Tomorrow is our next state test in reading. Reading is done on the computer and will most likely take half of a day for most of the students. While most of the students will finish be lunch time, any students who do not finish will be given until the end of the day in order to finish.
I am confident that the students will do their best and will do amazingly! They have finished two full days of writing so a half day of reading will be a breeze! :)
Please make sure your student comes packed with a hearty snack and a water bottle to stay hydrated through the warm weather we are having. Thanks so much and make sure we get plenty of rest for tomorrow!
Showing posts with label MSP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MSP. Show all posts
Monday, May 6, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
MSP WRITING - Day 2
Thankfull we have the weekend to rest and get our brains ready for our next set of tests - reading (on Tuesday) and math (on Thursday). I know they will continue to do a fantastic job.
Thanks for all of you who are supporting your students at home with healthy breakfasts and plenty of sleep. Write ROLL on your student's planner tonight for 5 bonus points! :)
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
MSP - DAY ONE - Writing
The class is doing an amazing job buckling down and working on their writing and testing their hardest! I am so impressed!
To get the students motivated to do their best, they were greeted with this testing treat on their desk!
They were so excited to see that little something extra and happy to have a sweet treat to munch on. Brains working that hard make us extra hungry! :)
Students were also given gum to keep their wiggles to a minimum and pretzels this afternoon to keep the brain on full charge! I know they did a great job!
Write the word LUCKY on your students planner for 5 bonus points! :) Congratuate your student on a job well done! :)
To get the students motivated to do their best, they were greeted with this testing treat on their desk!
Students were also given gum to keep their wiggles to a minimum and pretzels this afternoon to keep the brain on full charge! I know they did a great job!
Write the word LUCKY on your students planner for 5 bonus points! :) Congratuate your student on a job well done! :)
Monday, April 29, 2013
Writing MSP Tomorrow (Tuesday)
The BIG day has arrived and we are ready for our first MSP tomorrow - WRITING! While I can't believe it is time already, I know that the students are well prepared for whatever those prompts may be!
Students will have ALL day to complete each prompt. There is no need to rush and I am sure everyone will do amazing.
Please make sure that your student gets plenty of sleep, gets a hearty breakfast, and brings both a snack and water bottle to school tomorrow. There will be breaks and lunch as usual, just in a different way since we will be testing. I expect that most students will need the full day for writing so be prepared to have a mentally exhausted kiddo tomorrow night!
Since we have to cover all of our walls for the test, we spent some time today decorating large "posters" to give students motivation during the test and give them something fun to look at instead of blank paper. Now our lovely anchor charts and walls look like this:
This is one of the motivational pictures that students drew. It says, "Do your best on the MSP for me and everyone else" with an arrow pointing to it that says, "How can you say no to him?" I love that students were getting create and were taking this seriously (in a fun way)! :)
We will see you tomorrow, ready to write and put everything we have learned this year to work! Get plenty of rest and know that you'll all do GREAT!
Students will have ALL day to complete each prompt. There is no need to rush and I am sure everyone will do amazing.
Please make sure that your student gets plenty of sleep, gets a hearty breakfast, and brings both a snack and water bottle to school tomorrow. There will be breaks and lunch as usual, just in a different way since we will be testing. I expect that most students will need the full day for writing so be prepared to have a mentally exhausted kiddo tomorrow night!
Since we have to cover all of our walls for the test, we spent some time today decorating large "posters" to give students motivation during the test and give them something fun to look at instead of blank paper. Now our lovely anchor charts and walls look like this:
The classroom feels so small with all these coverings! :(
We will see you tomorrow, ready to write and put everything we have learned this year to work! Get plenty of rest and know that you'll all do GREAT!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Book Orders and MSP Prep
Book orders came home yesterday with students and are due May 1st by 5 pm. Online is a great way to order so that both our classroom and your student gets a free book! It's hard to beat that deal! :)
The MSP prep continues in our classroom (I can't believe we have MSP already next Tuesday!). This week we have been working really hard to prepare for our writing tests next week by doing a mock writing MSP - we are sitting down and pretending that it is the real thing! The kids are doing great, especially considering the weather is GORGEOUS out and we all just really want to be outside playing. :) I am actually really impressed with how well students are doing on their writing and I hope that continues next week for "the real thing"!
In terms of MSP, just a reminder that for our testing days, please make sure your student is well rested and has a hearty breakfast. On those days it is a great idea to also send them with a water bottle and a hearty snack (not junk food) to have during our long testing days to keep our stamina high.
Thanks for your support! Write MSP on your student's planner today for bonus points!
The MSP prep continues in our classroom (I can't believe we have MSP already next Tuesday!). This week we have been working really hard to prepare for our writing tests next week by doing a mock writing MSP - we are sitting down and pretending that it is the real thing! The kids are doing great, especially considering the weather is GORGEOUS out and we all just really want to be outside playing. :) I am actually really impressed with how well students are doing on their writing and I hope that continues next week for "the real thing"!
