The honeymoon period is over. Teachers are stressed and students are restless. The pressure of STAAR is sinking in. Tension is high in the school hallways and you can feel it in the school climate. Is STAAR an excuse to lose your focus and passion for teaching? Absolutely not! Here is my piece of advice: don't lose the connections you have developed with your students. Your passion for teaching and the connections you've made with your students are more important now than ever!
Now - I am not saying that you should disregard the STAAR test completely. I am merely saying that you should focus on teaching the kids to love to learn. Everything will fall into place! Don't let the passion fade away.
Here are a couple of ways you can make STAAR review FUN! Yes, FUN!
STAAR Review Scoot
Take the STAAR released questions from last year (or any rigorous word problems you have on hand) and type them on one sheet of paper each. Laminate the paper and post them around the room. The students will travel with paper and a clip board around the room to answer the questions. They may work alone, with a partner, or with a small group. You can ability group them or mix up the ability levels. Students will rotate or "scoot" around the room on your time! How much time do they need? That is up to you and your class makeup. I would suggest about 3 to 5 minutes per problem.
Review Stations
Look at test data from throughout the year to find those tough spots for your kiddos. Create review stations for these tough skills. Each station should be about 10 to 15 minutes long. The key to review stations is classroom management and setting expectations. Don't assume they know the directions for each station. Explain each station before hand and have instructions at each station in case they forget.
Task Cards
Task cards are always a deceivingly fun and engaging way to practice math. Task cards can be used in guided math stations, review with shoulder partners or small groups, small group intervention, or an early finisher activity. Do you have iPads in your room? Buy or create task cards with QR Codes to make them even more engaging and exciting!
bundles all these ideas into one FUN activity!
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