Play Book Tag discussion
October 2023: Winter
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Announcing the Tag for October
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Joanne wrote: "Jen wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Jen wrote: "Theresa wrote: "What makes me happy that winter tag won - and would have made me happy with weird tag is that this will easily fit fun reading. Lime adventure..."I don't do them for other schools (unless a teacher contacts me and asks me to check their marking) it is for the exam board and the schools and students are deidentified first. I think it is fairly standard that exams are set and marked externally. Neither teachers nor markers see the questions until after the exam when we have meetings to decide what is/is not allowed as an answer to ensure we all mark the same.
Moderation is ideally to confirm a teacher's marking and to ensure an A at one school is the same standard as an A at another school. Some teachers who never really see strong students mark too high when they occasionally get a B grade student and some teacher's in selective schools can be too hard on their kids. The idea is to ensure all students are graded the same wherever they are from and since we all follow the same curriculum they should be.
UK did the same when I worked there and I think NZ has external exams and moderation too? Don't think the US does but they always do things differently.
Jen wrote: "Joanne wrote: "Jen wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Jen wrote: "Theresa wrote: "What makes me happy that winter tag won - and would have made me happy with weird tag is that this will easily fit fun reading...."This is all very interesting and way outside my field. But I'm thinking in the US that the States have the standard controls over academics, plus much is devolved on to a very local level. If you have followed US news at all in the last few months, you may have seen much about what FLorida's far right republican governor, DiSantis, is doing to Florida's curriculum in the schools etc. Not good things - imposing a strict censorship on the books being read and taught, restrictions on the history to be taught, and of course not allowing critical race theory to be taught. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
The quality of the local school district's public schools dictates for many where they live if they have children.
Jen wrote: "UK did the same when I worked there and I think NZ has external exams and moderation too? Don't think the US does but they always do things differently....."I'm not sure if this is across Canada or not, but I have a friend who is a high school English teacher (here in Alberta).
I graduated high school in Saskatchewan. In Sask and Alberta, there are diploma/departmental exams in grade 12 (just before graduating high school). These are the same exams across each province and taken on the same days/times.
I don't know how the marking worked in Sask, as I was a student, but my high school English teacher friend heads to Edmonton (Alberta's capital city - we are in Calgary) every June to mark, alongside other teachers, the exams from across the province.
I suspect this is something similar to what you are describing, Jen. I don't know the details.
Theresa wrote: "Jen wrote: "Joanne wrote: "Jen wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Jen wrote: "Theresa wrote: "What makes me happy that winter tag won - and would have made me happy with weird tag is that this will easily fit ..."It is done similarly for the Regents exams in NYC. The department hires a giant pool of teachers to mark the end of course exams. I did it one year for algebra, teachers are gathered at a school and they mark other schools' students' exams using a set grading guide. It is fairly well controlled and monitored and definitely a less biased way of determining if a student has passed or not. A student has to pass various Regents to qualify for graduation.
LibraryCin wrote: "Jen wrote: "UK did the same when I worked there and I think NZ has external exams and moderation too? Don't think the US does but they always do things differently....."I'm not sure if this is ac..."
Yes that sounds like the same idea.
Jen wrote: "LibraryCin wrote: "Jen wrote: "UK did the same when I worked there and I think NZ has external exams and moderation too? Don't think the US does but they always do things differently....."I'm not..."
It can be exhausting on top of regular teaching duties but a great opportunity to see how other teachers and students approach the material. Good luck with it all!!
Jen K wrote: "Jen wrote: "LibraryCin wrote: "Jen wrote: "UK did the same when I worked there and I think NZ has external exams and moderation too? Don't think the US does but they always do things differently......"Exactly. It's the only useful PD I ever get.....always some new ideas for practicals and assignments at moderation. Always a shortage of people to do it though since it is optional and you have to apply for it and do it in your own time. A lot more used to do it when we went to a central location, had time off school and smashed it all out in a week.
These are my picks for this month's tag:
Kelly wrote: "These are my picks for this month's tag:[bookc..."You've got some good options there!
Kelly wrote: "These are my picks for this month's tag:[bookc..."Look like fun!
Is there a thread posted yet for October Fall Flurries? I was all ready to go with The Death of Mrs. Westaway.
Amy wrote: "Is there a thread posted yet for October Fall Flurries? I was all ready to go with The Death of Mrs. Westaway."I will put it in Footnotes!
In case anyone is interested in a horror/thriller that would work for Fall Flurries (horror), but also for our current "winter" tag, this is on sale at Kobo (for the epub, if you have a Kobo app, or a Kobo or some way to read an epub). It's 99 cents for me here in Canada, anyway. Maybe the ebook is on sale in other formats, as well?
Dead of Winter
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/dead...
It is likely to make my top 10 this year, but I know someone else already read it this month and didn't like it quite as much as I did.
LibraryCin wrote: "In case anyone is interested in a horror/thriller that would work for Fall Flurries (horror), but also for our current "winter" tag, this is on sale at Kobo (for the epub, if you have a Kobo app, o..."It is also 99 cents on Kindle - probably Nook/B&N as well. Clearly a timely deal of the day.
LibraryCin wrote: "In case anyone is interested in a horror/thriller that would work for Fall Flurries (horror), but also for our current "winter" tag, this is on sale at Kobo (for the epub, if you have a Kobo app, o..."I just read The Overnight Guest and it also fits in this theme!! I really liked it and I think you will too!
Kelly wrote: "I just read The Overnight Guest and it also fits in this theme!! I really liked it and I think you will too! .."Ha! Good suggestion! I have read it and also really liked it. 4.5 stars from me! :-)
LibraryCin wrote: "Kelly wrote: "I just read The Overnight Guest and it also fits in this theme!! I really liked it and I think you will too! .."Ha! Good suggestion! I have read it and also really liked it. 4.5 sta..."
Oh my gosh I didn't even think to check if you had already read it! That's awesome that you liked it though!
Kelly wrote: "Oh my gosh I didn't even think to check if you had already read it! That's awesome that you liked it though! .."No worries at all! It was a good thought that I would like it - you were right! :-)
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
The Overnight Guest (other topics)Rock Paper Scissors (other topics)
Dead of Winter (other topics)
An Unwanted Guest (other topics)
One by One (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Oscar Hijuelos (other topics)Melanie Benjamin (other topics)
Melanie Benjamin (other topics)
Melanie Benjamin (other topics)
Melanie Benjamin (other topics)
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Very interesting that you grade papers for other schools. I do not think this is done in the States. I am thinking it is so that a "pet" students work is not judged by their "mentor" ?
Either way, sounds like your life outside work is put on hold for a while. I hope there is a break around the corner from all this so that those brain cells have time to regenerate. And, thank you for teaching! IMO one the hardest jobs out there.