Getting ready for testing for elementary age students: what are some of your favorite review games?
We love to play Stinky Feet -- I simply use a large chart paper with a foot on it and post it notes. As teams answer questions, they get to pick off one of the post-it notes and see how many points are given or taken. (Not always the best for very competitive groups if they lose points so you can just do various amounts of positive points!)
This blog though makes it more technology-interactive: https://theuniqueclassroom.wordpress.com
🎥 Family Book Trailer Challenge
What it is: Families work together to create a short video trailer for a favorite children’s book.
How to use: Share through Seesaw, Padlet, or Wakelet. Adds media literacy + excitement.
Our families utilized this as an extension after Reading Month in March.
How do you encourage students and their families to continue to celebrate reading - even after Reading Mont has ended?
🌱 "Story Roots" Project
What it is: Families trace a favorite story or folktale from their cultural or linguistic background.
How to use: Students share the origin, language, or meaning behind the story and retell it (via video, audio, drawing, or writing).
Bonus: Builds home-school connections and honors multilingualism.
This is one of the projects our upper elementary students are using with their families.
What unique projects are families in your area doing?
I will be having a student teacher join my classroom in August. What do you wish you knew from your mentor teacher when you student taught?
What are some ways you celebrate the end of the year countdown with your students?
In my school, our kindergarten students have an ABC countdown for the last 26 days of the year. Today was letter B day and we celebrated by reading books, wearing blue, and playing with bubbles!
What are some ideas or lessons you do with students for Earth Day or Arbor Day?
What are some of your favorite dramatic play experiences that you set up for your students?
We had a late Reading Month celebration due to snow and ice storms followed by spring break. Last night we met with families and shared all kinds of fun reading and math alternatives to common board games. Here is the Google file with a few of the FILE FOLDER games we shared! Feel free to share them, print them etc!
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vw2EFbC-XW6n4pbOkDU5WyU0Uvu4SCWC?usp=sharing
How did you celebrate reading month with families this year?
One thing that I hear teachers say is that they do not teach to the test. I feel that if the test is assessing the standards, and you are teaching the standards then you should teach to the test. I use the released test to show the students how questions are worded and how to look for patterns in the format. I liken the test as playing a game. The more a person knows the rules of a game, the better they will do. Likewise, the more a student understand the testing structure, the better they will do.
How do you review for state testing on math? For geometry, I print a blank bingo board for each student. Around the board, I write 24 vocabulary terms to put on their boards randomly. To play, I either say a definition or draw a picture of the term. When the students get really good, I invite student callers to the game.
What special things do you do to get ready for state testing? Our younger grades adopt a class. They will make cards for each day of testing and include a small treat like a mint taped to the card.
Celebrating Reading Month with Families! Check out all of the FREE literacy activities at: https://www.ginapepin.com/blank-10-1-1
Did you know that there are FREE early literacy interactive apps available to caregivers, teachers, and families at www.ginapepin.com?
FREE SEL Resources for quick check-in/s and support: https://www.ginapepin.com/_files/ugd/5fe563_dde7da71d3674f06a3764b08ee207c3e.pdf
200 FREE Voices to use with your students, families or friends! Make literacy learning joyful and engaging!
https://www.ginapepin.com/blank-10-1
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How do you teach your students how to differentiate between main idea and summaries? I am a fourth grade teacher. We are struggling with the differences other than summaries are longer. The kids are struggling with writing their own main ideas in fiction.
