Are you ready for some testing football? This is what my kiddos saw when they came to school on Monday morning. It was a big production… with music playing… and a “green carpet” a.ka. turf. The crowd went WILD! 🙂 The kids are totally pumped to take the OAA! I’ll count that as a WIN!
We haven’t really gotten into the pomp and circumstance yet, but the kids are really looking forward to doing our Football Frenzy centers on Thursday. They have a full OAA Blitz Day on Friday, so I am saving some really fun activities for small group rotations that day too since I will have five teachers to work with (including myself). I just keep building the suspense and the excitement each day leading up to it! My students can’t wait to wear their favorite team apparel for one last big hurrah!
So, you may be wondering, “If they haven’t been working on the centers, what on earth have they been doing?” Well, we have been working on our main selection of the week like always, but it’s scaled way back to allow time to review other skills. 🙂 For example, since all of our spelling words are homophones this week, we created a “Homophone Hall of Fame”. It’s nothing super fancy, but is making a great interactive bulletin board leading up to test day when I will have to take the whole thing down! Ha! {The following picture only shows what it looked like after ONE group. I have two classes, so the entire right side of my classroom is covered in flap books right now!}
We’ve also been working on practicing skills from our “playbooks”. I decided to project some of the pages of the coaching playbook onto the SMARTboard to review with the whole group for the sake of time, and I have used the rest of them with kiddos for one-on-one practice during morning work. I also slapped a cover onto a small main idea packet to make it seem a little more fun.
We even wrote some “plays” together to really examine how test questions are written. Now I am confident that my students understand that there’s always one right answer, there’s usually one obvious wrong answer, and there’s usually one head-scratcher. It was nice to do a little reverse thinking to help drive home why we always want to “slash the trash”!
We played a game of SCOOT that I called “The Affix Hustle” while we listened to NFL Films tunes from the 1970’s. Every time I wanted the kiddos to move to the next chair, I blew my whistle like a true coach! (I didn’t get any action pictures, but this is what the cards looked like before I cut them apart and dispersed them around the room.)
We have been learning some test strategy cheers! This has been a really big hit… even with the boys!
We have also reviewed some test prep questions through a little game called “HOT FOOTBALL.” It’s a fun little twist on hot potato!
I had the kiddos fill out a little formative assessment to help me address some questions and support my kiddos for this final push!
My partner and I also combined our groups one day to have them draft an “OAA Promise” in their own words. We wanted it to be a little bit like a “Prom Promise”, but for testing. Plus, we wanted it to be in their own words. They listed several things that they wanted to remember to do leading up to the test and during the test, then they all signed it. I would love to share it here, but many kids wrote first and last names, so I am going to just leave well enough alone. 🙂 If they signed the promise, they got a nifty bracelet to serve as a reminder of their promise to work hard.
I hope you enjoyed looking at PART ONE of our OAA Blitz! I also hope you will stop by on Friday for PART TWO! Happy Almost Hump Day!
Oh my goodness, you are amazing! This looks fabulous! Those kids are going to be so prepared. I love every bit of this post.
Sarah
Sarah's First Grade Snippets
I love everything about this! Especially that testing playbook and how exciting for them to get to wear their favorite jersey on Friday… you really have made this fun. In my kindergarten world I don't have to test like you, but I am sharing this post with my co-workers that do!
Christy
Crayons and Whimsy
I bought two of your testing items! So cute and clever! Do you have the sign and letter in the packs? I couldn't find them….
Hi, I just added the updated files today! The signs and new centers are part of my Football Frenzy pack!
Looks like your ready!!! Good Luck to you and your students Amanda!!!
Julie
Ms. Marciniak's First Grade Critter Cafe
Love this!!!! My favorite part may just be the example of "week" and "weak". I love the illustrations! So creative!!!! 🙂 🙂
Rock it out girl! Fantastic!!!!
This looks awesome!!!! Wish I would have done this with my students.
Is this all in your TPT store?! Great work!
Hi, Jennie! Yes, everything is in my TpT store. I have a few individual packs, and I also have a bundled pack available. 🙂
My students loved your centers we played last week! Thank you so much for creating them! Is the affix hustle game one that is going to be added to the Blitz unit too? I would love that one, and your extra signs too!
Hi! I just added the updated file tonight! Everything can be downloaded from the Football Frenzy pack! I added roughly 50 more pages. I think I may have gotten carried away! Ha! 🙂
Amanda, thanks so much! Awesome!!!
Girl, this is truly AMAZING!!! Making test prep fun for your babes is so difficult. You knocked this one out of the park. Or, should I say . . . you intercepted on the goal line and ran it back for a touchdown! (Okay, so that was totally dippy . . . need more coffee before I can be as funny as I think I am.) Good luck with testing my dear!
As many of the others have said. Holy mackrel this post is amazing… a real touchdown! 🙂 We finished testing only 2 weeks ago, but I truly wish I'd done something like this to get them motivated.
Miss Wilson
http://20somethingteachertales.blogspot.com/
Well done! I love it. I have a group of kiddos who need to do "round 2" and I am going to use this like an intervention.
Laurie
Chickadee Jubilee
This is amazing! Your kids are going to rock that test!
Elizabeth
Fun in Room 4B
What a fun and engaging way to get kids through the rough of test prep!! So inspiring! 🙂
Kelli
Surviving the Little People
You are seriously amazing. Do you sleep? I feel like I do a ton but then I look at your blog and second guess myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope the prep continues to go well!
Megan
You are awesome!! I am sure your kids will do great!!!
This is awesome! Your students are lucky to have you.
Creating Lifelong Learners