The Curriculum Chronicle
January 2019
A note of thanks...
Elizabeth Sheridan
District PD
The next District PLC will be held January 23 from 2:45-3:45 @ Lincoln Main.
2600 SW 9th St, Des Moines, IA 50315
You will be receiving an updated agenda from your facilitator prior to 1/21.
Do you have???
Prior to making a purchase, I wanted to see if anyone had the following and is willing to share:
20 copies of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone J. K. Rowling or
30 copies of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
If so, email me directly @ elizabeth.sheridan@dmschools.org
Novel Requests: Past and Present
PAST: When you are finished with books from 1st semester, please box and initiate a transfer back to Central Stores so we can properly bar-code and count these materials. Any materials you are clearing out of your building should follow this process.
PRESENT: Book orders are in transit and will be bar-coded prior to delivery to your building. If there is a book that you MUST have 1/16, please let me know so I can prioritize our process.
FUTURE: If you are still searching for materials, please review the attached spreadsheet. Bobbi Speer and I are continually updating and revising this list to provide accurate titles and counts. If you would like a book from this list, you may initiate the transfer request through Infinite Campus or you may email me personally and I will do so.
***Please note the tabs on the bottom. we have bar-coded sets, loose stock, and now a tab for what I'm calling a "small reader". These are short chapter books listed for grades 3-6. They would be a great option for some of our struggling readers or ELL/SPED lit.circles.
Winter MAP Testing (Middle Schools)
Reminder that the winter MAP window closes JANUARY 11th. You already knew that, and thank you for doing all you can to test each and every kiddo. As you receive your reports, be sure to dive into that data in a meaningful way, not just to enter a grade for reading comprehension.
As a PLC, have you considered the following?
- Why do we give MAP?
- What do we do with the data MAP provides us?
- How can MAP data impact our instructional decisions and curriculum design?
Early Curriculum Revision & Program Taskforces
All grade levels will be revising curriculum guides in April/May. These select task-forces are for courses that are having more significant changes occur and need more lead time to complete.
English III
English III is looking to split the current curriculum to create two separate semester classes: Rhetoric & Argumentation and American Literature. To ensure that we have strong alignment with best practice, any English III or AP Lang teacher who is interested in participating in the the conversation about the design of these new(ish) courses is encouraged to attend.
Lit & Comp
In an effort to ensure that electives that confer English credit hold the same level of rigor and analysis as their English IV counterpart, I believe some attention needs to be paid to the Lit. and Comp. series of the course catalog. How can we maintain creativity and freedom these courses currently offer while holding students accountable for grammar, vocabulary, and upper-level analysis? Any English IV or Lit. & Comp teacher is encouraged to attend.
Sign up here: Curriculum Revision Taskforce.docx
Vocabulary Scales (middle and high school)
Multiple questions have arisen around our current vocabulary scales. As those who have implemented the work with students, I ask for your input on how to clarify, refine, and better articulate our expectations in this area. This would include a discussion of the Study of Word Families materials that are currently available to all grades.
Sign up here: Vocab (1) (1).docx
NoRedInk.com/Revision Assistant
I know many teachers have used the free version of NoRedInk.com for grammar practice and instruction. A few schools are piloting the pro account with building funds and seeing some great success. We have all had access to Revision Assistant, also with varying levels of use and success. I would like to gather a group of middle and high school teachers to discuss our on-going needs for programs that serve both grammar and writing instruction/practice and our vision moving forward.
Sign up here: Noredink RA taskforce.docx
You will be paid for your off-contract time. We will arrange times to meet with those interested early second semester.
Local Contests and Opportunities:
The Polk County Bar Association Law Day Competition
The Polk County Bar Association & ARAG sponsor a Law Day competition each year to celebrate the constitution and help students learn about civics. This year's theme is the timely topic of Free Speech, Free Press, Free Society.
We invite your students to enter our competition. We have several categories that allow the students to express their creativity and learn more about the legal system (and win some prizes!). The winners will be invited to a luncheon and award ceremony at the Iowa Judicial Branch Building. I have attached the competition materials.
The deadline to enter is March 29th, 2019.
We also have local attorneys and judges who are volunteering to visit your classrooms to discuss the theme (or the constitution or legal system in general) with the students.
See the pdf below for entry details.
Iowa Reading Association Creative Writing Contest
Inaugural DSM Book Festival
In an effort to constantly engage ourselves as well as our students in the culture of reading and the reading of culture, I wanted to share an upcoming opportunity to engage with local, regional, and best-selling authors. There sounds like a wealth of opportunities for our students to participate and may be a way to capture the attention of some reluctant readers.
Sounds like a real-world way to engage students in online book clubs (or mirror this in your classroom), contests, poetry slams and more!
I encourage you to check out the article and link below for more information! I'll be following this for updates as well!