Hi everyone, it's Becky, and yes you read that title correctly. When I first found out that our district was starting a new test where our first graders would be filling out bubble sheets, I immediately had visions of me pulling out my hair in frustration while my kids sat crying in their seats. Since no one wanted that to happen, I decided that I needed a plan. My original idea had been to wait until we had a day where everyone was at school and give it then. However, after realizing the sheer magnitude of the test (There were 4 stories in the ELA portion with 30 questions total, and 30 questions in the math section.), I realized that this was going to take us all week, so it needed to be broken up.

Before going any further, I should also state that the purpose of these tests is to measure academic growth in our students, as well as to identify any gaps in our curriculum when looking at the overall data. Students will be taking these tests three times per year.

I decided to break up the test by answering the questions one day, and then transferring those answers to a bubble sheet on a second day. If you know first graders, multitasking is not their strong suit, and at the beginning of the year, I am happy if they focus on just taking a test, the whole test, and noting but the test! Answering a test and doing a bubble sheet at the same time was not something I was going to even attempt at this point in the year!

So on the first day we took the ELA assessment. To get my students ready for the test, and get their brains ready to work, we started each day with a GoNoodle session.  Once they got their wiggles out, they were ready to begin. Since my first graders could not read the test, I read the story aloud, and also the questions/answer choices.  The students did fine with listening to the story and circling their answers in their test booklet. I did this for two stories, and then I found that I was loosing them. So we took a bathroom and GoNoodle break!

We then finished our last two stories. Total time for Day 1: 1 hour and 10 minutes. 

I have to say that I did feel a little better when I saw that our bubbles on the bubble sheets were larger than bubble sheets I have seen for older grades, but I was still worried about them transferring it from booklet to sheet. And with 24 kids, there's not an easy way to check each answer they're filling in. 

I knew they needed a visual of each step of the process, so I made them little covers, allowing them to only see the number we were on. They could then slide down the cover as we continued down the sheet. Since this is not a state assessment, I could also scan and project the questions and bubble sheet onto my board. (Luckily our administration told us to do whatever we needed to do to make it easier on our kiddos!) I then made a larger scale cover of my own, and modeled what they should be doing at their seats. This was a lifesaver! 

We went through one question at a time. The bubble sheet had rows of ten, so when we finished a row, we counted that we had all ten bubbles before moving onto the next row. I continuously moved around the room, checking that my students were on the same number, and glancing at their test booklet to make sure they were bubbling in the same letter that they had circled.
Total Time for Day 2: 45 minutes (GoNoodle break before we started, and after bubbling question 15)

Day 3 was similar to day 1, except the questions were math related. The questions were very difficult for my first graders and I saw there a few different kinds of test takers in my room. There were those that tried to figure out the answers and stressed when they didn't know them. There were those that were sure they were picking the right answer (even without trying to solve any problems!), and then there were those who just went along picking an answer they thought might work (they shrugged their shoulders a lot!).
Total Time for Day 3: 1 hour (GoNoodle break before we started and after 30 minutes)

Day 4 was the smoothest yet since the students now had experience from bubbling the ELA questions on Day 2. I followed the same procedure and projected the questions and bubble sheet for a visual. We were able to zoom through this part at a pretty rapid pace! There was a huge sense of relief from everyone in the room when all test booklets and answer sheets were handed in that day. 
Total Time for Day 4: 30 minutes (GoNoodle break before and after)

While these tests took a lot of teaching time, I am glad I broke it up into four days. I hope that my students will be a little faster when they take it in the winter because they will be more familiar with the format. I am also extremely thankful for GoNoodle! Their brain breaks got us through this test! Thank you GoNoodle!

Hi everyone! It's Becky! Greg and I were very excited to be invited to be a part of Created for Learning's "Meet The Teacher Team Linky!" Jonathan & Lisa have come up with a couple of fun questions for you to get to know us a little more!

Greg and I met in our education classes my first semester at Elizabethtown College. As a junior, Greg had just made the switch from pre-law to social studies education/political science concentration. So he was taking the introductory education classes at the same time that I was entering the program. We had two classes together and he sat in back of me, incessantly tapping on my chair, in both of them! One day, he asked me for my IM screenname (if anyone remembers those days!) and we began talking all the time. We were friends throughout my whole freshman year before we began dating. Etown holds a special place in our heart not just for the fantastic education program, but because it was the start of "us." We visit often and always have to get a picture with our favorite statue, "The Man!" (Jacob G. Francis, founding father of Elizabethtown College)

Greg does the cooking, and I do the clean up! Oh wait, that may not be what they meant from this question! I create all of the first grade math & ELA resources, and Greg and I collaborate on the new social studies units we have been creating. He does such a great job of coming up with authentic primary source ideas for young learners, and I help create the age appropriate actives to engage the students. Greg is also amazing with a Mac and can give anything a clean and polished look. He deserves all of the credit for the visual appeal of the blog! 

We are best friends, and we love to laugh and have a good time together. There is no one else I'd rather spend my time with. When Grayson was young, he somehow came up with the idea that Mommy and Daddy were "Teamers," and that is truly how we approach everything that comes our way!

No, not really...

Becky-I don't know where I'd be without my "First Grade Making Words, All Year Long!" bundle. We focus on phonics A LOT in first grade, and I love how the students can easily manipulate the letter cards to make words. But my favorite part is that the words list possibilities are right there for you! No more trying to figure out if you have all the letters to make a word. My substitutes have found this to be super helpful!

I also have a similar unit specifically for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's first grade Journeys reading series. The phonics skills correlate with specific lessons in the series.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out some of the other teams in this fun link-up! 
~Becky

Greg here! I hope everyone is doing well! 

Over the past few weeks, Becky and I invested some time in creating a new Columbus activity set for 1st - 3rd graders. Surprisingly, there are over 466 Christopher Columbus resources on TPT for 1st and 2nd grade alone. 

When developing the activities, we kept two things in mind: 1. age appropriateness and 2. rigorous historical thinking. I turned to the newly developed historical thinking skills set forth by the College Board for AP US History to help build my framework.

The result is a set of activities that target some of the same skills I reinforce with students in 10th and 11th grade. For example, the craftivity (highlighted in the top photo) asks students to utilize an adjective to describe Columbus's voyage. Students are then required to back up their "conclusion" with two reasons. This is a simplified version of skill 6: historical argumentation. This approach will pay dividends in the students' writing and discussion skills. 

The sequencing activity (seen below) reinforces the basic components of chronological reasoning (skill 1). 

And the "What's your view?" activity requires students to synthesize (skill 9) the information to draw and write about a perspective of the voyage. Although guidance will probably be necessary, students will have fun thinking about an event from a different standpoint. Let their creativity run wild but also help build a context of the realities of the situation. 

There are also several primary sources in the document (with accompanying questions) that supports multiple perspectives of the voyage (skill 7 - appropriate use of historical evidence). 

I am convinced that good social studies skills are simply good critical thinking skills. These activities provide foundational historical thinking skills that will help students in both ELA and future social studies classes. Ultimately, we need to create engaging opportunities for students to understand that social studies is relevant and interesting.

Best.
Greg