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Me:

At your age, it's hard to know exactly what you want to do for a career pathway. It's a lot to figure out.

Keep in mind, your first couple of years at college are pretty much spent taking your general ed requirements. So that gives you a bit of extra time to keep figuring it out.

Have you taken any career pathway questionnaires? In my regular day job, I work in an Early College program with juniors and seniors and Year 13 students to help figure out their career pathways. I can send you some things if you're interested. Just let me know if you're interested. :)

Student Response:

Yes please, I would love that! I have been having a difficult time closing in on what I want to pursue first. It's so much I want to do, but I don't know what to begin with.

My response:

The document I'm attaching has the link to one of the career questionnaires I use. Since this is an assignment I use with my students, you'll see all the questions I ask them, you don't have to fill those parts out. But if you want to answer them and send it back to me, I can look over your results and try to help you narrow down what careers seem like they would be a good fit for you.

There are two parts to the online questionnaire. The first part is more on your personality likes and dislikes. The second set is on jobs. Make sure you do both parts. And I think you'll be asked to make an account, it's free so I would do it so you can look back at your results whenever you want. Plus they have some good resources.

Let me know if you have any issues using the site.

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Hi [STUDENT_FIRST_NAME], I am offering an extra credit opportunity to help get you caught up in [COURSE_NAME] before the holidays. 

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Hi [STUDENT_FIRST_NAME], I am offering an extra credit opportunity to help get you caught up in [COURSE_NAME] before the holidays. 

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Right now you are currently [ASSIGNMENTS_BEHIND] behind and have completed [ASSIGNMENTS_COMPLETED] assignments so far. If you complete 30 more assignments by next week, [DATE_7_DAYS_OUT], I will drop your lowest assignment score!!

When you have a total of 161 assignments completed send me a message and I will honor the extra credit!

[SIGNATURE]

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¡Buenos días _________!

I hope that you enjoyed the long weekend and are feeling refreshed and ready to tackle your course. I know that the system can be a little daunting to navigate at first, so please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I am here to help you through it; whether it be the coursework or even just getting logged in/accessing material.

You can use the links below in my signature to schedule a meeting with me, or my phone number is listed as well if you'd rather shoot me a text. Have a wonderful week and I hope to talk to you soon!

[SIGNATURE]

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Hi- I noticed you are a bit behind in your ________ class. No worries! Is there any way I can support you to close that gap? What about an EXTRA CREDIT opportunity? If you complete all your assignments and quizzes in (insert lessons here), by (Date) at a 70% or higher,  I will add 10% to your lowest quiz.  You are so close. Reach out below if you need further support.  Mr. Stibbe (signature below)  

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Hi- I noticed you are a bit behind in your ________ class. No worries! Is there any way I can support you to close that gap? What about an EXTRA CREDIT opportunity? If you complete all your assignments and quizzes in (insert lessons here), by (Date) at a 70% or higher,  I will add 10% to your lowest quiz.  You are so close. Reach out below if you need further support.  Mr. Stibbe (signature below)  

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Hello [STUDENT_FIRST_NAME_PREFERRED],

On February 23rd, 1945, U.S. Marines raised the American flag over Mount Suribachi on the tiny Pacific island of Iwo Jima in the midst of the bloodiest battle in the history of the Marine Corps.

Random facts: This was the second U.S. flag raised over the mountain. It was larger than the first. There's also film footage that proves it wasn't posed. The battle was still a long way from being over. In fact, three of the Marines in this photo were later killed on Iwo Jima.

Over 6,000 American men died in the battle five weeks that the battle raged. Nearly all the 22,000 Japanese defenders died. Surrender was considered shameful, so they would kill themselves before being captured.

If you had the opportunity to speak to one of the men in this photo, what would you say?

[Email includes photo from Battle of Iwo Jima)

[SIGNATURE]

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Hello [STUDENT_FIRST_NAME_PREFERRED],

This is long, but worth the read!

How Do I Score Higher on Quizzes and Tests?

Here’s a list of tips that have been proven to work. They are not miracle cures...you still have to focus and do the work, and remember quizzes and tests carry more weight for your grade.

1. RELAX. You have a minimum of 60 minutes to take any quiz or test, so don’t rush.

2. TAKE NOTES! This is important. Each lesson has a main idea and key words related to that idea. Write them down and look up words you don’t know. Remember, you can use these notes on quizzes and tests, so it is not a waste of time. Studies show that actually writing something down increases understanding and memory nearly five times. WOW!

3. TEST TAKING STRATEGIES!

- Read the answers first. That might seem silly, but they will give you clues when you read the question.

- Next, read the question CAREFULLY! Ask yourself, what is it asking me?

-Since you’ve already read the answers, certain words or ideas will jump out. TRUST THAT FEELING!

