Thursday, April 16, 2015

Test Prep Freebie

We have been preparing for our state tests, next week. It involves a lot of multiple-choice review questions. It was important for me to be able to quickly assess all of my students in order to gauge   how much time to devote to each skill. I grabbed some colored cubes and gave each student 1 red, 1 blue, 1 green, and 1 yellow. I wrote the following key on the board: A=Red, B=Blue, C=Green, D=Yellow.


My kiddos solve the multiple-choice question, and then discreetly show me their cube indicating their answer. I give my kids a nod as I take a mental note of their selection. My kiddos love that they all get to show me their answer.


I select student(s) to share their thinking with the class using my equity chips. I have a small plastic cup with numbered chips inside. Each of my kiddos has a class number, so it makes it easy to shake and select.

We had fun mixing it up. I created a set of colored coded A, B, C, D posters, and then hung them in 4 corners in my classroom. My kiddos put their cube in their hand, and then give me a thumbs up to let me know they are ready. After everyone is ready, or time is up, students take their cube to the marked corner.

If you would like to try this, I created a FREE set of colored cards and a set of corner posters. Click here to download.