Charger News
January 18-January 23, 2016
"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively & to think critically."
Vocabulary Strategies
- Personal Dictionary
- Word Walls
- Frayer Model
Ms. Win's students use personal dictionaries to process vocabulary
Mrs. Andrews students use the Frayer Wall they have created to learn difficult terms
Ms. Nguyen's students work collaboratively with giant white boards
Tips from Marzano
Cultivate a growth mindset to create confidence in student achievement.
For example, a student initially demonstrates a fixed mindset regarding public speaking, expressing her belief that she will never be able to overcome her stage fright. The teacher helps the student identify this belief as a characteristic of a fixed mindset by showing the student famous people who have successfully overcome stage fright. Then, the teacher asks the student to give a short presentation for two or three friends. The teacher will listen to the presentation and give effort-based feedback to the student to instill confidence and cultivate a growth mindset to speak in front of a larger group of peers (pp. 39–40).
Both controversy and conflict are inevitable in life, and students who understand how to approach both will have more successful interactions.
Controversy occurs when two people with different beliefs disagree; conflict occurs when one person is getting in the way of another’s goals. If two group members have different ideas about how to accomplish a task, they are engaged in controversy. If both groups need the same book for research, they are engaged in conflict. Teachers can point out that both are inevitable and students have choices about how they react. Controversy is usually beneficial because it leads to more idea sharing, while conflict should be resolved quickly (p. 44).
In order to focus their instruction, teachers can identify the essential concepts and skills in the standards.
For example, Mathematics Standard 4.OA.A.3 says:
Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.
This single standard includes three sentences and at least eight different elements of knowledge and skill as shown in Table 3.1 (pp. 47–48).
Table 3.1: Elements of Knowledge and Skills in Mathematics Standard 4.OA.A.3
Knowledge
- Understand the role of letters in equations
- Assess the reasonableness of answers
- Interpret remainders
Skills
- Solve multistep word problems
- Add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers
- Represent multistep word problems with equations
- Use mental computation
- Use estimation strategies (such as rounding)
Students prepare for service learning
Conrad Feeder Pattern Foci
Listed below are items that our entire feeder works to make norms for every class in the Conrad Feeder Pattern.
- Progress Monitoring: Teacher-managed Profiling & Student-managed Profiling
- Differentiated Individualized Professional Development
- Data Driven Decisions and Instruction
- Graphic Organizer Utilization
- Justification of student responses (i.e. How do you know? Why? What does that mean? Explain, etc.)
- Scaffolding Instruction
- Differentiate Instruction, inclusive of Small Group Instruction/Instructional Stations
- No Opt Out, Think-Pair-Share, Cold Call
- Content Specific Writing
- Content Specific Reading
This Week...
Monday, January 18
Tuesday, January 19
6/7:30pm-JV/Varsity Basketball (Girls) vs Creekview High School @ Conrad High School
5:30/6/7:30pm-Freshmen/JV/Varsity Basketball (Boys) vs Creekview High School @ Creekview High School
Wednesday, January 20
Thursday, January 21
4:30pm-Instructional Leadership Team Meeting
Friday, January 22
3:30-Pep Rally
6/7:30pm-Varsity Basketball(Girls) vs Bryan Adams@ Conrad High School
6/7:30pm-Varsity Basketball(Boys) vs Bryan Adams@ Bryan Adams High School
Saturday, January 23
Announcements & Action Items
- Please post lesson plans in a visible place for visitors to access. (Remember lesson plans should reflect pacing by the minute for components within the lesson plan)
- Please be sure and review Mrs. Esparza's monthly calendar. If you have any events you would like added, see her in the front office.