12 Week Test Prep Plan
We know how daunting the lead-up to spring standardized testing can feel—for both you and your students. The pressure to prepare can often lead to endless packets, rote practice, and exhaustion. But what if there was a way to build your students’ skills, confidence, and stamina without sacrificing meaningful learning?
That’s where our 12-Week Test Prep Calendar comes in. Created by a team of experienced teachers and literacy experts, this guide is designed to help you prepare your intermediate students for standardized tests in a way that feels purposeful, manageable, and impactful.
Here’s what you can expect:
Weekly Focus Areas: Each week, we’ll provide objectives centered around critical ELA skills—from question interpretation to written response strategies. These are the skills that research and experience show make the greatest difference on test day.
Guidance and Resources: You’ll receive tips, strategies, and suggested activities to weave into your existing plans. This isn’t a full curriculum; it’s a flexible tool to layer onto your teaching, giving you the freedom to tailor it to your students’ needs.
Skill-Building, Not Cramming: The calendar emphasizes gradual skill development, ensuring students feel confident and prepared without burning out. It’s about fostering success over time, not last-minute cramming.
Focus on Confidence and Stamina: Standardized testing can be as much about mindset as it is about skill. Our approach incorporates strategies to help students approach testing with resilience and determination.
We know your time is valuable, and we’ve designed this resource to support your efforts—not add to your workload. Our goal is to minimize overwhelm while maximizing impact, ensuring your students have the tools they need to succeed.
Why Join Us? This 12-week guide isn’t just about test prep; it’s about empowering your students to show what they’ve learned and approach testing with confidence. By focusing on high-leverage skills, this resource aligns with the incredible work you’re already doing in your classroom.
Here’s a preview of each week. It’s all happening inside the Reading Rev VIP site.
Or, you can purchase just the weeks you need by clicking the images below.
TRANSCRIPTION. Students who struggle with penmanship, typing, and spelling will struggle with writing!
As we emphasize writing (a hugely impactful portion of standardized assessments) in the next 12 weeks, we are going to look at all the micro-skills needed for proficient writing. The first is transcription- handwriting, typing, and spelling. You’ll probably not be shocked to discover how much these foundational skills of writing impact overall success.
The Plan & Resources:
5 Skills Needed for Proficient Writing- #1 Transcription
Handwriting Resources & Link List
Why Does Penmanship Even Matter? Video
It’s never too late to go back to the basics.
SYNTAX. Without it, students struggle with understanding and creating sentences.
Syntax is how words are put together to create sentences, and it’s key for reading fluency, comprehension, and writing. Students who understand syntax excel in ELA multiple-choice questions and written responses!
The Plan & Resources:
Watch the Super-Power Syntax video for teaching tips.
Start with direct instruction using our 4 Parts of Syntax Google Slide Deck and Student Note Packet to teach: Complete Sentences, Parts of Speech, Clauses, Phrases, & Sentence Types.
Reinforce learning with Phonics + Grammar Writing Tasks and Syntax Recipe Cards.
Try the multi-sensory sentence-building activity.
Don’t miss our blog: Syntax and Sentence Skills.
Let’s make syntax a game-changer for your students!
How many students read a question and think, “I have no idea where to even start!” ?
This week is all about helping students understand what questions are asking and crafting clear, complete written responses using the RACE strategy. Explicitly teaching these skills early sets the stage for ongoing practice and success!
Why It Matters
Students often misunderstand what questions are asking.
Teaching them how to analyze and break down questions improves accuracy and confidence.
The RACE strategy (Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain) ensures their answers are thorough and well-supported.
The Plan & Resources:
Question Analysis Google Slide Deck & Student Practice Packet Step-by-step visuals and examples to teach students how to break down questions into manageable parts.
RACE Strategy Google Slide Deck & Student Practice Packet Engaging slides to introduce or review the RACE method for written responses. Practice pages to reinforce skills, with scaffolded prompts and sentence stems.
Preparing and building stamina is important, but how do we prepare our students without creating testing anxiety?
This week focuses on fostering students' growth mindset and confidence while reinforcing essential academic skills. The goal is to help students prepare for standardized assessments without anxiety by emphasizing stamina, growth, and effort and not perfection, scores, or comparison.
The Plan & Resources:
Picture Book Lessons on Resilience
• The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires and Trying by Kobi Yamada both cover how effort and resilience lead to personal growth and success. These beautiful stories are paired with a lesson plan that covers character traits, growth, and comparison. They can be used to reinforce transcription, syntax, question analysis, and the R.A.C.E. written response.
What is Stamina article and comprehension questions are provided to showcase this trait and give additional skill practice.
Growth Minset Coloring Page Pack for stress relief and inspiration in the coming weeks.
Research consistently shows that teaching text structure improves students’ reading comprehension and writing quality.
This week marks an important shift as we continue to deepen our understanding of the Writing Rope and explore the critical role of text structure in both reading comprehension and written expression. Read more about this strand here!
