What International Teens Think About School in America

I just saw this 8min video from PBS on YouTube. An interesting perspective is taken about how students from other academically high performing countries view our educational system. The video also looks into the cultural dynamics at play in our country and how education is or isn't valued. 

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 12/12/16

- Thanks for continuing to support:
       - JUMP Club's "Toys for Tots" Drive
       - WE Club's "Blanket & Sock" Drive
- Give 6 - RISE Cards Daily! (Please store RISE Cards in a safe place in your room)
- CICO & Dojo Points - If a student does NOT earn points, consider writing a message to 
  explain what could be improved on so parents are kept informed. 

12/12 - Management Monday Schedule
12/13 - Winter Choir Concert 7-8pm
12/14 - Marching Band @ Disney, PLC - District Initiative, Room 36
12/15 - WEB Leaders meet with 6th Graders
12/16 - TRTV Schedule
          - Staff Holiday Breakfast, 7:45-8:45am; Performances by Encore & Jazz Band
          - Turn off all computers, printers, etc. for the break
          - Staff Holiday Party 6pm @ the Hellwigs - FLYER

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Shout Out! - Briggs + Chapluk + Hung + Dominguez + Schlenz

I've been trying to ramp up my walk-throughs this week and have been super excited to see Mary's classes doing their test launches of their Mars Rovers. I also saw her facilitating a Socratic Seminar yesterday. In all activities Mary's kids have been excited and thoroughly engaged! 

Similarly, Cari's classes have been immersed in both coding and producing a newscast using Google Slides and their phones. Lots of tech integration and kids smiling and having fun! 

Lastly, we ALL wanted to thank our amazing performing arts teachers who have arranged amazing performances for us and our community to enjoy. Countless hours of rehearsals before and after school have paid off. The high caliber of performance is evidence of YOUR hard work. Thanks Jessica, Rebecca, and Gary! 

Tech Tip: Formative

Formative is a tool for assessments that allows you to watch them working on their solutions in real time. Thought this might be a great tool for math teachers who want to see which step students are struggling with. You can upload existing docs and students can write on top of them. 

Create an Assignment - Assign to Students - Receive Live Results - Give Feedback

As Teachers Tackle New Student-Writing Expectations, Support Is Lacking

I found this ARTICLE on Education Week. It takes a closer look at how schools are implementing more rigorous writing expectations across content areas. It takes a realistic look at the challenges embedded in incorporating more writing, but gives some tips on how to accomplish it.

An Education Trust study found that fewer than 1 in 10 assignments required multiple paragraphs of writing. Just 4 in 10 assignments were aligned with the grade-appropriate standard, and 16 percent required students to cite evidence from the text, which is a key component of the common core.

TIPS: Jago said, students could assess their own writing and give the teacher their best work to read, along with a written explanation of why they thought that piece of writing was worthy. Or students could share their work in small groups and have the group select the best piece of writing and explain why.

Additional Reading with some great examples of assignments that align and don't align.

Education Trust Study: Checking In: Do Classroom Assignments Reflect Today's Higher Standards

Nuts & Bolts - Week of 12/5/16

- Support JUMP Club's "Toys for Tots" & WE Club's "Blanket & Sock" Drives.
- Please dismiss students from class on time so they are not tardy to their next class.
- Give 6 - RISE Cards Daily! (Please store RISE Cards in a safe place in your room)

12/5 - Homeroom Schedule; 

     - 6th (slide 28, teacher script pg. 67)

    - 7th (slide 28, teacher script pg. 65)
    - 8th (slide 25, teacher script pg. 67)
12/6 - 8am - Team Leader Meeting
12/7 - 9:25am-10:15am MS Holiday Music Assembly; PLC Vertical Teams; 6pm
          Instrumental Holiday Concert, Gym
12/8 -
12/9 - Band/Orchestra @ Knott's Berry Farm

Looking ahead:
* 12/16 - Holiday Staff Breakfast 7:45-8:30am, MPR - Performances by Encore & Jazz Band
* 12/16 - Holiday Staff Party @ The Hellwigs

Shout Out! - Rick Perske + Tracy Bunce

Rick has been at our school since before I arrived. He's one of our noon supervisors. I appreciate his reliability and ability to connect well with kids. He consistently takes the lead and goes where he is needed most. We are grateful that Rick has been able to cover for Lisa Gilles when she's been absent, and want to recognize him for his positive contributions to our school and community. 

Tracy Bunce is our cafeteria lead. She works diligently to ensure all students are fed daily and projects lunch counts to avoid wasting food; planning around special events like a pro. This year, she has taken on the new responsibility of prepping food on site. She has handled this along with all our funky schedules with grace and patience. I also appreciate her coming in each time we have had a Saturday School. She's a fantastic teammate and we want to recognize her dedication to our campus and students! 

Tech Tip: Poll Everywhere

At our last staff meeting I used "Poll Everywhere" for you to post shout outs and observations about CAASPP data. It's a very simple platform to use for polling. You have various options including: Multiple Choice, Open-ended, Q&A polls (audience submits responses, and can anonymously agree or disagree with other responses by upvoting or downvoting), Ranking, or Clickable Images poll. Students can access with smart OR dumb phones, Chromebooks, etc. Great for formative assessment, conversation starters, sharing group input, etc. 

32 Characteristics of High-Performing Classrooms

As I was Pinteresting one eve during Thanksgiving break I stumbled across this great poster. This really sums up many of the characteristics we look for in 21st century learning environments. 

I love that the linked article from "Teach Thought" (great website!) had this brief, yet powerful definition of instructional design: "The strategic creation of learning experiences through intentional planning, sequencing, and data-based revision of learning.