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What Should I Ask My Child?
Because it is rare that parents are allowed in the classroom, I wanted to provide parents with questions to ask their child to double check that their child is staying on track in science class.
Do you have any homework tonight?
This is a good question to ask students. Nightly assignments are “all or nothing.” We usually go over them in class, so no late points are awarded to any nightly assignment that was not shown to me while I am doing the homework check.
Students should be in the habit of copying down their homework into their assignment books in the beginning of science class. It is located in the bottom left corner of the front white board. Long term assignments and tests are written on the side whiteboard.
Can I see your science openers?
To structure the class, almost everyday I will have an opener written on the board, or some other directive. Students have yellow opener sheets that are double-sided. After they write down their homework, they are to write down the opener and answer the question. These range from asking the students to define vocabulary words, to solving problems (where students must show work), to asking their opinion on something. I use these openers as a way to acclimate the students into science for the period. They serve as a great review and practice. Also, as the students complete their openers, I am able to go around and check homework.
After all 10 openers on a sheet are complete; I collect them and grade them. They are worth 30 points. Openers that are well done are a good way to buffer grades.
