I wish you all an excellent beginning of the week! Last week, we drafted our autobiography of who we are as artists, creating autobiographical accounts of our passions. This week, we will continue writing workshop by editing each account and turning in a final paper next Monday, September 14.
We will also be using this activity to springboard our own learning using the I CAN folders and practicing creating goals for our Learning Plan Meetings with parents at the end of the month. In middle school, we are not only mastering the I CAN statements at grade level, and perhaps beyond, we are also creating the self-evaluation habits of young adults.
As middle schoolers at Otay Ranch Academy for the Arts, students are expected to be responsible for their own learning. This includes lots of lessons and practice of using evaluation tools and assessments to self-evaluate progress toward goals each month or so. It also means have conferences with students and parents about how young adults are reaching their goals and which activities might help them move toward their goals in class and beyond. In this model, the teacher helps provide the students activities and resources, while the students are ultimately in control of setting and working toward their own goals and learning. Parents, like the teacher, help facilitate this individual process of responsibility.
I will be sending home a sign-up for Learning Plan Meetings as well as the artifact/demonstration part of the artist essay assignment later this week.
If you need anything in the meantime, please don't hesitate to ask!
Mrs. K
