TestEdge® Grades 3-5 Teacher's Kit

TestEdge® Grades 3-5 Teacher’s Kit
For classroom use

Bridging emotional and academic learning
Understand how your emotions and attitudes are affecting children’s academic work. TestEdge is a scientifically validated supplemental classroom program that improves test scores, learning readiness, attitudes and behavior problems. Young students are unprepared for the pressure of state-required exams and can become emotionally and/or physically upset weeks in advance. As a result, their ability to learn new information and to recall and use what they have already learned is greatly inhibited. With TestEdge tools and strategies, students learn to overcome test anxiety and discouragement, develop test-taking skills and improve listening and focusing. There are two essential HeartMath tools: Freeze-Frame® helps them step back from situations to find new options and solutions; and Neutral helps them neutralize strong emotions. Easy to use and integrates effortlessly into regular curriculums. Each lesson in TestEdge for grades 3-5 is presented on a photo lesson card that includes fully scripted lesson plans for teaching the core concepts.

What is Test Anxiety?
Test anxiety is almost universal. Anxiety creates a kind of "noise" or "mental static" in the brain that blocks our ability to retrieve what's stored in memory and greatly impairs our ability to comprehend and reason. In testing situations, this means we have trouble remembering facts and have difficulty with questions that require thinking or problem-solving. A low score or failing a test does not always mean a student hasn't learned the material or doesn't know how to think through a problem; often it means the student hasn't learned how to deal with the anxiety caused by taking tests.

Why Heart-Based Education? HeartMath research has identified a measurable physiological state that underlies optimal learning and performance. In this state, our emotions are calm, and our brain, nervous system and other bodily systems function with increased synchronization and harmony. In simple terms, we’re highly in sync – physically, mentally and emotionally. This in turn, facilitates the higher cognitive processes critical for focusing attention, reasoning and creativity – all essential for effective learning, academic achievement and social success.

Scientific Validation: TestEdge is based on leading research into the physiology of learning and performance. This research has led to the development of effective strategies and tools that facilitate higher cognitive functioning. This results in "cortical facilitation," which is directly associated with improved comprehension, memory recall and the ability to solve problems – all skills that shorten learning cycles and produce positive test results. Dr. Rollin McCraty says the key to understanding how anxiety inhibits cognitive and physical performance lies in understanding how emotions affect the rhythmic activity in the nervous system. Feelings like frustration, anger and anxiety cause the neural activity in the two branches of the autonomic nervous system to get out of sync. This affects the synchronized activity in the brain, disrupting our ability to think clearly. Conversely, uplifting feelings such as appreciation lead to increased harmony and synchronization in the brain and nervous system, which facilitate our ability to think clearly. In one study of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students with learning disabilities, the children demonstrated an average improvement of 1.5 years' growth in reading proficiency after three weeks of practicing HeartMath techniques; reading skills were measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test before and after the program. TestEdge ignites the motivation for students to develop a positive learning attitude essential for academic success, healthy self-esteem and success.

Easy to teach
TestEdge is presented in a flexible format. It’s fully scripted lessons and 16 poster-sized photo lesson cards and can be taught in 16 10-to-20-minute sessions. Total instruction time is about five hours.

TestEdge Teacher's Kit includes:

• Teacher's manual (fully scripted lesson plans)
• 16 poster-sized laminated photo lesson cards
• One student workbook
• Two full-color 11 x 17 posters

Student Activity Book:

• 14 lessons, 21 worksheets
• Fun graphics and cartoons
• Interactive exercises and practice worksheets in every lesson to sustain tools
• 24 pages, 8 1/2 x 11, 4-color cover, softbound

Table of Contents: Worksheets
Lesson 1 – Feeling Words, How Do You Feel About Tests? and Word Find
Lesson 2 – Body Map
Lesson 3 – How to Create a Feeling of Appreciation
Lesson 4 – Freeze –Frame® Practice
Lesson 5 – Road from Stress Town to Calm City
Lesson 6 – Getting in Sync
Lesson 7 and 8 – The Neutral Tool
Lesson 10 – Build a Breakfast
Lesson 11 – A Survey of Habits
Lesson 12 – 'Just Right Me' Survey and 'Just Right Me' Plan
Lesson 13 – Pace Don’t Race, Follow Directions Carefully, Bubble It Right, Easy First-Hard Last, Make Your Best Guess and A Not Very Serious Practice Test
Lesson 14 – Your TestEdge Checklist

School quantity discounts for Teacher’s Kit and Student Activity Book
Call toll free in U.S. 1-800-711-6221 or e-mail info@heartmath.org

Also try the emWave Personal Stress Reliever and emWave PC
Our children are not immune to the increase in stress levels. They have names for their stress as well: test anxiety or test stress, math anxiety and peer pressure. There is enormous pressure to do well in school and fit in, not to mention numerous relationship issues with family, friends and teachers. There are effective solutions. The hand held emWave Personal Stress Reliever or emWave PC are based on the principle of learning to change your heart-rhythm pattern and create physiological coherence in the body. You can use this technology with yourself and your whole family. It helps students gain internal awareness and self-regulation while improving their behavior, learning and test scores.

The emWave Personal Stress Reliever is a portable approach that can help give sustained stress relief and emotional balance anytime, anywhere to people ages 8 and up.

The emWave PC is a computer-based interactive learning system that helps students generate a state of synchronized inner coherence, helping them 'get in sync'. By seeing the changes in real time they can see how anxiety affects their brains and bodies and then can practice reversing these effects. It's easy to use and noninvasive. Play interactive games and review sessions. For children ages 8 and up.
For site license pricing call toll free in U.S. 1-800-711-6261 or e-mail info@heartmath.org