Next week our school begins our state testing, and I am a tester for every session over the next three weeks! There are some days I wonder when I will eat lunch! So, I am focusing this week on a fun book that will get the students ready for testing. This has been a classroom favorite of mine, and I am going to read it to my third graders on Friday before we start testing! Testing Miss Malarkey is a great book to help students see how everyone feels about testing.
In the book,a young boy tells about how the entire school is turned upside down to get ready for "The TEST". The boy does not seem to think that the "IPTU" tests are really important but sees how important they are to the teachers and the rest of the school. The cafeteria served different foods, and the halls were closed off for testing. It reminds me of how we are when we are testing. Everything changes for EVERYONE! The testing security requires us to sign our lives away and carry the tests with us wherever we go. In the book, the teachers worry much more than the students.
Oh, how I have seen this as we prepare for our Standards of Learning tests (SOLs). Our tests are ALL computer based with new "Technology Enhanced Items" that have increased the rigor. We have been practicing them most of the year on paper {some technology, right} and now on the computer. And all the students want to do is play with the tools and do what they want. I don't think they see the importance, and we worry...A LOT! But in the end, those students end up trying their best and showing what they know.
For the first time, I am seeing it through the eyes of a parent. And, yes, I worry for him!
So, this year I am handing out these fun bookmarks to my students with a bag of Starburst candies to remind them that they will do well on the test and to give them some reminders of what to do on the test! You can grab them for free from my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking here or on the pictures below!
Testing season will come and go, but our students will ALWAYS be stars! Good luck to everyone who is testing!
Cute story - I haven't heard of it before. I found out from Susan that I'm testing even more than originally thought. It's going to be a crazy two weeks in my classroom!
ReplyDeleteSarah
Learning is for Superstars
Learning is for Superstars is on Facebook
I've seen that book. My go-to book for testing is "Hooray for Diffendoofer Day", which Dr. Seuss started before he died. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteDon't Let the Teacher Stay Up Late
Thanks for the reminder about this book. I need to pull it out before our testing begins!
ReplyDelete~Courtney
Polka Dot Lesson Plans
I LOVE that book! I used it before testing for at least four years! Thanks so much for the bookmarks, what a great idea. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteJan