This week marks the end of the quarter. Where did it go? We're busy in room 101 wrapping up first quarter business.
6th GOAL: Students are finishing up their 2nd mock trial. This one is a civil case instead of a criminal case. The kids have learned a lot and are playing their parts well. On Wednesday, independent reading contracts are due, and students will complete self-evaluations to assess their progress. After our mock trial unit is finished, they will move on to independent research projects.
7th GOAL: Students are in the middle of their literature circle unit. They have daily discussions on a book that their group has chosen. All the books tie to this year's theme of Culture Clash. This will be the only time this year where GOAL students have daily homework. On Wednesday, independent reading contracts are due, and students will complete self-evaluations to assess their progress.
8th GOAL: Students are working hard on research for their independent research topics. This is the time of year where they determine their own learning, investigating a topic that is a learning passion for them. We have everything from geckos to the Manhattan project to Vera Wang. I'm looking forward to seeing what they learn. After we're done with library research this week, students will have a week to compile their projects, and then we'll take a week to present.
8th Critical Concepts: Students are in the middle of presenting their How-To speeches. They are doing a great job remembering all the parts of a speech and all the skills that go into good oral presentations. We will hopefully finish up this week.
