A while back, I used to write a weekly blast email titled “Skill of the Week.” Each skill was specifically tailored to test “reading skills” aligned with the Nevada State Standards and our old CRT. The intention was to make students familiar with the testing format, increasing their chances of answering questions correctly. In other words, considering cognitive load theory, which suggests that students can only process a certain amount of information at once, being acquainted with the question stems would reduce the strain on students’ working memory.

I’m continuing this approach this year by creating experiences aligned with Smarter Balanced, using the question stems they use.

Standard	Genre	Title	Link
RL.2	Thomas Edison Narrative	The Bright Friendship of Edison and Batchelor	here
RL.3	Narrative	Kai and Taylor’s Reno Fishing Adventure	here
RL.5	Narrative	Cocomelon, Darth Vader, and Thor’s Magical Adventure	here
RI.1	Informational/Diary	A National Parks Recap **This was written by one of my 5th grade students!	here
RI.1	Biography	Ed Sheeran: The Melody Maker	here
RI.1	Biography	Taylor Swift- A Musical Journey Through School Years	here
R1.1	Informational	The Spooky History of Halloween in the United States	here
RI.2	Informational	Remembering Pearl Harbor	here
RI.2	Biography	Patrick Mahomes- The Rising Football Star	here
RI.3	Informational	Veterans Day – Honoring Our Heroes	here
RI.3	Informational	The Amazing Spring Equinox	here
RI.3	Informational	Hard Tack: A Simple Soldier’s Sustenance	here
RI.4	Informational	National Pet Day! (April 11th)	here
RI.5	Informational	The Battle of the Alamo	here
RI.6	Informational	Groundhog Day- A Furry Weather Predictor’s Annual Tradition	here
RI.6	Informational	César Chávez Day	here
RI.8	Informational	The Special Day- February 29th and Leap Year	here
RI.9	Informational	Daylight Saving Time- Fun, Economy, Safety	here
L.4	Narrative Biography	Abigail Adams and the Braintree Fair	here
L.4	Informational	National Oatmeal Day: A Tasty and Healthy Celebration	here
L.4a	Humor/Informational	Octonauts Math Adventure: Test Day	here