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Middle School Teachers Chatboard

English Language Arts

by Marisol

Aug 19, 2013

Hello fellow teachers,

For Parent Night, we need to explain the difference amongst these three Language Arts class levels: on-level, advanced, and TAG.

Does anyone have any advice on how to differentiate the explanation in a PC way, so I'm not saying something, such as, students in an on-level class are still learning grammar basics.

Thanks for any help.

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Debbie On 8/19/13, Marisol wrote: > Hello fellow teachers, > > > > For Parent Night, we need to explain the difference > amongst these three Language Arts class levels: on-level, > advanced, and TAG. > > > > Does anyone have any advice on how to differentiate the > explanation in a PC way, so I'm not saying something, s...See More

Aug 19, 2013

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Marisol No, my schedule runs as the following:

Periods 3, 4 are advanced

Period 5 is TAG

and Periods 7, 8 are on-level

The parents of this community are very tight-knit and competitive. Having your child in a TAG class is like wearing some kind of an honorary badge for an exclusive IN club. Not all of them are like that,...See More

Aug 19, 2013

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Vet Teacher On 8/19/13, Marisol wrote: > No, my schedule runs as the following:

You have a hard task and your school should perhaps find different terms but here's a question - how do you determine the kids' placement? Is it primarily on reading level?

Why even address it at Parents' Night?? Parents' Night should be about the curriculum - ...See MoreOn 8/19/13, Marisol wrote: > No, my schedule runs as the following:

You have a hard task and your school should perhaps find different terms but here's a question - how do you determine the kids' placement? Is it primarily on reading level?

Why even address it at Parents' Night?? Parents' Night should be about the curriculum - not about why the kids are assigned to different levels. I do a 'what, how, why' Parents' Night. I tell them briefly what the curriculum is - I hand out a list of the books and 'pitch' the books - a mixture of the classics with some new books added in. I mention what the primary writing task(s) is for the year - the essay? I tell them we go back and forth between reading and writing tasks - that's the 'how' of it and I tell them the 'why' of it - because it works.

We also track our LA classes - (why leave time for questions? I invite parents to come back later in the evening if they have questions and no one does because later in the evening everyone just wants to go home)

But I have had parents jump in without being invited to ask questions and ask 'how is it determined that a student is placed in the different levels?' That is a very fair question for parents to ask - it's not about their individual child.

In my school we do it in a fairly unprofessional way - we just do. Last year's LA teacher makes recommendations. I can't say that so I tell them - the children's reading level is monitored and tested through the year and we place them in the class where we believe their reading and writing needs will be best addressed without stress to the student.

Every parent in every school wants the badge of honor of having their child in the Tag/Gifted/AP/Advanced/ Genius of the World classes. Rather than have that make you grimace, move past it. Every parent worries about how their child will make it in an increasingly challenging world in a country that is struggling with its own challenges. It's not fun. It's not fun to have children and worry about their future especially in these times. Having your kid in a TAG or whatever you want to call it offers some (false) hope that your kid is going to be ok in life and you maybe won't have to worry.

Hope and guidance - let your presentations on parents' night be full of hope - strike a high tone - 'this is going to be a great year!' 'I really look forward to the year ahead - I love the books we use and love teaching Language Arts at every level. The only thing I love more than books, reading and writing are your children. (big warm smile)

Charm disarms parents who come intending to ask difficult questions and don't invite questions during your presentation.

> > > > Periods 3, 4 are advanced > > > > Period 5 is TAG > > > > and Periods 7, 8 are on-level > > > > The parents of this community are very tight-knit and > competitive. Having your child in a TAG class is like wearing > some kind of an honorary badge for an exclusive IN club. Not all > of them are like that, but a good number are. > > As for Advanced students, their parents always want to know > why their student has not made it into TAG. As teachers say, you > can't teach a student to be TAG, they just are. > > > > > > > > Last year I had parents asking obnoxious questions, just to > see if the teachers can be caught off guard. I want to avoid > that this time. I told a few parents to e-mail me privately for > more questions, or if they had other concerns. > > > > I have written down what you said; it is helpful. Thank > you, Debbie. > > > > > > On 8/19/13, Debbie wrote: > >> On 8/19/13, Marisol wrote: > >>> Hello fellow teachers, > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> For Parent Night, we need to explain the difference > >>> amongst these three Language Arts class levels: on-level, > >>> advanced, and TAG. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Does anyone have any advice on how to differentiate the > >>> explanation in a PC way, so I'm not saying something, such > >>> as, students in an on-level class are still learning > >>> grammar basics. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Thanks for any help. > >> Will the parents all be in the same room at the same time? You > >> could say that one class is for those students who need > more > >> practice with grade level expectations. As for gifted, in our > >> district, students aren't just put into a gifted program > >> without meeting certain criteria which requires psychological > >> testing and other things. >

