I gave a test today

We read the book Night Journeys in book clubs over the past 4 weeks. The kids finished reading the book over Christmas break. Yesterday they had their final book club discussion. Today they took the test. Let me first say that if I were a better teacher, I would have written my own test. Next time. Well, if I were the teacher I wish I was, there wouldn't have been a test, at least not a traditional one.

Strangely enough, this test turned into my victory flag for a couple of battles.

Yesterday, when I told one of my classes that we were going to have a test the next day, a student raised his hand and asked, "Is it going to be graded?"  

Of course it's going to be graded, I thought. Why would he ask if a test is going to be graded?

Four days shy of the end of the first semester, the assumption that everything -- even tests! -- goes into the grade book has been unlearned!

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When it came time to take the test today, one of the first few questions asked students to compare two of the characters by choosing a word that suited both of them. One of the words was "reserved." A student raised her hand and I walked over. "What does 'reserved' mean?" she whispered. Somehow I bit my tongue on my initial, teachery reaction, "That's the point of the test." I didn't say that. Instead I thought: Is that the point of this question? Am I looking to this question to see if they know the vocabulary or if they can apply the definitions to characters from this book?

"You can use the dictionary to look it up," I sad. "Everyone! You can use a dictionary if you need it."

And to my amazement, all but two students stood up, walked to the cupboard, and grabbed a dictionary.