An archived stack of papers: 'Writing'
Positive Feedback Only
In a stack of papers called Writing.
- Apr
- 30
- 2013
What if you only gave students positive feedback on their writing? Could you leave a comment that begins with “I like” on every student’s paper? How would that change the way you evaluate writing? Would that impact scores or instruction? Might that make you dread evaluating writing just a leeeeeeeeettle bit less?
Think about how far negative/constructive comments have gotten... read more
Deflating The Grade
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Jan
- 06
- 2011
The semester is over for us and I’m thinking about last semester, strangely simultaneously too much and not enough. The thing that got me thinking was the general decline in the number of Fs earned this semester. I’m usually right around a twnety-five percent F rate and this year it’s at about fifteen percent. When I looked at what I did differently to try and account for that change,... read more
The (First Semester) End Is Nigh
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Nov
- 22
- 2010
We have about fourteen school days left and I am drowning. I’ve got two sets of essays from my three sections of English 3. We are only about a quarter of the way into Lord of the Flies in English 2 and I have to move at breakneck speed to make it through before the day of the final. My Read Journals are backed up to two weeks ago. Vocabulary has not been as prominent as it should be. We... read more
Introduction Inspection
In a stack of papers called Writing.
- Oct
- 27
- 2010
Last year, my good friend and I put together a presentation and we alliterated the titles of all of our handouts (Strong Sentences, Excerpt Exercise, etc.). I’ve added a new one to that group of handouts and am excited about the possibilities is represents. Introduction Inspection presents students with three introductions that they basically need to grade and then say why. The differences between... read more
A Contest To Change The World?
In a stack of papers called Connections.
- Oct
- 05
- 2010
The California Museum and Comcast have partnered to put out a contest for high school seniors called Dreamers Challenge. My thoughts on the missing apostrophe held to the side for a bit, How would you change the world? is a great question for an opening-of-the-year project. It’s wide enough that nearly everyone can assert an opinion, yet narrow enough to... read more
New For 2010: Timing
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Sep
- 27
- 2010
We’re going with a lot of two weeks on, one week off pacing this year. Of course, it’s not that we take a week off and watch movies or anything. It’s all about having time to play around with and review what we’ve spent the previous few weeks working on. We’re moving a touch slower, but I feel more focused in my instruction and assessment. I apply this timing to vocabulary... read more
Facebook Questions
In a stack of papers called Connections.
- Jul
- 24
- 2010
Facebook is getting a Questions app together. What interests me here is the focus on eloquent writing and reference to other sources. It’s nice to have a company like Facebook on record as valuing those elements of writing.
I like that Facebook is asking for someone to be able... read more
Routines
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Jul
- 21
- 2010
What happened? Why is summer almost over already? How come I haven’t started thinking about what new things to put in place?
Maybe you have some ideas to share with me about what you do with reading and writing in the class everyday. What do you do to create reading routines in class? What about setting up writing routines? How do you put things in place that make strong reading and writing... read more
Running Out Of Time
In a stack of papers called Unorganized.
- Apr
- 22
- 2010
We were supposed to:
review root blocks 25 & 26 finish chapter 6 and begin chapter 7 of Lord of the Flies begin chapter notes for LOTF read in their SSR book for about twenty minutes start their Reading Response in class discuss symbols in LOTF
We only:
reviewed root blocks 25 &... read more
Three Flavors
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Aug
- 07
- 2009
A small thing I did last year that I think could have had a big impact if I’d played my cards right:
Do Firsts came in three flavors: Quotation, Question, Writing Challenge; Enrichment Reading blogs also came in three flavors: Quotation, Question, Writing Challenge.
This may seem a small thing, but it reflects a fair amount of thought on my part for how I can... read more