My Favorite things about FCAT
My Favorite FCAT Web Sites for PRACTICE
Make a free web page on Angelfire
READ MATH /fcit.usf.edu/FCAT10R/DEFAULT.HTM
READ www.bookadventure.org/
READ http://www.rhlschool.com/read6n4.htm
READ University of Chicago
READING Comprehension
READ Main Idea Quiz
READ Graphic Organizers
READ Comprehension ABC
READ www.bookadventure.org/
MATH /fcit.usf.edu/FCAT10R/DEFAULT.HTM
MATH www.mathbuilder.com/
MATH www.aaamath.com/
MATH www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/palmasola/rcmi1.htm
MATH.com Vocabulary
MATH Graphs N C E S
MATH Algebra Help
MATH Nasa Practice Test
MATH ED HELPER Fractions
MATH Visual Math (Math for Artists and others)
MATH WEB math
MATH GO MATH
MATH SOS Math
MATH aplusmath.com/ ALGEBRA
Start with a visit to >>> JOKES FOR FCAT F_K_HA_HA_HAT
www.teacherTOteachers.com and then click on FCAT HELP and then on HA HA HA www.edhelper.com
This web site is recommended by Scott Meahl, one of my student reviewers. "The web site gives good worksheets that you can customize."
NOTE: there are large sections that require you to subscribe if you want ot access the site.
www.sosmath.com <<< very helpful!
If you want help with SAT, visit these web sites, do the exercises and then click on SAT (go to Mr. M's page for SAT PREP)
www.geocities.com/talkinternational/sat.html
FCAT students can go to www.fcatexplorer.com and register with their code name (available from their school) (there are easier sites to use)
Here are some good math web sites to visit
www.kaplan.com
www.princetonreview.com
www.gomath.com
www.webmath.com
Mr. M's Math for Artists www.geocities.com/talkinternational/mathforartists.html
www.sosmath.com <<< very helpful!
FCAT READING EXERCISE
1. Tell someone a summary of a movie that you remember well. What are the plot points? What is a one-sentence summary of the changes that happen in the film? How do the characters develop? What changes, what remains the same?
2. Read a column by Michael Mayo and ask: What is the main idea? What can you infer (guess) about his opinion? What does the article suggest? What are three important details that support his argument?
This list is called www.angelfire.com/ex/fcat
FCAT reading sites
Lots of web information for Math and READING teachers (from Fort Lauderdale High School) http://www.firn.edu/schools/broward/ftlaud-hs/ief.htm This list of web sites is found at Fort Lauderdale High School. The web sites that I recommend most are found below with active LINKS. These links were tried and were successful in February 2003.
FCAT practice practice http://fcatexplorer.com This requires a code to get in. You need to know your password and the school needs to enter your last name and first initial in the system. NOT AVAILABLE for all students.
REVIEW by Mr. FCAT (Mr. McCray): I believe that fcatexplorer needs to work on making the program quicker to enter. The PRETEST is too long and the FIRST problem in a math section involved (1 + \/5)/2 -- that's heavy! I give them high marks for interesting articles and subjects and lots of colors. They need to make the letters larger to read more easily and the problems should be easier to start ... If you have 15-30 minutes, it's better to click onthe site below:
FCAT practice (10th grade) practice http://fcit.usf.edu/FCAT10R/DEFAULT.HTM "This website is very useful. Interesting articles with good tips -- try the sample tests." -- Scott Meahl, student reviewer
FCAT practice (8th grade) practice http://fcit.usf.edu/FCAT8R/DEFAULT.HTM
Context Clues vocabulary drill http://www.edu4kids.com/lang1/
Fact vs. opinion quiz http://cuip.uchicago.edu/www4teach/97/jlyman/default/quiz/factopquiz.html
Fact vs. opinion quiz http://dhp.com/~laflemm/RfT/Tut2.htm
Grammar Diagnostic Test http://www.edict.com.hk/diagnostic/default.htm
Language Games http://www.edict.com.hk/studyguide/games.htm
Main Idea Quiz http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/palmasola/rcmi1.htm
Main Idea Practice http://www.daltonstate.edu/faculty/mnielsen/main_idea_practice_2.htm
Main Idea Worksheet http://www.rhlschool.com/read6n4.htm
Phonics & Spelling Skills Review Tutorial http://www.mrsabc.com/tutorial_abc.shtml
Teach-Nology www.teach-nology.com
Reading Solving Mysteries http://kids.MysteryNet.com/
Reading Free online books http://www.bannerbooks.com/bookshelf/bookshelf.html
Reading Download books, worksheets, lessons http://www.readinga-z.com/newfiles/preview.html
Reading (ages 6 & up) games http://www.kidsdomain.com/games/read2.html
Reading (Elementary) games http://www.primarygames.com/storybooks/bookshelf.htm
Reading (K-8) Reading motivation program http://www.bookadventure.org/
Reading Comprehension stories/questions http://www.rhlschool.com/reading.htm
