End of September Announcements

DOK 

We have been writing DOK questions for 5 weeks now, and the rigor of our questions is meeting DOK 2 or 3.  Great job!!!  As we move into the 2nd 6 weeks, the question I would like you to focus on is this.

"How has our instruction changed?"

When we are designing instruction to stretch students to meet DOK Level 2 or 3,

• What learning behaviors are students required to exhibit on a daily basis?
• What is the ratio of teacher talk to student talk in instruction?
• What is the ratio of teacher work to student work in instruction?
• What products are students required to create as evidence of their learning? 

Comments and great ideas are welcome.  Let us know what has changed to help your kids meet DOK Level 2 or 3.  Please drop a comment at the bottom of this post. 

TIP (Technology Integration Pic) of the Week

 8th grade ELA students are creating bio cubes for their non-fiction unit about famous sports figures using the website, readwritethink.com.

Google Drive Tutorial

If you want to learn how to use Google Drive to drive your work, click on this link.

App of the Week

Dr. Hartt found this week's App of the Week.  Handouts (CLICK HERE) is a cool app for classes using tablets.  Teachers can assign a PDF, and the students can complete assignments on their tablet and send it back in.  It's definitely worth checking out.

HOMEWORK 

Homework has a different meaning to people based on who you ask, and if learners struggle academically, homework has a negative meaning.  When assigning homework, we should always consider the following criteria if we want parents and students to find it beneficial.

1. Familiar Content - Homework should be over content that is familiar to the student.  Work that is unfamiliar to students can cause frustration or create bad habits or incorrect understanding.
2. Time Considerate - Homework should be something that the student can do in a relatively short period of time.  Consideration should be given when deciding how much homework to give students.
3. Feedback - Homework only works when the teacher reviews it and gives feedback.  Research proves that homework that is not review by the teacher has little effect on learning. (Marzano, Classroom Instruction that Works, 2001. p 64)

HOMEWORK TIPS FOR PARENTS

When encouraging parents to get involved with teaching their children good study habits, here are tips from the US Department of Education  on ways parents can help their children successfully do their homework.  The last thing parents want from homework is to be confused about the role that they serve when it comes to homework.


✪ Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework.
Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going.

✪ Make sure the materials your child needs, such as paper, pencils and a dictionary, are available.
Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get them in advance.

✪ Help your child with time management.
Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don‘t let your child leave homework until just
before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects,
especially if the project involves getting together with classmates.

✪ Be positive about homework.
Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires.

✪ When your child does homework, you do homework.
Show your child that the skills they are learning are related to things you do as an adult. If your child
is reading, you read too. If your child is doing math, balance your checkbook.

✪ When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers.
Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your child that
when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her.

✪ When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it.
Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your child that the school and home are a team. Follow the
directions given by the teacher.

✪ If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, stay away.
Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects.
Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong learning skills.

✪ Stay informed.
Talk with your child‘s teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework and what your child‘s
class rules are.

✪ Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework.
Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest
challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in.