Writing Report Card Comments

Writing Report Card Comments PTSD November 2012

Accomplishment , Hope, Optimism

Grade Scale Descriptors / Sample Qualifiers

4-Thorough understanding and in-depth application of concepts and skills

 Routinely makes connections to similar concepts and/or skills  Understands all or nearly all concepts and/or skills  Applies concepts and/or skills creatively to own life and to support new learning 3-Very good understanding and application of concepts and skills

 Often makes connections to similar concepts and/or skills  Understands most concepts and/or skills  Sometimes applies concepts and/or skills to own life and to support new learning

2-Basic understanding and application of concepts and skills

 Occasionally makes connections to similar concepts and/or skills  Understands many concepts and/or skills

1-Limited understanding and application of concepts and skills

 Rarely makes connections to similar concepts and/or skills  Understands some key concepts and/or skills

Provincial Report Card - Comment Framework (Reference: Manitoba Report Card Support Document p. 30)

Report card comments allow teachers to communicate to parents about their child’s achievement and learning behaviours. Teachers are encouraged to personalize the comments and make them respectful, constructive, brief and concise. Parents have indicated that, on report cards, they do not want summaries of the outcomes or information about the curriculum taught over the term. They want statements which show teachers are aware of their child’s individual strengths and needs, and that there is a plan for the next steps in learning. Specific projects or assignments can be mentioned if they provide evidence of strengths or areas of need and are linked to the student’s achievement. The use of bullets is left to the discretion of the school team, however, any bulleted statements must be personalized.

Sample Comments

Grade 1 ELA

Raj is able to read appropriate grade level text accurately. He uses a variety of strategies to solve for unfamiliar words including looking for familiar letter patterns, using beginning and ending sounds and picture clues. He understands what he reads and is able to retell a story in sequence. Raj reads in 1 or 2 word phrases and sometimes misses punctuation cues in text. His goal for this term is to attend to punctuation when reading and to practice reading with expression. Daily oral reading practice of his home reading books will help Raj improve his fluency. During shared reading and writing, Raj attends to the story and participates actively in class discussion, sharing his ideas and opinions. In writing, Raj consistently uses conventional spelling for familiar words and is able to match sounds to letters when inventing spelling for unfamiliar words. He is able to express his ideas in illustrations and in writing when responding to a story in his story journal and when sharing his experiences in his news journal. Raj is continuing to work on extending the length of his writing and on using capital letters and periods appropriately. Grade 2 Math

Alex accurately compares and orders numbers to 30. She extends and creates repeating patterns. Alex chooses and uses concrete materials effectively when solving problems in mathematics. She finds working with numbers from 30 – 100 difficult and will continue counting, comparing, and ordering numbers to 100 in daily activities. She would benefit from doing hundred chart games for practice with the numbers to 100. Grade 3 Science

Ping uses science vocabulary related to plants in our discussions. She consistently follows directions and records results during experiments. She works effectively in small groups and participates with enthusiasm while researching using Internet resources. This term, Ping’s goal is to identify and seek solutions to science problems by independently creating a written plan with a labeled diagram. Grades 1-3 Early Start French

*(All early start French have the same beginning comment and NA is to be used for the Reading and Writing categories)

In Early Start French, children participate in oral activities. Kyle responds in French to the simple oral messages studied in class. He can answer basic questions about himself and his family. Kyle’s next steps will be to expand his oral vocabulary by linking new words to those he already knows.

Grade 4 Math

Shannon accurately reads, compares and orders numbers to 10,000 and she uses and compares fractions and decimals for tenths and hundredths. She collects pieces of information and organizes them into different kinds of graphs. Shannon asks good questions when trying to solve problems and is often able to think of creative and different ways to solve them. Shannon finds doing mental math problems in her head difficult. She will practice using models and drawings to demonstrate and clarify her mental math strategies and develop more efficient processes. She would benefit from opportunities to explain her strategies to others as she practices her mental math.

Grade 4 Art

Sonam skillfully uses oil pastels to explore and demonstrate her understanding of colour and texture. She is beginning to value risk-taking and reflection as components of the creative process. She is encouraged to work towards reflecting on, sharing, and explaining ideas about the meaning of her own artwork.

Grade 5 ELA Sunmo is using a variety of strategies to develop his comprehension of a text, including making connections to the text, making predictions, asking questions and applies these in his reading journal. Sunmo is able to choose books appropriate to his reading level for independent reading. He is not yet able to read appropriate grade level material accurately and fluently and he is encouraged to keep practicing his reading at home on a daily basis.

In writing, Sunmo is able to develop an idea logically and consistently edits for spelling and punctuation. He is working on using complex sentences and descriptive language to enhance his writing. He records interesting and descriptive words from his personal reading and needs to use these more in his own writing. He will have many opportunities to listen, read high quality text and to review and discuss the author’s use of language. Sunmo actively participates in class discussions and has many interesting opinions and ideas to share. His quiet voice makes him difficult to hear in group situations. He will be participating in Reader’s Theatre to practice speaking for an audience and projecting his voice. Grade 5 Basic French

Danishka leads class activities independently with few errors in her oral French. In reading French text, she sometimes struggles with the correct pronunciation of words we have studied. She would benefit from some additional listening/reading opportunities in order to improve her fluency and pronunciation.

Grade 6 Math

Norham is able to demonstrate an understanding of place value for whole numbers greater than one million. He makes good connections to real world situations and is able to use technology to solve problems involving large whole numbers. In problem solving he is able to move flexibly between decimal numbers to hundredths and percentages. Norham finds solving problems involving multiple operations more difficult. He will have further opportunities to connect what he knows to problems with multiple steps.

Grade 7 ELA

Mia is able to read appropriate grade level material accurately and fluently. Mia’s literal comprehension of text is very good. She sets reading goals for herself and works hard to meet them. She has difficulty finding implied meaning in text and she will participate in small group guided discussions to develop her critical thinking before, during and after reading. Daily opportunities to write about what she reads will also be used to help her extend her thinking about text.

Mia is able to gather information from a variety of sources including books, websites and databases to support her argument in a debate. She seeks and uses peer and teacher input to revise her work. She has difficulty managing and organizing the information she gathers. Using graphic organizers such as webs and charts to sort and organize information and to make a plan before writing will assist Mia in developing her skills. Mia works well as a member of a group. She is cooperative and can take a lead role in focusing the group to complete a task. Mia is encouraged to continue taking a leadership role in class and group activities.