Visions of Greatness: Words of Hector, Deeds of 7-1 Students

"My doom has come upon me; let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter."

- Spoken by Hector facing Achilles, after a missed spear-throw, Iliad Book XXII Lines 299-305.

There is little else to say. This week, students will take their second trimester final exam for Social Studies. The exam will be tough. The only nightly tasks for students this week would be to either lightly brush up on concepts that they witness on the exam or to rest well.

I have been surprised at the amount of realism many of our students have possessed in regards to this exam. As I spent last week observing them and have to calibrate and assess their focus in the upcoming week, I believe they will demonstrate the strength of brave Hector, who demonstrates a level of discomfort with the task which has been discharged to him, but also knows how bound he is by honor to "do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter." I sense that the glory of Hector would be appropriate to many of our academic warriors facing yet one more challenge.

I think that on the eve of this mammoth encounter between emerging scholar and assessment little else needs to be said. We await the outcome of this battle with swords (pencils) drawn and results suspended... at least until 3:30 Friday, 2/29.

Happy hunting to all of the kings and queens of historical inquiry on Team 7-1.

Mr. Kannan

P.S. Next week's blog will have some advanced "exit poll" like results of student achievement on this exam. To our perceptive thinkers, please don't think that I will actually post the results on the blog... tempting as that might be!

“Here they come around the turn…” One week before the Final Exam

We are closing out strong. The Social Studies final exam starts on Monday, 2/25 and lasts until Friday, 2/29. For this week’s blog, I thought I would focus on 10 things that can be done this week for all students to enhance their chances of doing well on this important exam and help strengthen their status in the class for second trimester. All of these items should be integrated into student academic habits not merely this week, but throughout their remaining time in this class.


* Focus this week’s in class and on nightly assignments- With one week to go, students should pay attention to all the nightly tasks this week. Our discussion will address the Civil Rights amendments and final points that need to be made on the Constitution. I believe that while students are studying all that will be present on the Final Exam, there might be a tendency to forget the items discussed this week. This would be a mistake, so being mindful of this week’s content might prevent such a miscalculation from happening.

* Work on the study guide each night- Students were given a two page study guide which addressed all pertinent items on the final exam on Friday, 2/15 (Extra copies can be found on this blog under the hyperlink of “Handouts.”) It is strongly advised that students make nightly progress on this packet, one section at a time. Students should use their notes, any work they have created, as well as their textbook in addressing what each concept is and why it is important. Naturally, since the format of the test is multiple choice, students should be able to state specific facts relating to each concept as well as its overall general importance or significance. The study guide is comprehensive, so time should be devoted to it on a nightly and incremental basis.

* Generate questions about study guide and compose them on a separate list, segmented out by chapter/ concept- As students work on their study guides, any areas of question or wonderment should be noted in a separate list. My hope is that they understand much of the study guide, as it is review of material that we have discussed throughout the trimester. Yet, areas that require further analysis should be noted on a separate list, and as these areas are addressed, there should be a stronger sense of confidence developed about these topics.

* Attend study sessions with questions that need to be answered- There will be lunchtime study sessions held this week, as well as a Friday morning study session. This puts the number of study sessions at 5. Students can attend any and all of these, as all study sessions will be generated by student questions which make them all uniquely distinctive and different. The study sessions could be excellent opportunities where student questions can be answered. While these are informal question and answer sessions, where there will be no formalized reteaching of concepts, attendance will be taken. Students who are having challenges with the format of the exam, or the concepts presented should use these sessions as opportunities to open the dialogue and minimize confusion about what is being presented. Passes will be made available on the table outside of my room. It will require a sacrifice from students, as they will have to make a choice between the opportunity to socialize with colleagues and gain further understanding about the exam and what is expected form students on it. This is a choice they will have to make. The opportunities to maximize student success are there, and the hope is that students will seize it.

* Examine the blog- Complete some of the extra credit offered this week. As we are taking stock of where students are and what is laid in front of them, the reality is that at the time of composing this blog, there are over 1300 points for this trimester. In addition to this, there have been over 100 points of extra credit offered. Perhaps, this week would be one week where students might seek to bolster their standing in the class before the final exam by completing some of the extra credit offered on this blog. The “Wacky Metaphoric Analysis” could yield up to nine points of extra credit for well composed written answers, and identifying the speaker of the quotations has proven to be quite lucrative for a handful of 7-1 students. Finally, if we generate 100 votes on this week’s poll question, every student on the team will receive 10 points for exercising their democratic sensibilities. All of these could be dismissed as “easy points,” but the looming storm of a 500 point exam might require students to secure their grade before it hits. I see little wrong with building up some “rainy day” points, in the event it pours next week. (There's one more piece of advice similar to this one soon enough.)

