One of my goals entering year 2 was to do more grading. Even though grading is very time-consuming, I knew I wanted to grade more in order for students to take the work in my classroom seriously. I was inspired by an MTC alums portfolio over holiday break. This alum had connected her weekly ELA units with essential questions for the week. On Fridays, her students would respond to those questions. I decided to try this method when we came back to school in January, and it turned out to be an incredibly special experience.
Every Friday during the third nine-weeks, my students would enter my classroom, take out a piece of notebook paper, and respond to the essential questions of the week. I would introduce the questions on Monday, so students were aware of what they were responding to throughout the week. The essential questions were always inspired by the text we close read throughout the week. Friday Free-Writes quickly became a popular part of our classroom. I would set a timer for 15 minutes, and students would silently write their responses. The act of grading the responses took me FOREVER, but it was so worth it. My students shared so much about themselves with me and my feedback became a weekly opportunity to show my students that I was listening. I was touched by what they shared with me, and I feel honored to have been welcomed into some of their most private thoughts and feelings. This is a method that I fully intend on continuing with next year.
Every Friday during the third nine-weeks, my students would enter my classroom, take out a piece of notebook paper, and respond to the essential questions of the week. I would introduce the questions on Monday, so students were aware of what they were responding to throughout the week. The essential questions were always inspired by the text we close read throughout the week. Friday Free-Writes quickly became a popular part of our classroom. I would set a timer for 15 minutes, and students would silently write their responses. The act of grading the responses took me FOREVER, but it was so worth it. My students shared so much about themselves with me and my feedback became a weekly opportunity to show my students that I was listening. I was touched by what they shared with me, and I feel honored to have been welcomed into some of their most private thoughts and feelings. This is a method that I fully intend on continuing with next year.