We had a pep rally for the ISAT test--three hundred screaming children and the loudest music I've heard in years (and I used to be a Led Zepplin fan). The music went right through me, but the dancing was fairly interesting and the "shout outs" and chants were fine.

My class used African drums to create a beat.

"We're from 209 and we want to say
The ISAT will be a real treat.
Now sit back while we make a beat."

Then one of my students flipped again and again down the entire gymnasium from one end to the other, landed in front of a talking drum and immediately all of the drummers--including the gymnast--started beating away. The rest of my boys began dancing wildly in front of the drummers and the audience went wild. The best part about it was my classroom organized and orchestrated the whole thing themselves.

Guess it worked.

Tomorrow is the ISAT. Cross your fingers.