Actually, this is week eight too, but this photo was so nifty I had to use it…

I missed posting last week because I was in Los Angeles all weekend, participating in the California Teachers Association (CTA) State Council. State Council is the governing body of CTA and sets the policy direction for our organization. Around that, I’ve been wrapping up our first unit, and starting in on our second with students. Onto that…Some thoughts as I wind up the first unit of study, and starting the new one…

1. I tried to switch students over to unit packets that I would check at the end of the unit, since this is a format used in some secondary classrooms. Also, I wanted them to have a work expectation when they finish early, as happens some weeks. This did not work as well I would like. Many students had all the notes I expected (an improvement from last year). Fewer had any other work (video reports, book reports, etc.) required. They got better with each of the three packets they had to turn in (Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science). I think we all have a better idea of what’s expected, and I need to focus on what they did right (they at least had notes done — something that was more problematic last year).
2. They’re writing seems of a more even quality than last year’s class. Fewer of them have “voice” in their writing, and I would like to develop more of that.
3. I have not had them use technology to create as much as I would have liked. I was going to have them make Motivator posters, but I wasn’t able to get around to it. On the other hand, with the exception of the bump that my trip to LA took in our schedule, we’ve been putting up class podcasts on a somewhat regular basis. I have set up a class wiki on Wikispaces, and I had them do this week’s assessment on the wiki. It worked pretty well. I’m keeping it private for now.
4. Esperanza Rising is going well, and so is studying the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. The students are enjoying it, and so am I.

Photo Credit: [Museum of Liverpool] Escalier central by FredArt, on Flickr