Thursday, August 23, 2012

Mistakes and Personal Historical Solutions

We continued going over procedures today.  I passed out the EXPECTATIONS SHEET that I mentioned a couple days ago.

Something to note that wasn't mentioned on the sheet: if a student is absent, they make up the bellwork points by doing extra credit.  This is most easily accomplished by reading/discussing the blog.  Bellwork is basically participation.  If a student isn't there to participate, they can't earn the points.  The blog (generally) summarizes the entire day rather than just the intro - and as the student missed the entire lesson, it's more fitting to have them make it up that way.

We discussed social studies in general - and how broad it is.  For instance, The University of Notre Dame has a School of Architecture, a College of Business, a College of Engineering, a College of Science, and a Law School.  There is no Department or College of Social Studies.  It falls under the College of Arts and Letters  - which contains everything from Africana Studies to Music to Political Science...  these are all under the heading of social studies.

The bellwork dealt with making mistakes.  I asked students to relay a time they made a mistake in their life - nothing personal, nothing major - just a mistake they learned from.  We then discussed the George Santayana quote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

There was no homework today - other than make sure you're prepared for tomorrow.  ...Binder, pencil, planner.

I said that you could get extra credit by reading this blog and discussing it with an adult you live with.  This is true.  Here is a message for the adult you read it with: Dear Adult, if you read and discussed this with one of my students, have them write the following quote on a piece of scrap paper, then sign that paper.

"I've learned from my mistakes."

If you turn in the signed scrap of paper, you get the extra credit points.  It's as easy as that.

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