-Related to the above: look for words from the PROMPT and READINGS in the answers.

-Now, read the answers again and just eliminate the ones that are obviously wrong. You’ve just increased your chances of getting the answer right. WOW!

Move along to each question in the quiz or test the SAME WAY.

DONE! You’ve finished and got a higher score. AMAZING!

HOWEVER, if you didn’t get the score you wanted, you can always contact me for a retake.

Do you think you could try this?

[SIGNATURE]

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(Student), Hey there! I'm checking in with you. I saw that it's been about a week since you last worked in language arts class. Is everything OK?  I've seen you check in a couple times. Do you have any questions about the ______ project you're working on? How can I help? Ms. Todd

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(Student), Hey there! I'm checking in with you. I saw that it's been about a week since you last worked in language arts class. Is everything OK?  I've seen you check in a couple times. Do you have any questions about the ______ project you're working on? How can I help? Ms. Todd

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Hi [STUDENT_FIRST_NAME_PREFERRED],

I wanted to check-in to see how you are doing, because I noticed that you are a bit behind on your progress in [COURSE_NAME].

You have made [PROGRESS_INCREASE_LAST_7_DAYS] progress over the last 7 days. With [ASSIGNMENTS_LEFT] assignments left and [WEEKS_LEFT] weeks left in your course, should be making about [TARGET_WEEKLY_PROGRESS] each week. That would be about X assignments per week. You are currently about X assignments behind right now - if you add a few assignments to your progress each day, you will catch up quickly!

If there is anything I can do to help you get back on track, please let me know!

I'm happy to meet with you should you need assistance.

[SIGNATURE]

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Hi [STUDENT_FIRST_NAME_PREFERRED]!

You have done an excellent job getting started in your [COURSE_NAME] course! I’m super proud of you! You are a little behind pace right now, so you will want to spend some extra time, today, getting caught up.

Just to help you schedule your time, you should be making at least [REQUIRED_PACE] each week. With [ASSIGNMENTS_LEFT] assignments to complete and [WEEKS_LEFT] weeks in the course, that would be about XX assignments per week. This will keep you on pace and on track to finish by your end date without too much stress.

Be sure to reach out to me if you need any help!

Have a great day!

[SIGNATURE]

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Welcome [STUDENT_FIRST_NAME_PREFERRED],

My name is Tricia Wideman, aka Coach Wideman, and I will be your Virtual Instructor for our [COURSE_NAME] class! Click here to enter my classroom (and earn 5 bonus points)! I cannot wait to get to know you all on this exhilarating virtual journey. Remember, we are all in this together! Try your best, give your best, because I expect your best!

**Our class is located on a different platform called BUZZ, so please make sure you are following these directions! **

Here is your login information...

Go to this Website: https://sislogin.edgenuity.com/

Username: [LOGIN]

**** Click on our [COURSE_NAME] class in the "Academic Snapshot" box ****

Always,

Coach Wideman

[SIGNATURE]

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Helping Student Understand Where They are Struggling with Material

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Helping Student Understand Where They are Struggling with Material

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I occasionally have students who struggle with concepts in their Engineering course that get confused about the material and how the scenarios apply. I have started creating individualized videos for them where I review the areas where they are struggling to give them more insight about the concepts. Because they are individualized to the student's needs they have been very helpful from the feedback I have received.

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Feedback for successful but incomplete work.

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Feedback for successful but incomplete work.

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Hi _______,

I hope you are having a good week.

I recently viewed your Art course assignments and have the following feedback for you:

U2 Lab - Your Before and After portrait drawings are really nice! The facial structures are proportionate and well positioned. (Check the side of the nose on the After drawing.) Good use of value. In the same way that you have more of a value range in the eyes, I encourage you to experiment with darker values on other areas of the face (shadows created by the hair, nose and brow). I look forward to seeing more of your drawings. If you are wondering about the score, there are 2 other pieces of artwork for this assignment (a meal, and a holiday/family tradition), and any reflection/summary response, that are missing. If you would like to include them, let me know and I will reset it for you. Again, very nice drawings!

Let me know if you have questions. I'm here to help.

Mr. S.

Christopher Swanson, MA

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Hi _______,

Thank you so much for the question.

Do you have a phone that you can use? While it is ideal to have a DSLR camera, it is possible to be successful in this course using a smartphone camera. Many students are in this situation and do very well. Depending on what kind and version of phone you have, there may be more or less functionality available, but there is always some. (Students often learn through this course how much functionality their phone actually has , that they hadn't realized.) You can also download a camera or photo app that has additional functionality. Either way, there is still much to learn through the course and you should be fine.

That said, there are parts of the course that require some basic understanding of camera history, anatomy, and function. Therefore, don't skip over those parts thinking they don't pertain to you.

