Post date: Oct 2, 2020 6:02:31 PM
MSM2 Block 1
SOLs Covered: 8.2 Subsets of the Real Number System
Math Unit: 03 Real Number System
Daily Agenda: Sept. 29-30, 2020 & Oct. 1-2, 2020
Upcoming Assessments: 1.03 Neg.Expo., Powers of 10, Sci.Note, & C&O Real Numbers Quiz (TBD); finish Math MAP Test (as needed, Tues. 10/6)
Math 7H Blocks 2 & 3
SOLs Covered: 8.2 Subsets of the Real Number System
Math Unit: 03 Real Number System
Daily Agenda: Sept. 29-30, 2020 & Oct. 1-2, 2020
Upcoming Assessments: 1.03 Neg.Expo., Powers of 10, Sci.Note, & C&O Real Numbers Quiz (TBD); finish Math MAP Test (as needed, Tues. 10/6)
Greetings! We've made it through Week 4, which puts us almost halfway through the first term! We've been super busy from Day 1 and we've barely had a chance to catch our breath, so I decided to make today an "official" catch-up day. With so many folks navigating tech issues in the beginning, a few kids having schedules rearranged and thus starting my class a little late, and everyone (myself included) just trying to figure out the best way to make this whole "virtual learning" thing work, I felt we needed a day to both reflect on what's working and fix what isn't. The "fixing" part for some meant completing assignments/assessments that had slipped by and for others it meant clearing up any lingering confusion on topics or tech. I also got feedback from the kids on how they felt about everything so far so I can use that to help modify my own teaching to better suit their needs. To go along with that, I'd love to hear from parents/guardians to learn your perspective. I've told the kids since the very beginning that it's important for them to have a growth mindset and I feel that's just as important for me, perhaps more so as I can't expect anything from them that I'm not willing to do myself.
In regards to the rest of the week, in addition to starting the Math MAP test on Thursday (which we'll finish on Tues. Oct. 6), we reviewed and wrapped up our initial work with the real number system on Tuesday and Wednesday, finishing with a quiz. The results for the quiz were mixed but for the students who are ensuring they have all of the unit work done before the quiz, the results were definitely better. I've been pushing the kids to make sure they try to complete the assignments the days we cover them as much as possible, but many are waiting until the due date or even after. While I definitely still want the work even after the due date and will still give credit for it, it's very important that the kids finish the work prior to the assessment. When discussing this with students, I compared it to practicing for a sport. The assignments are all the practices that take place before a big game. Maybe you won't "lose the game" (fail the quiz), but you would probably preform better having practiced/trained before stepping foot on the field for "game day."
I'd like to request that parents/guardians help me with this by encouraging the kids to finish the work as it is assigned as much as possible. Even prior to the pandemic and virtual learning, I've always been a little flexible with due dates since I know things can pop up that might have to come first any given day and I know this has become even true with the craziness of the world today, but when possible students should complete the assignments each day as listed on our Daily Agenda (these are also posted on the Canvas homepages). If I need to make changes for any reason, I always update the agendas and due dates to match, so what you see on my class website, Canvas (click here if you need information on how to set up your parent/guardian observer account), and StudentVUE/ParentVUE will always be the most up-to-date information. I'm in the process of making phone calls and/or sending emails to the parents/guardians of students who are currently at risk of failing, but at this point, I have graded everything that has been submitted and you can find the current grade on StudentVUE/ParentVUE.
Well, that should cover everything, but as always, please feel free to reach out with any questions. I hope everyone has an amazing weekend!!!