Fun Ways of Getting Ready for the State Test

From the Apple

It is about the time for teachers to be prepping their class for the sate test. You'll love this Jeopardy Game that comes from Intermediate teacher Christy Constande to help prepare her students. She gives this for homework and then has the children use these questions to play Jeopardy. You can change or make up your own questions to emphasize the strategies you are teaching your own students about your state test.

FCAT Jeopardy - Study Guide
Answer the following questions.

1. If the questions stems says, “Which event happened after ________,” what are you going to do?
0 A. Pick an answer because you just read the text.
0 B. Read the answer choices carefully and mark the one you think it is.
0 C. Reread the question stem to know exactly what you are looking for.
0 D. Go back to the text and find the answer because it is a sequencing question.

2. If the question stem says, “What is the main idea of the passage?” what are you going to do?
0 A. Think about what you read and mark your answer.
0 B. Reread the entire piece of text.
0 C. Think about the title and the text to rethink in your mind what you were just reading about. 0 D. Mark the longest answer because that is probably the answer.

3. If the question stem says, “What caused or what was the result of….?” what are you going to do?
0 A. Go back to the text and find your answer because cause and effect relationships are RIGHT THERE questions.
0 B. Read the choices and mark the answer you think it is.
0 C. Mark “C” because “C” is usually the answer.
0 D. Guess

4. If the question stems says, “What do you think..?” what are you going to do?
0 A. Read the four answer choice carefully to see which matches the text and what you are thinking in your mind.
0 B. Go back to the text and hunt for the answer.
0 C. Mark the answer that looks right.
0 D. Close your eyes and drop your pencil and see where it lands.

5. If you have a map, diagram or chart to look at, what should you do when you go to answer the question?
0 A. Look only at the map, diagram, or chart.
0 B. Look back at the text for the answer.
0 C. Reread the directions.
0 D. Look at the text and the map, diagram, or chart to find the answer.

6. What is the first thing you should read when a piece of text is in front of you?
0 A. the title
0 B. the directions
0 C. the text
0 D. the answer choices

7. Why should you read the title of the text?
0 A. It comes before the text.
0 B. It is in big letters and may be important.
0 C. It may give a clue as to what the text will be about and will get your brain thinking about the text.
0 D. Your teacher thinks that titles are important and you should always read them.

8. Read Think and Explain answers should start with….
0 A. a topic sentences that includes words from the question.
0 B. restating the entire question and then answering the question.
0 C. an engaging lead like a story.
0 D. your opinion on the question.

9. Read Think and Explain answers MUST include
0 A. your opinions
0 B. a retelling of the story
0 C. specific details from the story and proper nouns
0 D. the question stem written word for word before your answer

10. It is important on a Read Think and Explain to
0 A. write neatly
0 B. spell words in the text and question correctly
0 C. go back to the text and look for EXACT details
0 D. all of the above

11. When reading the text, the most important strategy would be to
0 A. read slowly
0 B. read with expression
0 C. underline important information and talk back to the text
0 D. don’t skip words

12. If you don’t understand the question, you should
0 A. ask your teacher for help
0 B. guess
0 C. reread the text
0 D. reread the question stem

13. When answering questions an effective strategy to help you find the right answer would be to
0 A. guess
0 B. draw a line through the answers you know are wrong
0 C. put an X on the right side of the answers you know are wrong
0 D. bubble in neatly

14. If you can’t find the answer, you should
0 A. sit and ponder for a long time
0 B. go back and reread the text that has to do with the question
0 C. skip it
0 D. guess

15. If you come across a vocabulary word and they ask you what the meaning is, the meaning will probably be
0 A. really hard to read
0 B. easy to read
0 C. a word you have never ever seen before
0 D. a word that you may know and that will make sense in the sentence when you plug it back in

16. If you finish the test before time is called you should
0 A. take a deep breath
0 B. reread the question stems and your answer choice to see if they match up
0 C. close your booklet and take a nap
0 D. wink at your teacher because you are done

Official Observation

From the Star

So the time of the year is here. It's observation time. This time I was a lot more prepared. I got to choose the time and the day that the Assistant Principal would be coming to observe. I chose for her to come during reading, because this is the most structured time of my day and is first thing in the morning. There is always a plan and the rituals and routines are strong. Of course, I can't fit everything into that 90 minute reading block that I would like to, but still I chose this time because I figured this would be the time of the day when I would have the most control. So came the appointed day. All morning I worried about her coming and stressed and even freaked out a little bit. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but when I know someone important is coming to watch me and not just observe but critique me, I get really nervous.

