BFSSMikeT

Mike T's BFSS wiki page...

I've been teaching for nine years now, and grading is an area where I've definitely developed more skills in recent years over my first few. I'm pretty confident now determining final grades, averaging scores, using rubrics for big projects, and assessing participation. The one area that I still really struggle has to do with the number of points I assign to an assignment. For me, everything needs to be out of 100% so I can visualize what an A, B, C... is. If a test has 43 questions on it, and a student gets 36 of them right, it's tough for me, and tough for the student, to know if that is a good score or not. When scanning my gradebook, having everything out of 100 makes it very easy to know if what the student has accomplished is good work or not. Of course, to make tests more important than daily assignments, I weight grades. In most of my classes, a regular assignment is weighted once, a quiz twice, a big test four times, and a project 2-10 times, depending on what it is. Very few teachers that I know of anymore grade this way. It becomes an issue when the rest of a student's teachers use a points system and I use a percentage system. Couple that with the fact that most of what I teach are music classes, where a lot of the grade is subjective, and you've got grading problems. How do I determine that this student's music performance today was a 97, and this one and 87? So much of the quality of music is a subjective idea. Even rubrics really can be tweaked and misconstrued to the point that what I consider to be exemplary, the teacher next to me might just call average. I've been thinking all summer about going to a grading system that is points-based, or checklist-based instead. If the student completes tasks 1-10, they receive an A. Then, have them reflect on their progress. Perhaps that will help me better assess the work in a subjective subject.
 * __Final Wiki entry - Grading__**

__**Adapting to Unforeseen Scenarios...**__

There is a general theme amongst some of these scenarios. In the case of any student who misses class for a legitimate reason (be it illness, a funeral, or participation in a school activity) you must have a set policy in your course syllabus regarding make-up work. In my class, if a student is absent from school due to an illness, the student has the same number of days that they were gone to make up the missing work. It says in my syllabus that for longer absences, I can be flexible on a case by case basis. Depending on the level of the student, you will certainly have to give them time during lunch or after school to help them with in-class work. For my government class, I have typed out synopses of all of my lectures to give missing students. I think the main idea when it comes to excused absences is to have a set policy, but also be willing to work with the kid and the family. Obviously, when grandma dies, the kid's mind is not on the enumerated powers in Article I of the Constitution. Let your expectations known, and then work with the kid to get caught up.

And if a student has an unexcused absence, they get absolutely no make-up help from me. All work due on that day is forfeited, including tests and major projects.

For me, the tough one is the cancellation of one period of class, allowing one section to be a day (or, yikes, days) behind other sections. While this will certainly happen on its own from time to time (advanced vs. remedial kids, etc.) there is nothing more annoying than messing with your schedule like this. I would suggest using those days as enrichment activities for your students, instead of teaching a unit to one class and not the other, getting them farther and farther behind. The kids you do have for class will probably be exhausted anyway, having blown their brain cells on a standardized test for several hours. Have content-related crossword puzzles, movies, games, or other activities ready for days like that. Such activities can also double as substitute lessons, especially in subjects that subs may not be proficient in teaching (music, science, foreign language.)

__**Reflection on the final content advisor meeting.**__ -One of the great things about Beth is that she has a wealth of great resources for us to use. I loved the text she showed us, //We The People//. It was a completely discussion-based textbook for civics/political science. One of my serious problems with the book I use right now is that it's dry, boring, and lectures the students. What they want to do is discuss. The best lessons I teach are those that involve debate. I'm definitely going to be ordering this book. -We read some great articles about differentiation and presented them to the group. My article described two classrooms - one that was strictly lecture-based, and the other was all projects. The author argued that both were a problem. In the first, the students would be completely disengaged and bored. They'd memorize the information for the test, and forget it. In the second, while students might be having fun in class, there is no structure, no curriculum. The overall message of the article was to remember that you cannot have engagement in your class without understanding. You need to have a balance. -We closed swapping stories about dealing with parents. The trick with problem parents (and there are a lot of them out there) is to stay positive. Make sure you're presenting facts about the student and not presenting negative asides. Never talk about other students. Set goals. And above all, be proactive. Nothing's worse than a surprise on a report card.

