Great Questions Part 2
Laura also wrote:
We live in the reality of having to produce a grade. How do you grade your students?
What does your grade represent?
First, grading has to fulfill the district, building and departmental requirements...especially in larger districts.
In my program, we have a few requirements that are outside of my control ie how much each marking period is weighed, whether or not to give midterms and finals and how those exams are weighed. I worry about what I do have control over.
1. I give a quiz every Thursday. I do NOT tell students what is on the quiz. The purpose of the quiz is for me to evaluate where students are so that I can plan for the following week. IF 80 % of the students achieve an 80 % or higher, I put the grades in the gradebook. If not, I don't. The quiz may take 10 minutes or 40, depending on how much information I require. (they usually average 15...I hate to give up interaction time!)
This gives me between 6-10 quiz grades per marking period. I vary the quizzes so that at least three skills: Reading, Writing and Listening are evaluated at least once per marking period. Speaking evals are included in Levels 3 and 4.
2. I collect at least two assignments per week...FROM WORK WE HAVE DONE IN CLASS. This could be adding details to a story, a written translation, a picture drawn from a reading, a poem written from lines of a song or any number of different activities.
3. I usually have 1 homework assignment per week that I collect and mark as a 0, 50, 75 or 100.
4. Once each marking period, especially in the upper levels, students have a short "project" to complete: The requirements are broker down into steps and credit is given for each step completed. Students have enough class time to complete the project with a passing grade. Students who want a higher grade will work outside of class. It may have an output component but always involved some form of input as well. (I'll try to post some of these later ....)
This actually gives me at least 20 "grades" in the book for each student per marking period. I have tried all kinds of weighting systems only to find that none of them really makes a difference. I simply total them all (they are out of 100) and divide by the number of grades. If a "project" was really involved I will simply put it in twice. j
I put as little emphasis on grades as possible. I don't go over tests/quizzes/homework in class. Ever. I will discuss things with students after school. My quizzes often involve choice: Here are 15 sentences,...illustrate or translate any 10. If I have planned well, conducted classes well, written quizzes well and designed projects well...it all leads to acquisition.
It does take some students (and parents) time to adjust to not knowing their own personal "point value" at every given moment. If it is extremely stressful for an individual, I will encourage him/her to meet with me after school and we go to Quia or another online format that fills that need for evaluation and quantitative feedback By the end of the first marking period however, they see that their grades are high and that they have really acquired a great deal of language and success.
It works for me. Keep asking questions about what is not clear...
with love,
Laurie
We live in the reality of having to produce a grade. How do you grade your students?
What does your grade represent?
First, grading has to fulfill the district, building and departmental requirements...especially in larger districts.
In my program, we have a few requirements that are outside of my control ie how much each marking period is weighed, whether or not to give midterms and finals and how those exams are weighed. I worry about what I do have control over.
1. I give a quiz every Thursday. I do NOT tell students what is on the quiz. The purpose of the quiz is for me to evaluate where students are so that I can plan for the following week. IF 80 % of the students achieve an 80 % or higher, I put the grades in the gradebook. If not, I don't. The quiz may take 10 minutes or 40, depending on how much information I require. (they usually average 15...I hate to give up interaction time!)
This gives me between 6-10 quiz grades per marking period. I vary the quizzes so that at least three skills: Reading, Writing and Listening are evaluated at least once per marking period. Speaking evals are included in Levels 3 and 4.
2. I collect at least two assignments per week...FROM WORK WE HAVE DONE IN CLASS. This could be adding details to a story, a written translation, a picture drawn from a reading, a poem written from lines of a song or any number of different activities.
3. I usually have 1 homework assignment per week that I collect and mark as a 0, 50, 75 or 100.
4. Once each marking period, especially in the upper levels, students have a short "project" to complete: The requirements are broker down into steps and credit is given for each step completed. Students have enough class time to complete the project with a passing grade. Students who want a higher grade will work outside of class. It may have an output component but always involved some form of input as well. (I'll try to post some of these later ....)
This actually gives me at least 20 "grades" in the book for each student per marking period. I have tried all kinds of weighting systems only to find that none of them really makes a difference. I simply total them all (they are out of 100) and divide by the number of grades. If a "project" was really involved I will simply put it in twice. j
I put as little emphasis on grades as possible. I don't go over tests/quizzes/homework in class. Ever. I will discuss things with students after school. My quizzes often involve choice: Here are 15 sentences,...illustrate or translate any 10. If I have planned well, conducted classes well, written quizzes well and designed projects well...it all leads to acquisition.
It does take some students (and parents) time to adjust to not knowing their own personal "point value" at every given moment. If it is extremely stressful for an individual, I will encourage him/her to meet with me after school and we go to Quia or another online format that fills that need for evaluation and quantitative feedback By the end of the first marking period however, they see that their grades are high and that they have really acquired a great deal of language and success.
It works for me. Keep asking questions about what is not clear...
with love,
Laurie
Posted by Laurie Clarcq at 8/14/2011 3:26 PM 
Categories: Curriculum, Musings and Philosophy, Solving Problems
Categories: Curriculum, Musings and Philosophy, Solving Problems
Hello Laurie,
It is very helpful to read your rights and responsibilities sign. I will try to adapt this and see how I can work with it. It makes total sense.
I have never used "get to know each other" activities in Spanish. Is there a web source or other you could recommend?
With respect to grading it seems that giving a quiz once a week that includes content in different forms could reflect better what has been truly acquired as opposed to the quick quiz after stories that to me show more short time memory skills. However it appears to be more work for the teacher (or not?).
Why do you give projects for the upper levels?
In my experience they require much use of English on part of the student and much work on part of the teacher. Maybe I'm wrong and can't see their benefit or haven't learned yet how to do this right.
Thank you very much for your kind responses. I was a bit scared to post. You are truly a compassionate person.
Laura
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Hi Laurie,
I have followed your blog for a long time and have always found extremely useful ideas. Now I have a question regarding my situation that may be similar to other teachers.
I'm teaching ESL in High School for the first time. (I have already taught ESL in JHS using tprs for 2 years.) But my HS students have had 7-8 years of English. The level of my best class is B2-C1 in Europe, I guess Intermediate High or even Advanced Low.
I want to continue using tprs. I am finding some things fairly easy to adjust like circling (I repeat back what they say and what I say, and 'or' works well especially if done with silly funnny things) Free writes work splendidly well, as well as class stories but I need to up the level. (Am trying to use synonyms, gerunds and connectors,for ex to do that)
Reading, however, is more difficult for me due to my lack of experience in tprs. IN JHS, I used your embedded reading techniques and it's fantastic. But I'm finding it too time consuming since the readings MUCH longer... plus I have 6 new preps this year. I've been teaching backwards, finding vocab and having them use it first. But it's not falling into place like it should, there's no 'ahha' feeling. They are reading and understanding but it's flat.
What do you do to teach seniors for example in AP? Thanks so much for everything you do!
Carol
ps
Your teaching from the heart is so correct. These students don't know me and this past month has been interesting as they start to realize I am radically different from what they are used to! A few have 'converted' already!!
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Hello Carol!!
I've got a half-written response ready...tomorrow is Open House so I will try to finish it up for you on Friday!
with love,
Laurie
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Ok!! No problem. Whenever you get a chance! I'm eagerly awaiting your response
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