Post date: Sep 28, 2013 3:24:13 PM
My thanks to those who replied to last week's newsletter. Hearing your comments and suggestions always helps me mull over what to do next to make things as good as I can. I appreciate the dialog -- the parent-student-teacher connection is certainly a crucial nutrient in life blood of DCS!
Yesterday was the last day of a month of mostly unencumbered afternoons for homeroom activities and incredible flexibility. We've used the time to do extra in-depth activities, play games, plan possible trips, read quietly a bit every day, and even get loud and rowdy at times. Although I am very much looking forward to the great selectives, it has been nice to have such extensive homeroom time.
The unrelenting routine of daily homework and a fast pace in class has been a hard adjustment for many of the kids, but I am very impressed by the signs of resilience that I'm seeing from most. Learning does involve some level of disequilibrium and discomfort, yet adjustments made now will serve the students well for quite a while! With mostly good results, I've pushed the kids hard to be responsive and productive, agile, and active. Seventh grade is a crucial one, and it is my hope that when these kids leave DCS in less than 2 years, they will be able to hold their values, strengths, and passion for learning as well as be extremely well prepared to thrive amidst the academic opportunities challenges of high school.
With each academic activity we do in class, the students progress at different rates and with varying levels of intensity, but it is always my priority is to keep each engaged, productive, and challenged. Some students get right to work and are fairly independent. Others take a bit more time and prodding to get onto the tasks at hand. Some rarely seem to get much done at all. With the diversified schedule and flexible progression comes a need for a high level of follow-through on the students' part and support/accountability on a daily basis at home. For any assignment, there will be a reasonable amount of time dedicated during class, but at some point I move the class on to the next endeavor, and those who haven't finished the previous one will have to finish it up on their own (either at home or during other class time). The "Day-to-Day" grid on the back wall (as well as my verbal and posted reminders) should keep the students aware of and accountable for all assignments, but I'm getting concerned that some are slipping. PowerSchool is now up and running and should help you and I and the students to keep close tabs on their progress and identify areas for possible improvement. The volume of assignments is high but the daily homework time expectation is about an hour. I'll try to establish and maintain a quick turnover rate regarding scoring and posting, because any assignment does have a limited "shelf life". It is to a student's advantage to stay current and proactive. Parent assistance, if possible, is often helpful. Please spend time with your kid each night viewing the daily schedule and assignment pages of my website, as well as taking a look at their scores posted on PowerSchool once a week or so.
Now for specifics of the week:
Science: We finished the first week of unit 2 (Possible Origins and Evolution of Life). The first assignment asked them to contemplate and share their views about the topics. We also discussed the characteristics of life and learned about various theories regarding its origin, including the outdated theory of Spontaneous Generation as well as the current Biogenesis theory and the status of the Stanley Miller's concoction. Each table also made a timeline representing Earth's biological history. Over the weekend, the kids are to take the next step in their "effect of this on that" experiments by writing out their materials list and procedure.
The kids have put together their work from unit 1 into a unit packet, composed of all the work so far and a cover sheet that shows the scores as well as comments from the student and myself. Those packets should have come home Friday and the kids should be asking you to review and comment today or tomorrow. This will be a valuable routine component of the parent-student-teacher triad of communication and accountability -- expect to receive and review one every 3 weeks or so.
English: I'm sneaking up on the meat-and-potatoes of the reading and writing curriculum by having the kids build a thesis-evidence essay that uses a movie for material rather than a book. Some of the kids have come up with great themes or messages to present and support. They've written a list of ideas, built a graphic organizer, and should turn that into a rough draft ready for editing Monday morning. Over the weekend I'll be scoring the vocabulary entries in comp books as well as many of their reader profiles. I'm very glad that the "writing coach" idea is going to work out because 1:1 discussion and revision is the best way to increase any student's writing skills. Oh, and on that same topic, the kids have a grammar assignment to complete by Monday if they haven't already.
Social Studies:
Two history topics under our belts now -- the fall of the Roman Empire, and then the rise and fall of Feudalism in Europe. The History Alive textbook has provided most of the content, but I've added in as many video excerpts and class discussions to help bring the content home. The kids have gotten better at the "each-one-teach-one" process and scores on those little weekly quizzes are going up as well. This coming week, the kids will look back at those topics and choose one of personal interest for further in-depth investigation.
The current events sessions have been great and many of the kids are well prepared and running things very well. Take a look at this current events page for more information as well as a chart showing which kids have (and haven't) run their sessions.
Parent classroom work starts next week and I'm a bit nervous. I honestly hope that I can utilize your talents and experiences as well as make the most efficient use of the tremendous potential that you provide. I've started a simple to-do list which will grow daily. I'm trying some new things this year and I have high hopes for making things serve the students in the best ways possible. All along the way, please feel free to give me feedback and express your thoughts and needs -- the happier we all are, the better the outcomes for everyone.
Calendar:
Sept 30: Parent workshifts begin
Sept 30: Selectives begin
Oct 1: Homework club begins (after school)
Oct 2: Walkabout chaperone meeting, 7:00 PM
Oct 8-10: Cal Coast Walkabout
Oct 11: Staff Learning Day (no school for kids)
Oct 19: Fall Festival
Oct 21-25: Fall Goal-Setting Conferences
Again, thank you for having your wonderful kids at Discovery and I'm honored to be able to share time with them.