Grading practices and homework!

I know that I have not posted in eons.  I let the every day job of working and living take over my life.  I am starting the new year with a resolve that I will either develop this blog or create a new one and have a focus that will be everything education.  I don't know if I will focus more on my classroom experiences or the larger picture of, and problem with, education today.  I still need to do some soul-searching to decide how I want to proceed. 

 

Anyway, I have been doing research into grading practices since I am not at all pleased with what I have been doing in the past AND I have a new principal who is very supportive of change if it will make our school a better place for the students, and I came across this video by Mark Lemont that I think is quite interesting.   Please listen to the entire video before coming to any conclusions.  (I say this because there are a few comments on ADHD that might offend some) 



 

 

I have also been looking into using Steve Peha's 3P grading system and would appreciate feedback from anyone who has used it. (when you click on the link, scroll down to the link for 3P grading on the left)  I teach a reading/language arts block for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade and I have been using a 4 point system for grading the first part of the year so switching to that wouldn't be so tough, it is the rest of the model that might be a bit hard to sell to parents.  However, if I can convince my principal of it then I know I will be ready to tackle my parents.  After all, don't we want the same thing, for their child to do their best and be assessed accurately? 

So, if there is anyone out there still reading my blog, I would appreciate any input that you could offer on grading and homework. 

Lie or Lay? Rise or Raise? Why You Should Know What a Transitive Verb Is

Lie or Lay? Rise or Raise? Why You Should Know What a Transitive Verb Is

The Bully Book

From Goodreads
The Bully Book

by Eric Kahn Gale (Goodreads Author)

The rules governing middle school are often a mystery, but for Eric Haskins, they’re a mystery he needs to solve, and fast. He’s a normal, average kid, until sixth grade starts. For some inexplicable reason, the class bully and his pack make Eric the Grunt. Even his best friend since first grade turns on him. Eric can’t figure out why he’s the Grunt until he hears about the Bully Book, a cryptic guide that teaches you how to “make trouble without getting in trouble, rule the school and be the man” and how to select the Grunt-the kid who will become the lowest of the low.

Eric Haskins may be this year’s Grunt for now, but he’s determined not to stay at the bottom of the social ladder forever. Hilarious and compelling, The Bully Book is a must-read for every tween, tween parent, librarian and educator!(less)

This was an awesome read and one I recommend to every teacher of middle school students. It should also be read in class. I plan on doing this as a read aloud with my students. The real lesson here is that you are in charge of who you become.

Common Core and Text Selection

Everyone knows about the Common Core and text complexity by now. But the real question is "what do we do with it and how do we justify the texts we are choosing?"
I am lucky to work in a school with a principal who allows me to choose the texts I want to use in my language arts classes. But the question still remains, "what texts should I choose?"

I look at the Lexile scores of the texts that I choose but that is only one criteria. I can choose a text with a Lexile score in the range that Common Core says it should be for the grade level I am teaching, but if that text will hold no interest for the group of students I am teaching, I won't accomplish much in the way of learning. So I believe it is also important to consider the population being taught when choosing a piece of literature or nonfiction text. Yes, it is also important to choose a quality piece of work, one that has the components of what it is you wish to teach, but if the piece does not interest the students, you might get a few who actually follow along and learn something, but the majority will just turn you off.
Some might not agree, but I have found that middle school students need to be at least a little bit interested in what you are talking about if you want them to become active learners.

One theory about text selection is that texts should not be judged based on genre, difficulty, or intensity. This stems from the idea that each reader responds differently to text. A reader may form strong connections to a text that is traditionally classified as unchallenging or unsophisticated and weak connections with texts that are considered to be the greatest works of all time (Lewis, 1961). "In the end, what makes a text worthwhile is the reader's interpretation, not the genre or popular viewpoint." Philomena Marinaccio-Eckel


It is impossible to choose texts that will make all the students excited, therefore we need to make sure that we are allowing students to choose their own reading materials.
The value of self-selected books and TIME to read are what is important. Therefore, it is important to make sure that all classrooms have lots of texts available for students to check out and read. Since I teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Language Arts (reading and english) in two period blocks, I have the luxury of allowing my students TIME to choose books and read in my class. It is a running joke with my principal that when she comes in my room, sometimes the students are JUST reading!! She says this because when she was a teacher and her principal would come in the room and the students were reading quietly, the principal would leave because they were JUST reading, like that was not important. Luckily, my principal sees the importance of time to read!!!

So, is Common Core just reinventing the wheel? Is it just returning to the type of educational system that was in place 60+ years ago? Is it just reaffirming what we Language Arts teachers have known all along, that reading is the key to good education?