Reading Comprehension & Strategy lesson http://www.readingcomprehensionconnection.com/lesson.html
Reading Comprehension (grades 2-4) worksheets http://abcteach.com/directory/reading_comprehension/grades_24/
Reading Comprehension (grades 4-6) worksheets http://abcteach.com/directory/reading_comprehension/grades_46/
Reading Comprehension (grades K-2) worksheets http://abcteach.com/directory/reading_comprehension/k2/
Reading Comprehension (grades PK-K) worksheets http://abcteach.com/directory/reading_comprehension/prekkindergarten/
Reading Comprehension (Middle/High School) worksheets http://abcteach.com/directory/reading_comprehension/middlehigh_school/
Reading Comprehension Strategies Tutorials http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/palmasola/ps3gle2A1.htm
Reading comprehension vocabulary lesson http://www.readingcomprehensionconnection.com/cgi-bin/qrun4.pl
Reading graphic organizers graphic organizer generator http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/graphic_org/
Reading graphic organizers graphic organizers http://www.readinglady.com/gr/Graphic_Organizers/graphic_organizers.html
Reading graphic organizers graphic organizers http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/graphic/
Reading graphic organizers graphic organizers http://www.region15.org/curriculum/graphicorg.html
Reading graphic organizers graphic organizers http://www.smcps.k12.md.us/mbms/writing/graphorg.html
Research worksheets http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/research/
Speed reading Test http://www.readingsoft.com/
Vocabulary (grades 1-6) worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/vocabulary.htm
Quiz maker quiz maker http://www.edict.com.hk/quizmaker/
Crossword puzzle maker crossword http://www.teach-nology.com/cgi-bin/crossword.cgi
Elementary word search maker word search http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/youngwordsearch/
Word search maker word search http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/word_search/
Word Scrambler maker word scrambler http://www.teach-nology.com/cgi-bin/scramble.pl
ClozeMaker - create stand alone tests Teacher link http://www.edict.com.hk/clozemaker/
Handwriting worksheet maker http://www.readingkey.com/hwriting-t/index.htm
REVIEW "A lot of these sites are very specific to one subject, like GEOMETRY. The EdHelper.com site is more general. I found EdHelper to be very useful" -- Scott Meahl, Student Reviewer
ALGEBRAIC THINKING
AT flashcards http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/algebra.html
order of operations flashcards http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/index.html
AT algebra worksheet http://www.aplusmath.com/Worksheets/Algebra.html
AT FCAT (3-5) http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/palmasola/wordprobsindex.htm
At order of operations WS
http://www.aplusmath.com/cgi-bin/Worksheets/Online_Order_Of_Operations
Algebra Mixed Review worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/algebra.htm
AT worksheets http://www.algebrahelp.com/worksheets/
Arithmetic to Algebra & Exponents worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/arithmetic_to_algebra.htm
Algebra tutorials http://www.quickmath.com/www02/pages/modules/algebra/index.shtml
Algebra Word Problems -- worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/AlgebraProblems.html
Algebra calculators calculators http://www.algebrahelp.com/calculators/
Quadratic equations worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/QuadraticEquations.htm
Integers, Absolute Value worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/integers.htm
AT pre-algebra games http://www.gamequarium.com/prealgebra.html
Algebra tutorials http://www.aaamath.com/B/alg.htm
AT worksheet generator worksheets http://www.math.com/students/worksheet/algebra_sp.htm
Arithmetic & Algebra Puzzles http://www.cut-the-knot.com/algebra.shtml
Patterning & Algebra Teacher link http://www.linktolearning.com/patterning.htm
DATA ANALYSIS
Data Management & Probability Teacher link http://www.linktolearning.com/data_management.htm
Data analysis, statistics, & probability Resources http://www.nhptv.org/kn/vs/mathla9.htm
Statistics worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/statistics.htm
DA statistics worksheets worksheets http://www.maths.qut.edu.au/~gustafso/pub314/wsheet.html
Create a graph Graph making http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/Graphing/
Statistics Games http://neyman.stat.uiuc.edu:80/~stat100/cuwu/Games.html
Data analysis Games http://www.gamequarium.com/data.html
Statistics Tutorials http://www.aaamath.com/B/sta.htm
