Grades with weighted categories

I had a brief discussion with some of my students during class today about grades. One was saying that he didn't like weighted categories, because of the distortion that can occur early in the semester. If you get a C on an assignment in a category where there aren't yet other assignments, it might have a larger impact on the grade than with the total points system. But then another student said that he likes the categories, because they tell him what he does well and what he needs to work on. So we're getting through to some of them! I did point out that grades in any system are distorted to some degree until you get to the end of the semester. Hopefully I will be involved in more discussions like this one.

Honors Test Essays

I always include an essay on my honors tests. I give students the questions ahead of time so that they may plan their answers in advance. This semester I have really made an effort to make them realize what I am looking for, but I did not see the results I hoped for on the first test. Tomorrow is the second test, and so far almost half of my students have come in for help with their preparation, which is very much a good thing. What I noticed while helping students today is that a lot of what we have been doing in class as not yet sunk in. In particular, I keep emphasizing making connections between specific events, people, or situations, while they keep coming up with general connections and then sometimes backing them up with specifics.
So today it hit me - why not come up with a worksheet to help students organize their ideas while preparing for the test essay? I came up with a chart where they have to list the specific event/person/situation from one period alongside the specific event/person/situation from another period, along with the type of connection (cause-and-effect, similarities/differences, etc.). It is too late for me to share this with all of my students for tomorrow's tests, but I did share it with some who came in for help today. They all think it is very helpful.
I have already made a similar worksheet for the third test, which I plan to post online. I feel that I have found a method that will actually improve students' results, rather than merely make myself confident that I did all that I could (as opposed to the students). I am looking forward to seeing some better essays.