Weekend Words: "There Are Many Ways of Being Smart."

I have no Weekend Words that can top this letter from a principal to her students. You can read the full article about this letter HERE.

Photo Origin

Testing Treats!

My friends are currently in the midst of our yearly state testing.  Our 5th graders are testing this week and the 4th will test next week.  I will be administering both weeks as I'm doing small group testing.  This would be friends with IEPs and 504s that call for specific testing conditions and/or accommodations.

This week I am testing a small group of five.  They are a great group of kids that I have worked with last year and/or this year.  My 5th graders have four days of testing this week, two days of ELA and two days of math.  They truly are giving their best effort with, what is for them, some challenging material.  State standardized tests are tough for these guys, but I couldn't be more proud of them.

Since tomorrow is their last day of testing, I decided to end with a reward treat.  It was totally a last minute thought, so I scrambled after school today to find something.  I found some great freebie treat testing themed labels that I wanted to share with you.  I know many of you have finished testing, so this is too late for you.  But, this is definitely something to download and have in your files for next year.

Since it was a last minute scramble, I searched around and found a fantastic collection of free treat labels by Danielle Mastandrea.  The download has seven different labels, six to a page, that have a cute graphic with a motivational testing saying.  Since we are finishing, I used, "Testing is o-fish-ally over!"  A quick print on card stock, a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up a pack of snack-sized rainbow Goldfish, and done!  I just cut them out, taped them to the cracker bag, and I'm good to go.  The way I taped them left room on the back of each tag to write a short "well done!" note to each.  This honestly took me no time at all to do.

The other six labels are more geared to be given before and during testing with sayings such as:

• "Today you will GLOW when you show what you know." (glow sticks)
• "You're a Smartie pants!" (Smarties candy)
• "You're a star bursting with knowledge!" (Starburst candy)
• "Blow the test out of the water!" (Blowpops lollipops)
• "You are one smart cookie!" (cookies!)
• "You're an expert.  You're on a roll. Do your best, and show what you know!" (Tootsie Rolls or Fruit Roll-Ups)

I like that there are a couple not candy related.  Perfect for those friends with allergies or schools with a no candy policy.  The tags are all really cute with great fonts and adorable clip-art.  So, if you are looking for a quick way to motivate your friends during testing, these tags do the job!

I should mention that there are tons of motivational testing tags available on the Tpt site, but this set was one of the nicest I saw.  And, it's a free download!  If you do download it, be sure to leave Danielle a great rating for her great product!

Can You Guess?

Can you guess what my friends will be doing next week?

The #2s are sharp. . .

The bulletin boards are bare. . .

Anything left up is covered. . .

The carpets are rolled up. . .

So that we can put the desks in rows. . .

Yes, we are testing next week! 

I wonder what gave it away!

My friends are taking the NJ ASK next week.  That would be the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge.  My friends are well prepared.  And to be honest, at this point, I've done all I can do!  I really didn't spend a lot of time on "prep" this year.  We did do a lot of math review this week, but nothing insane.  I try to be very conscious of test prep all year long and integrate it in my lessons so it isn't this crazy thing we do right before testing. 

I've got them pretty pumped up to show Bob Oshkabosh what they know!  Who is Bob Oshkabosh you ask?  Why, he is the man who grades their tests.  Okay, obviously not really but that's the name I use every year.   I will often ask them what Bob Oshkabosh would think of something, or what grade do you think Bob Oshkabosh would give this.  By the time the test rolls around, they are eager to show Bob Oshkabosh just how smart they are.  (Have I just told you a cute story about my class or given you a glimpse of my craziness? :-D )  Either way, next week we will be showing Bob Oshkabosh a thing or two!  Hopefully!

From a teacher's perspective, I am looking forward to next week for a variety of reasons.  No lesson plans, no homework, no instruction,  no kidding!!  We have a very nice schedule during testing and are allowed to plan fun activities for the remainder of the day.  That doesn't mean I won't be working.  What it really means is that I may just have a chance to catch-up on grading, paperwork, and all the other things of teaching that we are never able to get caught up on. 

On another note, I got a request in the comments about homework.  The reader wanted to know what I give for homework, my policy, etc.  I will be posting about this over the weekend.  I think it deserves its very own post because I have very strong opinions about it!

See you next post!

A Great Blog-land Find!

I had to pop back in today for a quick post.  I wasn't planning to post today, but when I saw this I knew I had to come back and tell you all.  Mrs. Smith of the blog Classroom Magic did her own post on the book Testing Miss Malarkey.  You need to go visit her blog.

She was able to find an online link to the book!!!

I'm not going to post it here since it was her find, so you have to go to her blog to get the link.  My first link above will take you to her blog post.  The second will take you to my post about the book.

Mrs. Smith also came up with this "sweet" poster for test prep.  I love it!!! 

She has a whole test prep incentive chart to go with it.  It is a really neat idea.  When you visit her blog, you can read about it in depth.  This is what I love about teacher blogs.  There are so many great ideas out there!  I always say the best teaching happens when teachers collaborate and share ideas.

Again, here is the link for Mrs. Smith's blog. . . Classroom Magic.  Go show some love!

State Testing & Picture Books

It's coming! 

Take down those anchor charts!

Sharpen those pencils!

There's no escaping the . . .

STATE TESTING!!!!!!!

