Viewing: Class Updates
March 12, 2012
Spring Parent-Teacher Conference Schedule
Please take a moment to check your scheduled parent-teacher conference time. You can access it through the link on the left sidebar of this page. In order to protect student privacy, the page is password protected. I’ve sent home a letter confirming our scheduled time, and the password for the page is at the bottom of the letter. Please confirm your time with the master list, just to make sure. This is the document I work off of, so what you see here is what I use. I update the schedule whenever someone requests a change, so please email me if you want one of the free time slots and I’ll make the adjustments to the schedule. Thank you!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
March 6, 2012
My “talking points” about the CMTs
The students in our class are nervous about the CMTs. This is 100% normal, and we (teachers) work
very hard to help kids to cope with the text anxiety that many of them feel during this testing period. I want to share with you some of what I tell kids about the CMTs in hopes that we can share similar messages to the kids:
- Many kids may feel like this toddler, AND THAT’S OK.
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“Yes, the CMTs do matter.” I think we have a tendency to try to downplay the importance of the CMTs to kids in hopes of solving their fears. But they hear teachers talking about them all year, they may see you open the envelope that has their scores, and they know that no other event in school gets such special, formal treatment. They know full well that the CMTs are a big deal.
- “The CMTs help you.” I think this is entirely truthful. Teachers use the CMTs to adjust our instruction to meet the needs of our learners. We use them to be more effective teachers, which absolutely helps kids. (Sure, there are other roles that the CMTs play, but why burden kids with extra focus on these parts?)
- “The CMTs will ___ and will not ____.” You might be surprised what misconceptions kids have about the CMTs. Today, I was asked if poor performance on these tests will prevent kids from going to fifth grade (no) or if it will keep kids from getting into college (double no). I try to be absolutely direct when telling what effect the CMTs will and will not have. (If you have a question about this, please ask me.)
- “It’s ok to be worried!” I think we have a tendency to try to remove kids fears by saying “Oh, don’t worry!” or “There’s no reason to be nervous!” The truth is, if a child is worried about the test, then clearly they feel that they have a reason to worry. I try to validate their feelings, and I instead focus on helping them to stop feeling worried, not on telling them to stop worrying.
- “Just try your best.” I have been very direct with kids – I ask them just to try their very hardest. If they can honestly tell me that they did, then I’m proud of them. But part of trying your best means taking time to remember the things you have been taught and making yourself think carefully about your choices during an assessment, not just picking the first answer that looks decent so that you can move on to the next item. It also means CHECKING OVER your work.
- “Sleep.” A sleepy student is predisposed to performing poorly on the CMTs. Please make sure that your child gets PLENTY of sleep the night before a test. (Consider enforcing earlier bedtimes, if you deem it appropriate.)
- “Have a calm morning.” By the same token, please try to minimize morning stress. Coming to school late and/or coming after a chaotic morning will put your child in a bad mind-set for testing. Try to make sure your child arrives on-time to school, as late arriving students will NOT be allowed to enter the classroom during testing. They will be sent to the library and will be expected to make up tests at another time. Students who are absent the day of a test will need to make it up after the conclusion of standard testing. This will cause them to miss classroom instruction, so it’s important that, whenever possible, students not be absent during CMT testing.
- “Dress comfortably.” Nobody is worried about fashion during this week of testing. Kids should dress in a comfortable outfit that doesn’t distract them as they work. (Haven’t we all been bothered by an itchy label or a pair of shoes that doesn’t fit quite right?)
- “Eat breakfast.” A filling, nutritious breakfast is also essential to good test performance. (Growling stomachs will distract your child, and, frankly, other students too.) Please try to make sure your child has breakfast at home. Healthy snacks will be provided for students before testing, but there is no substitute for a good breakfast.
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
March 6, 2012
CMTs Off to a Good Start!
One down, many to go! Our school started the Connecticut Mastery Tests this morning with the writing prompt. This is the one mastery test that everyone in the state takes at the same time, and I think there is something special about that. First, let me explain that I cannot share what today’s writing prompt was. As a teacher, I’m obligated to keep that secret because the CMTs are a controlled test, and their content cannot be discussed until the state releases them (typically in the summer). Having said that, your sons and daughters are not bound by the same rules, and I encourage you to discuss today’s assessment with them, find out how they felt about the topic and how they think they did on the prompt. (I encourage this sort of discussion for all of the mastery test days, but particularly for today!) I do want to say how proud I am of all the kids in our class! Everyone worked hard on the test and seemed to put a lot of effort into their work! Hopefully everyone managed to avoid Calvin’s dreaded writer’s block (see left) as they developed their narrative stories.