Aug 23, 2013

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Froggybee I'd focus on the curriculum as well. The point of dividing kids into these groups is, I believe, to make sure that all kids are being challenged at an appropriate level. Great, focus on that. I assume all classes will be reading novels, writing essays, etc. Focus on the common aspects and ensure that kids are being challenged. On 8/23/13, Vet Teach...See MoreI'd focus on the curriculum as well. The point of dividing kids into these groups is, I believe, to make sure that all kids are being challenged at an appropriate level. Great, focus on that. I assume all classes will be reading novels, writing essays, etc. Focus on the common aspects and ensure that kids are being challenged. On 8/23/13, Vet Teacher wrote: > On 8/19/13, Marisol wrote: >> No, my schedule runs as the following: > > You have a hard task and your school should perhaps find different > terms but here's a question - how do you determine the kids' > placement? Is it primarily on reading level? > > Why even address it at Parents' Night?? Parents' Night should be > about the curriculum - not about why the kids are assigned to > different levels. I do a 'what, how, why' Parents' Night. I tell > them briefly what the curriculum is - I hand out a list of the books > and 'pitch' the books - a mixture of the classics with some new > books added in. I mention what the primary writing task(s) is for > the year - the essay? I tell them we go back and forth between > reading and writing tasks - that's the 'how' of it and I tell them > the 'why' of it - because it works. > > We also track our LA classes - (why leave time for questions? I > invite parents to come back later in the evening if they have > questions and no one does because later in the evening everyone just > wants to go home) > > But I have had parents jump in without being invited to ask > questions and ask 'how is it determined that a student is placed in > the different levels?' That is a very fair question for parents to > ask - it's not about their individual child. > > In my school we do it in a fairly unprofessional way - we just do. > Last year's LA teacher makes recommendations. I can't say that so I > tell them - the children's reading level is monitored and tested > through the year and we place them in the class where we believe > their reading and writing needs will be best addressed without > stress to the student. > > Every parent in every school wants the badge of honor of having > their child in the Tag/Gifted/AP/Advanced/ Genius of the World > classes. Rather than have that make you grimace, move past it. Every > parent worries about how their child will make it in an increasingly > challenging world in a country that is struggling with its own > challenges. It's not fun. It's not fun to have children and worry > about their future especially in these times. Having your kid in a > TAG or whatever you want to call it offers some (false) hope that > your kid is going to be ok in life and you maybe won't have to worry. > > Hope and guidance - let your presentations on parents' night be full > of hope - strike a high tone - 'this is going to be a great > year!' 'I really look forward to the year ahead - I love the books > we use and love teaching Language Arts at every level. The only > thing I love more than books, reading and writing are your children. > (big warm smile) > > Charm disarms parents who come intending to ask difficult questions > and don't invite questions during your presentation. > > >> >> >> >> Periods 3, 4 are advanced >> >> >> >> Period 5 is TAG >> >> >> >> and Periods 7, 8 are on-level >> >> >> >> The parents of this community are very tight-knit and >> competitive. Having your child in a TAG class is like wearing >> some kind of an honorary badge for an exclusive IN club. Not all >> of them are like that, but a good number are. >> >> As for Advanced students, their parents always want to know >> why their student has not made it into TAG. As teachers say, you >> can't teach a student to be TAG, they just are. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Last year I had parents asking obnoxious questions, just to >> see if the teachers can be caught off guard. I want to avoid >> that this time. I told a few parents to e-mail me privately for >> more questions, or if they had other concerns. >> >> >> >> I have written down what you said; it is helpful. Thank >> you, Debbie. >> >> >> >> >> >> On 8/19/13, Debbie wrote: >> >>> On 8/19/13, Marisol wrote: >> >>>> Hello fellow teachers, >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> For Parent Night, we need to explain the difference >> >>>> amongst these three Language Arts class levels: on-level, >> >>>> advanced, and TAG. >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> Does anyone have any advice on how to differentiate the >> >>>> explanation in a PC way, so I'm not saying something, such >> >>>> as, students in an on-level class are still learning >> >>>> grammar basics. >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> Thanks for any help. >> >>> Will the parents all be in the same room at the same time? You >> >>> could say that one class is for those students who need >> more >> >>> practice with grade level expectations. As for gifted, in our >> >>> district, students aren't just put into a gifted program >> >>> without meeting certain criteria which requires psychological >> >>> testing and other things. >>

