This week was so incredibly busy for the kids and myself! I was so proud of how well my kids participated and really tried on some of the hard skills we've been learning!
This week in both 7th & 8th grade, they have been learning MLA format and Works Cited! These skills are so important not only for research, but it really is necessary for secondary and higher education. I modified some practices and really modeled how to do this correctly in the beginning of the week. I created different stations on Wednesday with different sources at each station. Students rotated between each station and correctly created the citation for the different sources on their handout. We talked heavily about how important it is to do this correctly and why plagiarism cheats everyone involved. My 8th graders seemed to grasp this concept very well, and they now know that this is a skill that they are going to see in the near future! ;) I was not able to take pictures that day because I was busy teaching in the "anthology" station! :)
6th graders are exploring problem and solution essays! They were doing research on a serious problem Earth is facing and ways to help solve this problem. Next week, they will take their research to construct a formal speech! This was perfect timing in regards to their field trip! They are going to a water pollution and Earth conservation field trip at the civic center on Monday!
IPI's were this week! I always enjoy them because it's nice to have the administrators involved in what I'm doing in my classroom! It also challenges me to really think about the critical thinking and H.O.T skills I am teaching! It ammakes me more aware of the activities my kids are participating in and how well they are actively engaged! This week across three grade levels I averaged out to be a 4.5! Mostly teacher directed but I had a nice balance - which is really necessary! ;) if you don't know much about IPI's you can check out this link - http://education.missouri.edu/orgs/mllc/Upload%20Area-Docs/IPI%20Rubric.pdf
You can learn about the scale and how to promote an active learning environment in your classroom!
Next week the fun continues with some great units!! Can't wait to share!
Until next time,
Ritchie