Below is a collection of quotes from student reflections in my eighth grade social studies classes. There’s no real rhyme or reason to them; some are deep, others funny, others absurd. I added line breaks and corrected a few typos.<\/p>\n
That’s what makes history so interesting,
\nthe emotions that intertwine with the facts.<\/p>\nI am naturally good at
\nunderstanding stuff.<\/p>\nI love it when in group conversations there is a debate but the person with the best facts can show the other person how they are right, even if I was the one that was wrong.<\/p>\n
Just like in science,
\nyou can’t say something
\nwithout data.<\/p>\nI absolutely hate margin noting
\nmore than I hate Activision
\nfor making the same game
\nevery year and brainwashing
\npeople to buy that game.<\/p>\nIn class, we learn about the history of our country, but notice, the class itself is not called “history,”\u009d but instead called social studies. This is because we are also learning about current and relevant events that affect us today. I can take the things we learn and connect them with things I see every day.<\/p>\n
I have lots of opinions
\nand they are all
\ngrounded in evidence.<\/p>\nI really want to work on speaking up more in class, and not being afraid of judgement when stating my opinion. I chose this skill because being able to talk in front of peers\/people is very important, and one day I want to be a really good speaker. This class is the perfect opportunity to practice.<\/p>\n
I know all the historical facts.<\/p>\n
I am proud of how immersed
\nI am in the materials we study.<\/p>\nI have always been a crazy reader.<\/p>\n
Remember that time where I corrected you on the start date of the revolutionary war? (No offense.) When I saw the incorrect date I thought back to my times in Assassin’s Creed III and remembered the date of the attack on Lexington and Concord (4\/19\/1775, my birthday) and my ego light bulb went off and I thought “Aha!!! My video games have brought me a point of extra credit!!!<\/p>\n
Sometimes I am not the most thorough person.<\/p>\n
I memorize facts by trying to use them
\nin outside-of-class situations instead
\nof just memorizing them for a test.<\/p>\nI am pretty good with speaking up in class,
\nthough sometimes I do ask pretty dumb questions.<\/p>\nI think the trimester went pretty well,
\nthough in the middle I kind of got lazy.<\/p>\nSometimes I have trouble
\npaying attention to what
\nothers are saying.<\/p>\nIt is still a developing skill for me to take other perspectives, since I usually stay grounded in my own strong opinion and it is hard to get out.<\/p>\n
It was really fun,
\nbecause when you know the facts,
\nyou can ask a lot more questions,
\nand you are able to debate the truth.<\/p>\nI think it’s hard to have an opinion without evidence, and that’s why I have a lot of screenshots of conversations in my phone.<\/p>\n
One last thing.
\nI recently realized
\nhow amazing my
\nNASA poster is.
\nI mean
\njust look at it.<\/p>\n
\n<\/blockquote>\nEvery November, as our first trimester draws to a close, I ask my students to write reflections on how the trimester went for them. I have some broad prompts like, “Describe your strengths in social studies,” and “Describe at least one specific skill you want to work on next trimester,” followed by a section where students rate themselves on various skills (reading, discussion, writing, using evidence, etc.). Finally, they give themselves a letter grade and explain why they think they’ve earned it. It’s the culminating assignment of the trimester, and I depend heavily on it while writing narrative reports and making decisions about borderline grades.<\/p>\n
I love reading these reflections because most students take them very seriously and I learn a lot about them, their goals, and their perceptions of their strengths and weaknesses. This, in turn, provides me with a lens to consider how well I have communicated the goals and skills required for the class. I am most successful when my students’ self-evaluations are congruent with my own perceptions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Below is a collection of quotes from student reflections in my eighth grade social studies classes. There’s no real rhyme or reason to them; some are deep, others funny, others absurd. I added line breaks and corrected a few typos. That’s what makes history so interesting, the emotions that intertwine with the facts. I am … Continue reading Student Reflections<\/span>