GEOMETRY Geometry Quiz http://www.mathsnet.net/js/geomquiz/geometryquiz.html
Geometry Grades 3-6 Games http://www.gamequarium.com/geometry.html
Geometric Area flashcards http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/index.html
Geometric Shapes flashcards http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/index.html
Geometry (high school) Q & A http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/sets/high_geom.html
Geometry worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/geometry.htm
Perimeter & area Game http://www.funbrain.com/poly/index.html
Geometry K-8 Tutorials & Games http://www.aaamath.com/B/geo.htm
Geometry & spatial sense Teacher link http://www.linktolearning.com/measurement.htm
MEASUREMENT Measurement Conversions Chart http://math.about.com/library/weekly/aa070502a.htm
English Measurement, Temperature Worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/measurement.htm
Measurement flashcards http://flashcardexchange.net/jsflip.php?id=6610
Measurement (need Shockwave) Games http://www.gamequarium.com/measurement.html
Measurement (inches & centimeters) Games http://www.funbrain.com/measure/
Measurement K-8 Tutorials & Games http://www.aaamath.com/B/mea.htm
Measurement Teacher link http://www.linktolearning.com/geometry.htm
Metric System Worksheets, Puzzles http://www.edhelper.com/metric_system.htm
NUMBER SENSE Numbers, place value, rounding, Roman numerals Worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/place_value.htm
Percents & Ratios Worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/percents.htm
Fractions Worksheets, Puzzles http://www.edhelper.com/fractions.htm
Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide Sequences Worksheets, Puzzles http://www.edhelper.com/sequences.htm
Tic-tac-toe squares (+, -, x, /, squares, cubes) Game http://www.funbrain.com/tictactoe/index.html
Miscellaneous Math Games http://www2.ncktc.tec.ks.us/~usd298/Math/games.html
Add, Subtract, Multiplication, Division Timed flashcards http://www.dep.anl.gov/aattack.htm
Math flashcards (K-12) http://www.edu4kids.com/math/
Math flashcards http://www.allmath.com/flashcards.asp
Number Sense Teacher link http://www.linktolearning.com/number_sense.htm
Add, subtract, multiply, divide Games http://www.aplusmath.com/Games/index.html
OTHER MATH
Ask Dr. Math Middle School Q & A http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/drmath.middle.html
Ask Dr. Math High School Q & A http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/drmath.high.html
Math game http://www.funbrain.com/cracker/index.html
9th grade math practice test http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/p_test/math_pro1.html
Math vocabulary http://www.math.com/school/glossary/glossindex.html
Math K-12 problems, puzzles http://mathforum.org/library/resource_types/problems_puzzles/
Grade level worksheets (1-10) http://www.mathbuilder.com/
word problems http://www.edhelper.com/WordStories.htm
Monthly math teasers http://nces.ed.gov/NCESKids/CRUNCH/challenge.asp
General math knowledge grades 4 & 8 Quiz http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/eyk/index.asp?flash=true
Online math tools http://www.gamequarium.com/onlinemathtools.html
Word problems (grades 5-12) Games http://www.gamequarium.com/problemsolving.html
All subjects games http://www.funbrain.com/kidscenter.html
Math Activities (Grades 1-6) http://www.toonuniversity.com/activitylist.asp?dept=MATH
Math games (PK - 4) http://www.primarygames.com/curriculum/math.htm
Math K-8, Tutorials, games http://www.aaamath.com/
Sign up for a free web site Go to www.teacherstoteachers.com CLICK ON “HOW TO MAKE a WEB PAGE”
Sign up for a free email address
1. Go to www.yahoo.com and click on EMAIL
2. Then on the left side of the screen click on “Get”
3. Then click on the left side for “FREE”
4. Follow directions!
5. Smile and breathe...this is an exercise of patience.
6. Don’t use your real phone number or address. 7. Send a message to englishlesson@mail.com and I will send you more information about SAT and FCAT and other ESOL web sites.
To practice math go to www.edhelp.com <<< some areas here require subscription
www.gomath.com
www.webmath.com
www.teacherstoteachers.com click on MATH or GED or FCAT
www.sosmath.com
FREE WEB SITES www.freewebsites.com
www.angelfire.com
www.freeserver.com
www.geocities.com
A beautiful gallery of paintings in Hawaii robthoma.freewebsites.com Robert Thomas
CELL PHONE DEBATE
Here is a summary of a letter that I received from the School Board
=========================
LETTER FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD
I have received the letters written by your students requesting the policy be changed regarding the use of cell phones in school.
