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Welcome to CST "dungeon."
That's right.
I know many of you think that taking the CST feels like being stuck
in a dungeon...
and it does.
So I've been
preparing you all year long for this. So here we go.
I've been mentioning the fact that there is a "dress code." That's right,
a CST "dress code."
Now don't worry about actually wearing something like what I'm going to be
describing.
It is only a metaphor.
So just like in a video game you would not walk into a dungeon empty-handed or
without having the right equipment.
And so
there are six
items that that you should be prepared to have
before entering.
That's right
the CST "dungeon."
There are six items
and there they are.
I will not go through them one at a time.
The first
is "the helmet of prior knowledge."
You need to
keep in mind those things that you already know.
Not necessarily the things that you learned from school even but things that you've learned from
watching TV,
reading the newspaper, or
probably somebody read online.
Or it could even be from cartoons or video games, but things that you know
while you're reading the text.
Please keep those things in mind and make sense
and make those connections.
next we have "the breastplate of peace." That's right of peace. During the test
many students get very stressed out
so take a deep
breath and please breathe out and calm that heart of yours
"the breastplate of peace"
is important to remember
because
if you are too stress out, you will not be able to access
what you really know.
Next we have "the belt of effort."
Many times students after getting tired
or getting
bored will start daydreaming
and just like pants that sometimes slip. You need to pull up those pants and
tighten your belt.
So during the test, if you feel like you're slipping away,
keep in mind that effort is extremely important.
Next we have
"the boots of patience."
Students sometimes rush through the test
and get done.
Other times students work really slowly.
Please make sure that you remember that
the CST is not a "sprint." It is more like a "marathon."
So please pace yourself and be patient.
The test
is long,
but you can do it.
Next we have
"the shield of positive thinking."
Many times during a test you may hear negative thoughts entering your mind.
Things like, "You can't do this" or "You're going to fail"
and it's important to deflect those thoughts with positive thoughts like
"I will do my personal best"
and "I have learned valuable things this year
and I
can succeed."
Please tell yourself those things
during the test.
Also
"the sword of strategies."
Like a video game where your sword can
sometimes blaze on fire
or turn into special type of metal. "The sword of strategies"
changes depending on what text you're dealing with.
If you are reading poem or short story,
please reread. Use that strategy.
If you see technical directions,
you don't need to read as carefully
Skim through it.
Scan for the item or the part of the text that you need to answer the
question.
So again
there are six
items.
There is "the helmet of
prior knowledge."
"The breastplate of peace."
"The
belt of effort."
"The boots of patience."
"The shield of positive thinking" and "the sword of strategies."
Once you have those
you are ready
to enter
into your testing room.
There are three
rooms.
The room on your left you'll see
are informational documents.
You'll see quite a few these on your CST Language Arts.
There will also be student work.
In student work will be
reports and letters that have errors.
You will also see
literature:
short stories and
poems.
Depending on which room you're in,
you would use
different
equipment.
So please do your very, very best and be equipped.