Wow ! Impressive, I have a new position this year ...I am out of the clasroom an IS ( instructional specialist) I hate it ! I will return to the classroom and I can hardly wait ... Thank you -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Sent: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 9:39 AM Subject: Re: [LIT] Grading novels?
For the homework reflections, I required it to be 1 page. They had read 70 or more pages a week and write the reflection that is due the following Monday. Last year I wanted only a reflection, no summary, because so many students would just write what the book was about (or what was on the back). But I wanted to see their thinking. At the beginning of the year, we practiced. I showed a model, they did one in class, I looked at it, gave feedback. By the end of the year they were writing awesome reflections. I also had a list of sentences starters that I think came from the Fountas and Pinnell book in case they didn't know how to start. If they reflected, they got all the points. This year, before I got my new position, I was planning on mid-year expanding the reflection and sometimes requiring them to write about certain things. For example, if we were working on theme, I would require them to reflect on the theme of their book, or character development, etc. For in class, the requirements are much the same. The need to reflect and not summarize, and be thoughtful. Sometimes I would have guiding, open ended questions they had to answer. Last year many of my students complained about how much writing they were doing. Then they got to 9th grade and their English teacher had them write letters to me. They all said they were glad I made them write so much because they were doing a lot of writing in 9th grade! On 3/31/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > What are your requirments for the reflections the ones in class and > homework? > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected] > Sent: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 7:04 PM > Subject: Re: [LIT] Grading novels? > > > I had my students use an Interactive Notebook where we would keep > everything. So I would read aloud and we would discuss and every time I > read > anything they had to write a reflection. When I collected their notebooks, > they had to have all the assignments we had done to get points. Also, > sometimes I would do other assignments. Last year, we read Touching Spirit > Bear and at the end I made a layered assignment/project where I had > requirements for each grade and they chose what they wanted to do. Worked > well. But this was not the focus of my reading and it came after. > > For grades in general, I basically had 3 categories: Homework (which was > independent reading w/ a reflection due weekly), Interactive Notebook - > where we kept ALL of our notes, class work, writing, etc. and Essays. I > collected the Interactive Notebooks once or twice a grading period. So > that > was really the bulk of their grade. > > On 3/29/07, Barbara Punchak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Heather, > > Please share how you 'gather grades' (or assess) for these novels. My > > district requires a minimum of 9 grades per quarter, but like you, I'd > > rather have students submersed in the reading, rather than "doing > > activities." I do use modified lit circles ala Reciprocal > Teaching---but > > not as often as I'd like. (due to the time element and required grade > > documentation) I'm anxious to hear suggestions from you and > > others. Thanks. > > Barbara/6th/FL > > > > -----Original Message----- > > On Behalf Of Heather Poland > > It takes me a long time to get through novels because I always stop and > > discuss. I don't usually do "activities" but we always have discussions, > > and > > they always reflect on what we read that day. So, I usually get through > 1 > > chapter or less depending on the size of the chap. I don't agree with > > tests/quizzes on books. I would rather my students be engaged in more > > authentic tasks, such as rich discussions and reflections. > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > > > > > > -- > - Heather > > "The world of books is the most remarkable creation of > man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments > fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out; > new races build others. But in the world of books are > volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet > live on. Still young, still as fresh as the day they were > written, still telling men's hearts of the hearts of men > centuries dead." --Clarence Day > > "While the rhetoric is highly effective, remarkably little > good evidence exists that there's any educational substance > behind the accountability and testing movement." > —Peter Sacks, Standardized Minds > > "When our children fail competency tests the schools lose > funding. When our missiles fail tests, we increase > funding. " > —Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Presidential Candidate > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > ________________________________________________________________________ > AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free > from AOL at AOL.com. > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > -- - Heather "The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out; new races build others. But in the world of books are volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet live on. Still young, still as fresh as the day they were written, still telling men's hearts of the hearts of men centuries dead." --Clarence Day "While the rhetoric is highly effective, remarkably little good evidence exists that there's any educational substance behind the accountability and testing movement." —Peter Sacks, Standardized Minds "When our children fail competency tests the schools lose funding. When our missiles fail tests, we increase funding. " —Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Presidential Candidate _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive ________________________________________________________________________ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com. _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
