Post date: Jan 12, 2013 2:26:27 AM
Dear Parents and Students,
Once again I find myself typing slowly as I search for novel ways to express my adoration and appreciation for the DCS 8th grade community. The greatest gifts have befallen me and with them comes an increased desire to pay it forward and do my best work in the precious remaining months that I have with this group of 8th graders and their families. I appreciate all of the thoughtful cards and gifts that I received right before vacation, and most importantly, I appreciate the ten parents who have been doing work shifts this semester who have graciously, patiently, and tirelessly done all the tasks that it takes to keep things rollin' in class and make things easier/better for me and the kids. My endless praise to you all, and I hope that you've had some good experiences. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Grades:
Another good week under our belts. With the semester change approaching many students have become a bit more attentive to their grades. Although they are important, lets keep in mind that grades are only one indicator of student learning and achievement. My thoughts are detailed ad nauseam on the grades page of my website. The grades the students are currently earning are the result of 4 months worth of work (or sometimes lack thereof) and so, despite last minute panic on the part of some students, large increases in percentage points at this late date in the semester are possible but (mathematically) unlikely.
Recap of the Week:
New year, same ol' routines... students' daily science demo's, class activities, text book readings at home and in-class review, chapter tests, and the ever-spontaneous moments of humor, banter, and philosophy. One thing that did happen, finally, was that I returned the scored lab reports from the Fall Science Experiments. I had put that process off for months because I couldn't figure out how to apply a point value to an assignment that had such a wide variety (and discrepancy) of effort & accuracy within the 8th grade. The solution was to score them on one of four scales of "possible points" (15, 30, 45, and 60), and to score them as high percentages of one of those scores. In other words, instead of having all of the lab reports work, say 50 points, and have some kids get high scores out of 50 and others get low scores out of 50, I simply made the points possible variable and kept the points earned at a high percentage. Yes, confusing in writing, but I think that it helped to give best credit where credit is due, and to avoid having the project have a negative impact on anyone's grade (except those that didn't turn anything in). The machine projects also received scores and feedback sheets, by the way, but that process was much more straight forward because the project had more specific expectations and requirements.
Coming Up:
The periodic table of elements will be our topic for next week, and I hope to have the kids gain an appreciation for the (relative) simplicity and usefulness of Meendelev's (et. al) ingenious invention and forward thinking. The next two weeks are both four days long (staff learning day on Friday and MLK day on Monday) but we will somehow squeeze a full-week's content into those four busy-to-be class sessions. :)
Parents, we're going to be getting together on the evening of of February 6th from 7:00 to 8:00. The graduation committee and 8th grade teachers will make good use of your time and I hope that many of you can attend.
Gizmos:
I've set up a trail account with a service called ExploreLearning(.com) because they have a set of great simulations called "Gizmos" and assessment that target their use and evaluates effectiveness. To get this started, students... please go to www.explorelearning.com, create an account, and enroll in a class using one of the codes below. We'll do this in class as well, but I'd it would be great if some of you could try in ahead of time. We'll use various simulations for the next month and then decide if it is worth paying for the service after the free trial expires.
Room 25 WNP4FEH2HR
Room 22 HBUFQVLH38
Room 23 RLMF5WHBRK
While you're shopping, we could use some:
1. boxes of Bisquick & syrup
2. lined paper & graph paper
3. D batteries
4. some Christmas lights
Thanks all, and have a good day.
CHris