Course - U.S. Government and Politics Grade Level - 11th-12th grade Unit - CONGRESS
 * __Unit Plan__**

-How does apportionment of membership in the House of Representatives in districts provide representation to local voters? -What are the key common characteristics of members of Congress? -Why are committees more important in the House than they are in the Senate? -Why does the Senate usually take longer than the House to pass a bill? -Why are different kinds of committees necessary in the House and Senate? -On what types of issues did the Founders restrict congressional actions with the addition of the Bill of Rights? -Why has power shirted back and forth between the president and Congress over the years?
 * Essential Questions:**

Students will be able to: -Describe the structure of Congress and list the qualifications for congressional membership. -Describe the rules and procedures used in the House and explain its role in the lawmaking process. -Contrast the Senate's leadership and role in the lawmaking process to that of the House. -Identify kinds of congressional committees and principles by which members serve on them. -Explain how staff members and support agencies participate in the legislative process. -List the powers the Constitution gives to the Congress. -Explain reasons why the president and members of Congress might find themselves in conflict with each other.
 * Learning Objectives:**


 * Summative Assessment Plan [[file:Travia Summative Assessment Plan.doc]]**

__**Late Work Policy**__ I think the first thing that's important about any sort of a late work policy is that it is clearly spelled out in the course syllabus right from the start of the school year, and that the teacher enforces their own policy. If students realize the teacher is willing to bend their own rules, they will test that teacher to see exactly how lenient they will be. In my course syllabuses, late work is divided into two categories. Daily practice assignments or journal questions that check up on daily reading must be done everyday. If a student forgets or neglects to do the daily work, they can still turn it in the next day, but the highest grade they can receive is 70%. After day 2, that daily work can't receive any points. This gets students in the habit of always completing their daily work. For bigger assignments that have a larger impact on their grade, like papers, projects, or presentations, I will still accept the late work, but the project loses 10% per day it is late, up to five school days after the initial due date. After that, they can no longer receive points for the assignment.
 * __Session 8__**

However, I also make sure my students know that I am not heartless. If a student talks to me ahead of time about their struggle with completing an assignment on time, I am willing to consider each problem on a case-by-case basis. With my advanced class, often the students have multiple major assignments due in other advanced classes at the same time. I try and stay in contact with the other teachers in the school and communicate with them about due dates. Also, I try not to have major things due the day after the opening of the school musical, or the day of the state basketball tournament or prom. Teachers need to understand that those events are major parts of a student's high school experience and there's no reason to be totally mean-spirited. Obviously, if a student has an excused absence, or is in the hospital, or has a major family emergency, I want to be compassionate with them and work out a fair way of allowing them to make up the work. If a student has an unexcused absence, they cannot turn in the work late - it's an automatic zero.

__**Session 7**__ Two issues we talked about with Beth: -Assessing Participation Beth recommended that participation not be included in final grades. Students in her class were expected to have regular class participation as a part of good behavior. She suggested that during any sort of discussion that we are using as a formative assessment, we give each student three playing cards. They have to "spend" the playing cards to contribute to discussion, but all students have to use all of their cards to receive a grade. That way, you are able to monitor participation - everyone participates, and no one can dominate the conversation. -Writing Assessments The concern with teaching a hundred or more social studies students is that if you regularly assign major writing assignments, the time it takes to correct all that work will overwhelm you. Beth suggested doing journals with the students. Sometimes you just check to make sure they did the writing assignment, and sometimes you collect and read them. The students don't know when you're just checking their work and when you're actually reading it, so they can't risk slacking on the assignment. Meanwhile, the work load becomes more manageable for the teacher.
 * __Online discussion with Beth and company - Assessment__**


 * __Paper Outline and Sources__**
 * Introduction:**
 * Thesis sentence: Social studies teachers must continue to search for methods that engage our students and instill in them an interest and passion for the study of history and social science.**
 * "History is, in its essence, exciting; to present it as dull is, to my mind, stark and unforgivable misrepresentation." Catherine Drinker Bowen**

I. Technology A. Benefits of media resources B. YouTube C. Dangers of technology 1. make sure students still incorporate analysis 2. copyright 3. authenticity of the material 4. availability of tech in schools (ie – YouTube blocked)
 * "The history of states and nations has provided some income for historiographers and book dealers, but I know of no other purpose it may have served." Inge Borne**
 * Body:**

