General Comments about Grades for Spring 2013

GENERAL COMMENTS

This British Literature class was a great pleasure for me.  Not only did I get to re-read some of my favorite pieces of literature, but I had the opportunity to discuss and “unpack” these with a wonderful group of students.  Each week they came prepared; not only had they read the sometimes challenging material, but they had insightful discussion questions that we used as a group to explore deeper meanings in the novels, poetry, and dramatic works.  I was initially concerned that with such a small class we’d have too much quiet, dead space.  On the contrary, they all contributed to our discussions and added many perceptive opinions.

Because this class required a lot of reading, I didn’t assign many writing assignments.  At the beginning of the semester, I modeled the kind of discussion questions that would help us examine the assigned readings.  After those initial weeks, the students themselves were assigned to bring in questions for the class to consider and explore.   At the beginning of each class period, we wrote our initial thoughts to the discussion questions.  They also wrote a short essay for Great Expectations and an end-of-the-year Reflections Paper. 

Their grades are then somewhat subjective.  This was not a class in which a student could sit back, not read the assignments, and refuse to participate.  A small class like this demanded much more interaction.  I don’t have any percentages or specific scores to use to determine a letter grade; however, as I considered each student’s grade for the semester, I asked myself these questions:

• Did he/she come to class having read the assigned portions?  Could I tell the student’s comprehension via his/her comments and participation?
• Did he/she bring thoughtful and insightful questions for the class to discuss?
• Did he/she think carefully over the discussion questions and share individual comments?
• Was he/she resistant to participating in the discussions?
• Over the course of the class, did he/she grow in his/her abilities to analyze fiction, poetry, and drama?

Each of the students did marvelously, and my suggested grade for each is an “A.”  I hope they enjoyed the class as much as I did.   If they ever need some ideas for more good British literature to read, I’d be more than glad to help them find more good books, drama, or poetry to read.

British Literature Class Notes -- May 8 (Week 15 -- Final Class)

Greetings!

We've reached the end of a great semester.  The end of a school year at CHAT is always a little bittersweet.  While I won't miss getting up so early and commuting from Northfield, I'm always a little sad to end a good class.  Teaching these 3 bright students has been a great delight.  Not once did I encounter a bored shrug of the shoulders or an unwillingness to dig a little deeper into a piece of literature. Even when something, like "Ode on a Grecian Urn," seemed a bit obscure, they worked hard to understand.

We ended the class with a "final exam."  Actually, it was a Bingo game; all of the little boxes were filled with authors, titles, and characters from British Literature.  In order to claim the prizes that I brought for them, they had give answers to the clues that were given.  I brought scones, and Luke brought treats; unfortunately Daniel was on a trip and missed out on the fun.

Next year I will again be teaching Writing 1, Writing 2, Writing 3 -- Research and Writing (fall semester), British Literature (spring semester) and a new class, Latin I.  You can find descriptions and schedule on the CHAT website.  

I will be sending out grades within the next few days.  You'll find a blog post with my thoughts on grades.  For those who have had other classes with me, you'll know that I don't put too much value on letter grades, especially for writing and literature classes.  To me, they always seem a little too subjective.

Thanks for making this a wonderful class by engaging so thoughtfully in the class discussions!

Have a great summer,

Mrs. Prichard

This week's blog post

Thoughts on grades

Dear British Literature Parents and Students,

I’m in the process of calculating the grades for second semester’s British Literature class.  Please remember that I am a ‘tutor,” and  these are suggested grades for you as homeschooling families to consider.  I will send out comments and letter grades next week.  

Before I send them, let me again share my thoughts on grades.  As I homeschooled, I didn't give my children grades.  I felt that grades were far too subjective.  I taught my own children for mastery and diligence.  We didn't proceed with a topic until they were ready no matter how long that took. 

