Differentiated Diplomas

I often wonder if a partial solution to helping colleges, trade schools, and employers determine the worthiness of students for their programs and businesses is the diploma itself. I anticipate my solution will not be popular among certain groups, but I do think it could eliminate some of debate over assessing student backgrounds and achievement.

My rough idea for four diplomas, which I would probably color code rather than officially name:

1 - The first diploma would be one where the student took the most rigorous coursework available, essentially an honors diploma for most students. Students could have their coursework scored on a points basis, and if enough points are earned then they would receive this diploma.

2 - The second diploma would be for students who took the mainstream ("normal" or typical) courses available to them when they have not earned enough points for the first diploma.

3 - The ELL (ESL) diploma for students who took a number of sheltered or ELL courses rather than reaching the basic standards or taking the basic course load of the mainstream student.

4 - The special education diploma for students with a large number of special education courses as part of their academic course loads. If the special education courses were merely support for the mainstream courses, then the second diploma would be earned.

These are just rough thoughts but make me wonder if it could be a potential assistance to determining or assessing student achievement. It may even lead to the elimination of the vast monies spent on testing and instead spent on more direct means of assisting students.

Just an idea I think about from time to time.

Up Next

I get to start some great units to begin the new year:

Am. Lit.: Ray Bradbury stories and science fiction
Soph. Honors: The Princess Bride
College in the H.S.: The Red Badge of Courage
Mythology: Norse mythology

It's going to be a fun finish to the semester! Plus, I only have six students (out of over 150) who I worry won't pass. All can, but they need to buckle down and improve in a couple areas. I'm hopeful.

Loving My Students

My classes were awesome this week!

American Literature: These kids have jumped right into The Crucible and explored the play wholeheartedly. They're asking the right questions and seem genuinely enthused to start each day. I think the groups I created are finally creating the collaboration I wanted to see.

College in the High School: They love The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn! It's the first time they have actively pursued the themes and nuances of the readings this year. One of kids said he really enjoyed the sonnet they wrote as well (from the perspective of a character in The Crucible), which prompted most of the kids to agree. I need to create more of these creative writing literary analysis writings.

Mythology: I have successfully turned them into the "myth geeks" I warned them they would become. At least ten kids in each class have explained how they identified mythological references in TV shows, movies, comics, and so on. I love it!

Sophomore Honors: We just finished a unit on The Chosen and Night, and the students explored both in Socratic circles for three days, and I never had to intervene. They continued the conversation with respect, introspection, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. I am so proud of them!

What We're Reading Now

American Literature: Puritan and Colonial literature such as Bradford, Bradstreet, Equiano, and de Vaca.

College in the High School (C.H.S.): Finishing Miller's The Crucible and beginning Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mythology: Finishing "Pegasus and Bellerophon" and starting "Jason and the Argonauts"

Sophomore Honors: Just finished Night by Elie Wiesel and starting The Chosen by Chaim Potok tomorrow

By the way, the students finished their projects in Mythology, C.H.S., and Honors, and they were awesome!

Final Projects

I finally decided to give my final projects to my students in my Sophomore Honors class. They are going to choose three of the following four options for their A Tale of Two Cities project:

1. The students must choose a moving or critical quotation or passage and create a visual representation based on it. Paintings, drawings, and the like are acceptable, and the selected quotation or passage must be a part of the representation. In addition, the students must compose a short explanation about color choice, images, and so on.

2. This option requires the students to select eight literary devices from the class list and to create a graph/chart. On the chart the students must have a column for the devices, a quotation showing the device's employ, and the effect of its use.

3. Here, the students recreate a key scene from the novel and film it to play in class. Clothing, backgrounds, and dialogue must be authentic, and the students must have excellent film work.

4. This final option allows the students to compose a 300-400 word eulogy for any character from the novel.

My American Survey class will finish Fools Crow this week as well. They will select a 100 word passage and will compose a diction analysis. For now, this is all they will do since they have written three essays on the novel already. Besides this, I'm excited to start The Crucible.

My Mythology students will choose two of the following options (though I stacked the points, so the sonnet is a desirable option):

1. A Shakespearean sonnet where each of the first three quatrains summarize three different myths and the final couplet explains the connection between the three myths.

2. An original myth which must include eight mythological figures. The myth must either explain the creation of something, follow two lovers overcoming obstacles for their love, or teach a moral or lesson. These three types mirror the myths we've covered thus far.

3. A comic book summarizing one of the tales covered in class.

4. A picture book aimed at children teaching kids about mythological figures.

I look forward to these finished projects!

Books Right Now

Here are the books I'm teaching right now:

American Literature: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
American Survey: Fools Crow by James Welch
Mythology: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Sophomore Honors: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

We finish Twain, Welch, and Dickens this week. I just love when Carton mounts the steps to the guillotine and says, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." It gets me every time, and this line hooks the kids for good. They never forget it. What a finish!

New Followers

This first week of school has been beyond hectic. Course schedule changes, moving rooms, sharing rooms, copier problems, meetings, and more have slowed our progress this week. No worries. I just keep plugging away.

Still, with my Sophomore Honors class we got a bit behind my intended schedule. I wanted to finish our French Revolution background Thursday, read Chapter 1 of A Tale of Two Cities as a class Friday, and have the students read the first 4-5 chapters this weekend. Well, there were so many interruptions from the front office and questions about the revolution from the kids, we didn't get there.

Halfway through the period on Friday while we were going through my French Revolution presentation, I decided to change things up. With five minutes to go I asked all of the students to pass forward their reading schedules (I give one with every major reading) but keep their books. The students looked a bit confused but did so. Then, from the back of the room, one student cried out "Yea, awesome!" Slowly little light bulbs appeared over the heads of the students.

I just decided I wanted to complete this unit well, rather than fast. I always tell new teachers that the ability to adapt and to revise one's plans are the marks of a good teacher. A few students at this point still had quizzical looks on their faces until I said, "don't read this weekend. Enjoy your weekend and I'll make a new reading schedule."

I think I have a following.

Fear and Loving?

No loathing. A little fearing and then loving the class.

My Honors kids looked frightened yesterday and I've heard that I'm intimidating at the start of a class, so I thought I'd shake them up.

Today I informed my new Honors students I'm know as the "GPA Buster" and they better get ready. Silence. A deafening silence followed.

I then gave them a quick quiz over the syllabus provided yesterday, a series of seven true/false questions. I read the questions, and they simply wrote their answers on their papers. I then instructed them that they would correct their own, "so no one should miss any of the answers." I paused. Smiles and giggles started quickly and soon spread throughout the room. Understanding!

After "correcting" the quiz I told them this was a lesson: they would have to be prepared every day when I ask them to do something. We then had a quick contest to see who could shoot their balled-up quiz into the recycling box from across the room.

Now I had them. No one was stressed any more.

I need them to know I am not out to destroy their grades. They have to ask questions, be inquisitive. They can't worry about points; they need to learn. If they don't do well on an assignment, they need to redo it. I'm there to help them.

My message to them, before starting a review of the French Revolution in preparation for Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, is: if you are stressed out about this class, you're doing it wrong. I think they believe me.