When she arrived I had already began my lesson and I was feeling pretty confident. I was in the zone teaching and the students were learning. I did notice, as did she, that the same students were putting their hands up each time to answer questions. However, it wasn't a horrible thing because all of the other students were paying attention and following along with their graphic organizers. All in all I thought that the lesson went pretty darn good. I was ready to talk to her to see what she had to say. I was still nervous at the same time. Just because I thought it was good does not mean that it was really that good.

As I stepped into her office I took a deep breath and braced myself for what might be about to come. I was immediately put at ease when the first thing that she said was, "Wow, your class was really well behaved." You might be thinking they were well behaved because the assistant principal was in there, but let me tell you that does not phase my students! The VP actually stops by our classrooms quite frequently so this is not something special. Of course I didn't tell her that I told my class that she was there to observe their behavior so they better be at their best! Go me! As the meeting went on she complimented me on a lot of things and gave me some really good advice.

One of the strategies that she talked to me about that I really like is the "pair share." This is just a time after your whole group instruction to have the students talk among their tables and fill out a graphic organizers together to share with the class. Another great tip that she shared with me was to appoint someone from each group to be the reporter so that more students would be involved and so that you can hear from those who usually don't share. I like this idea because if you change the reporter each day you will have a chance to boost self-esteem while learning. I have just started to try some of the strategies that she talked to me about and I have found that they are working out great and with lots of practice I will hopefully be able to perfect them and use them regularly.

You better believe that I will be implementing those strategies the next time she comes. Actually I found them to be very helpful. So when the day was finally over, I was relieved - especially when I found out that she had given me all exemplary markings. Whew!

Well until next time... Have a great time forming all those unique little minds!

Holiday Magic

From the Apple

When I say good-by to my kindergarten children before the Winter holidays, it's always bittersweet. I know that I will miss them but I also know from years of experience that something happens over the holidays with little kids. It's simply magic! When my kiddos come back, they not only look older but all of a sudden you realize that they have internalized so much that you have been teaching. They know the rituals and routines of the classroom. They walk back into the new year so respectfully, almost quietly, like they are as happy as you are to be back! Of course, that quiet thing only lasts a day or two and they are back to their energetic little selves, but it's a good feeling when they come back. You know you spent the fall teaching your heart out and now you know for sure that they really have been learning!

This year was much like that for me. I have worked with a challenging little group of kindergartners this year, many with GREAT challenges. I remember our very first day together and thinking, "Oh my! It will take us until Christmas to see any progress!" Now it's the new year and I really can SEE the progress. I was smiling to myself the entire day.

Now I'm wondering if you get that same "magic" effect with intermediate students?

Back to School

From the Star

The time has come to go back to school. I can actually say that I feel very prepared for the first time since the school year has started! I'm sure that the reason that I feel this way is because of all the rest I got aver the winter break but also because of all the planning I did. Although I only went to school once over vacation and stayed just under 2 hours, just long enough to get all the folders and binders that I needed to plan, I spent hours and hours at home planning. I guess those people that think we have such a "cake" job don't count all those hours. Oh, if only they knew.

Now, let's talk about what they call a winter break. I mean is it really a break? I can say that it is a physical break for sure, but I don't know how much of a break it really is when you can't stop thinking about all the things to do when you get back. I tried my hardest to really enjoy my family and friends and put school completely out of my mind, but I found myself letting school seep right into my thoughts- wondering how I could make a difference with a certain student or wondering what I needed to do to get some of my students ready for the state test. Of course now that school is back in gear, I am very grateful for the time I spent on my vacation working. It does give me a sense of calm as I come to our Planning Day.

I do wonder however who the smart guy was that decided to have us come back the Friday before the kids come back? I mean, really, couldn't we just enjoy one more day and the last weekend with our friends and family? I mean the planning day is nice but having it on a Monday would have been nicer!

While I feel very prepared right now, I am sure that in a week I will be just as stressed and crazy as ever. Our state tests, Florida Writes and the FCAT are just around the corner. (One of the kids told me that FCAT stands for Florida Children Are Tortured!) I teach a combination 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade class so ALL of my little friends are taking some part of the state test! No pressure, right? -especially for a new teacher? Anyone have any suggestions for priorities in these last few weeks leading up to the test?

Another Newbie Story

From the Star

So with the holidays getting near, things are getting super hectic. If it wasn’t crazy with the students being off their rockers because they are so excited about not only Christmas and getting a break from “so much work”, we have to try to balance Invention Convention, holiday activities, our everyday lessons and the dreadful FAIR. Wow, and some say teachers have a cake job. If only they knew!

