We finished reading The Outsiders this week with valuable discussions from students' own critical questions, and wrapped up many lose ends this week, including a letter to "Future Me" and a "breakout room" based on The Outsiders. Once again, Mrs. Rehberger and I met one-on-one with each student to discuss his or her grades. Although one letter is still a bit arbitrary, and working this way is not in any way a magic elixir, I feel that the grades students generated based on the evidence they provided were more accurate than they have been in years past. Our focus was on achievement only - even though behavior and effort attribute mightily to the proof students could provide! You'll once again find our conference notes sent home with your child today. I hope you found the narrative and video feedback on PowerSchool valuable.
Although this is my 23rd year as a teacher, I know I can always do a better job, and I've already asked for your child's feedback. I'd also love your honest feedback. Please email me with what you appreciated from these posts or this school year, and what you would change in the future. Thank you in advance!
Last request - please help your child continue to read over the summer. The habit of reading will pay off in the long run! The best way for readers to get better is to read more. Volume matters! Here's a link to our summer reading page and here's another to the New York Times Reading Contest. If your child has "no idea what to read," have them look at the sites HERE and/or have them talk to a teen librarian at AHML. Those librarians read a TON!. Then ask your child to WRITE! Here's a link to a summer writing challenge which I may even take part in myself! PLEASE encourage your children to read and write in the midst of all the swimming, baseball games, tournaments, vacations, traveling... Continuing with the stamina we worked so hard to build will be so beneficial for when they get back to school next year (and of course for life!)! Here's an infographic with statistics - Stop Summer Slide.
More Further Reading (an older post, but very true): Why Summer Reading Pays off Year-Round
Although this is my 23rd year as a teacher, I know I can always do a better job, and I've already asked for your child's feedback. I'd also love your honest feedback. Please email me with what you appreciated from these posts or this school year, and what you would change in the future. Thank you in advance!
Last request - please help your child continue to read over the summer. The habit of reading will pay off in the long run! The best way for readers to get better is to read more. Volume matters! Here's a link to our summer reading page and here's another to the New York Times Reading Contest. If your child has "no idea what to read," have them look at the sites HERE and/or have them talk to a teen librarian at AHML. Those librarians read a TON!. Then ask your child to WRITE! Here's a link to a summer writing challenge which I may even take part in myself! PLEASE encourage your children to read and write in the midst of all the swimming, baseball games, tournaments, vacations, traveling... Continuing with the stamina we worked so hard to build will be so beneficial for when they get back to school next year (and of course for life!)! Here's an infographic with statistics - Stop Summer Slide.
More Further Reading (an older post, but very true): Why Summer Reading Pays off Year-Round
scholars_notes_week35_36.pdf |