This is in response to some concerns about homework...My kids have homework almost every night. 90% of them do it 90% of the time. I stole this method from my "mentor teacher" at school. Each night students have to take cornell notes on the next section or outline the next section (and define all the vocab words). The next day, after the do-now they have an open-note quiz on whatever the homework was. All quizzes are 5 questions and fairly simple. I throw the quiz on the overhead (with a printout for my kid that can't see the board), tell them how to head their paper, say it is open note, but not open book...all books need to be under the desk (and I wait until every single book is out of sight, even the closed ones, even if the student is not taking the quiz), then I uncover the quiz. If a student was absent the day before, they head their paper, write "I was absent", and turn it in with the rest of the quizzes. This method is great for you because:
1. 5 random questions to grade each day, instead of all the homework
2. gives you an extra 5-10 minutes at the beginning of the period (takes up that time while you're waiting on morning announcements)
3. Breaks up block-schedule a little bit more (do now + quiz= approx. 15-20 min)
4. Kids who don't do their homework are forced to sit and stare at you for 10 minutes and see a zero each day to remind them that they didn't do it.
5. Teaches them good note-taking skills/organization, because they have to find the answers in their binders in the time you give them...I don't accept late quizzes when I take them up.
6. No make-up work. If a kid is absent, they are still responsible for the material, but they'll just have one less quiz grade (or double the next one)
The only homework I take up are review sheets, which I grade for completion, and I check those because it usually directly correlates to the kid's grade on the test and I want documentation.
3 comments:
You are slowly becoming my methods instructor.
J.Z.
Good stuff. What are cornell notes?
Cornell notes are basically 2 column notes (or as we call them in my school 2c Notes). You draw a line down the looseleaf about 1 1/2 inches in (don't use the red line, it's not far enough over). You put the main idea (section heading, person's name, acts or laws, etc) on the lefthand side and then a little summary or explanation on the righthand side. It's an easy way to organize info and kids can just fold back along the line to quiz themselves for a test. Google "cornell notes" and you'll get a much better explanation :)
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