40S Transactional

LA 40S: Transactional Focus

Welcome. I've revived this old blog as an alternative to adding to the flood of COVID-19 messages in your email inbox. While we adapt to the changing conditions of the pandemic I'll update this page once a week to with an overview of student progress and future direction. As always, you can reach me by email or phone if you have questions or would like to discuss your child's education more specifically. Contact information can be found in the school directory or on PowerSchool.

My main connecting point with students is Google Classroom. Assignments and resources are posted there, and it is a place where students can chat with me. Have them share their work with you and explain what they are learning and doing.  Here is what your students should be doing for Transactional Focus this week (last updated June 7):

• Graduate Biographies: Each year students write the biographies of the graduates that are published in the yearbook. Students have already begun brainstorming and will write first drafts and revisions this week.

• Reading Portfolios and Ladder: In class the only assigned homework was twenty minutes of reading a day. We also started class with a little reading. Developing a reading habit is one of the most important ways that students can prepare for university. One of the biggest challenges of the transition from high school to university is the increased reading load that is expected. Two hundred pages per week is a pretty typical load across programs. To support student in their preparation for this transition I have assigned:
• a minimum of 15 minutes of reading a day. This represents a starting point, not a goal. Each remote learning situation is different, but students should aim to establish a reading habit and then build their stamina and fluency. Students planning on studying in university in six months should work towards increasing the daily time now in order to prepare for the increase in expected reading.
• a reading portfolio and ladder in Google Classroom where students can record their progress and write about the variety of genres and reading levels of the books they are reading. They should update their portfolio once each week.