Test prep doesn’t have to be the same old monotonous review and work. In fact, I prefer to spice up my test prep activities to keep my students engaged and to keep the work relevant and interesting. On this post I will share a test prep activity that works well with any subject and any type of question.
If you have never seen this before, students respond to a text or stimulus on butcher paper at the same time. For this activity, I took three test prep questions and taped them to the middle of a piece of butcher paper. I sectioned off the butcher paper into four sections: A, B, C, D. This referred to the students and not the answer choices. (The next time I do this test prep activity, I will number the sections instead of using letters if there are answer choices.)
I labeled the students A, B, C, and D so that the A and B student could work together and the C and D students could work together. Then when the groups were finished, the A and C students could compare and contrast their work and the B and D students could compare and contrast their work.
The students had to finish these sentences stems for each of the three questions:- The question is asking me…
- The topic/skill of the question is…
- I already know…
- The answer is…because…
- ….is wrong because… (done for all three incorrect answers)
We talked as a class about how these steps were important to take as a good test taker. And how good test takers naturally do this without realizing it. While the students were discussing how to complete their sentences stems, I was walking around asking focusing/assessing/advancing questions. I was so proud of some of my students defending their background knowledge of a skill or just probing their partner for more specific language.
Here are a few closeups…
And the finished product (well, one of them!)
I just love using this graffiti type activity in the classroom. Here are some of the reasons why this is one of my favorite activities:- It has the collaborative aspect (working with partners to solve the problem and compare and contrast)
- It helps the students really analyze and critique questions and answer choices (you can always change how the students respond to the questions to fit your needs).
- It is perfect for in-depth, rigorous questions that are typically difficult for students.
- This activity would also work really with passages and text-dependent questions. Most of the test prep activities work better for quick questions, but this one works well with the questions that require time and energy. I plan on completing it again with my Reading Test Prep Task Cards.
I would love to hear if you have used this method or seen it used in any classrooms. Let me know in the comments!
Save
Do you want even more test prep tips and strategies for grades 4-5? Then, sign up for my FREE 6-Day Email Course to help you plan, organize, and execute engaging (and effective) test prep review! Click on the image below to read more and sign up today.
What an AWESOME idea, Jennifer – I LOVE it!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
~Jessica
Joy in the Journey
This is such a smart idea. It helps to take the mystery out of the test and put the power back in the hands of the kids. I love the idea of them thinking about their thinking.
Between this blog and all the things you make (and I BUY) on TPT, I don't know how you have a minute left in your life.
Keep on doing what you're doing.
You are an inspiration!
Something new for test prep!!! My kids are dying and I feel like each day they're learning less and less because they have just checked out! I am trying this activity today!! My last name is "Grafitti" (spelled the Italian way, not the vandalism way!) so this activity will be perfect!
LOVE THIS! I will try this Friday 🙂 Thanks for the great idea!
This is such a clever idea! I am definitely trying this with my fifth graders. Thanks so much for sharing!
I'm a proud new follower. 🙂
Wendy
Read With Me ABC
Fantastic idea! I am going to use this next week during test prep with my students. Thanks for sharing!
Christine
Math Central
I love this idea! We've done something similar but I never thought of using this for test prep. Thank you for sharing!
Leigh
The Applicious Teacher
What kind of things do you put in the middle as the question? Can I see a close up of one of yours?
I love this, but I have a question. The students would have to have read the passage first, correct? Otherwise they wouldn’t know which answer choice was correct.
Thank you so much for these ideas!
Betsey
I love using this activity to prepare my kids for STAAR testing. I used it in my classroom last school year, and the kids told me later that it really helped them when it came to testing in March– which any teacher loves to hear! They really got the hang of breaking down the question and answer choices to understand what the question was really asking, and why it’s so important to prove your answers.
Thanks for sharing such an awesome activity!
What kind of questions work best with this activity? Can you give me an example?
Would you use the same sentence stems for math? If not what would you use?
Would you use the same sentence stems for math? If not what would you use?
I think this is especially helpful for students proving their answers on the new online tests- thank you for sharing!