Rockin' the Test with Task Cards!

It wasn't until last year that I discovered Task Cards.  Sad, isn't it?  These sweet little babies have stolen my heart and I just can't get enough of them.  Why, you ask?  Well, they are perfect for practice and review, particularly when you want to make sure your students are ready for the big test day. Not only that, but they are extremely versatile, and I can trick my students into thinking they are playing games when they are actually reviewing skills.  Clever, right?

With such a great emphasis on high-stakes testing, I need to make practice and review as fun and enjoyable as possible. I certainly do not want to add any extra stress to my students' plate by emphasizing the upcoming test so often and so emphatically that they begin to glaze over, tune me out, and wish they were anywhere at all except for my classroom.

Here are some ways to use task cards to help prep your students for testing time in a fun, enjoyable, and meaningful way:

1.  Create a Task Card Center.  Simply place the task cards for the skill you want to review into a pocket chart and you have an instant Math Center.

You can also be creative in how you display them. I used mini clothespins on this cute frame I found at Hobby Lobby awhile ago. Adorable and functional! Score!

2.  Use Any Board Game.  Students love games like Connect 4, checkers, and Jenga.  So let them earn a turn in the game by correctly answering a task card question. First, provide dry erase boards, markers, and erasers for each player.  (I find it easiest to have students working in pairs.) Then, give them a stack of task cards for whatever skill you are reviewing. Have students work independently on their own dry erase boards to solve the problem on the top card.  Then, have them turn over the answer key and check it.  If they are correct, they get to take a turn in the game. If not, they lose a turn.  Students really do love this practice method!

3.  Use Building Blocks.  This is similar to the board game strategy, but students earn turns to add a block to their own tower by correctly answering the question.  Whoever has the tallest tower at the end is declared the Task Card King or Queen for the day.  :D

4.  Use Plastic Cups.  Who knew that a stack of plastic cups, a pile of task cards, and a couple of dry erase boards and markers could bring so much fun to a classroom? I simply used stacks of cups from my Power Tower math games (so students ignore the math facts written on the cups...) and watched as my fifth graders worked through task cards to earn turns to add cups to their tower.  Whoever builds the tallest, prettiest, most original (you choose the word of the day) is the winner!

5.  Tic-Tac-Toe: 3 in a Row.  Same dry erase board procedure with any set of task cards, but with students earning turns on a tic-tac-toe board.  Perfect for a quick activity or center!

6.  Exit Tickets.  How easy is this?  Keep a pile of task cards handy for use as exit tickets. Either project one onto your screen (if you're lucky enough to have a document camera....still wishing here) or copy it onto the board or chart paper. Have students solve it on paper and turn in on their way out the door.  This gives you a quick picture of which students understand the skill.

7.  Morning Work. Have students choose any 2 or 3 task cards from a pile or pocket chart and complete them as soon as they enter the room in the morning.  This is perfect for those unused minutes before class begins.

8. Scoot.  Any discussion about using task cards would not be complete without the mention of Scoot, a whole-class activity which keeps students moving and staying on-task.  You can read more about how to play this game in this BLOG POST at Appletastic: Blossoming in Fifth Grade. 

Granted, there is a place for regular paper and pencil test prep worksheets and practice. I do try to keep in mind, though, that these are children, not little test-taking robots, that I am teaching. I'm sure the great and powerful Ozzes of the testing world have forgotten this, but I have vowed to not forget it. Ever. Therefore, I will continue to make learning as fun, interesting, and engaging as I possibly can. Task cards are a perfect tool for this goal!

Looking for Task Cards to use in your classroom?  Check out these nifty Math Task Card and Poster Sets by Shelly Rees.  They are Common Core aligned and perfect for test-prep, practice, and review! This is just one example of many!


 If you'd like to make your own, you may be interested in her Editable Task Card Templates.  They're super-easy to use!