State Assessment Week

Students have been working hard the past few weeks in preparation for the math state assessment. We will be taking this test on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week from 9-10 am. This means that students need to make sure they are getting a good night's rest, breakfast in the morning, and getting to school on time in order to get their full hour to work on the test. Students will be taking these in their leveled math groups each morning.

In MATH, we have been reviewing skills needed for the state assessment. Students have been reviewing geometry/shapes, input/output boxes, mean/median/mode/range, and other problem solving skills. It seems that most students are feeling good about being ready for the test. Please give your child a word of encouragement as they leave the house the next three days to make sure they feel good about themselves taking this test and doing their best. It would also be beneficial if you talk to them about how important it is for them to take their time on each problem. We have found that many of them would rather guess the answer than take the time to solve the hard problems.

In READING, Miss Burns has started a novel study with the class. They are currently reading SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES. This is a very interesting book about a little girl who gets leukemia as the result of the atom bomb that was dropped on Japan. It ties in well with World War 2 history, while at the same time, addressing the reading skills. Ask your child about it when they get home each night to see what they have read about each day. This book has some wonderful life lessons in it!

In SOCIAL STUDIES, students just finished up their West research projects. Each student researched a state in the west region and completed a project of their choice on their state. You should have seen these project grades come home last week. This was a big part of their social studies grade, so be sure to ask your child how they did on their project.
We are now moving on to SCIENCE to review for the state science assessment we will be taking next Tuesday and Thursday, April 23rd and 25th. We will be reviewing electricity/magnetism, water cycle, nutrition, and solids/liquids/gasses. The science state assessment is given in fourth grade at the elementary level, so it's your child's lucky year!

The students and I are all looking forward to assessments being over at the end of next week. This is a high stress time for your child, so make sure they are getting the sleep they need each night in order to be prepared for the thinking they will be doing the next day. Their scores will reflect their effort, and we want nothing but their best effort on these tests. Thank you for your help at home to make your child feel comfortable about these tests at school.

Let's continue to cross our fingers that spring weather will continue so we can have outdoor time at recess! Have a great week and let me know if you have any questions or concerns about what's happening in our classroom.