Just a little background before I comment on the technique I've been working on during September of this year...I've spent the vast majority of my teaching career (17 years) teaching high school Language Arts. Last year was my first year teaching in a 6th grade, self contained classroom. It has been a wonderful, but eye opening experience. I don't know, but somehow I thought that kids were born knowing that the heading on your paper always goes in the upper right hand corner, you never write in columns down the middle of your paper, and of course the three holes are always on the left. It never occured to me that someone actually taught them these formatting issues. This is a no-brainer for those of you that are elementary teachers - because you taught them these things. For me, it was a shock that some of my 6th graders had no idea that format matters.

So, to start this year, I have been working on the technique, Format Matters. All those little things that I never considered before, have become part of my instruction in format these first few weeks. I had to put up a poster showing how to format their assignments, I'm showing kids how to create math assignments that are neat and orderly (as opposed to a mish-mash of numbers crammed on the page). It's been a process of teaching them that how they organize and format their work matters.

In addition, I started requiring that they answer every question in a complete sentence, not allowing them to start their answer with, "No, it's not okay because..." or just answer in a short phrase. It's taken us a lot longer to complete some science assignments, but the results have been good. They now ask me, "Do we need to write in complete sentences?" on assignments, rather than just writing the least amount possible.

I hope that by the time they get to the high school, that they will understand that writing in complete sentences and in a proper format is just the norm, what people do in order to communicate clearly. And high school teachers will go on thinking that somehow these kids were born knowing that the three holes always go on the left! (-:

If you don't have time....

http://www.teachersupplysource.com/product.php?productid=91726

 

This poster has become one of my most prominent sayings in the classroom.  My students know that if their work is not their best completed work they will need to either do it again or add to it.  The poster hangs near the middle of the room for all to see and I reference it often.  My students have quickly caught on that if they put their best effort in every time they have work to do, they will succeed and not have as many redos or missing assignments.

This poster ties in nicely to the first chapter of Teach Like a Champion: Setting High Academic Expectations.  Teaching Technique 2: Right is Right and Technique 4: Format Matters speak to the theme the poster conveys.  That is, if you don’t do your best work and do it correctly, you will have to redo the work.  This can apply to the simplest of tasks to huge projects.  Right answers matter, grammar matters, correct use of words matter.  Our 5^th grade class is one where I set high academic expectations.

CLASS DATES!

Sept. 27th
Oct. 25th
Nov. 29th
Jan. 24th
Feb. 28th
Mar. 20th
April 24th
May 22nd

Posting on the blog!

1. Create a sign in.
2. Send your google email to Kim
3. She will include you as an author
4. Accept the invitation to be an author
5. Post away!