Standardized testing is an inevitable reality that we must tackle each year. For some students, this testing can bring on feelings of anxiety. To prepare elementary students for these tests and ease testing anxiety, share these test prep read alouds!
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Test Prep Read Alouds
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
Beatrice NEVER makes mistakes, until one day the inevitable happens. She makes a huge mistake in front of everyone. The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes by Mark Pett encourages us to learn and grow from our mistakes!
Big Test Jitters
Big Test Jitters (aka The Big Test) is part of the Jitters series by Julie Danneberg that includes the favorite, First Day Jitters. Mrs. Hartwell goes a little overboard preparing her students for their test. So much so that it just leads to feelings of stress. But she realizes that she needs to teach the most important strategy of them all – learning to relax!
The Anti-Test Anxiety Society
To Bertha Billingsworth the word TEST stands for TERRIBLE, EVERY, SINGLE, TIME. That is until she joins the Anti-Test Anxiety Society where she learns the Dynamic Dozen! Now that T stands for TERRIFIC! The Anti-Test Anxiety Society by Julia Cook uses an engaging tale to teach students 12 test-taking strategies.
Testing Miss Malarky
When all the adults around them start acting strange, the students start to think that maybe standardized testing is more important than they were led to believe. Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler is a fun way to discuss the testing atmosphere!
A Little Spot of Anxiety
Diane Alber does it again with her popular series, but this time offering students support with their feelings of anxiety. A Little Spot of Anxiety talks about all of the big feelings we have: worried, scared, anxious. It gives students the tools needed to manage those feelings when they start to become too big.
The Smart Cookie
Jory John and Pete Oswald have created yet another memorable character in their Food Group Series! This time we meet The Smart Cookie a cookie who didn’t always feel smart. She’s not confident raising her hand in class and is always the last one done on tests. But will a class assignment finally allow her to feel smart in her own way?
Last to Finish
When it comes to memorizing math facts for the test, Max feels anxious because he’s always the last one to finish. He feels awful about himself until a parent-teacher conference changes everything! Last to Finish by Barbara Esham helps students realize that we all learn differently and that’s okay!
Wilma Jean the Worry Machine
Wilma Jean worries about EVERYTHING! But after sharing her worries with her teacher, they come up with a strategy to help lessen her concerns. Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Anita Dufalla is a perfect read aloud to start a discussion on the worries your students may have that are similar to Wilma’s and ways to overcome them.
It’s Test Day, Tiger Turcotte
It’s Test Day, Tiger Turcotte by Pansie Hart Flood is a chapter book that would be an ideal read aloud leading up to standardized testing. Tiger has been dreading testing and when that day comes he’s not sure which bubbles to fill in. But he realizes maybe he’s not so different from his classmates as he thought.
Bad Kitty Takes the Test
Bad Kitty has to attend Cat School to prepare for the Cat Aptitude Test to make sure she deserves to be a cat. Bad Kitty Takes the Test by Nick Bruel is a fun read aloud that approaches testing anxiety in a lighthearted and humorous way.
What other picture books about test prep read alouds do you use? Share in the comments!
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