Inside the ELA Classroom
October 2018
Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs) show a progression of knowledge and skills for which students must demonstrate competency across the achievement levels. It is important to understand that a student should demonstrate mastery of the knowledge and skills within his/her achievement level as well as all content and skills in any achievement levels that precede his/her own, if any. For example, a Proficient Learner should also possess the knowledge and skills of a Developing Learner and a Beginning Learner.
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The Academic Word Finder produces a list of words. Note, there may be other academic vocabulary words the tool does not highlight (ones that that are either rare or common) that a teacher determines are important to the text. This tool doesn't replace teacher judgment; rather it helps to support the teacher in identifying which academic words to consider first. Teachers also must gauge what words are most effective for their students' current vocabulary levels.
Select and enter into the tool a passage from a complex text along with the grade level being taught. The tool then identifies the academic vocabulary for the selected grades, as well as words that fall into grade levels both above and below, and provides student-friendly definitions, parts of speech and sample sentences.
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Don’t forget, we have the online support of Renaissance
- Phone support: Call toll free (800) 338-4204. A representative will be available, Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. Central time.
- Live Chat: The link for the live chat is in the upper right-hand corner of your Renaissance home page when you are logged in.
- Email Support: Email us at answers@renaissance.com.
- Renaissance Refresher: Subscribe to the bi-weekly E-Newsletter and stay informed about key updates. The newsletter includes tips and resources.
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ELA Professional Learning Sessions
ELEMENTARY
Tuesday, October 2, 3:15 - 4:15 p.m., Werz, PLC
Grade 5 ELA Content Meeting
In this professional learning session teachers will discuss the District literacy initiative, the novel review process, and Renaissance STAR. Emphasis will be on several STAR reports to gather evidence about student understanding and support. Encourage teachers to register at https://goo.gl/forms/9OsHv9kqJfHzhKxz2. Participants are asked to bring their Chromebooks.
Wednesday, October 10, 3:00 p.m., Werz, PLC
Kindergarten: ESGI Training
In this introductory session Kindergarten teachers will review the ESGI assessment platform used for conducting one-on-one assessments for students. Discussion topics will include exploration of the ESGI features: 200+ preloaded assessments, steps to create personalized assessments, available reports, and parent resources. Encourage teachers to register at https://goo.gl/forms/7vVdEGWpJMe3N4yL2 for the opportunity. Participants are asked to bring their Chromebooks.
Save the DATES: Thursday, November 1, 8, and 15, 3:00pm, Werz, PLC
Grades 3, 4, and 5
In this professional learning opportunity Renaissance STAR will be the topic will an emphasis on specific reports. Details will be provided in the November update.
MIDDLE
Monday, October 22, 4:00 p.m., Werz, PLC
Secondary ELA Remediation Meeting
This professional learning sessions will provide support for teachers who incorporate remediation in the secondary ELA classroom. Participants will focus on strategies for increasing students’ comprehension, fluency and participation. Encourage teachers to register at https://goo.gl/forms/lI3xCsxRd6yvpt8I2 Participants are asked to bring a lesson and Chromebook.
Wednesday, October 24, 4:00 p.m., Arnall MIddle
Middle Grades ELA Department Meeting
The District and School Connect is a comprehensive educational platform designed to meet instructional and assessment needs of oru schools. In this professional learning sessions participants will discuss how to create assessments and how to utilize the assessment bank. Participants are asked to bring a Chromebook and lesson ideas.
HIGH
Thursday, October 11, 2:00 p.m., Werz, CCR
High School: Assesslet Data Dig
School representatives will participate in this session focused on vertical and horizontal discussions regarding the Assesslet data. The team will consider individual student, small group, and whole class instructional ideas and support. Information will be redelivered to school level departments by team participants. Participants are asked to bring a Chromebook.
Monday, October 22, 4:00 p.m., Werz, PLC
Secondary ELA Remediation Meeting
This professional learning sessions will provide support for teachers who incorporate remediation in the secondary ELA classroom. Participants will focus on strategies for increasing students’ comprehension, fluency and participation. Encourage teachers to register at https://goo.gl/forms/lI3xCsxRd6yvpt8I2 Participants are asked to bring a lesson and Chromebook.Thursday, October 25, 2018 @ 4:00pm
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This year’s book selection, Maybe Something Beautiful, by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, and illustrated by Rafael López, celebrates the magic that can happen when a community comes together to create something beautiful and bring about change.
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25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area
Social Studies content can be an interesting mix of itemized information, and traditional paragraphs/imagery.
This all makes reading strategies somewhat content area specific. Stopping (maybe the most undervalued strategy ever) and Rereading might make more sense in science, while Visualization and Text Connections may make more sense reading literary works. Questioning the Text may make equal sense in both.
25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area
1. Reread
2. Activate Prior Knowledge
3. Use Context Clues
4. Infer
5. Think Aloud
6. Summarize
7. Locate Key Words
8. Make Predictions
9. Use Word Attack Strategies
10. Visualize
11. Use Graphic Organizers
12. Evaluate Understanding
13. Question the Text
14. Stop!
15. Monitor & Repair Understanding (While Reading)
16. Paraphrase
17. Annotate the Text
18. Adjust Reading Rate
19. Prioritize Information
20. Use Graphic Notetaking
21. Predict
22. Set a Reader Purpose
23. Text-connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world)
24. Skim
25. SSQ (Stop, Summarize, Question)
25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area was retrieved on September 21, 2018 from teachthought: We Grow Teachers at
https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/25-reading-strategies-that-work-in-every-content-area/
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When using any strategy, teachers should (1) ensure students understand why the strategy is useful, and (2) describe explicitly how the strategy should be used. Demonstrate, model, and follow-up with independent practice opportunities.
Reciprocal Teaching
Developed in 1986 by Palicsar and Brown as a reading comprehension strategy, reciprocal teaching involves student-directed groups working with informational text. Students should read the text in chunks (stopping points) to discuss the text deeply. Teachers may want to create the stopping points for students. The more experienced readers may be capable of deciding how they need to break up the text.
The strategies to be applied at each point:
Questioning - asking text-explicit (literal) and text-implicit (inferential) questions
Clarifying understanding - discussion of concepts, vocabulary, or any confusion (locate context clues, use the glossary, consult another resource, ask the teacher)
Summarizing - determine the main points in the passage
Predicting - discuss what the author will discuss next based on what is known thus far
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U R TOPS - Mental Model for Processing
Piagetian programs effect size 1.28
Concept mapping effect size 0.64
Visual perception programs effect size 0.55
Charts with the process for Mental models should be posted so that students can refer to them when needed.
Strategy pulled from Research-Based Strategies: Narrowing the Achievement Gap for Under-Resourced Students (Payne & Tucker, 2009). Table Source: K.D. Ellis, 2004).
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The WHOLE and Teeny Tiny Details
This strategy works well for:
Genre: nonfiction
Skill: summarizing
This strategy works K - 12 and helps students internalize the important nonfiction structure of main idea and key details OR topic sentence and supporting facts.
This strategy comes from Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers (2015).
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Add up facts to determine the main idea
Read, Cover, Remember, Tell
V.I.P. Comprehension Strategy
Scan & Plan
Sticky Notes
Plan & Label Non-fiction Strategy
Questioning
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Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
~Nelson Mandela
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