🚀 go-pugleaf

HI Laura.  Thanks for your message.  I haven't checked the bulletin board in 
a few weeks so you must wonder if I've droppped off of the side of the earth 
or what.  ANyway, before Christmas we had a very busy couple of weeks.  We 
had our major tests -- that was a difficult one because of our multi grade 
grouping, but I managed to make up a test that I think was fair and 
challenging.  The students did very well on it so that was rewarding.  Our 
writing workshop is going very well.  I made a series of changes this time 
with regards to marking and I will be reading their weork over this week. 
Last time I had them submit five pieces of writing and thern I conferenced 
with each of them.  It took forever to go through 60 kids (that's 300 pieces 
of writing).  Also, the kids just wrote five pieces of writing each (rather 
than having an assortment to choose from.  This time  I didn't tell them how 
many they would have to submit until the actual submission date.  Then I told 
them they needed to hand in two pieces of writing (that way I'm sure each one 
had a choice) and also to hand in a process paper on each pieces of writing. 
In thi process paper I asked them to tell me the history of their piece and 
their personal reaction to it.  The ones I've seen so far have been quite 
well done.  (This is from Linda Rief's book).  So I'm into marking again -- 
with a vengeance.  Our report cards have to go out next week and our team 
hasn't even figured out the format for it yet.  (Our New Years resoolution is 
to be more organized).

As for the reading program, I'm still in a bit of a tizzy.  The kids really 
HATE the reading logs and I can't say as I blame them.  My own personal 
reading log has become more of a journal of everything from y reading to my 
personal thoughts.  SO I htink I should allow the kids to expand theirs.  I 
really don't know.  It seems to be a failure -- yet I need some way of making 
the  kids accountable for their reading.  Any suggestios would be greatly 
appreciated.

Are you interested in setting up a penpal thing between our students?  I am 
connected with a teacher in WInnipeg but that only takes care of 22 of our 
students.  I could use five or six more (since I have another teacher in 
Toronto on the line as well).  ANyway, this isn't an electronic thing -- it's 
snail mail.  But if you know of a way to allow our students to communicate on 
the modem I owuld be interested in that as well.  

Anyway, Happy New Year, kid!  All the best for '93.

John

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