Mr. Martin Spoerlein

MSN Sixth Grade Teacher

Science

Ways to Improve

Testing

Daily Work

Q-sheets

Please be aware that now your child is in middle school, more information is covered at a faster pace than your child may be accustomed to.  Therefore, more daily review will be needed to stay current and aid comprehension.  Studying the night before a test won’t do the trick anymore; concepts become blurred and intertwined and befuddled.  Studying for upcoming tests and quizzes should be a daily practice.  Daily rehearsal of covered curriculum is crucial to student comprehension of concepts and long term retention.  Additionally, time spent reviewing daily improves future learning because oftentimes the next day’s lesson builds on what was taught the day before.    

         Unfortunately, daily review and rehearsal of concepts and vocabulary is usually a “hard sell” for many students.  I understand our young scholars would prefer spending more time pursuing their many other interests rather than reviewing for tests and quizzes.  Any insights and guidance you can provide for your child toward developing good, DAILY study habits will benefit your son or daughter this year and for years to come.

     Basically, there are three possible problematic areas of focus for your son or daughter: Testing, Daily Work, and Q-sheets.   Knowing the particular area of difficulty is the first step toward improving that deficit.  Once the problem area is identified, then the necessary steps to correct the situation can be taken.  Following, these three areas are examined and explained.

Science Testing   

     Oftentimes, a common assessment component that proves challenging for most incoming sixth graders is in the area of testing.  There are typically 3 to 5 tests in any given quarter, depending on the unit of study and end of quarter timing.  Since tests are relatively few in number, it’s important for students to prepare for and do their best on each and every one.  Furthermore, as tests account for half of a student’s science grade, any time spent in test preparation is time well spent because it has a big impact on the composite grade. 

Some learning practices your child should employ to improve the testing component of his or her science grade:

     ·        Write down the date of an upcoming test in assignment notebook (students are

          notified 1 week prior to any test)

·        Set up and stick to a daily learning time (of about an hour for 6^th grade).

Ø     Use some of this daily learning time for reviewing for tests.

·        Review with:

Ø     Q-sheets

Ø     Anticipation Guides & Vocabulary Development

Ø     Assignments

Ø     Labs

Ø     Reviews

Ø     Textbook

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Science Daily Work   

     Another assessment component in which some students may have difficulty and could target for improvement in the upcoming quarter is in the area of daily work.  Daily work consists of daily assignments and labs.  Again, I recognize that most students would rather spend their time doing other things, so there is great incentive for them to complete assignments quickly and with as little effort and thought as possible (if the assignment is completed at all!).  Therein lies the problem.  With little thought or effort given to the daily assignments (which are designed to reinforce concepts), comprehension and understanding will not follow.  This, in turn, leads to poor test performance.  Once again, the development and practice of good daily study habits helps correct this deficiency. 

To improve the daily work component of their science grade, students should:

·        Keep binder organized

Ø     Have all materials and assignments in science section of binder

·        Write down the assignment in agenda when prompted to do so in class

·        Set up a daily learning time

Ø     This is a set amount of time (about 1 hour for 6^th grade) that is used to complete assignments and review daily, regardless whether an assignment was given

Ø     Check over assignment for quality— accuracy, spelling, grammar, neatness

Ø     Check off assignment completion in agenda when the completed assignment is properly placed in the science section in the binder

Ø     Review when assignment is completed and there’s still learning time left      

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Science Q-sheets

        Q-sheets are a reading strategy employed to help students gain meaning from expository text.  Every class begins with a Q-sheet that serves as a quick daily review and reinforcement.  Students are encouraged to look up the answers to Q-sheets in their reading materials.  Q-sheets are designed to closely follow previously read materials and allow for repetition and practice of vocabulary and concepts.

If the Q-sheet component is an area targeted for improvement, some things your child can do are:

·        Read assigned readings for meaning and understanding (twice, if need be)

·        Read captions of diagrams and pictures

·        Study diagrams and models

·        Pay attention to details

·        Check spelling

·        Always have book in class for reference (students are supposed to use their books to look up Q-sheet answers!)

·        Start on the Q-sheet immediately at the beginning of class

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