I like this. I am in a similar situation with my 1...

Molly (noreply@blogger.com, https://www.blogger.com/profile/11865156582313547698)
2014-02-09T12:25:29.338-08:00
Kerry Gallagher, JD (noreply@blogger.com, http://www.blogger.com/profile/06929055111516475230)

I like this. I am in a similar situation with my 10th grade class - semester exam but no tests leading up to it. We work on writing, but kids generally have their notes and often the internet to use. We also do a lot of research where kids are studying different aspects of a topic or different empires with the same set of questions. We give kids short answer and essay questions ahead of time and choose from the list, like you do. We have not allowed notes into that assessment, though. I still have families that are highly skeptical of my student-centered, inquiry-based approach. They think I am not teaching history if I am not providing my expert knowledge and then testing students on it. Do you still have skeptics? Are you in line with the larger school culture? I feel like I have to keep having the same conversations over and over again!