FCAT for Families Winning the Home Front

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FCAT for Families Winning the Home Front

• 3500 E. Fletcher Ave., Suite 301
• Tampa, FL 33613
• Office 813-558-5096
• Fax [phone]
• www.partnershipcenter.usf.edu

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FCAT for Families Winning the Home Front

• Simple strategies for helping your child achieve
  better scores on the Florida Comprehensive
  Assessment Test.

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GOAL

• Support the efforts of families in assisting
  childrens attainment of FCAT skills.

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Objectives

1. Understand what the FCAT is and what our children
   are expected to do.
2. Understand why increasing time spent reading and
   in conversation is the most effective way to help
   your child be successful on the FCAT.
3. Leave with simple strategies to use right away.

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FCATWhat does it look like? 

• multiple choice questions
• short response questions
• long response questions
• gridded response questions in Math, Reading,
  Writing, and Science

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• FCAT-Expects Our Children To

• Take skills and use them in real-life problem
  solving situations.
• Solve multi-step problems.
• Understand and use information.
• Get the main idea from reading.
• Write and organize thoughts.
• Sustain reading, writing and problem solving for
  forty-five minutes or more.

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Questioning

• Two kinds of questions

• Lower Order What is the color of the animal in
  the picture? (fact/meaning/definition)
• Higher Order How does the animals coloring help
  him stay safe? (concept/explanation/example)

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QUESTIONING (continued) 

• Easy ways to start High Order questions
• Why did?
• Why do you think?
• What if?
• How would you?
• How do you know?
• How arealike/different?
• How did/does?
• Which is better? Why?
• Why do you think?
• Why did?

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READING

• Support your childs reading interest (include
  fiction, non fiction, informational, poetry,
  etc.)
• Support your childs reading level (most of the
  words can be understood and pronounced
  correctly.)

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READING (continued) 

• Have family reading time where everyone reads.
  Read together and individually.
• Use sticky notes and sticky flags to write or
  mark interesting or difficult words or concepts
  in the text to talk about later.

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WRITING

• Have your child
• Write in a daily journal or diary.
• Write letters or emails to friends.
• Write out chore schedules, errand lists, and
  extracurricular schedules and appointments.

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WRITING (continued) 

• Set up a writing station at home with scrap
  paper, pens, markers, pencils, stapler, tape,
  scissors and magazines.
• Encourage your child to write their own version
  of favorite stories and poems. (ex. The book, The
  Hungry Caterpillar could become The Hungry
  Tadpole.)

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MATH

• Make math fun! Read fun math books. Play cards,
  number games and puzzles.
• Read and interpret charts and graphs in the
  newspaper.
• Determine how far you will be able to drive with
  the amount of gas in the tank.
• Find measuring opportunities. -Have your child
  help with cooking, reading the recipes and
  measuring the ingredients. -Keep a growth chart.

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MATH(continued)

• Let your child handle money. Have him estimate
  change due back. Help him check by counting it
  back.
• Create written schedules together and let your
  child be responsible for telling time.
• Let your child practice using a pocket
  calculator. Use it at the store to check
  predictions about the total.

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Science

• Science is not just a collection of facts. It is
  a way of thinking which include these
  components
• Observing-Help your children notice small
  details. What shapes do you see in the spider
  web?
• Classifying-Find opportunities for your child
  to put things into groups, such as sorting socks,
  their toys, canned goods.
• Predicting-Ask What might happen if?
  questions and then test them when appropriate.
  How long do you think that ice cube will last
  sitting on the counter?
• Quantifying-Find everyday opportunities to
  quantify. Who is the shortest person in the
  family?, Whose bedroom is bigger?

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SCIENCE (continued)  

• Look for opportunities for your child to collect
  things from nature to observe, sort, compare or
  experiment with. Such as shells, leaves, rocks,
  water smaples.
• Observe plants, birds, or insects and discuss how
  they are similar/different.
• Encourage your child to take things apart such
  as, old toys, clocks, and broken small
  appliances. (Dont forget about safety.)

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SCIENCE (continued)  

• Read and DISCUSS science related books and
  magazines together.
• Help your child learn how to use the text
  features illustrations/photographs, table of
  contents, index, glossary, captions, charts,
  maps, tables, and graphs to better understand the
  information.

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SCIENCE (continued)  

• Watch and discuss the weather station and science
  related television shows together as a family.
• Check for local science workshops, caps, nature
  walks or other science related programs.
• Visit local attractions that teach science
  concepts such as science museums, planetariums,
  aquariums, and zoos.
• Talk positively about science and set reasonable
  but high expectations for science schoolwork.

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SCIENCE (continued)  

• Let your child experiment with cooking.
• -Observe and discuss how individual ingredients
  mixed together create something new.
• -Predict and test what will happen if you change
  ingredients or cooking methods.
• Look for recipes for creative activities like
  play dough, paste, and paper machet.
• Experiment with mixing paints and water colors.

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TELEVISIONIt does not have to be the enemy of
education!

• Use the TV Guide and schedule the programs to be
  watched during the week.
• Watch programs together and make it interactive.
  Remember, talking builds vocabulary which
  supports comprehension and problem solving
  skills.
• What do you think will happen next?
• Do you think what that character did was right?
  
• Why or why not?

