What Do I Do With My Class During Testing?

by Amy Mezni | May 4, 2021 | Educational Resources, Test Prep | 0 comments

Can we be honest?

Like really honest.

Testing is super disruptive. Your students are constantly being pulled into other rooms. Make-up tests happen for what seems like the rest of the school year. You can’t start a new lesson because….testing!

So what can you do with your students in between testing?

Learning Games

Students have to do something in between tests, and you certainly want it to be productive. Why not let them play a game and review skills at the same time?

BalloonPop Games™ are a great way to keep your students quiet and focused on the task at hand! You can also play games in centers like my Jenga, Kerplunk, or card games.

Games are a great way to keep students engaged and learning during testing.

Independent Projects

Whether students realize it or not, they love to learn! They would mostly prefer to learn about something they care about. With independent projects, that is exactly what happens!

Let students decide on a topic they want to explore. Then they can do the following:

Read
Learn
Write
Make

This format is a great way to encourage students in their independent projects. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the effort that your students will give.

Games That Are Just Fun!

Especially during the testing season, sometimes we just need an honest brain break. Games can be an awesome way to break up the monotony at the end of the year.

Grab those board games (you know the ones that may or may not be gathering dust in your closet) and bring them into your classroom for some fun!

My favorite quick games to play are Battleship and Sorry. Yahtzee is a fun dice game to play. Card games can be a quick way to give students a break. Gamewright makes a lot of great sets for all ages.

Coloring

Coloring is an underrated activity in every classroom and grade level.

Grab some new coloring pages and some fresh crayons and colored pencils and watch the stress melt off of your students as they put their energy elsewhere. Coloring also helps students’ fine motor skills.

Allow students to color while you read aloud – it helps students relieve stress and get some movement in.

Make Cards For Teachers/Faculty/Family, ETC.

As the testing season closes, the end of the year is upon us. Let your students be creative and make cards for those they care about – teachers, faculty, relatives, neighbors, etc.

BONUS: Making cards is a sneaky way to practice handwriting and letter writing.