* Extra credit- As long as there have been teachers and students, there has been the question of extra credit. I think there is little doubt as to where I stand. Extra credit is an opportunity for all students, made available to all students, and designed in order to assist all students. At this point in their academic careers, I believe students must understand that academic success can take different forms. Students can be proficient at taking tests, demonstrate strength in their writing, and excel at assembling projects. I also believe that students should strive to go beyond the content in acquiring as many points as possible. Perhaps this means dong more work, or opening a dialogue with parents/ guardians about what is transpiring in the classroom via obtaining signatures. Last week, students were given a series of extra credit tasks offered on the Constitution and the current political climate. Exploring one or more of these options could prove to be both academically lucrative and intellectually enlightening for all students. The due date for completed tasks to be submitted is Thursday, March 6, 2008. While these reside in the long term, students can get this week’s syllabus and progress report signed for extra credit. Again, this opportunity is made available to all students in the hope of helping all students.

* Completing the daily points questions- Another opportunity open to all has come in the form of daily points. Over the last two weeks, students have been greeted with their entrance into class with “Daily Points.” These are random questions on the Constitution and serve as an excellent source of test question material on the Constitution. Each student receives one random question and a successful answer yields fifteen points. If a student wanted to test their knowledge base on the Constitution, these questions are posted on the blog (under the handouts link) and can be printed out, completed, and submitted for extra credit points. In a larger sense, completing these questions helps to gauge student understanding on a concept that will be prevalent on the Final Exam.

* Examine the blog, part 2- As long as I have taught, I have always featured a “Final Exam.” I think there is something quite powerful about demonstrating what is known in one setting, displaying focused energy throughout. This week, I will be posting previous Final Exam questions from the last couple of years on the blog (under the handouts link.) Former final exam questions will be on the exam. These questions will be posted on Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night. I will have the answer keys posted in the Team 7-1 Team area, so students can check how they fared with these and any questions can start a discussion. While the questions will be different on this year’s final exam, I think it might help to serve as a good guide to familiarize students with topics covered. Exam questions will be posted on Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night.

* Pay attention to the guide on how to study- Students were given a handout on Friday, 2/15, which outlines a method on “how to study” for this Final Exam. I realize that all of our students have their own methodology for exam studying. Yet, in giving students some of my personal advice on how to prepare for this comprehensive assessment, I believe that it might help students engage in a worthy internal discussion of metacognition; How do I know what I know? I believe that some professionals simply “assume” students “know” how to study, and while this might be true for some, I believe that other students simply have been told to “study.” This document might offer some strategies on how to proceed with this element of being told to “study.”

* Make the commitment and keep the commitment to doing well- As students focus on wanting to do well on the final exam, the reality is that students will have to work as hard as they can to do so. I have told students to assume or take as a fact that this exam will be the hardest exam they have ever taken. I sense that a tendency of 7th grade students is to demonstrate a sense of pride, sometimes hubris, that indicates that little can surprise them. My hope is that we can seek to minimize this. Students who anticipate challenge and embrace its reality are lifelong learners and true scholars. 7th grade students who choose not to study because they believe that they “know it all” demonstrate arrogance. One need only examine literature such as Sophocles or Shakespeare or examine the narratives of American History to see what happens when one demonstrates hubris when modesty should be displayed. I sense that if students want to do well, they must make a commitment to doing their best in preparing and ensuring comprehension of the components on the final exam. If they do and are willing to uphold their commitments in the face of those who might not possess the same sense of zeal, they will find success.

When I envisioned all the goals for this year’s Social Studies classes, taking this final exam was one of the benchmarks that would serve to measure our journey. We continue our voyage this week with final preparations and execution next week.

The nightingales are waiting to sing their songs. In the silence of preparation, one can hear emerging notes whose harmonies remind us of the promises and possibilities of what we do and to what idylls we commit ourselves.

Happy hunting.
Mr. Kannan

A play on Perlstein: “Assessed: One team of students struggles to sojourn on through the Constitution.”

