Hello. Happy Monday. We had a great day today, and it is snowing. Since our last debate about who likes snow who doesn't many of the kids were happy to see the snow flying today!!!! Let it snow!!! (Let's just not get totally dumped on again, just a little at a time would be great!)
Well folks, the testing season is upon us. MONT CAS is coming up the first two weeks of March. We will test at least twice a week. In the 4th grade we take the reading, math, and science test. No worries, they are prepared content wise. Now, we have to get them to stick with it for 40 questions or so without allowing their brains to shut down. So, we will be practicing a lot! Today, we took a math practice test. Kids are not allowed to get my help and they have to use a bubble sheet to log their answers. They also have one constructed response question where they have to draw a shape or build a graph. These questions are worth 4 points each!!! Yikes! It is SO important to get the kids to understand that they HAVE to take their time, read carefully, and do their very best on each question. They can't rush, do the work in their heads, or skip questions. This takes practice and sometimes kids get frustrated with me for making them practice, practice, practice. BUT, when it comes to taking the test, kids every year say man that was so easy. Well, that is because they were prepared and conditioned. It is just like running a marathon. If you just got out there one day and ran 26.2 miles you would probably not make it, or at least not do very well. But, if you trained a little each day, then the race would seem simple at the end. That is what we are doing. We will also do this in Reading once or twice a week. Kids need to be able to read 4-6 passages in one sitting and answer questions on them. They can't let their brains get tired and start guessing. So, watch for these coming home. The grade on them will honestly reflect how your child will probably do on the test itself content wise. Many of our practice tests are actual old MONT CAS tests for the 4th grade. So, if they are not doing well they probably need to buckle down in the next month to score higher on the real thing. If you ever have questions on any of these tests coming home, please let me know at any time. I will be giving more tips as we get closer, and Rusty will also be doing some special lessons on test taking. I don't stress the kids, I just expect their best and I do everything in my power to make sure they are ready!! In other words, I BELIEVE in your child! They are ready right now!!!
Team Erickson is over 5000 minutes read thus far! Wowzers!!!! Great job making sure your kids are reading at least 24 minutes each day. They of course can read more! Also, make sure they get your signature each and every day or their minutes don't count. As a school, we are over 20,000 minutes. I have a feeling Mr. Senitte is getting pretty nervous!!! Duct Tape here we come!!!
In science today, we started our new unit...Earth, volcanoes, and plate tectonics. Oh my! Ask your child about their egg lab today. If your child can find something else that has a thin hard crust (egg shell), a soft mantle ( Egg Whites), and a solid core (Egg Yolk) around the house to share with the class tomorrow I will grant them $500!!!!! It has to be a 3D object and has to fit the three layers above. They can do it...just look in the fridge or toy box! Remember...$500!!!!
Well, that is all I have for today! Have a wonderful evening and drive safe tomorrow!
