Advisory Fairness

This afternoon an activity that was originally intended to take only a few minutes transformed into a passionate class discussion of peers offering warm and cool feedback as well as suggestions for next time. -----Advisory Fairness.

Every student was involved in active discussion or observation and reflection. Students developed excellent action plans that related to the student needs and the reason for referral.
The Advisory committee had just enough time to finish, but we did not get a chance for reflection.


Post your reflection of the experience:
What is your reaction to Advisory Fairness?
What are some questions you still have?
Who does Advisory Fairness help?

What is Family?

We had a shift in advisory plans today, due to the field trip. Our advisory was paired with another this afternoon. All students from both advisories today were flexible and made the afternoon run smoothly. After pushing tables together to form one large discussion circle (square), we spent quite a bit of time on a motivating question. Class began with the question "What is family?"
Everyone eagerly participated, giving their own opinion of family. Some students felt that it was a group of individuals connected by blood, while others argued that family can be a group of people that aren't necessarily related but connect with one another somehow.
All answers were supported with explanations and examples. It was an intense discussion that lasted longer than the planned two minutes, but everyone was engaged and if not directly speaking, students were involved and actively listening.
We followed up with a related hands-on activity where every student worked until the last minute of class.
Some voices were not heard and I am offering you the opportunity to share your thoughts here. This blog, as always, is open to any student wishing to contribute.
so........ in your opinion,
What is family?

College Information

With application deadlines quickly approaching, some students at QHST are rushing to get everything in order. Other students have recently completed the PSAT's and are just beginning to think about college.

Some questions for you to explore:
How do students decide where to go?
What should you be thinking about when choosing a college?

Below is a set of links compiled by the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2006/07/30/education/edlife/

Rubrics

Educational rubrics
When working with project based learning, rubrics are a big deal . How well do you know rubrics? Share what you know.


What is a rubric?
Why do we use rubrics?
When should rubrics be used?
Where can you find sample rubrics?
What can you use to make rubrics?
What can we ask teachers about rubrics?

What questions do you have about rubrics? Post them here.



We will explore these questions next Wednesday in Advisory. Try to gather a rubric from any of your teachers to bring with you.

A link to the teacher/student questionnaire will be posted shortly.

Montessori Seniors Class 2007

Montessori Seniors Class 2007

This is a link to an article regarding the PSAT's. I'm sure the seniors would love to hear all student feedback. Share what you think.

The PSAT/NMSQT

Next Wednesday, we will have a different schedule as a result of the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) exam. Many students have expressed concern as a result of feeling unprepared for the exam. In addition to meeting with some of you to review the exam, I am also offering some links that may answer any questions you might have.

About the PSAT : This is a link to the College Board website. The college board co-sponsors the PSAT along with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. There are detailed links to the left that will answer many of your questions.

What you need to know about the PSAT: This fact sheet, created by ECampusTours.com, gives an overview as to what the PSAT is as well as other relevant information.


note: Some of the websites mention registration and fees for the test. NYC public school students (10th and 11th grade) take the exam free of charge.

Be sure to come prepared with a calculator (Four function, scientific or graphing) and a few sharpened pencils.

Please post any additional comments or questions that you have. :)

Your Favorite Quotes

In DEAR, we are working on a project with quotes from texts that you are reading. Post some of your favorite quotes here to share with the world. Be sure to include:

1. The quote
2. The author
3. The text it is from (if applicable- ex: book, song....)

School Wide Values

School Wide Values

Reflect on our school wide values using the site above. Give examples of where you have seen school wide values in action. Each value has its own section:
Responsibility
Integrity and Wisdom
Respect
Compassion
Acceptance
Stewardship
Health

How do your values relate to the school wide values?
Why does our school have "school wide values?"

Going once, Going twice....

Values Auction


Today we had a values auction in class. It was a success. Students had $1000 to bid on 25 different items, ranging from a dream house to a pill that can cure world hunger. Bidding was fast and most items sold.

I had a great time. The best part of the lesson was when one student didn't have enough money to bid on the item that she wanted, and a group of students teamed up to pool their money together and purchase the items. - What does this say about you as a group!?
We ran out of time because the activity was so exciting and as a result we didn't get a chance to debrief.
Again, today was a successful advisory and I enjoyed the lesson as much if not more than all of the advisees.






Reflect on the blog as a comment if you get a chance-

• What did you bid on and why did you choose to bid on those items?
• What do these choices say about your values?
• How were you able to buy certain items? (teamwork, save up....)
• How do you think the choices you make now will affect your setting of life goals?

Link to the lesson

DEAR Journals

This weekend was the first time I have reviewed your DEAR journals. I created a rubric for assesssing the journals and commented on your responses. What feedback, questions or comments do you have about this process? Is there anything you are confused about? Do you wish to share something?

You can view the rubric by clicking this link - DEAR Rubric

Advisory Ideas

Teachers plan lessons for advisory based on what they feel student needs are. Mr. Abicca created a lesson for time management because students were complaining that they had little time to complete homework. They attributed it to the late dismissal.
To facilitate the creation of lesson plans, teachers would love to hear student input. What are some ideas that you have for advisory? What would you like to see?
I look forward to hearing comments and suggestions.

Integrity

What is integrity?
How can you, our future leaders, live a life of integrity?

This is our essential question for the year. Post your response to the question as often as you wish.

Advisory Discussion Board

This is a forum in which you can share comments, suggestions and any other discussion topics related to Advisory or school.