Survival Suggestions (When Testing)

It is that time of the year.....testing begins for us tomorrow.  I'm just going to count down the days!  But, I thought I would share some of the things that we will be doing in order to survive!  To be honest....Amazon is my biggest survival technique because I HATE SHOPPING because I always get things I don't need.  So, I actually save money by paying a little shipping.  Everything that you see below is linked to Amazon to make this shopping expedition (if you want some of this wonderful stuff) is even faster for you!

First on the list is

because everyone needs a little fun in a pouch!  Besides that, it is my favorite candy.  Plus, everyone wants to be in on the fun.

Next on my list is 

This helps them work away their fidgets during the test and reminds them to bubble in those circles the right way!

Next, there is

I didn't really buy this but thought it was funny that you could get it on Amazon!!!  =)

I read this to my kids to prepare them for the big test

and I read

And since there is a lot of walking around, I needed some slippers that were appropriate for the classroom, so I got these.  Only 1 is in the picture, but I swear I got 2 of them when I ordered them.  =)

And of course, every day I will deserve a treat.....just need a little salt and lime.

What the hey....I may even use this sucker with the kids (without the salt and lime)!!!  I may have to go looking for some of those nifty umbrellas for our drinks!!

And I am SERIOUSLY thinking about getting this (I can get 2 day shipping you know) for Friday when the test is all over....

So now you have it....these are my survival suggestions for surviving THE TEST.  And...since this test is 35% of my evaluation (thank you State Board of Education), some of these survival techniques will be used more than others!!

For those of you that are finished testing, I am so happy for you.  For those of you that are testing now, good luck!!

Bubble In That Test!

It is that time...for some reason our testing window is a lot later than usual and I have been BUSY working on explaining examples of test items.  Not necessarily the content, but the format of the questions.  One simple thing I've done is give students a chance to make up their own 'test' for finding the word with the same <insert beginning sound, medial vowel, etc. here>.  It was an easy way to see if they understood the concept of the test and the skill.  I did this on my school laptop as a whole group also and didn't think to take a screen shot, but I whipped up a little example to show you.  After I went over it with the group, I would let the person that answered the question pick what color the answer would be.

Now it is time for my favorite part....sharing the literature and practice books that I love!  If you want to go check something out, just click on the cover!

I love this book.....Sarah Jane Hartwell <the main character from First Day Jitters> is at it again!  I just love her!  I plan to read this book to my kids next week!  It talks about test procedures and test anxiety.  The kids love it and find it easy to relate to the other students!

This book is also one of my favorites and I will be using it in the coming weeks!

This is a new book I am adding this year...it deals with anxiety in general, not just during test taking.  I have a couple of kids in my class that worry over everything, so I thought it would be a great addition.

I am also using these books to teach the timing aspect of bubbling and moving on.  Bubbling is sort of hard for some second graders and is a definite challenged for kids in K and 1. (Yes we are testing kids in K and 1 this year and it is tied to our evaluations.) 

Scoring High books are available for any grade level!  You can click here and find any version you like!

Spectrum Test Prep is always a good resource.  Again, you can click on this cover and find any grade level that you want!

Here is a little freebie for you...just some butterfly-themed number cards that I use.  When I am asking questions sometimes I will let them 'draw' a number so that they can be ready to answer when it is there turn.

click here