....Broward School District has over 270,000 students. Can your students imagine what classrooms would sound like with every student being able to carry a cell phone?
Every student going to the lavatory will be able to call in a bomb threat and disrupt the school when a test they haven’t prepared for is in the next class! Also, there is a cell phone that holds and fires real bullets. Can you imagine?
In closing, I would like to thank your students for sending me their reasons for allowing cell phones on campus.
========================
Do any students want to write again to the school board?
=============
Here's what Mike Mayo says (a columnist from the Sun-Sentinel)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-mayo17jun17,0,5168344.column
Time for schools to teach cell phone use, not ban it Michael Mayo June 17, 2003
The Broward School Board has it all wrong. Instead of trying to ban cell phones, maybe they ought to add a new course for boors of all ages named Cell Phone 101: Etiquette and Essentials.
Like it or not, cell phones are here to stay. So perhaps it's time for schools to teach children the proper, civilized way to use them. Because it's a skill sorely lacking in society at large, especially among adults who should know better.
You know what I mean. The shopper loudly blabbing down the aisles at Publix. The driver doing the rush-hour slalom on I-95 with one hand cradling a phone to his ear. The churchgoer whose pocket erupts mid-sermon with the cheesy strains of the theme to the Pink Panther.
Is it any wonder yap-happy high school students are just as bad?
The frustration on the part of teachers, administrators and certain School Board members is understandable, but misguided. A ban won't solve anything. It will just lead to more paperwork. (Suspensions for merely possessing a phone on school grounds? Please.)
So here's my solution. Just as there's driver's education for learning how to drive and computer courses for learning how to use computers, schools should offer a basic course on the rules of cell phone usage. Better yet, I'll save everyone the trouble and start teaching it now. Clip and memorize.
Good morning class. Cell phones are wonderful devices, capable of making life much more convenient. Think of them as the microwave ovens of communications. But just as we don't put the cat or aluminum foil in the microwave, there are some do's and don'ts to cell phones.
It's really quite simple, boiling down to common decency and common sense.
Rule 1. Follow the rules. If you don't follow the rules, the teacher will take your phone and throw it out the window. Replacement costs will be your responsibility.
Rule 2. Know thy phone. All come equipped with an on/off button. Most have silent/vibrate options. When you are in class, you are not to use your phone, and your phone is not to make any noise. Most phones have voice mail. When you can't get to your phone, someone can still leave a message, and you can check it later.
Rule 3. Have a purpose. Don't call someone simply for the sake of saying, "What's going on?" Notifying a parent or boss that you'll be late is a valid cell phone use. Calling your buddy to let him know you just scored a personal best at the video arcade is not.
Rule 4. Be considerate and prioritize. It's considered bad form to have your phone go off in the movie theater, at bar mitzvahs or during your girlfriend's piano recital. Please see Rule 2/silent option. If you are expecting a call that's really urgent, you probably shouldn't be at a movie, a bar mitzvah or your girlfriend's piano recital.
Rule 5. When you graduate into the real world, apply rules 2-4 to your daily life (substitute the word "meetings" for class in rule 2.) Also, buy a hands-free headset so that you give the illusion of paying attention to the road while you drive.
Rule 6. There will come a time in your life when you find yourself at weddings and funerals, not just bar mitzvahs. Please see Rule 4.
Rule 7. If your phone goes off in a restaurant you may answer it, but only after excusing yourself from the table and walking outside.
Rule 8. If you must talk on a cell phone in public (mall, supermarket, stadium, plane), try to be as discreet, quick and businesslike as possible. The person on the other end may care what you're doing this weekend or who you're dating, but the people around you don't. And don't talk while you're at the register. Clerks really hate that.
Rule 9. If you are in the middle of a face-to-face conversation and your phone rings you have two options: 1) "Excuse me, I hate to do this, but I've really got to take this call. Can we resume this discussion later?" 2) Hit the silent button and say, "Don't worry, not important, the voice mail will get it."
Rule 10. If you are a School Board member who voted for the cell phone ban, don't let your phone ring at a future meeting. Nobody likes a hypocrite.
Michael Mayo's column is published Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. He can be reached at mmayo@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4508.
Copyright © 2003, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
=======================
But here is more information....
Amazing... I never knew about this... from ABC News... search "cell phone gun" on google.com
Deadly Decoys -- Cell Phone Guns Discovered
By Lucrezia Cuen
L O N D O N, Dec. 6 - At first sight it looks like a regular cell phone - same size, same shape, same overall appearance.
