McFarland-Mayberry-Begley Bulletin

for the week of April 27, 2015

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Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3

This week was our first of two weeks of testing days for the new MEA.  We started on Tuesday with a session of math, and then on Thursday we went for round 2 of math.  We have spent most of each of those two mornings in “testing mode,” though most students are finishing in about an hour’s time, maybe a bit more.  The kids and I have talked a lot about what we’re figuring out about the workings of the test and what kinds of questions we prefer (Tuesday’s questions were many and shorter, and Thursday’s were few but more like mini-projects).  A main point that I am making with the kids is that tests are designed to have questions that are reasonably easy, some that are Just Right, and others that are hard -- on purpose!  And when a question is hard, testers want to know how we handle that: do we work quickly and perhaps make a common mistake, or do we persevere and work through it?  So this past week and next, we enjoy a break in our regular schedules and some extra recess time on our three Language Arts testing days (Monday,Thursday, and Friday).  But I have a feeling that when next week is over, we will once again appreciate our regular ole routines!

Reading Workshop

This week, we are spending much of our class time re-establishing our workshop routines of choosing Just Right books.  We have started to define and discuss the term “social issues” as situations (often problems but not always) that affect a lot of people.  We’ve talked about a number of social issues that have appeared in books and that we know exist in the world.  Once we finish MEA testing, we will officially start a unit focusing on characters dealing with social issues.

Writing Workshop

Aaaah, poetry!  On Monday, the kids wrote about their experiences with poetry to give me an idea of their feelings about it and what they need and want to learn during this final (and my favorite!) writing unit.  So far, we have studied some work from Donald Graves.  We’ve started with the basic question, “What do you notice about this poem?”  And the answers: alliteration, repetition, rhyme, a number of stanzas, metaphor, a story, dialogue, the message, long lines and short lines, “almost-rhymes”...  I can’t wait to dive into the writing each week, and we all will look forward to Rock-n-Roll Friday, where we explore the poetic writing of song lyrics -- which is where Whitney Houston came in today.  Ask your writer for details…

Math

This week in math students reviewed many of the fraction concepts we covered before spring break. We also spent some time on Friday learning how to find the lowest common multiple for two unlike fractions. Once again, multiplication facts are critical in being able to navigate so much of the fraction work we have been doing.

Theme

This week we headed across the Midwest Plains.  Our time has been limited, due to testing, but we’re determined to complete our cross-country road trip next week.  To change things up, students researched individual states in this region and created a travel brochure.  Next week we will combine the West and Southwest regions for our final leg.  

The last 50 states quiz will occur on Friday, May 8th (date moved due to testing).   

Due Dates / Upcoming Events:

Monday, May 4th - SBAC testing

Tuesday, May 5th - Study link due  

Wednesday, May 6th - Early Release

Thursday, May 7th - Spelling due / SBAC testing

Friday, May 8th - 50 states quiz / SBAC testing

Enjoy the warmer weather!