II. Education and Video Games A. Why they are beneficial B. Examples of quality social studies video games C. Ways to integrate non-educational NPG games D. Warnings - negatives

III. Social Justice

IV. Emphasize Understanding vs. just memorization A. Understanding by Design B. Thinking article C. Topical teaching vs. chronological

V. Pitfalls A. Era of Standards and High Stakes testing B. How it affects social justice teaching C. How it affects higher level thinking teaching D. Solutions

V. Conclusion State of the content and opinions on getting kids engaged


 * Bibliography:**

Armstrong, T. (2000). //Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom// (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Bender-Slack, D. and Raupach, M. (2008, November-December). Negotiating standards and social justice in the social studies: educators' perspectives. //The Social Studies////, 99(6), 255-259//.

Fairey, C., Lee, J., and Bennett, C. (2000, Winter). Technology and social studies: a conceptual model for integration. //Journal of Social Studies Research//. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3823/is_200001/ai_n8891738/

Hutchison, D. (2007, January-February). Video games and the pedagogy of place. //The Social Studies////, 98(1), 35-40//.

Jones, T. and Cuthrell, K. (2011, January-March). YouTube: educational potentials and pitfalls. //Computers in the Schools, 28(1),// 75-85.

//The Political Machine.// (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.politicalmachine.com/

Resmovits, J. (2011). //U.S. history test scores stagnate as education secretary Arne Duncan seeks 'plan B'.// Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/14/us-history-naep-test-scores-arne-duncan_n_876413.html

//Thoughts about history.// (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.harding.edu/jewell/misc2.html

//Two to three years: game-based learning.// (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2011/sections/game-based-learning/#0

Vogler, K. and Virtue, D. (2007, March-April). “Just the facts, ma'am”: teaching social studies in the era of standards and high-stakes testing. //The Social Studies////, 98(2), 54-58//.

White, J. (2008, March-April). Teachers prepare to integrate social justice into the social studies curriculum. //The Social Studies////, 99(2), 83-84//.

//World without oil.// (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.worldwithoutoil.org/

Zevin, J. (2007). //Social studies for the twenty-first century: Methods and materials for teaching in middle and secondary schools (3rd Ed.)//. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.


 * Session 4/5**


 * __Reading - Persistence of the Five-Paragraph Essay__**

The author is complaining that by drilling the instruction of a five-paragraph persuasive essay, students allow their writing to fall into a pedantic and boring format. English and social studies teachers need to do a better job of teaching students how to express their ideas in essay form without worrying so much about the five-paragraph formula. She defends the five-paragraph essay from the point of view of both student and teacher - amongst stressed teenagers, it's a "safe" way to construct their writing, and in the over-populated classroom of the stressed teacher, it provides a predictable form allowing the instructor to skim the essay looking for the main points. She mentions that by placing so much emphasis on structure in writing, perhaps the students are missing its main focus - to express ideas. She acknowledges that to teach English that way would take additional time. It would probably be necessary to eliminate something else from the curriculum, something that results-driven administrators are often find skeptical. Also, larger and larger class sizes gives her less time to assign and correct meaningful writing assignments.
 * What are the author’s main arguments or points?**

I have to admit, I found this article to be annoying. It sounds to me like she is making excuses for her student's inability to effectively write an argumentative essay. I can understand her main point. While the five-paragraph essay is a strong way to teach beginning/intermediate level writers how to organize their thoughts, her AP students (whom she was the most concerned about) should have the ability to write at a higher level. However, complaining that herself and her department members don't have the time to teach anything other than the five-paragraph essay because of bigger class sizes and an already overloaded curriculum is unsatisfactory. Higher standards and big classes are, unfortunately, here to stay. It is our job as educators to recognize the constraints on education and come up with solutions. I don't know the English curriculum in her district, but if persuasive writing is a problem amongst her students, perhaps there is some other unit that is expendable. Or perhaps essay practice can be woven into an existing unit. I don't know, but I do know that it's our job to search for solutions instead of making excuses.
 * Does he/she support those arguments or points convincingly? Explain.**

