Pages

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Wow. Well, THAT's annoying....

Where to begin?  I suppose with the most annoying question which can ever be uttered in my classroom.  One I was asked too many times today, "Is this for a grade?"

No, kids, no it's not for a grade... not today anyway. Sometimes I ask you to complete an assignment simply for knowledge. Yes, as insane as that may sound, sometimes, I just want you to learn something without having to assign a numerical value to it.  Honestly, there is information I want you to know which just does not justify a number.  That information is going to help you later. That information is valuable.  And eventually, that information, is going to help you earn a "grade." Your eventual grade will be exactly what you gained from the assignment that was "not for a grade." Today.

Seriously. I hope that question is never uttered in my classroom again this year. Seriously.

Another unquestionably annoying occurrence encountered too many times today was the misuse of collaborative learning time.  I defined it last week.  I asked you to define today.  Yet, time and time again, the rules were not followed.  It's exhausting really.  The entire purpose for collaborative learning is to .... collaborate! Work together to gain knowledge and insight into a situation.  Work. Together.

I'm done ranting for now. What do you guys have to add? What is your perspective into these situations?

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Welcome New Writers!

Blogs are an amazing way to practice writing to share.  Participating in our class blog is a great way to exchange ideas and practice communicating digitally.

One of the greatest obstacles facing young writers is learning how to write without plagiarizing the work of other writers. In this post, I would love to share a great article from The New York Times about plagiarism, Are You Part of ‘Generation Plagiarism’? Read the article and share your thoughts.