Test-Taking Foldable

In third grade we began our talk about the STAAR test.  Each year students come in with many false rumors about STAAR that often catastrophize the situation.  I like to take time to explain the reality of STAAR, answer all of their questions and dispel any myths they've heard.  After our discussion, I like to read Hooray for Diffendoofer Day written by Dr. Seuss, with help by Lane Smith and Jack Prelutsky.  What's great about this book is that it puts a silly spin on standardized testing and it also commemorates the legacy of Dr. Seuss, who was unable to finish the book before his passing.  There is a second part in the back of the book that explains how this story came to be, showing his original rough drafts and drawings.

In the story students love their school, their teachers and all of the quirky things they are learning.  But one day their principal informs them that they will have to take a test in 10 minutes and if they do not perform well their school will close down.  Agh!  Worst case scenario!  I won't ruin the story, but there is a positive message that comes from it and our students always sigh in relief that our testing is nothing like theirs.

After the story we make test-taking foldables that students can use to remind them how to put their best foot forward.  I downloaded the template from Savvy School Counselor on TeachersPayTeachers and let the students be creative with the title for each tab.  Here are some of their completed tips:

Helping Students Cope with Test Anxiety

April is a busy month for school counselors!  Along with the responsibilities of being our testing coordinator, our students feel the pressure from their teachers and their parents to perform their best on our state assessments.  Juggling my time to meet with every student that is feeling worried becomes a daily challenge during the weeks leading up to testing.

When I was a third grade teacher I borrowed a meaningful idea from one of my teammates, Angie Zapata.  About a week before testing I sent home a secret request for parents to write their child an inspiring, positive, and encouraging letter.  They sent it back to me without sharing with their child what it was.  (For those students who I did not receive one, I wrote one for them)  On the morning of our first test, I passed out a letter to each student to open and watched their faces light up with confidence.  Taking from this idea, I expanded it to a more global idea that built upon our community here at Lee.

The last time I visited second grade I read them one of their favorites, Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt.  Throughout the story we learn how our main character is afraid to attempt anything he is unfamiliar with - "the unknown".  I expand this idea by informing students that we have a group of "scaredy squirrels" right here at Lee!  Our third graders are also afraid of "the unknown" - aka the STAAR test.  Although they are fully prepared and ready to do their best, they have never taken it before and it makes them a little afraid.

In order to ease these worries, I asked each second grader to write a letter to a third grader.  Each letter contains the 5 parts of a letter (which I review), a statement showing empathy, and a statement showing encouragement.  I passed out the fun bordered paper and off they went.  I was blown away by the sincerity in each of their letters!

Now it was time to deliver the goodies!  The week before the third graders took their test, I visited each third grade classroom during my normal guidance time.  I began by reading Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! written by Dr. Seuss with help from Lane Smith & Jack Prelutsky.  This book is a great springboard for discussing our feelings about testing.  In the story students are confronted with a test that they have 10 minutes to prepare for and if they don't pass it their school will close down!  Detailed with Seussical rhymes and illustrations, kids realize how silly the rumors are about testing.  We discuss rumors that they've heard and I clarify any discrepancies they might believe (If I don't pass I won't go to 4th grade, etc).

Afterward I pass out STAAR Tip Bookmarks to each of them and go through what each tip mean.  Going to bed a little earlier than usual will help because it might take you a little longer to fall asleep if you're worried about the test.  Eating a protein-filled, hearty breakfast will give you energy to keep going during the 4 hours.  I will provide you with sharpened pencils, your teachers will provide you with snacks, but you can also bring your own special snack or sweater to feel more comfortable.

Finally, it was time to pass out their special letters, and boy were they surprised!  Many of them were excited to find their second grade buddy to tell them a big thank you.

STAAR Wars

Today was our first day of STAAR testing.  Our fourth graders took Day 1 of Writing and our fifth graders took the Math.  I know that all of our students tried their very best effort today!

 One of our fourth graders showed up in this lucky shirt today:

Spreading Positive Energy for Testing

Throughout the year I post many different inspirational posters around our school to help students with challenging times.  With STAAR testing quickly approaching, I collected thoughts and quotes that would help students believe in themselves.  Here are some that I found on Pinterest to print out and display in the halls:

 

Test Anxiety

Right before testing I like to send home some information to parents of how they can help their children through increasing anxiety.  Many school counselors across the country do this to give families support for their anxious children.  I saw a great example on School Counselor Carol Miller's blog that I adapted for our students, seen below. 

STAAR Test Anxiety in 4th & 5th

It's typical for anyone to feel a little nervous or stressed before a test.  Test anxiety can actually be a good thing in certain amounts.  Some stress motivates us and enhances our performance, otherwise we wouldn't try.  But too much stress can have a negative effect and interfere with our performance.

