DSHS Spotlight
What's Good in the Hood
Life Changers
Teacher Shout-Outs
Debra Hines- Judy Gardner wrote, "A shout-out for Debra Hines, who is shepherding freshmen through the trials of their first high school exams by holding after-school review sessions and even making a run for munchies ahead of time for them.
That's above and beyond. :)"
Todd Raimond- Melinda Chavira-Cox wrote, "I have a shout out for Todd Raimond for coming into the Learning Lab during his conference and volunteering to help out during Finals."
Too Cool for School
Jillian Besemer-Her students recited a Christmas carol or poem in German along with a visual representation of how that idea is perceived in German culture. The final in her class consisted of her listening to students converse in pairs to demonstrate capacity in German.
Jamie Biel- Her APES students came up with incredible products based on her idea for students to build an eco-friendly city and present to the class for their final. They had very little guidance and the end result was phenomenal! See video below.
Tracy Cooper - Her students completed a final that involved collaboration on an open-ended problem they had not seen before. She gave credit whether or not students were able to complete the task or get to the right answer. She would observe each group and listen for content-related conversation and give points for connections made within the content. See video below that illustrates the process.
Marguerite Erickson and Craig Swannack- Their students produced a PSA on the effects of distracted driving. The incredible part was that students had to apply physics in order to understand the impact of distracted driving, including: physical impact in a crash at certain speeds, time it takes for the driver to adjust from looking away, and how far the driver travels when distracted at certain speeds. They then applied this understanding to the creation of their PSA.
Katy Eyberg- Literally rolled out the red carpet for her students to present their videos of their original screenplays in creative writing in the Lecture Hall. Every single video was unique and creative, it was truly chill-inducing at what her students produced! See the links below to view some final products, they are pretty awesome!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vAKLSwGFuQ
Jad Jadeja- Students had to present their final robotic product to their peers. Jad masterfully had student reflect on their work, and acknowledge their mistakes and limitations, as well as, suggest what they could have done differently. The audience then gave "warm/fuzzies" feedback where students gave critiques in a professional and really productive manner. It was impressive that students had developed these critical soft skills in one semester. See video below.
Michael Lemonds-Students had been following a company for the semester,and researched the chosen company's business model, values, philosophy, and stock exchange. Students then presented to the class their findings over the semester.
Nicole Watts-Students had created an ecosystem with their group's aquarium modeled after an actual ecosystem throughout the semester. They were responsible for maintaining the ecosystem and had to learn how to fix issues in their unique environment. Their final consisted of the group's final analysis of their tank, what they learned, what their mistakes were, how they addressed those issues, and how it relates to their future goals.
Cole Rickman- His entire class is essentially one on-going PBL. Students learn by doing, making mistakes, and fixing those mistakes in his class. His final consisted of several parts, including on-the-job hours, as well as, applying what they learned about lighting to the stage. In this, students had guidance, but Cole remain fairly hands-off so that his students could demonstrate depth of understanding in his content.
Eng I Pre-AP Team- Conducted their final student Expo this week and then spent finals presenting to their peers. The products were all unique to the particular group's collective interests, and many of them showed a complexity and depth of learning that could not be taught! See below for a clip of part of a presentation. Also, follow the link below to see a really cool website one group built.
www.jrcarmichael.wix.com/howtobeanelizabethan
Click on drive.google.com below to access the video!
Have a wonderful break!
Your Campus IF
Email: angela.gamez@dsisdtx.us
Website: https://classroom.google.com/o/NzI5Njg2NTha
Phone: 3106