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4th Grade Math Test Prep Ideas

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4th Grade Math Test Prep Ideas

While none of us truly enjoys “testing season”, it is definitely important to prep our kids for the tests that are on the horizon. You don’t have to spend a huge amount of time prepping your students for the tests. In fact, spending too much time on test prep might actually increase the stress level of your students.

When thinking about 4th grade math test prep, try to schedule approximately 20-30 minutes a day, Monday through Thursday, for the two weeks before the tests begin. You will need a longer period of time on Fridays for some fun review activities!s

4th Grade Math Test Prep WEEK 1

Day 1: Straight Up Math Problems

One way to begin your 4th grade math test prep is to explain to your students the types of questions they will see on their upcoming assessments. Explain that some questions are going to be relatively easy (straight up problems), and that for those problems it will be clear as to what they are supposed to do. Then explain that there are other types of questions that will need more time and and thinking in order to be able to work through the different steps to find the solution.

Using problems from the 4th Grade Math Homework for the Year is a wonderful resource for this very thing. There are worksheets and problems aligned to all the 4th grade math standards, which make the best test prep practice problems. Just choose any math problem and work through it. Practice working as a large group, a small group, and independently. (This resource isn’t just for homework!)

Day 2: Multistep Word Problems Modeling

Let’s be real. . . most students in upper elementary grades struggle to understand multistep word problems. Because of this, the next three days of your 4th grade math test prep plans should most likely focus on these types of problems. 

Once again, the 4th Grade Math Homework for the Year is a great resource to find word problems. In fact, there is an entire packet of single-step words problems and another packet of multi-step word problems included!

On Day 2, pass out a single-sided math worksheet with multistep word problems to each student. 

Using the first word problem, model your thinking aloud as you show the steps of solving the problem. Make sure you share your thinking out loud for each and every step. 

Once you’ve finished the problem, ask the students what they noticed about your thinking and problem-solving steps. At this point, you could create an anchor chart with their thoughts, so that they can refer back to it during the remainder of the week.

Finally, work through two more problems with the students’ help. Let them know that tomorrow they will be doing the same thing with a partner.

Days 3 and 4: Multistep Word Problems – Partner Up!

Review the anchor chart and activity from yesterday. Then pass out a math worksheet with multistep word problems on the front and straight up (problems that have a clear-cut answer) problems on the back.

Let your students know that today they will be working with a partner to solve three word problems of their choice from the front of the worksheet. After they have solved those and you have checked them, have the students complete the problems on the back of the sheet independently. 

Day 5: Theme Park Math Escape Challenge

This is my favorite part of review week, and it will probably be the same for your students! After working hard all week, especially on those multistep word problems, today’s activity will provide a fun way to review math skills. The Beach Math Escape Room requires your students to work in small teams in order to complete 5 math tasks. All the tasks are related to a beach theme, so it is very engaging for 4th graders!

Don’t let the words “escape challenge” scare you away! I promise it is super easy to set up and no locks, keys, or hidden clues are involved. All the directions are easy to follow and included in the challenge.

4th Grade Math Test Prep WEEK 2

The focus of Monday-Thursday will be multistep word problems again. This week, though, the students will choose 2-3 word problems to complete on their own each day. They they will complete a skill sheet of your choice. Again, I recommend pulling a sheet from the 4th Grade Math Homework Bundle. Choose a skill which your students need to revisit and practice. (My students usually needed to freshen up on fractions, division, or polygon classification.)

Your students are in for a treat on Friday. They will seriously LOVE the 4th Grade Math Review Jeopardy-Style Game. It is very easy to use, super fun for your class, and a great way to get in more skills practice before testing starts. 

The categories for the 4th Grade Math Game Show are Numbers, Operations, Fractions, Measurement and Data, and Geometry.

I know that assessments are not a blast, but with these review activities, your students should be much better prepared for whatever questions come their way. 

Best of luck to you. You’ve got this!

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Shelly Rees

Hi, I’m Shelly! Thank you for being here. I love helping third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers with fun and engaging activities that require no to little prep! Let me help you by taking some of the stress and work off your plate.

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Hi, I'm Shelly

Hi, I’m Shelly! Thank you for being here. I love helping third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers with fun and engaging activities that require no to little prep! Let me help you by taking some of the stress and work off your plate.

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