Tuesday, May 10, 2011

CSTs are Over...Now What?

Congratulations, students and parents!  The English Language Arts CST is completed! Hurrah!  So...now what?


Currently, we are finishing up with the final book report presentations (the last of six book report presentations this school year) and working our way through the end of both the literature and grammar textbooks.  Additionally, AR (Accelerated Reader) goals are due June 1 -- keep your students reading!  More information is available in the May newsletter.


Students still have concepts they need to learn before moving on to seventh grade. Those concepts include:



  • Distinguishing between autobiography and biography
  • Identifying first and third person narration
  • Finding the meaning of symbols & symbolism in text
  • Sequencing narration
  • Evaluating the credibility of fictional text (literary criticism)
  • Capitalization
  • Writing clear and coherent sentences
What can you do? Support  your student as he or she tries to focus during these last few weeks of school -- the beautiful weather and the promise of summer can be rather distracting!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Sample CST Question 12

Origami
        (1) Can you create a whole world out of pieces of paper? (2) You can if you know origami.
(3) Origami is the Japanese art of creating shapes and figures by folding pieces of paper.
(4) Without scissors or glue, origami artists can make paper animals, flowers, or objects like boats
or windmills. (5) The word origami comes from the Japanese words oru, meaning “to fold,” and
kami, meaning “paper.” (6) Some people think it might have been introduced to Japan in the
early seventh century by the Chinese, after they began to make paper.
        (7) Most origami sculptures are made from a few basic shapes, like the bird, fish, kite, and
frog. (8) Diagrams that show how to make origami pieces are easily available, not only in books,
but also from online sources. (9) They show how to create origami through a series of
descriptively named folds: for example, the valley fold, the mountain fold, the petal fold, or the
pleat. (10) In addition, events like the Pacific Coast Origami conference offer exhibitions and
workshops for beginners as well as for advanced origami artists.
        (11) Origami is a beautiful art that anyone can try. (12) It can be difficult at first but if you
stay patient and follow instructions carefully, you can be an origami artist too!
CSW1P069-W
Read this sentence.
Origami is the Japanese art of creating
shapes and figures by folding pieces of
paper.
This sentence offers support by
A   defining the subject.
B   comparing the subject to something else.
C   beginning a story about the subject.
D   including an example that illustrates the subject.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Sample CST Question 11

Here is Miguel’s first draft, which may contain errors.
From Boyhood to Knighthood
1        In tales of medieval days, we are told that brave knights wore shining armor
and rode beautiful horses. They bore sharp, glistening swords. In these stories, fair
maidens in distress are rescued by these knights, who seem to appear mysteriously
out of the mist. The truth is that the knights of the Middle Ages did not just appear
from thin air.
2        In times of war, a young man who fought bravely on a battlefield could become a
knight on the site where he had demonstrated his courage. A king or knight could tap
him on the shoulder with a sword, giving him this title of honor.
3        In peacetime, becoming a knight was a more lengthy process. A boy began this
training when he was about seven years old. He went to live in the home of a noble
family, where he served as a page. He ran errands for the family, served their meals,
and learned to ride horses and handle small weapons. He also learned a code of polite
behavior that was as important as learning to fight.
4        When a page was about fourteen years old, he became a squire. A squire served
a knight who was called his lord. He took care of his lord’s horse and helped him
practice hunting and fighting skills. If battle broke out, a squire rode beside his lord
to the end.
5        Most squires were knighted by the time they were twenty-one years old. If not
knighted on a battlefield, the squire might be knighted in an elaborate ceremony
called dubbing. He bathed, cut his hair short, and prayed all night in a chapel. In the
morning, he knelt before his lord who tapped him on both shoulders with a sword. He
then gave him the spurs and sword of a knight.
6        Either in battle or in a dubbing ceremony, the squire rose from his knees as a
knight. He promised to use his bravery and fighting skills to defend the weak and
protect his homeland.
CSW0P006-W
In paragraphs 3 through 5, which
organizational pattern did Miguel use?
A   time sequence
B   spatial sequence
C   order of importance
D   comparison and contrast