The title for this week’s blog entry is a respectful salute to Linda Perlstein’s recent work, Tested: One American School Struggles to Make the Grade. It was suggested that I read the book and as I absorb the lessons in it, I sense much meaning in my own pedagogical experience with this year’s students. The book centers on the world of education in the age of No Child Left Behind legislation. The aspect of this work that resonates with me is the idea of how our students struggle. Listening to the voices of student struggle throughout the nature of battling through the challenge posed within modern education seems to be a theme that I can sense in the hearts and minds of our current 7-1 students. Certainly, Social Studies on 7-1 occupies a different position of challenge than other disciplines as it is the only subject not to be tested on our upcoming ISATS. This creates a unique sensibility towards the class. On one hand, this would make the class somewhat more approachable than other courses because the spectre of “external assessment” is removed. Yet, the reality of the type of teacher that is driving the class is what casts a more looming and, perhaps, more formidable adversary than any other. I can sense that students do not sense the lack of a state exam as a reason to understand this class as any easier. I could sense that some students might be more willing to have an external assessment than wrestle with the demons of the second trimester final exam that is less than 15 days away and focuses on the study of the Constitution.
Bearing this in mind, I wanted to compose a blog entry that addresses the reality of what students need to be doing and what parents should be doing in order to help them achieve this particular goal. I sense that this blog will be a bit more direct, and less on the academic/ analytic level. My hopes are that this missive will help provide a bit more clarity to all stakeholders in addressing the challenges which exist in the next two weeks:
To all 7-1 Social Studies Students:
* Are you keeping up with the nightly assignments and playing a good game of catchup in case you fall behind?- One item that is critical is to ensure that “No Constitutional Legacy is Left Behind.” In this vein, completing all nightly tasks is an absolute. Make sure that if you need more time, you are communicating with me and coming up during lunch or during the morning. Weekend time should be spent reviewing ideas and preparing for upcoming lessons and concepts. The daily questions are adding up. At these checks of nightly study, you have to be able to “man up” and ensure you are obtaining your points. If you are “lost” are you communicating with Mr. Kannan? Home calls, emails, or even discussions at free moments. These are the steps that can allow for greater success. Even if you assumed that you could do nothing and then study the night before the 25th on everything, you would lose daily points at a rate of 15 points a day. It has already wreaked some damage on some of your grades, so make all attempts to ensure that you are focused on the course of study that has been charted for you.
* Have you taken advantage of all the opportunities made available to you? This would mean revising items that need to be revised (quizzes on the Supreme Court, writing prompts) and completing extra credit (signed progress reports/ syllabi, extra credit outcome sentences, Constitution extra credit writing tasks.)
* Are you engaging in the discourse?- Successful students are ones who are constantly immersed in “chatter.” By this, I mean that students that engage in dialogue about the academic concepts fare much better than those who remain in silence or discuss non- academic items. If you are talking with others about items such as the first amendment, judicial activism, or amending the Constitution, you stand a better chance of success than not doing so. One of the hopes I have is that when all of you line up outside of class waiting for your questions, you start talking to one another about what principles you know, what goals the person in front of you know, or the amendments that the person behind you knows. I have told all classes that the climate of the building will dramatically change when we can see and hear students engaging in academic discourse. Reflect for a moment if the lunchroom became the pantheon where tables of students feverishly debated if the 2nd amendment applies today as it did in the times of the framers. How about a “Social Studies Evening Jam Session”? Bring your snacks and your ipods as a group of friends get together to hang out and discuss… the Constitution! Wouldn’t it be great to hear one student say, “Let me plug my ipod into the dock so that we can hear the ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ version of the Preamble!” These discussions make for stronger students, and in doing so, relegate adults to the margins, and increase the likelihood for academic greatness to be evident.
* Are you engaging in the discourse, parte dos- The reality is that if students approach their teachers willing to talk about content issues, we create the bridges to intellectual glory. One of the hopes of the “Meet Social Studies” sessions is that it would be a great opportunity for students to talk with teacher and peer alike about “Social Studies.” This brainstorming session between both parties will yield stronger thought. The other element revealed is that the barriers of an adversarial relationship between student and teacher are dissolved. In place is a new foundation built on trust and collegiality. The reality facing students and teachers alike is how both sides can trust one another. This would be a good step in creating a realm where this is evident.
*Do you know that you can run, but you can’t hide?- I sense that some students will do none of the above and think that this is “no big deal.” I can say that this is not wise, and an advertisement for “Bad Idea Jeans.” The reality is that all “chickens will come home to roost” on the week of the 25th. A five day final exam that covers everything and no notes made available is the reality that faces all students. What is done to ensure success, accept academic and moral responsibility, and demonstrate a mature sense of greatness will be tallied at that time. There is a reckoning. Joe Louis was right when he softly spoke about Billy Conn, trying to evade the champ in the ring: “He can run, but he can’t hide.” So true.
To all 7-1 Social Studies Parents/ Guardians:
*It’s their battle and we can help them win it. I believe that the best way for parents/ guardians to help is to keep our emerging scholars on the path of scholarship. The reality is that neither the teacher nor the parent can take the test or assessments for the child. The student will have to work harder than anyone else in their pursuit of glory. We can assist them through intellectual, emotional, and physical encouragement. This can take the form of allowing time for your students to check the blog and creating a plan to assist them in developing a greater focus outside of class on what needs to be done in it. One theme that I loved hearing from last week’s conferences was how families created specific times for particular tasks. “Monday night syllabi night” or “Wednesday night blog night” were not only humorous, but underscored how important it is to develop a pattern that represents classroom success even when a student is outside of it. I believe creating this habit of academic vigilance creates stronger students, and successful warriors.
* Engaging families in the discourse. I also enjoyed conference narratives that included how parents had to field Constitutional questions from their children. I thought that spoke volumes. Students who take the classroom concepts with them to their homes, bringing them to their families will fare better than those who do not. It’s a challenge speaking to any child. I can personally testify to this. Yet, I think some “intellectual conversation starters” between parents and chlidren would help out in this process:
“Which amendment is the most important to you?”
“ What mistakes did the framers make in their forming of the Constitution?”
“What items of the Constitution are in the news today?” (Watching the news as a family or with children is invaluable. Some of the best discussions happen right there.)
“Which amendment/ branch of government does Mr. Kannan like and why?”
“Which goal of the Constitution do you think you need to embrace in order to deal with Social Studies?” (Hint: The securing of the right to be left alone…)

