From: Erick Roldan (elroldan@metro.net)
Date: Sun Sep 12 1999 - 10:50:05 PDT
Message-Id: <3.0.32.19990912104938.0069dca4@mail.metro.net> Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 10:50:05 -0700 From: Erick Roldan <elroldan@metro.net> Subject: Re: Pinhole Digest #236 - 09/11/99
Hello Mike,
I teach at a high school - not middle school - with a population of about
1500 students, but we have a modified block schedule. On Mondays, Tuesdays
and Fridays we have a 6 period day, 60 minutes each. We start at 7:50 and
are done by 3:00 pm. On Wednesdays and Thursdays we have block periods,
1,3,5 on Wed. and 2,4,6 on Thu. where we start at 7:50 but we get done at
2:00pm - periods are 1 hour and 46 mins. I like this schedule and I believe
most other disciplines are happy with it because it is a partial block.
I teach freshman science classes and biology so I save all the labs for
the block day. Teaching in a block schedule requires the teacher to modify
how one teaches.... you can not expect to do lecture for the whole period
or keep one activity for the whole period. You are welcome to come and
visit our school to see how it operates and see if this is something you
might be interested in.
One school I recommend you seeing is Casa Robles in Sacramento because
they have what is known as a 4 X 4 and it seems like a good program if all
the staff would buy into block scheduling.
I hope I was helpful,
Erick P. Roldan
Piner High School
1700 Fulton rd.
Santa Rosa, CA. 95401
707 528 5245 (Front office)
At 12:20 AM 9/11/99 -0800, Pinhole Listserv wrote:
>Pinhole Digest #236 - Saturday, September 11, 1999
>
> block scheduling
> by "Mike Schulist" <schulist@marin.k12.ca.us>
> Re: pinhole block scheduling
> by "kathy saito" <ksaito@foothill.net>
> Re: pinhole AP Physics;advice
> by <CGDonahoe3@aol.com>
> Re: pinhole Zero Factorial
> by <CGDonahoe3@aol.com>
> Re: pinhole Zero Factorial
> by <CGDonahoe3@aol.com>
> Re: pinhole Zero Factorial
> by <ECaffer@aol.com>
> Re: pinhole block scheduling
> by <Anthea1228@aol.com>
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Subject: block scheduling
>From: "Mike Schulist" <schulist@marin.k12.ca.us>
>Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 09:45:11 +0100
>
>I teach eighth grade science at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael,
>and we currently have a 45 minute period length. This is too short for
>science labs, and the science department is pushing to move to block
>scheduling. Other departments at my school are resisting the idea however.
>Does anyone have any experiences in schools that use block scheduling I
>could share with the faculty? I'd like to know which middle schools use
>block scheduling so we can have models to go by. The clincher is to find
>foreign language and math teachers who enjoy block scheduling. Please let
>me know what your middle school block scheduling experience are! Thank
>you.
> Mike Schulist
>
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Subject: Re: pinhole block scheduling
>From: "kathy saito" <ksaito@foothill.net>
>Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 17:32:38 -0700
>
>Mike -
>
>I don't teach at a middle school, but I have experience teaching Science
>with a block schedule. IT'S GREAT! I also was a key participant in the
>move to switch to block scheduling at my former school. Feel free to ask
>me any questions...
>
>Kathy Saito
>Folsom High School
>
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Do or do not, there is no try" - Yoda (in "The Empire
>Strikes Back")
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ÄÄ
>
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Subject: Re: pinhole AP Physics;advice
>From: <CGDonahoe3@aol.com>
>Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 21:51:02 EDT
>
>fetter,
>
>what's your point 3 to 4 students AP old with few
>experiments?
>
>there is a whole world out there for you and your "yutes" to explore
>
>base your scores on experimentation, curiosity, risk taking and SFUSD Math
>6.1.1 standards for performance:
>
> "clearly and completely articulate the strategies used, the answer
>selected and why this answer is the best to the solution to the problem
>solved"
>
>make them prove to you that they both believe in and understand their answer
>
>as far as I am concerned, as prejudiced as I am, Berkeley beats Stanford
>every time
> but I'm a product of the '60's, Viet-Nam, the protests, and
>Berkeley.......
>
>Son, make these youth explain, over and over again how they arrived at their
>answer(s)
>
>I envy your situation. I teach five times 32 with two inclusion youth (
>one with 12 adult attendants on a regular basis ) .. and my mainstreamed
>youth add to class size while a special ed teacher makes as much as I do
>while I am teaching his/her children
>
>My mother says my name will nevr be anywhere but in her heart and the hearts
>of the students I challenged to be their best..........So, also, may it be
>for you.
>
>with the greatest respect (despite what I've said)
>
>cgd3
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Subject: Re: pinhole Zero Factorial
>From: <CGDonahoe3@aol.com>
>Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 21:57:53 EDT
>
>0! implies 0 times the next number(s) in sequence
>
>as an humble 7th math and science teacher, I may only suggest that the
>calculator sucks
>
>why?
>
>any number to the zero power is 1
>
>0, as I have researched, is an identity property for addition and subtraction
>
>and, any number/integer time 0 is zero
>
>Hence, I would forward this to SFSU or Yahoo homework assistance for
>explanation
>
>But what factor/number exists past 0? if 1! =1, the 0! cannot =1..
>
>move past this point to 3! = 6 and deal with what these youth will have to
>face to get into the school of their choice....
>
>good speking with ya..........and let me know if you find an answer
>
>cgd3
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Subject: Re: pinhole Zero Factorial
>From: <CGDonahoe3@aol.com>
>Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 21:59:08 EDT
>
>oh, by the way
>
>a heck of a lot of what we say to eighth graders does not make any sense
>
>support the females in your classes
>
>once, again
>
>cgd3
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Subject: Re: pinhole Zero Factorial
>From: <ECaffer@aol.com>
>Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 01:18:18 EDT
>
>Hi,
>Thanks for the help. Actually someone from the San Mateo County Office of
>Education responded with an explanation that makes sense. Zero factorial is
>a convention rather than a calculation. If 1! factorial is the second term
>of a binomial expansion, then the first term would be 0!. O1 would have a
>value of 1. Now aren't you glad you know this... the kids will trip out
>when I tell them on Monday, but that's part of the fun. It's a lot more
>interesting than factoring. Keeps 'em wondering what all those other keys
on
>the calculator might do. thanks again.
>Ellen
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Subject: Re: pinhole block scheduling
>From: <Anthea1228@aol.com>
>Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 02:36:19 EDT
>
>Hi Mike
>We have a flexible block schedule at Marina Middle School. Basically we are
>on a six period day, but some math/science and language arts/social studies
>teachers keep the same group of students for two consecutive periods each
>day, so they can teach one period of each or two periods of a single subject
>alternating each day. Other teachers have all singleton classes. That way
>teachers who can use block have that option but the elective and foreign
>language teachers can still have their one period.
>Hope that helps!
>Theresa
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>End of Pinhole Digest
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>To unsubscribe from pinhole, send an email to requests@exploratorium.edu
>with the words 'unsubscribe pinhole' (without the quotes) in the SUBJECT
of the email.
>
>To subscribe to the digest and only get 1 combined message a day, send an
>email to requests@exploratorium.edu with the words 'subscribe digest
pinhole' (without the quotes) in the SUBJECT of the email.
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Oct 19 2000 - 11:09:28 PDT