Tangent Times February 2017
DPS Secondary Mathematics Newsletter
NCDPI NEW 6-8 Math Standards and Opportunity to Provide Feedback
NCDPI released the Draft 6-8 Mathematics Standards for review and feedback. The turnaround time for feedback is very narrow. Since I will not have the time to pull all DPS 6-8 Mathematics teachers for feedback, I am asking each PLC to print and review these revised standards by Friday at noon.
PLCs can chose to meet during the day, before school or after school to accomplish this goal. It will take 45-60 minutes to thoroughly complete. After each PLC prints and reviews the entire Draft document, please complete this short feedback form so that I may collect DPS' feedback.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly. It’s our chance to have our voice heard! ~Chanel
Planning for Meaningful Student Discourse for Middle Schools
On February 6th, Math teachers met to conclude the second part of the Nov. 9th PD- “Planning for Meaningful Student Discourse for Middle Schools”. Our vendor, Carnegie Learning provided a demo lesson and provided additional ideas on how to use our resources to promote mathematical discourse in the classroom. In addition to this, we worked to uncover student instructional deficits by analyzing our CASE Mid-term results. Our EVAAS spreadsheets were updated so that we know EXACTLY what needs to retaught by core and by individual students. Do you know that about your students?
If not, here is how to get up to date on your student's progress towards meeting EVAAS Growth Targets:
- Add a column for the CASE results in your Google Spreadsheet.
- Find the Diff of each student's min. goal and their % correct on CASE (there's a formula for that!) Check for minimum student goals HERE (tabs)
- Use a Data Analysis sheet for each Core to identify Standards not mastered and students that need intervention or enrichment.
- Review the test by item. Talk to your PLC partners about common grade level instructional needs. Use CASE MidTerm Alignment doc to help you focus on the heavily tested standards
- Review the CASE MidTerm Standard Analysis & Support Doc
- Include your AIG, EC, & ESL peers so they know how they can support students
- Plan & ACT! Just Do it! You have to be sure to act on the data in order to improve student outcomes
If you need PLC support, please let me know so that I can schedule time for us to work through this process.
Shouts out to Lucas, Neal, & Rogers-Herr for having me work with your PLCs on this! :)
Do You Want to See Other DPS Math Teachers in Action? Be a Part of the GROW NETWORK!
The "GROW" Network Tours
The GROW NETWORK is a collaborative support that focuses on best instructional practices. It establishes a structure for teachers to learn from each other and to work together to elevate their teaching practices. Each tour will consist of three classroom observations. The touring teachers will travel between schools, as necessary.
MATH Tour Dates
6th Grade- Mar 17th
7th Grade- Mar. 24th
8th Grade- Mar. 27th
If you are interested in being a part of the GROW Network, please register so a visit schedule can be created. You will be given a date of participation where you will be with other teachers who will be observing along with you. Observation time will be embedded in the school day to discuss with the observed teachers as to how their strategies and instructional practices impacted student learning.
The three specific areas of focus for these rounds will be:
1. Instructional practices and use of DPS Resources
2. Student Engagement/Discourse
3. Teacher Facilitation/Classroom Environment
If you are interested in observing other classes, complete this short form.
NEW! NCDPI Releases a "Blue" Canvas Icon
NCDPI has released a “blue” icon for Canvas within your district’s IAM/NCEdCloud application tray. Within this Canvas instance, NC math teachers of record for NC Math 1, 2 and 3 will have access to the professional learning resource entitled "NC Mathematics Collaboratory." This icon will be a temporary shortcut so users will not have to type in the direct link: ncdpi.instructure.com.
Using the blue icon, all NC Math 1, 2 and 3 teachers now have access to any professional learning within NCDPI’s Canvas Instance at no cost to individual districts. Math instructional coaches, coordinators, specialists are invited and can be enrolled in the course by completing this google form.
Please note, access to the blue icon does not allow for LEAs and charters to create locally developed content. Individual districts/charters would need to purchase Canvas (accessed via a “red” Canvas icon in the application tray) to create learning opportunities for students. The blue icon is a temporary solution for access to piloted learning as we strive to make all future non-credit professional development resources available in the professional development component of the Truenorthlogic system slated for next school year.
NOTE: If any user accesses the blue Canvas icon and they are not enrolled in a course offered by NCDPI, they will not see any courses. Please do not submit a help ticket in this case.
For more information on Canvas, click here. For additional assistance or questions contact Yanisha Mann.
Teacher Opportunities
Registration is now open for our newest MOOC-Ed: Computational Thinking & Design!
Starts March 1st - Register Now!
In the Information Age, problems look different. Information comes at us faster than ever before, and our ability to solve problems depends on us being able to make sense of and synthesize this information. We must also design new solutions using all available technology and tools.
