Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
- My child has always received an A and is really upset about a low lab score!
- How do you do a Lab Report (write up)?
- Where is Lab rubric?
- Where do I get copy of Study Guide?
- Why do I have to put a duplicate lab in my Study Guide?
- Why do you require parent signatures on assignments? And on which ones?
- The Lab Rubric seems too hard and demanding, especially for 6th graders.
My child has always received an A and is really upset about a low lab score!
Support them and contact me so we can over it in detail. Often they may have
truly met one of their first BIG challenges. These labs require a lot of
critical thinking and communicating that on paper. It is tough for all of us!
Having worked with and FOR gifted children for many years (First as CAG Parent
Rep for San Diego/Imperial Valley and later as Affiliate Chair for CAG), one
thing we noted was the need for all children to be challenged. Sometimes they
never are and always receive an A because they do not need to reach to get it
right! Some students may not experience a challenge until late in high school
(I taught chemistry!! That could do it!) or even college. At that point, it
can really be devastating (some even drop out of college).
The students that were given the opportunity to be challenged earlier (while
in a supportive family and school environment) learned how to be OK with
themselves as they learn and how to handle the challenge...develop better
study skills and learn to talk with their teachers. You are being given a great
parenting opportunity to support them through this. It will really
pay off in the future.
You may enjoy reading more about CAG at
http://www.cagifted.org/
and Study Skills/Habits at
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/Dream/StudyTips.html
or
http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/700?cpn=SPAd_Study%20skills%20your%20child%20needs
You will also find them under my LINKS section.
How do you do a Lab Report (write up)?
Check under LINKS to find details
Where is Lab rubric?
Get one under Handouts or Links.
Where do I get copy of Study Guide?
Go to handouts.
Why do I have to put a duplicate lab in my Study Guide?
Sometimes a lab is due late in the chapter work and I may be in the process of
grading it. The Study Guide needs to have a copy of all the work we do for
that chapter and you do not have the lab back yet. Place a duplicate copy in
so your parents can see everything you did and you have a complete record of
the chapter work.
When you do get the lab back, fix it and put both in next Study Guide for
extra credit as always.
Why do you require parent signatures on assignments? And on which ones?
I regularly require the Study Guide and tests to be signed to make sure you
are kept in the loop. I hope parents are using Gradelink but there is nothing
like seeing an assignment and in middle school students do not show as many to
their parents. Of course, I want students to share successes but also parents
can spot where a little assistance can make a big difference.
I required the earthquake plots to be signed as they were an assignment that
was at least 5-10 minutes for 14 days. Many of the plots were not complete
and I wanted to have the children get a second chance and then share the
assignment with parents and verify to them that it was complete. I thought we
could catch problems before they actually were graded by me and entered. Of
course, for most it was just verifying great work.
The Lab Rubric seems too hard and demanding, especially for 6th graders.
The rubric was created by middle school teachers and modified (simplified) by
me for use with my students. I have used it many years and, while it is
occasionally updated, it has worked very well. The first months of using it
are the hardest as we learn & clarify each requirement. However, sixth
graders have been quite successful using it. It remains the same each year,
so that after using it for several years, they become experts. This years
eighth graders are rapidly rising to the occasion and some are turning in near
perfect lab write-ups.
I do grade the labs differently for each grade level, meaning I differentiate
the level according to our needs and abilities. I stay consistent within the
specific lab for all. For instance, I require a stronger analysis and
conclusion for the eighth grade, than seventh or sixth; though, they may all
earn 4 out of 4 points.