We simply had another wacky election. Results are still trickling in, but it looks like Biden will become the 46th US President, with McConnell and the Republicans running the Senate & Pelosi (?) and the Democrats running the House of Representatives. The only thing truly uniting us is that EVERYONE is upset over some candidate winning or not winning. Hey, the healing has to begin in some way, right?
I will hopefully have grades done on Friday, but I may spill over into Monday. Please know that I cannot always accept and check for late work. There is a built-in "cushion" and I often give an extra day before I archive the assignment (by moving it to a new category/sliding it "down" the GooClass page). It simply becomes too messy and difficult to constantly check late work. I periodically offer Extra Credit opportunities in order to help those of you who may forget something or simply had a rough week.
I may have to delay the assessment of Exam 1.2 Short Answer responses. Remember that I care less about the score than I do about how and what you responded. The effect on your course grade was negligible, btw. No more MC exams - we're done with 'em! From here on out, you'll work with your group to deconstruct, plan, and present an answer for class review. My ToK students figured out that recording a Zoom chat is the best way to do it, so look to them for guidance when we get to that point.
For Q2, I have developed some more consistent planning on a week-to-week basis:
MON/TUES is when we will start with a class read-aloud/markup, then veer off into collaborative work and/or individual work. You should also consider looking ahead to the next week's material, which could help you plan and establish some quality study/free time.
The WIL is posted on Wednesday and ALWAYS DUE on MONDAY by midnight. I'll start reading them on Tuesday and finish them on Weds. They are slimmed down a bit. PArts 1 & 3 can be short, leaving you to focus on the actual WIL Question. Also, while I am no longer requiring the What I DId & What I Learned components, you could/should continue to reflect on those as you ponder the actual weekly question.
- Share what has been going on in your life (& all of ours, really) outside of the classroom.
- Explore & Answer the Weekly Question - this should be a THOROUGH ANALYSIS!
- What did you like and/or not like from the week and maybe a declaration of academic achievement – what is your LEARNER grade? (If we had a seminar, consider reflecting on that specifically)
Seminar Pre-Work is DUE on
WEDNESDAY by 12PM. You also have to complete the TASK SURVEY as an attendance
check on WEDNESDAYS.
THURS/FRI is set aside for SEMINARS, with the opening bit reserved for small groups to share & explore their Pre-Work responses and any guiding question(s) developed by me or your peers. We'll then come back as a large class to debrief and review anything I want to make sure you picked up during the week.
IB Exam Registration closes on Friday Nov 6th. It is cost-prohibitive to try to register late (if it is even possible). So, if you are hoping for some college credit from a good IB score, register IMMEDIATELY!
You can get a nice visual for every week by looking at the Q2 Calendar tab. Remember that you can also see my 20-21 IBA PLANNER tab, which remains a living (& changing) document.
Enjoy the outdoors while you can - it's gonna be amazing through the weekend! Then those Nordic types begin to get excited on Tuesday when snow falls again.
