Chapters 9 & 10

    I was pleased to read both chapters 9 and 10 because I found many of the tips and tools for note taking to be practices I have already incorporated into my classroom environment and everyday lectures. In the beginning of the year, I asked students to purchase a binder with 8 section dividers (for each unit) and a two pocket folder to transport documents from school to home. While I can only dream of having a school store and an unlimited supply of reinforcements, paper, and writing utensils, I always find joy in hearing students say “we are on a new unit, which means a new section in my binder!” Students are working toward increased organization of their notes, as I check and grade their notebooks once a month, and most Do Now/ homework assignments require reference to prior notes. Additionally, I have asked my principal about the possibility of providing students with a homework planner at the beginning of the year. At my school, homework completion is a huge problem and many students have homework trackers that stamp the date for completed homework, and have parents sign when homework is missing. If each student had a planner, teachers could leave a note at the end of each week to the parent, and the parent could sign off each week acknowledging that their scholar did have homework all week. 

    During my lectures, I try to model what my notebook would look like if I were a student on a board to the side of my PowerPoint. This system evolved as a result of needing to change slides and move on with the lecture, while some slower writing students still needed to copy notes. I bold key words in my PowerPoint and make a list of them on the left side of the board, along with a posted agenda for the day, week, and upcoming important dates, while paraphrasing my lecture in bullet form on the right side. I try to verbalize extension questions after students have answered questions from the board, and explain that these questions may appear on the next quiz, so note taking is in the least a great idea. This way, I am training students to listen even after they have copied notes, and to expect that questions on quizzes and tests will reflect both my written notes and verbal lecture.  

    Even with this system of model note-taking and homework tracking incentives, I find that many of my students still do poorly on quizzes. Clearly they do not study, or do not know a way to study in way that will help them retain information. I have suggested that students should keep a classroom notebook and a home notebook. The reasons are that this ensures students do not lose their notes because they will have two copies, they will bring their notebook home everyday which can aid in homework completion, and rewriting notes each day enables them to reread, rewrite, re-organize, and re-verbalize their notes, potentially causing them to acknowledge what type of studying best suites them. Many students were never taught that reading aloud or rewriting information is a form of studying, one does not need to reread for memorization to retain new fact. 

    I hope that in the future, I will gain increased support from the ESL teachers to help students organize, clarify, and understand the Earth Science curriculum. With only two teachers for 400 students, there is very limited contact. Often times, I find myself meeting with the ESL teachers and a concerned parent only after it is too late for a scholar to pass for the semester. There is little time during the day to implement a Writing Center for students, though I will be facilitating a semester long typing class for students come January, to teach them how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint effectively. I envision student writing to improve once they learn to utilize the functions provided by computer resources, and that their skills once improved by technology, will transfer over to hand written work.

Research Papers & Web Quests

    I fell behind on analyzing this chapter because I didn’t have much student work to critique based on the skills discussed in Benjamin’s text. However, I began grading Design Your Own test essays yesterday- a unique school designed test used to track our students’ skill set from the beginning of the year to the end using a two part math and reading/ writing comprehension test, and realized that students truly write what they are asked to, generally not more, and many times less. While the task asked students to write an argumentative essay about spending billions of dollars in NYC for preparation and protection from another hurricane disaster, many students wrote speeches or self-opinionated papers without clear arguments or counter-arguments. It was clear that some freshman students used the template format I had designed for my planet project- they created a speech persuading NYC citizens to spend their money on protection, just like they had written a conversation piece as a real estate agent trying to sell other planetary land. While they integrated outside information, critical thinking, citations, and a clear understanding of spelling and grammar skills, many students were unable to form or maintain a formal voice. 

    As a school team, we tried to figure out how to help students write better argumentative essays in the immediate future. Perhaps the question should have been framed in a way that would have given them a template outline for writing such as: 1) Review the five texts in the booklet and analyze them, 2) formulate an opinion about spending money on hurricane disaster prevention based on your understanding of the text, and then 3) support your opinion with cited evidence from the text. Though students at the eleventh and twelfth grades should know these elements are necessary in an argumentative paper, the reality is that they have not internalized these ideas, and do need support in the writing of the question to aid their final written outcome. Asking the right questions is the key in obtaining the right answers.

Frames, Clusters, and Stems

I believe giving students sentence frameworks to use in their own writing can be very helpful. It allows students to identify key, command, and connector words in sentences; why and where each belongs; and how to create a complete sentence. By repetitively using select frameworks, students should be able to internalize the sentence stems and begin to use them in creative/ free writing, without having to reference a template.

