Welcome,
Parents & Guardians!
Hosted by PCHS ELA Department
Why are we here on this glorious Thursday night?
-to provide updates on classroom learning, assignments, and expectations
-to discuss the upcoming MILESTONE EXAMS
-to provide tips and resources you may want to use at home
-to answer any questions you may have
What is Happening in American Literature?
-We are currently in the midst of the Transcendentalism unit.
-The focus is peace, nature, and poetry.
-The HUGE project at hand is the Poetry Book. (You should hear the children screaming in horror in the background.)
What is this dreaded poetry book you speak of, Ms. Martin?
-Awesome. That’s what it is. :)
-Students are first learning the styles and focuses of various poems in the time period.
-Students then think critically about how they would respond to these poems.
-Using various formats, styles, and devices, students create their own response poems.
What comes of all of this reading and writing?
-Aside from a quality PCHS education, students also prepare for the American Literature MILESTONE EXAMS
*The four Achievement Level designations are Beginning Learner, Developing Learner, Proficient Learner, and Distinguished Learner.
*In addition to criterion-referenced information, this produces an estimate of how Georgia students are achieving relative to their peers throughout the nation.
How is this test designed?
Why should you care about the Milestones???
-Other than showing how awesome our students are and how much they have learned…
It is 20 PERCENT OF THEIR FINAL GRADE!
How is the test administered?
-The test will be given in three sections.
-90 minutes to complete Section 1, which includes the extended writing-response. This section must be administered on a separate day.
- 80 minutes per section to complete Sections 2 and 3.
What is this test assessing?
-The standards are grouped
into two domains:
Reading and Vocabulary
and Writing and Language.
What kinds of literature will be on the test?
How can we prepare???
To give students practice using technology-enhanced items in an online environment very similar to how they will appear on the online test, visit “Experience Online Testing Georgia.”
1. Go to the website “Welcome to Experience Online Testing Georgia” (http://gaexperienceonline.com/).
2. Select “Test Practice.”
3. Under “End-of-Course (EOC) All Assessments,” select “Online Tools Training.”
4. Select “EOC Test Practice.”
5. Select “Technology Enhanced Items.”
6. You will be taken to a login screen. Use the username and password provided on the screen to log in
and practice navigating technology-enhanced items online.
You must use Google Chrome for this!
Concerns we have noticed in the classroom:
-Lack of independent thinking. Students struggle to think on their own.
-Lack of critical thinking. Students only skim the surface rather than applying lessons to other situations.
-DEPENDENCY ON TECHNOLOGY! (This is a double-edged sword, since the test is on a computer.)
-Students write the way they text, without punctuation, capitalization, or train of thought.
-Students use “I” and “Me”. Think outside the box.
What has reared its ugly head in the past?
-Grammar and punctuation -
students may be asked to
identify or fix errors.
-Students have to drag and
drop evidence into the
proper columns.
POSSIBLE WRITING TASK:
What else may appear?
-Use of context clues
-Synonyms
-theme
-literary time periods (my goodness…this one hurts)
-making inferences about characters
-Narrative writing (third person or first person)
-Switching perspective and point of view
Continued…
-Claim and support
-Which sentence is wrong?
-How to research–which sources are best?
-pull-down boxes for fill-in-the-blank
-Argumentative Writing
Once again, Mrs. Martin--what can we do to prepare?
-Some of us are old school…I can print you off some resources upon request.
-Mrs. Messer can post resources and attachments of review material.
-Use Infinite Campus to get an idea of your child’s struggles.
-Frayer Models are great for increasing vocabulary skills!
-TELL US WHAT YOU WORRY ABOUT AND WHAT YOU NEED! We are here to teach and help.
Contact Information:
Mr. Russell Coleman – rcoleman@peachschools.org
Ms. Jennifer Martin - mrsmartinteachesall@gmail.com or jennifer.martin@peachschools.org
Mr. Matthew Partain – matthew.partain@peachschools.org