FSA: A Brief Overview From a Teacher Trying to Figure it All Out.

Those of you who teach in Florida are probably well aware that we are switching over from FCAT to FSA for standardized testing. While it is scary and unknown and totally new territory, it appears to be happening. I've put together a brief post sharing what I know so far, the resources I've found, and my plan of action to help prepare my students. I don't claim to be an expert by any means, more of a humble teacher on this journey with the rest of you. 

 The only sample assessment I've seen comes from the website pictured. It scares me and makes me uneasy that I've only seen one sample, and the format is new. Anyone with me?! Below I've listed directions to navigate the website for taking a sample assessment. If you haven't taken the sample assessments, brace yourselves. 

It's about to get real, friends! :) By the way, if you click on any of the pictures you can view them larger. 

Some teachers from my school had the idea of using these questions as a problem of the day, but each time you open the assessment, you're started back at question one. Bummer. 

It's my understanding that fifth grade takes the computer-based testing this year, then fourth grade next year, and third grade after that (at least in my district). As a third grade teacher that makes me feel a little better, BUT--if ours is still paper-based this year, what will that look like?! There are so many questions flying around in teachers' heads regarding all of this, that I fear may not be answered until after the fact. I decided that instead of living in fear and refusing to give this test, I would roll with the punches and create a resource for my students that I hope helps. 

I'll be creating 4 parts total, all spiraling third grade math CCSS. Instead of having all "normal" questions students are accustomed to, many of these questions require students to create, select "all that apply," and explain their thinking. It's in a PowerPoint presentation so it can be displayed on any board type, and includes the question on one slide, followed by the answer on the next slide.I also print these questions for student math journals daily. Included in the preview is a free week of POD questions if you'd like to use them. Even if you don't teach 3rd grade, a review never hurt anyone. 

I hope this post is at least a little helpful. I'll share if I get any other information, and please feel free to add any information you have in the comments. Just remember we're all in this together...:)

Sunday Circular: Behavior Management

Halloween is on a Friday this year. As if Friday's weren't enough fun already, let's throw Halloween in the mix, just to add to the craziness! With any luck it'll be a full moon, too! #saidnoteacherever

To help keep you sane this week, I've got a deal for you I think you can appreciate. I'm linking up with Nicole from All Things Apple for super Sunday Circulars!

After my first year teaching I knew I needed more than a clip chart for my friends. There didn't seem to be enough incentive, so that's when I started using these classroom reward coupons. I also use an economy system in my room, where students earn money for completing homework assignments, getting their planners signed, participating in class, and overall positive behaviors. With this money they buy their classroom coupons, but having classroom money is not at all required. That part is completely up to you!

I use a simple organization system for these reward coupons, this way it's easy and not another thing. Amen?! 

Using the coupons is sometimes incentive enough to do the right thing, but I do use this next product every. single. day. And love it. 

For October I printed my pumpkins on orange paper, and each Monday students grab a new behavior chart and tape it on their desks. The prep is simple--print and cut. When students are off-task, they "mark one off." I'm sure other teachers in the hallway think I'm crazy when I say, "Please make better choices so you don't lose a pumpkin (or bee, or flower, or chick!)." But my students understand the simple system, and know that at the end of each day they record their fraction in their planner. Parents know exactly what these fractions mean, because there's a parent sheet that goes home prior to use. It's individualized because it's on their desks, and it's there as a constant reminder. There are 2 versions available--the first has 5 clovers (or whatever the month is) and the second has 4 clovers. This is perfect for those special friends with behavior intervention plans and require more chances than others. 

So.. what's the deal?! If you buy the classroom reward coupons for $4, you get the behavior charts (regularly $2.50) for FREE! Just send me an email at mrsmandylopez@gmail.com letting me know your TPT username, and I'll send them right over! Happy shopping, friends! 

Sunday Savings Circular!

It's Sunday, friends. Many of us are (sadly) turning our teacher brains back on, gearing up for yet another week of school. Unless you're on Fall Break, and if so, let me just say #whatisthat and #iwantone. Anyway, I know I'll personally be grading papers alldaylong, while taking care of new puppies. I had to share.. they're precious. And exhausting. But precious nonetheless.

To help with that Sunday sadness, I'm linking up with Nicole from All Things Apple in 2nd for Sunday Savings Circular. I have some deals going on myself, and so do many other teacher-bloggers. Be sure to check those out as well!

For this week's deals, there are 2 options for you:

1. Buy 2 sets of task cards and get 1 set FREE!

Sequence of Events Task Cards

Main Idea Task Cards

Cause & Effect Task Cards

Context Clues Task Cards

Author's Purpose Task Cards

Making Inferences Task Cards

OR!

Go ahead and buy the BUNDLE (that's already discounted by 25%!) and get

 Literacy Stations for Bigger Kids FREE!

Remember, these deals last for SUNDAY ONLY, so check out the deals while you can! Also, be sure to send me an email for those free items! 

mrsmandylopez@gmail.com

I can't wait to hear from you! 

Friday Freebie for Annotating Text

It's Friday, hallelujah! I considered linking up for Five for Friday, but I'm too exhausted for five of anything right now. Except for maybe 5 consecutive hours of sleep. Anyone with me?!

