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Friday, October 31, 2008 “A Grammar a Day…” In the spirit of Halloween, I decided to delve into a topic that still gives many folks a fright...grammar!
We decided to use a new, innovative program called “Grammarlogues,” and we are delighted that we are one of a handful of pilot schools testing this product. Grammarlogues is an integrated web-based tool proven to teach grammar effectively in five- to eight-minute lessons. This allows us to teach this vital, albeit sometimes unpopular subject, without the cumbersome drills and boring lists of practice sentences that parents may remember from their own school days. The grammar lesson today was on run-on sentences, a common error made by junior writers. Using the Smartboard, Mr. Kelly posted a couple of examples from literary works (all Grammarlogues examples are based on a still-growing compilation of over 1,300 pieces of literature). Today’s sentence was: The city bursts with ideas who can be bored in the city? This sentence was taken from Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere (Jan Morris, 2002). Students interacted with Mr. Kelly to determine the 5 different ways to make the run-on sentence grammatically correct. I recommend that you try this one at home! In addition to class exercises, students work on weekly assignments via the web. Because Williams is a pilot program for Grammarlogues, we are actively involved with the creator of the program; Mr. Kelly interacts with her and gives feedback on a regular basis. If you have interest in seeing how Grammarlogues works, visit the website at www.grammarlogues.com. It is no surprise to me when our alumni come back and report how easily and effectively they write when they are in college. Our comprehensive writing program, augmented with lessons from Grammarlogues, greatly supports our students here and beyond. Happy Halloween. Stay Tuned! Enjoy your weekend (and remember to set your clocks back) Friday, October 24, 2008 Studying How to Study
The Study Skills program was initially offered in 2005 through a grant from the E.E. Ford Foundation as part of school’s commitment to providing supplementary study and organizational skills to all of our students. This program enhances students' fundamental abilities for finding success in numerous academic areas ranging from organization to note-taking to effective study habits. Kim Belair, veteran English teacher and school newspaper supervisor, has a wealth of experience teaching all forms of study skills to our students and even has taught a similar course at the college level. The lesson I caught was on effective test taking. Nine students gathered to learn how to become "test-wise." As with all sessions, attendance was voluntary. Mrs. Belair asked the group to discuss some of the concerns students have in test preparation and completion. She had an excellent rapport with her group and there was much positive banter among all of the students, typical of the open and inviting environment of this course. Members of the group shared some of their own techniques for test preparation and strategies they use during tests. Based on extensive research she has done, Mrs. Belair focused on some tried and true reasons for good performances on tests. They include: forming study groups, using time wisely during a test, entering with a positive attitude, becoming familiar with intelligent guessing strategies, and making effective use of study time prior to an assessment. Furthermore, she discussed effective strategies once a student receives a test: reading directions twice, outlining for future reference, never changing an answer unless it is clearly wrong, and reading direction words (define, list, interpret, compare & contrast, summarize). I was impressed by the students’ reaction to these and how some have already tried some techniques. They all planed to quickly implement what they learned. I have no doubt that this ten-week program will pay huge dividends to all of our students who attend at least some of the sessions. To me, Mrs. Belair’s study skills program address and fulfills two elements of our mission “to prepare our students for college and a lifetime of learning.” [Visit the Blueline Online archive for the full list of study skills topics.] Stay tuned. Have a nice weekend!
Friday, October 17, 2008 Mark When Past, Present and Future Meet...
