Tips to Find More Service Hours

Need more service hours before Confirmation? There are many opportunities within the school and parish alone, not to mention the opportunities in Dublin and the greater Columbus area.

Why earn service hours?

The primary reason is to live out our faith in our actions. Scripture repeatedly calls us to serve the poor, to treat others the way we want to be treated, and to be giving with our time and talents. For this reason and others, all students must earn 25 hours before Confirmation; these hours can be earned during the 7th and 8th grade years.

Where can I find service opportunities?

3 Tips for Keeping Your Locker Clean

In a student survey, 40% of middle school students said that they “sometimes” or “always” struggle with keeping their locker clean and organized. Here are some of the best tips from teachers and students to help students make sure they’re using their space efficiently.

How to Complete Test Corrections (Correctly)

(Reminder: We also have a post about Friday folders and corrections here.)

When students do not meet the standard on a test on the first try, we teachers ask them to fill out a form called “test corrections”. On the form, the students will fill in these fields:

• Original (incorrect) answer
• New (correct) answer
• Why the new answer is the correct one
• Where the student FOUND the correct answer (which book, video, notes, or source)
• Why the student got it wrong the first time (guessed, forgot, etc.)

What is the "ACED" Formula in Writing?

Many students struggle (at first) with analytical writing, especially if a student is a concise writer who doesn’t always include enough detail, doesn’t explain his or her answer, or doesn’t know how to analyze a fact for its significance.

This semester, seventh and eighth graders have been learning a writing strategy called “ACED” that can work in almost any class and is particularly relevant for short answer responses, extended responses, and essays.

For example, the ACED acronym works well for...

• Short answer questions on tests, especially in social studies, ELA, religion, and science
• Lab reports in science class
• Body paragraphs for essays
• Any situation in which students have to cite a text (novel, article, etc.)

Here’s how it works:

15 Ways to Study Alone (and with Partners)

(Reminder: We already have posts on general studying tips and preparing for tests in particular! We also have a post on how to get organized.)

As we gradually prepare for midterm exams (and final exams later in the year), many students will choose to begin studying soon. However, the reality is that most students learn and study differently, so the exact action steps to take will vary by BOTH the student and the content area.

Below is a list of suggested action steps to take in the coming weeks. (Students: You may need to try several of them to find the best combination of study methods for you!)

Getting Organized for Midterm Exams (Checklist)

(Reminder: We have past blog posts about how to study for and take a test/exam!)

This week, the midterm exam schedule will be sent home in Friday folders. In addition, in the coming weeks, most of the content area teachers will be distributing study guides and other resources to begin preparing for January’s tests.

On one hand, there’s no one “right” answer regarding how students should organize themselves for exams. However, there are commonly-used strategies that work for most students, which are listed below.

Students: Feel free to print this checklist and go through all the steps!

Using Concept Checklists in Math Class

In both seventh and eighth grade math, a tool called the “concept checklist” is one of the most valuable pieces of information for both students and parents.

When used well, the concept checklist is the best way for...

• Parents to know how their child is doing
• Students to track personal progress toward mastery
• Students to visualize the path of learning: what already happened, what’s happening now, and what will be learned next

So, what is a concept checklist? This convenient at-a-glance form lists the standards covered in a unit and breaks them down into a checklist of the mathematical concepts that students need to master, written in student-friendly “I can” statements.

Here’s how the routine works: