In this post I want to talk about how I have started to use analytic rubrics in the formative process to help students reflect more purposefully—to help them increase their metacognitive skill set. The consultant Tom Schimmer was at my school recently…I might have mentioned him before?! He is all things assessment—he makes assessment sexy. Seriously. […]
This post is a reminder for those of us who have students who, whether overt or not, speak English as a second or third language… First of all…what the heck does “quockerwodger” mean? It is one of those English words that we don’t use in the everyday sort of way…crapulous, buss, and zafty (anyone?) Quockerwodger […]
It’s been a minute since I last wrote a post. With the ‘before winter break shenanigans’ in full effect the past couple of weeks, I just now feel like I can take a breath…in order to make a never ending list of things to catch up on—HA! Today’s post is about how I am helping […]
Disclaimer #1: I am currently in a post-conference hangover—that day after high where you are just buzzing… and then the two day after low where you don’t even want to adult. I was just nerding out with 19 other K-12 literacy folks from Beijing to Oman to Laos at Riffa Views International School in the […]
First off…a reminder that my ‘beat’ for this 2019/20 academic year will revolve around the concept of ‘connection’. My first post was related to establishing habits of daily writing at the start of a school year by way of relationship building. Connection #1—Early Set-up of the Formative and Revision Process Inspired by: A colleague that I truly appreciate […]
It’s the start of a new school year and this is my fourth year at the American Community School of Abu Dhabi. And yes, it is ridiculously hot right now…I get a facial every time I walk outside. For the 2019-20 year I am teaching 2 Language and Literature Year 2’s (new prep), 1 AP […]
As is our habit, we are taking the summer away from the blog to read, write, and recharge. We’ll be back in late August with new content, but for the summer, let’s take a journey down memory lane as we visit our ten most-read posts from the previous school year! ____________________________________________________________________________________________ I found it difficult […]
Here’s the situation… It is the day after the AP Lang exam and 22 grade 11 students walked into class. And all of their faces said the same thing: “We are done the exam. What are we going to do now?” They sat down ready to read—they knew that at least that wouldn’t be changing […]
You can feel the anxiety in the air. A buzzing current at present, but one that will steadily increase in intensity as the days close in on the AP Language and Composition exam (May 15th). So my focus right now is on my juniors—a group of 21 bright, young individuals who I have worked with […]
In my previous post, I wrote about how providing multiple access points for feedback enables students to take more ownership over their learning. And I would like to continue along this vein, but dig a little deeper. I want to find ways to hack the feedback process while still maintaining (or rather increasing) its effectiveness. […]
moving writers 