Walsingham Academy Mrs. McArthur Room 111 Welcome Back-to-School! Walsingham Academy Mrs. McArthur Room 111

History of the Modern World This is the way the world sometimes looks to 10th grade. Since they’ve had the medieval course, I thought this was a nice visual approach to it.

Ancient and Medieval World Final Grade Distributions (given in %) Looking Back to 9th Grade Ancient and Medieval World Final Grade Distributions (given in %) A B C D F 2007/8 11 44 35 6 2 2008/9 22 47 20 8 2009/10 As in 9th grade, there are many ways to excel in this course. In addition to the traditional means to measure knowledge and skills: essays, projects, multiple choice, group discussions, etc. Last year for example, 4 students received a 100% on the final exam thanks to their use of extra-credit questions. There are also weekly optional extra-credit opportunities. Each term, students may even expunge a grade of their choice by reading a historical novel and participating in an after-school Book Club discussion. Finally, I temper any tendency to be a “tough grader” by granting a “curve” which is applied to the end-of-term and semester exam grades. Conclusion: Students work hard and are very successful in history.

Academic Performance rests on many critical factors… “70% of surveyed employers cite deficiencies among high school graduates in “applied” skills: Professionalism Work ethic Punctuality Working productively with others Time management Workload management”* Obviously, people have been questioning young persons competence since the beginning of organized schools. However, when I asked students to complete an end-of-course survey last term, there was a negative response on the part of some to the question asking if “The responsibilities of students were clearly defined.” It’s clear that it is always appropriate to bear down on what is expected of students and how are they going to be measured. Is this new? *Vaughan, Steve. "Summer jobs aren't so hot." The Virginia Gazette [Williamsburg] 17 June 2009, 4A

21st Century Skills! Now called… Creativity and innovation Critical thinking and problem solving Communication and collaboration Information (including media and ICT) literacy Flexibility and adaptability Initiative and self-direction Social and cross-cultural skills Productivity and accountability Leadership and responsibility Clearly there are some common traits associated with successful integration into adult society. Devaney, Laura. “New resource helps teach 21st –century skills. “ eSchool News. 18 July, 2008 <http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=54606>

What’s a Parent to Do? Monitor course. 2.Monitor homework. (Use our on-line resources) Blackbaud Communication 2.Monitor homework. 3. Stay in touch. mmcarthur@walsingham.org Blackbaud and email are my primary vehicles of regular communication with families. I try to give you a specific breakdown of performance on major measures-tests, essays. This is also where I signal if a grade is missing and needs to be made up. I also indicate if there is a problem that might be impacting the student’s grade/citizenship. Homework is not just a matter of going through the motion of tackling the day’s assignment. Reflection on the ideas/concepts and making connections between the assignment and the concepts is critical and takes a while to internalize. Stay in touch. Encourage your student to come see me if he/she has a concern. Help your student to analyze what the concern is and what the student may wish to ask of me – that’s the start of a plan to solve a problem. Do not let things build up. Much damage is done when problems fester.

Little Known Facts1 Except for holidays and special weekends, homework is assigned daily. I’m here after school and happy to monitor and/or help with homework. “80% of genius is just showing up” (with homework.)2 1As communicated to parents by students 2Woody Allen with amendment by Mrs. McArthur