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VIDEO GAMES

• Video games require problem solving skills to
  advance from one level to the next level.
• Have your child write and/or illustrate a story
  about characters from the game and describe the
  characters personalities.
• Ask questions about strategies used to win the
  games.
• How do you get to the next level?
• Why do you need that yellow power-up thing?
• Why did you choose to play this game?
• Computers are great resources for building
  background knowledge and skills in all subject
  areas.

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TEST TAKING STRATEGIES

• Make sure to read and follow all directions.
  Reread if necessary.
• Read the questions first (not the answer
  choices). This will help you know what to pay
  attention to as you read the passages.
• Look for key words from the questions as you read
  passage.
• Do not spend too much time on any one question.
  If the question is too difficult, skip it and
  come back to it later.
• If you are still not sure of the correct answer,
  make your best guess.
• Do no leave any questions unanswered.

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TEST TAKING STATEGIES(continued)

• When you are finished, check to see you have not
  skipped any questions.
• If you have time, reread to be sure you are
  satisfied with your answer choices.
• Be especially careful to check math work since
  errors are more likely.

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TEST TAKING STATEGIES(continued)

• On multiple choice questions, avoid the
  temptation to choose an answer until you have
  read and thought about the choices.
• On a multiple choice test, eliminate the answers
  that you know are wrong, then make your best
  guess.

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TIME

• Use everyday opportunities to build reading
  vocabulary, problem solving skills and reading
  stamina.
• Make the most of the time you already have. A
  little bit of time over the long haul makes all
  the difference.

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Simple Ideas

• Find the time to teach while youre
• Doing Laundry
• At the Doctors Office
• In the Checkout line
• Riding in the car

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Simple Ideas

• Doing Laundry
• Let your child help sort some of the laundry and
  explain his reasoning.
• Ask the child to determine the size of the load
  of clothes and the appropriate amount of
  detergent that should be used.

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Simple Ideas (continued)

• Doing Laundry
• How long will it take the clothes to wash? To
  dry?
• What water temperature should be used? Why?
• At the laundromat, how much will it cost to wash
  and dry one load of the clothes? All the clothes?

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Simple Ideas (continued)

• Doctors Office
• What time do we need to leave in order to be on
  time for the appointment?
• How long (do we need/did we have) to wait to see
  the doctor?
• Why do we usually have to wait past our
  appointment time to see the doctor?

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Simple Ideas (continued)

• Doctors Office
• Make use of the wait time by looking at the
  office magazines.
• Bring books from home for both of you to read.
• Bring a crossword puzzle, cards or other portable
  game to play with your child while you wait.

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Simple Ideas (continued)

• Checkout line
• Have the child put items on the counter the way
  they should be bagged (frozen items, clothing,
  soaps).
• Read and discuss the labels on products, checking
  out the ingredients and nutritional information.
• Why are certain items put near the check-out
  counter?
• How much will we save using coupons?
•  

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Simple Ideas (continued)

• Checkout line
• Read aloud the shopping list as you are shopping.
  Let your child help you by finding the items on
  the list and cross them off as you put them in
  the cart.

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Simple Ideas (continued)

• Riding in the car
• Predict how long it will take to get to the
  destination and compare to how long it actually
  took.
• Talk with your child about landmarks on the
  route.
• What is an alternate route to get to the
  destination? Which route is the most efficient?
• Create a traveling backpack. Include things like
  paper, maps, books/magazines, pencils, markers,
  calculator and activity books.

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Simple Ideas (continued)

• Riding in the car
• Play songs that teach sounds/letters/words, math
  or other education concepts.
• Print mapquest for your destination. Ask your
  child to follow along with the map while you
  drive.
• Play an audio book on tape or CD.
• Have your child read aloud to you.

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WINNING AT HOME

• Start by making learning a priority.
• Show interest in school work.
• Support 100 attendance.
• Provide a variety of reading materials for your
  child.
• Focus on finding opportunities to build sustained
  reading time.

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WINNING AT HOME(continued)

• Look for everyday opportunities to have frequent
  conversations and listen attentively.
• Ask high order questions at every opportunity.
• Play with your child and explore his/her
  thinking. Young children learn through play.
• READ, READ, READ!!!
• Make it FUN! FUN! FUN!!

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Please Complete Evaluations

• 3500 E. Fletcher Ave., Suite 301
• Tampa, FL 33613
• Office 813-558-5096
• Fax [phone]
• www.partnershipcenter.usf.edu

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• FCAT
• Student Interviews
• Before the parent night, students were chosen
  to interview other students, teachers and parents
  on their feelings toward FCAT. The interviews
  were recorded and shown at the parent night.
• To increase parent attendance, teachers chose
  students and parents from grades three through
  five for the interviews.

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• Interview Questions for Students
• Introduce student by name and grade.
• Do you spend a lot of time studying for the
  FCAT?
• Why?
• How do feel about doing FCAT?
• Interview Questions for Teachers
• Introduce teacher by name and grade.
• How do you feel about your students taking the
  FCAT?
• Why?
• What techniques do you use to help them prepare
  for the FCAT?
• Interview Questions for Parents
• Introduce parent by name and grade of child and
  number of times his/her child has taken the FCAT.
• How do you feel about your child taking the
  FCAT?
• Why?
• What techniques do you use to help your child
  prepare for the FCAT?

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• FCAT SONG
• (Sing 4 times. Audience can join in.)
• (Sing Twice)
• We like FCAT
• We like FCAT
• Study Night and Day
• We like FCAT
• We like FCAT
• This is what we say
• (Sing Twice)
• Were Bears! (replace with your school mascot)
• The best!
• The FCAT is an easy test!