We've been busy ...

... practicing! This week students continued drafting their This I Believe essays in the computer lab on Monday. The completed first draft is not due until next Wednesday, October 16--but it's on the board as homework all this week. Yesterday we did a short story assessment and Article of the Week. Our schedule is a bit "off" this week because Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we'll be starting our ACT

introduction and practice.

While this is a high-stakes test for kids, my philosophy is that the more I can familiarize them with the test, the less anxious they'll feel on test day. And feeling comfortable and confident is the first step towards performing well. Again, my perspective is that we are really practicing reading and writing skills all year in class, and that it's those skills that are our goal--not necessarily a test. But the skills we practice--and that are assessed on the ACT--are those which also will serve students well as they move to college and/or the world of work.