Search

Make STAAR Reading Review Fun with the Task Cards You Already Have

You want to make STAAR Reading review fun, but you’re tired of spending every dollar you earn on your classroom. Games and classroom transformations cost money. But, you probably already have stacks of something you can use for 6 engaging reading review activities sitting in your closet: task cards. That’s right, task cards are an amazing tool for reading test prep.

Why I Love Using Task Cards for Reading Test Prep

Task cards are an amazing reading test prep tool for a few reasons. One, they allow you to customize review activities and games to target specific standards. Two, task cards provide short chunks of practice, making them a great option for any amount of time. And three, most of us already have plenty of sets lying around.

So, let’s dig into how we can use task cards to make STAAR Reading review fun.

My Favorite Ways to Use Task Cards for STAAR Reading Review:

Create a STAAR Reading Review Board Game

You can use any board game you have at home or stored away for indoor recess. Connect 4™, Jenga™ and Candy Land™ are excellent choices for this.

Game play will stay the same. The only thing that changes is that the students must complete a task card (correctly) before they can play their turn.

Add differentiation by assigning students to use a specific set of task cards. This way you can provide varying levels of difficulty and/or even practice with different targeted skills. While one student needs to complete context clues task cards, another can complete inferring task cards, and so on.

context clues task cards paired with Jenga to create a staar reading review game

Make a Reading Review Game Show

Create your own Jeopardy™ style reading test prep game show with task cards from different sets. You can choose any categories your students need to practice. Some category choices could be inferring, figurative language, main idea, context clues, etc.

Grab my free game show cards to help build your own game below.

STAAR Reading Review Scoot Activity

student pointing to a task card on the wall for a scoot review activity

We all get tired of sitting still. And kids can get particularly antsy during testing season. Alleviate their restlessness by reviewing with a scoot.

Tape a set (or cards from multiple sets for mixed review) on the walls around the room. Supply the kids with a recording sheet and let them “scoot” around the room, stopping to complete the task cards.

Quiz, Quiz, Trade

Give the kids even more interaction and movement by using task cards in a quiz, quiz, trade activity. Pass out one task card to each student. Then play music or start a stopwatch and let them walk around the room for about 15 seconds or so. When the music stops or the timer goes off, they need to find a partner. The partners will take turns “quizzing” each other and then trade cards. Repeat until either all students have gone through the entire set or you’ve run out of time.

STAAR Reading Review Warm-Ups

Start each class period with a task card projected on the board. You can use this as morning work on which students are required to work independently or allow them to discuss and answer with their table group. Either way, one set of task cards will give you 24 – 30 days’ worth of review warm-ups.

Turn Your STAAR Reading Review into a Digital Game

Take advantage of any task card sets that came with a digital version. Boom Cards™ and Google Slides™ can make regular task cards feel like a fun, new game. Extra credit for any that come with oral admin like the one shown here.

Download This Free Printout to Share These Task Card Reading Test Prep Ideas with Your Team

Now, put your wallet back in your purse and go grab those task cards out of your closet.

In need of some quality task cards?

Here are a few of my favorite sets in case your cabinets are lacking in the task card department:

image of inferring task cards for reading review
image of context clues task cards for reading review

image of figurative language task cards for reading test prep
image of argumentative text task cards for staar reading review for third grade

Click here for more quality task cards for reading test prep.

Pin It for Later:

Pinterest image of staar reading test prep game show made out of task cards

More Reading Test Prep Ideas & Resources:

6 Reading Test Taking Strategies That Work
Why Teach Test Taking Strategies? Teaching your students test-taking strategies equips them …
TEST PREP DOs AND DON’Ts
Proper test prep can increase student confidence, relieve testing anxiety, and improve …
Testing Treats & Motivation
You and your crew have worked to the bone preparing for the …
6 Amazing Books to Help Students Conquer Test Anxiety
Our students feel the pressure. There are many things I love about …
Do Your Students Know the Language of the Test?
Academic vocabulary is huge. A student who understands the development of the …
7 Fun Test Prep Activities to Up Your Test Prep Game and Engage Your Students
There’s no rule that says test prep has to be boring. Spice …
How to Navigate Test Prep Like a Pro
March Madness isn’t just a term for basketball; its what teachers go …
Make STAAR Reading Review Fun with the Task Cards You Already Have
hello, i'm laura heinen from cultivating critical readers

I help third and fourth grade RLA teachers like you create engaging and effective reading lessons without all the stress.

get your free figurative language interactive notebook here

Categories:

Affiliate Links:

Cultivatingcriticalreaders.com is a participant in a few affiliate advertising programs that provide compensation for referring traffic and business.
 
While I may receive compensation for these referrals, you can trust that the recommendations made on this site are genuine. I will never link to or recommend a book or product that I do not fully support or believe in. All book titles are chosen for the benefit they will bring to your classroom.

Need help teaching figurative language?

free-figurative-language-interactive-notebook

Let me help out.

Get my figurative language FREE interactive notbook, other free resources, ideas, and tips!

No spam, just things you can use in your classroom.

    Leave a Reply

    MORE FROM THE BLOG: