ABSENCES & VACATIONS

Because my particular style of teaching is a lot of direct instruction, 
(which can't always be made up)
ABSENCES can significantly IMPACT GRADES!

I do understand that there are times when a student will be absent and try to find ways to accommodate missed work or lectures.  But it is not always possible.

I do not just hand out work and say "go do it"
In the classroom, the following is always often happening:

I explain.
I break work down into chunks (and walk through HOW to break down work into chunks)
I write assignments, agendas, notes in our trackers.
I walk through the brainstorming and organization process.
I create To Do lists that are very specific so that I know how much "homework" I might have.
  thinking about and taking into consideration time we have and time it takes to do a task
If we are reading, I often break down the reading process of finding information

We will walk through every aspect of the writing process, from how to read instructions and determine our task, through the initial brainstorming processes, through the several revision steps that all writers SHOULD go through, but often don't.

My hope is that this constant modeling helps students become more confident and independent on any and all reading or writing tasks.

For some students, they do these things automatically, but don't know how to articulate their process on paper or  verbally.

For others, who struggle more when reading or writing, they do not know or are not comfortable with the small steps that reading or writing takes.

VACATIONS:  I get it.  A lot of families take vacations during school weeks.

Please let me know, when you can, of upcoming vacations.  I cannot always provide the work we will be doing (as it may not be ready or I am making adjustments as I see necessary for the class).

Missing days of instruction and practice and participation do impact a student's overall grade.  However, whenever possible, I can digitize work and email it to you.  When I know a student will be gone, I make an extra effort to keep the blog updated with instructions and information.  Or students that can be (sometimes) checked from wherever you and your student may be.