Well, it’s March which means that it is USA test prep season. While it’s not my favorite part of the school year, it’s the inevitable time of the year. And while you and your students might just want to forget about state testing, you know that you can’t. We try to teach all year long to set our students up for success. Whether it’s adding and subtracting fractions or how to show kindness, we want our students to feel successful. These test-taking strategies elementary students need will help them feel successful and you can take a little breath of relief.
Your test prep strategy is going to depend on your grade level and the setup of your state test. But there are some tips and tricks that can be used no matter your content area.
#1 Test Taking Strategies Elementary Students Need
Mindset can make or break anything we attempt to do in life. State testing then is no different. Students (and you teacher-friend!) need to make sure they are in the right mindset.
Students will feed off of our energy as teachers. With that being said, we need to give off a cool, calm, and collected vibe. One of the ways that I do this is by treating state testing like any other difficult standard. I will tell students that this might be challenging but that I don’t give them anything I know they can’t handle. This means that each and every one of them can survive the state testing season. I also show them that I am here to help as much as I possibly can. I want students to feel like they can accomplish the test so I pour a lot of time and energy into my mindset.
A growth mindset is a great place to start! I build up a growth mindset all year long in my classroom, so test prep is no different. Just like when I start to teach how to add and subtract fractions, I make sure we talk about growth mindset before we start learning those test-taking strategies elementary students need.
Some of my favorite resources are linked down below to help you get started with incorporating a growth mindset into your classroom.
Building on that growth mindset, students will need to practice perseverance and stamina. Perseverance is a skill and when students learn to keep going no matter what, they will end up accomplishing more than they thought possible. This is not only applicable to state testing but also to life in general! If students are taught and given a chance to practice perseverance, they will take on those skills more and more. This helps them feel successful on state testing!
Celebrate Bubble Gum Brains
There is nothing worse than monitoring state testing and seeing your sweet little kiddo struggling and being able to do nothing about it. So before you get to state testing, celebrate struggles and mistakes in your classroom! Show students that it is okay to struggle and to grow their brain powers.
My all-time favorite book that helps show students this skill is Bubble Gum Brain. It’s a cute picture book that shows how everyone can have a bubble gum brain that stretches and grows as it is used. I don’t just stop with Bubble Gum Brains there though!
I watch students notice each others’ bubble gum brains and perseverance so I have a little spot dedicated to Bubble Gum Slips. Then, I have a stack of pink post-it notes for students to record the name, date, and how another student showed their bubble gum brain. This gets kiddos noticing each other’s perseverance and even the most reluctant bubble gum brains want to show off their skills 🙂
Review Before the Test
While you can’t control what is on the state test, you can build your student’s confidence. Review before students takes the test, just like you would for any other test during the school year. If possible, take a few days or a week to really focus on test-taking strategies elementary students need and review commonly tested skills.
I know that with pacing there might not always be a lot of time to review everything. So pick and choose your skills wisely. I will look at power standards or major standards for the grade level. This gives me an idea of what to expect on the test. If your state releases old tests, use those for a basis of what students might see on test day. The common skills and question types are a huge part of the review process.
If your students have to write on the test, practice! You have probably been practicing written responses all year, so keep that routine up. We had students practice writing a response on the computer each week to prepare for the literacy test. When we got closer to state testing season, we added the time limit that students would have on the test. This helped students see how they manage their time while still practicing the skill they need.
If you have time, giving students a full-blown test a couple of weeks before the real deal can really help students get a feel for what they will be doing. This trial run is a great way for kids to get their nervousness out, know-how timing will feel, and in general what to expect on the test day. This is also a way for students to practice those perseverance skills before they get to the real deal.
Fun Test Prep Strategies for Elemeranty Students
Now that we have covered the growth mindset and the idea of perseverance, we can make test prep fun! Review doesn’t have to be boring!
Whole Group Activities
Some of my favorite ways to review with the whole group include escape rooms, room transformations, jeopardy, and Kahoot/Blooket games. These are fun ways to shake up review and make it engaging for students! I don’t use these ideas all year so when I pull out one of these games, students go crazy (in a good way!).
Some of my favorite escape rooms include this one about escaping from Emoji Island and this one about context clues.
I love a good room transformation and this pack is perfect to input your own content into. If you want a set already made be sure to check out this one.
How to use task cards for test prep? What is jeopardy? This is an easy way to use different sets of task cards to review a bunch of different skills. I will usually grab 6 task cards from a set and make a board with different topics across the top. Students break into teams and will play jeopardy! This is also a great way to review word problems as jeopardy doesn’t have to be a timed-based game. If you want other tips on how to use task cards, be sure to check out this blog post!
The good old Kahoot vs. Blooket debate can continue into test prep strategies for elementary students. I prefer Blooket to Kahoot personally, but either works! The best part is there are so many pre-made games that you can search and assign to your students. This is a great strategy that doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare, and can also be used in 10-15 minute gaps of time. We would play a version before packing up at the end of the day, or if a lesson runs short I can pull up a Kahoot to fill the time.
Math Intervention
One of my favorite test prep strategies for elementary students is using intervention stations. These are math learning centers that are set up in a different way from my typical centers. I spiral review through 3 skills a week by giving an ‘exit ticket’ to see what students remember over the different skills. I will then use that data to create 3 different groups (1 for each skill that week). Students then work on the topic they need to by doing a quick reteach and completing an activity. I will then give another ‘exit ticket’ to see how they improved on their skill.
Because this type of station feels different than my typical math stations, students are excited and willing to refresh their skills. If you want to learn more about these stations be sure to check out this post on strategies for math intervention.
Additional Test Taking Strategies Elementary Students Need
Looking for more tips and tricks to help your students succeed that the all-important state test? I’ve linked some additional resources to help you out!
Strategies for Math Intervention: tailor your review to exactly what your students need with these strategies
Top Test Taking Strategies to Teach Your Students: this post has a bunch of strategies to actually take a test so if you are looking for those this post has the answers
3 Test-Taking Strategies for Elementary Students: if you teach ELA, this post has a bunch of helpful tips on reviewing before the state test
Test Taking Strategies: I love the free poster saying in this post and the strategies work really well in upper elementary grades
What do you think are test-taking strategies elementary students need? Any additional ones you’d add to the list? Comment below with your tips for test prep strategies for elementary students.
[…] charts can be referenced year-round which is especially helpful for spiral review or standardized test prep. Having the steps to solve multiplying and dividing fractions makes students be a little more […]