In addition, students are introduced to the formatting and structure of ELA standardized test questions, helping them develop strategies to navigate these complex assessments with confidence.
The Plan & Resources:
Introducing the importance of text structure using the Kinds of Writing Slide Deck. This week’s focus: Narrative Text Structure. Use the Student Handbook to increase understanding.
Use the 3rd, 4th, or 5th Grade Narrative Practice Guide that focuses on your grade’s standards and is formatted like the ELA standardized tests. Students will read an excerpt from a beloved novel, answer comprehension and vocabulary multiple choice questions. Then, after doing the same for a second excerpt, students are asked to answer higher-level questions comparing the two! These complex tasks take modeling and practice!
"Skill comes from consistent and deliberate practice." – Shawn Allen
This week, we will continue to deepen our understanding of how text structure influences both reading comprehension and written expression. Students will get additional practice with the format and structure of standardized test questions. It is important to note that we are not merely “teaching to the test;” rather, we are explicitly equipping students with essential skills that enhance their proficiency while fostering stamina.
Mastering complex skills requires time and practice. Students will engage with increasingly challenging passages and questions. To promote independent problem-solving, consider gradually removing scaffolds and allowing students to complete each task individually before reviewing responses together. This process helps clarify misunderstandings and strengthens comprehension over time. With consistent effort, these tasks will become more manageable, and students will build confidence through repeated success.
The Plan & Resources
Focus: Expository (Nonfiction) Text Structure
Utilize the Text Structure Slide Deck and Student Handbook for direct instruction and guided practice.
For skill reinforcement, use the 3rd, 4th, or 5th Grade Nonfiction Practice Guide, aligned with grade-level standards and formatted to mirror ELA standardized assessments. Students will read two nonfiction passages, respond to comprehension and vocabulary-based multiple-choice questions, and then analyze a second excerpt. Finally, they will engage in higher-order thinking by comparing both texts. These complex cognitive tasks require explicit modeling and ongoing practice.
Comparing texts and text structures helps students recognize patterns in writing, strengthens comprehension, and aids in being critical consumers of texts.
Reading Comprehension & Writing Focus: Comparing Texts with Different Structures
This week, we continue to provide opportunities for students to engage with higher-level test formats while deepening their understanding of different text structures.
The Plan & Resources
Focus: Opinion Text Structure & Comparing Texts
This is the third week of practicing an ELA testing session. This week, students should complete the assigned task independently before reviewing it as a class. The goal is not just mastering the specific passages but building stamina, independence, and confidence when working through complex literacy tasks. Support students by modeling text comparison strategies and using graphic organizers to compare and contrast different texts.
Resources
• A Closer Look at Text Structures (Google Slides)
• Text Comparison Graphic Organizers
• Text Structure Google Slide Deck & Student Handbook (focus on opinion text structure this week.)
•Text Comparison Practice Packet (Grades 3-5) (Differentiated by grade level. Choose the level appropriate for your class.)
Figuring out unknown words in context is a key reading skill—and mastering it naturally boosts performance on standardized tests.
Research by Karami and Bowles (2019) suggests that a combination of intentional and incidental vocabulary learning is effective in promoting vocabulary retention.
Teaching students explicit strategies, such as using context clues, improves word recognition, comprehension, and long-term retention (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2013). The CLUNK strategy provides structured support for vocabulary acquisition, aligning with evidence-based reading instruction.
The Plan & Resources
Focus: Systematic Vocabulary Learning Strategies: CLUNK
The CLUNK strategy, part of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), helps students figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words while reading. When they come across a "clunk" (a word they don't know), they use one of five strategies to determine its meaning:
1. Look for a definition in the surrounding sentences.
2. Find a synonym that restates the word.
3. Identify an antonym that provides contrast.
4. Break the word into parts (prefix, root, suffix) to analyze meaning.
5. Use inference by considering the overall context of the passage.
This method encourages students to be active, strategic readers who can independently tackle challenging vocabulary. It requires instruction, modeling, and practice but can increase students’ comprehension greatly.
Resources
• Vocabulary and the Research Blog
• Vocabulary Clunk Strategies Google Slide Deck
• Vocabulary Clunk Lesson Plan & Bookmarks
• Vocabulary Bulletin Board
Students who approach tests with a structured, metacognitive strategy perform significantly better than those who rely on rote memorization or passive reading. (McNamara, 2021)
This week, we focus on critical thinking strategies that will help students approach ELA test tasks with a logical, structured plan. Inspired by Joan Sedita’s Writing Rope, we emphasize the interconnected skills of organizing, drafting, writing, and revising—not just in writing, but in test-taking as a whole. By providing students with a clear roadmap for both reading comprehension and written responses, we help them develop stamina, independence.