I hope that teachers everywhere are finally figuring out that we don't HAVE TO TEACH EVERYTHING! In our ever evolving world, we need to teach students "how to learn." Teach students where to find information and stop with all the memorization of useless facts. Spark curiosity, but don't give all the answers. (as if we even could!)
Is Common Core good? Well, I am definitely a fan since it is allowing me to actually teach with the intensity I have always desired.

Common Core Question Stems Informational Texts

Common Core Question Stems Informational Texts | Informational Texts Extended Response Question Stems

Common Core Aligned Extended Response Informational Texts Test Question Stems

Explain how the article uses reasons and evidence to support a particular points regarding the …

Identify the overall structure of ideas, concepts, and information in the text and compare and contrast the schemes employed by the author.

Interpret the visual graph/chart that accompanies the text and explain how the information found within contributes to an understanding of how the concept is explained.

Explain the relationship between the hypotheses and the data using specific information drawn from the text.

Determine the meaning of domain-specific words or phrases, such as crust, mantle, magma, and lava, and important general academic words and phrases that appear in…

Compare and contrast a firsthand account of an incident to a secondhand account of the same incident, attending to the focus of each account and the information provided by each.

Quote accurately and explicitly from …; explain statements made and the ideas that are inferred regarding the statements.

Determine the main idea of the article and create a summary by explaining how key details support distinctions regarding different types of …

Common Core Question Stems | Higher Order Thinking Questions | Plot, Theme, Inference, Compare and Contrast, and Poetry

What connections can me made between the visual presentation (illustrations) of … and the text of the story?

Can you identify how the pictures of … relate specifically to imagery vocabulary?

Explain the selfish, mean, odd behavior of … and make inferences regarding the reason they demonstrate these emotions and or actions.

Describe how the narrator’s point of view in … are described and how the reader perceives the character of …

Summarize the plot of …and then reflect on the challenges facing the characters in the story.

Discuss and explore the theme of the story as it relates to plot.

Describe in depth the idyllic, treacherous, sparse or unrealistic setting of the story, drawing on specific details in the text.

Compare and contrast … and … by identifying similar themes and plots, examining the stories’ approach to the topic of ….

Refer to the elements of poetry (e.g., simile, metaphor, symbolism, imagery, verse, rhythm, meter) of … when analyzing a poem and contrasting the impact and differences of those elements to a prose summary of the poem.

Determine the meaning of the metaphor of … and contrast that figurative language to the meaning of the simile in …

Student Teacher

Wow, this year is going by so fast I don't have time to blink. I switched from a contained class where I taught all the subjects to being the 6th, 7th and 8th grade Language Arts teacher this year and I am LOVING it!!! Reading and writing have always been my passion and I am delighted to be back in the saddle again. Unfortunately, this is the year I have been given a student teacher. She arrives in one week and I have to say I am not looking forward to this at all. I absolutely love what I am doing and I do not want to give it up!! Where were all the student teachers when I was stuck with a self-contained room that was driving me nuts????
I know that student teachers need places to learn too, but why me, why this year, why now???? (ok, I know I am whining!!!)
It's just that I love all my classes and I enjoy teaching them and I don't want to stop. I figure that if she arrives on October 22, I will have to relinquish my classes to her by the 1st of Novemeber and I won't get them back until the end of January.
Do I really have to give her ALL my classes??? I mean, I could keep one or two, right?? She has to have some time to watch a seasoned teacher at work, yes???? UGH!

A Mean Teacher

A MEAN TEACHER


A “Mean” Teacher

By Laura M. Staunton & Barbara Erickson

A “mean” teacher insists that each student do their best.

A “mean” teacher insists that students hand in their assignments on time.

A “mean” teacher does not accept any excuses for work not being completed.

A “mean” teacher requires each student to think carefully and to make his/her own decisions.

A “mean” teacher holds each student responsible for his/her behavior and class work.

A “mean” teacher insists that there be no talking during a test.

A “mean” teacher puts a ZERO on the test of any student talking during a test.

A “mean” teacher gives homework regularly, sometimes even on weekends.

A “mean” teacher calls on students who don’t raise their hands to answer
questions.

A “mean” teacher requires all students to treat each other with respect, all the time.

A “mean” teacher makes life miserable for all students by insisting that they
always do their best work.

A “mean” teacher produces students who are respectful, responsible, and
successful.

THE WORLD NEEDS MORE “MEAN” TEACHERS!

“MEAN” = Making Excellence A Necessity

I guess my students will have a "mean" teacher for Language Arts this year!!!