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Testing Week Survival Kit (Math Game + Easy Mother’s Day Win)
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Hi teachers, Testing week is here, so we’re shifting how we use our time. Less new instruction, more review, and a big focus on keeping students engaged without overdoing it. One of our go-to moves this week is turning math review into a friendly competition. We set up task cards around a common area on campus and have students work in partners or small teams to solve them. When time is up, we collect all the responses and tally the correct answers by class. The class with the most correct wins. That’s it! No prizes. Just bragging rights. And honestly… they care a lot about the bragging rights. It’s a simple way to sneak in meaningful review without it feeling like more test prep. If you want to try it, these are the exact task cards we use (Bonus! We have them for grades 3 and 4, too!): 👉 CAASPP and SBAC Math Review Task Cards for Grade 5 👉 CAASPP and SBAC Math Review Task Cards for Grade 4 👉 CAASPP and SBAC Math Review Task Cards for Grade 3 We’re also heading into Mother’s Day at the end of the week, and we absolutely love having the students make silhouette keepsakes for the special person in their lives. They look impressive, but they are surprisingly easy to make now with a little help from tech. Here’s the process that has worked really well for us: How to Create Student Silhouettes
Quick tips:
It ends up being one of those keepsakes families actually hold onto. If you want to pair it with writing (and have everything ready to go), we put together a full version here: 👉 Mother’s Day Special Person Opinion Writing Craft Silhouette Card Project And because attention spans are… what they are right now… we leaned all the way into something our students are obsessed with. Squish toys! NeeDoh hunting has fully taken over, and it feels like every day someone brings in a new giant fruit-shaped squishy. So we turned the craze into our latest high-interest reading activity. Our newest passages cover:
As always, we made it in both printable and digital formats so it’s easy to plug in during this chaotic time of year. We’re sharing one passage from the set as this week’s freebie, and if your students get into it, you can grab the full resource here: 👉 Squish Toys Digital + Printable Reading Comprehension Activities Finally, we’re starting our last novel study of the year: Bound for Oregon. There’s something about ending the day with a read-aloud during testing season that just works. One chapter a day gives everyone a chance to reset, and this story really hooks them. It shows the Oregon Trail through a child’s perspective, so students connect right away with both the excitement and the hardships. If you’re reading it too (or want something ready to go), we use this interactive notebook to keep things structured without adding extra prep: 👉 Bound for Oregon Unit and Novel Study Interactive Notebook Also, quick heads up… If you’re in testing mode this week, hang in there. Keep it simple, keep it engaging, and give yourself a little grace with the pacing. We’re right there with you! Quyen & Joe Follow us on our social media accounts and TPT store! |
Top Floor Teachers
We're so glad you're here. We're Joe and Quyen and we can't wait to share all things teaching with you. By signing up, you will be the first in line when we share new ideas and resources. Can't wait to meet you!
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