Diorama, really? And it's due WHEN?

[lovesmurfs]

GRRRRR...

So DS16 has his band concert last night -- it was wonderful. We get home at 9:15 with pizza for all. Around 10, he informs us that for his English class he has a diorama due the next day -- Do we have grey spray paint? It was assigned six weeks ago. Six WEEKS ago. He was just beginning work on it.

After getting together what we could (and after the requisite parental blustering), I went to bed and wondered what on earth what the value of a diorama assignment in a sophomore honors English class (on "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy) could possibly be?

Sigh. Summer break can't start soon enough for me! Anyone else with last minute projects?

 

[golfgal]

My senior isn't doing much of anything in school last week or this week. They graduate a week from tomorrow. He only has 1 required class left this trimester so that is the only class he is really doing anything for.

The twins don't have any projects but they are still taking tests, writing papers, etc. They have 2 weeks left (the seniors get out a week early because they don't have to take finals).

 

[The Mystery Machine]

School was over yesterday.

Yea....a diorama sounds like stupid busy work. I mean that is something for 3rd graders.

 

[Pigeon]

I detest the completey unnecessary artsy-fartsy projects. I get so sick of wasting money at Michaels on craft supplies for non-art classes. If you want the kid to write a book report, what's wrong with having them write a book report? Making it into a crafts project adds nothing to the content.

I've got one in junior high who this year has had to disguise book reports as fancy menus, with characters and events taking the place of menu items, make a "sandwich" out of craft supplies with writing on the various sandwich components discussing plot elements, etc. She had to make another book report into a houseplant, by putting the elements onto pots, dirt, leaves, flowers, etc. She's also had to create elaborate menus in Spanish--which I had no objection to if she could just type out the menus on normal paper, but no, it had to actually look like a real menu from a high-end restaurant. She's had to research marine environments and make the loathsome dioramas. She had to create an "old parchment" book containing "artifacts" and journal entries for dead white European imperialists for social studies.

When the younger one was in third grade, she'd get assigned a diorama about every other week that was supposed to be done in a shoe box. The teachers must have thought all of us mothers were Immelda Marcos to have that many shoe boxes lying around.

My kids are pretty good about not waiting to the last minute, but still all these trips to the craft store make my head explode.

 

[bethbuchall]

I can't wait for the end of the school year! We have another month, though.

DD16 has an English research paper and a final programming project for AP Computer Science due in the next couple of weeks, and she is procrastinating to the point of driving me crazy. I know that I should be able to let it go as it's her responsibility, but I'm turning into a royal class nag (even though it's not helping either of us).

DS11 has a science project and a reading project, but it appears that the majority of the work is being completed during the school day. I sure hope so anyway.

DS19 is home for the summer and already has his grades. Now he just needs a job. He went for a drug test for one yesterday, so it's looking good.

 

[agnes!]

Our schools go until June 24th .

Two of DD's classes are APs. The AP tests were earlier this month, they already took one final before that AP test. The kids have been watching movies in one class, not sure what they're doing in the other but it isn't much. Today is an early-dismissal day, but I think half the school isn't there, the traffic this morning was almost non-existent.

Projects?... DD had an extra credit project that she was supposed to do with two other kids. After waiting for them... to be able to get together with her and then her doing all the arranging of things to fit their appointments and their schedules (these two never texted/e-mailed/Facebook messaged her on their own, she always had to initiate contact), they both wimped out on her and *yesterday afternoon* they just up and decided not to do it at all. And the thing was DUE today. So she put something together yesterday with only her name on it. It's their loss - what's funny is she probably doesn't need the extra credit as much as they do.

agnes!

 

[bethbuchall]

Pigeon, I agree about the projects that require art supplies. I often think that teachers think that they are making the book report/whatever "fun" when they are really making it a pain in the neck, especially for the less creative/artistic students. I do appreciate that teachers try to make learning interesting, though. It also annoys me when I see the finished products in elementary school and only a few appear to have actually been done by the student.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

lovessmurfs, this completely sounds like something my DS14 would pull. (The pathetic thing is he usually manages to pull a B out of it too.) I know he gets his procrastination from me, but it's painful to watch.

I don't know if he has any coming up, but I guess that's the point- they're a surprise.

 

[declansdad]

There could be a very good reason for assigning a diorama. Since it was assigned 6 weeks ago, this one falls on the kid.

 

[goofy4tink]

GRRRRR...

