COMMUNITY RESOURCES

NESA RESOURCES

Eighth grade students will take the Nebraska State Writing Assessment from January 21-25th. The test is online. Students are expected to write a draft of the paper, and type the final copy online. This is not timed, but students are expected to have the test completed before the end of the day.

The NESA-W test is a Descriptive Writing piece. Here are some tips and resources for Descriptive Writing:

  - The Topic and Organization are keys to scoring a Proficient on the test.
  - In Descriptive Writing, students are using their sensory skills (hear, see, smell, taste and touch).
  - Have your child describe a place or event.
  - Paint a picture by telling more (it's okay to exaggerate).

State Writing - NeSA Writing website

NeSA Writing Flyer

Performance Level Indicators

VOCABULARY RESOURCES

Omaha Public Schools has implemented the 6-Step Vocabulary Model from the work of Robert Marzano. Vocabulary development in one of the top 20 strategies to improve literacy. The six steps (examples, restate, pictures, activities, discuss and games) give a holistic approach to enhancing vocabulary.

Any exposure to content vocabulary outside the classroom will increase our students comprehension of material. Click on a subject area below to view a vocabulary list.

Reading
Math
Science
Social Studies
Language Arts

After a student has been exposed to new vocabulary, a fun and interactive way to reinforce this new knowledge is with GAMES! Here are a few of our favorites:

freerice.com
quizlet.com