Are Your Students Ready for THE Test?! Making Test Prep Enjoyable!!

Something that is on the front of every teacher's mind around this time of year is test prep, and goodness those words can throw me into a stressful spiral of emotions after just hearing them. Test prep always seems so BORING, but it doesn't have to be! Stick with me for a few...

I teach ELA and Social Studies, so practically all of my test prep is based on reading passages and answering question that relate to them before some type of writing exercise. In this post, I hope to introduce you to (or remind you of) a couple of online options to help make test prep a little more lively.






My favorite go-to for test prep is Plickers. We first answer the questions to the passage on paper, but then each student receives a QR code that is personalized to them. They then hold up the QR code with the letter they chose facing the ceiling and I scan all of the cards at once. On my whiteboard we see immediate results and students individually receive immediate feedback. The fact that everything is immediate motivates my students to try their best even after days of monotonous prep.

Another favorite to break up paper/ pencil prep is using Google Forms as the answer sheet. When students complete the form, they receive their score which leads them to take ownership of what they are putting down instead of just typing something and being finished quickly.

We also use Quizizz and Kahoot to review grammar skills and the like.