Grade Rules and Home Base

Works4Me presents weekly practical classroom tips from real experts -- your colleagues!

1. Managing Poor Student Performance

From Monica:

1. "Document, document, document! Document every phone call, copy every note sent home, and have parents come in for a conference with the student, support system, principal and you.
2. Don't let there be any surprises. Send home missing work reports and make sure administration knows what you're doing.
3. Don't lower expectations for the class because of a few students.
4. Differentiate if needed for certain students.
5. Start the year with a few things you KNOW they can do. There really is something to that positive feeling students get when they see 100% on a few papers."

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2. Traveling with a Home Base

From Katherine Boldt, a fifth and sixth grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Appleton Wisconsin:

"This is my first year working at multiple schools. To facilitate traveling, I bought two rolling crates. I organize loose papers into manila folders and hanging files, as well as a few themed binders. I have one crate for each school and use one school as my planning base. I put important hanging files into the rolling crate, as well as binders containing class lists and schedules. When I no longer need that hanging folder, it can go back into my filing cabinet. I am also creating a binder ring of staff and student pictures for each school to help learn the names quickly. On the back of the index cards, I write important information about that person."
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3. Question of the Week: Integrating Technology

From the Works4Me Worker Bees:

"Most educational technology experts agree that technology should not be taught as a separate subject or as a once-in-a-while project, but integrated as a tool to promote and extend student learning on a daily basis. What are your tips for integrating technology into your daily routine?"
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4. Gifted Parents

Heard Last Week in the Works4Me Lounge from Amy Martin:

"I'm not actually a formal classroom teacher (I work with preschool children with autism), but I'm doing my M.Ed. and have to do a case study about gifted children. I'm hoping some of you could share your thoughts on this scenario: You are a classroom teacher and have been approached by a group of parents who feel their children are gifted; how would you deal with the situation to benefit students and satisfy parents?"
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