Last year we didn’t get jGR operational in our classrooms until later on in the fall. Next year, I plan to spend the first part of the first class explaining to the kids how they’ll be graded – short quizzes – 2 to 4 per week, and jGR – every day.
From the opening minutes of the class, kids will be faced with something they’ve never encountered in school, that how they behave will be connected to the grade they earn.
This is not about behavior in the sense of whether they are nice in class or not, but the observable non-verbal behaviors that form part of the national standards in language classrooms.
Kids are taught from a young age to be extrinsically motivated, i.e. grades count. And now, a child will have to grock that the Classroom Rules posted in the room have teeth behind them – jGR – and that there is no separation between the observable non-verbal behaviors that they exhibit and the grade they earn. How about that?
“But, I don’t get it, you mean that in this class we are graded on how we act?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“But you can’t do that!”
“I can. It’s a language. The national standards focus on this skill in particular – it’s called the Interpersonal Skill. People can’t learn a language unless they do these things on this chart over here. Can everyone see it easily? Good!”
(explain the jGR details, connecting your point to the Three Modes, and have the three modes and the ACTFL 90% Use statement up on the LCD and ask them to write down the page numbers and the link and go online that nite (first homework assignment) and read them, and be ready to talk about them the next day.)
“Now let’s fill out these (CWB) cards and start, shall we? By the way, would anyone like to get some mega extra credit points? Just write down everything you understand me to say in French for the rest of the period. If you or anyone in here doesn’t understand, just go like this.” (teach them the clarication move and start right in with the CWB.
Related:
https://benslavic.com/blog/2012/09/24/jens-great-rubric-jgr-2/