Testing Day

Good afternoon,

It was a day of testing.  We started off nicely with a Gary Larson Farside comic and some juice box science.  We used a Far Side comic of a python leaving Snow White's cabin with seven big bulges in his body.  We talked about what we could observe and what we could infer from the picture.  All inferences needed evidence to back them up.  Inferences could use other inferences for evidence. 

I thought of the juice box science this past weekend when thinking about a follow up to our "Does air take up space?" lesson.  Everyone got a juice box and had a chance to play around a bit with getting the liquid out.  I heard lots of great observations and inferences.  Our science minds are growing.

My usual joke at 9:45am is that we've had such a rigorous morning, it's time for a break.  We have a morning recess every day just forty minutes into our day.  I think it is ridiculous, but I couldn't change the schedule.  I think we should eliminate this break altogether, but I stand alone with that opinion.  Fourth grade went to one recess a day this year, but not fifth.  I like to make hay in the morning when the kids are the most fresh.  In fact, I would ignore the morning recess if I didn't coincidentally also have that as my recess duty on most days.  We'll make due.  I'm sure the kids like the extra play time.  I'm still trying get our class schedule out to you and I will as soon as I can finalize the read aloud, snack and silent reading times.  Special Education and RTI just finished compiling their schedules.  With those times in mind, and back to back math and literacy blocks, it is very tough to schedule anything else with any sort of consistency. 

After morning recess, our kids went into the computer lab to take the NWEA MAP Math Test.  It went pretty well.  I know they took their time on it, because a vast majority of the class were called back to finish shortly after our afternoon physical education class.  After morning recess, our day pretty much was testing, lunch, recess, gym, and testing.  The afternoon testing session blew my plans up, so I didn't assign any homework.  Everyone should get their regular reading in. 

Field trip permission slips went home.  We will be visiting the stream behind the Jr. High.  If it rains too hard on Thursday, we'll go on Monday.  Thank you for getting those field trip permission slips back to me.   

Have a good night.  Thanks for reading.

Mr. Shea  I