During this 8-week MOOC-Ed, you'll have the opportunity to dig into computational thinking, design thinking, and digtal-age problem solving. You'll engage with its core skills and concepts and learn how to integrate them into your instructional practice. The course is open to all educators, and no prior experience is necessary!
Visit mooc-ed.org to learn more and register today!
Other MOOC-Eds currently open for registration include:
Coaching Digital Learning (Starts February 20)
Coaching educators to create digital learning environments is a challenging, important, and highly collaborative role. Individuals who play this role are instrumental in cultivating a digital, personalized blended learning culture within their school, district and/or state. This course allows you to learn along with your colleagues from other schools and districts to enhance your digital learning content knowledge and further develop coaching strategies. Learn more and register
LEGO Robotics- CLUB COACHES NEEDED
-CLUB COACHES NEEDED- for the Encore! Afterschool Program
(No Special Experience Necessary)
The Department of Community Education is looking for teachers to lead clubs
in LEGO Mind Storm “Robotics” and Coding using “Scratch” to students in the
Encore! Afterschool program.
Scratch: Teach 15 students for 1 hr. /day, two days a week for 6 weeks (15 hrs.)
Robotics: Teach 15 students for 1.5 hrs. /day, two days a week for 6 weeks (*30 hrs.)
*This includes participating in a Tournament on Saturday, May 6th.
Teachers will be paid by Extra Duty at a rate of $20/hr. The Club Coach will work
under the supervision of the afterschool manager. Classes can be taught on a
M/W or T/TH schedule. Training materials will be provided prior to classes starting.
Questions? Contact: Mike Vadala at x 22234 or
(919)560-3698; michael.vadala@dpsnc.net
Interest Form
Name:
Phone: School:
Are You Willing to Travel to Another Middle School? Y / N
Certified Teacher? Y / N What Grade Do You Teach? 6 7 8
Subject(s):
Circle the Days of the Week you are Available: M - T - W - Th
Choose the Club(s) you Wish to Teach:
___ Coding from ‘Scratch’ Feb. 8- March 9
___ LEGO Robotics (YR) March 6 – May 4; (Trad) March 20- May 6
Send your Interest Form to: Staff Development Center
Attn: Mike Vadala or email
Datapalooza- Liz Moffit, Lucas Middle School
I want share what I used with my kiddos for our “Datapalooza” day, so I’ve attached that here. A couple notes:
- The Datapalooza word doc should be customized to whatever data you’re sharing with your kids, it doesn’t have to necessarily be identical to the one attached.
- The word doc has comments with some clarifications and potential student responses to the summarizing questions.
- The Sample Data spreadsheet shows how the spreadsheet would need to be setup for a mail merge (you don’t have to type each kid’s data into the template, Word & Excel work together to populate each kid’s info into the template).
- I spent an entire class period processing the data and answering questions. The expectation was that they return their Datapalooza form with a parent signature, and I encouraged them to discuss each section with their parents using the questions on the page.
If anyone wants help with doing a mail merge, I would be happy to get together with a group and walk through the process! It’s a super efficient way to give kids a lot of information that is customized to them. ~Liz
6.EE- Stacy Palen, Rogers-Herr
Intro to Algebra Tiles- Combining Like Terms
Materials to Support Discourse and Problem Solving
Student Opportunities
Summer Camp Applications Due Soon
Summer Camp Applications Due Soon
The Math Forum's Student Center describes opportunities for online and residential math summer camps in Canada, China, and almost half the states in the union, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
Some of these camps offer financial aid or early registration discounts—and many have deadlines already coming up, so encourage high school and middle school students to apply soon!
Free App for Algebra
Three years ago, an education start-up launched an online learning Q&A community. After answering a quarter-million posted questions and following up with field-testing hundreds of high school students, on Wednesday the team behind Socratic.org rolled out a new version of it's free app—for algebra.
The app allows you to take a picture of an algebraic equation—typed or handwritten. It then breaks it down, step by step; shows how each step works using Explainers, which elaborate on underlying concepts using simple language and visuals; and presents graphs, curated videos, and relevant definitions. Download the app from the iTunes store. Calculus and trigonometry are coming down the pipeline next. In support of bringing free math help to students everywhere, Socratic provides open-source systems, inviting others to contribute to its mathsteps solver.
Summer Working Opportunity - Take 2 Summer Program
MathCounts Chapter Competition
Who: Mathletes representing schools in Durham, Orange, Person and Vance Counties
Please bring all signed Photo/Video Release forms with you on competition day!
(See email from Kevin Primus)
2016 Mathcounts Durham-Orange Chapter Competition Schedule:
8:45-9:30am Registration
9:45-10:35am Sprint Round
10:45-11:30am Target Round
11:30-12:00am Break - Re-organize for Team Round
12:00-12:30am Team Round
12:40pm Lunch (Marco's Pizza)*
1:00pm-1:30pm Awards
1:30-1:45pm Dismissal
*Please inform us of any students whose diet does not allow them to eat pizza as soon as possible.