Question About a Test On the Preamble (high school, grade, score)
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Hi All. I'd like your opinion regarding a social studies test my 6th grader took recently. Part of the test required him to recite or sing The Preamble to The Constitution. At home, he had been singing the Schoolhouse Rock song that teaches about The Constitution. According to him they had been singing it daily at school and I believe him because he knows the whole song (every single bit of it) by heart. Here's the issue:
The actual Constitution begins, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union...". He lost points because he left off "of the United States" and according to the teacher said, "prosterity" instead of "posterity" later on. If you listen to the Schoolhouse Rock song, they don't include "of the United States" around the 0:48 mark. Constitution Preamble - Schoolhouse Rock - YouTube
I don't think points should have been taken away when the song was repeatedly used to teach about The Constitution.
Would you point this out? I teach a lower grade level in the same building which makes it a little more awkward. There are other questions I have about the test. I've never questioned a grade or test before, but this one I feel the need to at least point out a few things.
When I was learning the Preamble (I believe in 7th grade), our teacher also made us memorize it, and she also used the Schoolhouse Rock video to help us learn it, but she was very careful to mention several times that a portion of the actual text was missing from the song.
Hi All. I'd like your opinion regarding a social studies test my 6th grader took recently. Part of the test required him to recite or sing The Preamble to The Constitution. At home, he had been singing the Schoolhouse Rock song that teaches about The Constitution. According to him they had been singing it daily at school and I believe him because he knows the whole song (every single bit of it) by heart. Here's the issue:
The actual Constitution begins, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union...". He lost points because he left off "of the United States" and according to the teacher said, "prosterity" instead of "posterity" later on. If you listen to the Schoolhouse Rock song, they don't include "of the United States" around the 0:48 mark. Constitution Preamble - Schoolhouse Rock - YouTube
I don't think points should have been taken away when the song was repeatedly used to teach about The Constitution.
Would you point this out? I teach a lower grade level in the same building which makes it a little more awkward. There are other questions I have about the test. I've never questioned a grade or test before, but this one I feel the need to at least point out a few things.
Oh, please.
The test was on the Preamble and yes, the song HELPS you learn it, but the fact is, it does leave out those words. There's also no real excuse for "prosterity" unless you're at a medical exam.
Let it go. I'm sure the teacher told them to use the song as an aid. Any textbook they have has the entire preamble in it and the students should know this. Plus I'm sure if that's all he missed he still did pretty well.
The test was on the Preamble and yes, the song HELPS you learn it, but the fact is, it does leave out those words. There's also no real excuse for "prosterity" unless you're at a medical exam.
Right. So, if it is learned by memorizing the song repeatedly played in class that leaves out the words, should points be taken off when the child does not include the words? I'm not so concerned about the "prosterity" part.
This was one part of a larger test about our government and The Constitution.
What do you think about these questions below regarding The Bill of Rights? How can you answer "true or false"? They aren't true or false statements, they are "yes/no" questions.
The barracks at the US Army base is overcrowded. Eric's mother tells him the US Army has ordered her to let soldiers stay in his room. Eric says, "No way!" Can the US Army make them do this? True or False?
Jon and his friends have been tried and found guilty of putting toilet paper all over their teacher's trees. They have been sentenced to serve 10 years in prison. They argue this is not constitutional. Are they right? True or False?
Location: Long Island via Chapel Hill NC, Go Heels?
467 posts, read 712,907 times
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This is 6th grade, mind you. Just wait 'til high school, there will be bigger issues that you'll address than your child leaving out your own country from a prominent document. It was a slip-up and even if he did forget about it and the teacher hadn't told him, it was probably a very small tidbit of his overall grade and in the end, it probably won't matter.
Location: Long Island via Chapel Hill NC, Go Heels?
467 posts, read 712,907 times
Reputation: 390
Quote:
Originally Posted by suzy_q2010
Maybe this attitude is at the heart of the problem with education in this country?
Really? Because it's a good idea in the first place to use a cartoon to teach children about documents that came to form the foundation of our country and then not mention important nuances that would help promote higher understanding and comprehension of what the documents mean. As far as you know, the teacher may have just replayed the cartoon five times and then told the kids to memorize the preamble for a test without even explaining the significance of it. Maybe, just maybe, perhaps the teacher thought it wouldn't matter to mention "of the United States" and thus the child's grade faltered.
I am simply stating that one or two points off of a test because he forgot to mention the United States in the end shouldn't be make or break because she is probably wondering in regards to the grade. Just go over the concept with your son about the preamble instead of getting all singy-songy. That's what education should be doing first and foremost. Provide background and then the song can function as extra help.
I did go over the meaning. He didn't know the meaning when studying.
He did get a "U", so I have to sign it and send it back. I'll just leave it at that, but the test is poorly written and not one I would give.
It sounds like you are upset your son didn't score well and you are now coming up with a reason why, blaming the teacher. Yes, the Schoolhouse Rock cartoon is great, I still remember the words to all of those from when I was a kid, however, this is the "Cliff Notes" version of the Preamble. The cartoon was made to get a point across, not to teach the exact words. It would be the same as if a child watched a movie vs reading the book for an English Lit test, sure you get the general meaning of the "book", however things were changed so they fit into the movie.
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