Nuts & Bolts - Weeks of 11/30 & 12/7

• 12/2 - PLC Vertical 
• 12/7-12/11 - Hour of Code Week 
• Science Department will be giving all students the opportunity to code using Code.org
• 12/9 - PLC Vertical
• 12/11 - Staff Holiday Breakfast
• Join us at 7:30am in the staff lounge for breakfast hosted by TR Office Staff
• 12/11 - AM Assembly Schedule - Holiday Music Assembly Gym
• Stay tuned for emails from Jessica, Rebecca, & Gary with who's going where when.
• 12/11 - End of 2nd Qtr. Progress Report Period
• ZAP Continues
• Read this Doc to remind you of the process for assigning someone to this Mon-Thurs lunchtime homework intervention.
• "Bookmark" this "ZAP Sign-Up" link for easy access.
• More ZAP slips will be delivered 11/30.
• CICO Continues
• Read THIS to remind you of the process.

Shout Out! - Gary Hung

I recently had the pleasure of observing Gary Hung. I was inspired by both his lesson design and how engaged the students were from bell to bell. Students were grouped in teams where leaders posted to Google Classroom. Students watched a high-interest video, were given time to discuss, share out, and practice reciprocal teaching skills with a close reading passage. Technology, speaking/listening, writing, and close reading. Wow! Amazing job Gary! 

Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do

Larry Ferlazzo is a fairly well known educator and resource curator out their on the interweb. In this article, he describes the ingredients that he believes truly make a teacher skilled. 

Tech Tip: App Task Challenge

There are so many apps to explore! An integration specialist put together some great 1-2 page tutorials called "App Task Challenges" aimed at getting teachers to experiment with BYOD. Think about integrating an app as a new year's resolution? 

Nuts / Bolts - Weeks of 11/16 & 11/23

Many thanks to ALL staff for handling the various special schedules, activities, and events of the past weeks with patience, teamwork, and professionalism. 

• 11/17 - ZAP Begins
• Read this Doc to remind you of the process for assigning someone to this Mon-Thurs lunchtime homework intervention. 
• "Bookmark" this "ZAP Sign-Up" link for easy access.
• Teachers will have ZAP slips delivered 11/16.
• 11/17 - CICO Begins 
• 7th & 8th Grade teams identified a total of 10 students for CICO. Be on the lookout for their scoring sheets. Please use your rubber stamp (with last name) to sign. 
• Read THIS to remind you of the process. 
• 11/18 - PLC Vertical
• Teams leaders will be sent a link to a Google Hangout for a special, brief video Staff Recognition to prevent time loss due to travel. 
• 11/20 -  TRTV Schedule 
• 11/21 - 11/29 - Thanksgiving Break - Enjoy Time with your Family and Friends. You've EARNED it!

Shout Out! - Vanessa Amorin

Vanessa does SO much for our campus as a stellar Math and Spanish educator, WEB Advisor, PBIS Team Member, and Saturday School Lead. We recognize her as an invaluable team-player and the Leadership Association for Student Councils sent us a letter acknowledging her value as an outstanding board member! Way to go Vanessa! 

Tech Tip - FlipQuiz

Many teachers use games in class to engage students in reviewing content / concepts. FlipQuiz is an online platform for building "Jeopardy" themed review games. The best part is that you can access it from any computer or device, and there's a whole library of games already made by others. Table groups of 4 could play their own review game using 1 Chromebook with a winner from each group competing in "Sudden Death". 

Class Clown Or Gifted Student? It's A Matter Of Perspective

Shout Out! - Nicole Saltzman

Our very own Trailblazer, Nicole Saltzman has more than earned recognition this week. She has scored a hat trick this year by being 8th Grade Horizontal Lead, Math Department Head, and middle school's APLE Rep. We acknowledge her leadership not only at Travis, but as an active member of the District's Math Task Force. Thanks for all you do for students and our community! 

Nuts & Bolts - Weeks of 11/9 and 11/16

• 11/11 - NO SCHOOL - Veteran's Day
• 11/13 - PM Assembly - Pep Rally! 
• 11/14 - Super Saturday! 8am-12pm
• 11/18 - PLC - Staff / Vertical 
• 11/20 - TRTV Schedule
• 11/20 - Deadline for 1st Informal Observation
• 11/23-11/27 - Thanksgiving Break

Integrating Math into History, Science, and Art

As all content areas reinforce literacy skills, the redundancy will have a profound effect on student achievement. Let's remember that learners also need the same type of redundancy in Math. There are many ways teachers can embed simple and complex math concepts into their lesson design. This website offers some basic suggestions about how to integrate Math into content areas, or consult your friendly Math Department for other ideas!  

#1 Skill = Verbal Communication

This MiddleWeb post from the author of Well Spoken: Teaching Speaking to All Students emphasizes the importance of normalizing speaking / listening routines as well as consistent, teacher utilized vocabulary around speaking skills. One strategy he suggests is giving every student a Poker Chip to use at some point to add a comment to the discussion by the end of class. He also suggests mini-lessons targeting specific speaking skills like guestures, poise, voice, etc.

Nuts & Bolts - Weeks of 11/2 & 11/9

Primary Evaluator must finish 1st Informal Observation by 11/20. Please let us know if there's a special lesson you'd like us to observe and get feedback on!? 

• 11/2 - Double AM Assembly - 4-Word Momentum
• ALL Students will be reminded of our anti-bullying expectations. Student anti-bullying pledge will be signed by all students on Friday, 11/6
• 11/3 - 1st Qtr. Grades DUE by noon!
• 11/3 - 4-Word Momentum, 7th Grade, Last names A–K
• 11/4 - 4-Word Momentum, 7th Grade, Last names L–Z 
• 11/4 PLC - Horizontal  
• As part of the SST process, collaboratively identify students in need of intervention programs like ZAP, Check-in / Check-out, and counseling with Dana.
• 11/4 Band Pageant
• Support our band / colorguard programs by attending this fantastic event. We'll make banners, cheer, and vuvuzela. Grab a bite / drink afterwards?
• 11/6 - Staff Party "Oktoberfest" @ Sandi's @ 4:30pm
• 11/11 - NO SCHOOL - Veteran's Day
• 11/13 - PM Assembly - Pep Rally! 
• 11/14 - Super Saturday! 8am-12pm

Shout Out! - Dynamic Duo - Mary & Gina

As you already know, Mary and Gina are rockstars! They handle multiple preps, constantly seek out new curriculum for students, trailblaze with technology, and participate in any/all activities centered on students having fun! We applaud them for always going above and beyond the call of duty to excite students for learning! 

The Hidden Brain Podcast

To reinforce listening skills, I LOVE podcasts. This one from NPR is fantastic and cross-curricular. There are SO many out there to choose from. Students listen, then discuss, then write about their interpretations, understandings, musings, etc. Engaging critical thinking at minimal cost to instructional time! Ask them to find the correlations / connections to content under study. You'll be amazed by the connections they make! 

5 Steps to Argumentalizing Instruction

This blog post talks about how to effectively organize / plan argumentative units / lessons. Great advice as we transform our instructional practices towards mirroring evidence-based writing, socratic seminars, persuasive writing, etc.

Step 1: Organize the Unit around a Debatable Issue or Problem

Step 2: Teach Content in Relation to Arguments about the Debatable Issue or Problem

Step 3: Prioritize Two Skills: Use of Evidence and Engagement with Other Views

Step 4: Employ a Structured Argumentation Activity as Performance Assessment

Step 5: Assess for Summary, Argumentative Claims, Evidence, Refutation, and Evaluation