I just reviewed for 6th and 7th grade. The test is Tuesday. My experience was to keep it moving and short for the grammar review. I did a 5-7 minute review, they completed a worksheet on their own for 5 minutes, then shared with their neighbor for 2 minutes then we graded it as a class (another review) scoring it. I tried to have them try their best (compete) in teams of rows. Still not perfect but they liked the format of SHORT grammar lesson, individual work, we grade and review, then see what row/team did the best. I gave away pencils to everyone saying they ALL did so well.
My neighbor uses white boards with grammar review and I am going to do that next year even though this is middle school. They need variety, action, and short lessons to match short attention spans, in my opinion. ----- Original Message ----- From: "May Dartez" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades." <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 11:54 AM Subject: Re: [LIT] test-prep > > I am on spring break right now, but when we return to school on Monday, > I will have one week to > finish preparing my sixth-graders for our state test. > > In Georgia, our kids are required to know an absolutely ridiculous > amount of grammar terms and skills: > > simple/complete subject/predicate > every part of speech, including SIX types of pronouns: indefinite, > demonstrative, interrogative, subject, object, etc. ) > compound/complex/simple sentences > punctuation > dependent/independent clauses > tone/mood > research skills (key words, which website will contain which > information, reading a bibliography, table of contents, index, etc.) > verb tenses > transition words > topic/closing sentences > unifying idea of a paragraph > predicate nouns > predicate adjectives > direct object > indirect object > object of preposition > fragments > run-ons > > etc. etc. > > My kids have done a great job this year with all of this stuff, but > there is SO MUCH of it. I need to review all of this stuff in 3-4 > 90-minute class periods and don't want to completely bore the kids to > death. Also, they are so squirmy and don't do well with a lot of direct > instruction. > > Any ideas for preparing my kids for the state tests without just making > them completely shut down (especially my one group of strugglers are > getting very frustrated with all the grammar) would be so greatly > appreciated. I want my kids to be prepared, but I don't want us to have > a miserable week next week. > > May > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.26/746 - Release Date: 4/4/2007 > 1:09 PM > > _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
