I teach at a public school, so standardized testing is most definitely a reality. You wondered how I was able to be so creative and still prepare my students for standardized testing.
I am very serious about my curriculum and meeting the benchmarks that are set by the state (and soon the common core standards). I have implemented intensive reading and writing workshops in my classroom and believe that I am helping my students grow to be very strong readers and writers. Each unit of study addresses different benchmarks that my students are expected to meet in third grade. However, my goal is to make the learning as enjoyable and creative as possible. That doesn't mean that I am straying from the benchmarks. I am simply working as hard as I can to make my teaching as effective as it can be while also making it fun. Creativity and thinking "outside the box" are important as I shape my students as learners and prepare them not only for "the test" but also for the real world. Many teachers in my district take this same approach, and I am proud to say that we regularly have some of the highest standardized test scores in the state:)
Julia (comment #39),
I teach at a public school, so standardized testing is most definitely a reality. You wondered how I was able to be so creative and still prepare my students for standardized testing.
I am very serious about my curriculum and meeting the benchmarks that are set by the state (and soon the common core standards). I have implemented intensive reading and writing workshops in my classroom and believe that I am helping my students grow to be very strong readers and writers. Each unit of study addresses different benchmarks that my students are expected to meet in third grade. However, my goal is to make the learning as enjoyable and creative as possible. That doesn't mean that I am straying from the benchmarks. I am simply working as hard as I can to make my teaching as effective as it can be while also making it fun. Creativity and thinking "outside the box" are important as I shape my students as learners and prepare them not only for "the test" but also for the real world. Many teachers in my district take this same approach, and I am proud to say that we regularly have some of the highest standardized test scores in the state:)
-Beth