This Week in Mrs. Swonger's Classes
March 15-19, 2016
Welcome to 2015-2016, Trimester 3, Week 4!
Welcome to Week 4! This trimester is already flying by so quickly! Only 9 more school days until Spring Break (but who is counting?)! Don't forget that NEXT Friday, March 25 is Good Friday and there is no school!
Round 1 of ISTEP testing is done for the 10th graders. We will have round 2 of ISTEP in April and then ECA testing in May, so 10th graders are not even close to done testing! The 9th graders will be taking the 2nd round of NWEA testing in May.
Over one half (26 out of 45) of my students are STILL missing at least one e-learning assignment! Most of those students are still missing multiple e-learning assignments. E-Learning day assignments are no different than regular school day assignments. You are still responsible for making up the work, just like if you were absent to school that day. You really need to get these done before spring break!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me anytime!
:)
Mrs. Swonger
After School Availability This Week:
At the beginning of every week, I will post what days and times I will be available after school if you need additional help on your work. Every couple of weeks, I do assign Mandatory Study Table for students missing more than 2 assignments and/or students with a grade below a C-. Mandatory Study Table will also need to be served after school during one of my available days and times. My times available each week may change due to conferences, meetings, my son's activity schedule, or other things that come up.
This Week:
Monday Not Available (I have a meeting.)
Tuesday 3:00-4:00
Wednesday 3:00-4:00
Thursday Not Available
Friday 3:00-4:00
Week 4 Agenda: March 14-18, 2016
Every week, I will be posting a plan of what we will be working on in each of my classes. These plans are always subject to change. Sometimes we may go through material faster, or sometimes we may take longer than I thought to get through material. Please check my Canvas webpages for more specific plans for each day of the week. At the end of the week, I will update the Canvas pages to show what we actually achieved each day (instead of what I PLANNED to get through each day).
All Classes:
Writing Trait: Ideas
Convention Skill: Paragraphing
2nd Period: English 11
Reading: Raisin in the Sun
Writing: Literature Response
Monday: Act 2, Scene 2-3 Vocabulary Activity
Act 2, Scene 2-3 Read, Study Guide Questions, and Quotations
Tuesday: Act 3 Vocabulary Activity
Act 3 Read, Study Guide Questions, and Quotations
Wednesday: Watch Raisin in the Sun Movie
Thursday: Watch Raisin in the Sun Movie
Review for Test
Friday: Raisin in the Sun Test
3rd Period: LS Language Arts
Reading: Book Club Groups
Writing: Literature Response
Monday: Work on Spelling/Vocabulary
Read in Book Club Groups
Tuesday: Work on Spelling/Vocabulary
Read in Book Club Groups
Wednesday: Work on Spelling/Vocabulary
Read in Book Club Groups
Thursday: Work on Spelling/Vocabulary
Read in Book Club Groups
Friday: Work on Spelling/Vocabulary
Read in Book Club Groups
*Round Table Cafe workers leave @ 10:50
4th Period: English 10
Reading: Antigone
Writing: Culture Research Essay
Monday: Antigone Prologue: Read and Questions Culture Research Essay Works Cited cards DUE! Begin entering sources in a MS Word document.
Tuesday: Antigone Scene 1: Read and Questions
Culture Research Essay- work on Introduction
Wednesday: Antigone Scene 2: Read and Questions
Culture Research Essay- work on Body paragraph 1 (ethnicity/language, government)
Thursday: Antigone Scene 3: Read and Questions
Culture Research Essay- work on Body paragraph 2 (clothing, food, recreational activities)
Friday: Antigone Scene 4: Read and Questions
Culture Research Essay- work on Body paragraph 3 (religion, traditions/holidays, connections to literature)
5th Period: English 9
Reading: Greek Mythology
Writing: Literature Response
Monday: Finish Part 2 Reading and Study Guide
Tuesday: What would you do? Writing #2
Begin Part 3 Reading and Study Guide
Wednesday: Finish Part 3 Reading and Study Guide
Thursday: What would you do? Writing #3
Begin Part 4 Reading and Study Guide
Friday: Finish Part 4 Reading and Study Guide
Mastery Learning... What does that mean?
I use a teaching technique called Mastery Learning in my classroom. Mastery Learning has been studied and put to the test for several decades and is a very effective teaching method. For most assignments, I require that students show me that they can correctly complete AT LEAST 70% of the items on each assignment. Many students rush through their work, just wanting to "get it over with," and then never want to see that assignment again. The problem is that they didn't learn anything that way and then they get further behind if the next lesson builds on the lesson they rushed through. I am teaching them to slow down, pay closer attention to the directions and details of the assignment, and make sure they do the task correctly. This is why students may have assignments with grades in the gradebook, but it is still marked as a missing assignment.
I tell my students often that I don't really even pay attention to what their overall grade is. That is not what is important to me. What is important to me is the learning process. I want to make sure they are learning the information they need to know and that they can demonstrate to me that they have mastered the information.
Another reason I have set my "mastery bar" at a 70% minimum is that some of my students are going to have difficulty passing the End of Course Assessments (ECAs). ECAs are the Algebra and English tests that students are required to take and pass in order to graduate. As of right now, there is a waiver process for those students that cannot pass one or both of their ECAs. The most difficult requirement for a waiver is that they have earned a C average overall in their ACADEMIC classes. If they earn Ds in most of their academic classes, they could have all of their credits but still not be able to graduate if they can't pass the ECAs. If they aim for a C or higher in every class, they are in great shape for that waiver, if they need it to graduate.
If you have any questions about Mastery Learning or any of my classroom policies/techniques, please feel free to contact me any time!
Mandatory Study Table
Contact Mrs. Swonger
Email: sswonger@eastnoble.net
Location: 901 Garden St, Kendallville, IN, United States
Phone: 260-347-2032