We're Off to a Good Start

Buongiorno! Week one is in the books!  We're off to a good start, and believe it or not, I have several assignments in the grade book.  Most of them are just practice (or participation points, if you prefer), but the first writing assignment is listed there and I'm working on grading this weekend.  We accomplished a lot, and we trained a lot.  Seats are assigned, I showed them how I like to do Type 1 and Type 3 writings, and I showed them that I mean it when I assign homework by checking in that they attempted it before we went over it.  They are in that transition period from middle school to high school, so we had to have conversations about time management and meeting deadlines; some of them are struggling a bit, but they will get there.

For those who are unfamiliar with Collins Writing and the whole Type 1,2,3 thing, be aware that we train your students so that they get it.  They'll also do it in every class and every subject, so they learn quickly.  I am working on creating a pamphlet to hand them, but for parent/guardian benefit, here's a really basic breakdown:

1.) Type 1 Writing - it's like journaling - there's no right answer and they get points just for 
      participating.
2.) Type 2 Writing - there are right answers and it's like a quiz.
3.) Type 3, 4, 5 Writing - these have FCA's (Focus Correction Areas) that tell the student exactly
      what he/she will be graded on.  I think of them as drafts - Rough Draft, Final Copy, Perfect and
      Publishable Copy.  I rarely get to a Type 5 writing.

So here is what is coming up this week:

• Monday, 9/12 - a type 1; annotation training; begin working on literary terms; read Stage 1 in "St. Lucy's"; HOMEWORK - finish the vocab. packet, do ques. 3-7 in the study guide
• Tuesday, 9/13 - begin a preposition unit; check in homework and go over it; Google Classroom on Chromebooks - Type 2 for Stage 1
• Wednesday, 9/14 - Academic Advisory Day, so shortened hours - prepositions; a type 1; read Stage 2 in "St. Lucy's"; HOMEWORK - do ques. 8-13 in the study guide
• Thursday, 9/15 - Activity Advisory Day with shortened hours - prepositions; check in and go over homework; Google Classroom on Chromebooks - Type 2 for Stage 2
• Friday, 9/16 - a type 1 - turn them in for the week; read Stage 3 of "St. Lucy's" and work on ques. 14-17 of the study guide; HOMEWORK - whatever did not get finished needs to be finished.

That's the plan.  When things change, I adjust them on the calendar online.  I hope everyone has a great week.  Ciao!