Excellent resource for educators and parents alike
Standardized tests are as much a part of school today as reading and math classes. Unfortunately, while most children eventually learn to read and do the math they need to live, many don’t learn to take the tests that PROVE they’ve learned reading and math. Whether parents and teachers like it or not, a student’s ability to do well on standardized tests is increasingly important, and not just to the student. Teachers and schools are judged based on student test scores. Parents and teachers need help. Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man: A National Test Prep Adventure may be just the help they need.
Written specifically for testing, Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man: A National Test Prep Adventure is available in a format geared towards the National Curriculum Standards as well as some individual state tests. Aimed at grades 2-5, the book is a series of silly stories that will engage students. The stories are followed by a set of questions similar to those found on standardized tests. These questions are written to directly correlate to specific standards such as “4th Grade Basic Reading Skills” or “2nd Grade Math Facts.” There is a guide on the back to help parents or teachers see which specific learning standard is being addressed.
Why would this book work when other teaching aids fail? There are a few reasons why this book might be a better choice. First, the stories are quite funny and will make students want to read the next one. Second, the book is extremely well organized and easy enough for adults to navigate (even if they have little or no educational background). In just a couple of pages at the beginning of the book, the author CLEARLY describes how to use the book. A third advantage of this book is that it appears that the book would be equally useful to use with a student who may not have trouble taking tests, but is a bit behind in developing basic concepts. In other words, this is not just a test preparation book. It could also work as a booster for a student who is struggling with a specific concept, for example, 3rd grade Math, Measurement and Data or 5th grade Speaking and Listening.
One last thought about the usefulness of the book is that it covers four grades of material. So, as a parent, suppose your child has just finished grade 3. During the summer, you can use the book to review material from grades 2 and 3, but then in the spring, take the book out to use with homework. for grade 4. Or you might even want it during the year if your student hits a rut with a given concept, say fractions. By using the same stories with different goals, it allows the student to achieve real growth in specific areas.
Overall, Kumar Sathy’s Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man: A National Test Prep Adventure seems like a near must-have for teachers and parents alike.