CSHS Weekly Bulletin
April 1-6, 2019
Spicing Up Direct Instruction
Dear Cougar Family,
Secondary education often gets a bad rap. Sometimes this is due to movies that perpetuate stereotypes of boring lecturers droning on and on, like in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. At other times, I think it's due to our own experiences from classrooms 30 years ago as students. Whenever I have the opportunity to speak to groups of people about education today, I always try to emphasize that what happens in classrooms today looks very different than when I was in high school. Classes are much more engaging, hands-on, collaborative, and interactive. But, in the interest of keeping it real, sometimes we still fall back on direct instruction without allowing opportunities for students to truly participate in the acquisition of learning. Therefore, this post focuses on how to spice up direct instruction using Marzano's instructional framework.
Direct instruction is a necessary part of the learning process because students need to understand what is important about content and how the parts fit together in order to be able to apply the knowledge. In regards to this, Marzano notes in The New Art and Science of Teaching:
"In some circles, direct instruction has a tarnished reputation. It is commonly associated
with didactic, lecture-oriented presentations during which students are passive
consumers of information. While it is true that teachers can execute direct instruction--
and all other types of instruction--in an unparticipatory manner. In fact, research
continually supports the necessary role of direct instruction" (29).
Marzano also purports that "not all content is important enough to warrant the time necessary for a direct instruction lesson" and that when direct instruction is used, the lessons should be "well-crafted and polished creations" (34).
So, how can we make sure we do not stumble into the pitfalls of unparticipatory direct instruction?
Marzano recommends considering the following questions when designing lessons:
- How will I chunk the new content into short, digestible bites?
- How will I help students process the individual chunks and the content as a whole?
- How will I help students record and represent their knowledge? (34)
Therefore, I have rounded up some resources for each topic.
Ways to Chunk New Content
- "Getting Rid of the Lecture Bottleneck" on Edutopia
- "Direct Instruction Lessons: Chunking Content" from Marzano's Compendium of Strategies
Ways to Help Students Process
- "To Learn, Students Need to DO Something" from the Cult of Pedagogy Blog (scroll down to How do We Fix It? if you are in a time crunch.)
- "The Essential Five: A Starting Point for Kagan Cooperative Learning" from Kagan Online
- Integrating Nearpod!
Ways to Help Students with Recording and Representing Knowledge
- "Note-taking: A Research Round-up" from the Cult of Pedagogy Blog
- "Power Lesson: Notetaking Stations" from the Cult of Pedagogy Blog
- Three Fun Strategies for Notetaking" from Edutopia
And here's some bonus information on formatting slides that are visually appealing while including pertinent information:
- "The Cure for Bad PowerPoint: A Review of Presentation Zen" on the Cult of Pedagogy Blog
- See the YouTube video below as well.
May you all have a marvelous week!
As always, COUGAR PRIDE!
Tiffany
CSISD Professional Learning Survey
Outdoor Classroom
The Layout is flexible! Check out this slideshow for inspiration as to how you might use the space with your classes.
To reserve the classroom, go to the CSHS Outdoor Classroom Calendar. Make an all-day reservation and include teacher name and periods of use. (ex. Parkerson 3,4,5).
Not convinced working outside has any impact on learning? Check out this article on the subject.
April 9th & 11th: English End of Course Exam Schedule
Comp Day--April 22nd!
If you have other questions, please ask Ms. Ayala.
Sign Your Stuff in TalentEd
This will be part of the end of year checkout process, so sign now and get ahead of the game!
Graduation Parking Passes
Thank you!
After Prom Bash Crawfish Boil & Pizza
Spring Final Exam Schedule
Please also remember that Saturday, May 25, 2019 is a teacher work day.
Sending SPARKS! Celebrating our students and staff!
The number of celebrations being submitted has slowed down! Send one this week!
- Student Recognition: Cougar Hero Award nomination form
- Staff Recognition: Excellence in Action Award nomination form
If you would like to be part of the announcements at 3rd period to share news about your club/activity/sport, please email your announcement to Parkerson and Hester.
Aesop has changed to Frontline!
Beginning March 8th, when you attempt to login to enter an absence in AESOP, you'll be directed to create a new account including a new username and password. The good news is there is no need to worry because the process is super easy!
Create a Frontline ID:
When you log in you'll be prompted to create your new Frontline ID.
Enter your:
First Name
Last Name
Username (see requirements below)
Password (see requirements below)
Email address
Click to accept the terms and conditions
Click Create Frontline ID
The system will sign you in with your new username and password and require these credentials for any future logins.
Requirements:
New Username Requirement: Your new username must contain 1 alphabet character and at least 4 total characters. (You can potentially use your email address or first initial and last name.)
New Password Requirement: The password must have 1 alphabet character, 1 number or special character, and 8 total characters. Include an email address to provide a means for password recovery and click the checkbox to accept the terms and conditions.
Absence Reasons in Frontline
If you are traveling with students, choose Student Activities. Also, remember that personal days have to be requested at least 3 days before the absence, so that cannot be the reason listed on same-day absence submissions.
If you are unsure as to what to choose, then please look at this list.
Grade Due Dates
Duty Schedule
If you did not have duty in the fall, you have duty this spring. Check the full schedule here and mark the dates in your calendar.
Please be sure to see the full duty schedule on the Teacher Resource Guide. Direct any questions regarding duty to Mr. Davis.
Morning Duty
Afternoon Duty
Upcoming Events
4/8 5th Six Weeks Grades Due
4/9 English I EOC
4/11 English II EOC
4/12 Jungle Jam
4/13 UIL Academics Regional Meet @Waller
4/19 Staff/Student Holiday
4/22 Staff Comp Day
4/26-27 Strutter Showcase
4/29 5th Six Weeks Progress Report Grades Due
4/30 CSISD Senior Hall of Fame Banquet
5/4 C3&WIT Charity Performance
5/4 Prom at The Hall of Champions @TAMU followed by The After Prom Party @The Rec Center
5/6-5/17 AP Testing
5/9-5/10 Theater Senior Showcase
5/11 AVP Film Festival
5/15 Senior Celebration Awards Night
5/16 CSISD Education Foundation Scholarship Reception
5/17 Choir Pops Show
5/20 Cougar Awards (9th-11th)
5/22 Senior Walk @Elementary Schools
5/23 Graduation Practice
5/23 Senior Sunset Supper
5/24 Last Day of School & Graduation
5/25 Staff Development Day