Test Preparation Skills

In this Test Preparation Skills class, the students will be taught how to create a test study plan, test-taking strategies to use with different testing formats, and mnemonic devices. The class will be taught using guided practice and independent practice activities. The students will be provided the opportunity to interact with the teacher in class and outside of class through messaging via the online classroom. 

Lesson 1 – Create a study plan  
1.	Welcome & introductions
2.	The teacher-led discussion: Do you ever think about when you will study for a test, how you will study, or how long you should spend studying?
3.	The teacher presents the students with a test-taking scenario. The test is one week away and the students must create a preparation goal. The students will share their goals with the class. 
4.	Next, the teacher provides the students with a list of test-taking preparation strategies in the areas of note-taking, reviewing classwork, creating a mock test, and participating in a study group.
5.	After discussing the list, the teacher analyzes a sample study plan with the students.
6.	Then, the students will create their own study plan that includes after-school activities, homework time, and at least two study strategies. 
7.	The students share their study plans with the class. 
8.	Closing: Students share how a study plan can be helpful when preparing for a test. 

Lesson 2 – Testing formats & Applying test strategies      
1.	The teacher will introduce the testing formats and discuss why students take tests.
2.	The teacher then presents students with different ways to approach each type of test, steps for developing test awareness, and powerful questions and thoughts to consider when taking a test. 
3.	Next, the teacher guides the students through an activity that provides different types of test questions for students to discuss how they would approach answering the questions from each type of test. 
4.	After this, the teacher leads a discussion that focuses on tips for taking standardized tests. The students are encouraged to share their challenges in taking standardized tests. 
5.	Closure: What is the most important thing you need to remember about testing formats? What can you do the night before and the morning of a test to ensure you have a good testing mindset?

Lesson 3 – Mnemonic devices  
1.	The teacher and students will discuss and share the strategies students use to remember information for a test.
2.	Next, the teacher will ask the students to explain the difference between acronyms and acrostics. 
3.	After the students share their knowledge, the teacher will review acrostics and have students create an acrostic for their hometown, city, or country. When complete, the students will share their acrostics.
4.	Then using a map of the Midwest section of the United States, the students will be asked to create an acronym to help memorize the states that border Illinois. Then create an acrostic and share.
5.	Next, the teacher introduces the memorization technique of ‘categorization.’
6.	The students are given a list of items to memorize in one minute.
7.	When the minute is up, the students write down the list of items in one minute. 
8.	Teach the categorization method and have students examine another list of items, divide them into categories, and then see how many they remember in one minute. 
9.	Closure: Students will discuss the most important testing information they received in this class, their plan for moving forward in preparing for a test, and anything they would like to know more about in relation to preparing for a test.