Aug 25, 2013

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Debbie Again. I can tell you how our district places students and its all based on standardized test results. Writing levels are determined by FCAT Writes, reading by FCAT reading levels. Hard to argue with that. There is an appeals process if a parent/school/teacher feels the child has been misplaced but one has to submit a lot of empirical & anecdot...See MoreAgain. I can tell you how our district places students and its all based on standardized test results. Writing levels are determined by FCAT Writes, reading by FCAT reading levels. Hard to argue with that. There is an appeals process if a parent/school/teacher feels the child has been misplaced but one has to submit a lot of empirical & anecdotal evidence. Again gifted students are determined through criteria that includes an intelligence test administered by a psychologist. On 8/23/13, Vet Teacher wrote: > On 8/19/13, Marisol wrote: >> No, my schedule runs as the following: > > You have a hard task and your school should perhaps find different > terms but here's a question - how do you determine the kids' > placement? Is it primarily on reading level? > > Why even address it at Parents' Night?? Parents' Night should be > about the curriculum - not about why the kids are assigned to > different levels. I do a 'what, how, why' Parents' Night. I tell > them briefly what the curriculum is - I hand out a list of the books > and 'pitch' the books - a mixture of the classics with some new > books added in. I mention what the primary writing task(s) is for > the year - the essay? I tell them we go back and forth between > reading and writing tasks - that's the 'how' of it and I tell them > the 'why' of it - because it works. > > We also track our LA classes - (why leave time for questions? I > invite parents to come back later in the evening if they have > questions and no one does because later in the evening everyone just > wants to go home) > > But I have had parents jump in without being invited to ask > questions and ask 'how is it determined that a student is placed in > the different levels?' That is a very fair question for parents to > ask - it's not about their individual child. > > In my school we do it in a fairly unprofessional way - we just do. > Last year's LA teacher makes recommendations. I can't say that so I > tell them - the children's reading level is monitored and tested > through the year and we place them in the class where we believe > their reading and writing needs will be best addressed without > stress to the student. > > Every parent in every school wants the badge of honor of having > their child in the Tag/Gifted/AP/Advanced/ Genius of the World > classes. Rather than have that make you grimace, move past it. Every > parent worries about how their child will make it in an increasingly > challenging world in a country that is struggling with its own > challenges. It's not fun. It's not fun to have children and worry > about their future especially in these times. Having your kid in a > TAG or whatever you want to call it offers some (false) hope that > your kid is going to be ok in life and you maybe won't have to worry. > > Hope and guidance - let your presentations on parents' night be full > of hope - strike a high tone - 'this is going to be a great > year!' 'I really look forward to the year ahead - I love the books > we use and love teaching Language Arts at every level. The only > thing I love more than books, reading and writing are your children. > (big warm smile) > > Charm disarms parents who come intending to ask difficult questions > and don't invite questions during your presentation. > > >> >> >> >> Periods 3, 4 are advanced >> >> >> >> Period 5 is TAG >> >> >> >> and Periods 7, 8 are on-level >> >> >> >> The parents of this community are very tight-knit and >> competitive. Having your child in a TAG class is like wearing >> some kind of an honorary badge for an exclusive IN club. Not all >> of them are like that, but a good number are. >> >> As for Advanced students, their parents always want to know >> why their student has not made it into TAG. As teachers say, you >> can't teach a student to be TAG, they just are. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Last year I had parents asking obnoxious questions, just to >> see if the teachers can be caught off guard. I want to avoid >> that this time. I told a few parents to e-mail me privately for >> more questions, or if they had other concerns. >> >> >> >> I have written down what you said; it is helpful. Thank >> you, Debbie. >> >> >> >> >> >> On 8/19/13, Debbie wrote: >> >>> On 8/19/13, Marisol wrote: >> >>>> Hello fellow teachers, >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> For Parent Night, we need to explain the difference >> >>>> amongst these three Language Arts class levels: on-level, >> >>>> advanced, and TAG. >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> Does anyone have any advice on how to differentiate the >> >>>> explanation in a PC way, so I'm not saying something, such >> >>>> as, students in an on-level class are still learning >> >>>> grammar basics. >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> Thanks for any help. >> >>> Will the parents all be in the same room at the same time? You >> >>> could say that one class is for those students who need >> more >> >>> practice with grade level expectations. As for gifted, in our >> >>> district, students aren't just put into a gifted program >> >>> without meeting certain criteria which requires psychological >> >>> testing and other things. >>

Aug 27, 2013

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