Mr. Tricky Man

Just like hunting season has the guys and gals counting down to spend time in the woods, I count down the days that let students learn testing strategies with their content.  To those of you who just know me as Ms. Mathemagical, I also have another name, "Mr. Tricky Man"!

Mr. Tricky Man started years ago when I would visit classrooms and teach testing strategies at the request of teachers.  One of the phrases I would use would be, "Don't let that Mr. Tricky Man (the guy who makes the test) trick you!"  The students would say back, "He won't trick me!"  It felt like a scene from The Gingerbread Man.  It became something that students would say to me in the hallways. "I didn't let Mr. Tricky Man trick me today on my test."  Then one day, a smart student realized that I make some the tests and said, "Hey, you're Mr. Tricky Man! You can't trick me!"  From then on, when introducing "tricky" questions, I wear a different hat and use a deep man's voice.  The kids eat it up!

Why does test prep work for me?
When used correctly and not just for the practice of testing, test prep can help students grow.  You must teach testing and content strategies, not just how to bubble in a circle.  When we have done this type of test prep, our scores went up 30 points over a three year period.  I attribute some of that to test prep (and some really awesome teachers).

How do you get started with test prep?
About three years ago, my school started a school wide test prep day, once a week.  During that day the students learned strategies through mini-lessons and tried those and past strategies in context on a timed mock test in each tested area. After each test, the teacher would go over each answer and have a class discussion about "tricky" problems.  Each afternoon, there was an award, such as 10 minutes of playing Wii together in the auditorium, for those who made progress.  The incentive helped students who would normally give up, keep going.  Each week the incentive became harder to earn, because our expectation became more challenging.  Students also received their picture on the front wall.  Star stickers were displayed for every PROFICIENT or ADVANCED test score.  Students loved walking by and counting their stars. Our school usually planned for 10 weeks of test prep before our state standardized tests.  Believe it or not, the kids actually enjoyed watching themselves get better at test taking over time and not being tricked by Mr. Tricky Man.

I hope our example helps give you an idea of how a test prep day at your school can be beneficial.  The key is to keep the students movtivated and focus on the strategies that students are or are not using.  Base your lessons on strategies as well as spiraling your content.

Below you will find an example of a mini-lesson for a first grade test prep.  It is a free item on TPT.  Click on the picture to download.

I hope you find it useful during your season of test prep.  I am working on posting more including grade level packets for the entire test prep season.  Check back soon.

Ms. Mathemagical  

a.k.a.    MR. TRICKY MAN :)