Teaching With Style: testing

Showing posts with label testing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label testing. Show all posts
Math testing... dun dun dun!  It sounds scary, but with the right resources and preparation, it's really not!

Back when I taught in Oregon, the state test allowed kids access to various resources to use during the test.  Our computer lab assistant would make copies of clocks, hundreds grids, and multiplication tables.  There would be little pieces of paper everywhere and the kids didn't know how to organize them all in their workplace, let alone actually use them during the test.

As I was teaching 3rd grade for the first time last year and navigating being a test proctor for the first time, I had the great idea of turning these resources into little booklets!  We could practice using the booklets in the classroom during our regular math lessons and unit exams, then I could make different colored ones to pass out during our state testing.  Since the kids would be familiar with using the booklets in the classroom, they would actually use them during the test!
Here are the books in a testing bag with a ruler, a protractor, and a calculator - all allowable testing materials in the State of Oregon.

Here are my books in a different color, ready to be used in the classroom.  I did the classroom books in pink and the testing books in green, so I would remember to shred the green books after the test was over.

This year I am in a new state and a new grade.  2nd graders do not take state tests in Hawaii, but we do take a monthly math and reading test since my school is in re-structuring from not meeting AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress).  I wanted to introduce the booklets this spring to help kids use a variety of strategies for solving problems, not just their fingers.  Unfortunately, they are only allowed scratch paper during testing (our monthly testing sessions are supposed to mirror the testing environment of the Hawaii State Assessment, which only allows paper, pencils, and calculators).  My thought is, if we use the booklets in the classroom that have all of the resources filled out, then graduate to the booklets with blank resources that the students fill out themselves, then they should be able to replicate those resources on their blank paper during the test.  


I started to prep my booklets today.

Here are the pages ready to print.  In order for them to be double sided on the copy machine, I have to lay them alternating like this.


And here I am stapling them with the long armed stapler in my copy room earlier today.  Unfortunately, I am low on color paper, so my class gets white ones.  They will be excited to color the covers, though.  

I updated this file with the filled out and blank resources, along with several pages of mix-and-match, to hopefully help you in your classroom!  If there are additional resources that you need for your state, let me know and I can get them added to the file.



Click the picture or go here to see this product in my TpT store!

I am linking up with Mrs Wheeler's linky party for all you April testers!

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My school is lucky enough to have a K-2 computer lab.  However, our K-2 lab needed some work.  When I got here, it was a windowless cave with bulletin boards covered by sad, faded black paper and random staples.  After a couple of sessions with my kids in there and my trusty staple remover, I've made some progress!

This all started with a vision of posting keyboard shortcuts for students to reference.  I use shortcuts all the time and I wanted to have my students be able to use them, as well.  By posting them in a visual way like this, they can just look on the board to see them, instead of constantly asking me, "How do you print, again?"

But first, I had to make the computer lab presentable enough to hang my shortcuts.  I removed the old, black paper and left the blank bulletin boards.  I figured this was better than faded paper with tons of staples in it.  I added happy, polka dotted border to make it fun.

I taped the border to an old, green chalkboard, and since there was no chalk to be seen, I used my chalk markers and wrote the web address for the 2nd grade test we have to give each month, as well as my classroom website.  I want the kids to learn how to go to these sites on their own, so they can do it at home, too.  I'll add to this list throughout the year and also post websites that other teachers use.

I wanted to have pencils available in the lab, since my students have to take a monthly math test and I want them to work out the problems on paper to verify the correct answer.  We also use these math testing booklets full of allowable resources.
My classroom has 4 Mac desktops (refurnished and granted from Free Geek in Portland, OR).  I hung the page sized reference sheet for Mac shortcuts so students can refer to it to remember how to quit, print, even copy and paste!

If you are interested in hanging shortcut posters in your computer lab or classroom, you can check them out here!



Are you working on sprucing up any rooms in your school?  Maybe you are like me and have a computer lab in need of some love!  

I'm linking up with Katie from Queen of the First Grade Jungle!


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I spend a lot of time teaching my students how to problem solve.  My grade level team does a Problem-a-Day format and works through a whole sheet together as a class.   This shows the students the steps to take in solving a problem, how to know what strategies to use, find the important vocabulary, show your work, and verify that their answer is correct.  My third graders had a really hard time with this, so whole group direct instruction worked well for me, as well as TONS of repetition.  We also have laminated giant posters to do it as a whole group instead of each student having their own sheet every day.  As another option, I have had the kids do it inside their math journals or on scratch paper.  After the kids get the hang of the routine, these are great ways to check in and keep up the skills.  To learn more about where this Four-Step problem solving method came from, read this article from Scholastic.


