Book A Day Challenge...Book #9

Book of The Day...
Fandango Stew, this book is an "Old West" spin on Stone Soup...and I am so excited to use it in class. Stone Soup is one of our stories in Treasures...last year we read different versions of the Stone Soup and compared and contrasted, wrote "the rest of the story"...but Fandango Stew has the potential to lead us to even more!! Our story in treasures is set in China, Fandango Stew in the Old West...this will give us a wonderful opportunity to tie in social studies. I'm also exited about the opportunity to tie math and story problems into the making of our very own stew.
This is going to be a great read aloud...can't wait to pull out my "cowboy" voice for this fun story!!

Happy Reading...Jennifer

Am I a Teacher or a Tester?

I've been busy...hence the lack of posts on my blog.  I've been busy preparing my 3rd graders for state testing.  I don't believe in teaching to the test.  I believe in teaching my students to be problem solvers, to investigate and understand the world around them.  Don't get me wrong, I understand that students need to be able to read and there is most certainly a need for evaluation, but at what cost.

Students who did not pass the state test will not be able to pass on to fourth grade unless they fall into an area of exemption;  for this reason teachers have had to give 6 other tests for portfolios, to be presented to build a case, for a student who should go on to fourth grade but did not do well on the state test.  How crazy is that...testing for protection against the test!!!

TEST TEST TEST!!!
Sometimes I feel like all I do is test...and guess what...now that testing is over...I get to give my 3rd graders a "trial test" so that the state can test next year's test!!! You heard me right we're testing the test.

I'm beginning to wonder if I am a teacher or a tester!!