October 09 Tosa Newsletter

TOSA Tribune Nixa Public Schools

Intermediate

October 2009

Volume 4, Issue 1

“In the Know” Listed below are district expectations. If you have any questions or need support in a particular area, please contact Cheryl Dick or Debby Money.

Directions for these easy-touse strategies that cover the four basic principles of cooperative learning are in the Kagan Cooperative Learning SmartCard. If you don’t have one, check with your colleagues or building principal.

District Expectations Communication Arts: 150 minutes each day Teach written curriculum Word Wall Nifty Thrifty Fifty Editors’ Checklist SSR Conferences Writing Conferences DESE vocabulary is used Integrate questions from the Interpretations from the ShowMe Standards into lessons/classroom assessments

Math: 75 minutes a day Teach written curriculum 70% Investigations (K-4) GLE examples from DESE’s website DESE vocabulary is used Cooperative Learning: Four Basic Principles Positive interdependence Individual accountability Equal participation Simultaneous interaction When is the last time you used: ___Inside/Outside Circle? ___Four Corners? ___Fan-N-Pick? ___RoundRobin? ___RoundTable? ___One Stray? ___Send-a-Problem? ___Showdown? ___Stir-the-Class? ___Team-Pair-Solo? ___Team-Stand-n-Share? ___Think-Pair-Share?

Brain-Friendly Strategies: Absence of threat Respecting the uniqueness of learners Engagement of emotions Understanding the brain’s attention span Active, relevant choicedriven learning Complex, real-life learning Eating proper foods Specific, immediate feedback Utilization of patterns in learning Engagement of meaning Well-lit classrooms ~Eric Jensen

Inside this issue: District Expectations

1

2010 M.A.P.

2

Blueprints Expect Students to Get There

2

M.A.P. Resources

3

Cold Assessments

3

Anchor Activities

3

Book Study Opportunity/Guidelines

4

M.A.P.— Practice the Way We Play D.E.S.E. recently released the blueprints for the 2010 M.A.P. tests. Be sure to practice the way we play.

Math Blueprint Third Grade: 3 sessions 50-62 selected response 4 constructed response Number and Operations: 33% Geometric and Spatial Rel. 18% Measurement: 17% Data and Probability: 10% Algebraic Relationships: 22% Fourth Grade: 3 sessions 50-62 selected response 4 constructed response 1 performance event Number and Operations: 35% Geometric and Spatial Rel. 15% Measurement: 20% Data and Probability: 10% Algebraic Relationships: 20% Fifth Grade: 3 sessions 50-62 selected response 4 constructed response Number and Operations: 28% Geometric and Spatial Rel. 17% Measurement: 17% Data and Probability: 16% Algebraic Relationships: 22% Sixth Grade: 3 sessions 50-62 selected response 4 constructed response Number and Operations: 29% Geometric and Spatial Rel. 14% Measurement: 14% Data and Probability: 24% Algebraic Relationships: 19%

Page 2

Communication Arts Blueprint Third Grade: 4 sessions 50-59 selected response 4 constructed response 1 writing prompt 68% reading 22% writing standard English 10% writing formally Fourth Grade:

Where success is a tradition ...

3 sessions 50-59 selected response 4 constructed response 82% reading 15% writing standard English 3% writing formally Fifth Grade: 3 sessions 50-59 selected response 4 constructed response 79% reading 18% writing standard English 3% writing formally Sixth Grade: 3 sessions 50-59 selected response 4 constructed response 78% reading 20% writing standard English 2% writing formally

Expect to Get Your Students „There‟ “Effort-based ability is the belief that all students can do rigorous academic work at high-standards, even if they are far behind academically and need a significant amount of time to catch-up. Educators who carry this belief into their practice are not unrealistic about the obstacles they and their students face. They simply have not given up.” ~Jonathan Saphier

TOSA Tribune Intermediate

Save Time—Grade-Specific M.A.P. Resources Are Just a Click Away Have you used the linked curriculum cards on Nixa’s website? DESE’s Communication Arts questions are included in the 3rd-6th grade curriculum. The 3rd and 4th grade math cards also have direct links to GLE examples to use for morning warm-ups.

