Working Methods

March 4
Lynn,
It is so nice to hear from you! I am sorry that Florida is not as warm as it should be, but time with family is what really matters. I can certainly relate to the grandchildren and how much energy they have! My guys can really wear me out too!
I am so delighted to discover that we are of like minds on the issue of making this course excellent, and perhaps forgoing the Gender Issues course, at least at this time. I am going to write to John and let him know my thought on this. I do hope he gives us this opportunity again in the future.
Your initial instincts on the Jackman book have proven to be excellent. The more time I spend with this book, the more I value what it has to offer. I would like to move on to a discussion about how we should proceed with our planning. I suspect that, between the two of us, we have some great elements already created for use in this course – grading rubrics for discussions, general instructions for using the discussion board, etc. At this point it seems prudent to scan the textbook and take some notes on possible assignments. My usual method involves creating an initial outline for the semester and inserting relevant ideas and materials into this. To facilitate this process, I have begun with a simple outline below. You can copy and paste this into a Word document and change it at will. Please don’t let me overstep my bounds here; I realize we don’t yet know each other and I fear I will come across as pushy. This is never my intention. Please let me know if you feel I am assuming too much by taking the bull by the horns.

Scaffold for the syllabus
Week 1: Introductory essay and discussion
Week 2: Chapter 1 – Starting the Process
Week 3: Chapter 2 – Creating Curriculum
Week 4: Chapter 3 – Language and Literacy
Week 5: Chapter 4 - Literature
Week 6: Chapter 5 - Math
Week 7: Chapter 6 - Science
Week 8: Chapter 7 – Social Studies
Week 9: Chapter 8 - Art
Week 10: Chapter 9 – Sensory Centers
Week 11: Chapter 10 – Music and Movement
Week 12: Chapter 11 - Puppets
Week 13: Chapter 12 – Dramatic Play and Creative Dramatics;
Submission of final projects (whatever those might be!)

I look forward to hearing from you and learning more about you. I am pleasantly surprised by the synchronicity of our ideas thus far! Enjoy your time with your family. When will you be heading north again?
Suzanne
802.922.0058