Letter grades are a funny thing.  For some students, it becomes the only motivation for doing well.  For some, it becomes a measure of their worth as a person or as an academic learner.  I personally don't like these "side effects" of the grading system.  On the other hand, grades can be a valid reward for working hard, being diligent, and understanding the materials.  Incentives and consequences are a part of life; God uses them, too.

When teaching students to be good readers and writers, I give a lot of consideration for growth and improvement. Each student has a starting place; over time I look for him or her to develop analytical thinking skills and to be able to express the artistry of a piece of literature in the context of literary terms.

This class had few written assignments because we were reading some pretty “hefty” pieces of literature.  Class discussions were important. Through these discussions I could ascertain whether the student had read the assigned portion.  Also, as we discussed the pieces of literature, I paid attention to how deeply each student was willing to dig into a book, drama, or poem.  

Each student (and parents) will get an e-mail with suggested grades for this semester. 

Blessings,

Tammy Prichard

The Value of Reflection Papers

I've asked my students from my classes this year to write an end-of-the-year paper that will cause them to reflect on their classes and on themselves as students.  They groaned a bit because  they realized they would have to put some deliberate thought into this assignment.  

I thought I'd give some of my thoughts about reflective work that students can do in order to be more effective learners.  Reflection, put simply, is looking back and thinking about what you've done, where you've been, what activities you've been involved in, and what you've learned.  It's taking time to allow think about the information you've learned and your performance as a student.  When students take time to "think about their thinking," it affects their retention and enables them in future studies.

How does this happen?  Firstly, when a student is forced (at least that's how if might feel to him) to take stock of what he's learned and how he's learned, he owns his education to a greater degree.  He not only has learned stuff, but he's aware that he's learned it.  He also might be more aware of how he learned it.  Secondly, being reflective helps them in future classes.  The more a student is aware of how he learns, the better he will learn new material.  According to Republic Polytechnic in Singapore, "Learning is not just a process of accumulation of information. Instead it is about how the new knowledge that the learner encounters is integrated with his existing schemata of prior knowledge ... Reflective thinking is not only an organic component in the learning cycle, it is simultaneously the very ground from which knowledge and belief spring.  Reflective thinking, in short, is both process and product."

Other thoughts about reflection:
1.  Reflection helps turn an experience or academic information into genuine learning.  It's crucial for integrating material in a real way.
2.  Reflection helps a student assess his own goals, values, and progress.
3.  Reflection can help improve basic academic skills; it promotes a deeper understanding of the class materials and its relations to the rest of the world.
4.  Reflection papers force a student into higher level thinking by causing them to look at his own personal development, sense of self-awareness, and capacities.
5.  The writing process itself often brings new ideas to mind.

British Literature Class Notes -- May 1 (Week 14)

Greetings!

We've read our final book for this class, The Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan.  Since one of the students will be out of town next week, they decided to read this book in one week.  Since the novel is only 88 pages long, this was not too arduous a task.  Discussing a whole book in one conversation is different from taking several weeks to take a book apart.

The students were not all of the same opinion about this book.  The plot's twists and turns were a little unbelievable at times.  When reading fiction, most writers expect their readers to employ that "willing suspension of disbelief."  A writer's credibility  is subjective, and that is one of the aspects of literature that makes it an art and not a science.

We took some for an overview of the class and to discuss the assigned pieces of literature.  They gave me some thoughtful feedback. As a final assignment, I want the students to write Reflection Papers about this class.  Specifically, the assignment is "Write a reflection paper about yourself and this class.  Include thoughts about your likes/dislikes, strengths/weaknesses, ability to analyze, discussion skills, etc.  Also include comments about the assignments and about British Literature, in general.

Next week, Daniel will be gone, so we will have an even smaller class with Hannah and Luke.  I'll have something "British" planned for that class.

Assignment for Next Week:

-- Reflection Paper

This week's blog

Class Notes

Rumor has it that the Cities didn't have much in the way of snow accumulation.  Northfield had almost 7 inches and the schools called off school for the day.  This weather is just unbelievable!  Think we'll have spring by next week?

Have a great week,

Mrs. Prichard