                Chapter 6 gave me great ideas to improve my vocabulary extra credit assignments. Giving students new vocabulary, along with categorical key words and sentence stems/ structures, allows students to become more familiar with and more comfortable using high-level sentence structures in their own writing. I plan on incorporating the skills chapter 6 addresses in multiple mini lessons in my current unit on rocks and minerals. I would like students to create comparison and classification sentences on types of rocks once we go over the three types, and to create characteristic sentences on mineral traits.

Vocabulary: Word for Word

              Chapter Five has been the most useful Benjamin text I’ve read thus far. I am constantly trying to teach students how to identify key action words in Regents questions, how students can rewrite/ reword questions and answers, and how to use new vocabulary in their work. By giving examples of rewording/ writing using both the methodical and metaphorical sentence, I think my students will better understand how simple sentences can and should be structured. I found the sentence writing steps in this chapter to be very coherent, basic, and applicable across all age/ grade ranges.

                Next to the word wall in my classroom, I have added the 50 Earth Science and 50 Physics verbs. For optional extra credit each week, students choose five of the terms and write full sentences using the steps given. These steps are posted in the classroom as well, including: each sentence must have at least 25 words, the sentence must be  powered by an action word (examples given), there must be a synonym or defining phrase, and details and specifics should be provided. When students create an exemplary sentence using one of the verbs plus a new vocabulary term, they rewrite the sentence on colorful paper and post it above the word wall in the classroom. So far, students have taken advantage of this extra credit and begun to write simple sentences with the vocabulary, and seem proud when they are able to post their work inside the classroom. I am tracking quiz and homework results of students who have completed the extra credit to see if their grades have improved.

High Density Statement

Focusing on deconstructing Earth Science Regents questions, Benjamin’s strategies have helped students and I develop criteria/ frameworks for understanding content and comprehension, thus improving classroom rubrics and assignments. I seek increased regular feedback on my progress in this course. With little commentary, I feel undirected toward positively influencing my grade.

Planet Project Rubric

My Rubric for the Project previously posted.. 

Unit 1- Astronomy: Planet Relocation Project Rubric (Writing)

	Mastery (4pt)	Accomplished (3pt)	Developing (2 pt)	Beginning (1 pt)
General (1, 16%)	Final paper contains all necessary paragraphs and includes additional writing, such as acknowledging a counterclaim.	Final paper contains a clear introduction, three of more supporting paragraphs, and a clear conclusion for a total of six or more paragraphs.	Final paper contains an introduction, one supporting (reason) paragraph, problems with the planet and a conclusion.	Final paper is missing more than one required paragraph.
Body (1,16%)	Includes three developed ideas and each is organized into a paragraph	Includes three ideas and each is organized into a paragraph.	Includes two ideas and each is organized into a paragraph.	No attempt was made to catch the reader’s attention in the first paragraph.
Facts & Details (1, 16%)	Facts included enhance the argument	Detailed facts related to writer’s argument.	General facts, some related to writer’s argument.	Basic facts, generally unrelated to writer’s argument.
Sentence Structure (1,16%)	Sentences convey style as well as information. Complex sentences, varying greatly in starters and composition.	Complex sentences, varying greater in starters and composition.	Basic Sentences with some different phrases to start sentences.	Basic sentences with repetitive starters. Some sentences are incomplete 9lacking a subject and/or verb)
Capitalization, Punctuation, and Spelling (1, 16%)	Author makes no errors in capitalization, spelling, or punctuation, so the essay is exceptionally easy to read.	Author makes 1-2 errors in capitalization, spelling, or punctuation, but the essay is still easy to read.	Author makes a few errors in capitalization, spelling, and/or punctuation that catch the reader’s attention and interrupt the flow.	Author makes several errors in capitalization, spelling, and/or punctuation that catch the reader’s attention and interrupt the flow.
Creativity (1, 16%)	Scholar solves planet’s problems convincingly, turning drawbacks into selling points and reinforcing their argument.	Planet’s problems are clearly explained. Scholar comes up with solutions for each problem.	Scholar writes at least two problems with the planet and attempts to provide solutions.	Scholar writes at least one problem with the planet. Solution may be unrelated of missing.
Max Total 80 pts.	______________ x 4	_________________ x 4	_______________ x 4	________________ x 4