OUTDOOR SCHOOL, MS. PINEGAR'S CLASSES

MY CLASSES WILL GO TO OUTDOOR SCHOOL AS FOLLOWS:

P1 to Howard, Nov. 2-4 with me

P2 to Howard, Nov. 2-4 with Mrs. Baber

P5 to Arrah Wanna Nov. 2-4 with Ms. Morse

P6 to Arrah Wanna Nov. 12-14 with Ms. Morse

P7 to Howard Nov 12-14 with me

Outdoor School forms will go home this week and will be due back next week.  Students will write the information about deadlines in their planners.

GRADES: WHAT'S A 3? WHAT DOES "PROFICIENT" MEAN?

There are three building blocks to my grading system:

• proficiency- based grading, a 1-4 scale that replaces A - F
• formative assessment
• standards-based grading/ assessment

I began a form of proficiency-based grading ten years ago after studying it through workshops run by the Assessment Training Institute (ATI) , a Portland-based outfit that has a national reputation and is now owned by Pearson, a textbook firm.  I was attracted to this grading philosophy because the A - F system seemed arbitrary to me.  I want students to know exactly what they are expected to learn and how to get there.

The ATI philosophy is best summed up by this quote from one of the trainers:

Assessment for learning is a gift we give our students. It is a mirror we hold up to show them how far they have come. It is a promise that we will use assessment, not to punish or reward, but to guide them on their learning journey."

- Jan Chappuis

A second important part of my learning from ATI is "formative assessment."  This means that my students, just like most of us adults, get a second chance at their work.  Proficiency-based grading tells students how well they are doing towards being "100% complete and 100% correct"; a 3/ proficient on the scoring scale.  Formative assessment gives students a second (and sometimes a third) chance to redo their work to try again to earn a 3.  When I grade, I often make comments on papers and hand them back.  If a student wants to raise the score, s/he can redo the paper and hand it back again.  When redoing the work, students write an "R" on the paper near the score.  This indicates to me that I should score the work again.  If the work is in the student's science notebook, the student should use a bookmark to mark the location of the "R" in her/ his notebook.  The work should be left on a designated lab table at the end of the class period.

The third piece of my grading system is standards-based grading.  Each assignment is tied to one of the PPS science standards for Life Science.  I translate the standard into a Learning Target, which is a goal for students in student-friendly language.  As students do their work, they will know what they are expected to be able to demonstrate in their scored work. 

RECENT ASSIGNMENTS: ACTIVITY 2, The Pellagra Story & ACT. 3, A CLINICAL TRIAL

ASSIGNED FRI, SEPT 19: from Activity 2, The Pellagra Story, Analysis Q 2a & 2b found on page A-9 of the text.  I led the class through this activity. I collected the work this past week.  It was to be written on a sheet titled "Writing Frame - Recognizing Evidence"  It is being scored with the Recognizing Evidence Scoring Guide.  Each student has a copy of this scoring guide.  It should be in students' binders, in the science section, held in place by the rings.  Some students' work has been scored and handed back.  I have encouraged those who earned 2/ developing or 3/ proficient to edit their work and return it to me for a "regrade" to try for proficient.  This is in keeping with my use of formative assessment.

ASSIGNED FRI, SEPT 26: from Activity 3, Testing Medicines: A Clinical Trial, Analysis Q 4 found on page A-14 of the text.  Students are to write their answers on a page of their notebooks.  Due Mon., Sept. 29. (Note:  A few students have turned in their notebooks for the weekend for scoring The Pellagra Story work.  Those students, together with students who didn't bring their notebooks to class, will write their work on notebook/ filler paper, which will later be taped/ glued into their notebooks.) 

The Learning Targets for this work:

I can analyze clinical trial data.  Based on the data, I can decide:

• if the medicine works
• if the medicine is safe

Mr. Leo will be my substitute that day and will stamp this work with a rubber stamp, showing it has been turned in on time.  On time work is expected as part of the effort comment on the report card.  

I will score the work upon my return using the Understanding Scientific Concepts Scoring Guide.  This scoring guide is one of several that were given to students on Fri., Sept. 26, in a packet that was stapled and hole punched.  I led students through directions to put the scoring guides in the rings of their binders in the science section of their binders.  We reviewed the scoring guide requirements of a 3/ proficient for this work.  

This is the first assignment in which students were expected to work independently.  I led the class through a discussion of pooled/ all class data that is evidence to support the concepts found in the question.  Students copied this data onto the back of a hole-punched sheet that is titled, "Analysis of Clinical Trial."  I hope all families have a great weekend.  I am enjoying the rain!

Outdoor School Info & Activity 2, The Pellagra Story

The schedule of my Outdoor School (ODS) classes & which sites they are attending & when is as follows:

P1 to Howard, Nov 2-4 w/ Ms. Pinegar

P2 to Howard Nov 2-4 w/ Marla Baber

P5 to Arrah Wanna Nov 2-4 w/ Cynthia Morse

P6 to Arrah Wanna Nov 12 - 14 w/ Cynthia Morse

P7 to Howard Nov 12 - 14 w/ Ms. Pinegar

ACTIVITY 2 THE PELLAGRA STORY

We have been introduced to "The Pellagra Story", about the discovery of causes of an infectious disease.  Each class has watched part of the video that tells the story.

HOMEWORK FOR TONIGHT

If a student has not turned in the Safety in the Laboratory Agreement, s/he needs to find it, have it signed by parent/ guardian and turn it back into Ms. P.

Lab Safety & Saving Fred

All students should have brought home a one-page double-sided Safety Agreement for the Science Laboratory sheet.  Please sign & date it, have your child do the same, and send it back to me with your child ASAP.  I am assigning this an academic grade.

By now, all students should have written paragraph(s) in their lab notebooks on How to Save Fred.  This work is described on pg. A-6 of the textbook, in Procedure 3 at the top.

On Monday we will begin Activity 2 of the text.

WE SAVED FRED TODAY! & LAB SAFETY AGREEMENTS

Your child might be very excited about today's Science class because s/he probably saved Fred the gummy worm.  Information about this Activity, Activity 1 in the Isssues & Life Science textbook, begins on page A-4 of the text.   Almost all teams of two saved Fred today.  HOMEWORK is to write a first draft of procedures about how Fred was saved.  The work should be done on page 2 of the lab notebook.  Students should work for no more than 30 min. on this.  Students with IEPs that have writing goals should work for no more than 15 min.  504 students with challenges in writing or attention to work can follow this guideline, too.  This should be student work.  IEP writing goals students and 504 students may type their work or have a family member scribe for them while they narrate.  Typed work from IEP and 504 students may be sent to me as a word document or PDF attached to an email if printing is an issue at home.

A word on LAB SAFETY AGREEMENTS: Parents of period 2, 5, & 6 students, please sign them and get them in!  Period 1 and 5 students will bring theirs home for signatures tomorrow.  Thanks!

Welcome to 6th grade life science!

Please review the syllabus found as a link to my name in the staff directory.  We have spent a few days in "getting-to-know-you", figuring out some aspects of Hosford and how to open a locker, eat lunch here, and get from place to place in 3 minutes passing time.  In science, there has been an orientation to Outdoor School, which 6th graders will go to in November.  We've also studied lab safety, and all students should bring home a lab safety agreement by tomorrow for parents to sign. We will begin our first science investigation, figuring out how to "Save Fred", tomorrow.  It's so exciting to work with your children!