Below you will find the link to our 2015-2016 Class Syllabus. This includes information on our learning and grading practices, procedures, and expectations.
An online version can be viewed here: https://goo.gl/wu0B61
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Monday, August 17, 2015
Our First Days at #RQMSJags
This school year has gotten off to a phenomenal start. Our days were filled with top secret missions, art, critical thinking, music, challenges, games, engineering, team building, and problem-solving. We spent time establishing our learning environment and setting the norms for a year filled with learning. Below you can see some of the highlights. Be sure to sign up on this blog to get emails when a new post is published and follow us @RamsaysClass on Twitter and Instagram. You don't want to miss a single moment of our epic learning adventures.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Welcome to an Amazing Sixth Grade Year!
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to sixth grade! I am your English Language Arts and/or Reading teacher. I am a twenty-one year teaching veteran, educational author, writer, and National Board Certified Teacher. I have been eagerly anticipating the beginning of a new school year with you; one that I am confident will be highly successful. My class is a student-directed learning environment where students have a voice and choice in their learning with the support and guidance from me that each student needs, wherever they are on the learning continuum. Every practice in which we engage is supported by proven research for best practices in promoting the highest level of success for each student.
Many of the traditional teaching methods that you may have experienced in the past will look different than the practices in our class. Much of our learning will take place with the support of digital tools using digital age literacy to increase a student’s growth. My students will be connected with students from around the world to collaborate, connect, and learn with throughout this entire school year. Although our learning may appear different, students will be held to high expectations and challenged on whatever level they may be on in each of the content area standards. In this type of environment, students take ownership of their learning. I feel very fortunate to get to witness how each student blossoms and grows in this type of learning environment.
In order for our students to have the highest degree of success, I know that we need to build a strong relationship between home and school. I have arranged several different mediums where we can communicate, and you can stay informed of our classroom learning activities. First, we have a class website, http://ramsaysclass.com/. This site contains important information about procedures, routines, and units of study. As school begins, additions will be regularly made. For classroom activities and news, you can visit our class blog, http://ramsaysclassblog.blogspot.com/, where we will post more specific activities, giving you a window into our classroom. I will write the first several posts, but then the students will take ownership in writing and publishing the blog posts, under my guidance. Please take time to sign up for alerts when a new blog is posted by filling in the “Follow RamsaysClass by Email.” I know that you will not want to miss any of the exciting things going on in our class. Also, for a further connection, please consider following our class on Twitter and Instagram, @RamsaysClass, for current insight into not only announcements, but also into the learning that is taking place in our classroom and through our global connections.
Welcome to sixth grade! I am your English Language Arts and/or Reading teacher. I am a twenty-one year teaching veteran, educational author, writer, and National Board Certified Teacher. I have been eagerly anticipating the beginning of a new school year with you; one that I am confident will be highly successful. My class is a student-directed learning environment where students have a voice and choice in their learning with the support and guidance from me that each student needs, wherever they are on the learning continuum. Every practice in which we engage is supported by proven research for best practices in promoting the highest level of success for each student.
Many of the traditional teaching methods that you may have experienced in the past will look different than the practices in our class. Much of our learning will take place with the support of digital tools using digital age literacy to increase a student’s growth. My students will be connected with students from around the world to collaborate, connect, and learn with throughout this entire school year. Although our learning may appear different, students will be held to high expectations and challenged on whatever level they may be on in each of the content area standards. In this type of environment, students take ownership of their learning. I feel very fortunate to get to witness how each student blossoms and grows in this type of learning environment.
In order for our students to have the highest degree of success, I know that we need to build a strong relationship between home and school. I have arranged several different mediums where we can communicate, and you can stay informed of our classroom learning activities. First, we have a class website, http://ramsaysclass.com/. This site contains important information about procedures, routines, and units of study. As school begins, additions will be regularly made. For classroom activities and news, you can visit our class blog, http://ramsaysclassblog.blogspot.com/, where we will post more specific activities, giving you a window into our classroom. I will write the first several posts, but then the students will take ownership in writing and publishing the blog posts, under my guidance. Please take time to sign up for alerts when a new blog is posted by filling in the “Follow RamsaysClass by Email.” I know that you will not want to miss any of the exciting things going on in our class. Also, for a further connection, please consider following our class on Twitter and Instagram, @RamsaysClass, for current insight into not only announcements, but also into the learning that is taking place in our classroom and through our global connections.
I realize that for many of us
our prime source of communication is through text messages. Please take a
minute to join the Remind group where I can disseminate pertinent information to
you in a timely manner via text or email. All numbers are confidential. If you
would like to sign up via text, please send a text to 81010. For the message, please text
the following code: @ramsayrqms. If
you prefer to register online, please visit the corresponding website: https://www.remind.com/join/ramsayrqms
I deeply value your expertise on your student. In an effort to increase my knowledge of your student and to effectively plan instructional practices to support his/her learning, please take a moment to complete the following survey: https://goo.gl/PvI3si. Collaboratively, I am confident that we can provide your student the most successful year possible. I am thrilled as we embark on this epic learning adventure together!
Sincerely,
jramsay@tusc.k12.al.us
Friday, May 15, 2015
The Amazing Race to 7th Grade- 2015
On May 15, 2015, we spent an entire day working in teams to demonstrate mastery of interdisciplinary standards through RQMS6's Amazing Race to 7th Grade. There were a total of 12 challenges where we used the knowledge and skills we've learned this year along with problem solving, communication skills, and creativity to successfully accomplish each hands-on station. This day was filled with lots of learning, growing...and fun. Enjoy the slideshow below.
