Return and Conquer

Made it back from fall break today in one piece and tried to get my students going again with a pep talk. since we are starting a new nine weeks, I reminded the students about the importance of participation and my willingness to do anything I can to help them succeed. I have also raised my expectations a little to try and improve their writing skills by forcing them to answer every question in complete sentences if possible (exceptions for listing, numbers, etc.). I even went so far as to break down the components of a sentence and to give them some grammar pointers as some of them read and write on a 5th grade level or below. I am hoping that by increasing some of the challenge in the classroom but letting them know we are in it together I will see some positive results. I guess only time will tell.