What's a "Text of the Week" test?

On Thursdays, students are going to record: "Text of the Week (or TOTW) test tomorrow" in their agenda. Each week, the boys and girls will receive a text of some kind of text that will be our reading focus for the week. Some weeks it'll be a poem, others, a story or non-fiction article.  On most Fridays (and the occasional Thursday), they'll have their Text of the Week (TOTW) test. The texts are found in their blue "Text of the Week" duotang, and it comes home every night. Please see that your child packs it each day in their Zippy.  

To help establish expectations for test-writing, we're going to write this week's test together as a class. It'll come home for you to sign, but there will not be a score on it.  This week's text is called "Nate's First Day".  

I find the text of the week to be highly effective for two reasons: first, I can cover a number of those skills that need to be taught but don't really fit in anywhere else, such as: what's a verb and why do we use italics? The second reason I like them so much is because I can tailor the discussions and texts to meet the unique needs of my class.  If we're having trouble understanding point of view or main idea, I can find a story or article that meets this need. Or, I can do what I did this week, and write one myself. The purpose of this week's text is to talk about how we relate to stories and how we're all part of a larger community. Being a community member means we can all contribute to the greater good, as Nate did in our story this week.  When we connect to a character or situation, we can interact with a story on a higher level. Making those text-to-self connections is usually one of the first reading comprehension strategies we teach students. Nate's solution to the problem in the story also models how we can all make a difference in our community. 

In the past, I've used poems exclusively as our texts, but over the years, I've expanded the collection to include a wider variety of texts.  

I'd like to share with you here what we actually do with the text in class each day. We gather at the carpet and read the TOTW every morning. We read the poems together as a class, and for the stories, I ask for volunteers. Each day we discuss the different features of the text. By the time students write the test on Friday, we will have discussed ALL of the questions that appear on the test, so listening attentively is key.   

Let's say I'm using a poem as the TOTW, here's what our discussion might look like for the week. On Monday, after reading the poem aloud, I'll pose a variety of comprehension questions about it.  On Tuesday we might look at word study and talk about syllables, compound words and contractions. We might even review parts of speech such as nouns and verbs.  

On Wednesday, we'll look at figures of speech such as idioms and irony.  

On Thursday, we review everything we covered earlier in the week and prepare for the test on Friday. 

The tests follow a very predictable format (see picture below). After a few tests, you'll likely be able to anticipate the types of questions that will be on the TOTW test.  Students are always allowed to use the text itself to support them while they write and to help them to be accountable for their own success, they are expected to spell words from the text correctly. Tests are usually out of 10 or 12 and come home Tuesday/Wednesday for signing.  I ask that they are corrected and returned the following day.  

And that's how the TOTWs work! Students are encouraged to read their texts aloud to you, a pet, their siblings or toys as often as they can to develop their overall fluency. Our on-going goal is to make our oral reading sound like natural speech! 

This is a study guide I created back when I was using poems exclusively as my texts of the week. This document should still be helpful for parents, families and colleagues looking for extra support in helping their child/students prepare for the weekly tests. You can download your own copy here. 

 

Unit 3 Math Test: Geometry

The boys and girls are having their Unit 3 Math test on Thursday January 27th. There is a practice test below to help students prepare.  Students will bring home their workbooks on Friday January 21st to assist with preparation as well. Some pages of the booklet are blank as those concepts were addressed during online learning. We will continue to review in class leading up to the test.  

The weekly Text of the Week test will be moved to Monday January 31st as Friday January 28th is a P.A Day.   

Being able to complete all of the tasks indicated within the study guide will be the most effective way to prepare for this test.  We still have a few concepts to cover (e.g. "what's a net?") and students should aim to complete any incomplete or blank work from their workbook as the review will be helpful.  

Please do not return the Practice Test to school as it is for home-use only. 

You can find a printable copy of the test here.  

What's an afternoon presentation?

Everyday, the student of the day has a set of responsibilities to fulfill: they lead prayers, assist their teacher and as of Tuesday, they get to read in the big blue chair at DEAR time! We move alphabetically by first name through the class list so that students always know when they'll be the SOTD. 

For this next cycle of the list, the SOTD is asked to bring in a special item they would like to share with the class for something we call the "Afternoon Presentation" . Students may bring in anything they like provided they have their parents' permission and it will fit in an average school bag.  They are not permitted to bring in electronic devices such as iPads and cellphones.  Students are also not permitted to bring anything that's alive.  

This is a great opportunity for us all to get to know each other a little better. It's always been a very special part of our day and I'm thrilled to have this years students participate! 

Here are some FAQs that should provide additional information:

What should students do to prepare for their presentation?

Students are asked to prepare 4-5 sentences describing their item, why it is special to them, how it is used and how they came to own it.  Students are not required to memorize this information. This is all very informal.  

How long is the average presentation? 

On average, each presentation is usually 5-7 minutes long, including audience questions.  

What happens if the student of the day forgets to bring their item?

To help them remember to bring their item, the student will record a reminder in their agenda. This means it is even more important than ever for parents to sign the agenda each night. While we are only doing this task for one cycle of the class list, the SOTD can have a make up day the next time their are the student of the day.  Students who forget their item will not be permitted to present the following day as the focus is to be on one student at a time.  The same will apply to those students who are ill on their day to be the SOTD.  

What are the audience expectations? 

At the conclusion of the presentation, the audience is invited to ask "thick" questions.  The presenter will take three questions.  You can read more about thick questions here.  

What else do students need to do to prepare? 

Students should practice their friendly opening:  "Good afternoon everyone, this is the start of my presentation" . They should also prepare their closing: "That's the end of my afternoon presentation. Now I can take three questions." 

Will students be marked for this? 

No, students will not receive a mark. This is intended to be an informal opportunity to practice presentation skills in a low-stress, risk free environment.  Students will receive any support they need during their presentation, along with positive feedback after.  More formal presentations will come later in the year. This is a way to dip our toes back into the world of class presentations.  

Anything else I should know? 

If students choose to bring a photo album, they are asked to choose four of the photos to share in order to keep the presentation capped at 7 minutes. Please do not email digital photos for students to share.  

Unit 2 Practice Test

Please note: the following blog post has helpful information, but it is from 2019 and does not reflect the current test dates. 

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The boys and girls will write their Unit 2 Math test on Thursday October 24. Below, please find a link to an older, but useful Practice Test.  The Practice Test is a very good friend of the real one and should assist students in preparing for Thursday.   

Please also check your child's zippy on Monday for the study guide/checklist that will also assist in preparing for the test. 

We've been using a combination of our workbook and more "hands on" problem solving experiences to learn the skills from this unit.  Some questions or pages in the workbook have not yet been completed and are perfect for assisting students in preparing for the test. The workbook will come home on Tuesday. Please look for it in your child's Zippy.  

It is important for students to be able to identify the operation required to solve the word problems. They need to look for "clue words" that tell them to add or subtract. We've talked a great deal about "clue words" lately.  

We are also still learning about how to "flip" a question to check for accuracy (e.g. use subtraction to check an addition problem). 

Please note: Problem #10 on the test deals with rounding numbers. This won't be on the test. Students will learn about rounding in a separate mini-unit. 

Please do not return the test to school for marking as this is for practice purposes only. 

Unit 2 Practice Test