Each year, the women who attended WMI before we moved to our present location on the Connecticut College campus in 1955 gather to have lunch, find their classmates, reminisce, and even sing their alma mater. I was truly amazed by the spirit and overwhelming adoration these women showed for Williams Memorial Institute and each other. The women call themselves the “Pre-’55” alumnae since they attended school on Broad Street (now the New London County Courthouse) when it was a single-sex institution. They did not know The Williams School as a co-ed institution with a middle school. The members of the alumnae shared with me so many interesting stories and memories of their former Heads of School; foldly many recalled the era when Colin Buell, WMI’s first head, was their principal. Mr. Buell went on to be Head of School for an eye-popping 47 years! I shared with them that while the faces have changed and the building has moved, WMI as they know it has not. Our mission, educational goals and values are timeless; excellent teaching and a strong sense of support are the same as it was when Mr. Buell walked the halls. Furthermore, the strong sense of community and care that they had for one another at WMI is ever present here among our students. In my conversations at Open House with prospective families about “why Williams,” you can be sure that I shared some of the experiences I had at the luncheon. Stay Tuned. Enjoy your weekend! Friday October 10, 2008 “What is a NEASC, you may ask?” Eighteen months ago, Williams dance teacher Bo Parish and I began the arduous process of planning and producing our ten-year self study by forming the committee chairs and various writing and editing groups from the faculty and administration. As a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, we are required, as a school, to perform a ten-year self assessment consummated by a three-day review from a team of independent school professionals from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). I will receive results of the report in a few weeks and will share information on findings with the Williams community. In the interim, I want to share some of the insights from visiting committee members. Two Heads of School, John Bracker from Watkinson (in Hartford) and David Faus from Falmouth Academy (Cape Cod) led a group of eight independent school educators whose task it was to read our report and complete a written evaluation during their visit which began this past Sunday through Wednesday morning. The visiting team comprised of educators and administrators from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine. The team spent Monday and Tuesday observing classes, speaking with students, faculty, parents, administrators, and the Board of Trustees. They read and reflected on our 150 page report. In essence, the team received a crash course on “everything Williams” over the course of 72 hours. I was delighted to see our administrators, faculty and students interacting so well with the visiting team. Impressively, late Monday afternoon, I heard a new seventh grader say to Mr. Faus, “Did you have a nice day today; I hope you liked our school!” Our faculty were pleased that members of the committee took the time to see our classes in action. I even saw a member of the team hanging out in the senior lounge with a study group! Upon leaving, both John and David thanked me for a wonderful visit and ended by exclaiming “You have quite an impressive school here.” I could not have been more proud! I look forward to effectively and appropriately informing everyone in the Williams community about the results of our self-study and the commendations and recommendations the visiting team has for the school. It will only make us stronger. I hope you will join me in thanking not only Bo Parish for her leadership in co-chairing this most important review and Sonia Varley for coordinating the entire visit, but also ALL the faculty, administrators, and staff who worked tirelessly and enthusiastically to present our report. Stay tuned. Enjoy your (long) weekend. Friday, October 3, 2008 “Keeper of the Flame!”
The “double-block” which occurs after snack each day is a 75-minute class period which allows for extended lessons, program augmentation, the use of guest speakers, unique class field trips, and appropriate time to complete science labs. I had the pleasure of spending part of “the double” observing a chemistry class taught by Ms. Rachel Thomas-Shapiro, a science teacher currently in her second year at The Williams School. I literally “dropped in” unannounced on Thursday and was highly impressed by the students in tenth and eleventh grade working on a Flame Test Lab. The purpose of the lab was for students to identify a chemical element based on individual colors it emitted when burned by a flame thrown from a bunsen burner. Students could then determine the wavelength of the element based on the emitted color. As class members (working in pairs) observed the characteristics of the physical properties of colors emitted, they began to deduce where these elements fell on the range of chemical compounds. Once the data was observed and collected, the students proceeded to collaborate with each other to calculate the frequency of light for determining energy based on wavelength. In addition, the class had to determine the three unknown compounds based on the color of the flame. I am always fascinated by how well our students stay on task while following proper lab safety procedures, yet rarely notice when a visitor walks in to observe—it took several students ten minutes to realize that I was even in the room! By the way, sodium chloride burns “orange,” potassium chloride burns “purple” and copper compounds burn “blue.” Hope you enjoyed Parent’s Night. Stay Tuned. Enjoy your weekend! |
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