But beneath the digital face lies a .22-caliber pistol - a phone gun capable of firing four rounds in quick succession with a touch of the otherwise standard keypad.
European law enforcement officials - stunned by the discovery of these deadly decoys - say phone guns are changing the rules of engagement in Europe.
"We find it very, very alarming," says Wolfgang Dicke of the German Police union. "It means police will have to draw their weapons whenever a person being checked reaches for their mobile phone."
Although cell phone guns have not hit America yet, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the U.S. Customs Service say they've been briefed on the new weapons.
"This criminal invention represents a potentially serious threat to law enforcement and the public," said U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.
"We received word about these guns last month. We have since alerted our field personnel to be on the lookout for 'cell phone guns' at U.S. ports of entry."
Guns on the Move
These new covert guns were first discovered in October when Dutch police stumbled on a cache during a drug raid in Amsterdam.
In another recent incident a Croatian gun dealer was caught attempting to smuggle a shipment through Slovenia into Western Europe.
Police say both shipments are believed to have originated in Yugoslavia.
Interpol sent out a warning to law enforcement agencies around the world.
European border police and customs officers are at a heightened state of alert at all ports, airports and border crossings.
Realistic Appearance
'If you didn't know they were guns, you wouldn't suspect anything," said Ari Zandbergen, spokesman for the Amsterdam police.
"Only when you have one in your hand do you realize that they are heavier," says Birgit Heib of the German Federal Criminal Investigation Agency.
The guns are loaded by twisting the phone in half. The .22-caliber rounds fit into the top of the phone under the screen. The lower half, under the keyboard, holds the firing pins. The bullets fire through the antenna by pressing the keypad from numbers five to eight. Amsterdam police says they are very sophisticated machines constructed inside gutted cell phones which do not light up or operate as real phones.
"These are very difficult to make. We believe experts are involved," says Zandbergen.
America on Alert
U.S. authorities, including the FBI, ATF, Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Customs Service Authority have been supplied detailed information and pictures of these new weapons.
"They've been given a heads up," said Jim Crandall, ATF spokesman.
To date no phone guns have been discovered either in the United States or in the process of being smuggled in, authorities say. But they know it's only a matter of time.
FAA spokeswoman Rebecca Trexler said airport security officers had been trained to deal with this new threat.
"We don't want to tell the bad guys exactly what we're looking for," she says, "We are trying to stay one step ahead."
Will Affect Travelers
Airport authorities across Europe are implementing systems to X-ray all cell phones, those procedures will likely be followed by airports around the world.
"This is just one more item that we need to pay special attention to because nowadays, of course just about every passenger carries a mobile phone," says the spokesman for Frankfurt airport security. Customs officials in the U.S. say their safety procedure has normally been to require travelers to turn their phones on, however that may no longer be enough. Cell phone users will have to be made aware that reaching for their phones in some circumstances could be misinterpreted as a threat by authorities.
ABCNEWS' Christel Kucharz in Bonn and Andrew Chang in New York contributed to this report.
===================
Here is a letter to the editor that summarizes the opinions of some of my students...
Dear Editor
The renewed ban on cell phones, which applies to all students in Broward County Public Schools, sparked these responses from my students (they are adults learning English):
“If a problem happens in my son’s school, someone can call me.”
“If I put my cell phone on vibration, I don’t disturb anyone.”
“If the official phone in the classroom doesn’t work, then there are other phones for the teacher to use in case of emergency.”
“In our lives, any emergency can come into the classroom, so we need cell phones. If the teacher is using the class telephone, there are other phones to receive calls about emergencies.”
“With cell phones, students can have knowledge about family emergencies.”
“A school is like life in an office. Someday the students will be employees and they will need to learn how to use a cell phone quietly and without disturbing the work of the office.”
“I have work pending in my office. I need to know any changes.”
“A cell phone can help somebody to rescue another person against a danger.”
“It’s not polite to use a cell phone in church, in school or in meetings. But it is part of life and all students need to learn to put the phone on vibration and call back later.”
“If some people are sick or have a heart attack, we need to call 911.”
If you were on the School Board, what would be your decision about the policy for cell phones? Support your answer with examples from these texts or other information.
Send your comments to englishlesson@mail.com
If you have more web sites for FCAT review that you like to use, send them or recommend them to me. REcommended listening: "I'm a one-girl revolution" Superchick (Superchic)
See the web link http://www.stlyrics.com
www.angelfire.com/ex/fcat/superchick.html
