Testing blues

Hello,

I know a positive attitude is important to doing your best on a test, but I lost my positive attitude about five minutes into the morning NWEA math test.  I witnessed one student get an answer on a calculator that wasn't anywhere near any of the given multiple choice answers, but they picked one anyway and moved on.  I witnessed one student add fractions with unlike denominators in their head, incorrectly.  (Pesky scratch paper takes too much time.)  I watched as someone figured out the average of a set of single digit numbers and got a double digit number.  I wanted to pull my hair out.  I don't want to say these students weren't trying, but there is no doubt that they were not trying their best.  AAAUUUGGH!  Would I really want my salary to be based on a forty minute test?  I won't answer that. 

At the end of this very tough session (for me, anyway,)  I found out that everyone improved from their fall scores.  Double digit gains for all but two, in fact.  It takes some of the sting away, but I'm still not impressed.  I know many of them didn't do as well as they could.  It is an untimed test.  I understand not knowing answers.  But missing questions because you don't give them a second thought?  Unacceptable.  We're trying to teach life skills.  Taking a test is a life skill.  I can't pat them on the back when they scored so high in carelessness.  I'll let them all know tomorrow:  Tests are meant to inform us.  They tell us where we have strengths and where we have weaknesses.  We'll learn from what this test tells us and be better for it. 

I teach some very talented math students.  They are talented enough to still score well, despite falling into many test taking pitfalls.  The difference between being good and great is in the details.  We'll get back at it tomorrow.  I hope I get the privilege of being their math teacher for another year.  There is work to do.

Our homeroom took the testing stage this afternoon.  I was pleased with the effort.  The reading test is so difficult, many questions take me several minutes to figure out.  Long poems.  Obscure words.  Difficult analogies.  I was pleased that only seven of nineteen finished in the hour.  The rest will go back tomorrow afternoon.  I saw a lot of reading and rereading.  Many confounding passages.  But the kids weren't giving up.  I thanked them for making it a more pleasant session for me to watch from the sidelines.  (I'll let you know the basic scores when I get them.)

With all the testing, we had little instructional time.  Most of it I spent with Mrs. Smith's class, so our class was doing Maine studies.  I didn't hear what that involved today.  I worked with her class building bridges that used levers to open up for tall ships.  Our class did this challenge on Friday.  Both classes were able to come up with several successful swinging bridge and draw bridge solutions. 

Thanks for getting the looping sheets in.  I'm awaiting two responses. 

I'm off to get some antibiotics.  I've got bitten by two ticks in the last week.  Make sure to check every night.  Little buggers.

Have a good night.

Mr. Shea

I'm loopy

Hello,

I mean I'm looping.  To fifth grade.  With our class.  I'm pretty happy about it.  A pink slip went home tonight.  You have a week to opt in.  If you do not return this slip by next Friday, it will be assumed that you do not want to be a part of the loop.  Your child will be sorted into one of the other six fifth grade classes.  I certainly will understand if this is the case.  I have yet to meet the teacher who makes a strong connection with every one of their students.  I try, but I'd be a fool to say that I've ever accomplished it.  Please make the decision based on what you believe is best for your child.  I told the class today, that either way, I will continue to be a part of their education.  They will see me next year.  I'll do all that I can to help the transition to their new class and teacher.

Growstown was fantastic.  Thank you so much for helping your children play the part.  The foods and costumes were really well thought out.  We did penmanship with quill and ink.  We read from our primers.  We were asked to spell words, define words and even memorize poems.  We were taught the history and geography of the times.  1853 was an exciting time to be alive.  The Fugitive Slave Act was in effect and Harriet Beecher Stowe had just written her most famous novel.  It was a great experience to play the role of an actual former student of Brunswick's Growstown School.  A huge thank you to Miss Frost.  She was a warm and caring teacher, but strict enough to keep us on our toes. 

The school board voted tonight to end the student school year on Friday, June 14.  Due to snow days, we were going to end on Monday the 17th.  Friday will now be an early release day and give the kids an extra three days of summer.  Teachers will still go to school until the following Tuesday.  I will be in Arches National Park before sunset Wednesday.  I'll be sending postcards.

I can't wait to figure out the summer reading and writing programs.  These kids are still mine and I do not want to see a summer of slacking.  Good stuff.  More news to come on that front.

Have a great night,

Mr. Shea

School board meeting tonight

Hello,

We had a staff meeting tonight regarding the new common core curriculum.  Now I'm off to the school board where I believe at some point they will be discussing looping. 

