Hawk Herald
News and Notes for Teachers- November 12
Dear Staff
Thank you all for your commitment and hard work during our conferences and staff development. As I said before, Jose and I received a lot of comments on the great staff South Meadows has and we agree wholeheartedly. It was a long and hard two days but luckily we had our thoughtful parents to spoil us with an amazing dinner and treats.
Take advantage of the long weekend to relax so we can get students off on a solid start to the new quarter.
Have a good week.
Mary
You can also find the newsletter on the staff site: Staff Site
Conference data
381 students-55%
7th graders-201 or 59%
8th graders-180 or 50%
Academic Seminar-Wed 7:50
Five words
guidelines
mature
ambiguous
due to
status
Proud Principal Awards
Hip Hop field trip CANCELED
Due to overbooking our group was cancelled
Leadership Team
Meetings and Events
Monday-12
- Check your advisory calendar:Advisory Calendar
- Veterans Day-No school
Tuesday-13
Wednesday-14
- Academic seminar-Purpose
Friday-16 Ko and Connie out
- Leadership Meeting 7:30
- Proud Principal Awards
Math Data- first quarter
8th grade-16 Ds and Fs
AVID Corner: Language and Content Objectives
The content objective tells what students will learn during the lesson. Example: “Today you will learn about the causes of the American Revolution.”
The language objective tells what language functions and forms the students will learn, and how they will demonstrate their mastery of the lesson through reading, speaking, writing, or listening. Example: You will be able to explain using complex sentences the connection between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.
Think of the following steps when writing a language and content objective:
Step 1: What do you want your students to accomplish by the end of the lesson?
Step 2: What language functions would your students need to complete the task?
Step 3: What language forms would your students need to accomplish the function?
Step 4: What is the content objective?
This a sample frame that you can use when writing a language and content objective together:
Students will ____________________ using ______________ in order to ________________.
Examples:
1. Students will be able to explain using adverbs of time in order to complete a Revolutionary war timeline.
2. Students will be able to use adverbs of time in order to explain their Revolutionary War timeline.
3. Students will complete a Revolutionary War timeline in order to explain it by using adverbs of time.
Scaffolds:
A: sentence frames at differentiated levels
C. explicit instruction on adverbs of time (form)
Sheltering:
A: Multimodal techniques (videos, pictures, models, gestures, body language, role playing, etc., etc.)
B: use of cognates
C: activate prior knowledge
D. time for oral language practice for interaction (Zwiers Conversation Skills-English, Conversation Skills-Spanish)
Planting Seeds of Empathy in Classrooms
“Empathy is at the core of everything that makes a school caring, a teacher responsive, and a society civilized,” says educational psychologist and speaker Michele Borba in this article in Educational Leadership. “When empathy wanes, narcissism, distrust, aggression, bullying, and hate rise – and schools suffer.” Borba cites research indicating that American teenagers are 40 percent less empathetic than they were three decades ago. Kids today may seem smart and self-assured, but they’re also more self-centered, competitive, individualistic, sad, and stressed than any previous generation.
Hence the focus in many schools on social-emotional skills, including empathy – the ability to understand the feelings and needs of others. A high level of empathy has been linked to better behavior, classroom engagement, communication skills, and academic achievement. Borba believes that empathy consists of nine teachable competencies:
• Emotional literacy – “Before students can empathize, they must be able to read emotions,” she says. “Students who can recognize feelings are better adjusted emotionally and more popular, outgoing, and sensitive.” But electronic devices are stunting kids’ growth in this area, so school leaders need to maximize meaningful face-to-face connections, including advocating for classroom furniture arranged in groups and circles and teachers getting out from behind their desks, constantly interacting with students, and using activities that improve students’ ability to tune in to others’ emotions and states of mind.
• Moral identity – This is students seeing themselves as people who value others. “That poses a problem in our culture,” says Borba, “with its increasing void in moral role models, but educators can play a central role in helping students develop strong ethical compasses.” Classes can decide on mantras, select uplifting quotes, and take inspiration from their teachers’ actions.
• Perspective taking – This is the cognitive side of empathy, and it can be developed, for example, using technology – connecting with students in faraway places – or in the regular curriculum – imagining the American Revolution from the British point of view. In addition, restorative practices put students in the shoes of the person on the other side of a conflict – How would you feel if that happened to you?
• Moral imagination – Books like Wonder, The Grapes of Wrath, and A Long Walk to Water, movies like Dumbo (How would it feel to be made fun of like that?), and certain paintings can be used to prompt empathetic feelings in students.
• Self-regulation – “Managing emotions is a better predictor of academic achievement than IQ,” says Borba. Learning how to keep feelings in check frees up bandwidth to tune in to another person’s state of mind. One school in San Francisco reduced its suspension rate by 79 percent and improved attendance and achievement after introducing a twice-a-day fifteen-minute meditation/quiet time.
• Practicing kindness – This is teaching children to be more “we” and less “me” oriented: nudging them to notice, care about, empathize with, and help and comfort others. “Kindness also jump-starts a cascade of beneficial effects not only for the receiver, but for the giver,” says Borba.
• Collaboration – “Empathy is never a solitary act,” she says; “It’s only when we let go of our self-centeredness and feel with others that our hearts open.” Orchestrating teamwork in classrooms (like jigsaw activities) promotes understanding, builds problem-solving skills, and helps students disagree agreeably.
• Moral courage – “Upstanders” are the empathy elite, says Borba; they are ordinary people who stand up for others and stick their necks out for justice and compassion. “Mobilizing moral courage may be our best hope to stop cruelty and violence in schools,” she continues. “When kids intervene, it stops bullying more than half the time and within 10 seconds.”
• Growing changemakers – This is making empathy part of a school’s mission: being explicit about encouraging students to understand and help others, perhaps through service projects. “Giving – not receiving – is what makes kids happier, healthier, less stressed, and feel better about themselves,” concludes Borba.
South Meadows Middle School
Email: mendezm@hsd.k12.or.us
Website: http://schools.hsd.k12.or.us/southmeadows
Location: 4690 Southeast Davis Road, Hillsboro, OR, United States
Phone: 503-844-1220
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthMeadowsMiddleSchool