Grade Card Comments

It’s report card time again, and teachers are faced with the task of writing descriptive, insightful, and unique comments that accurately portray each students’ performance in the classroom.  It’s a monumental job that has to be condensed to fit in a 1”x 3” comment box!  Here are five tips for being truthful and tactful when giving descriptive feedback to students and parents.  Here’s what fellow teachers said:

1. Start on a Positive Note

Let parents know how happy you are to be their child’s teacher, tell them how much their child is learning and growing, or share what makes their child unique:

· I have enjoyed having the opportunity to work with _______ this school year.

· _______ has excelled at reading this quarter and is a pro at sharing his/her reading strategies with the class.

· I love how _______ comes to school excited and ready to learn everyday.

2. Provide Specific Feedback Across Several Different Areas

Include formative evidence to let parents know how you view their child as a student, a classmate, and an individual.  Share what you know about the student based on observations, conferences, anecdotal notes, and performance.  Write from a variety of angles:

Personal Attributes

· is an enthusiastic learner and always has a positive outlook.

· is well-liked by his/her peers

Behavior

· consistently cooperates with students and teachers

· transitions easily between classroom activities without distraction

· follows classroom rules

Character

· is honest and trustworthy when we have a substitute

· shows compassion and is concerned about the feelings of others

Communication Skills

· is an active participant in small group and large group discussions

· can make a logical and persuasive argument

· communicates respectfully with adults and peers

Group Work

· welcomes leadership roles in groups

· keeps the group focused and on task

Communication Arts/ELA

· reads fluently with expression

· infers to draw conclusions that are not stated in the reading

· uses descriptive vocabulary in writing

· writes many interesting informational texts

· is beginning to use the dictionary

Math

· uses appropriate math tools to help him/her solve problems

· can add and subtract to 20 with fluency

· has multiplication facts memorized

· uses a variety of problem-solving strategies

· considers reasonableness of answers

Science

· enjoys hands-on experiments

· writes testable questions

· is drawn to our science corner when finished with classroom work

· measures accurately

Teachers also commented on attitude, participation, interests, talents, listening skills, improvement, attendance and more.

 3. Set a Goal

As students continue to learn and grow, there are always ways to improve.  Provide students and parents with one specific goal that will be worked on by you and the student next quarter:

· This quarter we will be working on…

· One area for improvement is…

4. Closing

To boost the students confidence, always end on a positive note.  Let the student and parents know you are proud of what they have accomplished this quarter:

· _____ has had a terrific quarter, and I’m confident next quarter will be even better.

· I can hardly wait to see how _______ impresses me during 4th quarter.

5. Save Your Comments from Year to Year

Some teachers make a computer file to collect grade card comments organized by topics.  Google grade card comments for more ideas.

Christmas break...

is a wonderful time to relax, rejuvenate, and spend time with family.  You deserve it times one hundred! How can we begin to thank you for working tirelessly all year long with a smile on your face and a jump in your step.  Teaching is not an easy job.  There's assessing, planning, teaching, assessing again, motivating, loving, listening, caring, worrying, tutoring, researching, differentiating, mentoring, collaborating, and the list has just begun. You brighten students' days, make sure they are successful, and help them reach their highest potentials.  We are thankful for you every day, but wanted you to know during this special season just how much you are appreciated.  Thank you for ALL you do!

But let's be honest...there are only so many days you can sit around in your pjs or enjoy family that remind you of the Griswold's Uncle Eddie before you begin to get stir crazy.  Our unexpected string of snow days proved it! :-) So, if you find yourself wondering what you can do with this extra time, consider some of these activities:

Spend Time With Your Family

Visit the library, a zoo, or a museum.

Bake with your kids and share with your neighbor or the local fire house.

Create your own treasure hunt.

Play board games.

Compete in a gingerbread house competition.

Volunteer.

Read Something New

Use this time to catch up with some of the books your students are excited about.

Check out some of the Mark Twain nominees.

Enjoy some time reading for pleasure!

Treat Yourself

Dust off some of that exercise equipment that has taken a backseat to your crazy professional life.

Get some sleep!

Visit the spa or get a massage.

Try something new -- hot yoga, Zumba, CrossFit, etc.

Retail Therapy--it always works for me! :-)

Visit with some friends.

Catch up on your favorite television series.

Professional Development

Dig out that professional book you've been wanting to read.

Research UNITS OF STUDY.  We'll be focusing on these at our next LNW PD day.

Pinterest...ok, calling it "PD" might be a stretch, but it can certainly get you excited about ideas for second semester!

Take a free online course.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the BEST elementary staff in MO,

Angie and Debby

FYI - Late Starts and LNW

If there is a late start on an LNW day at your building, LNW will be cancelled for the whole day and rescheduled.

Christmas Activities

If you want to put a little sprinkle of Christmas into your December lessons, take a peek at these ideas.  Don't forget to share your own ideas with us!

Math Activities

Mathwire.com has posted several winter math activities such as snowflake geometry, penguin patterning, problem-solving, and puzzles, snowman estimation, and more!

 

Kidzone has some math activities..my favorite is the Christmas nets for fifth grade geometry!

Science Activities

Click on the cover of Jan Brett's The Mitten for an inquiry science lesson to go along with the picture book!

 

There is nothing better than giving students real-world problems to solve.  Almost everyone can relate to the frustration of Christmas lights.  Have students explore parallel and series circuits with Christmas lights.  (Maybe they can get that strand of lights to work that has been bugging you since Thanksgiving break!) 

 

How about a sleigh race?  Santa will need a safe, sturdy, and SMOKIN' FAST sleigh!  Students could build sleighs or you could experiment with surface types.

No snow?  Older students can experiment with creating their own snow using a common polymer.  Read more about it HERE.

ELA Activities

A quick search of "winter" on ReadWriteThink.org brought up several ideas including winter in the Northern Hemisphere, how animals survive in the winter, poetry, and others.

I love having students write fractured fairy tales.  A holiday spin on this idea is "cracked carols".  We've all heard the parody "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg..."  Have the kids get creative and write their own humorous holiday carol. 

Teacher Vision has a list of several Christmas reading and language arts activities HERE.

Miscellaneous

Stacy Bodin has a list of Christmas technology lessons and ideas HERE.  You'll definitely want to scroll through the activities to see which ones you think are best.  She has them divided into categories such as:  technology links, themed Christmas pages, ELA interactives, math, and even United Streaming links.

Don't forget about the old stand-by Smart Exchange!  You can select your grade level and subject area and search "winter" or "Christmas" for lots of activities.