Coupla Things v18 (1/7/2011)
Post date: Jan 07, 2011 11:59:46 PM
Dear Parents,
The usual light-hearted tone of praise and appreciation with which I usually begin my weekly newsletter will have to take second stage to a more important issue this time. I've become quite concerned about the students' writing skills. While meeting with a group of teachers from regional middle and high schools recently (Valley Christian, Mitty, Presentation, Harker, and Monta Vista) I asked them what was the most important skill that incoming Freshman should have down-pat. The resounding answer was "the ability to write well -- always". To understand their expectations more deeply, I asked for details as well as some sample writing assignments and average student samples. The essays I read were excellent but also a bit unsettling to me. My concerns piqued when I gave some of the writing assignments to the students this week and got back paragraphs that, on the average, lacked the voice, flow, depth, and insight that I had hoped to see. Whether the deficit is caused by a lack of motivation, skill, or expectations, I am not sure, but I do know that there is much work to be done between now and when our students hit their various high schools. I know that writing involves abilities that develop over a long periods of time and with a wide berth, yet I'm feeling like it needs to be the highest priority for the second half of the year. With your permission and support I would like to raise the bar, push them hard, and focus most of our class time on having all the students make significant advancements towards becoming more excellent, effective, and articulate writers. We have some demanding work ahead of us but I am convinced that the benefits of the outcomes will outweigh the possible discomfort of the process. Ya with me?
Now I can lighten this letter up a bit. First off, I have to tell you that it was great coming back to school. My vacation time was fantastic and family-oriented, but it was also energizing and exciting to come back to school and be with your kids again. I'm not sure that they all shared my enthusiasm but they did stay awake most mornings and I appreciate that.
Let me recap our week:
English:
On Monday I gave back (to most) their Hunger Games essays along with a filled-in score sheet and a CD containing a video of me reading, editing, and scoring their essays. This was a labor intensive process but I'm hoping that it will help to improve the quality of students' writing. Let me know if you watched the video and agree and/or disagree.
What as supposed to be a one-day assignment took all week -- an essay about a gift given. As kids get older, the magic of gift exchanges often inverts as they discover the great feelings that result from giving something great to someone special. I remember working hard for weeks at the age of twelve in order to earn enough money to get my mom a bracelet that I noticed her admiring at a local crafts store. That Christmas I really learned about the gift of giving. I am hoping that the writing assignment elicits similar stories or at least widens students' awareness.
The other task for the week was to choose and start their book projects. The list of possibilities is quite long and I'm hoping that more than one idea utilizes the student's strengths to expand and communicate their understanding of the deeper aspects of their book. Those projects should take about 2 to 6 hours to create and are due at the end of next week.
Science:
This week we started the unit on energy. I showed them my SmartMeter account at the P.G. & E. website and then gave each student a Kill-A-Watt meter with which to test the power draw characteristics of various household objects. The spreadsheet of their results was a great springboard for discussion.
We tested various types of light bulbs and some kids took on the challenge of writing an argument or advertisement designed to convince consumers to use energy-efficient bulbs. They had to analyze data on energy consumption, bulb cost, lifetime, and ecological impact. Today Mr. Jain shared with the class his deep knowledge about bulb characteristics and their ecological impacts.
Last week I was watching TV and saw a great excerpt on PBS called "Engineering the Golden Age of Green" and then ordered a copy of the DVD. It covers energy production, transmission, transportation and climate change very well and held the students attention for the greater part of an hour.
Other Thoughts: Being an effective teacher involves working towards a moving target and I want to keep light on my feet. There are a few things that I'd like to improve in myself, and it is good for me to document them often -- if for no other purpose than accounting and accountability:
I want to get papers scored sooner but with as much valuable feedback as possible.
Sometimes I don't listen to kids for the duration of what they want to say. I cut them off and/or move on before they are completely finished.
The science experiences still aren't hands-on/minds-on enough. I really want to be able to get the kids hearts and minds loving science. The worksheets, reading, and mini-experiments don't lead to that result well enough.
During core, how can I get out of the role of taskmaster and more often into the role as resource, motivator, or co-enthusiast?
Thanks again for reading my ramblings and responding if possible.
Next week I'll be scant on text and heavy on pictures (I hope).
Sincerely,
Chris