The “White Envelope” Concept

How “WE” builds communities

Remember wanting to be line leader?

• Who says high school is a time when classroom responsibilities end?

• Now more than ever things are out of control and crazy!

• There are tons ways that you can still help!

The Answer is in the Envelope!

• A task essential to the success of the classroom community is inside.

• Essential means:– vital to your grade– vital to the success

of the classroom at large

• Forgotten=Chaos

The Traditional Classroom

papers to grade

homework to create

papers to pass out

questions to answer

questions to ask

work to keep organized

homework to do

absences to attend to

teacher

student (times 30)

students to track

classes to track

collecting homework

decorating classroom

lessons to teach

meetings to attend

The “WE” Classroom

papers to grade

homework to create

papers to pass out

Decorating classroom

absences to attend to

teacher

questions to ask

work to keep organized

homework to do

student lessons to teach

meetings to attend

questions to ask

work to keep organized

homework to do

student

questions to ask

work to keep organized

homework to do

student

questions to ask

work to keep organized

homework to do

student

collecting homework

“WE” Brings Us All Together!

OK, So How Do I Complete My Job?

• Receive your envelope

• Follow the directions inside the envelope

• Help to create a classroom community!

Is this for a grade?• Completion grade• Do the job, get

the points, and help the class.

• 10 points• Adds up to 90-100

points each quarter (that’s 1 whole test or project grade!

And the Jobs Are…

Row 1-5 Collection Agents

Homework Collectors

Jack/Jill of All Trades

Monday-Friday Historians

GabbersCreative Voice

Bulletin Boards

Paper PasserClean-Up Crew

Wordsmith

Point Gatherer

Attendance Links

Monday-Friday Historians

• Document what we do in class

• Helps the absent students make up work

• Validate what you do in class

• Document the assignments in the notebook labeled English 2 for your hour

• Sign your name at the bottom of your day’s notes

Row Collection Agents

• Collect handouts for every person missing in your row

• Papers passed back by the Paper Passer should also be collected for those that are absent

• Set aside copies of any pieces of group projects that might be needed to recreate the activity

Paper Passer

• Make sure that the tray of papers to be returned for your hour is empty

• Pass out the papers and get your points

• Pass out papers by or on Friday

Attendance

• Take attendance on the attendance sheets

• Mark on the board the names of those who are absent

Links

• Go out into the real world and find “links” to what we’re studying in class

• Each Friday your link will be shared with the class in some capacity and you will get your points

Gabbers

• Speak up in class once a week

• Say, “I want to gab,” and I’ll mark down your points

• Gab about either journals or about a topic directly related to the day’s lesson

• You need to ADD to classroom discussion or understanding in some way

Bulletin Boards

• Get together with the other two bulletin board people in the class and create bulletin boards for each quarter of class

• This job is NOT a weekly job

• Each quarter your bulletin board will be worth 90-100 points per person

• Submit a design plan and job duty sheet for each bulletin board you design

Homework Collectors

• Your job is to collect homework

• Check to be sure that everyone turned in either an assignment or they turned in an excuse

• When people are absence you need to fill out a homework excuse form for the person and mark absent

Jack and Jill of All Trades

• Fill in for whomever is absent

• Learn who is who and what each job entails

• Check the board for the names of those absent

• Log the job you take each day in the class history

• Consult your envelope’s details for ways to handle multiple absences

Clean-Up Crew

• Keep the room clean• Keep the desks in

healthy rows and the candy wrappers and sodas in the trash

• If the class starts to abuse you they will be docked their points for the week and you will receive double

Creative Voice• Add a creative flair to the

classroom• No real restrictions• Some ideas:

– You could create the journal topic

– Have us write our journals using 13 words in each sentence

– You could do LOTS of creative things

• Record your contribution to the class in the history each week.

Point Gatherer

• Be sure that you ask how many points exist for each assignment and record those points

• Each Friday it is your job to display all of the points for the week on the board

Wordsmith

• Define the word of the week for us, and use it in an example sentence

• Look up any words that the class questions as well (5 per week maximum).