Give us the evidence!

Phew! ISATs finish this week, and our polished pieces for Phineas Gage are turned in and graded... Redos are due by Monday, 3/18 - please schedule a time to come in before school, during lunch, or after school if you'd like more guidance.

It's time to put what we've learned about providing relevant evidence to the test. We'll be in groups this week, debating issues of relevance to us. For a debate to be successful, students must come up with strong, convincing evidence that their claim is the one we should listen to. (If you'd like more reason as to why we are doing debates in middle school, see this "Debates in the Middle School Classroom" site.) Tuesday we'll be introducing the concept and dividing into groups. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be used for finding the most convincing argument, coming up with a hook and a conclusion, and figuring out logistics. (On Friday, we'll also be hearing about good books from Miss Jergens!)

Next week Monday we will have our debates in class. The audience will participate as well as the debate members for each group. We'll wrap up the short week before Spring Break with Genius Hour on Tuesday and Career Day on Wednesday. Enjoy your two weeks and then your break!!