This is a collection of activities, ideas and printables that teachers can use with their students as encouragement before they take their 'high-stakes' tests.
I saved this idea posted on ProTeacher by jenn 3rd on 03-29-2006
i give my students a small bag of cookies and give them a paper that says: Remember, you are a SMART cookie S- stay focused M- mark the right choice A- always do your best R- recheck your work T- take your time
I put the information into an MS Word table which, when cut apart, results in 8 messages about the size of a business card. (I don't remember if I saw someone else's idea to switch the title to "Don't forget to use your SMARTs" or if it was jenn 3rd's original idea that I read in another post but, in this case, I didn't include any reference to 'smart cookie'.)
I would guess you could give these with just about anything, if you don't want to give any kind of food item. Ho...
Nope...I am going to use them for my fifth graders. I am also making a bulletin board to motivate them, too. I am going to have them write test tips, poems about tests, feelings about the tests, etc. to decorate it. I bought some pompom type leis from Target and put around an orange background. Then I cut out different colored construction paper 3s and 4s (that's what NC scores are expected) with die cut machince and put those all around. It's cute even without any words! I will be glad to send a picture if someone wants! :-) Happy testing!
This may be too late to implement, but then again, maybe not for those who still need suggestions. I just recalled that I had great success this year, when I wrote this attached letter to the parents (and family members) asking them to write an encouraging letter/message/note to my student which would be kept in a sealed envelope until the morning of our first state test. Parents wrote them and sent them in the week before.
With the letter to parents, I allowed my students to select a page from among the various types of stationery papers I had. They also decorated the outside of a plain white envelope. So, clipped together were: The parent letter, a sheet of stationery and a decorated envelope.
It was amazing to see the faces of my students as they read their parents loving...
This is a Spanish version of the parent note for those who come from Spanish speaking families. (Since I work in a Spanish-speaking community, we are required to have all parent memos translated to Spanish.)
test slogans
Posted by: MrsM #121165
We recently had our spirit week. I put ours here, plus two ideas from the past:
Hats off to you! (wear hats) Shine on the test. (sunglasses) Get plenty of rest for the test. (pj day) Sock it to the test. (socks) Wear clothing with numbers (in honor of taking the Math portion) Wear clothing with words (in honor of the Comm. Arts portion) Wear clothing with animals or weather (Science portion)
I've taken some of the ideas shared on PT or on other listservs (and even made up some of these) according to the candies I've happened to find for little treats to give my students before the stress-filled state tests. For the past few years, I made some pages of very simple cards to give to my students with their little treats each morning before the testing starts. (Our state testing starts next week. So far, we haven't been told we are forbidden to give them anything, so I'm not going to ask... and I'm not gonna tell, either! LOL!) If it's not allowed at school, you might choose to give these to your own children (pack them in their lunch as a surprise) before they head off to school for their state tests.
Just in case there are a few schools out there where you might still be a...
SNICKERS-No time for SNICKERS yet! You're almost finished with testing!
more
Posted by: abbylane8 #136386
I have done "wash out the TAKS" and hung it on a water bottle
I also did "CRUNCH the TAKS" with a crunch bar
Other candy bars I have used are 100 grand "You are 100 GRAND".
My all time favorite that is not food is the magic pencil. My kids loved it and I think they really believed the pencil was magic! I gave them a pencil with the tag taped to it. Apparently you can't dothis anymore on test day in Texas. I don't teach a TAKS grade anymore. I would just give it to them the day before.
EXTRA gum: Work EXTRA hard to make the best choice on the SOLS.
I usually start giving these out at the end of the day starting the five days before the tests start and then every night before the next test, so I usually end up doing 9 or 10 of them.
Cheerios - Cheering you to success or I'm CHEERing you on
Super Bubble Gum - I know you will do a SUPER job
Lucky Charms - Good LUCK today on your test
Starburst - You are a STAR or Shine like a STAR today
Licorice Twists - Don't let the test TWIST your mind
Hershey Hugs - A HUG from me to you to do the best that you can do
I am actually getting ready to present a workshop on this very topic. I am trying to come up with some HEALTHY treats with sayings for those schools who now have strict mandates on the sugar content of what they give the kids. Let me know if you get any more replies that I could use. Good luck!
I have so far...
Oranges - ORANGE you glad the tests are almost over????
Raisins - Keep RAISIN y...
Maybe these are what you wanted?
Posted by: Risa #131279
Right after I left the previous post, I searched my files and found these. They were gathered from a variety of online sources and/or groups.
Day 1-Gum with a note that says: Blow the top off the test! Day 2-Snickers-Let's not have any Snickers, just do your best! Day 3-Starburst Candy- For a burst of energy to do a fantastic job Day 4-Success all the way to the Milky Way Day 5-Hugs and Kisses for putting forth your best effort! ---------------- Be a smartie and ACE this test! (smarties) Blow the TOP off this test! (bubble gum) A BURST of energy to do AWESOME! (starburst) KISS your worries goodbye. Do great! (Hershey's kiss) Dont SNICKER !! Do your best! (mini Snickers) ----------------- TEST TAKING FIRST AID KIT:
I went to the dollar tree and bought visors (3/1.00) They are our "wiser visors." They decorated them with stickers etc. They only wear them during a test and chant, "Before I test, I put on my visor, for when I do, I feel much wiser." Then they snap fingers two times and throw hands in the air and say "WOO!"
I also have a hangman type thing on the board that will spell out ICE CREAM. Each test that no child skips a question earns them one letter.
Finally, I gave them all a small blue post it note. They put it on the stop sign, that way they really know when to stop. Red notes would probably be even better, but the note itself signals them.
I subscribe to several e-mail newletters of a thought or quote of the day. I give these to my kids or use them on a bulletin board with Notable Quotables. I hope you can use some. I do have lots more, but they are probably more for life in general than success and testing.
If you don't have the time to do something right, where are you going to find the time to fix it?!
"Every student can learn. Just not on the same day or in the same way." ~~ George Evans
You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you dont try. - Beverly Sills
"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." ~~ John Powell (1834 - 1902)
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.
I do a test taking survival kit I dont have access to the file right now,,, but here is the gist:
1 Peppermint for every test.... to boost your brain power!
1 Eraser... to get rid of those brain freezes (what I call mistakes in my room)
2 Pencils... to record all the knowledge you have learned
1 stick of gum for each test... to remind you to stick with it!
1 highlighter... for highlighting of course!
1 Hershey's Hug.. for all your hard work!
I also put the word out to the staff and ask for volunteers to adopt my kids the week of testing. Each day every student gets a little note from their person encouraging them. Some years I have a different person write to each child each day and some years I have the same person do it, but it is a secret santa kind...
