Post date: Sep 24, 2011 1:27:16 AM
Hello and Happy Friday!
It has been one day short of a month since school started. Even in that short time, I feel connected to this group of kids and some of their families, and I'm excited about the places that our time together will take us and the routes we will likely take. The school year may feel long to some, but to me it goes by quickly and not a day should be taken for granted.
Recap of the Week: I was at home on Monday morning, mixing and pouring 6000 pounds of concrete for a remodel of our house's foundation, but under the excellent guidance of Lori Miller the classes worked through a homonym assignment in English, and a experimental design article and worksheet in science.
Compare and Contrast essay: The first "regular" writing assignment of the year is a simple comparison piece. I've broken down the process and provided some models, textbook instruction, and online resources. What the students write will give me a clear indication of their ability to organize information, stay on topic, and create an write with appropriate style. This assignment is quite a bit more demanding than its narrative-styled predecessors (My Name and Reader Profile essays).
Vocabulary activities dominated one of our days and I continue to push the kids to augment their operational vocabulary with some great words, phrases, and idioms. If even half of the words they learn end up sticking with them, I (and hopefully they) will be thrilled. It is very empowering to have the right words available at your disposal in both written and oral communication.
The First Science Unit Ends: Since the beginning of school, most of our attention in science has been focused on learning how science does its job and experiencing the attributes and benefits of good experimental design. On Tuesday the kids took the chapter 1 multiple-choice test and I'll have those scored and posted this weekend.
In addition to (and probably more important than) that, the kids got some practice with tools for measuring mass and volume. They have a homework assignment that involves reading various scales and discerning the appropriate degree of accuracy. During the last two days of the week I gave them experiences that involve observing a set of objects and finding common traits. They can hopefully describe for you the "Attribute Activity" that they constructed. I glanced through the ones that they turned in and it seems apparent to me that I have a "bi-modal" group -- There are some kids that invest great effort and thought into an open-ended activity like this, and others that give it only cursory attention, planning, and execution. Not much middle ground with this group so far, and I'm hoping to push each kid into a different level of personal challenge.
Grades: PowerSchool became available this week and I entered about 10 assignments. From what I hear from students and parents, they, however, cannot access scores online. I'm hoping that our service provider gets that functionality back up and running soon so that you can monitor your progress.
My Needs: Time and time again I have heard the phrase "let me/us know what you need" from parents and even some students. Well, I'll take you up on that offer once in a while via these newsletters. Two things for this time... first, I could use some help correcting papers. I'm hoping to get about 4 people together at school tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon. If you feel like helping out, please let me know. Second, I'd love to get more games into the room. I'm thinking of fun "thinker" games like Taboo, BuzzWord, Boggle, LastWord, Headbanz, Sort It Out, Pictionary, Word on the Street, Cranium, Scattergories, Gestures, and Catch Phrase. If you have any of those games at home that you don't use anymore, or if you are willing to get us a used set from Amazon or Craigslist, I would certainly appreciate it.
Thanks to all who attended BTSN and to those that help make our class a fun, friendly, productive, and valuable environment.
Chris