Wilson Ranger Post
9-14-15
Genius Hour
Our team leaders have been visiting other campuses and asking collegues what Genius Hour consists of at other campuses. And of course...we had to put it out on Twitter!!!
We need your help as well! How should we structure our Genius Hour?
Soooo, here are some things to do:
1) Download this awesome ebook from Angela Maeirs about Genius Hour. It has setting up Genius Hour lesson plans for the 1st 20 Day (Hello, Balanced Literacy :)) and it seems completely doable. What do you think??? Thanks, Debra, for sending it out!
2) Check out @PaulSolarz site: http://psolarz.weebly.com/2013-2014-passion-projects.html
3) Do a little research on your own? What's your passion when it comes to engaging students in their passions?
4) Finally, share your ideas with your team leader.
Our desire is for this to be a meaningful time of learning. We understand that different ages/grade levels need different things, so let's work together to make this work for all! It's almost like our own little passion project.
Wilson Leads the Way in the Homecoming Parade!
Information Literacy (IL)…It’s so HOT right now! ...from Debra
At our back-to-school faculty meeting, I sprinkled a little bit about the work that has been going on behind the scenes concerning a Scope and Sequence, K-12, for teaching our learners to become Information Literate and future ready. It is critical that our Future-Ready learners learn how to:
1. Think – Inquire, think critically and gain knowledge.
2. Create – Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.
3. Share – Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.
4. Grow – Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.
American Association of School Librarians. Skills Resources & Tools for a 21st Century Learner. 2009.
I know you’ve been wondering about it ever since, so here’s a little more about the curriculum that is being written.
The Scope and Sequence includes skills for each of the 7 Strands CISD has adopted for our focus on IL.
1. Collaborating in Information Literacy
2. Defining and Information Task
3. Using Information-Seeking Strategies
4. Using Information: Evaluating Resources & Extracting Relevant Information
5. Using Information: Ethical Behavior
6. Synthesis and Information Sharing/Product Creation
7. Evaluate and Reflect
Within each strand are sets of skills, vertically aligned for each grade level. Librarians are working to create a robust repository of lessons, videos, websites, activities, and suggested practices that can be used by classroom educators or taught in collaboration with librarians to create learners’ mastery of each skill.
We’ll be rolling out the repository this Spring. In the meantime, please ask me for help in addressing these standards. To quote Donald Sutherland in Animal House, “I’m not kidding! This is my job!” J
Here’s a teaser from the repository in progress.
Strand: Using Information-Seeking Strategies
Skill 1: Select Resources
Grade Levels: K-2
Brainstorm what resources can help answer questions.
Suggested Practices:
- Circle Map - Write “Resources” in center circle. Draw a frame of reference and title it “Research”. Ask learners what is meant when people “do research”. Ask learners what informational resources they use to find answers to questions, and record their answers in the area around the circle map.
Language and Literacy FAQ's from Christina and Renee
1. Where do I go for up to date Language and Literacy Information?
- The Language and Literacy Website has been given a facelift over the summer. We are still putting on some of the final touches, but have tried to create one centralized location for everything literacy related for CISD.
2. What things can I find on the Language and Literacy Website?
- District Assessment Plan and Grade Level Targets
- Standards Based Report Card Information
- Balanced Literacy Resources
- Grade Level Instructional Minute Expectations
- Elementary Spelling Resources
- Grade Level Writing Rubics
- Istation Information
- RtI2 Reading Information
And Speaking of Language and Literacy...
Oh...and thanks to our participants!!! Hope you enjoy your JEANS PASS :)