Monday, April 11, 2011

Spring SOL Review Season!!!

It's that time of year again!  April showers bring more than just May flowers.  They also bring about the SOL Review season.  To prepare students for the rigorous bout of testing that will soon be upon us, the Math 6 team has already begun our preparation.

In addition to the many in-class review activities students can expect over the coming weeks, they will also be working on homework packets composed of released Math 6 SOL questions.  Students will be completing the first section (Numbers & Number Sense) this week and will receive the rest of the sections (Computation & Estimation; Patterns, Functions, & Algebra; Probability & Statistics; and Measurement & Geometry) before leaving for Spring Break if they bring the required 3-prong folders that were first mentioned last week.  The first folder is to contain these homework packets and any additional review worksheets.  Any students who do not bring in the required folders will not recieve the homework packets in advance, only at the time they will be covered.

The second folder is to contain all of the old WWU Spiral Quizzes (9 total) and the new "You Can Do It" Quizzes (5 total), which will start this Friday and equal an SOL simulation test when combined.  The scores for these quizzes will be graphed in class so students can see what areas they need to work on the most and to help them understand the score they will need in order to pass the SOL.  A letter is being sent home tomorrow with further information on these quizzes.  We ask that all parents/guardians sign and return the letter on the first signature line to show that it has been read.  The letter will be sent again after the last quiz with the scores written on it to show the parents/guardians the areas each student needs to focus on the most.

These two folders along with the Math Dictionary are the materials students should turn to when reviewing on their own or with friends.  In addition to these, there are many websites bookmarked on the Class Portaportal on each topic covered in class as well as study aides (i.e. virtual flash cards, study forums, etc.) and JLab practice SOL quizzes.  Students can earn extra credit towards their Term 4 grades by completing JLabs as well as creating their own review materials, such as making math cartoons and virtual flash cards that can be shared with their classmates.  They can also find the link to various state resources, including the ePAT program (1 & 2), which allows students to practice the various etools provided on the actual SOL test as well as the new question formats for the non-multiple choice questions being introduced this year.

Good luck to all and happy reviewing!!!

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