In a Bind

How on Earth do you teach a class, er-whole grade, containing students who could score a 36 on the ACT and those who wouldn't be able to score a 1? How do you do it when they are in the same classroom at the same time?

How do you reach the kid who is only at school because it's illegal for him not to be there?

How do you tell the amazing football player who thinks he can go pro that if he doesn't start trying to turn in work, he won't make it to high school graduation, much less college?

How do you deal with a class full of Pre-AP kids who scored BASIC on the benchmark exams?
How are you supposed to answer the superintendent when she asks, "Why aren't the Pre-AP kids doing Pre-AP level work?" How do you tell her that it's her fault for allowing a kid to sign a contract saying that they understand the basis of an ADVANCED PLACEMENT class, not even knowing their benchmark scores or even if they read on GRADE LEVEL or higher.

Side note: 75% of my Pre-AP kids scored BASIC on the benchmark exam in Literacy. 90% of them cannot write a complete sentence. I didn't say a good complete sentence. I said "A complete sentence."

What do you do?

It's not hypothectical; it's real.

Diverse Learners

Here is one of my groups of diverse learners. One of them is African-American/Hispanic. She speaks fluent Spanish and English. She thinks that she is "not very good" at English, but she is one of my highest acheiving students in the 7th grade. She catches on quickly and needs little prompting to do work. She is very motivated.
The white girl in the photograph is one of my proficient students. She is on the fringe of scoring advanced on the benchmarks. She just needs more prompting and encouraging in order to do her work. She is very strong in math, but needs a little help in my class. She is very kinesthetic and does well in cooperative learning.
The young man here is an artist and learns well when he can apply his artistry skills to writing. A few weeks ago we studied correcting run-on sentences. After the initial instruction, I made up several run-on sentences about the students and printed them on some paper. I read the sentences to the students one time, then had them all stand up. I re-read the sentences very slowly and students were to stomp their feet when I came to the place where the sentence needed to be corrected. I called it "Stomp Out Run-Ons." After that, I gave them blank paper, markers, and their corrected sentences. They were to draw a shoe with the corrected run-on sentences around it. This young man drew one of the most elaborate shoes of all the 7th grade. He has mastered correcting run-on sentences because he was able to apply his skills to a (fairly) new concept.
The African-American girl in the photragraph is one who needs to be stimulated to perform her best. She needs to be doing something with her hands at all times. She tends to be talkative if her friends are around, but I have found that she retains what I have taught, even if she seems to be disengaed. I have had to learn not to take it personally, but to still monitor her and make sure she is following.
The students pictured were working on reviewing for their target tests. They were reviewing in groups and helping each other with specific concepts that would be on the test. They were to work in a group for a certain amount of time and then rotate when the timer stopped. They enjoyed reviewing in this way much more than getting a worksheet and listening to me get hoarse for an hour.

Pictures of the Wheel

Here are some pictures of the Wheel of Misfortune I use in the classroom and the consequences I keep posted behind it.

It has been awesome! I don't have to fret over punishment.