New things I'm trying:
- Composition books set up with The Book Whisperer sections I mentioned in the last post. I'm still working with the students on the best way to fill out their lists during class time. Maybe they need to take their composition books with them? I'm not sure.
- Easy standards based grading - I'm not going all in with it because I don't have the resources and the rest of the school is doing traditional grading. However, I have started focusing on the standards that I'm teaching and breaking down assignments into standards so students know what the grade actually means. I have had more students interested in the grades now that they know "I'm doing great in main idea 100% and I need some work on figurative language 35%".
- Notice and Note strategies are starting off my year. I am doing one sign post each week and delving into it with picture books, short stories, and videos. I really hope these strategies will empower my students to try harder to understand what they are reading and interact with their books. A lot of kids think that reading is passive. It is completely the opposite of passive!
This year is going to be amazing and I'm thankful that I get to share my passion with over 100 new students! What excites you about this new school year?
