The Challenger Elementary Dispatch
Jan. 6 - 10, 2014
Welcome Back!!
Here's to a year of strength, patience and passion!
Report cards go home
Monday, Jan 6, 2014, 02:30 PM
Challenger Elementary School, Chaney Thompson Road Southeast, Huntsville, AL, United States
Collabortive Meetings
Kinder 11:30
2nd grade 1:00
We'll be working with the School Net Benchmark 3 standards and creating practice tests.
Monday, Jan 6, 2014, 08:30 AM
Deana's Room
STAR Testing Begins
Monday, Jan 6, 2014, 08:00 AM
Classrooms and Computer labs
Who does the "TO DO" list - you or your students?
Teachers, when looking over your lesson plans, ask, “Can this lesson be executed without kids?” I know this sounds laughable, but there are such lessons. Take, for example, the following lesson:
• Teacher plans the lesson
• Teacher dictates expectations
• Teacher lectures
• Teacher tells students what to write down
• Teacher gives kids worksheets to do at home (maybe parents do them..?)
• Teacher grades all worksheets
Compare that to:
• Teacher plans by having an end point (objective/standard) in mind and inquiring of kids for ways the end point may be reached (or at least approached)
• Teacher and kids determine expectations, rubrics which guide learning
• Kids share prior knowledge, brainstorm, research, and build shared knowledge
• Students notate pertinent info (specific for them) to drive toward end point
• Teacher allows kids the freedom with which they show evidence of their learning and takeaways
• Kids peer edit, self-assess, then teacher assesses
The first example can be done entirely in the absence of kids from start to finish; however, not a single phase of the second example can be done without kids. This is the difference between teaching and learning–and perhaps a post for another day. The point is, by delegating to the capable people around you, your to-do list is efficiently minimized. In the first example, the teacher must determine every aspect of the lesson. Subconsciously or not, this can lead to a self-imposed pressure to “stay on track”, which can minimize differentiation, at times. The teacher has to determine expectations, memorize the lecture, make sure all students write down “the right” things, run off copies of the worksheets, and robotically grade them. In the second example, the teacher is an active learner in every phase, making differentiation and best practice along the way applicable natural reactions, from planning to assessment, and every point in between. You know which kids can handle which tasks, and when delegated the right way, you’ll find many more kids can–and want to–handle much more than you may have originally thought.
Writing PD with Eleanor Brannon
4th grade 10:15-12:15 ( bring or order lunch)
5th grade 12:30-2:30
Tuesday, Jan 7, 2014, 08:00 AM
Deana's Room
CES Spelling Bee
Wednesday, Jan 8, 2014, 11:30 AM
AV Room
Writing PD with Eleanor Brannon
kinder 10:15-12:15 ( bring or order lunch)
3rd grade 12:30-2:30
Wednesday, Jan 8, 2014, 08:00 AM
Deana's room
Staff Meeting
Wednesday, Jan 8, 2014, 02:45 PM
Media Center
Write to Learn/Successmaker Training with Felicia Jordan
4th grade 10:15-12:15 ( bring or order a lunch)
5th grade 12:30-2:30
Thursday, Jan 9, 2014, 08:00 AM
Belissa's Room
In the cold
Hensen inside
Howard Breakfast
Bamford AM
Depew PM
Toth all the time and everywhere :-)
Here's to Cake!
Debbie Alley 1/1
Jerae Gamble 1/7
Debra Dixon 1/19
Smriti Chatterjee 1/20
Miri Evans 1/30Check out the bulletin board by the lunchroom
Awards Day!
9:00 3rd grade
9:30 5th grade
The schedule is TIGHT. Please be on time and ready to head out right after the awards.
PLEASE let parents know about the Awards event.