So DS16 has his band concert last night -- it was wonderful. We get home at 9:15 with pizza for all. Around 10, he informs us that for his English class he has a diorama due the next day -- Do we have grey spray paint? It was assigned six weeks ago. Six WEEKS ago. He was just beginning work on it.

After getting together what we could (and after the requisite parental blustering), I went to bed and wondered what on earth what the value of a diorama assignment in a sophomore honors English class (on "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy) could possibly be?

Sigh. Summer break can't start soon enough for me! Anyone else with last minute projects?

Last minute project??? It was assigned 6 weeks ago. If it had been my dd (and it has been on occasion) she would have had to sink or swim. If she didn't have the stuff handy, she would have been out of luck.

She did have a Latin project due yesterday. Not sure when it was assigned though. I heard her rummaging around in the basement at the beginning of the week. Asked her what she was doing. She told me she was looking through her old Polly Pocket stuff. Really?? At 16??? Turns out she had to do a story board. So, she posed the Polly Pocket dolls in front of scenes she had made, then took photos of the scenes and transferred those to the computer. then she added some stuff and printed out the shots. Seemed complicated to me....but it was her responsibility, not mine. I no longer will rush to the store to buy supplies for something that is due in the next day or so, when she knew about it weeks prior. Plan accordingly or lose credit. That's part of the growing and learning process.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I detest the completey unnecessary artsy-fartsy projects. I get so sick of wasting money at Michaels on craft supplies for non-art classes. If you want the kid to write a book report, what's wrong with having them write a book report? Making it into a crafts project adds nothing to the content.

I've got one in junior high who this year has had to disguise book reports as fancy menus, with characters and events taking the place of menu items, make a "sandwich" out of craft supplies with writing on the various sandwich components discussing plot elements, etc. She had to make another book report into a houseplant, by putting the elements onto pots, dirt, leaves, flowers, etc. She's also had to create elaborate menus in Spanish--which I had no objection to if she could just type out the menus on normal paper, but no, it had to actually look like a real menu from a high-end restaurant. She's had to research marine environments and make the loathsome dioramas. She had to create an "old parchment" book containing "artifacts" and journal entries for dead white European emperialists for social studies.

When the younger one was in third grade, she'd get assigned a diorama about every other week that was supposed to be done in a shoe box. The teachers must have thought all of us mothers were Immelda Marcos to have that many shoe boxes lying around.

My kids are pretty good about not waiting to the last minute, but still all these trips to the craft store make my head explode.

I don't know, a lot of those projects sound like a lot of fun. We did the menu thing in French class, as well as having to write and illustrate a children's book in French. We also did a project called "letters from the Civil War" and a lot of kids "aged" the paper, burned the edges, etc. to add to the authenticity.

I guess if these are coming at you every other week the trips to the craft store could get a little much. When I was in school, though, I much preferred the opportunity to "liven" up the normal research paper. Book reports get dull after awhile, but if you can dress up/portray a character from the book, or reenact a scene, it really helps!

 

[lovesmurfs]

There could be a very good reason for assigning a diorama. Since it was assigned 6 weeks ago, this one falls on the kid.

Oh, definitely -- I didn't mean that it was due to the teacher's last minute project. It's totally his fault.

Knowing that he'll be on his own in just a few years, since he started high school I've taken a very hands-off approach to his projects, etc. and he's having to deal with the consequences. We had the supplies he wanted (he just didn't know where they were) and I didn't futz with it much.

The problem, like a PP said, is that he's highly functional in the "urgent quadrant" and will probably get a decent grade on it.

 

[Fire14]

I had many a project in my school days although the one that stands out to me is the letter and envelope I had to write about a book I'd read, It combined 2 lessons into one fun one. Granted I had it done 3 wks before it was due and only outside of normal school stuff required was an envelope.

 

[MushyMushy]

There could be a very good reason for assigning a diorama. Since it was assigned 6 weeks ago, this one falls on the kid.

Sounds like the teacher is teaching to different learning styles.

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

We've been out of school since May 21 (the seniors since May 20). It is sad to say, but they really haven't done 'real' work for the last two weeks. Mine is still elem school aged, but my neighbor has a HS, and except finals, he didn't have much real work either.

Seems around here, there isn't much real work after state testing ends the end of April

 

[Pigeon]

I don't know, a lot of those projects sound like a lot of fun. We did the menu thing in French class, as well as having to write and illustrate a children's book in French. We also did a project called "letters from the Civil War" and a lot of kids "aged" the paper, burned the edges, etc. to add to the authenticity.

