I've been telling the class that if they work hard, and stay focused, there's no reason they all shouldn't be able to improve their math grades this quarter. When I sent home last week's homework folder, I told them they could earn points for their pod if they figured out what was so different about the math homework. No one found what they were supposed to circle, but a lot of them said it was "easy".
Today I told them I was so happy to hear how easy it was, because at the bottom of the page, they should have circled that it was 5th Grade work! They were giving each other high fives, and saying that I should "bring on the college math!"
Knowing they had done something as "impossible" as 5th Grade Math problems, really did a lot for their confidence. It was as quiet and on task as they've ever been when we got down to our actual 4th Grade Math lesson.
We have tests in a few subjects every Friday. In an effort to reduce the stress that some of them feel, I let them stretch out, and we sometimes play a game called "Teacher Says". Today, I added something that has worked great in the past. I showed them an acrostic poem that said, TESTS, drawn inside a large ghost.
Tests don't scare me!
Easy as pie!
Stay focused!
Try your best!
Smile!
Then I play the sound track to "Ghostbusters" and they have to sing along, only adding the word "TEST Busters, I ain't afraid of no test!" They are allowed to even dance. If they aren't loose and laughing yet, they are when they see me dance. I always point out that the correct way to say it would be, "I'm not afraid of any test.", but that just doesn't work with the song!
By doing this, I hope to get them thinking that Friday is the day we get to see Mr. Stauch dance to "Test Busters", and not, "OH NO we have to take a spelling test."
I'm proud to say, that I still have student's come up to me that I taught years ago saying whenever they take a test, they still crack a smile and it helps them relax just thinking about "Test Busters!"
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