New York City did this thing a couple of decades ago, where they started breaking up the massive high schools with like 3000-4000 students. Those schools had a lot of problems - under 50% graduation rates, huge student absences, lots of fights and suspensions - and the idea was that if the schools were split up into smaller ones, then each school could have a dean, a principal, an assistant principal, and guidance counselors who were in charge of fewer students. And then they could watch the students better and reach out to them when they are absent, have problems that could become a fight, when they are failing their classes, etc.
Well, this didn't really work the way they wanted to because the students' neighborhoods and families didn't change (so the reasons why students caused fights and didn't care about school didn't change) and class sizes stayed the same size. So INSIDE the classroom where students spent most of their day, classes were still allowed to be as high as 34 students in high school. And this is just silly. It's hard enough to help 17 students in one class who all need some type of assistance at one time, but if you DOUBLE that? Forget about it. The job becomes really difficult. So small classes in summer school are better. But I still feel like I'm running around the room constantly.
Yesterday the Period 3 class got to do the google hangout discussion, and it went so well! I have the same feelings that I did the day before - students were engaging with each other's comments, using the accountable talk stems that I handed them out (see below, it's a modification of a handout created by my amazing coach Taina Torres), and they were making so many insightful comments about the literature! They also were constantly typing and reading very quickly - it seemed like this really helped students feel pressure to read fast and type better.
Do Now: Students comment on this blog post,check their jupitergrades, and then continue on their work from yesterday.
Here is what students need to get done before the day is over:
1) Finishing their autobiographical short story
2) Getting 2 people to peer edit their autobiographical short story
3) Revising and typing their autobiographical short story
4) Reading and peer editing either "Wildwood" by Junot Diaz or "Sweetheart of the Song Trabong" by Tim O'Brien
But if they are pressed for time, they need to get #4 done by the end of class. If they finish all 4 of them, then they can do:
5) A blog post with their pimple story and the 2 paragraph reflection about the process and product.
6) A blog post with their autobiographical short story and the 2 paragraph reflection about the process and product.
7) Reading the other short story they did not read (either "Wildwood" by Junot Diaz or "Sweetheart of the Song Trabong" by Tim O'Brien) for EXTRA CREDIT (yaaaaaaaaaassssssss!)
8) Writing an alternate version of the short story "Girl" where it is a father talking to his daughter. OR writing a version called "Boy" where it is a father talking to his son OR a mother talking to her son.