I guess if these are coming at you every other week the trips to the craft store could get a little much. When I was in school, though, I much preferred the opportunity to "liven" up the normal research paper. Book reports get dull after awhile, but if you can dress up/portray a character from the book, or reenact a scene, it really helps!

It does nothing for my kid to make the project "fun." It's a freaking book report, it's never going to be fun. She's a voracious reader. While writing the book report does suck much of the enjoyment out of the book, making fake tomatoes or "aging" cardstock with tea doesn't replace the enjoyment of the book. It just makes it all take much longer, be more expensive and wastes her time and my money. No more actual learning about the book is accomplished because she mucked around with crafts.

She doesn't enjoy crafts. If she did enjoy crafts, we'd have her do crafts. No need to drag Spanish or Social Studies into it.

And dressing up as school work? Please. Unless the teacher is supplying the costumes, fuggetaboutit. I don't sew and have better things to do with my time and money than making costumes to be worn for a single class period. If she wants to be in the school play, at that point we'll do costumes.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

It does nothing for my kid to make the project "fun." It's a freaking book report, it's never going to be fun. She's a voracious reader. While writing the book report does suck much of the enjoyment out of the book, making fake tomatoes or "aging" cardstock with tea doesn't replace the enjoyment of the book. It just makes it all take much longer, be more expensive and wastes her time and my money. No more actual learning about the book is accomplished because she mucked around with crafts.

She doesn't enjoy crafts. If she did enjoy crafts, we'd have her do crafts. No need to drag Spanish or Social Studies into it.

And dressing up as school work? Please. Unless the teacher is supplying the costumes, fuggetaboutit. I don't sew and have better things to do with my time and money than making costumes to be worn for a single class period. If she wants to be in the school play, at that point we'll do costumes.

In High School, my friends and I recreated a Voodoo ritual for our class, complete with rubber chickens and fake blood! We did show both sides of the Religion (good and bad), but I'm certain the class remembers the darker side of that lesson.

As someone said earlier, everyone learns differently. It would be a shame if every project was done only 1 way, because it would always leave some kids behind.

Different strokes, though.

 

[monkeybug]

It does nothing for my kid to make the project "fun." It's a freaking book report, it's never going to be fun. She's a voracious reader. While writing the book report does suck much of the enjoyment out of the book, making fake tomatoes or "aging" cardstock with tea doesn't replace the enjoyment of the book. It just makes it all take much longer, be more expensive and wastes her time and my money. No more actual learning about the book is accomplished because she mucked around with crafts.

She doesn't enjoy crafts. If she did enjoy crafts, we'd have her do crafts. No need to drag Spanish or Social Studies into it.

And dressing up as school work? Please. Unless the teacher is supplying the costumes, fuggetaboutit. I don't sew and have better things to do with my time and money than making costumes to be worn for a single class period. If she wants to be in the school play, at that point we'll do costumes.

Ha! You would have despised the majority of my schooling!!
In 7th and 8th grade the public school I went to offered 3 different learning "styles" to choose from. The parents did get some say, but a lot of where you were placed depended on testing and teacher approval.
I ended up in what they called integrated. There were 70 kids in all, three teachers, and all of our subjects were tied together some how.
There were lot's of creative projects going on in there! Lots!!
I have to say it was hands down the best education I received through out my schooling, even better than some of the college courses it took! The teachers were passionate and we all learned so much from them, both academic and beyond! I am so grateful I had that experience and I really hope my kids get something like that eventually (with out me paying through the nose!)
I mean when we were learning about volcanoes in science, geometry in math, American history in social studies, and creative writing in English, they had us hike to the top of a volcano, figure out the craters circumference, have a ranger guided hike to learn about early American life in the area, and then write a story lakeside that included all the elements of the day!
Everyday there was a question we had to answer to tie all of what we were learning about together and a far side comic to accompany it. I still remember some of them!
"How was Charlie Gordon's social order like a tornado?" Still sticks out in my mind today!

 

[monkeybug]

In High School, my friends and I recreated a Voodoo ritual for our class, complete with rubber chickens and fake blood! We did show both sides of the Religion (good and bad), but I'm certain the class remembers the darker side of that lesson.

As someone said earlier, everyone learns differently. It would be a shame if every project was done only 1 way, because it would always leave some kids behind.

Different strokes, though.

I remember my friend and I recreating a buffalo hunt in social studies, complete with red jello to represent the raw parts eaten (I can't remember now if it was the liver or the heart) immediately after the kill. Good times!

 

[declansdad]

Sounds like the teacher is teaching to different learning styles.

It's funny how a teacher would understand that.