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Test Taking Strategies

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Lesson Length: 30 - 45 mins

Topic: Test Taking Strategies

Grade Level: 4, 5, 6

Brief Description: Students will learn some test taking strategies and create a comic to demonstrate their understanding.

Know Before You Start: This is a great lesson to present before a big test. Helpful test taking strategies include: 

  • Ask questions to clarify things you don’t understand the day before the test.
  • Read all of the directions carefully to make sure you understand what is being asked.
  • Complete the questions you know first, then go back to work on the harder ones after.
  • On multiple choice questions, eliminate the choices you know are wrong first. 
  • On math tests, make sure to show your work.
  • When you don’t know an answer, make an educated guess.
  • Answer all of the questions, even the ones you’re not sure of.
  • If you have extra time, go back and review your answers. 
  • The first answer that pops into your head is often right, so don’t change an answer unless you are sure that your first choice is wrong.
  • Make sure you’ve completed the entire test. Make sure to check both sides of each page.

Hook:

  • Read and discuss the sample comic.

    • What test taking strategies do you use? 

    • Do they work?

  • Write student answers on the board, adding in any that they missed.

Activity:

  • Using the sample comic as a guide, have students create a comic showing some test taking strategies that they'll use when taking a test. 

  • The comic should be at least three-panels, include more than one character and be school appropriate. Remind students to be clear and concise when explaining the strategy.

  • Remind students to have fun and be creative.

Closure:

  • Share student comics out loud or display them for the class and/or parents to read. 

  • You can grade on creativity,  the number of panels, number of characters, and the clarity of the strategy they're explaining.

Differentiation:

  • Students can work independently, in groups, or with a partner.

  • Allow students to use speech-to-text feature as needed.

  • Provide printout of the sample comic for student reference.

Resources:

  • Comic to print or display: Comic.

Suggested Content Pack(s):

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