Running out of steam

Today I finished marking my Level 2 exams, and have started on my first set of Level 3 exams.

I was actually quite impressed with a lot of my Level 2s. While I didn't have amazing results, there were a lot of 'achieveds', which is a significant improvement for some of them. There are students in the class who are really listening and following advice and guidance that has been given in their learning logs. They are really trying everything to improve what they are writing. Also, most of them attempted the Unfamiliar Section, which they were not so sure about. A great step forward.

However, I feel like I'm sometimes talking to myself with some of my Level 3s. And the thing is, it is not that they don't know the film, or how to write essays - most of the ones I have looked at are reasonably soundly structured. I am only a few in, but they are a) not writing a full 4 body paragraph (minimum) essay, and b) are only focusing on the beginning of the film?!?! I remember clearly going over with them, just the other day, about showing their knowledge of the whole film! This is going to need to be something that I focus on working through with them when we come back. I need to figure out a different way of going over it with them, and more practise I think. I have to admit that for a lot of them they have made leaps and bounds improvements - not having written a literary essay in many years, and are now writing as well as they are. We just need to work on fine tuning it now (and remembering that we are arguing a point, not just writing about the film).

I have to finish this set of Level 3s, have another Level 3 class, plus my Year 11 ones came in today. These Level 3 ones are taking me at least 1/2 hour each, with the comments that I am writing. I need to speed up, probably write less (although this is their formative attempt, and they will use this to help them improve for the end of year exams), and plough through.

I am looking forward to the visit with our BeLT team to Rangitiki College/High School tomorrow, and Otaki on Friday, to see how they are using Chrome books.

Oh well... back to it.