Testing

Post 224

Testing in Kindergarten? Yes. It’s a thing. I know that at first it can seem a bit much. But remember, Kindergarten is now what First and Second Grade used to be. Students are learning to read, write, add, subtract, etc. so it stands to reason that teachers need to know where they are in order to plan curriculum and instruct each child.

There are two types of testing…teacher made and standardized. Teacher made is just what it sounds like. Educators come up with ways to see how well the children in their classes are understanding what is being taught. They are usually the same across the grade level and have been proven to be effective. This can include observation such as in a reading group. There are also oral tests where a child demonstrates knowledge of a concept. An example of this that I use early in the year is for a child to demonstrate understanding of 1:1 correspondence by setting a play table for 6 people. They have to figure out how many plates, napkins, glasses they would need to give every person one of each. And there are benchmark tests such as those in Guided Reading. In those a student reads a specific leveled book to the teacher. Depending on the number of errors and answering of comprehension questions, they are either moved up to the next reading level or stay where they are. Primary teachers are very skilled at testing their students in a relaxed non pressure setting. Most children don’t even realize what is happening. I always tell them we are playing one on one and they enjoy our time together . (so do I!😀)

The other type of testing is what you remember. Those tests where you have to fill in the bubbles, etc. In our district and I think in most, that doesn’t occur in Kindergarten but can beginning at least in Third Grade. Kindergarteners, however, are taught to “bubble”…how to fill them in. Personally I think that’s a bit much. It’s very hard for a 5 year old to stay in the bubble and someone always fills in all the bubbles because they “feel sorry” for the ones left out. Lol. But if your older child is taking standardized tests and seems worried, let them know that the tests are usually just for state funding and have nothing to do with their grade on their report card. Teachers try to set a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom during those and give children free time after so you might also emphasize that too!

Hopefully, your little one will take testing in stride, treating it as just another part of the school day. Remember, your attitude will make a difference. So, make sure they are well rested, have a good breakfast, and then send them off with a smile!

Take Care. 🙂

Spelling

Post 222

I’ve had a few questions about spelling lately. How important is it? When should students be spelling words correctly? How to help them spell? All of these are legitimate concerns.

Currently, at least in my district, children in Kindergarten are encouraged to write and their spelling is phonetic. That means they “write what they hear” so “cat and dog” might look something like “ct n dg”. Or “I like you” could be written “i lk u”. The idea is to get students writing freely and bring in correct spelling later. And it works. Most children are confident writers by the time they start First Grade no matter what reading level the are on. The mantra is “writers become writers by writing”. And it’s very hard to write if you are constantly told to correct spelling and go back and fix it. Talk about taking the fun out of it! lol.

But, at some point, children need to learn the correct way to spell. That’s why most districts use a phonics program, too. Students are told to “stretch out the words” and listen for the sounds, especially vowels.

But as your little one gets along in school the dreaded spelling list and weekly spelling tests still appear. (Can you remember how boring they were? They still are!) And once students get computer savvy, the question arises, “Why can’t I just use SpellCheck?” And, of course, they can! But they still need to be able to spell to get along in the world.😀

Usually learning how to study for a spelling test comes along with maturity. But if your child eventually needs some help, try to make a game out of it. Use those spelling rules (ex. I before e except after c), find small words inside of bigger ones, remind them that all words have to have vowels and look for them. Another way I have found particularly successful is to say the word the way it’s spelled when learning it. For example Wed-Nes-day , of-Ten, sep-a-rāte. And don’t be afraid of drill with flash cards or online games. (I personally like spellingtraining.com but there are a lot out there.) Of course, when your child gets to homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently such as lone/loan, their/there, etc.) memorization is key. In that case, I would probably make up pairs of cards and try to explain the differences in an easy to remember way. (lOne has the “o” by itself… aLONE, tHERE is a place..here, etc.)

So, is spelling necessary? Ultimately, yes. And with maturity and sometimes a little help, your child will get there.

Take Care. 🙂

***If you have any ways you recommend to help reluctant spellers, please put them in the comments.😀