We have been working on the Expository writing in Writers' Workshop for the last 3 weeks and, of course, all children work at their own pace. So I have some students who have been done since week one and then others who haven’t even finished their final drafts and begun to publish. So the question is what do you do with my accelerated writers. I asked the other teachers for ideas on what they do. They told me that they just have them write another piece, which would usually be a pretty easy task, but with the holidays around the corner getting them to finish the one piece and do it correctly has been a task. So I decided to let my students get into groups of 3 or 4 and create either a expository skit explaining something that they enjoy or a narrative skit. I thought it was a great idea because it gave the students a chance to work on their writing skills as well as work as collaborating. In the planning stage I figured the kids would get ideas of how other kids planned and they would enjoy the work at the same time. Now that's a novel idea - work and fun at the same time!

For the past week the students have been working on their skits and the day came for them to share what they had been doing with me. Well, as I am sure I have told you before, the assistant principal likes to pop in 2-3 times a week just to see what I am doing. When she walked in this time I had the students putting on a skit about the basics of soccer, so they were kicking a ball around as they explained the details of how to do each specific move. Let me just tell you the look on her face when she walked in was priceless. She had that look of “What the **** is going on!” So when the boys finished their play I had them explain to her what they were doing and what the purpose was. Of course I had a moment of panic at what they might say but they actually did a great job explaining the activity and how it helped with learning how to explain something. Well if that wasn’t enough for a day, not two seconds after she walked out the Principal came by to see our skits. Now let me just tell you she rarely comes in, so, of course, I was thinking, “Oh boy!” She stayed for the whole skit that was being performed so once the girls finished, they talked with the principal. She read the skit and they talked about the activity and, as usual, she just left the classroom without saying a word to me. So now I am stuck thinking to myself, did they both come in because they thought that it was a great way of learning or did they both come in to see what I was doing because they thought it was a horrible idea? Unless someone tells me differently, I thought that the skits were good. The students seemed to really enjoy it while learning all at the same time. It's hard to get better at your craft if you don't get any feedback. It's always nice to hear good stuff but actually, even if it's hard to hear, you really learn the most from honest feedback. Teachers, and administrators, seem to have a difficult time with that... Can't wait for the break - from the confused stressed out newbie

Teaming is Hard Work!

From the Apple

You bring up so many feeling that I think new teachers have - trying to fit in even when you are new and trying to be a part of a team. Not an easy task!

Unfortunately principals don't have a crystal ball when they put teams together. Sometimes they put people together that just don't meld. Sometimes they put people together because they know that they really need each other but... teaming really takes work! Being the new person on a team is always hard because the other members sometimes have relationships - very deep relationships. They have found a way to work together and adding a new person means that everything changes. Teachers can be pretty famous for not wanting to change!

First of all, I would suggest that you really try to LISTEN. The people on your team really do know things that you don't. They have had several years to figure things out and you really could learn from their experiences. You may not always agree, but you should listen.

Second, I would continue to engage your teammates. Ask questions respectfully when you don't understand decisions. Ask if something has been tried before and why it did or didn't work. Get as much information as you can before you make a judgement. When you do make suggestions, don't worry that they get changed. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you quit caring about who gets the credit. It doesn't really matter whose idea it is. It matters what is best for kids. The rest, believe me, will take care of itself.

Lastly, some teams are simply dysfunctional. You may be on one of them. If that's the case, seek out other people in the school that you can trust and collaborate with. How is the Reading Coach or another beginning teachers or another teacher that teaches on your grade level or the Media Specialist? In every school there are people who naturally find each other and really enjoy working together. Just one "friend" can make all the difference. Just don't burn any bridges with your own team. You certainly don't want to be known as the "Drama Queen!"

When all else fails, keep your eye on the kids. That's why you wanted to be a teacher and that's what you will take with you this first year - memories of the children, your first class. Remember that you are on an adventure and you will learn a million lessons this year that will make you a better teacher next year. On a bad day, just remember to count your blessings!

Frustrations

From the Seed:


While teaching is a very collaborative profession I seem to be finding a little bit of trouble feeling this way as a new teacher. While I know that many of the teachers that I work with are experienced and often do have great ideas I find that my ideas seem to slip through the cracks. As I bring up new ideas to my pod I find that they often just ignore them or try to trump me with a better idea. I have also realized that when I do come up with an idea that they like that they will use it but change it in some way so that it is now different and no longer my idea. While the teachers that I work with may not even know that they are doing this, I am finding it very frustrating to even try to collaborate and plan with them. What I find to be the most frustrating about it all is the fact that my principal keeps telling me that I need to give more input and give all my great ideas. What she doesn’t know is that I have and I just keep getting shut down. For most this may be frustrating enough to want to quit giving advice, but as a new enthusiastic teacher I am determined to make my opinions known and promote collaboration between me and the teachers in my pod that will make the learning and environment the most successful for each child.

Any suggestions on how to share my new, maybe too enthusiastic, ideas with seasoned teachers? Any suggestions on not taking it personally when I seem to be ignored?