State Testing - Try this short response resource!

Good morning!

We're in it. And by it I mean testing season. As an instructional coach, I'm helping kids AND teachers prepare for upcoming state assessments in New York. I made testing survival kits for my teachers - motivational coloring pages, secret parent notes for encouragement, testing treats, letters to the students for support, and these short response checklists!

I love using pens with my kids to color code their Restate, Answer, and two pieces of Text-based evidence. When they become automatic at it, they will write with one color and use different colored highlighters to check their response. It's difficult to get full credit on the written response without a strategy like this!

While kids can't use them on the test, they can use this leading up to the test and we can hope it sticks! I have several strategies - RATT, RATTS, RAPP, and RAPPS - depending on the strategy different teachers use in my school. What strategy do YOU use successfully for short response questions?

Click here for this resource!

Reach for Your Goals!

A few months ago I had the fourth graders in my class trace their arm, color it using highlighters, cut it out, and write a goal they had for themselves this year. 

It was a lot of fun, and we talked about SMART goals. 

Sometimes 10 year olds struggle with figuring out appropriate goals, but with some teaching about goals, we figured it out. Most kiddos revised their, "I will pass 10 reading benchmarks this year," goals!