5 Effective ELA Test Prep Games that Make Review Fun
If you are an upper elementary or middle school ELA teacher who not only hates giving standardized tests, but also dreads the test review provided by the district, I have the perfect test prep review for you!
I hated using the standard test prep - give students a review question, then go over it. Rinse and repeat.
It was so dry and boring - and it just wasn’t effective. The kids who most needed the review engaged with it the least!
So I created my own ELA test review and gamified it.
My test prep resources are both heavy on content review and fun to play. Also, they are terrific tools for teachers to determine where students need more support.
Review for FAST or other State Tests
To create the resources, I began by analyzing both the Florida standards and the state test, now called FAST. Florida uses the BEST standards, but they are very similar to Common Core State Standards. In my analysis, I found a few skills moved around in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, but not many.
Test Review that Reduces Test Anxiety
One reason students get test anxiety is the constant reminders that they have to do well on the test. Students already know - they don’t need to be told week after week. It just adds pressure, which causes anxiety, which in turn makes them not do as well as they could.
Another reason kids get nervous for tests is because they don’t know what to expect. Think about a time you were asked to do something you weren’t sure about - like Halloween parties where you have to touch things while blindfolded. You get anxious because you don’t know what you are touching. If you knew, you wouldn’t have the same reaction.
The same with testing. The more students know what to expect, the less nerve-wracking it is. That’s why I created my games with questions written in formats used on the state test, as well as a practice test. The more familiar kids are with what they will see on test day, the less anxious they will be.
Standards-Based Review Games
For grades 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, there are bundles of five test prep resources that target grade-level standards. Teachers can use the resources on a review day or spread them out over time.
Some ideas for organizing your test review:
Hold a game day and have students move through centers - I recommend three or four students in each group. You may need to have two groups at each activity, so be sure you have enough Jenga and Kerplunk games (if you choose to use them.)
Spread the games out and play one each day. The downside of this is you will need more copies of each game. Again, three or four students work best in each group.
Use the practice test first at least a few weeks before state testing, then use the results to inform your small group lessons.
Reading Practice Test
“This resource provided practice for the FL FAST and was exactly what I needed to see if my students understood the benchmark.”
— Vaishnavi B.
This resource includes a practice test that is very similar to what students will take on test day. Each one includes both fiction and nonfiction passages, as well as questions in the different formats on the state test. Although Florida removed its grammar section, I left it in as a separate page, so you can use it or remove it.
You can use this practice test in different ways:
As a practice test, mimicking the test times and formats of test day.
As a pre-test to see which concepts students need to review. If done early enough, you can pull small groups of students who need to practice the same skill.
As a teaching tool, working with students to discuss how to take a test and demonstrating test-taking strategies.
Game Show & Practice Test
“Fantastic test review! My students love this style of game and asked to play it more than once. The test review is a great resource.” – Analysse B.
An iPad displays a test prep game show question about a reading passage. Shown beneath the iPad is a print out of the questions that students could complete before playing the game.
Everyone loves game shows! This one uses questions in test-style as much as possible (not Jeopardy-style.) Each game has five categories with five questions and a bonus question.
You can use this as a whole group activity, breaking your class into teams. You could also use it with small groups.
I included the game questions in a printable PDF. You can:
send a copy home with absent students so they can still review.
have students answer the questions first, then do the game for greater participation from your reluctant learners.
give the printed questions later to see what students have retained.
5th and 6th grades include reading passages, because you can’t really cover the standards without having longer passages. I recommend having students read the passages before playing the game.
Grammar & Spelling Review Game - Jenga
“My children have loved "playing" together this week. They hardly know they are preparing for the state test. What fun this is!! Thank you so much!” – Anne B.
Students complete test prep questions on grammar and spelling while playing Jenga.
Each grade has practice that focuses on grade-level spelling and grammar. They have six categories with ten questions - enough to play two or three games.
I used the questions with Jenga, but my friend just used them as printable worksheets for warmups, etc. To play with Jenga, I divided the blocks into six piles, then colored the ends to match the categories (each is labeled a color.) To pull a block, students have to answer a question in that color category.
I also included printable answer keys that students can use to check specific answers, so you can pull a small group during this time without being interrupted with questions.
Vocabulary - Kerplunk
“This was such a great way to review! My students begged to do this rotation everyday!” – Katie M.
A student’s hand holds a pencil above a multiple choice question on Context Clues. The student answers a question in order to pull a stick in a Kerplunk game.
The Vocabulary practice focuses on topics from grade-level standards. For example, 3rd grade focuses on affixes, shades or meaning, and literal and nonliteral meanings, while 4th grade includes affixes, context clues, and figurative language.
Each resource includes two game sets of 30 questions (10 questions in each category.) Students can often get two games from one set of worksheets, because they do not use all the questions before finishing a game.
I used this resource with Kerplunk, but, like the previous resource, it could be used as stand-alone worksheets or even with another game. The topics are color-matched to Kerplunk’s sticks, and to pull a stick, students have to answer a question in that color category.
Hands-On Card Game or Activity
“I used this game in small group, the kids loved it! Such a fun and creative way to practice this skill.” - Kelly R.
Cards from the game Greek and Latin Roots Game Build A Word are displaying, showing how the player created the words rejected, mistake, and product using roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
The fifth resource in the test prep bundle varies by grade. It is either a card game or a hands-on self-correcting puzzle activity that focuses on specific grade-level ELA standards.
These activities could be used by multiple grades, as some standards are repeated in 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Also, they could be used as review activities or support for students who need more practice. They make great early finisher activities or as centers.
Ready for Kids to Beg You to Review?
“My kids went crazy over this resource! They beg to play it all the time!” - Bailey T.
“My students had so much fun with this game! The prep was very easy and the game was super easy to teach my students how to play. They ask to play it pretty much everyday!” – Emily J.
With these resources, your students will be excited to play review! They’ll be so busy having fun, they won’t even realize they are doing test prep.
Even better, while the games are competitive, they are also low risk, which encourages all students to participate.