Tomorrow is our field trip to Growstown School.  The only homework is for each student to come in ready for the field trip.  I have bandanas and/or bonnets for everyone.  Students should know their name, family members, parent's jobs, and a little of their background. 

Sorry, but I have to run.

Mr. Shea

Chorus concert tonight (Tuesday)

Hello,

The last of the homework club just left to go to the chorus concert.  It starts at 6:30.  I hope to see a bunch of you there.  I don't have any time to write this tonight.  I do want to let you know that if all goes according to plan, the sign up option for looping should go home this week.  (Thursday is the plan.)  Please get those slips in ASAP so we can plan for whether or not we need to add students to our class.  I'm excited about it and look forward to working with you and your children for an additional year.

Thanks,

Mr. Shea

Another eventful day

Hello,

We had two major events today that pulled us out of our normal schedule.  We were visited by a performing artist who put on a one woman show about Harriet Beecher Stowe.  I'd write more about it, but the homework is for kids to write an article on this show or the afternoon presentation and I am sure some of them are going to run to this blog to get some easy lines.  Nope.  This afternoon we got a visit from a CREA representative.  She taught the class about adaptations through a couple of interactive activities.  Any further details on those events will have to come from your child.

The homework assignment is really cutting into what I would normally write about. 

Our Growstown field trip is scheduled for Thursday morning.  I'm still looking for a female chaperone.  This could be a challenging one to volunteer for, since you will be required to dress and play the role of a young 19th century school girl.  Please email me with any questions about this field trip.  The permission slip says we will be returning around 2:15, but I am sure we will be back a good half hour earlier than that. 

We used context clues to try to define words this afternoon. 

It is that time of year where it will be odd to have a day that fits our normal schedule.  I like the unpredictability of it all, but it sure makes for lots of loose ends. 

Have a good night.

Mr. Shea

Quick post

Hello,

It's nice to have such great weather.  My math class was able to do our fraction work outside on the sidewalk. 

We got to do some more vehicle building in science to see how well we could get something to go down different inclined planes. 

The Andrew Clement books are giving us lots of topics to talk about: really smart kids in school, creating our own words, and why a teacher would get lazy and not do their job as well as they used to. 

In Maine studies, students are getting to make decorations by pounding metal.  Ask your child.  I hope you enjoyed the homemade butter on Tuesday. 

Have a great night.

Mr. Shea

Space Day

Hello,

We all learned a lot this morning from our guest speaker from NASA.  I never knew that astronauts get skinny legs and fat faces.  Your child can tell you why.  Why don't astronauts eat bread?  Is outerspace hot or cold?  We learned these and many other very interesting things from the rocket scientist.  I think some kids were surprised at all the health risks that are associated with space travel.  I was fascinated by all of it.  I wish I could have heard from a speaker like that when I was young.  I couldn't help but think that someone in the audience was being inspired enough to make it up there one day. 

We missed math due to the space assembly.  Our P.E. class also got shortchanged a bit and we ended up combining with Mrs. Wilson's fourth graders for a combined P.E. class.  I heard that they did well. 

We wrote some poetry outdoors this afternoon.  I wrote about recess.  I felt like today's afternoon recess did the opposite of what it is designed for.  I felt more stressed after the recess.  I witnessed a lot of selfishness and dishonesty.  I'm glad to report that none of that came from our kids, but it was still very disconcerting.  I think it helps our kids when I get to talk it out with them.  They get to hear the lesson without learning it the hard way. 

I've been thinking about looping and what that might mean as far as summer options.  Would anyone be opposed to a few summer "field trips?"  We'd just choose a few dates and locations (like Morse Mountain) and then meet up at HBS and carpool to a place to spend part of the day together.  I think the kids in the class have made some really strong connections.  I was noticing how many stick together during recesses.  What are your thoughts about summer field trips?  I'm open to your opinions.  They would definitely be optional.  I just thought it might be a nice way to do some of the field trips we used to do when we had more of a budget.  At J.A. we used to take the Squirrel Island Ferry from Boothbay Harbor, went to the Boothbay aquarium, went to Morse Mountain, etc.  It would be nice to touch base a few times this summer and those seemed like some options. 

Harry Potter club is having another after school session on Friday.  We will be making wands and construction House ties.  I've got all the colored duct tape we need to make some nice "clip-ons." 

We're going to tackle our next simple machine tomorrow: the inclined plane.  Back to building!

Have a nice night.

Mr. Shea