Yeah, that's kind of how I feel about state testing.  In New Jersey, my friends have to take the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge, also known as the NJASK.  We will actually take it April 30-May 3.  Four days of testing for my little friends.

It used to be that my district had this sort of cram session where we would essentially spend the week before the test doing test prep.  I was never a fan of that.  By the time the real testing days came around, my friends were fried.  These days, we have incorporated test prep into all our reading and writing units of study.  This way, test prep happens all year long.  However, I think most teachers still kick it up a notch right about now.

Today, I thought I would share one of the ways I test prep with my friends.  It was shown to me at a workshop a few years ago, and I was pretty skeptical at first.  However, having used it over the years I find it really helpful.  It has really helped my friends understand the expectations and improve their writing and extended constructed math responses.  Let me explain.

Here are the rubrics used in NJ for scoring my friends test writing prompts and extended constructed math responses as they hang in my room.

I took a black and white copy of each rubric and enlarged it on regular copy paper.  Then, I took that to Staples (an office supply company) and had them enlarge them to poster size.  As long as you do a black and white poster, it's really cheap.  I took them home and busted out the colored pencils, coloring each grade and criteria a different color.

The next thing you need are colored Popsicle sticks like those in the picture below.  I took one Popsicle stick for each of the five colors in the literacy rubric (make sure the colors in the math rubric are those colors as well) and used a rubber band to make one set for each of my friends.  I got my sticks at the dollar store.


Before I go on, I should mention that I do take the time to go over the rubrics and explain them in kid friendly language so that they understand what the rubrics are saying.
So, how to use all this.  One of the things I find is that my friends don't really have a clear understanding of what a good response is for state testing.  For literacy, I take sample written prompts given to us by the state as examples of each level.  I project them on the board and we read through them together.  Then, I have my friends discuss with a partner if the paper is a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.  Then, I tell them to hold up their sticks (at the same time) and they hold up the appropriate color/grade Popsicle stick.  We do the same thing with the constructed math responses. 

When we first do this, it's a rainbow of Popsicle sticks around the room.  The grades they give are all over the place.  We then discuss what "the author" or "the mathematician" did, explaining why some gave it the grade they did.  I then tell them the grade the state gave the paper and explain why.  After doing this a couple of times, you start to see that the Popsicle sticks become pretty accurate.  Most of my friends will hold up one color with the other colors that might be up being the grade just above or below what the majority is holding up.  They become much more discerning as to what makes a good writing piece or a good math response.  The Popsicle sticks are important to this.  If I just asked my friends to say what grade they thought it was, you know some would just mumble something or not answer.  Having to hold up a stick forces them to think and commit to a grade. 

Over time, I extend this lesson using their own work.  When we start, I get my friends in the habit of talking about "the author" or "the mathematician" when discussing the work that is done.  I do this so that when I put up their papers, anonymously of course, we talk about what the author or mathematician did, not what he or she did, not what John or Sally did.  I tell my friends that we will be looking at their work anonymously.  Unless they give it away, nobody will know it is their work.  Honestly, I can tell they are a bit wary at first, but when they see it really is anonymous and helpful they are fine with it. 

The helpful part is most important.  When we discuss the paper, we critique what the author/mathematician did well and what they can do to make it EVEN better.  Not fix it, not correct it, but make it EVEN BETTER!  That's the term we use.  It keeps it all positive and makes my friends okay with critiquing honestly. 

What I can tell you is that this works.  I'm sure to show spectrum of work so they see the excellent work to the, let's just say not so excellent work.  My friends who need help always show improvement.  I think hearing how to make their work even better from their friends means more than hearing it from their teacher.  They also get to see the quality of work their peers are generating.  It is difficult for my friends to critique a response that is really good already, but that's where I step in as the teacher and offer some constructive criticism to the author or mathematician.  All done anonymously, of course!

These charts are up all year in my room.  It's pretty helpful because in meeting with my friends during conferencing, I can always ask, "So, where do you think this falls on the rubric?  A 3, 4, or 5? . . .  What makes you say that?"  It forces them to honestly critique their own work and gives us at least one teaching point for our conference.

Speaking of state testing, do you know Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler?

Just an amazingly fun book to read to your friends before state testing.  It captures the ridiculousness of it all.  Miss Malarkey is the teacher preparing her friends for the state test.  You have Principal Wiggins (who wears a bad wig) screaming on the phone as he orders the #2 pencils with the "good erasers!"  Then there is Mrs. Magenta, the art teacher, who teaches them how to fill in circles completely with no white spaces showing.  While we take the NJASK, these children take the I.P.T.U. test.  It is just a fun book that will make your friends laugh, and really it's a topic we could all use a good laugh about!

Miss Malarkey is a series of picture books.  Another favorite of mine that is great for the beginning of the year is Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind!

In this book, Principal Wiggins promises to dye his hair purple and sleep on the school roof if the students read 1,000 books.  Miss Malarkey goes about finding the perfect book for each of her friends.  Of course, there has to be one tough cookie in the bunch. There's one little boy who only wants to play video games and has no time for this reading stuff!  Don't worry, in the end Miss Malarkey works her magic and finds the perfect book for this rugrat!  I do a 40 book challenge with my friends each year and use this book as an introduction to the challenge.  I also warn my friends that, like Miss Malarkey, I will not rest until I find them books they will love.

So, what are you doing to prepare for state testing?