Are you looking for resources to prepare students for April’s M.A.P. tests? You can find GLEs, vocabulary, proficiency descriptors, tutoring checklists, math GLE examples, and much, much more at the following websites:

3rd Grade CA and Math:

To access the cards, follow these simple directions:

www.cherylsclassroomtips.blogspot.com

4th Grade CA and Math:

Go to: www.nixapublicschools.net

www.cherylsclassroomtips4th.blogspot.com

Click on: Curriculum

5th Grade CA and Math:

Click on: Click here for Nixa Public Schools Faculty Curriculum Information

www.cherylsclassroomtips5th.blogspot.com

6th Grade CA and Math:

Sign-In

www.cherylsclassroomtips6th.blogspot.com

Follow links to your grade-level resources

COLD Assessments—Are You Giving Them? What is a cold assessment? A COLD assessment means that you have taught the GLEs, but you haven’t given students a review guide or reviewed IN CLASS the items on the test. After all, you won’t know what’s on the M.A.P. test until you give it. You simply know that you need to teach the GLEs.

Speaking of COLD Assessments ... The Common Assessments (Benchmarks) should be administered in a COLD setting. For students to be prepared, be sure you’re following the district’s scope-and-sequence which can be found on-line. See directions

in the article above if you need help accessing this site. The benchmarks will be revised, if needed, and ready for you weeks before they need to be administered. Please contact our office if you have any questions.

“How to tell students what to look for without telling them what to see is the dilemma of teaching.” ~Lascelles Abercrombie

I’m Done ... What Do I Do Now? Those dreaded words can be prevented with anchor activities. Anchor Activities Anchor Learning. They are a way to communicate that: In this class, we are never finished. Learning is a process that never ends. ~Carol Ann Tomlinson To increase effectiveness, teach the entire class HOW to do an anchor activity before allowing students to tackle it alone.

Volume 4, Issue 1

Anchor Activity Ideas Think-Tac-Toe (hyperlinked) R.A.F.T. (hyperlinked) Frayer Graphic Organizer (hyperlinked) Cubing (hyperlinked)

*Unless students are illustrating brain pictures to learn a concept, drawing is NOT considered an Anchor Activity.

Page 3

205 North Street Nixa, MO 65714

It’s Not Too Late to Join: http://xyzbookstudy.blogspot.com/ Visit the website above to find out more about this 0n-line book study opportunity. High Impact Teaching Strategies “XYZ” Era Education is one of my all-time favorite books. To be a part of the study, simply contact me for a book. Then, read each section and post your thoughts, questions or success stories. You can e-mail these to me, and I’ll post them for you if blogging is new to you. Check out the quote from one of our own Nixa teachers:

~Wow! I love these strategies. This is a great reference book. I have witnessed first-hand that these strategies do work with this generation of students in our classrooms. I used to read Harry Wong's book every summer, but now I think Rich Allen's High-Impact Teaching Strategies will become my new "read every summer book." *Nixa 6th Grade Teacher

Right now we have primarily Gen X teachers (1960-1979) instructing Gen Y (19801995) and Gen Z (1996-present) students. And this particular divide is creating a unique set of circumstances in our classroom. ~Rich Allen October 1, 2009 Dear Colleagues, Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year. With a new year fully in swing, it is important to do first things first. Creating a warm, safe environment is the first step in cultivating an academic climate conducive for learning. It is also important to establish high, yet attainable expectations. This newsletter is intended to be a resource for you to prepare your students for the M.A.P. test. If you need any assistance in curriculum, instruction or assessment, please do not hesitate to contact our office. Have a great school year! Working Together, Cheryl Dick 417.724.4060 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]