No More Teachers, No More Books? Oh, No!

Hey, Middle Schoolers! Would you rather lie on a hammock with a book you love or go to summer school? If you said "summer school," Mizz C. knows you thought today was April Fools' Day. Who wouldn't choose lying in the nice cool grass, on the beach, or in a hammock and reading a book you love?

Go for it! Here's why. An incredible report came out in 2011 showing that students who read twelve--12, 12, 12--books over three summers scored as well as students who went to summer school.


Here's the best part. The twelve books weren't assigned books or books that parents or teachers picked out for the kids. They were titles the kids picked themselves--everything from books on celebrities, gossip, to gerbils and a wizard pupil by the name of Harry. Nobody had to write reports or get tested on the books they picked. They just read twelve books that interested them.


Why is Mizz C. not surprised? Every time you read a new book, you pick up new vocab words, new ideas, new kinds of information, and new ways different authors present information. Those are the very reading skills that get a workout on standardized tests.  


To find the best summer books just right for you, grab your library card. Ask a friendly librarian for book suggestions based on subjects and books you already like. 


Or go to amazon.com. Type in the title of a book you really, really enjoyed. The brainiacs at Amazon will list titles of similar books you'll also like. Read the real-kid reviews for the books Amazon suggests. Then track down some of those books wherever you can find them. 


So get with your very own reading program, whether it's Dancing with the Starlings, The Real House Flies of Beverly Hills, or The Snack Games. 

Happy summer, Middle Graders! See you in the fall. 


XO 
Mizz C. 

Watch Out, U-Turn Words Ahead!

How annoying, right Middle Schoolers? You think you understand what a speaker or author means. Then bam! They stick in a "but." Suddenly they mean the opposite of what they just said. Outrageous. 

Mizz C. wants you to have the list of U-Turn words--transition words--that often appear in standardized test reading passages. If you see these words, be on the alert. The passage is heading in the other direction!

U-Turn, transition words:

although 

but 

even though

however

on the other hand

otherwise

yet

U-Turn Sentences:

Although I’d love to try that mystery meat casserole, I might be allergic.

I know finishing my homework is important. However, trimming my toenails is important, too.

I like you, but . . . (I secretly mean the opposite of what I just said.)

I know I should put away the dishes. On the other hand, if I let them air dry, everybody can find them faster.

Even though it’s a school night, having a sleepover will help me learn more if I study with my friends.

I’d better eat the rest of these cookies. Otherwise they might get stale.

I know it’s time to come inside, yet it doesn’t make sense to go to bed if I’m not tired.

On Your Mark, Get Set . . . STOP!!!!!

See this machine? 

Mizz C. always imagined that standardized test correcting machines looked like this. She didn’t want to mess with them. And you shouldn't mess with them either.

Here’s Mizz C's advice about filling in standardized test bubble sheets:

• PRESS HARD on your answer bubbles so the robo machine can read your answers.

• DON’T MAKE ANY STRAY MARKS anywhere outside the bubbles so the robo machine doesn’t misread your brilliant answers. If a stray mark does creep in, erase it ASAP.

Mizz C. recently read a sad, sad tale on one of her favorite blogs, Learn Me Good. Mr. Teacher gave the usual warning to his students about not making marks on their answer sheets. He wanted his students’ tests to look neat and orderly like this:

Not like this:

But one student was so nervous about not making stray marks, she didn’t answer any of the questions! Mizz C. totally understands. 

If you do get a mad urge to doodle, or you have to take notes or work out problems, make your marks . . . but only in the question booklet. 

Lesson over. Now go outside and kick a ball!