Great things noticed:Week in Pictures
In a Social Studies class students are learning about the election process and strategies campaigns use for television adds. The students are now creating their own adds and contacting possible Presidential candidates to learn more about them. It is great to see the students go from consumers of information, to creators of information.
In a language arts class the students had been researching and were now presenting the results of the research. It was interesting to see the different mediums groups used to present their research, one group created a large trifold poster so when people visited them they would be able to see their findings. They also made a brochure so that when you left their station you had the information with you incase you needed to refer to it later on. Finally they created a PowToon with a song they created about their research. It was wonderful to see our students become so creative, even when working on a research project.
In several different math classes teachers created groups based on student performance. The teachers assessed the students and then created groups based on the results of that assessment. The students moved from game stations, to review stations, to video stations with Kahn Academy, to a direct instruction station.
In a science class the students were learning about vertebrates vs. invertebrates and the teacher had them create a spine using gummy life savers, straws, and wagon wheel pasta. The students were able to touch, label, and explore how all these pieces functioned together, in a way they would not have been able to by just reading from a worksheet.
In a langauge arts class students reviewed the types of questions they answered correctly vs. the types of questions they answered incorrectly. Students were able to then identify areas they wanted to focus on such as: author's purpose, point of view, etc. This type of metacognition allows the students to know where they really need to focus for the next assessment.
Nuts and Bolts:
PARCC infrastructure test is taking place today. Please remember the purpose of this is not for the students to take a practice test, it is to show them the question types, and testing features they will be exposed to. For example: how to scroll through a reading passage, how to highlight text, how to eliminate answer choices, how to check to see all questions have been answered, how to give a written response (they are given a tiny box to type in but they can type a great deal more), how to use the equation editor in some math answers, etc.
The 8th Grade team has created this notes page for the trial run on Monday's PARCC. It goes step by step on how to navigate the testing site, thank you 8th Grade.
Here is the video on how to find your classes: http://screencast.com/t/rqs9rBSC
QSAC will be coming in Tuesday. Please make sure everything in your room is as it should be, no wires where students could trip etc. Also be sure to have a copy of your unit plan on your desk for them to see if they should walk into your room. I am excited to have them see what a great job you all do for our students!
If you feel after Monday's trial run that you would like another opportunity to go over the question types, or question features please discuss this as a team and let us know. We would be open to consider another run on Friday if you felt it was necessary.
Thank you for making students learning our number one priority. With the PARCC being new this year we realize there is a new and added stress to every teacher. Together we have all been learning how to navigate the testing site, and prepare ourselves the best we can. Even with this added stress we have received feedback from parents letting us know how they do not see our school as a school that stops what we are doing to 'teach to the test'. Thank you for making our school a place where learning doesn't stop because the PARCC is here.
Upcoming Dates:
February 23 --- Faculty Meeting
February 24, 25, 26 --- 8th Grade CAP Program
March 2 --- 7/8 Grade PARCC Testing Begins
March 9 --- 5/6 Grade PARCC Testing Begins (7/8 Make-Ups)
Faculty Meeting
March 13 --- BIS Spotlight
March 16 --- 5/6 PARCC Make-Ups
March 23 --- Faculty Meeting
Tech Tips:
Feedly: Searching the web for what you want/need can take a great deal of time. Some teachers may already have an RSS feed setup, but incase you haven't yet Feedly is one I recommend. Instead of you taking time to search the web for the latest and greatest you can make the web come to you by using services like Feedly. Feedly makes it possible for information to come directly to you every-time a particular website is updated. Below is a video on how to do this, and Richard Byrne makes some great suggestions on sites to follow, even if he does a bit of self-promotion. After setting up the websites you like best, checking Feedly once a week will keep you up to date on your favorite websites.
My suggested follows on Feedly to get you started:
http://pernillesripp.com
http://www.freetech4teachers.com
http://www.edudemic.com
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org
http://blog.mrmeyer.com
http://www.justintarte.com
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