I try my best to make test prep activities as engaging as possible. These test prep activities help my third graders stay focused during this time of year.
For each of these test prep activities, I provide students with a reading passage or a set of multiple-choice math questions. Students complete their work on their paper and use their answers to complete the following activities. It is important for students to have independent thinking time before completing these activities.
The number 1 thing: Immediate feedback is crucial for test prep time. Students need to know right then if their work was correct or not. Time is of the essence! All of these activities provide immediate feedback to students.
Four Corners
I like this one because students get up and get moving. Especially this year, they’ve been in their seats all day long. They can play this game with their masks up!
I hang a label in each corner of the room. Corner A, Corner B, and so on. After working on an activity, students walk to the 4 corners around the room to show their answers. The students must follow the answers on their paper. So for question 1, all students walk to the choice they chose. This often ends up with different people in the corners. It’s a great tool for discussions. I often ask students to defend their corner. Why did you choose this answer?
Poll the Class
Classflow is my favorite app for polling the class. Students can complete a reading passage or math problems on paper, then vote on each question using a device. My students use their chromebooks to connect to Classflow.
You can read about how to use Classflow on this post. Polling the class is a great option because it shows students a graph of the results. Students are usually surprised to see the bar graph. It’s especially great on a hard question when more students choose the wrong answer than the correct one.
Tip: Pencils go on the floor once you start polling!
Tip: Pencils go on the floor once you start polling! This ensures you’ll be able to check papers afterward and see how students did on their own. I don’t allow students to pick their pencils up until I’ve collected the papers. Classflow does keep up with student responses, so that’s a bonus. But I also like showing parents how students are doing in class, so I grade their test prep papers and send them home.
Class Rewards
My students get very excited and motivated about test prep when I use classroom rewards. I often tie this in with the class polls. If we get 100% on a class poll (doesn’t happen often), I give them a tally. Once they have earned 5 tallies, I give them a class reward. It’s important to let them know ahead of time so they can work towards the goal. Here are some rewards my students enjoy:
- Class lunch outside (perfect reward for this spring weather!
- Extra recess
- 5 minutes of free tech time
Tabletop Twitter
This is a great test prep activity to help students slow down and think about the different answer choices. In this activity, students write about each answer choice. Students can do this in small groups, or independently. They need to think about the following questions:
- Which choice is correct? How do you know?
- Which one was put there to trick you?
- Which ones are definitely wrong?
This is an activity you will need to model before allowing students to complete.
Jamboard
You can use Google Jamboard just like TableTop Twitter, but in a digital format. This is more COVID friendly and also works well with distance learning.
On a Google Jamboard, students can use sticky notes to explain their thinking about each choice. This is especially good for math questions, where you need time to look at each of the answer choices.
FREE Jamboard Test Prep Activity
I’ve created a FREE Google Jamboard template that you can download below. Download this template and try it out with your students. Hopefully these test prep activities will help your testing season run smoothly.
