Glow Day Classroom Transformation: ELAR Testing Prep Fun
I’ve done Glow Day almost every year before state testing (except for last year, as I was on maternity leave), and it’s probably my favorite day of the school year ever. I completely transform the classroom and we spend an entire block playing games and preparing for the STAAR test. My kids have a blast and I have fun watching and interacting with them!
Although I personally use this to prepare for our state test, many educators have been purchasing this resource for use year-round. So, it’s totally feasible to use it to prepare for any test, or just when you want a fun way to review reading test taking strategies.
Keep reading to learn all about it!
What Is Glow Day, Anyways?
Glow Day is a classroom transformation that will fully immerse your students into their learning activities for the day. In my resource, there are stations with games to play to practice ELAR test-taking strategies. Changing grade levels? No problem. It’s editable, meaning you can use it over and over again because you can use your own passage and input your own questions, regardless of genre.
Why should I download this resource?
🌟 Your students will be engaged
Need I say more? I turned off the overhead lighting and only used blacklights and a little disco light during Glow Day - so cool! I also let the kids use highlighters to complete the work, which are blacklight-reactive and have a really cool effect. Your students will enjoy these activities so much, they won’t even know they’re learning.
🌟 Your students will be better prepared for their tests
This resource covers several things that are important for testing: common question vocabulary, question stems, process of elimination, inferencing, making connections, and comprehension strategies. Reviewing these things before taking any test will be highly beneficial.
🌟Your students will get to take a break from all the test-prep WHILE still being productive
We all know testing season can be brutal, and while it’s important to prepare them and practice strategies and whatnot, it can become kind of bland after a while. This Glow Day resource will allow your kids to have some much-needed fun before taking a big state test.
🌟It’s editable
As stated before, this resource is editable. There is a version included that uses a poem, and so has some questions for that, but a recently-updated version is now included that allows you to add your own passage and your own questions so that you know with certainty that it’s what your students need.
🌟Decorations are included
If you want to put a little bit of extra pizzazz into your day, there are banners and posters included that will make your Glow Day shine a little brighter.
What’s included?
A projectable screen
Glow Day Tickets
Tips and Suggested Use page (including what I personally used to make my Glow Day super awesome)
Picture example pages
An annotation checklist for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry - to help your students annotate before beginning!
4 different student score cards
6 station directions cards
Editable slides
Two different "GLOW DAY" banners
Lightbulb banners
Lightbulb wall decor
Arrow wall decor
Wristbands
Some things I used during my Glow Day
So, I’m an Amazon enthusiast. Bezos has most of my money. To make your glow day even MORE exciting, you may have to purchase a few things. I considered this an investment, as I would be using them for years to come. If you’re interested in what I personally decided to use, check them out on my Storefront here.
Most of these things I’m sure you could find in any store, but, as I don’t like going out shopping for things…. The internet, it is!
Heads up! The link included are items that I use and love. If you take action (i.e. make a purchase) after clicking the affiliate link, I’ll earn some coffee money, ☕️ but you will not pay a higher price.
Praise for Glow Day
“Absolutely loved using these resources throughout the year to up the engagement factor. ★★★★★”
“This was so much fun! I had fun setting up my classroom and my students were engaged the entire time! ★★★★★”
“These glow day decorations were everything! They made my room pop. ★★★★★”
“During our STAAR incentive day, we had a themed glow party. This product was great to use for this. Students were highly engaged with their lessons! ★★★★★”
Join the Upper Elementary Resource Vault!
Ready to spend less time searching for quality teaching resources and more time doing what you love?
Inside The Resource Vault, you'll get instant access to a growing library of upper elementary classroom resources, seasonal activities, reading and writing lessons, classroom management tools, and more—all designed to save you hours of planning time.
As a member, you'll also receive new resources for free each month, including exclusive materials available only inside the Vault. With fresh ideas and ready-to-use resources always at your fingertips, you'll never run out of engaging lessons for your students.
Click below to explore the Vault and see everything that's waiting for you!
Have fun!
If you use this for your classroom, I would ✨LOVE✨ to see pictures of you and your kids in action! Tag me on TikTok or Instagram! My handle is @teachandachieve on both platforms.
Questions, comments, or concerns? Drop any of those below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Until next time!
-Aimee ♡
