State Assessments: 2007-08 School Year
State Assessment Dates: 2007-08
March 10th –14th : NJASK (grades 3 and 4)
May 5th – 9th : NJASK (grade 5)
Nutrition and the Brain:
a) Water comprises up to 90% of brain weight, more than any other body
organ. Under normal conditions, a person should drink 1/3 oz. water per pound of
body weight each day. However, the more stressed a person is, the more water the
body needs! Water is instrumental in enabling the brain to focus attention, it
allows faster processing for high-level reasoning, and is essential for
electrical transmissions in the nervous system to allow learning and thinking.
b) Diuretics such as coffee, tea, carbonated beverages, chocolate, fruit
juices, and alcohol drive up the salt level in the body eliminating water. The
body uses water from the brain to form digestive juices to break down high sugar
drinks!
c) Protein, protein, protein!! It serves as a water trap, allowing it to be
present in order to function within the brain. Children with learning
difficulties are often deficient in protein. Good sources of protein are: eggs,
snacks of cheese, yogurt, nuts, meat, beans, and cottage cheese.
d) Carbohydrates provide most of the energy for our bodies. They are found
in grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy sugar. From these comes a type of
sugar, glucose, a main energy source for the brain.
Stress and the Brain:
a) The brain attempts to maintain a “balance” at all times. Anything that
upsets that “balance” is considered a stressor.
b) The primary purpose of the brain is survival. It does not matter whether
the stress is from social problems, an accident, or an environmental trauma: the
brain/body reacts the same way each time!
c) In children, long- term stress can result in a reduction of neurons
substantially hindering a child’s ability to plant new memories and to retrieve
old ones.
Summary:
a) Make sure your
child is well hydrated during the
Assessments.
b) Avoid
carbonated beverages (soda) and fruit juices during the
State Assessments. Especially the morning of: your child will suffer a
tremendous sugar high for about an hour, then CRASH! This crash, usually happens
during testing, thus negatively effecting his/her results.
c) Make sure your child’s protein levels are well maintained. Eggs for
breakfast, string cheese and nuts for snack, and a hamburger for dinner.
d) Eat your fruits and vegetables. An apple a day may not keep the doctor
away, but it sure is a great energy source for the brain.