Tomorrow, the kids will complete the editing and revising test. I was not exaggerating when I told the students that I was certain that they are well-prepared. I know they will continue to work hard, which is all I can ask for! Be sure to take a look at my next post: all about how we are preparing for the upcoming math assessments.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
March 5, 2012
Our Math Work
- We are working very hard to avoid your son or daughter feeling like this poor girl!
The Connecticut Mastery Tests divide skill areas into different topics, called strands. Last month, I shared with you how we’re working on a variety of different skills. We are still working on the math review packet, which focuses on some of the areas where students strugged on last year’s mastery tests. Because this directly addresses those weaker strands, it ignores other skill areas that are equally important for kids. Over the past two weeks, we have worked on one or two different strand packets each morning. Each packet focuses on a single strand. We correct them very quickly as a class (intentionally speedy) and then I meet with students who struggled with the packet. The idea is that I can provide more targeted instruction in a small group, and the kids who had little or no difficulty with the packet can work on other purposeful activities in class. This has been working very well, thanks in large part to the wonderful work of our classroom paraprofessional, Mr. Minton, who has either led whole class activities while I work with the small group, or vice versa.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
March 1, 2012
YOUR Homework (By YOU!)
- This is how you will react when you see how super duper tonight’s homework is!
I absolutely loved reading the Cloze passages you sent me last night! I took them and put them into a Quia quiz for you to try. (Yes, it’s a dull interface. I just started using Quia and am slowly trying out new things to see if you’d like using it. I’ll try to make things more exciting down the road.)
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
February 29, 2012
Early Dismissal Homework
Good afternoon! We worked very hard today on math patterns and on evaluating and improving short answer responses. So, here are some fun activities for you to do this afternoon and this evening!
Write your own Cloze PARAGRAPH (not longer) with a missing word and five choices. Send your passage to me by using our Article Submission Page. I’ll post some of the paragraphs for everyone to solve! Remember to put in good Cloze clues so we can find what word best fits in the blank space! For example…
It has been a rather dull winter this year. There have been a few cold days, but not many days have been frigid. The weather has been pretty peaceful, and I’ve been waiting for a good snowstorm that will let me build a nice, big snowman! ____ it’s here!
(a) Sadly, (b) Quickly, (c) Importantly, (d) Finally, (e) Later
Play this snowy division game to practice your division skills! (How appropriate for the weather!)
http://www.fun4thebrain.com/Division/snowydiv.html
I know I had you take home your Study Island usernames and passwords today, but you won’t need them. Save the information for next time, however! Enjoy your snowy afternoon!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
February 22, 2012
Help with Humor and Editing & Revising
Good afternoon! Today, we worked on two challenging activities: editing & revising and the use of humor. Here are some resources that you might find helpful.
EDITING AND REVISING
How to Succeed at Editing and Revising is a document we created in class today that gives kids helpful hints when completing an editing and revising activity.
This sample activity shows how we can find the answer to editing and revising questions in a CMT-style packet. (There are more notes on here than we’d normally add. They’re included to try to represent the kinds of conversations we had in class today.
HUMOR
Tomorrow, we’re going to work on an activity looking at how humor is used in texts. I explained to the students that I originally had a tough time with this, because I’d argue that the text didn’t include humor if it wasn’t funny and didn’t make me laugh. But, in fact, humor can take many forms. Today, we looked at what the kids found funny and then made this concept map about humor and its different forms. The kids are challenged, tonight, to find examples of different kinds of humor, particularly the “non-Haha LOL” kinds of humor that we would call “funny” examples.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
February 16, 2012
Helping Kids to “Be a FIREWORK”
Never did I think that I would use Katy Perry’s music as a teaching tool. NEVER. It wasn’t until someone pointed out the similes and metaphors in her song that I even considered using it as a tool to teach descriptive writing. After all, as a popular singer, her song would be a source of motivation for the kids, right? Even the kids who loathe Katy Perry would be actively engaged in the lesson, if only because of their dislike of her music! Then, when I really looked at the lyrics, I saw what the song was all about (since I’d never paid particular attention, previously). Firework is all about helping kids to be who they are, to show their inner spark (spark=ignite=firework), to not be afraid to show everyone what they can do. What a great message!
Your children are right at that age where it potentially starts to be “less cool” to be scholastically-inclined. Sadly, it can be fashionable to be disengaged and to apply less effort to succeeding in school. I am working to prevent that and change that in our classroom. It needs to be “cool” to try hard, even if that means that the student struggles. It needs to be “cool” to push yourself – to go the extra mile. Kids who aspire to achieve great things in class need to be admired, not labeled as brown-nosers. These efforts intensified yesterday, on Day 100.
