I have had the opportunity to work recently with a group of special needs students at Marist College Eastwood, taking a religion class for five lessons a fortnight.
This week, I am sharing a template that I shared with them on how a person should write a formal letter. I focused on an assessment task that they were working on. For posting purposes, I have made some small modifications e.g. changing names.
I then created a template using a PEEL scaffold where they could draft the letter and then copy and paste each section onto a template.
The great plus of the PEEL scaffold is that I can apply it to any other text type. Feel free to use as needed.
Friday, August 25, 2017
Friday, August 11, 2017
Book sizes - Does big mean good?
Charles Wooley wrote an article for The Australian yesterday and has posed the question of whether or not books are being made big for marketing's sake?
He cites Mawson by Peter Fitzsimons and mentions that we don't get to read about his adventures to Antarctica until we are halfway through.
But hold on a moment? As a history trained teacher, doesn't one needs to understand the background of a person before we understand why they chose a particular path in life or made a decision/s that shaped a person into who they are?
In any story in order to understand it, we need to know one's background in life.
The size of a book should not determine whether its a good read or not. It is what is written and how it is written that determines its success.
Some of our biggest selling books are in fact books with long plots or explore an issue in depth. There are readers who will love the fine details of a character or person or of an event or topic. It is merely one's choice.
Strapped for time, there will always be shorter books or abridged versions. Some want to get the point read quickly.
It does amaze me how some smaller and shorter books retail for high prices. That question needs to be raised? No guarantee that it will be a quality read either.
Should writers show restraint? No. Let them write and let them focus on making what is written great.
As for people struggling to get to the end? I always would encourage a person to read a long book if they feel that they have the time and energy to complete it. I also believe that reading levels are important too. Weaker readers don't benefit from a long book. It's nice to set a challenge for one to read challenging texts, but they need to be realistic.
If a person cannot get there, take it steps. Aim for a book of 300 pages, then 350, then 400 pages.
He cites Mawson by Peter Fitzsimons and mentions that we don't get to read about his adventures to Antarctica until we are halfway through.
But hold on a moment? As a history trained teacher, doesn't one needs to understand the background of a person before we understand why they chose a particular path in life or made a decision/s that shaped a person into who they are?
In any story in order to understand it, we need to know one's background in life.
The size of a book should not determine whether its a good read or not. It is what is written and how it is written that determines its success.
Some of our biggest selling books are in fact books with long plots or explore an issue in depth. There are readers who will love the fine details of a character or person or of an event or topic. It is merely one's choice.
Strapped for time, there will always be shorter books or abridged versions. Some want to get the point read quickly.
It does amaze me how some smaller and shorter books retail for high prices. That question needs to be raised? No guarantee that it will be a quality read either.
Should writers show restraint? No. Let them write and let them focus on making what is written great.
As for people struggling to get to the end? I always would encourage a person to read a long book if they feel that they have the time and energy to complete it. I also believe that reading levels are important too. Weaker readers don't benefit from a long book. It's nice to set a challenge for one to read challenging texts, but they need to be realistic.
If a person cannot get there, take it steps. Aim for a book of 300 pages, then 350, then 400 pages.
Friday, August 4, 2017
Assignment Planning & Google Calendars
I have had the opportunity while filling in at Marist College Eastwood for the first part of this term to facilitate study skills seminars.
This week, I focused on Assignment Planning and Bibliographies.
Bibliographies was fairly simple, with students completing activities and notes based on the details that they need to include. I was impressed with what they know about plagiarism but also curious as to why particular details like publishers and the place of location must be included. One concern, they mention that only websites are listed. I had to remind them of the formats of sources that can be used.
The focus of this entry is on Assignment Planners. One habit I observe is the last minute rush that occurs to complete an assignment. Students easily fall into a trap in holding off assignments.
I focused on their purpose and the benefits of assignment planners. Then I got them to list the steps that they need to undertake to complete an upcoming assignment.
Once they had listed their steps, the information was transferred onto their Google Calendar. I guided them through the steps in posting each step and how Google Calendars can remind them of when other learning tasks are due. They can easily organise their time.
I even required students to list when they intend to visit the library and to see their teachers, because they are important steps in the research process. How will one obtain information if they don't visit the library? How can one get help at the last minute as opposed to when the task is handed out? As the assignment involves creating an object or model, I went a step further and asked them if they do their research before making the model or after they make the model.
We near the end of the week and yes some of them have dropped in to view the resources we have prepared for them. I look forward to seeing more in the days ahead.
This week, I focused on Assignment Planning and Bibliographies.
Bibliographies was fairly simple, with students completing activities and notes based on the details that they need to include. I was impressed with what they know about plagiarism but also curious as to why particular details like publishers and the place of location must be included. One concern, they mention that only websites are listed. I had to remind them of the formats of sources that can be used.
The focus of this entry is on Assignment Planners. One habit I observe is the last minute rush that occurs to complete an assignment. Students easily fall into a trap in holding off assignments.
I focused on their purpose and the benefits of assignment planners. Then I got them to list the steps that they need to undertake to complete an upcoming assignment.
Once they had listed their steps, the information was transferred onto their Google Calendar. I guided them through the steps in posting each step and how Google Calendars can remind them of when other learning tasks are due. They can easily organise their time.
I even required students to list when they intend to visit the library and to see their teachers, because they are important steps in the research process. How will one obtain information if they don't visit the library? How can one get help at the last minute as opposed to when the task is handed out? As the assignment involves creating an object or model, I went a step further and asked them if they do their research before making the model or after they make the model.
We near the end of the week and yes some of them have dropped in to view the resources we have prepared for them. I look forward to seeing more in the days ahead.