Judgement Day

Well it is here. The first test day in math class. I am going to be really interested in how this turns out. Hopefully all of the work and prep will be worth it. The kids started the test today but this first one always takes some extra time because it deals with decimal multiplication and division. One of the main things that I wanted to focus on this year with this group of students is computation. Overall it is a relative weakness for the class and I have worked to make it a habit in the class to show their work. They are already tired of one of the phrases that I use all year long: "Paper is cheap." I am going to ask them to rate how helpful the videos were and any advice they could give me to utilize them effectively. I am also going to honestly ask them what is the best way they think I could make sure that students watch the videos on the night that they are assigned so they can be prepared for class the next day.

In history, I am still in the starting blocks for selectively flipping the class. I am collecting videos and sources a bit at a time and putting them on my Wikis. The Non-Western Culture class that I teach 7th Graders in has been going very well but we have not had enough time in the computer lab to explore material yet. The students are working in groups to develop maps of Asia. They are using drywall paste on plywood and they have been really excited about the process. This is the last week we are working on it and they are finishing up painting the different regions and including other geographic forms like rivers. I felt it was important that they understand the impact of geography of the regions before we started on their culture and history. Also the first three chapters from the book do a survey of the geography of the regions so the project works well to build on that understanding. Once they are done with the project we are going to spend much more time collecting and sharing the resources out there with each other and the world.