Once the kids have this scaffolded format down, we move to a less structured format.

I always have them do a Problem of the Day after they finish their Morning Work activity sheet.  I have a large flip book of math story problems from my district's old McGraw Hill math adoption.  It's great!   They just sketch this graphic organizer out themselves on scrap paper.  

How do you teach about word problems and problem solving?
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My class is almost done with the state reading test and we are gearing up to take the math test next.  They are loving singing the Four Step Method song to help them get ready for the reading test! To help my students practice for the math test, we have been using the allowable resources by my state in the classroom. If the kids don't know how to use the resources, they won't use them!  A great teacher in my building collected copies of all the allowable resources and put them in bags for students to use.  I thought this was such a great idea, however I needed to make my own so I could teach my students how to use them in the classroom as well.  Instead of using the loose sheets that were copied, I decide to make little booklets filled with the resources.  I wanted the students to be as efficient as possible, and shuffling through loose papers can be frustrating to find what you need and distracting to others who are testing next to you.

In my testing bags there is one copy of my Math Testing Resources booklet, a ruler, a protractor, and a calculator.  I numbered the math bags so they can be used year after year.  Each student in my class has a number on their student mailbox, and that is also the number they line up on in PE and the number of computer they use in the computer lab.  This way, if a calculator is missing from bag # 14, I know which student to ask to find it.

 Here are the resources inside the Math Testing booklet:
  • Grid paper
  • 2-D shapes
  • 3-D shapes
  • Fraction strips
  • Multiplication table
  • Addition table
  • Number line
  • Calendar
  • Hundreds grid
  • Thermometer
  • Clock
  • Place Value chart
  • Tens Frame
  • Number words
  • Money
  • Number line
  • Blank back cover that can be used for scratch paper
x
For scratch paper, I have students fold a piece of blank copy paper into 1/8ths.  They can do 8 problems on one side and 8 problems on the other side.  This way they are using the resources in the booklet and bag, but they are also responsible for working it out on scratch paper.  It helps slow them down from working too fast and making silly errors.  So far, it has been helping!

 When we start the test next week, students will turn in the green booklets that are currently in their bags and I will give them each a new pink one.  All scrap papers have to be shredded after the test, so I will be collecting scrap paper and booklets each day and handing out new ones the next day.  Hopefully, it will only take us 3 days to take the test, so I have 3 class sets of pink booklets ready to go.


Here is how to arrange the papers of the resource booklet to get ready to print.  The way the pages face need to alternate and set the copier to 1-2 sided printing.  Then fold the booklets in half and add a couple staples.  You can use a long armed stapler to get a really professional look.  I just used a regular one because I was lazy and in a hurry!

 Head on over to my TpT store to get your copy!


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Bum, bum, bummmmm. It's here!  State testing!  Run for your lives!

That's exactly how I felt during my first round of state testing this year.  Having never taught a testing year before, I was terrified that my students' learning would not transfer to a computerized, 40 question exam.  Well, I was right.  My state allows students to take the test up to 3 times, and my district mandates that we test in November, February, and May.  In November, I had barely scratched the surface of the comprehension strategies I would be covering and had not taught non-fiction text features at all.  And in math, I had just began to teach multiplication (having done a large unit on multi-digit addition and subtraction), and had not covered fractions or geometry at all.  Needless to say, not very many of my students passed that first round.

Fast forward to February.  My principal noticed that teachers were anxious, and to avoid test fatigue, since many students just finished with ELPA (the English as a Second Language exam), he pushed our next round of testing to the beginning of March.  With one round under my belt and tons of help from colleagues at school and around the web, I was much more confident to help my students succeed.

To help with test prep for reading, I taught my kids this Reading Comprehension song from HaveFunTeaching.com.  The kids seriously love it!  It has a really catchy, modern tune and you can play the song for free from the website.  I printed out the lyrics and the kids glued it into their poetry books so they can re-read it during Read to Self time.  I also purchased the mp3 of the song and downloaded it to my two iPod touches and iPod Nano for students to listen and sing along in their heads during Listen to Reading.

From Have Fun Teaching

Another thing I have been doing is sending home a half page article with four multiple choice questions in their homework packet each week.  This helps my students see the test format and they can practice the Four-Step Method at home.  I have this book from Even-Moor: Daily Reading Comprehension, Grade 2.  Because I send this home as homework and not all my students have parents at home who can help them for one reason or another, I use the second grade book to make sure all my students can access and read the text.  I do have four students who read at a first grade level and they get modified homework anyway.

What great resources have you found for test prep?  What works well in your room?

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