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It's that time of year again, and aren't we all trying to find ways to make test prep a little easier? A few years ago I started creating a class "TESTO" board.  As I review class data, I pick out the areas that we still need to work on and review. I make a list of those skills and then sketch out a Bingo board. I also think about some simple, inexpensive class rewards that the students earn each time they earn a Bingo. Then I create the test board on chart paper. I measure it out and draft it in pencil. The first one I made, I didn't leave room to write the rewards along the side and bottom, so I had to start over! So, be sure to leave room if you choose to try this in your class.  I try to have all of my test prep materials ready to go, so most of the time I let the kids pick which square they would like to earn that day. If there is something specific I want to cover that day, the kids know that I can make that call. Or, sometimes I give them a choice of a few

I  am excited to feature my first Currently post. I know March is almost over, but I couldn't wait until April...  Can you figure out my "Secret Question"? What are you loving right now?

Any college basketball fans out there?  We are huge sports fans in my house! My youngest daughter is an athlete and will be headed to college this fall to play softball.  So, I love to incorporate sports-themed ideas into my classroom any chance I get. I had seen a similar idea on Pinterest and I couldn't wait to try it in my own room.  In my previous post, I told you about my love of read aloud time in my classroom. I decided to design a "March Book Madness" board that would involve many of the books I have read to my students this year. Every child can vote and participate because they have all heard each of the books. I chose 16 books and then randomly paired them. Some of the first round choices were really hard. You should have heard the comments from my kids when I unveiled the board and they realized they would have to choose which book to vote for, they were so torn! Each day before we vote, we do a little recap of the book (great for practicing summaries). Then

Read Aloud! The best time of the day in my classroom is read aloud time. For my class, we have read aloud right after lunch each day. We never skip. It is the time my students look forward to everyday.  I am sad to say that this didn't used to be the case. It used to be the first thing to go when I would get stressed about curriculum and testing and testing and testing... you get the idea. But now I would never consider bumping it for anything else.  Here are a few of the reasons why I love read aloud: 1. It builds our classroom community. We all have a shared experience that is tied to our love of the book we are reading. I love the conversations that we have about what we are reading.  I love the shared emotions that we experience as a group when I read to them. 2. I love to share special books from my childhood with my students. They enjoy hearing books that their teacher read when she was a girl. It is a relationship builder. 3. I love to choose books that are part of a series