Day 27 – The Beginning of the End

Here’s what we did in preparation for and on Tuesday (11/22):

-If you didn’t ask for an extension on your video, that needs to have been uploaded to the YouTube channel, and your reflection, materials, and cover sheet need to be turned in to Dr. Benko (this was after we talked about the final).

-In class, we went through the assignment sheet for the final, and here are some of the highlights:

-WORK AHEAD ON THE FINAL!

-Benko’s holding on to our print midterms so she can lay them side by side with the revised midterm to see that you actually revised.

-Your final has to be a new genre than what you did for the midterm.
-The only right way to do your reflection is to cite widely and make things super clear.

-Maybe set time over Thanksgiving break to get your midterm revisions DONE.

-There’s a suggested work schedule on that assignment sheet as well, as our entire final is due on December 13th. Dr. Benko and I will be conferencing throughout, though!

-Watch out and make sure you’re specific about your grade standard – don’t just grab the anchor standard!

-The rest of classtime was spent on giving our midterm feedback a really good read through, ask questions, etc. – ask yourself, “Do I know what to do? Do I know what Dr. Benko wants me to do?”

-Alyssa’s asked Dr. Benko a question that was good for the group – be careful in writing not front loading too much, make sure to give students opportunities to practice things they’re learning as they’re learning

-When are students writing? You can integrate teaching and writing, writing doesn’t have to be its own special thing, as integration is a good opportunity for formative assessments (conferences!). NCTE has the following to say on conferences:

In reading and writing conferences, teachers invite students to share specific information about their intentions, processes, and/or products in order to help both teacher and student better understand the student’s learning and identify next steps. Teachers often talk with students about the processes they use to select a topic for a writing piece, or the writing strategies they learned in a recent writing project. Through reading conferences, teachers learn why a student chose to abandon a particular book or what a student is working to understand in a current reading selection.

Thinking ahead:

-Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Catch up on sleep!

-If you’re struggling with your midterm and/or final, maybe reread your Smagorinsky chapter.

-We’ll be having a work day on Tuesday, but if you asked for that video extension, make sure you upload your video and bring all of your printed components to class!

-Rachel