Information about Mr. Cole’s 2011-2012 EXCEL classes (in no particular order):
This will be my 19th year teaching in the Lake Dallas Independent School District. I’ve taught 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at different times and in different combinations. I taught Math, Social Studies, English, Reading, and “Language Arts Block” at various times. I’ve been an EXCEL (“gifted and talented”) teacher for ten years or so and have learned to enjoy teaching the different subjects and grades all at once.
This year I’ll be teaching classes with both 6th and 7th graders mixed together. (Note: In the recent past I’ve taught classes with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders all mixed together and haven’t had any problems with it. Most of the students seem to like it. It makes the instructional aspect more challenging for me, but the kids generally enjoy having classmates/friends in different grades.)
My curriculum priorities change from year to year, depending on changes in my specific job assignment and/or changes in state testing. This year they’re something like:
1) Make sure that the 6th and 7th graders do well on the TAKS Reading test, and that the 7th graders do well on the TAKS writing test.
2) Make sure that all of my students are practiced and comfortable writing a wide variety of things: essays, stories, poems, articles, letters, etc. I have them write often, and try to give them good feedback so they can keep improving with everything they write.
3) Allow students to read a good book that they enjoy for 20-30 minutes most class days. (See below for more details.)
4) Improve the students’ vocabularies by means of a special system I’ve created over the years.
5) Do studies, assignments, and projects in a wide variety of other subjects. These will include academic subjects as well as other things that might be useful and interesting. I’d like to include at least one lesson or assignment about math, science, and history every six weeks. The projects and assignments that include more than one “discipline” are the ones that seem to interest the students the most.
6) Most six weeks we’ll do at least one logic problem and one sudoku: the kids seem to expect this in EXCEL, and it helps them with their logical thinking.
7) The things that I see people in general having the most trouble with when they’re writing are homophones (there/their/they’re and to/too/two and others like that) and apostrophes. Most six weeks we’ll do at least one homophone assignment, probably an apostrophe assignment, and usually an editing assignment (a story or essay with an error on each line that the kids need to find and circle). I will also teach the proper use of parentheses, colons, semi-colons, dashes, slashes, and ellipsis points and we’ll have frequent assignments with these pieces of “advanced” punctuation.
I can meet with parents before or after school on most days, if you make prior arrangements with me. My off-periods are 1st period (roughly 8:30 until 9:20) and 6th period (roughly 1:30 until 2:15). I can meet with you during either off period, if you make prior arrangements with me. It’s very difficult for me to meet with parents with no prior warning. My workload is very intense (I only allow myself two five minute breaks per day and eat lunch while I'm sitting at my desk working) and I might have already scheduled another parent meeting at that time. Please let me know in advance so that I can be available for you.
I’m available for tutorials every morning (except for Wednesday, when I am on duty) from 8:00 until 8:30. I’m asking the students to please not come to my room before 8:00 so that I can stay caught up on my work. I can stay after school for tutorials on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, but I need advance notice (because of my own children). I can’t stay after school on Fridays because I have to hurry to get one of my own children to his weekly appointment every Friday afternoon.
If you e-mail me and don’t hear back within 24 hours, I didn’t get the e-mail. Our system isn’t 100% reliable. If that happens, just call and leave a message for me with the front office. I’ll return your call as soon as I’m free.
No student has ever failed my EXCEL class for a six weeks because the assignments were too hard. My goal is that an average middle school student (average, not “gifted”) can pass the class without much help. With modest effort, an average EXCEL student can expect a B or A- for each six week’s report card. Averages of 95% or better are a sign that your student is more “gifted” than most of my other students, or that he or she works harder than they do. A failing grade indicates that the student is not completing his or her assignments.
We’ll read novels most days for 20 or 30 minutes at the beginning of class. I have an excellent collection of Young Adult fiction (class sets of novels). The students must read at least one of these novels per six weeks and do a short assignment about it. I will not be checking books out to the students to take home this year without a parental request. It’s a valuable collection of books that I’m personally responsible for, and far too many of them have been lost or stolen over the years. If a student needs to check out a book so that they can finish it before the six weeks is over (to fulfill their reading requirement), I will let them do so only with a signed note from their parent. Also, the last time I checked, every title I have is also available from the school library.
Each six weeks we’ll have different kinds of projects and activities that will be graded, as well as some shorter paper-and-pencil “20 minute” types of assignments. If a student receives a failing grade on an assignment, I will generally allow him/her to re-do it for full credit. My goal is to have around 20-30 grades per six weeks. I almost never give tests, and every grade counts as a “daily grade”. I don’t have “test grades” or “project grades”. If we work on something that takes longer than a day or two, I just count that particular grade two or three times.
I intend to follow the school’s grading policy: full credit the day an assignment is due, 30 points off the first day late, 50 points off the second day late, and no credit after that. I’m usually more than generous with timeframes, and prefer that all or most of the students are able to finish every assignment in class. I never assign things purely as homework. If a student needs to work on something at home, it’s because he/she didn’t finish it in class. If there’s a special situation I need to know about concerning a student’s late work, an e-mail or note from a parent could help inform me. I regularly list all missing assignments on my dry-erase board so that my students will know if they’re missing any work, and if so, what they’re missing.
I don’t have the kids work on the same projects and assignments year after year. In fact, it’s a goal of mine to do new things every year. I teach the same gifted kids for two or three years in a row; they will definitely remember if I give them the same assignment twice, and they will definitely let me know about it. There is no textbook for my class. I create most of the assignments, either on my own or with the students’ help (hence my workload). When we do things in class, it’s very often the first time I’ve ever done that thing, and I’m not always sure how long it will take. Sometimes things take longer than I expected, and I have to revise my weekly lesson plans to reflect that. I enjoy it very much when different projects, assignments, and information tie together in unexpected ways. Sometimes I plan it that way, and sometimes I start working with the kids on a unit with one end result in mind, then end up with something better because of the their suggestions and interests.
I have very few discipline problems in my classroom. I often go for weeks at a time without even raising my voice. I treat the students with courtesy and respect, like they’re real people who matter to me. As a result, they generally treat me and their classmates the same way. If a student does some completely unacceptable action or refuses to do what I ask I will send them to the Assistant Principal, but this happens only about once per school year. If there’s a less severe problem I’ll contact you, but this is also pretty rare (I probably average less than one parent phone call per six weeks).
If you’re curious about supplies, all that kids really need for my class on a daily basis is some notebook paper, a pencil (or pen, if they never make mistakes), and some sort of colored pen or highlighter to grade with. They’ll also need a simple folder to keep in my classroom for their vocabulary work – the kind with pockets is a little bit easier for the kids, but the kind with brads is just fine, too. Occasionally they’ll need something else for a special project, but that’s relatively rare and I give them plenty of advance notice.
I enjoy being a teacher, and I enjoy learning new things. I’m looking forward to working with my students this year. Please send an e-mail or call if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Mr. Cole
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