The DCMS Bat Signal: 12/2/19
Super me, super you, everyday heroes make dreams come true.
Format Matters: TLaC Technique 14
Taken from “Format Matters.” TLAC Techniques, http://tlacprojectsims.weebly.com/format-matters.html.
The medium is the message! Help your students practice responding in a format that communicates the worthiness of their ideas.
DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
YES! According to Doug Lemov, from Teach Like a Champion, using fluent syntax and correct grammar helps students in many real-life situations from college essays to job interviews. Adolescents need to learn to express their ideas clearly and effectively in a variety of formats to cater to their audience or to a particular situation. Students must realize that they can use different dialects with peers and family in informal settings, but the Standard American English (SAE), or formal English, is the language of opportunity used in the work, scholarly, and business environment. SAE acts as a code, indicating an individual’s ability to speak to a broader audience. Even if a teacher believes departing from the standard is acceptable or falls into the norm of the community’s dialect, each student needs the resources to learn the language of opportunity. Overall, Lemov suggests that students who practice speaking clearly and correctly in school will be more successful in informal out-of-school environments.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN THE CLASSROOM?
Instructors should begin with identifying the error in the least distracting way possible and allowing the student to self-correct. Teachers may use the previously mentioned “Rollback” method for students to catch their own error by the teacher repeating the sentence back to them interrogatively. If a student learns to correct in the classroom, then they can correct themselves in other formal environments as well. However, if students cannot successfully self-correct, the teacher must correct the students by acknowledging and fixing the problem without interrupting class or the student’s train of thought. One method is for teachers to begin to rephrase the students’ responses in a grammatically correct way and allow students to finish with the correct answer. Also, the student’s voice is another essential part of the strategy “Format Matters.” So the student speaking and their peers know that what he or she has to say matters, students must speak in an audible format during class discussion. Additionally, teachers need to require students to use complete sentences so they can assess and correct linguistic errors, while also giving students an environment to practice and develop their SAE. Though the strategies may seem unnecessary, in the end, students suffer more when their teachers allow linguistic errors to persist.
WHAT DO THE DEVELOPMENTALISTS SAY?
The developmental psychologists, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, both stressed the importance of language in cognitive development, or the development of increasingly complex thinking, reasoning, and language with age. An individual’s linguistic abilities develop from a combination of his or her nature and nurture for learning languages. Nature includes a person’s natural abilities to adopt a language, and nurture includes the fostering of language an individual receives in school, home, or other environments. Education psychologists encourage teachers to acknowledge the importance of students’ dialects to their cultural identity but to promote Standard American English in the classroom environment. “Code-switching,” or the ability to switch between formal English and other dialects depending on the situation, is a valuable skill for students to learn. Developmentalists also encourage teachers to foster students’ metalinguistic awareness or their purposeful awareness of language’s nature and functions. “Format Matters” nurtures students’ metalinguistic awareness by forcing students to think about the correct way to express their ideas and by allowing students to practice using Standard American English
DCMS PTO Has Funds Available to Help
Upcoming Events & Meetings
- PLC - Tuesday, 12/3, @ 7:25 AM in the DCMS Training Room
- Department Meeting - Thursday, 12/5, @ in the DCMS Training Room
- School Board Mtg - Monday, 12/9, @ 6:30 PM at DCMS Training Room
- Book Fair - 12/9 - 12/13
- PLC - Tuesday, 12/10, @ 7:25 AM in the DCMS Training Room
- 8th Grade Choir @ DHS - Wednesday, 12/11, @ 7 PM at DHS
- DLTA Building Rep Mtg - Thursday, 12/12 @ 1 PM in Marsha's office
- MS Band Concert - Saturday, 12/14, @ 5:30 PM @ DHS
- IC Q2 Window Opens - Tuesday, 12/17
- PLC - Tuesday, 12/17,@ 7:25 AM in the DCMS Training Room
- MS 6 & 7 Choir Concert - Wednesday, 12/18, @ 7 PM in the gym
- End of Q2/Semester 1 - Thursday, 12/19
- NO Students - Friday, 12/20; Grades are due prior to leaving for the holiday.
- Holiday Breakfast Pitch-In & Celebration - Friday, 12/20, in The Bat Cave @ 8:15 AM
- Christmas Break - Monday, 12/23 through Friday, 1/3
- First Day Back for Semester 2 - Monday, 1/6
- PLC - Tuesday, 1/7, @ 7:25 AM in the DCMS Training Room
Final Exam Schedule for Semester 1
Friday - 12/13 - White Day Related Arts
Monday - 12/16 - Science
Tuesday - 12/17 - English/Language Arts
Wednesday - 12/18 - Math
Thursday - 12/19 - Social Studies
12/19/19 Bell Schedule for Final Exams & Celebration Time
Regarding...
Shorts, Longs, & Coaching Observations – Expect that we will be visiting frequently and maybe even multiple times in a week.
Attendance Must Be Taken EACH Period – Attendance must be taken each period. This is not optional and cannot continue to be forgotten. At this point, this is considered a minimum performance expectation.
December Fun is Coming!
All activities are meant to be fun and not to offend anyone. No one has to participate, but it is more fun if you do. :)
- Christmas Continental Breakfast Pitch-In & Secret Santa Reveal – Friday, December 20 @ 8:15 AM. Please pitch-in and join even if you did not do Secret Santa. We want to see all the ugly sweaters! Please bring bagels/cream cheese, donuts, pastries, fruit, breakfast bars, milk, juice, etc. If you choose to bring a hot item, we won’t be mad. But only do so if you feel inclined. Please sign up to pitch in using this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mBKygimFSp1rSdvAu2MbThrLEaIeaXdecwecYbo5IOg/edit?usp=sharing
- Christmas/Holiday Spirit Week – (for staff and students) Within reason, hats and other Christmas/holiday spirit wear are acceptable this week only providing the items are not a distraction to the learning environment. Should any item prevent teaching or learning, you have the right to confiscate the items. Please turn in any confiscated items to the office with a student name attached.
· Monday, 12/16 – “No Sweat Day” – Wear your favorite sweats!
· Tuesday, 12/17 – "Blue Christmas" - Where jeans and something holiday-ish.
· Wednesday, 12/18 – "Blue Christmas" - Where jeans and something holiday-ish.
· Thursday, 12/19 – "Blue Christmas" - Where jeans and something holiday-ish.
· Friday, 12/20 - “Ugly Sweater Day” – Does this need an explanation? Wear your ugliest Christmas sweater and jeans.
- Holiday Treat Exchange – Friday, 12/20, right after the breakfast pitch-in in the training room. If you want to participate in the cookie/candy/treat exchange, email Marsha. No pressure to participate at all.
- Secret Santa Gift Exchange - Information will be coming soon will be placed in your mailboxes. If you want to participate, please return your sheet to Tisha by Monday, 11/25. We will draw names on Tuesday, 11/26 before leaving for Thanksgiving.
About Us: Mission & Collective Commitments
We are a collaborative group of educators committed to ensuring high student achievement.
We commit to…
- Focusing on student proficiency of Indiana College & Career Readiness standards, not just coverage of material.
- Working collaboratively to benefit all students with a focus on results.
- Join forces to learn by doing on a daily basis.
- Using frequent common assessments that inform and drive our instruction.
- Providing intervention and enrichment based upon the formative data.
- Furthering a culture that uses value-added language, encourages one another, and celebrates successes.
Email: mwebster@danville.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.danville.k12.in.us/Domain/9
Location: 1425 West Lincoln Street, Danville, IN, USA
Phone: 3177455491
Facebook: facebook.com/DCMSWarriors
Twitter: @DCMS_Warriors