Communicating with your teachers and other adults in school

One thing I've been noticing is that many students have trouble communicating with their teachers in writing, in an appropriate and formal-enough way.

The way you communicate with your teachers can make a big difference in how (and if) they respond to a question, suggestion, or request.

For example, if one of my students emailed me and wrote

i dont know what the homework is can u tell me?!?!

my response, if I chose to respond at all, would probably be about a couple of things other than what the students wanted to know. I would want to respond that a.) their messages to me need to have some element of formality, and b.) that they should write the homework in their planner during class when prompted, check the website if needed, and ask a friend before reaching out to me. In short, to use their resources!

However, if they had already done those three things, and still needed clarification about an assignment, a much better way to go about asking for help would be to write

Hi Ms. Keenan,

I forgot the details of what the homework assignment is. I should have written down more  detail in my planner. I will plan to do that next time. I also checked the website and asked Student B already, but I'm still confused. Could you please let me know the details of the assignment? In the future, I plan to write down the homework in detail as soon as you tell us what it is. 

Thank you,

Student A 

Just a quick example, but I hope you get the point! 

 

Preparing for Exams (and other tests)

With summer just around the corner, students (and parents) may be starting to think about end-of-year exams. No need to panic though! Keep in mind the following to get through exam season without a hitch...

An organized visual schedule can be
a great cue or prompt
for sticking to your plan

Time Management is Essential! 

• Find blocks of 30-45 minutes in your schedule, and then plan what to focus on during those blocks of time.
• Map out the “what” AND the “how." 
• Doing this in advance can save you time (and stress) later on. 
• Build in a short break (2-5 minutes) for every 45-60 minutes of studying.
• Use a timer so your breaks don't get too long!

• Prepare by first collecting content from which to study; then, create study materials; then, actively engage with and utilize those study materials. (More tips about this are below.)

•  Some teachers will work with you in class, to prepare for exams, and may even give you a timeline and specific tasks to do for preparation. Stick to those recommendations!

Keep a Balanced Perspective

• Keep these tests in perspective.
• Focus on the process, versus the product. 
• This means emphasizing the habits that you are working to develop, and the process of figuring out the sorts of study techniques that work best for you as an individual, rather than solely emphasizing the grade you end up with.
• Focus on HOW you're studying, rather than HOW MUCH you study.
• Maintain healthy habits: eat well-balanced meals, get plenty of sleep, stay active, and continue to participate in the things you enjoy!

Use ACTIVE Study Strategies

“Reading over” textbooks and notes is NOT efficient studying!

“Chunk Down” the Content- Break large amounts of material into smaller pieces. Before setting out to attack your class material, color code or label it. Divide the material into what you know well (green), what you need to review (yellow), and what is unfamiliar (red).
 You can also consider breaking down your material into the categories outlined on a study guide given to you by your teacher, or according to how recent the material is.


Teach Someone Else-You’ll know that you’re really comfortable with the material if you can teach it to someone else. Teach a parent or sibling, encourage them to ask you questions...and then answer their questions.

CREATE Study Materials  

• Using pre-made Quizlet sets is okay, but you may retain more when you’re creating the study materials instead of just reviewing what someone else has done.

A graphic organizer, filled in or entirely created by you,
can be a great way to see the big ideas
and connections in your class material. 

• ŸGraphic Organizers: For many classes, it can make sense to create a graphic organizer or visual that shows the connections between the content/ topics that you have studied this year. Creating a graphic organizer can help you to not only see how the topics are connected, but can also help you to identify “big ideas” to focus on. 

• ŸNote Cards: On the front, write the term, big idea, event, etc. On the back, answer who, what, when, where, why is it significant questions. Does it take longer? Yes, but you will have a more thorough understanding of the material. 

• Create a visual trigger on the front of the note card. This can be a phrase or picture, or some other sort of mnemonic. In the testing situation, the visual trigger may be just the thing that pops into your mind and cues the answer.

• Play with the note cards. Rather than just flipping through and trying to memorize the words on the card, get creative. Make different groups and categories (e.g. leaders and battles; bones and organs; verbs and nouns) then re-categorize them. Compare the cards to one another. How were 2 leaders the same or different? Why was one battle more significant than others? By manipulating the note cards, you are engaging in higher-level thinking…the sort of skills you’ll need to practice in order to answer essay and other open-response questions.

• ŸTriple Note Totes: These are useful when you’re working on memorizing material. Fold a paper into three columns. In the first column, list the vocabulary you’re trying to remember. In the middle column, write the definition or important information about that term. In the third column, create and note down a mnemonic device for linking the term to the necessary information (definition, dates, importance, etc.).

Test Yourself- You’ve have had a whole year’s worth of experience taking tests and quizzes for a class, so you can use those old assessments to study from. You can:

• Make corrections to old tests and quizzes, using your notes and textbooks.
• Make up your own practice questions based on the sorts of questions teachers have used in the past.
• Look at chapter titles or section headings in a book, and turn them into essay questions.
• Turn class notes into fill-in-the-blank or short answer questions.
• Make practice tests to exchange with classmates.