The kids in our class are now closer (in school days) to the start of fifth grade than the start of fourth grade. (Wow!) We listened to Firework and discussed what it was about. Few students immediately knew, so we looked at the lyrics, word by word, to interpret the creative similes and metaphors. We discussed the meaning of the song and what it taught us about life. This was our spark for our new class approach: Be a firework! There are posters in and outside our classroom, and I am urging all students to take the chance, muster up the courage, and “be a firework”.
Last night, the kids answered questions about the song. Here is what some of them shared:
What is the meaning of the song Firework?
- You have to “get out there.” Don’t be afraid to be you!
- Firework means “don’t feel like you’re alone.” You have talent and [should] believe in yourself.
- Always be yourself and let the real you shine. Believe in yourself and do what you think is right. Don’t hide yourself; let everyone see the real YOU!!!
- Being a firework means “explode what you know!” – Impress people!
- Step [up] and really show people who you really are and if you feel like nobody notices you or thinks you’re just another plain, boring person, then you [have] to stand up for who you are and the potential in you.
- You can show people what you really can do.
- Even after a bad day, week, month, or year, a good thing will happen, and who you are has always been inside of you.
- There’s a spark in you and you just need to let it shine and take a chance. … Who do you want to be?
How will you be a firework in school?
- I can be a “firework” in class by putting all my effort in everything I do. Even if I don’t get an A+, I should be able to go home and tell my parents that I did my best work … [It] takes courage to stand up for yourself.
- I’ll be a “firework” by being honest and by [trying] out new things, being friendly to everyone, and showing my true talent and letting others too.
- I will be a firework by working harder, helping more people, and [by trying] to be the best I can be.
- I will be a firework by … not giving up easily and by raising my hand when I have a question.
- I will be a firework in school by trying my hardest, of course! I will ignite my light and make you go “oh – oh – oh”! I will express what I know I am – a FIREWORK!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
February 13, 2012
Preparing for the CMTs
The CMTs are less than one month away, and we are working hard in room 209 to make sure that the students are well prepared for the eight days of testing. I explained to the kids that we don’t do a lot of “CMT preparation” because all the work we do throughout the year prepares them to be successful on the mastery tests. However, with so little time left before the tests begin, we (as a grade) are changing how we deliver some of our instruction so we can best meet the kids’ needs. This week, we are moving away from our reading anthology and are replacing it with shorter passages that are more similar to the styles of passages that kids will encounter on the CMTs. (We normally expose students to a wide range of texts, long and short, but our goal right now is to focus on the styles that are most common on the CMTs.) Several students will work with these passages with our intervention teachers so that they can get the benefit of small group support. I will work on the same activity with the rest of our class during the same time block, so everyone will receive small group instruction on the same content. We are also continuing our year-long work with various well-regarded texts and are using them to practice different short-answer response tasks.
Our work with writing is also an ongoing process. Last week, the students broke into small groups and conferenced with a teacher about their recent writing prompts. We are working on revising those prompts. The students are currently writing focused, detailed adaptations of Vera B. Williams’s award winning book A Chair for My Mother. This is giving the kids important practice with focusing on key events and on providing meaningful detail to develop their work.
Our new math unit focuses on fractions and will give the kids needed skills for the CMTs. We are also working on a review packet that includes topics from about 10 different skill areas (called “strands”) that were weak areas for the students on the CMTs in recent years. (We revise this packet each year so that it focuses on the skills that were the weakest for students in the prior year’s testing.) We complete this packet together, often in small groups, to make sure that students are able to ask questions about any skills that are challenging for them and so that I (or other group leaders) can notice if a student (or students) seem to be struggling.
Finally, starting this week in the computer lab, students in gr. 4 will work on a program called Putting the Pieces Together: Strategies to “Get Through” the Connecticut Mastery Tests. This is a program I made a few years ago and instead of teaching academic skills, it focuses on good test-taking strategies and behaviors. It has models, videos, and gives us an opportunity for us to discuss some of the concerns or anxieties that students may have leading up to the CMTs.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
February 12, 2012
Valentines Day
I hope you’re enjoying your weekend! A few parents have asked about our class plans for Valentines Day. We will have a small celebration on Tuesday afternoon, and kids are invited to bring in Valentines for their classmates. (Kids are asked to bring in cards for ALL classmates or NO classmates, not selected friends.) Thank you to the parents who are sending in treats for Tuesday afternoon. Remember, it is tradition for PGS citizens to dress formally on Valentines Day. Here is a class list of FIRST names:
Sarah, Chris, Angel, Gage, Kristen, Zoë, Michael, Billy, Amanda, Andrea, Danielle, Hari, Carlyn, Charlie, Neaha, Coleman, Dan, McKenzie, Giovanna, Cole, Sam, Emma, Matthew
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss