Show:
Great Start
Reading Strategies
Help! My brain is stuck!
Math Strategies
I'm Done
100
"I have some STAAR practice books at home. Should I stay up the night before the tests to make sure I get as many passages completed as possible?"-Cassie
Hardworking Cassie No. You've got this, girl! Why would you want to stress yourself out like that? We have worked hard all year to prepare. If you feel like spending 20 minutes reviewing strategies or answering a few questions, great. However, you shouldn't be spending any more time than that. Relax! Enjoy your week off from homework. You're going to work hard enough during school :o) Love, Ms. Wright
100
"What strategy do I use BEFORE I read my passages?"- Olivia
Lovely Olivia, Preview the questions and make meaningful notes that will actually HELP you! Remember, we don't use strategies just for the sake of using strategies. We want them to be helpful! Love, Ms.Wright
100
"Ms. Wright, I didn't follow your directions and get a good night sleep. I'm exhausted and the test has just begun. What do I do?" -Jacob
Exhausted Jacob, Instead of fussing at you for not following my directions, I am going to give you a tip instead. Take brain breaks. When you feel like your eyelids can barely hold themselves up, ask for a walking pass. It is scientifically proven that a brain break provides 90% more oxygen to your brain, thus making it work better. Grab a quick sip of ice cold water from the fountain while you're out there. When you get back to your seat you'll be ready to work again. Seriously-do it, Ms. Wright
100
"I have a hard time with my multiplication facts. Will I be able to use my chart on the day of the STAAR test?"-Robert
Robert Unfortunately you will not be able to use your multiplication chart on the assessment. Instead, you can create the tic-tac-toe board that Mr. Shore and I showed you. It should help you with your multiplication and division problems. Take the extra few minutes to jot it down if you need to. It will help you feel more confident in your answers! Love, Ms. Wright
100
"I'm DDDOOONNNEEEEE!!!!! ...now what?"-Dalen
Done Dalen, "Yay! You did it! I am so proud of you! Now, are you confident in your answers? Did you check over the problems you were unsure about earlier?" I may not be able to say those things on test day, but you better believe I am thinking it! Do yourself a favor, take a mental break and look over those questionable questions with fresh eyes. Once you have, I would be happy to pick up your test and hand you your books. Always proud of you, Ms. Wright
200
"My favorite TV show is premiering tonight, but it doesn't come on until 9:00. I really want to watch it, what should I do?"- Maci
Magnificent Maci I love watching TV as much as the next person. I feel your pain when you have to miss out on an exciting episode. With all that said, tonight is not the night to push your sleep limits. Ask your parents to DVR the show for you, or try to find it online tomorrow. This way you'll get a good night sleep AND you won't have to suffer through commercials. Your brain will thank you for it! Love, Ms. Wright
200
"If previewing the questions doesn't help me, what other strategy can I use to be successful?" -Daniel
Dearest Daniel, You MUST prove your answers for each question. You MUST use this strategy WHILE you are working on the question. It doesn't count it you go back and do it after the passage is over. Love, Ms.Wright
200
"I'm 1/3rd of the way into the test and my brain is starting to go numb. What do I do???-Vanna
Vivacious Vanna Fret not sweet one! You have several options available to you. 1) Take a walking pass and make a few laps around the neighborhood 2) Get a drink of cold water from the fountain 3) Crack open a snack bag and fuel your brain up 4) Go to the bathroom to stretch your legs and get out of your seat for a few minutes Any of these options will help press the 'reset' button on your brain. Trust me, I know these things. Love, Ms. Wright
200
"I've reworked question number 23 at least ten times now. I still can't seem to get the answer. Should I just pick the answer choice closest to the number I am getting?"-Trish
Terrific Trish I can see why you would think that would be a useful strategy, however, it isn't. Skip the problem and come back to it. Fresh eyes always make things better. You can also try eliminating obvious wrong answer choices. 15+13 is never going to equal 10. We're getting bigger, not smaller! You can also trying subbing in the answer choices until one works. The right answer is there-you've just got to sniff it out! Love, Ms. Wright
200
"I am done with my entire math test, but I'm not sure how to bubble in #16. It's got a weird box with bubbles and a place for me to write my answer. What do I do?"-Kendall
Cautious Kendall You still need to record your answer for number 16, or you won't receive credit. Write the number (remember to think about place value) in the boxes above and bubble in the corresponding number under each digit. Don't make it harder than it needs to be! Love, Ms.Wright P.S.--> If your answer for #16 is 12,956, and the answer document only has three spaces for your numbers, then you're probably wrong.
