Day 1: Disclosure Letter & Activity 1-1: Digital Hardware Worksheet Download

By Karl Barksdale © 2003

Two Tasks at Once

If your school is like ours, you're required to send home, on the first day of class, a single-page disclosure statement to parents concerning your class. In our case, the disclosures must be returned with a parent signature. However, parents are so inundated by these disclosure statements that many are never signed or returned!

This year, I'm trying something new. I am printing a worksheet for Activity 1-1 on the back of the disclosure statement. This way, I'm hoping to increase the percentage of returned disclosures as well as obtaining the answers for Activity 1-1.

Why a Memo Format?

I wrote my disclosure statement in the form of a memo. In today's e-mail world, memos have quietly descended in importance. Nevertheless, memos are still viable documents in certain situations, such as notices home to parents. By using the memo format, I'm exposing my students to the memo format they will be completing in their Word lessons as seen on page 134.

About Activity 1-1 Digital Hardware

Activity 1-1 is a great exercise. It helps me ascertain what percentage of my students have computers at home, what other digital communication devices they have access to, and it helps my students brainstorm about the many kinds of digital devices they frequently see and use every day.

Download

Click here to download a draft of the Disclosure Memo and the Activity 1-1 worksheet. It's in a Word format so you can change to fit your needs.