(You need flash to view the photos.)
(You need flash to view the photos.)
Monday, March 2, 2015
Innovation Day 2015
On Friday, February 27th, we had a day where we got to answer our own wonderings. We spent a day choosing what we wanted to learn about, how we learned it, and create a product to share with our peers. On March 2nd, we had a gallery walk where we got to share our learning with our peers, teachers, and parents. Enjoy our collaborative story about this exciting day below.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Our 6 Word Memoirs
Welcome to 2015! We spent our first school day back from the holidays reflecting on how much we have grown and changed as learners (and individuals) since the beginning of the year. Then, learners created their own Six Word Memoir. Here is a storify of their Six Word Memoirs:
Thursday, September 11, 2014
FAQ- Grading, Retakes, and Procedures
It's that time...the eve of our first progress report. There may be several questions on your mind regarding the scores that you will see on your learner's progress reports. Here are some questions that you may have when your student brings home his/her report Friday afternoon.
What exactly does mastery of standards mean? All scores identify the level of mastery that an individual student reaches for each of the 6th grade standards. That means that as we practice with standards throughout the year, students work towards one-hundred percent mastery for each standard. Grades are not compensation for effort put forth but a communication of where he/she currently is on the learning continnuum for each standard.
Where are the assignments listed for each grade? Because students are graded on standards, you will see the standard identified for each "assignment." There will also be an indicator as to the specific task, activity, or project for which a score was taken.
My student scored low on a practice assignment or assessment. Can they earn some extra credit? Learners are being graded according to their level of mastery of the 6th grade standards. Extra credit gives inaccurate data on where a child stands in their learning. However, students can continue to work towards mastery of the standards. If a student would like to take the time to reflect on their progress, complete a retake contract and make arrangements to retake an assignment during Lunch and Learn, they are welcome to do this up until 10 days before the end of a grading period.
I have at least one Lunch and Learn session a week where I conduct mini lessons for students who feel they need additional assistance in a standard. These are in addition to the small group lessons that I conduct during class three to four days a week. Students are also given access to additional study materials that they can use at home. In case you are wondering, yes, all of these instructional supports have been available and provided for your students since the beginning of the school year. All of these avenues have been thoroughly and explicitly explained to all of my students on multiple occasions.
For our students, part of being in middle school is learning how to take responsibility for their actions. Although, I will work with all students diligently in class and encourage each one to take advantage of all the additional learning opportunities, it is ultimately each individual student's responsibility to fill out a retake contract, meet with me one-on-one, take time to relearn through the plethora of opportunities, and make arrangements to complete a retake.
How are scores determined on retakes? Students will keep the score that demonstrates the highest level of mastery. In iNow at Home, when you sign-in, you will see the scores noted for each of the attempts. However, only the highest score will be the one that counts towards a final average.
How does my learner know how to improve? For every assignment, I provided detailed feedback on how he/she can improve. In their blog posts, I will leave private comments that are only viewable to that student with specific information regarding their level of mastery and areas they may need to grow. In all cases, students are also given resources and tips on how they can continue to grow in that area.
Hopefully, these have addressed any questions you may have had in regards to your learner's grades including what they can do to continue to grow. Using these procedures, my students always have an extremely successful school year filled with exponential growth...and a lot of fun along the way.
What exactly does mastery of standards mean? All scores identify the level of mastery that an individual student reaches for each of the 6th grade standards. That means that as we practice with standards throughout the year, students work towards one-hundred percent mastery for each standard. Grades are not compensation for effort put forth but a communication of where he/she currently is on the learning continnuum for each standard.
Where are the assignments listed for each grade? Because students are graded on standards, you will see the standard identified for each "assignment." There will also be an indicator as to the specific task, activity, or project for which a score was taken.
My student scored low on a practice assignment or assessment. Can they earn some extra credit? Learners are being graded according to their level of mastery of the 6th grade standards. Extra credit gives inaccurate data on where a child stands in their learning. However, students can continue to work towards mastery of the standards. If a student would like to take the time to reflect on their progress, complete a retake contract and make arrangements to retake an assignment during Lunch and Learn, they are welcome to do this up until 10 days before the end of a grading period.
I have at least one Lunch and Learn session a week where I conduct mini lessons for students who feel they need additional assistance in a standard. These are in addition to the small group lessons that I conduct during class three to four days a week. Students are also given access to additional study materials that they can use at home. In case you are wondering, yes, all of these instructional supports have been available and provided for your students since the beginning of the school year. All of these avenues have been thoroughly and explicitly explained to all of my students on multiple occasions.
For our students, part of being in middle school is learning how to take responsibility for their actions. Although, I will work with all students diligently in class and encourage each one to take advantage of all the additional learning opportunities, it is ultimately each individual student's responsibility to fill out a retake contract, meet with me one-on-one, take time to relearn through the plethora of opportunities, and make arrangements to complete a retake.
How are scores determined on retakes? Students will keep the score that demonstrates the highest level of mastery. In iNow at Home, when you sign-in, you will see the scores noted for each of the attempts. However, only the highest score will be the one that counts towards a final average.
How does my learner know how to improve? For every assignment, I provided detailed feedback on how he/she can improve. In their blog posts, I will leave private comments that are only viewable to that student with specific information regarding their level of mastery and areas they may need to grow. In all cases, students are also given resources and tips on how they can continue to grow in that area.
Hopefully, these have addressed any questions you may have had in regards to your learner's grades including what they can do to continue to grow. Using these procedures, my students always have an extremely successful school year filled with exponential growth...and a lot of fun along the way.
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