Cell phones from Melonheadz clipart, I just added the words on top. She's fantastic! :)

I did want to pop in and share a freebie I made with all of you fantastic people. I'll be using these cell phones on Monday as we begin the process of close reading. Every annotation can be done with a pencil since the idea of a highlighter and anything state-testing-related gives me severe anxiety. If you are concerned about the colored ink, not to fear! There are both smaller versions and black/white versions available. 

Click on any of the pictures to download these from Google Docs. Enjoy your weekends, friends! 

Want to check out other free resources? Click below to do so! :)

Helping Students Track Progress FREEBIE

Happy Sunday, friends! And I do mean *happy* Sunday because we have one more day off, so no Sunday-night blues! I just wanted to drop in with a quick freebie for you fabulous followers. :)

Okay, so last week I had to administer a writing assessment to my class. Our school's focus this year for improvement is writing, so in order to show growth, we needed a baseline assessment from each student. Any guesses at how excited my students were? Yep, you guessed it--not at all. I tried my best to make it sound like a fun time for all, but by the blank stares, I gathered I was the only one with enthusiasm. And even that isn't completely true because after the writing comes the reading of all 17 papers and grading with a rubric, but that's another story. Anyway, then a thought came to me.

Make it relevant to them. Help them understand why I'm asking them to write something called a "baseline assessment." Well there's a novel thought, for once! 

So here's what I did: I drew a picture of a road map (and by map I mean a square with an X in the middle of it--really, that's all), and explained how awful I am with directions. I told my friends we were going to pretend I was lost on my way to the mall and therefore needed directions, and asked them if they could help. Almost every student raised their hand, and luckily for  me, the first genius said, "Mrs. Lopez, how can we give you directions to the mall if we don't know where you are?" 

Amen. My point exactly! We discussed how just like with road directions, in order to grow in subject areas, such as writing, we must know where we are starting. We need a starting point--a baseline--to figure out our individual directions for reaching our goals. So here it is: 

I plan on using these for goal-setting with my students, and conferencing with them about these goals and the steps along the way. My students already track their grades with graphs, so they will just add this to the front of their data notebooks. I like it because I think it's a good visual for them to see. The beauty is that each students' will look different, and perhaps their "where I want to end up" may be different as well. 

Here's a blank copy if you'd like to use this with your students. Click on the picture below and enjoy! 

Enjoy your long weekend, friends. You certainly deserve it. 

Portable Word Wall FREEBIE

Hi friends! Anyone else as exhausted as I am? This makes week one of school (with the students) and I already can't wait for Friday. At 3 pm, that is. I'm already dreaming of sleeping in Saturday morning then enjoying a nice workout and breakfast in my pjs. The first couple days of routines/procedures/routine/procedures over and over is tiring. But you all know this already! ;)

I wanted to share with you all a little (FREE) something I'm using in my class this year. I actually used it last year too, but just now put it together in one file. It's a simple concept really. I honestly don't have the space for a huge word wall. I do feel my students need to see words over and over, so they each have a portable word wall that can travel from station to station with them.

Today, for example, my students were working on writing the important things about themselves, modeled after The Important Book. As each child finished writing, I edited with them and corrected their spelling. I would write the correct spelling, circle it, and then expect them to write all correct spellings under the correct letter of the alphabet. My students are in 3rd grade, meaning cursive is a standard they are expected to learn. I put cursive letters inside their word walls, but also included print alphabet printables as well, if you need those. I tell my students that we'll add words to these walls as a class, and sometimes they will need to add words individually. These folders become their partners in crime, traveling with them.

Click on either of the pictures if you feel this is something you can use in your class, and you can download the file for free. You can also click {here} to check out other free resources in my shop!

My Favorite Things Linky!

Oh friends, I am so super {puffy heart} excited about this linky! If you're like me, once August rolls around a feeling of dread begins to sink in... until you walk in the nearest Target and see the loads of school supplies. It's at that exact moment when the little feeling of excitement starts to overtake me, slowly but surely, with each flair pen and sharpie I see. With that being said, let me show you a few of my FaVoRiTe ThInGs! 

Let's talk highlighters. I'm kind of a Sharpie snob because I trust the quality of these. And they come in purple, my favorite. Granted this pack only includes one purple, so that one is off limits to the kids. #sorrynotsorry

Sadly I don't have a SmartBoard, so my white board gets lots of loving. Expo markers are a must! 

I believe these pens need no explanation, but that lamp on the other hand! I was on a school supply shopping spree Thursday and saw this beauty at Walmart for $13.97. It was a perfect fit for my room!

Hello, organization! I had about 12 random containers around my room filled with school supplies. I'm over clutter and am now using this over the door shoe organizer in my supply closet. Goodbye random containers everywhere, hello organization! I believe this was $11.97 at Walmart!

Lastly, since my desk is only a small table, I NEEDED one of these for further organization. Love it because it matches my Hollywood theme. <--- Click there if you'd like a copy for yourself, free of course. :) 

Now.. would you like to win some amazon money to go buy these awesome supplies for yourself?! Enter below and be sure to hop around and see other blogs. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up