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| A new perspective on our April Showers! |
Great Things I Noticed This Week:
*Students learning and practicing strategies to help them handle their anger in appropriate ways.
*A student asking if he can solve a math problem using two different strategies.
*A class reading a few different poems together, referring back to their previously made anchor chart of poetry elements/examples.
*Students used Educreations to show newly learned vocabulary words. They shared them using the snowball method...their groups to share in got bigger and bigger. First they shared with a partner, then with a group of 4, then with a group of 8 and finally the whole class. Not only did they get to enjoy sharing and seeing each others' Educreation, but they got to expand their vocabulary at the same time.
*A HUGE thank you for helping make the Big Blast Night a hit--Mrs. Harnisch, Mrs. Peterson, Ms. Braunschweig, Mrs. Haan, Mr. Mane, and Mrs. O'Toole. I always feel tired just thinking about this event, but am re-energized seeing how much fun the kids had and heard many positive comments/thank you's from parents at the end of the evening.
Events Next Week:
Today - Staff Social Lunch, Rescheduled Tornado Drill
Monday - Leroy Butler Presentation at 1:15. Make sure to wear your Green & Gold (yes, this means you can wear jeans on a Monday!)
Tuesday - Grade Level Meetings (see "Nuts & Bolts" for what we're discussing)
Wednesday - Staff get-together at Rolling Stone
Friday - PD Day-more details below
"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Grade Level Meetings: We put RtI on the "backburner" this year as we implemented Math Expressions. Next year (December) is when the state SLD Rule goes into effect, mandating us to fully implement RtI. To determine what our next steps are, we are going to use Tuesday's meetings to have grade levels discuss/complete the state's recommended survey to determine where we are and where we need to go. I'm not sure how long this will take, so you may also have time to talk math, common core, or whatever else your hearts desire.
*PD Day Agenda:
which apps, but they will apply across grade levels/subjects. There's a good chance we'll have many more iPads next year, so you'll want to be thinking about how you'll utilize them. :)
12:30-2:00 Cross-Grade Level Meetings for discussions on math-sharing practices from your grade level that they next grade should know, as well as making plans for the remainder of the year. Grades 3-5 know they won't make it through the book, so you will need to come to consensus on what must be taught before the end of the year, what you will skip, etc. 5K-2 are the lucky ones that will finish and need to plan where to go for the rest of the year!
12:30-1:10 4K/5K, 1/2, 3/4, 5/6
1:15-2:00 5K/1, 2/3, 4/5
Rooms To Be Determined
Blogs, Pins & Tweets...Oh My!!!
*Do you love the author Mem Fox? Hearing her read her books aloud is a real treat! She has recorded many of her favorites on her website HERE.
*Great blog post: More Than Listening Centers; Using Audio Books in Literacy Instruction
*Sunday Night's Twitter #Wischat (Wisconsin Chat) had a great conversation on Standards Based Grading. Here are some of the "nuggets" I copied from the chat:
Eric Vanden Heuvel
On a 100 pt scale, students have over 60 different ways to fail- Guskey #wischat
Q2 the inconsistency of grades is harmful. Too many times they are used as punishment and not feedback. #Wischat
If you want grades to mean anything, they should reflect student mastery, not compliance and responsibility. #Wischat
A1 - Changing the grading scale is not as important as defining our core beliefs about grading and assessment. #Wischat
A great post shared by @NMHS_Principal about grading practices - http://esheninger.blogspot.com/2013/03/second-chances.html #wischat
Some Great Posts on Grading & Homework by Wisconsin's very own @pernilleripp Check these out after chat - http://www.http://www.pernilleripp.com/p/no-homework-no-grades-no-punishment.html #wischat
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