Kemp - Brazile 11/8

Parents –

 

Look forward to the weekend. I have quite a bit of projects to grade – the kids have worked hard this week on them.

 

Trying to give a good with the bad, but I’m pretty frustrated today with their efforts in math. I have few that are doing the required work at home and it’s showing on their tests. Today was especially frustrated since I walked them through several examples before we took our skills quizzes. After grading them now, I see many didn’t show any work and many didn’t follow the steps we had just completed. I had each of them individually repeat the important steps for each process. As you can imagine, it took a little while to go around and do this. It was to make a point and make sure they knew the important component. However, on the quiz many didn’t do that step.

 

We work out these problems every day. Have been since August. For them to not complete the steps or show work is unacceptable. Please check their grades on Synergy (if their grade was below a 50, I entered it as a 50 and listed the true grade in the notes).  I want them to redo the skills test if they failed it. I can stay after Monday and give the skills tests again. I’ll average their two grades (anyone scoring below a 50, their grade will be averaged as if it’s a 50). I’ll begin administering the quiz at 2:30 Monday once my duties with dismissal are complete. If you’d like your child to go to ASP afterwards, please let me know. Otherwise, I’ll have them walk to the front to be picked up in carpool line. I must leave by 3:15pm. If they can’t make it up, I will drop the lowest grade in each category (computation, problem solving, and skills) at the end of the quarter.

 

To practice over the weekend, I have their skills and the corresponding IXL activities listed on the math section of our website. I teach decimal multiplication mainly using two different methods. The break apart method or the window pane method that most learned in 4^th. The main issues I found were multiplication mistakes and not moving the decimal point the correct number of times. With decimal division, I primarily teach using the partial quotient model that was taught in 4^th. The key is to make sure they have their decimals added out to the thousandths place. I show the traditional method too, but mainly when I’m working one on one with those who have shown they understand the method. The issue I see with these skills tests is improper multiplication and placement of decimal point.

 

I tell them repeatedly each day to double-check their work with the inverse operation, but I know of only one student who showed their work for that.

 

Sorry to send an email with such a negative slant, but it’s extremely frustrating to show them and then have them ignore all we’ve done this year.

 

Thanks for your support with this,

Shane Brazile

 

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