staar review games

Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this whole “STAAR review games” thing. It all started when I realized that prepping my students for the STAAR test was turning into a total snooze-fest. I mean, the material itself isn’t exactly a thrill a minute, and the kids were just zoning out. So, I thought, “There’s gotta be a better way to do this!”

Brainstorming Game Ideas

First, I spent some time brainstorming. I thought about what makes games fun. They need to be engaging, right? They have to have some element of competition, or at least some kind of goal to work towards. And of course, they need to actually help the students review the material they’ll be tested on.

I started looking around online for ideas. There are tons of resources out there, but a lot of them require a ton of prep work, and honestly, who has time for that? I needed something quick and easy that I could implement without having to spend hours getting everything ready.

Choosing a Format

After browsing some ideas, I decided to make a bulletin board that kind of looks like Jeopardy. You know, with different categories and task cards for students to pick from. I liked this idea because it’s flexible. I could use questions I already had, or I could find some online. Plus, it’s visually appealing, which is always a bonus when you’re trying to keep students engaged.

Gathering the Questions

Next up, I started gathering questions. I mainly focused on the readiness TEKS for 3rd-grade math because that’s what I was working on with my students. This was actually the easiest part. I used some old worksheets, pulled questions from our textbook, and even found some good stuff online. There was no need to reinvent the wheel here.

Setting Up the Board

Setting up the board was a bit more involved, but still pretty simple. I made category headers and then created task cards with the questions on them. I color-coded them, just to make it look nice. The board ended up looking pretty good if I do say so myself.

Playing the Game

Finally, it was time to play the game! I divided the students into teams and explained the rules. They loved it! It was so much more engaging than just doing practice problems from a book. They were competing, working together, and actually reviewing the material. It was a total win-win.

The Results

The results were pretty great. The students were more engaged, they were having fun, and they were actually learning. I noticed a definite improvement in their understanding of the material. Plus, it made the whole STAAR review process a lot less painful for me, too.

My main takeaway from this whole experience is that test prep doesn’t have to be boring. With a little bit of creativity, you can turn it into something that’s actually fun and engaging for students. And let’s be real, when students are having fun, they’re more likely to learn.

• Find games that require minimal prep work.
• Use resources you already have, like old worksheets and textbooks.
• Make it visually appealing to keep students engaged.
• Focus on teamwork and friendly competition.

So, if you’re a teacher who’s dreading the STAAR test, I highly recommend giving review games a try. It might just be the best thing you do for your students (and yourself) all year!