Right about now we can do something to really prevent communications problems with parents in the future: we can send an email to the parents of our underperforming students. This would only apply to anyone currently using an interpersonal skills rubric of the kind described in the Big CI Book and on my website – jGR or the new one that Tina describes in the appendices toA Natural Approach to Stories.
So the parent communication below was just sent out to parents by Tina, who has given permission for us to cut and paste and edit to our own situation. It is a strong preventive move to (a) get the kid to get with our program, and, just as importantly, (b) avoid any kind of parental meltdown in a month or so:
Dear Families,
My name is Tina Hargaden, and it is my great pleasure to work with your children in French or Spanish class. In class, we spend the majority of our time communicating in French or Spanish. Your child’s grade reflects the importance of the interpersonal communication that happens in class. 65% of the grade is based on your child’s communication ability. This includes attentive listening, responding to comprehension checks, and demonstrating understanding of the class’s learning activities, stories, and discussions.
I am contacting you because I just entered the first Interpersonal Communication grades of the year, and your child’s grade was below a B for this week. I thought you would like to know so that you can help your child understand the expectations for communication in this class. it is expected that they listen actively to the class’s activities, maintain a flow of French or Spanish communication, and demonstrate their comprehension of the language.
I have sent home a copy of the rubric for this Interpersonal Communication grade, as well as a more detailed explanation of the assessments used in class.
Please contact me with any concerns or questions. tinahargaden@gmail.com is the best email to use. In your email, please specify your student’s name and period, as I sent a bulk email to all students whose interpersonal communication grades were below 80%.
Please know that next week I will replace this week’s grade with your child’s new grade, as this is a settling period of adjustment to the class. Therefore, this week’s grade is for informational purposes only.
Thank you!
Tina Hargaden