Do what you can to attempt to follow through with assignment directions. Experiment with as much functionality as you can. See if you can work out a workaround and then do your best to explain it with your submitted work. If you are not able to capture something specifically, according to the directions, please notate it so that I don't assume it was simply skipped. (It may be something we can figure out together.) Here are a few tips to help get started:

f-stops have to do with the size of the aperture, which controls the amount of light entering the camera, as well as depth of field. So, you'll want to experiment with taking photos that have a background that is more, medium, and less in focus. (Portrait mode is an example of adjusted aperture.)

Shutter speed involves stopping motion and clarity of image. Try for something that shows movement like a blurry picture of a running dog (a low ss) vs. capturing something that is in motion but is stopped like a waterfall (a high ss). (Sport mode is an example of adjusted shutter speed.)

ISO involves light sensitivity and "exposure". Most phones have a way to adjust exposure. (Contrast, vividness, vibrancy, etc. modes are examples of ISO exposure.)

Many phone camera modes and filters are a product of adjusting the above settings. They are kind of like presets. Understanding what enables a particular mode or filter to do what it does will help in completing assignments. An easy example of this is Portrait mode - it automatically blurs the background and sharpens the person/subject. It does this by using a large aperture, which causes a shallow depth of field.

Sorry... that was a lot. I don't expect you to digest all of this right now. This is info you can come back to over the next few units. Most of my emails won't be this long.

If you are not able to use a phone camera, let me know so that we can figure out another option. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing your pics. Happy capturing!

Mr. S.

Christopher Swanson, MA

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Student tried resubmitting assignment with error. Needed reset.

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Student tried resubmitting assignment with error. Needed reset.

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Hi ________,

Thanks for contacting me about this. I'm not sure what happened, but I went ahead and reset the Lab Dropbox page so you can resubmit your completed assignment.

I don't know how familiar you are with the course structure so here are a couple of tips. The teacher graded assignments (Questions, Labs, and Activities) typically involve 2 pages:

One is the assignment page that lists questions or directions and requirements for completing an assignment.

The second is the Dropbox page where you upload/submit your completed work.

If there is ever a problem, just let me know and I can reset it. Attached are some directions for creating, converting, and submitting assignments, should you find them helpful.

Also, great job on the first set of questions. Your responses are thorough, relevant to the questions, and evident of studying the lesson material. Keep up the good work. (Six puppies. Wow. That's a busy home, but drowning in cuteness, I'm sure. What kind?)

Cheers!

Mr. S.

Christopher Swanson, MA

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Student Submitted Request for Help instead of completed assignment 

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Student Submitted Request for Help instead of completed assignment 

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Hello ______,

I received your message with questions about the UNIT 3 LAB assignment. I've added some additional resources and explanations below.

For the Unit 3 Lab there are three parts:

Part 1: Answer the following questions:

1.) What do you see when you walk on the scene? What are your observations?

2.) What questions do you have based on what you observe?

3.) What physical evidence will you attempt to collect from the scene? Is there evidence to collect that is NOT at the scene? If so, what?

4.)What tools will you need to collect the physical evidence?

5.) What tools or scientific processes will you use to analyze the evidence collected?

6.) Who are some possible witnesses/suspects to interview?

7.) What do you need to know more about in order to make sense of this scene? (This is what you will research online or find out from witnesses/suspects)

Part 2: Identify the Physical and Chemical properties of three pieces of evidence.

If I were answering this question, I would create a chart similar to the one below:

(*Note: Physical Properties are properties that can be measured without changing the identity of the evidence. For example, when forensic scientists calculate the density of glass, they divide the mass of the glass by its volume. Measuring mass and volume does not affect the chemical makeup of the glass. Therefore, density is a physical property. Other physical properties include color, melting point, boiling point, odor, and viscosity. Chemical properties determine how a substance behaves in the presence of other substances. For example, iron will react with oxygen in the presence of water to produce rust, or iron oxide. Changes to a substance that alter its chemical identity are chemical changes. Rusting, burning, and decomposing are chemical changes. Tests to determine the type of drug present would also test the chemical properties. When chemical testing is done on evidence, the original evidence sample is often destroyed.)

DATA CHART WON'T SHOW UP ON PADLET

For part 3: Draw at least 3 conclusion about the crime scene and answer the reflection questions. I've added some sentence started below for the draw conclusion part.

Conclusion 1: Based on _______, I conclude that _______.

Conclusion 2: Based on _______, I conclude that _______.

Conclusion 3: Based on _______, I conclude that _______.

Reflection Questions:

1.) Was the information that you used to research your investigation reliable? How do you know?

2.) Summarize your final scientific theory regarding this case based on your investigation. Support your theory with evidence from your investigation.

Why are scientific theories often so powerful?

Please call me at __________________ for additional help with this assignment.

Ms. Martin