CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- The pandemic has unfortunately put the WSIL Weather Academy on hold but we still have some previous adventures to share with you.
Our Storm Track 3 meteorologists recently took the Weather Academy to Lewis Elementary in Carbondale to help teach students about weather and the science behind it.
As it turns out, these students have been sharpening their science skills in preparation for their state I-A-R test.
Melanie Tate, Fourth Grade Teacher, says, "They're going to have to actually be those scientists, have the scientific attitudes, of being able to observe, and use that information or that data to come up with some sort of reasoning behind what's happening."
Tate says students have to apply logic and reasoning to answer science questions on their state test. But as you may also know, these tests include much more than science.
Neviah Lynon, a Fifth Grader, states, "On the IAR test, all of the subjects are hard."
Tate and her colleagues have to prepare their students to take in and analyze all kinds of information.
"Once they have all that information, it's important for them to really be able to figure out, how do I organize it how do I put it in a way so that I can explain it to others", adds Tate.
Naturally, the IAR test encompasses many different of subjects. Stacey Messmer, Fourth Grade Teacher, says, "We have a pace that we do to make sure we've covered everything that we need to."
But not everything can get covered before testing time. Lynon explains, "Some stuff I don't know still, because the teachers can't teach us everything before the IAR test. "
That's where the logic and reasoning, that students use for science, becomes useful again because test taking itself, is a bit of a science. Messmer says, "There's some just little tricks, testing tricks and things like that that we do right before just to make sure that they're even more prepared."
Tate elaborates, "Taking deep breaths, right? If I'm getting tired or whatever, I can sit there and take a few deep breaths, if I'm getting frustrated about a problem, instead of just giving up or going I'm done, I'm going to calm myself down a little bit, I might count to ten, I might kind of refocus, or re-read the questions."
"When you have a multiple choice question, you know, cross off the ones you know can't be the answer", adds Messmer.
Lynon says, "They gave us a peppermint because we would work hard."
"And just the power of the peppermint, you know, helps them focus a little bit more", says Messmer.
The preparation and effort that goes into being a better student and test taker, is all about personal improvement.
Messmer explains, "Individual growth for the students, like where they ended third grade, and where they ended fourth grade."
"You have to have a growth mindset, because that's part of life. If you don't have a growth mindset, that gets you nowhere in life", says Lynon.
The IAR tests have been cancelled for this year those skills will certainly come in handy in the future. Next week our Storm Track 3 meteorologists will take us to Thomas Elementary School.
