« Drought Stricken Area | Main | Great Day - Great Kids - Great Accomplishments »
August 16, 2004
Technical Difficulties
The Agenda Books are here! Please start asking to see them on a regular basis. Some students are already showing signs that we might have to institute a signature system between home and school.
Today we used our Literature Practice Book to do a comparison between the two short stories "Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto and "Melting Pot" by Anna Quindlen. The Practice Book is heavy in grammar and vocabulary. We had some difficulties to overcome. We use dictionary.com as an online tool for vocabulary and our Internet connection at school was sporadic today and many of the students had a difficult time with linking verbs. We did not finish in class, but it is not homework. We will finish it up tomorrow.
In Social Studies we had some difficulties also. This problem was more motivational than technical. On Friday we checked our map skills on the continent of Asia. Many of the students had not done their work and chose to try the excuse, "I didn't know how to do it." This does not work with me. We had already completed one continent together as a class. We had completed one continent as a small group and done one independently. We had checked all of these sing the Visual Presenter as a class. These same students who tired, “I didn’t know how,” had not even bothered to find the capital of the countries. We checked Asia and I assigned the Middle East and Oceania as a homework assignment over the weekend. They also had to get Asia signed. If you have not signed a map if Asia this weekend, ask your child why. Would you believe that 12 students had various excuses as to why they did not complete the assignment? We divided up into a “have and have not” system and will stay that way from now on. The agenda books will help with this and so will the classroom website.
Progress Reports are scheduled for August 20th so keep an eye out for them. To all of those making such pleasant comments, thank you. It is well worth the time and energy if it helps the kids achieve more.
Posted by hlperson at August 16, 2004 04:08 PM
Comments
Guys do your homework!!!!!!!!! I know from experience that if you do your homework it's easier to pass his class!!!! Excuses don't get you out of anything. Trust me I am a former student of 2 years. I know these things! Another tip get your AR points early!!!!!!!!!!! It gets you on his good side *wink* *wink*
Posted by: Emily Jordan at August 16, 2004 08:40 PM