Like any other teacher, testing day strikes fear into my heart. I worry about everything.

Did my students really grasp the material, and enough so to prove it to me on the test? Did they sleep well and eat a good breakfast? Will the test give them anxiety and result in poor performance? 

You’re probably wondering why that even matters, but so much rides on student performance. Your job is literally on the line. If your class is consistently doing poorly, it reflects poorly on YOU.

Yes, you!

My class has a math test scheduled for tomorrow. Instead of doing the regular routine of a lecture format: pull up the review on the board, discuss the math strategies and concepts we learned, and do the problems as a class, I wanted to change it up.

While browsing Pinterest, (I know, I’m addicted.) I saw the greatest review day idea! Jennifer Findley from Teaching to Inspire proposed a test prep strategy that gets the kids moving and more actively engaged.

She suggested to have questions up on papers around the room. Students get to move around and answer the questions using their own papers, rather than together on the board. This gets them working together and using their own thinking, rather than relying solely on the teacher.

Check out her blog post on it here!

I wrote down the same questions from our math review on ten different pieces of paper and taped them around the classroom. I gave each of my students a number, one through ten, and they went to the numbered piece of paper. This made it so there were two students at each question.

I gave my students five minutes at each question. If they were unsure how to solve, they tried to work it out with their partners. If they still didn’t know, I went around and assisted, as needed.

This activity made my test review so much more meaningful, and kept my students moving! I’ve noticed them get bored quite easily during our regular review days, and I am so glad I switched it up today.

If you’re looking for a way for your students to have a more meaningful learning experience on a review day, I highly recommend this approach!