In terms of MSP, just a reminder that for our testing days, please make sure your student is well rested and has a hearty breakfast. On those days it is a great idea to also send them with a water bottle and a hearty snack (not junk food) to have during our long testing days to keep our stamina high.
Thanks for your support! Write MSP on your student's planner today for bonus points!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Coming soon: MSP!
State testing time is shockingly right around the corner for us! I can't believe we are there already, but then again, this is the last week of March! Where has the time gone?
In class we have been practicing weekly for our upcoming MSP because I strongly believe that much of the anxiety around the test comes from "the unknown" where students here this acronym, MSP, and aren't sure what it will be like, what questions they will be asked, how long it will take, etc. and anxiety instantly hits the roof. With anxiety that high, it's really hard to concentrate on actually taking the test because students are really just trying to take it all in!
As we have been practicing I have noticed that a LOT of our class is REALLY struggling with the reading questions. The higher level thinking (like inferencing, vocabulary, etc) is a real struggle for our group. Unfortunately, that is a BIG part of fourth grade that we are continuing to work on and a BIG part of the MSP. The other big struggle from our group is the lack of persistence in problem solving, both for reading and math. When students are coming to problems that are unfamiliar, or at first glance are difficult, students completely are shutting down and not even trying. TRYING to solve the problem is better than leaving answers blank, so please stress that with your student. The expectation from every student is that they will do their best. Doing your best is all that I can ask from anyone so that's all that matters. If you're trying your hardest and REALLY thinking, the MSP shouldn't be something to stress or fret over.
Talk with your student about how they can prepare for the MSP, their feelings and concerns. If you talk about this with them, please write MSP on their planner for bonus points.
In class we have been practicing weekly for our upcoming MSP because I strongly believe that much of the anxiety around the test comes from "the unknown" where students here this acronym, MSP, and aren't sure what it will be like, what questions they will be asked, how long it will take, etc. and anxiety instantly hits the roof. With anxiety that high, it's really hard to concentrate on actually taking the test because students are really just trying to take it all in!
As we have been practicing I have noticed that a LOT of our class is REALLY struggling with the reading questions. The higher level thinking (like inferencing, vocabulary, etc) is a real struggle for our group. Unfortunately, that is a BIG part of fourth grade that we are continuing to work on and a BIG part of the MSP. The other big struggle from our group is the lack of persistence in problem solving, both for reading and math. When students are coming to problems that are unfamiliar, or at first glance are difficult, students completely are shutting down and not even trying. TRYING to solve the problem is better than leaving answers blank, so please stress that with your student. The expectation from every student is that they will do their best. Doing your best is all that I can ask from anyone so that's all that matters. If you're trying your hardest and REALLY thinking, the MSP shouldn't be something to stress or fret over.
Talk with your student about how they can prepare for the MSP, their feelings and concerns. If you talk about this with them, please write MSP on their planner for bonus points.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Test Prep and Classroom Help!
Today was our first of several "Test-Prep Tuesdays" as we make sure all students are prepared and comfortable with the MSP. While I absolutely know that there are mixed reviews about "teaching about the test" with students, I want to let you know that I am not teaching TO the test, but simply to let students have exposure to the problems they will likely encounter so that when the big day finally arrives, there is no need to be stressed or anxious since we have seen it SO many times before. I have found it to be very helpful in helping students do their best since the "mystery" surrounding a test is completely gone and they are prepared and comfortable for the MSP, which is half of the battle. Ask your student how they are feeling about EACH part of the test: writing (2 FULL days, reading, and math [taken in that order]). Make sure that you, as family members, don't put any extra stress on the students about the test. I tell them, it's just another test, like what we do all the time so there is no need to be stressed. As long as they are doing their BEST, that's all we can ask. And remember, it's just one piece of data about your student.
To all those families that have said they want to help out in the classroom FROM HOME, I am calling on you now! :) We have been getting a lot of books for our ever-expanding classroom library, which is great to continue to build reading stamina and interest for all students. However, we need help finding levels for those books and that is where you come in! If you're interested, please email me and I can send a bag of books home with your student. The process is simple, just enter the title of the book into an online database and write down the level for the book! Easy! :) Thanks for helping and supporting our classroom!
To all those families that have said they want to help out in the classroom FROM HOME, I am calling on you now! :) We have been getting a lot of books for our ever-expanding classroom library, which is great to continue to build reading stamina and interest for all students. However, we need help finding levels for those books and that is where you come in! If you're interested, please email me and I can send a bag of books home with your student. The process is simple, just enter the title of the book into an online database and write down the level for the book! Easy! :) Thanks for helping and supporting our classroom!
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