Most recent rendition of the Interpersonal Communication Skills Rubric (ICSR) in PDF format. Adapted for use in my Standards-based Grading environment- Fall 2017. Notable changes: Rendered vertically instead of horizontally. Grades of 1,2,3,4 replaced with Novice, Developing, Proficient, Exemplary. N/O column added so teacher can indicate when a particular skill has not been observed. Always changed to Automatic to reflect automaticity in the student’s choice to implement a particular skill.

Interpersonal Communication Skills Rubric (ICSR) 2021 version: This rubric, a variant on the JGR rubric invented by Jennifer Schongolla and collaboratively created on the Ben Slavic PLC in the 2009-2011 time period, is used every 2-3 weeks both formatively and summatively. Here’s more about it.

ICSR self-assessment: Adapted from Ben Slavic and Sean Lawler in Chicago Public Schools, I use this self-assessment at the end of a class period.

Here’s the rubric I have on the back of my FreeWrite forms.

My distilled Classroom Rules.

End of Year Student Survey: I have used this survey to help me determine how well I’m sticking to the principles of Teaching with Comprehensible Input through my students’ eyes. Read more here.

Movie Quote Game: Inspired by Bryce Hedstrom’s version that asks students to guess the quote from classic movies, my version includes movie quotes that my 8th grade students have identified as essential quotes from a variety of genres of movies.

Poster: ENVISION the words. FEEL the words. TASTE the words. SMELL the words. DO the words.

Poster: The Three Most Important Questions – This poster lives on the cork board next to my desk, my center in the classroom. On days of exhaustion or high emotion I often refer to it to remember why I’m there and what my purpose is. These words are taken from the children’s book, The Three Questions, by Jon J. Muth, based on the story by Leo Tolstoy.

Profe’s Checklist: We’re so often consumed with what the KIDS should be doing, that we forget to hold ourselves accountable for what WE should be doing. I post this checklist in the classroom, explain it to the students, and ask them to hold me accountable for sticking to my checklist in each class period.

Poster: We are learning to COMMUNICATE by LISTENING to and RESPONDING in Spanish.

Model Responses for Simple Accountability during SSR

Photo/Video Opt-out form I created in collaboration with my district that enables me to take and use photo and video for professional development purposes.


Special Person Chart

Estrella del Día