4th Grade Test Prep

 

As my son works his way through his Timberdoodle Grade 4 Kit, he is lightly introduced to the concept of test-taking skills in various ways. Two of the materials included in the kit are:

Thinking Skills for Tests: Upper Elementary

Test Prep: Grade 4

Using the Timberdoodle scheduler, his school year has been primarily open-and-go. He logs into his scheduler each day, and he knows exactly what he needs to do. I am still helping him with about half of his subjects, but he is able to complete several independently.  Having these two test-preparation books built into the schedule is a gentle way to introduce test-taking skills.

This was the first year he has been introduced to tests in the traditional sense. In years past, he would take occasional quizzes and tests for math and plenty of dictation for history and science, but not all homeschooling methods rank test-taking at the top of the list—usually it is the exact opposite. Testing makes perfect sense for a co-op, private school, or traditional school setting, yet it is not always needed in a basic homeschool. 

Why?

Parents are typically on top of what their children need to know and address issues as they arise. Tests are not always needed to gauge progress. 

Yet what if they are?

I talk to many homeschooling parents who wonder where their kids fall when it comes to standardized testing. The questions loom.

What if I have a major life change and need to utilize traditional school? 

Will my child be prepared if suddenly placed in a classroom? 

What grade level would my child be in if in a traditional school?

Am I doing enough?

Am I teaching the right things?

Like many other homeschooling parents, I have occasionally signed my children up for more rigorous end-of-the-year testing than required in my state simply to ease my mind—and unspoken fears. Primarily the last two on the list above. I do not do this every year, but I did every few years or so when I first started homeschooling. 

Whether you have to use traditional standardized testing or not, it is good to introduce your child to the concept since the testing methods can be different than a basic quiz or test. If your child already struggles under pressure, adding test pressure for the driver's test, college entrance tests, or other possible tests in the future should be something to go into with peace of mind—not dread. 

Since the scheduler does not assign too many pages of Thinking Skills for Tests: Upper Elementary at a time, the pacing works well. My child is able to be introduced not only to test-taking, but also to how to work through a test problem from start to finish. Some of the methods taught in this book are ones that I use when I tutor students studying for the SAT. The way tests are taken depends on how they are written and developed. If your child can learn to crack the code using critical thinking skills and proven test-taking techniques, then he can spend more time doing what he loves. He can focus on his model plane or musical instrument he is trying to master, rather than spending all day studying for a test. As homeschoolers, we want to prepare our students for life, not tests, but we still want them prepared for the tests as they come. 

To help your child with the format of test-taking, Test Prep: Grade 4 introduces him to the methodology. When I showed the concept of circling in the bubbles, like I remember doing for our standardized testing in school, he was so confused. Thankfully, this book helped him to understand the concepts. Now, if presented with a paper test in this format in the future, he will be prepared. Even though many tests are moving to a digital format, some tests are still provided in this way, even in some DMVs.

With plenty of practice questions and four practice tests, students can use this book to get a feel for what standardized testing is like, and parents can gauge where their child stands with fourth-grade knowledge. Both of these books are an excellent addition to any fourth-grade homeschool bookshelf!

Disclaimer: Many thanks to Timberdoodle for providing the above products in exchange for an honest review.