300
"Strawberries are my all time favorite snack AND they are really good for you. Is it okay if my mom packs me some for my snack on the day of STAAR?"-Katie
Crazy Katie You're right, strawberries are delicious and super healthy, however, I don't think they are the best snack choice. Strawberries make our fingers sticky and leave red juice everywhere. You want to be sure to keep your answer document nice and clean. Why don't you have mom pack you some dried fruit instead? You can have all the fresh strawberries you want AFTER the STAAR assessment. Love, Ms. Wright
300
"But Ms. Wright! What if it's a question that I have to use my inferencing skills? How will I prove my answers then?"-Caitlyn
Cute Caitlyn What in the passage helped you make that inference? Go back and find that section of the text, that is how you will prove your answer is logical! Love, Ms. Wright
300
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS!!!!!!!!!!!!"-Andres
Angry Andres First, take a deep breath and calm down. Shooting mean thoughts at your test isn't going to make this day go by any faster. The only person you're going to hurt is yourself if you keep up this attitude. Take your brain break then choose one of the following options... 1) Skip the question and come back to it. It's kind of like restarting a computer. Everything works when you come back to it. 2) Pick the answer that you think is best. If you can prove it in the passage, you're probably perfect. This is one question in the entire test, don't let it decide how the rest of your day is going to go. Your calming teacher, Ms. Wright
300
"Wait, what's the difference between weight, capacity, and mass again?"-Tyler
Tyty What a great question. I'm glad you are trying to refresh your brain! Capacity-what something can contain or hold inside Mass-how much 'stuff' in an object Weight-the effect of gravity on your MASS Love, Ms. Wright
300
"Umm, Ms. Wright, I have a problem. I finished my test, but I don't have a bubble for the last question. What do I do?"-Kanisha
Curious Kanisha Great question! Go back to question number one in your test booklet AND your answer document. Do a two finger check for EVERY QUESTION to make sure the right answer choice is selected for each question. You should be able to find your mishap that way! Love, Ms. Wright
400
"Ms. Wright, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I've got two basketball games the night before the STAAR assessment. I know I should get plenty of sleep, but I don't want to miss out on my game. What should I do?"-Trent
Trenters That is a tough question! I know you team really relies on you, and I also understand how hard you've prepared for this assessment. Talk to your mom about your concerns. Maybe you can play for the earlier game, then come home to get plenty of sleep. I'm sure that your parents will help you make the best decision so help you be successful in basketball AND at school! Love, Ms. Wright
400
"Ms. Wright, there's always this pesky question asking me 'What's the author's purpose?' How am I supposed to know? I can't read his mind!"-Kylee
Kind Kylee What?! You mean you can't read someone's mind? Funny-neither can I. In this case you need to fear not. Do NOT try to put yourself in the author's shoes and try to GUESS his purpose. You don't know him, you don't know his life! Instead, think to yourself, "What was the MAIN IDEA of this passage? What was the POINT of the whole story?" that will surely steer you in the WRIGHT direction! Love, Ms. Wright
400
"I.Hate.Math."-Elliot
Exhausted Elliot, The great thing about a math multiple choice test is this: the answer is there, you've just got to find it! Eliminate obvious wrong answer choices so you aren't tempted to pick them later. Think logically about what the problem is asking you. Would it make sense for the product of 22x37 to be 60? Nope. You know more than you think you know. Stop second guessing your gut! Love, Ms. Wright
400
"I forgot how many quarts are in a gallon and this question is asking me to convert units. HELP!!!"-Parker
PK Never fear! Your math chart is near! If you can't remember to draw you Giant G, you can always use your math chart to help you with your conversions. Each section is also labeled by what you're measuring. Capacity, length, weight? It's all laid out neatly for you! Love, Ms. Wright
400
"I am done with my test, so can I color or get a walking pass?" -Matthew
Marvelous Matthew Nope. Other students in the room are hard at work. Do you think they want to see you coloring? Let's save the walking pass for our friends who need a brain break. I promise you will make it through today. I believe in you! Love, Ms. Wright
500
"I wasn't paying attention at all when you were talking about what to do the night before STAAR. Can you tell me again?"-Student X
Student X I hope you're listening closely now... 1) Eat a healthy dinner and breakfast. You want your brain all fueled up for the assessment. 2) Get plenty of sleep the night before. Put the video games down. They will be there tomorrow. Promise. 3) Don't cram the night before. You've got this! Stressing yourself out with a late-night cram session isn't going to do you any favors. 4) Remind mom about what you can and can't have for snack. Maybe she'll pack you an extra big one as a nice little treat! We're you listening? Hello? Ms. Wright
500
"Ms. Wright, I am a genius. I don't need to use my strategies because my brain is so big. Surely after a passage or two I can stop all this strategy madness?" -Student X
Student X No. You must use your strategies no matter how big your brain is. Everyone's strategies will look different depending on what you need to help you. Get over yourself and do the strategies. Slightly irritated, Ms. Wright
500
"I really didn't understand questions 1-5 on the test. I used your 'skip and go back' strategy, but I still couldn't figure them out. I decided to pick some random letters instead. That's what you meant by 'picking the answer you think is correct', right?" -Student X
Student X No-that is not what I meant. Picking random letters in order to move forward is not a strategy. Especially if you find yourself doing it several times during the test. Take a brain break them come back and try some actual math/reading strategies to solve the problem. The answer is there, you've just got to find it. Please don't ever pick random answer choices in order to be done. Love, Ms. Wright
500
"I am a math mazing! I was able to answer all the subtraction and double digit q multiplication questions in my head. Since I'm so good at math, I'm definitely going to make a 100 on this test, right Ms. Wright?"- Student X
Student X Wrong. You're just wrong. I'm beginning to wonder if you've even heard a word I've said all year. No matter how good you are at mental math, you still need to solve the problems on paper. You are 50 times more likely to make a simple mistake if you solve the problem in your head. Take the extra thirty seconds to write the problem out so you can be confident in your work. You're better than this Student X Ms. Wright
500
"Ms. Wright! I finished my reading test in an hour and a half! I finished my math test in an hour! Aren't I super smart?!"-Student X
Student X I don't doubt how smart you are, however you've definitely got me worried. When you finish that quickly it lets me know that you didn't use your strategies or show your work. Do you think that was really the best choice? You've worked SO HARD this year, I would hate for your score to drop simply because you rushed. This test is supposed to be challenging. I worry that if you finished so quickly, you weren't truly giving your best effort and taking all the steps you know you're supposed to. How fast you finish doesn't show how smart you are. Concerned, Ms. Wright