Time to Review Skills for State Testing!

For many of us, state testing for math has not taken place yet, but it's right around the corner!
You know what that means?! Yup! Teachers are lighting candles and saying prayers all over the states! Also, sales for stress balls are skyrocketing! Not to mention wine sales are hitting the roof!

Okay! Okay. All mentioned above might not be true for everyone, but hey...ya' never know!  😉

Truth is, we are spending time reviewing with our students to make sure they remember the skills and strategies we have taught them throughout the year. Positive attitudes along with stress levels are high! (Sorry. My humor keeps getting in the way of my post.)😁

If you are getting stressed. Be sure to smile or laugh. As a matter of fact, be sure to do it every day and every chance you get! Laughter is a great stress reliever. Don't let the small stuff get to you. Ya' haven't died from state testing or state scores yet, and you aren't going to! I promise. :D  Just don't smile to hard, otherwise you're just going to look constipated. That's never a good look for anyone. (Oops! There's that humor again! Sorry!)😄

With that said, I just wanted to share time savers that I have for testing practice available at my teachers pay teachers store. They are quick and easy to prep and don't cost very much. I promise!

Small group instruction and math stations are a great way to review! Check these activities out. You might find something that will save you time and take a load of stress off your back at the same time.

Spring Time Math Review - This set has a great mix of computation review. It contains twelve different practice sheets and included answer keys. Students solve problems in space provided, then look for their answer found on the characters at the bottom of the page. They can shade in or color the characters.

Fraction, Decimal, Percents Puzzles - These are really quick and easy to prep. Just print and cut apart using straight cuts. No curves to go around. That takes FOREVER!!! Sorry, just a little venting. Anyway! Students match the equivalent fraction, decimal and percent to create a rectangle for the set.

Area of Composite Figures and Shaded Regions Loop Game - Loop Games get your students walking and talking about math! It's great to use for cooperative learning as well. Just print out cards, shuffle them up and tape them around the walls in your classroom. Then group students and have each group start at different cards. Students solve the problem on the card then look for the answer on another card in the room. Once they find it, they then go to that problem and solve it. This continues until students solve all problems and end up back on the first card they started on. A fun way to review and also gets students teaching other students if they forgot about a skill.

Fact or Fib Attributes of 3 Dimensional Figures - Fact or Fib is a great activity that will get the entire class involved. I have Fact or Fibs on PowerPoint so you can move on to the next slide when the class is ready. I have animated the slides which allows for more student engagement.  They are easy to use! Just show a slide, give students time to think whether the statement shown is a fact or fib, then countdown from three to have them all show their Fact or Fib cards at once. Click on to the next slide to see the answer. Students can then discuss why they chose they answer they did and if it was correct. Then move on to the next slide.  You can get a free download of my Fact or Fib cards HERE.

Polygon Smack Down - Don't worry!!! Students don't smack each other with this one! It is a competitive activity though! Divide class into two teams, show mini poster on the board or wall via projector, read a clue card, then countdown from three to let students know when they can go up and "smack down" their hand or fly swatter on their answer. Whoever does it first gets a point for their team! Lots of fun in the classroom with this one. I have a few to select from.

Mad Math Skills - This has five different practice sheets! A great way to review many skills at once. Answer keys are included for easy grading.  Each problem contains two expressions that students solve, then they compare the answers using inequality symbols. Can be used as class work, home work or even a warm up!

Gridded Response Boards for State Testing Practice - These are quick and easy to make and can be used year round! Just print, laminate or insert into page protector. Students can then use a dry erase marker to solve problems and show their response on one side and practice gridding their answers on the other side. Easy clean up too! If you didn't see one that you can use in your classroom, contact me! Maybe I can create it.

Well, there you have it! Just a few of the activities that I have created and have available at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are plenty more to choose from! So if you didn't find a skill you needed here but liked the activity, be sure to check out my store. I just might have the skill you are looking for with the activity you wanted. 

If there is something in particular that you would like to see, be sure to contact me! I just might be able to create it.

Thanks so much for looking and have a wonderful day and good luck to everyone on all state tests. Just like everything else, this too shall pass and so will our kiddos!!!  😉

Jenga Math Review

A while back I posted about a used Jenga game I purchased at a Goodwill store.  Well, I finally finished it!  It took me a while because I didn't really know what to use it for or how to fix it up.

Well, I'm finally done and here is the final product!

I used an old plastic bin I had for
storage since the original
box wasn't in good condition. 

They all fit perfectly!

I used fine point permanent markers to make the game colorful.  I included various types of skills that my students need review on. Since the game blocks were in excellent condition and very smooth, it was easy to write on them with markers. 

TIP:  Use brand new fine tip markers.  For some reason, my used markers bled into the wood. 

One of my student groups already tried it out and they said it was "cool"! 

I hope these tips were helpful.  Let me know what you think!
:

UPDATE:  I was able to get a picture of Math Jenga in action.

I have my students seated in groups of four and I rotate stations around the room by groups.  Many students were anxious to get their turn at this station.  :D

Here is another great test review activity available at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

Spring Time Math Review - Decimals, Integers, Order of Operations, and more!

Mad Math Skills - Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide, Fractions, Decimals, Integers

Fact or Fib Activities

FACT OR FIB

Fact or Fib is a great activity to use as a review or even closure to a lesson.

Each student needs a Fact or Fib card.  These can easily be made using an index card.  Students can write Fact on one side and Fib on the other.

I usually give my students about 5 minutes to make and decorate their Fact or Fib card.  I then have them keep it in a pocket glued into their interactive math journal for easy access.

How does Fact or Fib work?  The teacher presents a question, problem, picture, etc. with a statement that could be a fact or a fib. Students are then given think time.

After think time, I usually say "3 -2-1" and students put down their Fact or Fib card on their desk with the answer they selected facing up.  I then let students discuss their selection with their shoulder partner before revealing the correct answer.

I created Fact or Fib activities on PowerPoint and animated them to keep students' attention.  They have worked really well and students have been very attentive.

You can download Fact or Fib cards for free at my TPT store.  Just click on the link below.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fact-or-Fib-Cards-2116824

Here is an example of one of my Fact or Fib activities.  I made it into a movie just to provide an example of my work, so it goes a little fast.  However, the actual PowerPoint is controlled by clicking to go on to the next slide so that you can go at the pace you need to for your class.

This Fact or Fib on Order of Operations can be found at HERE.

Free Fact or Fib Cards - download or you can just have your students make their own on an index card.

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Be sure to check out more video previews of all my Fact or Fib activities HERE