction, and the angle of the rocket launching point. Every student shot off his or her own rocket and rotated as a participant in a launch, recovery, altitude tracking, rocket safety and refueling, and photo journalism team. Technology and engaging students is something that is very important to her, so I think this idea was a fantastic way to show students how learning is useful and fun! Click on the photo to see the news story! (Sorry, I tried to resize the video so I could embed it in the blog, but it couldn't be done.)