Post date: Sep 07, 2013 6:40:49 AM
Dear Parents,
Knowing that you've been saturated by DCS emails since school started, I'll try to keep my short(er) this time. There are three things that I well write about: recap of the week's class activities, upcoming events, and the results of recent discussions on grading & reporting.
Recap of the Week:
Although many of the topics and activities involve the integration of a variety of subject areas, I'll separate them here for purposes of easier review.
Science: We began the week with Latin roots and their use in deciphering complex scientific terms. On the assignment for that topic, the kids made up their own fun words and defined them. When I return that assignment to the kids, I will ask them to add their best word to the ever-growing list from previous years. Next, I tried to have the kids understand science "habits of the mind" and differentiate between things like observation & interpretation, correlation & coincidence, and objective & subjective, and qualitative & quantitative. The assignment for that one involved outlining an experiment that could test the validity of a superstition of their choice. Then today they got to play sleuths and try to use various forms of evidence to solve the mystery of the exploding lawn mowers -- we'll wrap that one up on Monday. Along with the creation of more "What I Wonder" slides, we had a good week in science world.
English: In addition to the weekly "Wordy Wednesday" vocabulary activity (this week's list), the kids also did some online grammar games today. The biggest project of the week, though, was the "dead words" assignment, which should be done and up on the wall by now. I also gave out Ender's Game books and set a reading schedule. Next week there will be discussions and assignments about that book as well as another writing assignment called "My Reader Profile".
Social Studies: There are three parts to our social studies hour each day. Current events & relevant issues, geography, and medieval history. This week we discussed the fall of the Roman Empire and it's possible parallels to our country. Most of the week's material, though, focused on the chaos that followed and the development of feudalism in Europe. Today they did an "each one teach one" on the various social roles in a feudal society. The kids' hands-on project was their globe, which should be almost complete by now. This has been a hard project in that it takes precision and patience. The kids who have taken the time to understand latitude and longitude as well as the placement of the continents are creating excellent products -- you'll see when you come to class Monday evening.
For our exploration of current events, we'll be starting student-lead discussions next week. Your kid will be expected to find, read, and bring in an article of their choice one day each week and lead a discussion (with pre-made questions or prompts) with their table group.
Interest-Based Mini Courses started this afternoon and all the 7th graders moved to different rooms to begin the process. This is an organized but exciting process that encourages the students to mix with non-homeroom kids to research and create activities focussed on various areas of common interest. I am very pleased with the tone and maturity of the "Science and Technology" group meeting in my room. The process will continue each Monday and Friday in September, then we'll begin again (different configurations and themes) for October.
Upcoming Events:
1. Parent meeting #1, September 9 from 7 PM to 8 PM in room 25. Please come.
2. Ropes Course at Mount Hermon, September 10 from 8:00 (early meet time @ DCS) to 3:20 PM
3. Selective Sign Ups, September 11. Students received papers in class and course descriptions are here.
4. Cal-Coast Walkabout, October 8, 9, and 10.
5. Staff Learning Day (no school for kids), October 11
6. Conferences (half days), October 21 to 25.
7. Thanksgiving week(!) off, November 25 to 29
Assessment, Grading, and Reporting:
Thank you to those (3) of you who replied to last week's Coupla Things prompt regarding this topic. Mixing your preferences with those of the middle school team (of teachers) as well as my own views and priorities on the subject has lead me to use 3 different systems for assessing student work this year and displaying the results on PowerSchool. The written and discussion-based feedback is most valuable to students (and teachers and parents), and all subjects will involve those things, but the reporting strategies will be different. They are detailed on the grades page of my site, but in short, the science will involve the more traditional points-and-grades scenario, the social studies will utilize a check, plus, minus, zero strategy, and in English, assignments will only show up as completed or not. By trying three different formats I'm hoping to provide much material for later discussion as to the various advantages, disadvantages, and preferences for each.
Final Thought and Request for Reply:
I try to create a class climate, curriculum, and relationships that are casual and comfortable, yet at the same time involve high expectations, stimulate interest, give much student autonomy, and are conducive to a clean connection between behaviors and their natural consequences. I joke with them, keep a fast pace, and give them lots of freedom. My question/concern is this: Is that combination "working" for your student? Are they able to balance the casual aspects of the class with my demands for personal persistence and productivity? Am I effective in my efforts to keep them accountable to the purpose and priorities of school while at the same time keeping their self-esteem and confidence high? I always invite your responses, especially about important stuff like this.
Thanks for reading this far and I hope you have a good weekend.
Chris