9/27 Review/HW

Scholars, Artists, Citizens:  This weekend, your challenge is to
A.  Enjoy the long weekend and do something FUN! Whether it be cruising on a mountainbike, reading a great book, programming, or any of the many talents that you have, I hope you take advantage to renew yourself and have fun with friends and family.

You should also, in the midst of that fun,  read "Mexican WhiteBoy" to page 114.  You will get my feedback and assessment of your rough drafts on Tuesday.  I am grading this rough draft only for whether or not your essay was turned in on time.  That will be worth ten points.  If it was turned in late, you will receive five points.  You will receive a rubric with my comments and the grade that you would have received if it were a final draft so you will know how to improve for your next draft.

If you'd like to know more about the rationale behind not giving graded feedback for the first draft, see the quote below.  Many other Animas teachers follow a similar rationale in not giving graded feedback for the rough draft.

"Assessment of any kind should not be overdone. Getting students to become preoccupied with how they are doing can undermine their interest in what they are doing. An excessive concern with performance can erode curiosity -- and, paradoxically, reduce the quality of performance. Performance-obsessed students also tend to avoid difficult tasks so they can escape a negative evaluation. "--Alfie Kohn

See this link to read the full article. While I don't agree with Kohn that grades should be thrown out all-together, I do agree with the concept that drafts should not be graded the first time around.  We want you to be thinking more about doing your best and pushing yourself to risk and try new and innovative methods, rather than trying only for the standard and
"just enough" to get a grade you're happy with.  
Article on grading philosophy


Also, if you have a moment, check out this video about how we are influenced to judge others by their race and gender in this hidden-camera experiment.

Race and Gender Experiment