In my semester U.S. Government and Politics course, I assign two persuasive essays. I spend much of the preparation for the first essay teaching the students how to develop a logical argument. The system of organization I show them is probably similar to the five-paragraph essay this author is alluding to, but I emphasize to the students that ideas and logic are much more important than a rigid form. I will admit that the students who stray from the five-paragraph format usually turn in the most disorganized papers. I will most definitely continue to teach the same method of organization, but I think if students are encouraged to experiment with less rigid parameters in their writing, perhaps they will find their own style and not stress so much over form.
 * How does the information in this reading support what you will do or do in your classroom? Site some specific examples.**


 * Session 3**

__**Paragraph - Trends in Social Studies**__ One of the trends I will be writing about in my paper is the difference between memorizing and understanding. Most of us have taken history courses in which we were required to memorize dates, facts, and people's names. Instead, social studies must push for a higher level of learning. I'm reading a book called //Understanding by Design// that pinpoints how to design lessons that go beyond just basic cognitive levels of thinking. I also think that the large amounts of material we are required to cover in our courses, due to standards and in some districts, high school graduation tests, stifle the social studies teacher ability do accomplish some of these goals. The second trend I will be writing about will be using multi-media resources to supplement the curriculum. With the implementation of SmartBoards, teachers are using more and more technology in the classes. Sites like YouTube offer teachers an invaluable source of videos and music files, and one of the articles that I read for my journal review even talked about using video games to teach social studies. Finally, my third trend that I will be covering in my paper is on incorporating social justice into the social studies classroom, and the challenges that come with that.

Other topics that come to mind... Bias in a U.S. Government/Politics class, teaching Euro-centric history, multiculturalism, teaching religion in social studies, ethics, etc...

** Textbook Survey—Social Studies **
 * Session 2**

As you peruse your content area textbook, please complete the following activities and/or questions. You may place your response on this page.

1. Write a bibliographical entry for the book using APA format. Zevin, J. //Social studies for the twenty-first century: Methods and materials for teaching in middle and secondary schools (3rd Ed.)//. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

2. What is the author’s background in education? He began as a social studies teacher at an inner city high school in Chicago, and then a middle school teacher in Michigan.

3. Skim through the Preface and the Personal Prologue. What are 2 things that you learned about the book or author? It is the philosophy of the author that good social studies instruction involves the discussion of broad concepts and ideas that may incite discussion or debate, versus the memorization of facts and dates. He believes the "only topics in the social studies worth teaching and talking about are those that contain or suggest //questions with more than one answer.//"

4. Looking at the Table of Content, what are the 6 main parts of the book? 1.Philosophy and History of Social Studies: What is (are) Social Studies? 2.Teachers and Students: A Context for Social Studies Instruction 3.Strategies for Social Studies Instruction 4.Teaching the Social Studies Curriculum 5.Textbooks and Media in the Social Studies 6.Beyond the Social Studies Classroom: Professional Issues and Trends

5. Which chapter should you definitely read before you begin the unit project? Chapter 7 - Planning a Unit from Start to Finish

6. Which chapter will be particularly helpful with planning assessments? Chapter 8 - Evaluation in Social Studies

7. To aid your quick review of the textbook, how does each chapter begin and end? Each chapter begins with an overview and ends with a summary.

8. Of all the chapters in the book, which one interests you the most? Why? Given that I currently teach an advanced course in U.S. Government and Politics, the chapter that covers that subject (Chapter 11) is the one I'm most interested in reading.

9. Of all the chapters in the book, which one will you probably not read during this course? Why? In all honesty, Chapter 1, which defines what social studies is and the history of its instruction, seems dry and non-applicable. I probably won't read that section unless I have to.

10. What is one section in particular that you would like to discuss further with your content advisor? Chapter 13 covers the role of textbooks in the curriculum. I'd be interested in talking with my advisor about strategies to better use textbooks without boring the students or hashing through dry and non-applicable information.


 * Instructor Recommendations for Reading:**
 * For Research Essay—Read Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, and 17. Highlight as you read a chapter. Then stop and list your “Top 5 Ideas/Tips” from the chapter. Read only one chapter at a sitting. Chapters 9, 10, 11 are also important, but the main ideas and summaries may be enough at this time.
 * For Unit Plan and Summative Plan—Read and highlight Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8.
 * For Job Preparation—Chapter 16 and 17