Today, I'll focus in on a few question types that most students struggled with. I'll give the students some good strategies to use as they work with those types of questions, strategies that help them to think deeply about the numbers they are working with and strategies that will help them gain greater precision. There's an inclination to want questions and problems to be quick and easy, and that inclination often leads a child to not look deeper at the language, models, and questions presented. Further the desire for quick and easy, also prevents children from thinking deeply about and checking their solutions to see if those selections work. It's a perseverance issue as well since this work takes a stick-to-it-ness that requires positive self talk and an "I won't give up" attitude. In so many ways working well to do good work is like climbing a steep mountain--you have to persevere with good timing, positivity, and an eye on the summit/goals.
I will tell students that it's important to learn this material as it will give them a solid foundation with which to see the world and make good decisions, and I'll acknowledge that this particular learning is not always easy and takes good perseverance. Then we'll look specifically at the points that were problematic. After that, if there's still time, I'll let students choose how they will study for the test with the following choices:
- complete online homework
- complete the study guide
- re-take the practice test
- help a friend or get help from a friend or teacher
- use other online study sites
All students are approaching this information with a somewhat different set of skills and attitudes, however, I won't let "perfect get in the way of good," but instead move forward to do what I can to teach every child well. Onward.