I think it's important to address this topic with students to normalize their feelings.  With our first round of STAAR testing next week, I decided to meet with classes to talk about how they're doing.  I first had them complete a quick 6-question questionnaire about how they feel before a test.  If they answered "yes" to two or more of the questions, it alerted them that they might have some test anxiety.  I explained the positives of having some test anxiety, called eustress.  Eustress motivates us and can help us perform better on tests.  However, if we have too much stress before a test, it's called distress.  Our body can be dramatically affected by this and it can have a detrimental affect on our test performance.

On the other side of their questionnaire I included some ideas of things you can do when you feel anxious.  We would be doing a deep breathing exercise together in class today.  I asked students to get in a comfortable position in their chairs, sitting up or laying their head down, and close their eyes.  I then read aloud a relaxation script that took students through deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and a scenario of them floating on a cloud.  The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop!

When they came back into awareness, each student received a special bookmark with tips for be prepared for STAAR testing:

Be.

One of our second-grade teachers, Lesley Clinchard, found this great bulletin board idea on Pinterest and shared it with me.  With our state's standardized testing just around the corner, it's important for students to reflect on their feelings about life's challenges and their self-esteem.  This bulletin board is displayed downstairs in our main hallway for all students to see and gravitate toward words that inspire them.

Testing Tips Foldable

There is so much myth and worry that comes with becoming a 3rd grader taking the STAAR test.  We hope to soothe these nerves by opening up the conversations about their anxieties.  We have so much confidence in our students and we are not worried about their abilities to find success with the exams.  Our mission is to help your child feel confident and comfortable about what he/she knows.

Since our 3rd graders are new to standardized testing, I wanted to provide them with tips to help the experience be as painless as possible.  I stumbled across this great idea from Vanessa at Savvy School Counselor Blog and adapted it for our students' needs.  I wanted to accomplish creating the foldable in one guidance lesson, so I shortened it to 8 tips that were most relevant for our students.  Here is an example of my model:

 

I pre-folded and pre-cut their foldables to save time.  We glued in the RELAX star paper with additional tips, and then we were ready to start recording and discussing each of the strategies.

• BE PREPARED:  I began with 3 tips for them to be prepared for testing.  The first was to go to bed early.  This was received with many moans and groans. :)  I explained that when you are nervous about something coming up, you often have lots of thoughts swirling around in your mind and have trouble falling asleep.  By getting into bed early, you won't lose as much sleep tossing and turning.  Next I mentioned to have a hearty breakfast.  Your brain is a muscle, just like the ones in your arms and legs and even your tongue!  It gets tired and fatigued when it is thinking for long periods of time without a break.  We can feed our brain the energy it needs to help us try our best on the STAAR tests by eating eggs or oatmeal.  Anything with lots of sugar in it will give your brain energy for a little bit and then you'll crash fast.  Finally, I reminded students to bring a healthy snack to eat during your break.  I also shared with them that we'll be providing water bottles for them.
• NO FEAR:  There are a lot of rumors circulating about the STAAR test: if you don't pass it you won't go to 4th grade, if you don't pass it the school will close down, if you don't pass it you'll fail, etc.  All of these are not true.  The focus needs to be on trying your best and not being afraid.  You are prepared and ready for to try your hardest and show-off your smarts.
• JAIL THE DETAIL:  Tests are full of tricks around every corner.  They include a lot of extra information that you might pay more attention to than what is really important.  Circle and underline key information, for example circling important numbers you need to solve a math problem, underlining the question, writing out quick summaries of what you've read, etc.  Also, be sure to eliminate extra information that is put there in an attempt to distract you.
• CHECK IT OUT:  After you finish your test, go back and check your answers if you have time.  Also check your bubbles to make sure they're completely filled in.  It would stink to have bubbled the correct answer but have it counted wrong because the scantron scanner couldn't read it accurately.
• REFRAME YOUR THINKING:  What you think will come true, so use positive self-talk to pump yourself up for the test.  Say "I can do it!"  "I'm going to try my personal best!"  "I am ready at attack the test."
• PLUG IT IN:  Remember to read through all of the answer choices before selecting one.  You need to find the right one that fits into the outlet of accuracy.  Even though answer choice A may look right, there could be a better choice.
• PACE YOURSELF:  You will have 4 hours to take the test, this is A LOT of time.  Then benchmark tests do not take you this long.  There is no need to rush through to be the first one finished, because you'll be sitting there quietly for a long time waiting for everyone else to finish.  That's boring. :)  If you get stuck on a question, just skip it and come back to it later.  Your teacher will check over your answer document to make sure you've bubbled in an answer for every question, so don't be worried about forgetting to come back to it.
• STASH THE TRASH:  Cross out those ridiculous answers that you know are wrong.  There is always at least one, sometimes even 2 or 3 that don't answer the question or make any sense.  Narrow it down to increase your probability to choosing the correct answer.     

Afterward I had the students decorate their foldables to take home and share with their families over the next few weeks before testing began.