State Test Preparation - Reading and Writing

Prepare for state tests with a class designed to boost both reading comprehension and writing skills for 4th and 5th grade students.

The class incorporates prompts aligned with state test expectations, covering narrative, opinion, and informative writing genres. Students will build confidence and practice strategies to effectively respond to writing tasks similar to what they may encounter in a standardized test. 

Session 1 (Reading Focus): In the first class of the week, students will work on reading comprehension strategies, including identifying main ideas, making inferences, understanding text structure, and analyzing key details. They will practice with a variety of fiction, nonfiction, and informational texts commonly found on state tests. Students will have the opportunity to practice answering multiple choice questions in a supportive environment and be given feedback. Students will have the text beforehand and should print it out in order to annotate and participate in class effectively. 

Session 2 (Writing Focus): The second class each week is dedicated to state test writing preparation. Students will respond to prompts aligned with test standards in narrative, opinion, and informative genres. Some prompts will be short while other writings will be extended responses that require time after class to complete. They will learn to plan, organize, and write clear, focused responses that incorporate evidence from texts. Skills such as crafting strong introductions, detailed body paragraphs, and conclusions, as well as revising and editing, will be practiced regularly.

** Since some writing prompts require more time than class permits, students will be able to complete their writing after class and send it to me for detailed feedback. 


Schedule:

Week of Jan 6th:
- Fiction focus (Point of view) 
- Text: Excerpt from Island of the Blue Dolphins
- Students will be writing the narrative from the point of view of a different character 

Week of Jan 13th: 
- Nonfiction focus 
- Texts: Leonardo da Vinci and Leonardo da Vinci for Kids 
- Students will be writing about the relationship between a master and his apprentices

Week of Jan 20th:
- Narrative focus
- Text: Pickle Impossible
- Students will be continuing the story and using dialogue, descriptive details, transition words, etc. 

Week of Jan 27th: 
- Nonfiction focus (biography)
- Text: Snowflake Bentley
- Students will be writing about the main idea of the text and how the author supports that with supporting details

Week of Feb 3rd:
- Fiction focus (story and poem)
- Texts - Just Like Home and Life Doesn't Frighten Me
- Students will be identifying a similar theme between the two texts and writing about how the texts develop those themes

Week of Feb 10th:
- Fiction focus (characters)
- Suki's Kimono and Market Day
- Students will be writing about the similarities and differences between characters 


*Topics will be updated as the class progresses