Off and running

DruBlumfield@Flickr.com

Halfway through the week already! After our long Thanksgiving break, the week has flown by. Part of it might be that we are focusing intently on our novel, The Lord of the Flies, and getting back  to our study of language (aka, grammar) and vocabulary--we've got a full agenda. This week there is no reading assignment--this will give students who are behind (I hope not many!) a chance to catch up, and will also allow for some deeper thinking as students complete reading strategies to better understand the novel.

Today we talked about two key passages in the novel, p. 95 and 111. Kids also had more time to work on their character change notes in small groups--I pushed them to look beyond the surface of the novel (the what happened) and ask why and how. Some groups were on task both days and others used the time to socialize; whatever students don't complete together today will be homework.

I collected proposals on Monday and entered grades. While students had two weeks to complete them, many didn't do the assignment and others did it quickly in the lab on Monday--that haste is reflected in some grades. However--students do have the opportunity to re-do their proposals (this time, with care!). See this example (link) for a detailed, useful plan. Other guidelines for proposals is on our Moodle course here (link). You might ask to see the proposal (all students should have access to their team's Google doc) to get a peek at what students have planned for this marking period's Project Based Learning--good stuff!