Thursday, January 28, 2010

Greetings! 

Thank you for being patient while I try to get caught up.  We have started a new math unit, a new language arts unit, and a new science unit this week.  I am also trying to get midterms out to you all.  It's the end of the month and I can hardly believe January is gone.  We are officially on our second half of the school year and talking about the big tests coming up. 

In reference to the tests, I would like to let you know about a new one we will be taking for the first time in fifth grade.  The Direct Writing Assessment (DWA) has traditionally been given in sixth grade, in a handwritten format, in March each year.  Now, fifth graders will take it and have to type it online, much like our YPP and CRT testing.  To help students prepare for this new test, we are trying several strategies.  We are learning to write five paragraph persuasive essays, built with main ideas, topic sentences, and supporting details.  It goes without saying that they should also be using correct spelling, capitalization and punctuation.  That is a whole lot of things to spend cognitive resources on, and having to type the test is just one more thing to throw in the pot.  Your students may have told you that I have been making them do our typing tutor program with their hands and the keyboard hidden under a large paper, to help them build some automaticity.  Realistically speaking, we do not have enough time to practice keyboarding in the lab.  I am asking for your help with this.  If you have access to a typing tutor program or are willing to purchase one, it might be helpful to have some practice time at home.  I am hoping that the more comfortable the students are with the typing, the more they will be able to focus on the content and conventions of their paragraphs.  Who knows?  It couldn't hurt, and think of all those papers you won't have to type when your child gets to high school...