Pamela M. Fowler
During this phase of “A Stitch in Time” I will introduce the basic information that each student will need to now prior to beginning the class.
Daily Progress Report Sheet: The Progress Report Sheet is kept on a daily basis by the teacher. The report sheet lists ten (10) positive and appropriate behaviors for the school and classroom. These behaviors entail punctuality, completion of classwork, being prepared for class, cooperation and participation during class.
For younger students the teacher may wish to make two copies of the report sheet and send one home for the parents. The second one the teacher keeps in a folder for documentation purposes. As for the older student the re port sheet is primarily for documentation purposes.
Requirements and Materials: Beginning from the first day of class a individual folder is kept for each student. One shelf on the bookcase or a separate space on a table or file cabinet is cleared solely for storage of the file folders.
Each day the student comes into class, they take their folder from the file, set it on the desk and review the corrected papers inside.
In addition to the assignments, the folder includes a daily overview of the class procedure. The overview sheet states a before class assignment which each student must complete. This allows the teacher five minutes to regroup and prepare materials for this class.
A suggested outline and ex planation of the class overview is written on the following pages.
Section I of the class review reminds the student to hand in the homework assignment from the night before. Section II states a five to ten minute before class assignment. This assignment may vary anywhere from a simple handwriting exercise to completing an unfinished assignment Tom a previous class to beginning a special research paper. Section III informs the class of what will be discussed in the remainder of the class time. Normally the class lesson begins with a discussion or introduction (A) of a new unit followed by a group assignment ( B). After which the teacher reinforces all skills learned before a in class independent assignment ( C) is given.
Homework is a vital part of the learning process and one assignment is given nightly. The assignment is listed in Section IV of the class overview. The following two sections are given per the teacher’s discretion. The Special Assignment V deals with research papers, field trips, guest speakers or videos to be shown. Section VI Test Notes alerts each student to upcoming tests. Again tests are given par discretion of the teacher, but I suggest at the close of each unit and sub unit as well as at the end of the year.
The final papers to be included in the file folder have to do directly with the final project. As a teacher’s aid, the 5“ x 8“ index file of all projects is created and kept for reference. As projects are introduced and directions are explained each student is responsible for obtaining a xerox copy of each project and keeping it in their folder. Upon completion of the course, the various pages will be bound together to create a file for each student to keep.
To assist each student keep all notes and outlines well organized, a composition tablet is distributed at the beginning of the course.
To begin on the right foot, I prefer to teach my students the basics of outlining and organization.
Overview/Syllabus: Each student is furnished with an overview and syllabus of the course. The overview describes what “A Stitch in Time“ entails and what the objectives are as well as the major goals of the course. The syllabus lists the major unit titles to be taught an the dates that they are to begin. This method assists the teacher as well as the students become prepared for the class. The use of the syllabus is focused toward the older high school student.