Form a Study Group- Study groups can be good for reinforcing material you already know, and provide you with an opportunity to practice and review what you’re not as comfortable with. However, you must keep them structured and focused, in order for group meetings to be useful.

Have additional tips for dealing with exams? Share in the comments below!

Starting the New School Year

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

(link to Bowie song)

Welcome to a new school year!

No matter which grade you're starting this year, or whether you're new to the school or a returning student, you're probably adjusting to some new things about your school day- the teachers, the classrooms, your classmates, your advisee group, your schedule...

Changes and transitions like this can be difficult, but the good thing is that you're not alone! Changes can be difficult for everyone, your teachers and parents included. Below are some tips for students AND parent, for adjusting to the new school year.

For students:

Get to know your teachers and advisor, and let them get to know you. 

-Ask the adults at school questions, both in class and outside of class time. Your questions can be as simple as, "How was your weekend?" or it can be more focused on the content of the class.

- Tell your teachers what you like and don't like, what interests you, and what you're involved in outside of school. You may learn that you have some things in common!

-Tell your teachers what you're going to need from them in order to be successful. Tell them that you prefer to sit near the board, or that you sometimes have a difficult time listening, participating, and taking notes at the same time. Tell them if you do (or don't) like being asked to read aloud in class, or if you benefit from having all multi-step directions written down. Tell them what your learning preferences are, and if you think you are eligible for accommodations like extended time. Teachers want to help you, so they'll want to know this information about you!

Get started off on the right foot, organizationally.
-Take the time to label your books, notebooks, and binders. Put that loose leaf paper in each of your binders, and put the divider tabs in there too. Make sure you have enough pens and pencils in your pencil case. If you are missing any school materials, Mr. Lanagan's room in the Middle School is full of perfectly good donated/ recycled materials like binders, folders, paper, and notebooks!

-Set up a work space at home where you complete your homework every night. Make sure it has some extra school supplies like paper, writing utensils, and maybe your laptop charger. Doing homework in the same place each night can minimize the chances you'll forget something at home, or lose something that you need.

-As soon as you receive your planner, put your name on it and start to use it! (More on effectively using a planner later on)

-If you're a Middle School student, attend the September 22nd Snack and Study Session on Organizational Strategies! (Sign up outside of the MS HLC; space is limited to 15 students)

Ask questions when you have them!
-Your teachers, advisor, coaches, and other adults in the school building all want to help you figure out what's happening, what's expected of you, and how you can be successful. Just ask someone for some help if you need it!








For parents:

Get to know your child's teachers, and help them get to know your child.
- Learn the names of each of your child's teachers, and his or her advisor. Learn the best way to get in touch with them (i.e. email, phone call, written note).

- Encourage your child to talk with his or her teachers, and share what their home and life is like; do they split time between houses, or do their homework somewhere other than at home? Is there consistent internet access at home, or a printer? Are there outside activities or commitments your child has during the school week or on the weekends? Is there any medication your child is taking that may affect their behavior, performance, or attention in class? This is all helpful information for your child's teachers to know.

Be aware of teachers' expectations and how to access class resources.
- At the start of the year in Middle School, many students will come home with "expectations" sheets for their different classes. These handouts may need to be signed, or maybe they don't, but in either case it will be valuable for you to read through the papers with your student so that you're aware of the different expectations of different classes and teachers.

- Many, if not most, teachers will use a website to disseminate information such as homework assignments, due dates, assessment dates, etc. However, the website or platform used by each teacher could be slightly different. Ask your student to show you how to access each of their classes' websites; if your student can't show you where he or she can find homework assignments or handouts/PDFs, then prompt your child to meet with that teacher immediately in order to figure out how to navigate the online aspect of the class.

- Starting in Middle School, students should be mostly advocating for themselves. Teachers do not want to field inquiries from parents about what the homework is, or what's on a test. Students at this age need to be learning how to ask these questions themselves, and how to problem-solve independently. This is not to say you can't help to problem-solve, but most of the communication with a teacher should be going through the student himself or herself. Role-playing what communication can look like between your student and his or her teacher, and prompting your student to troubleshoot situations (e.g. forgetting to write down a homework assignment, leaving needed materials at school, etc.) to practice these self-direction skills, will help your child to become a more independent and effective problem-solver.



Give it time!
- Everyone is a little nervous when starting a new school year, or when beginning at a new school- yes, teachers too. If there are some bumps in the road during the first few weeks of a new school year, that's normal. If you're trying to figure out how much independence and help to give your student with school work and other responsibilities, you're not alone. Kids, as well as teachers' expectations, change from year to year (and sometimes from day-to-day and class-to-class!), so we all need to be patient with one another, and give it time. I think we'll see that most kids will be able to handle increasing responsibility and independence, if we give them some room and some time to figure it all out.