Learn how to create assessments and interpret data in our new Assessment program! Webinar will begin at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, 10/5, in the Career Lab. There are item banks for ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies courses. Unlike Achievement Series, this can be used for every day assessments like starters, quizzes, and unit tests. You will love PowerSchool! Benchmarking dates will be posted once training and all test items and exams have been completed. Stay tuned...:)
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The button below will take you to an article that discusses lesson planning by unit. It is short, informative and has a link to a great checklist/menu of potential Unit elements. I have already been approached with some great examples of Unit templates that I will be sharing shortly and am excited that you have the opportunity to individualize your plans. Please collaborate with your team members - you are your best resource!
Please take a moment to read the article and comment here with your thoughts and ideas. (Your comments will take the place of a staff meeting, so please don't forget!) If you have template ideas that you would like to share, please send them to me. Criteria that should be included:
Check out this article for five strategies on incorporating primary source documents into your Social Studies classes. The suggestions you find here may be helpful in our quest to increase rigor and stress literacy. Thank you, Ms. Morrow for sharing! I will also post on the PD page for future reference.
The actual title was "8 Ways to Pose Better Questions in Math Class" but don't let that scare you away. These questioning techniques would apply to any content. Check it out - there are some great tips in this article . I especially liked tip 2, 3, and 5!
Thank you Mrs. Plemons for sharing! I've had several teachers working on incorporating Padlet activities into their classroom. Hopefully, as they begin to see increased student interaction (Mr. Harris and Mr. Steele), they will share with me so I can include them on the Weebly for everyone to see! In the meantime, I found a quick video on Padlet that had several great ideas...take a look and be sure to comment! Don't forget to check out Dr. Terry's Tech Blog link on the right side of this page! http://tinyurl.com/h7zmxjq If you are trying out something new, please share! How many of you have heard a student say "I can't learn this" or "I'm just not good at math (or any other subject)"? Many of our students are stuck in a "Fixed Mindset" and just give up, not understanding that with effort they can learn! A student's mindset has a direct impact on their success, in school and in future endeavors.
Below is a powerpoint highlighting the differences between fixed and growth mindsets. It would be interesting to see where your own mindset is...what effect do our words have on our students' mindset? I also found a quiz that the students can take and put in their Interactive Notebooks if they have one. It would be a great Week 1 activity for next year. In lieu of a professional learning day, I would appreciate seeing your comments about the powerpoint and/or quiz on here. There may be a drawing for a "Sweet" surprise for those that participate:) I'm sure many of you have seen your students with their Math INB's, which were introduced and implemented in the Math classes at the beginning of the year.
Students are engaged in class, becoming more organized, and accountable for their learning! Basically, students are creating their own textbooks filled with what you deem important - vocabulary, notes, practice problems, Thinking Maps, etc! If you are interested in finding out more about them or how to use them in your class, let me know by commenting. I'd love to see MCHS using them in all content areas! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or a Math teacher how they work. A great time to begin using them would be at the beginning of the semester - I could easily set up a workshop where you can get started right away. It is so simple!! Mrs. Owens has been kind enough to share a form she uses when posting student work. I hope you find it useful! You can click on the link below or on the "Useful Handouts" page.
Here are a couple of ideas that you may find useful as you are planning your differentiation. Please feel free to share anything you try or find. I'd love to hear your comments, as well. Grouping Ideas At the end of a lesson, have students decide at what level they feel they have mastered the standard. Students can put a notecard with their name on it in the appropriate folder; they can even add questions, if you like. Now you know who has mastered the standard and can be accelerated, who needs additional help and who needs re-teaching. Differentiating for ELL StudentsA Sample Reading Lesson
The problems the teacher faces when teaching differentiated classes (ranging from mixed ability to ELLs) include how to plan lessons that can meet the needs of all the students, preventing the higher-performing students from getting bored and the lower-performing students from feeling lost. Reading Tasks for Lower-Performing Students
Since many ELLs are still not achieving proficiency in general education classes and across content areas, teachers need to find ways of integrating these students to help them catch up with their native English-speaking peers. By building on the knowledge of what ELLs can do successfully, either individually or in small groups, teachers will have a much easier time customizing instruction so that ELLs can reach their learning potential. Sasson, Doris. "Integrating ELL Students in General Education Classes." Edutopia. 1 December, 2014 For those of you not teaching Math (you are probably thrilled about that), you may not be aware that the Math department is trying something new this year. All of the math students are creating Interactive Notebooks (INB's) - basically their own textbooks. I have personally seen some great ideas being shared and Brittney Adams took the time to share this...
I have had very positive feedback from my students about interactive notebooks. They seem to really enjoy doing them and also being able to use them as a resource. They are always pulling them out and looking at their notes to remember how to complete a problem (they know what page it should be on and do not lose their notes). Thank you very much (Mrs. Linder) for purchasing the supplies to make this be something we are able to do. I would love for anyone else using the INB's in their classrooms to share their experiences as well. And, if you do not teach math, be sure to ask your students about them. I'm sure they would love to see that you are interested in what they are doing! Christina O'Dell solved the problem of printing the Thinking Map bookmarks! :) She graciously made each teacher a hard copy on stock paper and I am having them laminated. I will have them in your mailboxes by tomorrow. According to everyone's feedback, the bookmarks were a favorite.
I think there are 5 bookmarks that you can cut out and use. If you would like additional ones, please let Mrs. O'Dell know. She said she would print them for you - it was a little tricky. Please thank Mrs. O'Dell for her time and help! REMINDER: TKES Roster Verification #2 is due tomorrow. EMAIL ME WHEN YOU HAVE COMPLETED IT - I have received emails from half the staff. Remind your neighbors.
The printer for the colored posters is now working! If you would like a Thinking Map poster in color, please see Mrs. Ingle. If you would like a set of handouts instead of a poster, please comment on this post.
I appreciate all of your feedback related to Twitter! I have found a wealth of educational information on Twitter. I found a list of Critical Words Students Must Know for Common Core & Standardized Tests.
I know that our ELA teachers are teaching many of these words - Make sure you INCLUDE the words that apply to your curriculum in your daily class discussions & instruction! How are the rest of you incorporating DOK leveled vocabulary in your instruction? SHARE....SHARE....SHARE!!! |
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Created byDana Ford |