Monday, March 12, 2012

March Theme and a Few Changes

March themes (yes, there are TWO language arts themes this month!):

  • figurative language and 
  • MCA test prep.


We are just finishing a brief review of figurative language and today's study on idioms made us "crack up!" In mid-April, we will begin state standardized tests. In order to build in some test-prep to our daily work, we have already been using our new reading logs. In addition to this, we will have a few changes in our schedule:

A few changes:

  • Daily 5-I can't believe the time has come, but it's official. I have pulled the pin on the Daily 5 as we get ready for testing. I had planned this back in September, but am startled by how quickly time is passing! For room 206 kiddos, this means no more read-to-self, or work-on-writing, no more rounds and no more book bins. What will we do instead? We will rotate through 6 stations each week, focusing on a different test-prep skill each time. 
  • Spelling-I am sure there will be shouts of victory about this one: NO SPELLING CHOICES FOR THE NEXT 5 WEEKS! 
  • Back to Our Roots-in place of spelling and in order to help students prepare for words they may not understand on a test, we are launching a Greek and Latin Root Words study. Each week they will get 2 root words and 2 practice pages for homework. Each Monday and Wednesday, I will introduce a new root word, give them brainstorming time to figure out it's meaning and a list of words. Thursday is a review page and review games, then Friday will be the test. The test will be similar to a spelling test, but with a twist!
  • Beyond testing-What will we do after testing if there is NO Daily 5? If your child gives me their absolute BEST effort and BEST energy to prepare for their MCA tests, I am working on a fun unit that will involved bringing to life something from a book...stay tuned!
As your child's teacher, I am looking forward to these changes and I think your child will enjoy them too! Thank you for your support from home-the reading logs have shown some terrific discussion that you have had with your child! 

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