I know that many of us are gearing up for standardized testing this month (or maybe have just finished testing). Honestly, I'm dreading giving the test to my students. My students are at least a grade level below in reading ability, and it feels like I'm torturing them to give them the test. They've made so much progress this year, but I don't know if the FCAT (our state test) will show how much progress they've made since they're below grade level. All I can do is hope for the best for them and try to make their experience positive. One way I plan on encouraging my students is to send home a parent letter giving parents suggestions on how to help their child be successful during our FCAT week. The letter will also ask them to write an encouraging note to their child and send back to school in a sealed envelope. I'll give this note to their child on Monday morning before we start testing. I'll also be supplying gum and mints to hopefully keep them awake! I've made a generic form of the letter I'll be sending home in case some of you would like to use it. You can download a FREE copy by clicking on the picture below. I've also been busy making some new games that you might be able to use in your classroom. Many of my students still struggle with whether or not to read read words with short vowels or long vowels. This can be especially tricky with words like this: slim ~ slime kit ~ kite plan ~ plane To help them really focus on whether or not these words should be read with a short vowel or long vowel sound, I made this super cute Secret Agent E game. Click on the picture to check it out at my TPT store. Ever since I've come back from spring break, I've had a HUGE case of Summeritis. Is anyone else experiencing it? So to keep me focused on all things summer, I've made this 2 super cute games. Click on the pics to check them out! Pool Party - A Sight Word Game Take a Vacation! A CVC Game I hope everyone is hanging in there until summer break!