A Teacher of Language
I consider myself a teacher of English above any other subject. It is impossible to effectively teach content if there is a language barrier. My teaching style has been focused on communication prior to teaching math because that is the way we will learn in the long term.
I took inspiration from the movie Arrival (2016) because the military wanted to interrogate extraterrestrial beings immediately but linguist Louise Banks argues alien beings must first learn our language before they understand our expectations. This is exactly what I do in my classroom on a daily basis. No, I don't impede the military from taking over my classroom but I think of ways that language might be an obstacle and seek the simplest method to assist our students.
Classroom Syllabus
Grading (NOT DISTANCE LEARNING)
Homework
To be done every day on Khan Academy. Assignments range from a total of 4 or 7 questions. Students who receive a 75% get full credit for the assignment. Students can strive to get 100% on their homework for an extra 5 points in their homework category. Getting 100% on two homework assignments will "make-up" a late assignment that wasn't submitted in the past. All homework assigned during the week will be due every Monday by 11:59pm.
Math Journals
Students will be responsible for keeping an organized notebook. This will be an ongoing assignment that develops throughout the school year. The Math Journal is a weekly assignment and it's due every Friday by 11:59pm.
Projects
There will be days where students will work together on a group project. This is a group project that must be completed during class. Any student absent must complete the project after school in order to get those points in this category.
Midterm & Final
We will have one exam in the middle and at the end of every semester. These exams will test on the overall knowledge of the material we've covered so far.
Quizzes
Students will work individually on quizzes assigned during class on Khan Academy. Students can take the quiz twice (with notes) during class and keep the highest score. Students also have the option to retake the quiz after school but the new score will become their grade. Any student absent will be required to come after school and make-up the assignment. There will be some instances where a quiz will be assigned for homework.
Tests
Students will be taking this exam as a group with notes. This will test the overall knowledge of every unit and it can only be taken once during class. Students also have the opportunity to retake it after school with the same rules as the quiz. Any student absent will be required to come after school and make-up the assignment.
Writing in Math
Below is a breakdown of writing in my classroom. I scaffold this document to my students throughout the school year. I add a new section every quarter as students improve on their writing through weekly feedback.
This is a strategy aimed at students reviewing their notes. It focuses on students being more organized and giving further meaning to their Notebooks.
The first section focuses on vocabulary. Three vocabulary words are provided during every new lesson.
Vocabulary structure inspired by the Frayer Model and created using Google Images. Students create three Vocabulary models based on the lesson they chose to write for the week. Further check for understanding resides on the student's ability to explain a characteristic, an example, and a non-example of said vocabulary word.
There is an emphasis on only one math practice standard every week. Icons are constantly used during class to create a connection between the practice standard and its image (branding).
Students write about the lesson content in an effort to activate prior knowledge and store this content in their long-term memory. An emphasis on avoiding the personal opinion will be enforced in our weekly feedback to understand the differences between facts and opinions.
Students reflect on the lesson and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Self-reflection is important to understand how they stand with the material and what they can do to improve in preparation of upcoming assessments.