Students and I will clean desks and organize the room today. It's easier to take a test if the room is clean.
I'll also do some direct test taking teaching:
- Read with your pencil: Underline key words, circle the question asked.
- Do all calculations and work on the page so you can check it over.
- Multiple Choice: Read the question, think of the answer and then and only then look at the answer choices.
- Open Response: Be explicit. Explain your thinking/problem solving in pictures, numbers and/or words. Then write: Answer:_____, putting your answer in a complete sentence for the corrector to find and read easily.
- Write neatly: The corrector doesn't know you and if it's messy, it has a psychological affect on the corrector's time and care with your answer.
- Most of all do your best, show off what you know--this test will let teachers know which test information you know, and which information we need to teach.
There's no official homework this week--students can work on their research projects if they'd like.
The other lessons will be fun, interactive, student-centered learning events.
I'll do everything I can to make the test taking a relaxed, thoughtful event with a focus on "showing off what you know" as you work quietly and independently.