The Plan & Resources
Week 9 Video Preview
Weekly Focus: Critical Thinking
•Reading Roadmap: Preview & Predict, Active Reading Strategies, Answer Strategically, Review & Revise
•Writing Roadmap: Think, Plan, Write, & Revise
•Critical Thinking & Metacognition: Making strategic decisions before, during, and after responding
We recommend using your state's practice standardized tests alongside our samples, as formats vary by state. Applying these critical thinking strategies to your state’s test will help students become familiar with the structure and technology they'll encounter on test day!
Lumos Learning: Provides free practice tests and sample questions for multiple state assessments, including Math and English Language Arts. (We are not affiliated in any way and are just sharing a resource we found helpful.) lumoslearning.com
Resources
• Critical Thinking Road Map Posters & Student Flap Books
• CUPS sticky note checklists
Students need explicit instruction in how to think about and engage with texts. Effective comprehension instruction involves modeling, guided practice, and independent application of strategies such as making connections, questioning, and synthesizing information. — Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2008)
This week, we focus on improving student written responses. We will continue to look at the writing rope focusing on writing craft. Students will think about their audience and purpose for writing as well as making their writing have more style with word choice and figurative language! These are all included on most standardized testing rubrics!
You can choose if you want to focus on the sentence level or paragraph level. You can also take two weeks and do both! We’ve included everything you need!
The Plan & Resources
Week 10 Video Preview
Weekly Focus
🔹 Leveling Up Written Response at the Sentence Level (recommended 3rd Grade)
•Audience Awareness
•Word Choice
•Literary Devices
Resources At Sentence Level
• Sentences Stepped Up Slide Deck
• Sentences Stepped Up Student Practice (print 2-sided, flip on short edge)
• Figurative Language Slide Deck and Trifold Notes
• Verbs and Adjectives Synonym Bookmarks
🔹 Leveling Up Written Response at the Paragraph Level (recommended 4th & 5th Grade)
• Stepped Up Prediction Responses
• Stepped Up Inference Responses
Resources at the Paragraph Level
• How To Help Students Master High-Level Comprehension Tasks Video Guide
• Explicit Instruction- Inference! Modeled in 3rd Grade Class
• Prediction Stepped Up Slide Deck
• Inference Stepped Up Slide Deck
• Student Lessons for Stepped Up Prediction and Inference
When students are engaged, curiosity thrives, and learning becomes an adventure. — Unknown
Get ready for an exciting week of learning and problem-solving! Here’s how the challenge works:
🔹 Solo Challenge: Each day kicks off with a short, independent practice test.
🔹 Team Challenge: After reviewing answers, students team up (2-3 per group) to complete a skill-based challenge and earn a clue word.
🔹 Clue Collection: Teams must save their daily clue words—they’ll need them for the final escape on Day 5!
Daily Focus Areas:
🔹 Day 1: Syntax & Sentence Structure
🔹 Day 2: Question Analysis & Breaking Down Prompts
🔹 Day 3: RACE Written Responses
🔹 Day 4: Fiction & Nonfiction Text Structure
🔹 Day 5: Comparing Texts & The Final Escape
By the end of the week, students will put all their clues together to unlock the final escape! 🚪🔑💡
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. – A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)
You’ve made it! This is the moment to take a deep breath and let your students shine. This week is about building calm, confidence, and positivity, setting the stage for success.
Remember, your students are so much more than a test score. This test is just one small snapshot of their learning—it does not define their relationships, creativity, humor, resilience, or unique talents.
Use this week to uplift, encourage, and remind them of all they’ve accomplished. They are ready. They are capable. They’ve got this—and so do you!
Daily Focus & Confidence-Boosting Ideas:
• Affirmation Activity: Have students write down 3 things they are good at and 3 strategies they can use if they feel stuck.
• Confidence Collage: Create a class poster with "We are ready!" in the center. Each student adds a sticky note with something they’ve improved on.
• Strategy Showcase: Review test-taking strategies (eliminating wrong answers, using context clues, pacing, etc.).
• Quick Skits: In pairs, students act out what to do (or what NOT to do) when facing a tough test question.
• Encouragement Exchange: Students write one anonymous positive note for a classmate about their hard work.
• Confidence Walk: Play upbeat music and let students do a “victory lap” around the room while others cheer.
• Letter to Self: Students write a note to their future self about how hard they worked and why they believe in themselves.
• Motivational chant or class pledge, such as:"I am strong. I am smart. I will do my best and never fall apart!"Have students create their own test-day affirmations to say before the big test.
• Confidence-boosting compliment: Each student writes a compliment to another student on a strip of paper. Link them together into a class "confidence chain" to display in the room or take into the hallway before testing.
• Snacks Make Everything Better: Provide fun snacks each day of the tests. Ideas are provided. Ask parents to provide supplies if possible.
• A Letter from Home: You’ve Got This! (see provided directions that can be emailed or sent home)
Resources
• Test-Taking Tips Printable
• Test-Taking Week Snack Slides and Printables
•Parent Letter Directions
We would LOVE your feedback! Please email us and let us know how your students felt on test day and how you used this resource!
