Status of the Class (S.O.T.C.) is an essential component of the personalized classroom. Fans of Nancie Atwell will be familiar with this smart method for monitoring students' progress. Two major departures from Nancy's:
- In the original, the teacher keeps track of the students' work. To promote independence, students are responsible for filling out their own S.O.T.C. each day.
- Since STUDIO consists of both reading and writing, students are responsible for tracking their reading and writing activities.
Throughout the past 3 years, we have tried many iterations of the S.O.T.C. It should be noted here that, in keeping with the tenets of a personalized classroom, students should be permitted to design their own S.O.T.C. However, this tool is also a primary means by which the teacher can keep track of experiences students are engaged in; therefore, a consistent and efficient method is essential. Below you will find each of the iterations we've used, with our most current version shown first.
S.O.T.C. '19 - '20
In an effort to move away from "schooliness," we have renamed our document "What's Up This Week?" More of a "To Do" list, this will assist students in understanding how to manage their school lives. This will be printed on paper and bound together into a notebook.
S.O.T.C. '18 - '19
This was a quick and efficient way for me to know what my learners would be doing for the day but didn't allow for the breadth of all they were working on that day. It's essential for me to see them pairing up to share writing, meeting in book clubs, prepping for Connections, etc...It also didn't teach them how to prioritize their work.
S.O.T.C. '18 - '19
This board consists of squares for each student in my two classes. Each day, they were to list, on a post-it note, what they would be reading and writing during studio; if it was the same as the day before, they simply left it as is. This was the first iteration of the S.O.T.C. listed above. I quickly realized this was a waste of expensive Post-It Notes and turned it into the board above.