Good morning! Well, it's finally Writing TAKS time, and I must say that I am really encouraged by the writing I have seen the kids do this week. The students are doing a great job of putting all of the techniques together that they have learned this year to make interesting, fun-to-read compositions. It's rewarding to see their confidence growing. On Monday, I plan to show the students their original pieces of writing from the beginning of the year so they can see just how far they have come. The change really is remarkable! I am so proud of the hard work they have put in this year.
Speaking of being proud, I want to give you the opportunity to let your child know how proud you are of him/her, too. I am asking you to write your child a letter of encouragement to send with him/her on Tuesday morning. You should seal the envelope and write "Don't open until Mrs. Bennett says!" on the front. We will take time Tuesday morning before we begin the test to let the kids read them together. I did this last year, and it was extremely powerful for the kids to hear once again that their parents believe in them and are proud of their efforts. I will send a reminder email about this today and Monday.
Here are this week's major events:
1) We will have a TAKS breakfast for the kids Tuesday morning in my classroom beginning at 7:15. This is just one more way to make sure the kids are relaxed and ready to go for the test. If you signed up to bring something, please try to get it there sometime between 7:00 and 7:15 Tuesday morning. Feel free to stick around for the breakfast and to help serve if you are able!
2) Remember, there are several sites with practice TAKS tests and questions your child can use this weekend to ensure he/she is ready to go. Here are a few you can use:
3) This week's homework menu involves making Kenya projects for World Party and will be due next Tuesday. Monday in class I will draw names and let the kids choose a topic about Kenya that they want to research. The homework menu has several possibilities for your child to choose, so you might look it over with your child this weekend to help him/her find a few options that would work (in case the first choice is taken before his/her turn). I have created an additional page on my website with a ton of good informational links. We will use our computer lab time this week to do additional research.
4) There are still a few portfolios that need to be returned. Please take care of this as quickly as possible.
5) Students should be posting their 22nd book on the wikispace this week. Let me take this opportunity to brag on the successes we are seeing. First, we now have 3 students who have completed their 30 Books Goal and are already working to set new records. (Kate, Noah, and Ryan R., you are definitely setting the bar high!) Second, as a class the students have read over 440 books this year, which is almost 70,000 pages! Wow! (I wonder how many words that would be...) Third, every student who is caught up with his/her reading has tested above grade level on the recent QRI tests. This is strong evidence that the best way to improve reading ability is simply to read, read, read.
6) Your child does not need to blog this week. We will pick this up again after Spring Break.
7) We are making great progress on the 4-minute math charts. Each week more and more students add their names to the list. It's awesome to see the kids continue to push themselves to improve.
8) Finally, please remember that brain studies show that a good night's sleep Monday is crucial to your child's success on the Writing TAKS Tuesday morning. Last year one of the major concerns kids voiced in my class before the test was a fear that they would oversleep or not get adequate rest. Thank you for all that you can do to help reduce such fears.
