10/24/16

First Quarter Retrospective


 Friday, October 21, was the final day of First Quarter.

We took time out from doing the graphic design for our Conference Portfolios to think about First Quarter.
 
Graphic Design by Lorelei Barse

As we reviewed our earned grades for these two classes this first quarter, we were asked to consider the following:
  • What is one thing you plan to improve?
  • What is your personal goal for your grade for Communications for iIfe Success and Technology for Life Success for Second Quarter? _____________    ______________
  • Name two things you will commit to doing to work toward your goal.
We had to be very concrete and specific on how we planned to work towards our goal. It was not enough to say "improve my attendance." We had to explain HOW. For example, "Buy an alarm clock and set it so I do not miss the bus anymore."
Retrospective = to look back (Gosh, we were busy!!)

For part of our retrospective (we learned that the term means "to look back") we had to list things we learned this first quarter. We filled the board!

We agreed: although these two courses can be challenging, we are learning a LOT. We like that it applies to adult life. We like that it is calm in here. And, we like that we do a lot of different things, not just writing worksheets.

10/18/16

Students take the lead

In a typical school, "Parent Conferences" are when parents come to school to talk to teachers about the student's progress.

At Tiospa Zina Tribal School, we are doing it differently.


Working on slide shows.
Parents will come to school on Friday, October 28, between 2 pm and 6 pm and will meet with their student. The student, not the teacher, will lead the conference.

The student will share his/her most recent test scores. He/She will explain the grades earned in all subjects and will explain why those grades were earned. Then, the student will talk about their attendance during the first quarter of this school year. The student will also tell their parent their goals for improvement next quarter. 


Each student in this class will also share work examples in his/her personalized portfolio, and will also share the "About Me" slide presentation created using Google Slides.


Designing dividers for our portfolios
All of these are ways for students to show what they are learning and to think about the meaning of school.

We are practicing for this. There are many parts to remember and do. We need to correctly introduce our parent to Sister Patrice. We can welcome them in English or Dakota. If we do it in Dakota, we get extra credit. 

Then, we have to lead our own meeting, explaining all of the things and answering any questions. Leading a meeting is one of the things we will have to do a lot when we are out of high school, so this is very good practice.

Although it will be hard to do, it is important. If a member of our family can't come, we can talk to Sister Patrice about who else to invite. If no one comes, then our family member can reschedule until November 9. After that, Sister Patrice will do a home visit and we will do the presenting at home.

On October 28, there is also a Tiospa Zina Halloween Feast and Wacipi. It will start at 4:30 (meal) and there are prizes and games as well.

Hopefully, some of us will have good costumes! The rumor is that Sister Patrice will dye her hair blue for Halloween. Come and see if the rumor is true!

10/6/16

Learning about Learning

Authors: Shelby Neilan, Mr.Kittycat. =^-^=, Raycee Brown, Treyton Neilan, Lorelei Barse, Tyrone Lawrence Editor: Sister Patrice Colletti, SDS
 



Our class has been learning about learning disabilities. Adults with disabilities need to understand them so they can self-advocate in work or college. 

The video that we watched, “Embracing Dyslexia,” was about students with dyslexia, and told how dyslexia works. The video explained how to deal with dyslexia and how to get help.

This is how you can tell if someone has dyslexia. Do they have a hard time reading? Can they decode their words? Is language and writing hard for them? Are they not reading at their grade level?
People with dyslexia or other learning disabilities have much more of a hard time with math/ English/ or even reading simple words. Some other signs of having dyslexia are: behavioral problems, frustration, stuttering, having fits because of frustration, and not doing homework because it’s too hard.
What happens if no one figures out that a learning disability is causing all these problems? Behavioral problems are really common because of all the frustration. Teachers or parents or other kids think that the student is lazy, stupid, or slacking. But, really, their learning disability is making learning impossible.
Usually, if you keep on failing, your self-confidence goes down. Some students act out and behave badly. But, maybe you become the quiet one in the back, being invisible to other people, never drawing attention to yourself. A lot of times, students with learning disabilities will find something to do besides what they are assigned to do, like drawing, or something else that finds them joy.

Nobody wants to be totally frustrated every single day. That makes you hate school and learning. Learning disabilities like dyslexia can even cause family problems, and the student ends up angry, crying, and dealing with depression. Behavior issues can be at home, too.

Understanding the bad things that can happen is helpful. The video also pointed out that understanding your learning disability can give you power. Having dyslexia or a learning disability can be a challenge. Learning to work around it (accommodations like listening to audiobooks, using software that reads out loud to you, using a spell checker, and learning to organize things) is hard work. But, people with learning disabilities can succeed.

People usually make a lot of assumptions when they find out someone is dyslexic or has a learning disability. They’ll automatically think, “Oh they’re stupid because they’re dyslexic,” but in reality they’re not, they are very smart! It’s just a struggle for them when they’re learning.

It’s not all bad to be dyslexic. There are good things, too. For example, people who have it can be very social. They might have really strong abilities for art, athletics, or doing things with their hands like being a mechanic, a beautician, a soldier, a musician, a sculptor, or a painter. 

People with dyslexia and learning disabilities can be super successful when they get the right help and accommodations. They can learn, they just learn differently. People who have dyslexia are not stupid. Their brain is wired differently, so they just need more the help to succeed with school learning.

10/3/16

"Team Slayin" lives up to its name

Three Teams competed well.
In a close competition on Friday, Team Slayin' (Lorelei and Raycee) beat both Mato Sapa (Tyrone and Tre) and Jen's Team (Dr. Jen Heath, joined halfway through by Shelby).

The competition used a Jeopardy-styled game-board to quiz teams on words and meanings from the Word Wall.
Capable Technology Assistant served as EmCee and scorekeeper
Jameson ran the technology while also serving as the score keeper. He was a great "EmCee."

Final Scores:
Team Slayin' = 3,200
Mato Sapa = 3,100
Jen's Team= 2,600



The Teams hope for a rematch, with new Word Wall words, in the near future.