An archived stack of papers: 'authentic-assessment'
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
Horrible Music Day
In a stack of papers called Writing.
- Aug
- 07
- 2008
Bad music lingers like bad food: you feel the effects hours after initial contact; gradual nausea sets in; you finally throw up and feel much better about things immediately after; but, when the memory returns to your head a short while later, it’s just as bad as in the beginning. While eating lunch, we heard the following songs:
“How Will I Know” – Whitney... read more
Silent Results
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- May
- 23
- 2007
As I mentioned in the last post, silent conversations are happening in my classes. I collected those conversations and here’s a random sampling of what was written down (“–” indicates a new writer on the page) skip to the rest of the entry:
Good quote. Say how Abigail is like when she is... read more
Silent Conversation
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- May
- 21
- 2007
Students help each other craft better writing than a teacher ever will; the suggestions of a peer are more meaningful. But reaching the place where that kind of editing discussion occurs is difficult. Like a lot of adults I know, students surround themselves with others who think like they do. And talking about the current essay is nowhere near as thrilling as the latest CD, prom pictures, or a juicy... read more
Is Nonfiction Writing The Answer?
In a stack of papers called Writing.
- Oct
- 18
- 2006
The suggestion that fiction writing cannot prepare students with the same rigor that nonfiction writing can is ridiculous. It shows poor faith in teachers to do what they have been hired to do. If you’re teaching writing, you’re teaching writing regardless of the genre.
The Article
Instead of building an argument for the need to assign more research-driven writing, how that... read more
Ideological Bubble
In a stack of papers called Connections.
- Mar
- 04
- 2006
Cold air always finds its way into your warm jacket, seeps into your pockets, and no pair of socks keeps out the freezing molecules. Anxiously waiting for the heater to live up to its name on my way to work on a Friday morning a few weeks ago, Steve Inskeep’s intonations chimed through the chill:
President... read more
Into [Not So] Thin Air
In a stack of papers called Unorganized.
- Jan
- 22
- 2006
Glancing through my teaching materials, one thought on the way my classes run currently and another on the way I want to run things, I cleared the way for a new method, hunched my shoulder against the inevitable problems coming this week, and stared absently at the vastness of my Writers INC (pages 160-65) and Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: The American Experience (pages 994-95 and... read more
No Boundaries; A Classroom Anthology?
In a stack of papers called Writing.
- Jan
- 20
- 2006
Respond to the following five questions:
What have you been doing well so far this year? Looking back on where you were at the end of last school year, what has been the most significant change in your reading and writing skills? What else do you think you need to change in your reading and writing skills? Are you satisfied with your work so far this year?... read more
PBS Rocks
In a stack of papers called Connections.
- Jan
- 17
- 2006
As I mentioned before, I watch PBS whenever I can and I’m always seeing shows that could be perfect for classroom use: discussion, debate, writing, expansion, etc. Videos are not a common occurrence in my classroom, but I think videos can be effective in a way that written text cannot with today’s generation (maybe this has always... read more
Authentic Opportunities To Write
In a stack of papers called Connections, Writing.
- Dec
- 08
- 2005
I’ve been thinking about this entry for a while and it’s time I just put the ideas out there, even if they aren’t as polished as I want them to be.
Idea One
At a meeting on Monday, a friend of mine talked about giving his students “an essay in disguise” for Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha, wherein he would write a fake letter from the board banning... read more