A large fear of parents/ guardians is “How do I know that my kids are right?” I think it’s a natural concern. My feeling is that if students can convince you of their point of view with detail, support, and analysis, this would mean that they are on the right track. If they can reason their way with all of you, then I believe that they are going to be just fine in Social Studies. In this respect, I am confident that the intellectual discussions which emerge within the homes find their way into students’ pattern of recognition.
*"Your Social Studies teacher writes a lot of stuff- let’s try to go through it together.” One of the best aspects of this year has been my desire to break my dependence on the District 97 server. I had a webpage on the district server for the last two years and when the server went down, so did the webpage. I credit some of my more technologically driven colleagues for moving me to the blogspot and box.net domains. I have become addicted to both. I am the first to admit this. Yet, I think if all stakeholders collaborate on discussing what is present in this blog or in the classroom handouts that can be downloaded from box.net, a sense of solidarity can emerge. If American History has taught us anything, it is that when stakeholders develop a sense of community and unity through trying times, they stand a better chance of succeeding through them and emerging into a vision of triumph. Certainly, I don’t mind being the force where parents/ students align themselves in order to demonstrate academic glory. (I am targeted in so many ways that at least this way can help our students learn. I will take it, and no, I do not have a martyr complex, but I sense that my choice of profession would move me closer to it.) Building from this would be when students and parents sit down together and check their online grades. I experienced several moments when students and parents used the computer in the team area to examine online grades together and a pointed and direct discussion between on strengths/ weaknesses emerged. We seek to create the dialogue, and steps such as these can go to great ends in securing these.


I believe that our students, your children and both of our emerging scholars, can achieve the notion of success that we both want if these items are being followed. For many of our students, these steps are already integrated into a pattern of recognition and acceptance. The goal would be for all of our students to experience this. Small measures can help to achieve the greater and more formidable goal of academic success. I can only hope that like Principal McKnight, our own nightingales can sing “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” with absolute clarity in our garden of scholarship.

Happy hunting.
Mr. Kannan

CNN is now ready to project that T.S. Eliot was wrong and February, that’s right, February, will win as “the cruelest month.”

As political candidates rage against the darkness intrinsic to the political nomination process, 7-1 students themselves are "fighting against the dying of the light." February greets these tired warriors with their most formidable of foes. As we continue our study of the Constitution, we will engage into the battlefield of personal freedom, judicial activism and restraint, the many rulings that have formed the backbone of the Constitution, as well as the memorization of the many concepts that must accompany the unit of such a magnitude. It has always been challenging to be in 7-1 Social Studies, yet right now, it is downright tough.
Perhaps, a more educational friendly opening would have been more appropriate. In our study of the Constitution, we have outlined the principles and goals of great importance to the framers. We will now move into the study of Supreme Court Rulings, as well as issues that seem to be inherent in the Constitution. The objective here will be to move students from a fact based interpretation of the Constitution to a level of greater synthesis, where higher ordered thinking skills will be required to problem solve targeted areas in Constitutional Theory. The methods of assessing student understanding will be through traditional quizzes, memorization tasks, as well as writing prompts and outcome sentences. Students will be encouraged to match independent work with successful valences of in class and out of class peer collaboration.
Finally, I use the words of a current 7-1 student: “Dang, this stuff is tough!”

