The One With the Mini Offices

Today as my students were taking their test I realized I've never shared my mini offices with you.

I can't remember where I found this idea, but it is one that I absolutely love and use often.

It is simply two file folders glued together.  

Easy.

My students use them for privacy when they are taking a quiz or a test.   They really like them.  Some students completely disappear into their mini office.

My mini offices are currently blank on the inside.  However, I have seen where some teachers put references sheets on the inside for students to refer to.  

I put mine together before school started and never got around to laminating them - something I wish I would have done.  They will definitely get laminated before next year.  Thankfully they are still in pretty good condition.

The One With The Test

My students and I are officially finished with day 2 of 5 of Benchmark Test. I'm pretty sure it is every one's least favorite week of the school year. It is definitely a long and exhausting week for everyone involved.

How is it that administering a test is more exhausting than teaching all day.

Yesterday the students were tested in literacy and today they were tested in math and writing. Can I just say that I have felt like the proud little momma the past two days. Our students have worked their little tails off. I have just been so impressed.

I don't know about you, but I do some of my best planning during this week. What else am I going to do while I walk around monitoring. It is truly when some of my best and some of my craziest project ideas have come to light. I keep paper and
pen at my podium so I can quickly jot the ideas down before I forget them.

One of the things I'm doing for my testing group this week is providing them with breakfast each morning. I know that for some of them that is the only way they will get the nutrition that they need to focus on the test. They have been so sweet and thankful. I feel blessed to be able to do this for them.

I'm curious what are some little things you do for or with your students to help encourage them during big test?

The One With the Bonus Points

I am not a big fan of extra credit in the classroom. I believe if students are doing what they are supposed to in the classroom on a regular basis, there will not be a need for it.

However, every once in awhile I will give my students an opportunity to earn a few bonus points. Today was one of those days. They had a particularly hard TLI test today. I can't tell you how many students were struggling with it. I really believe it was the wording of the questions that stumped them. I know they know this stuff. All that to say that today was the perfect day for what I had planned.

I do several things in my classroom that I learned from my 4th grade teacher. Those things I remember doing and loving in her class. Every once in awhile she would randomly put post-its on a few test. These post-its had little things for us to do to earn some bonus points on our test.


So today I randomly planted 8 (I have about 85 students) post-it notes on my students' math test. Each post-it activity was worth five points. They say things like "do 5 jumping jacks for 5 bonus points", "hop like a frog while saying ribbit", or "sing your abc's backwards". Lots of fun things to make us laugh in the middle of what is a stressful moment for some students.

Out of the 8 students who received post-its, only 4 were willing to perform for us today. The rules are that it is completely their choice rather or not they do the activity. I won't make anyone stand up and doing something like that. However, if they choose not to do it, they can't pass it to someone else. It's theirs to take or leave.

The students loved it. It was definitely a little fun that was much needed today.