It's been a while since I posted (mostly because I've been consumed with school, work, lesson planning, and sister's wedding planning), so here's a quick update.
I've had full control of the classroom for a solid two units of C.A. and am beginning my second unit in Social Studies and I have to say it's really not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm finding the more I integrate the two courses the easier my life is, not to mention my stress level! For example, instead of asking students to complete a final 'test' for China, my lower level class is working on a final project that requires them to research and write a project of their choice. My honors class is reading Dragonwings right now (a story about a young boy who moves from China to San Francisco in the early 1900s). Their project revolves around the novel, but requires them to use their Social Studies book to pull information like culture and religion into their final project. I'm really happy with how hard (most of) the students are working on the projects and how engaged they are!
I'm starting ancient Greece in Social Studies, which is awesome because I know a lot more about Greece than I do China! The plan is for my honors students to research a Greek God and write a paper, while the lower level students might be putting on a theater show (that's just an idea -- they won't start the unit for another week). This unit is going to be closely tied to their C.A. class, which I think will help them gain a deeper understanding of material in both classes.
On the frustrating side of things, behavior in my classes have only gotten worse, so I really don't want to comment on them when my head is still reeling from a pretty crazy day.
Hope everyone enjoys their upcoming break!
