Course Structure
By Beth Murkowski
RUBRICS
5 Features of a
Highly Effective Rubric
1.) Clearly delineated points
Every good rubric contains four or five main components
 For example, if you're grading an oral presentation, you may
want one of your points to be "composure." In this category,
you would rate things like how well the student magnifies his
or her voice and maintains eye contact.
 Another point could be longer, like "how well is the argument
presented." Under that heading, you would include things
like evidence, commentary and analysis of research.
5 Features of a
Highly Effective Rubric
2.) Subcategories that relate to main points
Include descriptions of specific things that you are looking
for.
 under the "composure" category, include a few key
subcategories like "appears comfortable talking to an
audience" and "consistently makes eye contact.
 make sure they are precise enough to rate for every
student.
5 Features of a
Highly Effective Rubric
3.) 100 total points
 Make your projects out of 100 points.
5 Features of a
Highly Effective Rubric
4.) Total points per section with breakdowns
in subsections
 Assign point values to each main component.
 Then, break up these points and distribute them among the
subcomponents
 Assign points based on what's most important
 "composure” may get only 15 total points to be broken among
three subcomponents.
 "How well the argument is presented,” may have 50 total points
to be distributed among six subcomponents.
5 Features of a
Highly Effective Rubric
5.) Include room for comments
 Write a few closing words at the end of your rubric.
 Lets the student know he or she did a good job or
explains in more detail what needs to be improved.
 Make the student feel better about the final grade too.
Syllabi
Guide to Writing a Syllabus for Middle
School
Course Overview
 Provide a detailed and well-explained overview of the
coursework students will encounter throughout the semester
 Show students how they will use the information learned in
the course in their future education
 Lays out basic assignments of tests, papers, projects, field
trips and anything else students might encounter
 Keep them positive!
Guide to Writing a Syllabus for Middle
School
 Objectives
 Lets students know what is expected of them
 List what teachers want students to learn such as dates,
information, concepts or even skills
 Examples:
 Math class: how to perform certain numerical problems
successfully and the ability to identify solutions to performing
word problems
 English class: knowing the meaning of words and the ability
to identify basic grammatical errors
Guide to Writing a Syllabus for Middle
School
 Calendar
 Keeps students on target for the year or semester
 Assignments
 Test dates
 Papers
 Projects
 Teaches students skills needed for high school and
college
Guide to Writing a Syllabus for Middle
School
 Resources
 Anything the teacher feels appropriate for students to explore
 books, magazines and newspapers by citing specific titles,
articles and even multimedia resources.
 Students gain the opportunity to learn more about a particular
subject matter.
 Should be easily locatable at the school library or the Internet.
 Examples:
 History class: local historical sites and museums to pique a
students' interest.
 should focus on materials students can easily locate such as the
school library or the Internet.
Guide to Writing a Syllabus for Middle
School
 Rules
 class attendance policy, lateness, behavior, class
participation.
 include how breaking rules will affect the grade of a
student.
 provides teachers a place to include their own rules
pertinent to the classroom environment.
Tips on Grading Middle-School
Students Work
 When correcting papers, use green ink instead of red. The color
red is often associated with negative feelings and may have an impact
on the students' perception of your feedback.
 Strive to return graded students' papers within 2-3 days.
Research shows that the more time that elapses between completing
a task and receiving feedback on that task, the less meaningful the
feedback becomes.
 Before returning graded assignments, give a brief overview of
the positive aspects of the assignment as well as areas that need
improvement. This gives students a better idea of what you were
thinking and looking for when grading their papers.
 Keep in mind that your written comments on a paper mean a lot
to students, often more than the grade at the top. Be positive and
constructive.
Parent Letters
 https://sites.google.com/site/akanlicschoolsite/7thmath-parent-letter
 http://mrsczechlanguagearts.weebly.com/parent-andstudent-welcome-letter.html
 http://chapelhill.dcm.schoolinsites.com/?PageName=Te
acherPage&Page=16&StaffID=43733
 http://www.chewning.dpsnc.net/team-teacherwebpages/biotechnology-mr.kohman/letter-to-parents
Websites/Blogs

http://theedublogger.com/check-out-these-class-blogs/ (main site)

http://mscassidysclass.edublogs.org/

http://moranmustangs.org/

http://blogs.bcbe.org/jrhodus/

http://mrsjeff2u.edublogs.org/

http://mrswilsonscience.com/

Stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com

Sjsgrade7.blogspot.com

Edublogs.org

Hannah’s Edmodo video
Bibliography

Barski, Alex. "Guide to Writing a Syllabus for Middle School." 2013. ehow. Inc Demand Media. 26 May 2013 <http://www.ehow.com/info_10041624_guide-writing-syllabus-
middle-
school.html>.

Czech, Mrs. "Parent and Student Beginning of the Year Welcome Letter." Mrs. Czech's 8th Grade English Class. 27 May 2013 <http://mrsczechlanguagearts.weebly.com/parentand-student-welcome-letter.html>.

Kanlic, Amra. "7th Math Parent Letter." 2012. Mrs. Kanlic's Website. 27 May 2013 <https://sites.google.com/site/akanlicschoolsite/welcome-to-mrs-kanlic-s-website>.

Kohman, Mr. "Letter to Parents." July 2010. Chewning MIddle School. Durham Public Schools. 27 May 2013
http://www.chewning.dpsnc.net/team-teacher-webpages/biotechnology-mr.kohman/letter-to-parents.

Naegle, Paula. "Tips on Grading Middle-School Students'Work." 2002. scholastic.com. Scholastic. 26 May 2013 <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/tips-gradingschool-students39work>.

Teachnology, Inc. "5 Features of a Highly Effective Rubric." 2012. teach-nology.com. 23 May 2013 <http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/effectiverubrics.html>.

Wilson, Chris. "Letter to Parents." 2013. Chapel Hill Middle School. 27 May 2013 <http://chapelhill.dcm.schoolinsites.com/?PageName=TeacherPage&Page=16&StaffID=43733>.
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