I think all three approaches would describe where we are. We are just past the half way point of our study of the Constitution. Notice the progression: From goals and ideas, we have progressed to principles, execution, as well as specific hermeneutics of the institutions developed as part of the Constitution. We now place focus on individual amendments, the role the Supreme Court has played within the enhancement of Constitutional Theory, as well as the dilemmas that are inherent within such notions. It is taxing and difficult. Students will have composed over 100 outcome sentences on the topics presented in the Constitution, submitted multiple writings on the nature of the Constitution, and collected a vast number of handouts and items pertaining to increasing their understanding of the Constitution. Yet, this builds up to the unit assessment. The first will be a second trimester final exam, starting from the Path to Revolution to the Constitution. This standardized exam will take four to five days to complete, as it should amount to about 120- 150 questions. It is going to be intense. There will be study sessions held, study guides distributed, as well as high expectations placed on students in order to demonstrate their best. Such an assessment will be an excellent precursor into our domain of school wide standardized testing. The second assessment will be more interpretive, and will allow students to access multiple learning styles. This will take about two weeks to complete. Upon the conclusion of both assessments, students will have engaged in a rather intense course of study on the Constitution of the United States.
At this point, students must reaffirm to their commitment to doing well in Social Studies. I suppose that since we are at a point where we are closer to the end than we were to the beginning, it would be imperative for students to find ways to strengthen their standing in the class. It is understood that both assessments will be challenging. This would mean that in order for success to be present, students will have to face these assessments without worry and excessive fear. I have always believed that students fare better on assessments knowing that they have taken all needed steps through their successful preparation, and have secured every possible point prior to them, so in the event that something should “go wrong,” there is support and backup to ensure that the results are not of too disastrous a nature. For example, if a student knows that an upcoming exam is a challenge, I believe that it would be wise for them to keep up with nightly assignments, take advantage of any and all extra credit opportunities, and ensure that their focus is present in classroom instruction. When students learn how to embrace the Sun Tzu idea that “every battle is won before it is ever fought,” I believe that they not only have a greater chance of finding success, but they adopt a mentality that allows them to not acquiesce to defeat. True scholarship is when success is an embedded part of one’s state of mind. It happens at the moment where a student is able to say that they have prepared in a strong manner, done everything within their power, and are focused on the outcome, as opposed to the result. At this point, one can sense the empowerment that happens within the psyche of a student and this transformation happens on both academic and emotional levels.
At this point, students can take an active role to allow them to reach this plateau of transformation. This role can take on so many forms, that when students determine that their state of being reflects this habit of success, they will find what it is they sorely desire. It can be evident when students are proactive on assignment completion, attentiveness in class, and organization with the many handouts and items having been distributed. It can be evident when students focus on getting parent signatures on syllabi and extra credit progress reports. It can be evident when students seek to revise work that could be better. It can be evident when a student makes a commitment to arrive into class, follow instructions, and pay attention with silent focus, and steadfast determination, showing the signs of focus and readiness. It can be evident when students show this model amongst a setting of others who cannot, and receive extra credit on a syllabus that can be redeemed at the end of the week for points (Ask the student who organized her desk/ work area and showed focus while her colleagues were entering class conversing about non- Social Studies items. She obtained 15 points on a syllabus to counter the envious eyes of others.) It can be evident when students examine this blog for extra credit opportunities, as well as downloading advance copies of syllabi, in class handouts, as well as lecture notes posted. It can be evident when students read their daily schedules posted in the hallway and copy down the quotation framing the order of classes and find out who was the speaker for extra credit. It can be evident when students attend “Meet Social Studies” sessions and ask questions about the content and applications of it. It can be evident when students do what is needed to understand the material and ask questions when they open a new neurological pathway in their brains. It can be evident when a student sees me in the hallway in the morning or if by happenstance during an off team moment and issues a challenge: “If you have a minute, could you ask me a question about the Constitution?” Successful answering could allow them to receive a coupon for extra credit points. The ideas presented help to prove that when students assume the persona of an active agent of change in their academic worlds, success is a given. When students become the independent arbiters of their intellectual journey, instruction has reached its zenith. When students embody what it means to pursue “the good, the true, and the beautiful,” the songs of the garden enter their full cadence of sonorous melody.

February might be the cruelest month, but like the ending to Eliot’s work might be an opportunity to find some level of “shanti” in their learning experiences of not only the Constitution, but within this class, in general.

Happy Hunting.
Mr. Kannan