The day before the reading STAAR test, students in Lacy Hanson’s third grade class walked into the classroom to find it transformed into an Operating Room. The students grouped up and scrubbed in for STAAR Prep surgery.  

Once the students were transformed into doctors and dressed in their surgical gear, the lifesaving surgeries began. The surgery consisted of reading STAAR type passages, including poems, revising and editing as well as paired passages. The ‘doctors’ had to read the passages, answer questions, find contextual proof, and work together to keep their patient alive.  

Hanson stated her goal for the activity was to relieve some of the pretest stress and anxieties, while reviewing materials for the STAAR.  

“I was tired of the normal practice of prepping for the test. I thought it would be a fun way to take a little pressure off the kids to do something more engaging the day before the test. Give their fears and anxiety the day off.” 

The students truly loved this engaging activity. The groups worked well together to keep their patients alive. Hanson stated that the ‘surgery’ was the perfect activity to distract the students from their test anxiety while utilizing the last day before the test to review.