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Our next grade level meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 15 for grades 4 and 5. This will take place at Eastside Elementary. Please bring common assessment data results and concerns you have regarding student responses. ELA teachers will be working on the creation of CA 4 and 5, so bring appropriate materials for that work.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. September 20, 2011 – A group of 20 states has been selected to lead an important effort to improve science education for all students. The 20 states will lead the development of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a state-led effort that will clearly define the content and practices all students will need to learn from kindergarten through high school graduation. The NGSS process is being managed by Achieve, a non-partisan education non-profit. "The Lead State Partners will provide important leadership and guidance throughout the development of the Next Generation Science Standards and are to be congratulated for making a strong commitment to science education," said Michael Cohen, president of Achieve. "This will be a collaborative process that will lead to a set of standards that provides America's students a strong foundation in science for the 21st century and supports college and career readiness for all." The Lead State Partners are Arizona, California, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia. The development of the Next Generation Science Standards is a two-step process. The first step was the building of a framework that identified the core ideas and practices in natural sciences and engineering that all students should be familiar with by the time they graduate. In July, the National Research Council released A Framework for K-12 Science Education, developed by a committee representing expertise in science, teaching and learning, curriculum, assessment and education policy. The second step is the development of science standards based on the Framework. The 20 Lead State Partners will guide the standard writing process, gather and deliver feedback from state-level committees and come together to address common issues and challenges. The Lead State Partners also agree to commit staff time to the initiative and, upon completion, give serious consideration to adopting the Next Generation Science Standards. In order to be considered, states had to submit a letter with the signature of the Chief State School Officer and the chair of the State Board of Education. Drafts of the science standards will be made available for public input at least two times during the NGSS development process. The NGSS should be completed by the end of 2012. American students continue to lag internationally in science education, making them less competitive for the jobs of the present and the future. A recent U.S. Department of Commerce study shows that over the past 10 years, growth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) jobs was three times greater than that of non-STEM jobs. The report also shows that STEM jobs are expected to continue to grow at a faster rate than other jobs in the coming decade. "There is a clear benefit to providing our students with the strong science education they need to compete in college and the workplace," said Dr. Stephen Pruitt, Vice President of Content, Research and Development at Achieve, who is coordinating the NGSS effort. "A strong science education provides all students with opportunities to be successful in the 21st century." For more information, visit the Next Generation Science Standards website atwww.nextgenscience.org.
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WOW! We are one month into the school year! As we continue to study the new standards, please keep me informed as to what you need. Harrison County has developed the following:
I CAN STATEMENT CARDS
PACING GUIDES for ELA and MATH
MATH COMMON ASSESSMENTS (K-5)
RTI Implementation using DIBELS NEXT as our UNIVERSAL SCREENER
We are currently working towards the development of the I CAN STATEMENTS as they relate directly to the pacing guides. Wednesday will be the first meeting of our 2nd grade team from 3:30-5:00 at Southside Elementary School.
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Yeah! After visiting Russell County, they suggested we invest in the book NUMBER IN THE CLASSROOM. All 4 elementary principals have agreed to order this for their teachers! Northside's books came in last week and the final PO was submitted last Wednesday! This resource should be available soon. I am anxious for us to have engaging conversations regarding the subject matter of this resource!
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WOW! It's Read Across America Day! Enjoy a book with your youngster!
Here is a clever and economical idea for a dry erase board.
Materials needed: One double pocket folder with prongs and one sheet protecter per student.
1. Place the sheet protector in the prongs of the folder.
2. Place paper in the sheet protector. (To change it up, the paper could be colored). It could be a worksheet. It could be math fact drill paper. The beauty of whatever you place in the sheet protector is that it can be used over and over again.
3. Students will of course need a dry erase marker and an eraser.
*Eraser Tips: Use a fabric softener sheet (be mindful of student allergies, but your room sure will smell good!). Small pieces of felt can be used over and over, then washed at home. Odd socks make good erasers too!
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Last Monday, a team of Elementary Teachers along with elementary principals were able to visit with three schools in Russell County. We brought back many useful ideas and will continue to find the resources we need to implement them in here our district.
In Russell County, they use the SPAT writing technique. They also use Math Fact Fluency from EKU. If you are interested in learning more about either one of these, please let me know right away. You'll be hearing more about our visit at grade level meetings!
Have a great week!
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In one of Pat Quin's recent posts he says:
I like to use timers in the classroom. Research indicates students will remain on task better and use their time more wisely when you use timers. A great website that has both "count up" and "countdown" timers that look great projected to the front of my classroom can be found here:
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This month during district grade level meetings we will be focusing on the Kentucky Core Academic Standards or KCAS. These meetings will take place over 2 half days for each grade level, grades K-2. We began our work yesterday. Below is the schedule for the rest of the month:
1/18 – Kindergarten (11:30-3:15)
1/19 – First grade (11:30-5:00)
1/24 – Kindergarten (mtg. #2 11:30-5:00)
1/25 – First grade (mtg. #2 11:30-3:15)
1/26- Second grade (11:30-5:00)
2/1- Second grade (mtg. #2 11:30-3:15)
The current focus surrounds the reading and language arts content. Teachers are examining each standard and creating student friendly learning targets. Afterwards, assessments will be developed and implemented for the 2011-2012 school year.
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Coming back from Christmas Break would be a wonderful time to review strategies and procedures as recommended by Dr. Harry Wong. If you need refreshing discussion regarding this work, let me know!
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A topic of conversations in educational circles is the use of traditional learning centers versus literacy work stations. I have purchased several book by Debbie Diller addressing this issue. If you are interested in this literature, I will be most happy to share what I have found. Below are the basic differences between the two.
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Literacy Work Stations |
Traditional Learning Centers |
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Materials are taught with and used for instruction first. Then they are placed in the work station for independent use. |
New materials are often placed in the center without first being used in teaching. The teacher may have shown how to use the materials once but they were often introduced with all the other new center materials at one time. |
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Stations remain set up all year long. Materials are changed to reflect children’s reading levels, strategies being taught, and topics being studied. |
Centers are often changed weekly with units of study. |
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Stations are used for students’ meaningful independent work and are an integral part of each child’s instruction. All students go to work stations daily. |
Centers are often used by students when they “finished their work.” Centers were used for fun and motivation, for something extra. |
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Materials are differentiated for students with different needs and reading levels. |
All students do the same activities at centers. There was not usually much differentiation. |
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The teacher meets with guided reading groups during literacy work stations. |
If the teacher met with small groups, each group often did the same task. |
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