Although we are focusing a lot on reviewing for the EOG, please talk to your students about pacing themselves and relaxing during the test. We don't want them rushing or getting stressed out.
(from writethinkingteaching.com)
We all know this is a stressful time of year for teachers, but it is also a pretty stressful time for students. This is when students are expected to perform at their best, while still behaving, doing homework, eating right, and going to bed on time.
While we can’t take a field trip to the spa to relax our students in this stressful time, there are ways we can teach students to manage their own stress. Read on to find out ways to distress students.
Tin Soldier
Students tense up and become rigid like a tin soldier, making sure that limbs and joints are taught. Then as they count backwards from ten, students slowly loosen up from head to toe. While they may not be able to do a full version of this on test day, students can be taught how to take this skill and focus on a particular area in the body that feels tense – or could feel tense in a test situation (like the shoulders and neck).
1 + 3 + 10
I read this several years ago in an article and it has worked wonders with my own children. The first number (1) tells you to stop and “think calm”. Then you take three (3) deep breaths. Finally, students count to ten (10) in their heads.
Routine
During this time of year, many classrooms are “off-kilter” with routines. It’s not hard to do – scheduling, reteaching, special events- but getting away from the norm and out of whatever your routines in the classroom are can cause stress for many students. As hectic as your day becomes with all sorts of demands on your time, make sure to keep as many routines as possible in your classroom to eliminate the stress of the unknown schedule.
Visualization
Ask any pro-sports player what they do prior to a big game and many will probably tell you they do some sort of visualization technique where they think about the game ahead and visualize how the game will go and how they will use their strategies to successfully beat their opponents.
Students can do the same thing for test time. Spend time talking your kids through successful test visualization. A visualization where students are taking their time to read every passage SLOWLY and thoughtfully while they consider each test question and answer choices using all of those great strategies and skills they spent all year learning!
HOMEWORK
Monday - define each word, math sheet, read
Tuesday - write a paragraph using 5 spelling words, math sheet, read
Wednesday - sentences, math sheet, read
Thursday - practice test, math sheet, read
Parents, each night when your child reads, please remember to ask comprehension questions and/or have your student write down summaries and main idea.
