Do your students love test prep? They could! When done strategically your students will proclaim “I love test prep,” and beg for more! In this blog post, I’ll discuss seven reasons your students will love test prep and look forward to it!
Students Love Test Prep Novelty
Let’s be honest, sometimes our classrooms get a little dull. I mean, mine did, I am not trying to call anyone out here. One of the things that my students absolutely loved the most during the test prep season was all the review games I planned.
They never knew quite what to expect, and this kept the classroom novel, all while staying deeply immersed in review content.
We replayed some of our favorite games from throughout the year, but I am also careful to save a strategy or three for the end of the year to wow them with!
They Also Love Routine
This might seem counterintuitive to the first item, but I promise it is not!
While I like to keep the review strategies novel, I don’t want my students to be completely upended every day. In order to achieve both, I kept our schedule the same, while switching out content and strategies.
For example, my students knew to expect a bell ringer, followed by a quick review of a concept, then a review game or activity, and we would finish up with an exit ticket. This known routine allowed for students to know what was coming up, even when they didn’t.
Students Love Test Prep Games
It’s no secret, students love a good review game. My favorites are Stinky Feet, Hot Stew Review, and Scavenger Hunts, but pretty much anything that gets students working with one another, talking about the content, and having fun fits the bill!
They Also Love to See Their Progress
There isn’t a single part of test prep I personally love more than students seeing their progress and knowing they are mastering a concept. By keeping track of student performance by standard, students build their confidence in the content and are ready to slay the day when it comes to the big test.
My favorite way for students to track their progress is by using my Test Smash series which covers the core concepts of each area and comes with a tracking sheet.
Students Love to Set Goals
Setting goals goes hand in hand with tracking progress. When students track their own data and set their own goals for progress the motivation is sky high to improve.
I love to have my students working on a small goal and a big goal at the same time, so there are lots of opportunities to achieve them!
Students Love Test Prep Celebrations
Speaking of goals and progress, they should be celebrated! I mean, who doesn’t love a good celebration?
By celebrating progress over perfection we have another chance to build student confidence. This can make that big test just another day for our students to show what they know. For me, the ultimate goal is to have students go into test day so confident it doesn’t phase them. Instead, they feel it is actually the ultimate celebration of all their hard work.
Students Love Teamwork
All students, and people really, want to talk, have fun, and be surrounded by people that are enjoying themselves. This can be achieved by using cooperative learning strategies along with review games.
By using a Kagan strategy, such as Numbered Heads Together or Scholar and Scribe, you can take a regular old worksheet and turn it into a cooperative experience that is immediately more engaging and enjoyable.
Why Students Love Test Prep
In the end, students want to know what is going on and feel confident in their skills. By creating a solid routine that includes novelty, using games and cooperative strategies that encourage teamwork, and tracking progress towards goals and celebrating them, your students will love test prep!
