It's that time of year...

It's much anticipated, highly prepared for, and it's here: test taking season! All over the country kids are starting to take their yearly high stakes tests. My fifth graders are no exception- they just took their Reading Comprehension test last week. Of course, we've been working hard on our reading skills all year long, but I was still worried about how my kids would perform. I've noticed that they have had difficulty answering the questions given to them on practice tests because they just don't understand the question. I decided to do a week long mini unit on testing, and consider it to be a "genre" in order to help them understand the specific vocabulary. I called it "Testing as a Genre: Understanding the Language of Testing."

It makes sense if you think of it. The kids are being asked to use some very specific skills in isolation. It's not every day you are asked to bubble in a circle to answer a specific reading comprehension question! Not only that, but often times the questions we ask in guided reading are different than the ones you may encounter on the test. To start my mini-unit, I visited one of my favorite teaching tool websites: Flocabulary. 

Have you heard of this company? They create hip-hop songs (and accompanying music videos) for kids. They are educationally rich, and the songs are actually really catchy! My kids LOVE them. Lucky for me, they have a Test-Taking Vocabulary rap.

This particular rap is about a kid who has been charged with vandalism, and his lawyer defending him. During the song, they give the word that you  need to understand, define it, and then give an example. For instance:

You accuse my client of stealing your car,

Please describe everything you saw.

Get specific with the details, don't be vague,

"I saw Rod in my yard right around 8."

And how did you identify or recognize Rod?

Explain or tell me why, 'cause that seems odd.

"Yeah, I could see his shirt, and I could see his hat,"

What color was his hat? "I think it was black."

So you took an educated guess, inferred, 

That Rod was the person you observed?

The test taking terms are also clickable links, which give you the definition and another example.

If this weren't enough, it also comes with printable lyrics, a fill in the blank lyric sheet, and an activity for students to do in which they use all the vocabulary words (for example, "Look at the person sitting next to you. Describe their outfit." 

My kids LOVED the flocab video and work! Usually, you have to pay to access their content, but the test taking vocabulary video and activities are free. It's a great way to try out their service and see if it's a fit with your kids. It definitely worked for me!

After this, we played a game made by one of my favorite bloggers- Mandy Neal from Teaching with Simplicity. Her Test Prep Vocabulary kit is fantastic AND it is free on TpT! It includes an "I Have, Who Has" game and question/answer flashcards. 

After we played the "I Have, Who Has" game, I had about 30 minutes left until recess. Like the rest of the country, we have had a LONG winter, and my kids have been pretty antsy. They were having a hard time holding down the chatter, so I decided to use the question/answer card set in a more interactive way. I randomly gave every student one question card and one answer card, and then made a "contest" to see who could find the people who had their matching cards the fastest. They were a little loud, no doubt, but they were engaged and on task. I was so impressed as I heard two students talking about the differences between describing and analyzing! 

Overall, I think they prepared well and had a good time. We all know test taking can be pretty monotonous, but these activities really help to make preparing more engaging for kids. So, I've got to know- what works for you?

WINNER! And a new pencil sharpener

I can't believe the devastation from the tornadoes in Oklahoma. It's so incredibly scary to think that one minute those building were homes, and the  next they were piles of rubble. Thinking of all the Oklahoma teachers, students, and families out there. Be safe.

There are 21 days left of school... but who's counting? Ok, fine, I am. There is just so much going on! Between all our field trips, presentations, assemblies, and celebrations, there are only 3 "normal" days until the end of school. AHHH! It's not going to be boring, that's for sure.

So, I finally decided to try out one of the pencil sharpeners that everyone raves about from Classroom Friendly Supplies. It definitely lived up to the hype! My new favorite toy is red.

I decided to test it out with a stack of pencils that needed to be sharpened for MCAS, our standardized test in MA. 

They weren't completely flat, but they were definitely dull. This sharpener is a little bit different than any one you have used before, and I've got to admit it took me a few minutes to figure out how to use it. There are two tabs above the hole where you insert the pencil. Before you can put the pencil in, you have to squeeze the tabs together. You pull the tabs forward and then release. They hold on to the pencil while it's in the sharpener.

Now, the best part of the sharpener... while you turn the crank to sharpen the pencil, the tabs are gripping the pencil and pulling it in. I'm not sure if that is the secret of how it makes pencils so sharp, but check out my "after" stack of pencils.

It comes with a little clamp to hold it on the desk, but I have to admit that I can't figure out how to install it. ha! Either way, I can hold on to the pencil sharpener and crank it and it works just as well as if it had the clamp. One of these days, I'll have my husband put the clamp in for me. :) So, head on over to Classroom Friendly Supplies and check them out!

I just wanted to give a shout out to everyone that donated to my giveaway, and everyone that entered  Thank you so much! It was so much fun hosting my first giveaway. Congrats to Bethany K, the winner! Since my giveaway is over, I have to spread the love and share a link to another giveaway. Check out Joy in the Journey's 200 follower giveaway!

  

Before our last two rounds of standardized testing, I decided to try out a new activity with Judy Finchler's book Testing Miss Malarkey.

I've got to give a shout out to Where the Wild Things Learn for a fantastic graphic organizer to go along with the book! I downloaded this great freebie from TpT and had my kiddos fill it out after I read the book aloud and we had a class discussion.  They really enjoyed the book, and some of my really anxious students really felt better about the test afterward. If you have testing coming up soon, check it out!